Loki's Advocate
05-30-2005, 01:08 AM
I'm a big believer in knowing that certain plants do certain things, and knowing which plants are useful, by virtue of their qualities and properties, to people in one way or another.
When you think about it, all people do the same thing in one way or another, even if it is only to take advantage of the calmative and disinhibitative qualities of yeast excrement. :D
But you need to know two things to be able to do it in any involved way: how to identify specific plants (because a lot of plants look pretty similar), and the mechanical processes needed to extract either fluid extracts or essences from the acqueus plant material, or less or more dense parts from dried plant material.
To speak of plants and their chemical properties in remedies and treatments, they either have acqueous ***** (which readily dissolve in water) or non-acqueous ***** (which do not).
From this basic difference, you have more specific qualities which will further differentiate how certain plants and their certain ***** affect people, and how you can do likewise. Some ***** are readily absorbed through the skin due to extremely small molecules in powders or due to certain chemical qualities in fluids.
You also need to have a clear idea of what it is you need to do: what it is that needs to be treated, and how it is that you can most efficiently do it.
Obviously, the most important thing is just being responsible.
Also, you need to know what it is that plants do, that you don't want. Don't start thinking like a witch-doctor because you're using a slightly different pharmocopeia to most people for some things (which should go without saying).
When you think about it, all people do the same thing in one way or another, even if it is only to take advantage of the calmative and disinhibitative qualities of yeast excrement. :D
But you need to know two things to be able to do it in any involved way: how to identify specific plants (because a lot of plants look pretty similar), and the mechanical processes needed to extract either fluid extracts or essences from the acqueus plant material, or less or more dense parts from dried plant material.
To speak of plants and their chemical properties in remedies and treatments, they either have acqueous ***** (which readily dissolve in water) or non-acqueous ***** (which do not).
From this basic difference, you have more specific qualities which will further differentiate how certain plants and their certain ***** affect people, and how you can do likewise. Some ***** are readily absorbed through the skin due to extremely small molecules in powders or due to certain chemical qualities in fluids.
You also need to have a clear idea of what it is you need to do: what it is that needs to be treated, and how it is that you can most efficiently do it.
Obviously, the most important thing is just being responsible.
Also, you need to know what it is that plants do, that you don't want. Don't start thinking like a witch-doctor because you're using a slightly different pharmocopeia to most people for some things (which should go without saying).