Herbs and other plants in medicine

Before modern medicines, all anyone had were those made from natural plants and from animal parts. Angiosperms (flowering plants) were the original source of most plant medicines. Modern medicine, does, however, make use of many plant-derived compounds as the basis for evidence-tested pharmaceutical drugs, and phytotherapy works to apply modern standards of effectiveness testing to herbs and medicines that are derived from natural sources. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80 percent of the population of some Asian and African countries presently use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care.

I live in an area of the country where the traditions include the use of herbal medicines. Native American medicine combines herbs, spirituality, and magic.



It is known that many plants have natural chemicals which are capable of healing. There are 180 different species of wild plants in the Rio Grande region which have medicinal properties used by one of the Pueblo Indian tribes; Zuni Pueblo Indians used fourteen different plant species in the treatment of stomach ache alone.

Cover Reveal for The Crimson Orb

I received the cover art for my fantasy novel. Take a look:

The book will be available mid-June.

Unwritten: R is for R-E-L-I-E-F by Joyce Hertzoff

Unwritten: R is for R-E-L-I-E-F by Joyce Hertzoff

Nissa's mother is an herbalist, preparing medicines and salves from the plants growing at the Manor.

Here's part of a visit Nissa makes to her mother's workshop:

My sister and Carys let me approach my mother myself, most likely because they didn't want to be present for what might be a confrontation.

I found her alone in her workshop, brewing some of her medicines and salves from the herbs and other plants she collected once a week: lavender and chamomile, parsley, tansy and mullein, and so many others. The initial bitter scent was replaced by a sweeter one.

“Hello, Nissa.” She smiled. “What brings you to my workshop this early in the day?” 

Natural herbal remedies are being used more and more today. How many do you know or use?

Music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Music played an integral part in the lives of people during medieval times. It was especially popular during celebrations and festivities, and was played during meals because it was thought to aid digestion.

 By the time of the Renaissance, there was an incredible transformation and advancement in music notation and composition. The development of printing made distribution of music possible on a wide scale. Demand for music as entertainment and as an activity for educated amateurs increased with the emergence of a bourgeois class.

Paintings during both eras showed musicians.