Should Christians Use Herbs? (part 2)

In my first post on this topic, I discussed what is considered an herb and where all true healing comes. Remember, the herbs themselves possess no power in themselves to heal.  They are merely substances that encourage the body to do what it was designed to do more efficiently.

In this article, I will cover herbs in the Bible.

Herbs in the Bible

A couple of years ago, my children and I read a book entitled Galen and the Gateway to Medicine by Jeanne Bendick. Galen was a Greek physician employed by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, continuing in service through the Emperor Septimius Severus. Galen was born into a wealthy family, thus allowing him to study at the Temple of Aesculapius and later travel to Corinth, then to Alexandria to further his studies. What is fascinating about Galen is that his ideas and medical practices were largely unchallenged for more than a thousand years. In fact, his ideas concerning the balance of the four humors (from his study of Hippocrates) led to the popular practice of blood letting, which unfortunately led to the death of George Washington just 200 years ago.

Another interesting fact about Galen is that he lived only a few short years after the time Christ lived on the earth. There was another physician living during this time period, perhaps better known to Christians. This was the beloved physician, Luke (Colossians 4:14), author of the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. We don’t have record of Luke’s medical practices. However, we know that as a physician in the first century, the only “medicine” available to Luke would have been herbal medicines. Part of the duties of a physician at this time were compounding herbal medicines for their patients.

As I began my herbal studies, I wanted to know what the Bible had to say about this topic. One thing that was impressed upon my heart as I read the Word, was that Christians as a whole, have distance themselves so far from God’s original designs that they often don’t recognize them as part of His blessings to us. This can be seen in many areas of our lives. For instance, until the last 100 years or so, no one questioned whether or not they would breastfeed their child. If you wanted your child to live, you nursed them. The only other option was finding another nursing mother who would nurse the baby for you if you couldn’t. So you see, there was never a question in these women’s minds debating which was best — breast milk or formula. They knew that the Lord has marvelously created their bodies to provide for their young.

The same can be said for their healing practices. The Bible speaks in several places of medicines.

Pro 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Jer 30:13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.

But what were these medicines? What was it that was used as medicine?

In Luke 10:34, we see the good Samaritan binding up wounds with oil and wine. The wine would have provided antiseptic properties, while the oil would have served as a healing salve. In several places we see that the people used balms, ointments, and plasters as medicines (Jerimiah 8:22, 46:11, 51:8; Isaiah 1:6, 38:21). Perhaps the most telling verses are in Ezekiel and Revelations where we see the Lord providing leaves for medicine.

Eze 47:12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

I have tried to compile a list of specific herbs listed or named in the Bible. This is a work-in-progress, as I am sure there are many I have missed.

aloes Num 24:6, Psa 45:8, Pro 7:17, Son 4:14, Joh 19:39
anise Mat 23:23
balm Gen 37:25, 43:11, Jer 8:22, 46:11, 51:8, Eze 27:17
bay tree Psa 37:35
calamus Exo 30:23
cassia Exo 30:24
cinnamon Exo 30:23, Pro 7:17, Son 4:14, Rev 18:13
coriander seed Exo 16:31, Num 11:7
cummin Isa 28:25, 28:27, Mat 23:23
fitches (fennel) Isa 28:25, 28:27
frankincense Mat 2:11
garlic Num 11:5
hyssop Psa 51:7
juniper 1Ki 19:4-5, Job 30:4, Psa 120:4
mint Mat 23:23, Luk 11:42
mustard 13:31
myrrh Pro 7:17
rose Luk 11:42
rue Luk 11:42
saffron
spikenard Jn 12:3
wormwood (hemlock) Jer 23:15

Next in the series…What is permissible before God?

Tags: Bible, featured, herbalism, herbs

Category: Natural Health