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Dr. Michael Murray The IMMUNE FA CTOR - Natural MediFAQS

Dr. Michael Murray The IMMUNE FA CTOR - Natural MediFAQS

Dr. Michael Murray The IMMUNE FA CTOR - Natural MediFAQS

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INTRODUCTION<br />

<strong>The</strong> Herbal Renaissance<br />

Science Fuels an Herbal Renaissance<br />

Since the early 1980s there has been a tremendous<br />

increase in the use and appreciation of herbal<br />

medicine in North America. I have termed this process<br />

the Herbal Renaissance. Most people are surprised to<br />

learn that the primary fuel for this increased popularity<br />

of herbal medicine is scientific research. During the last<br />

20 to 30 years there has been a virtual explosion of<br />

scientific information concerning the medicinal use of<br />

plants. Through science we now have a better<br />

understanding of how a particular herb might work to<br />

promote health. We also now know how to grow a plant<br />

for highest medicinal effect, when to harvest it and how<br />

to concentrate the medicinal components in extracts.<br />

Some people interested in herbal medicine are<br />

turned off by the word “science”, but by definition<br />

“science” refers to “possession of knowledge, as<br />

distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding.”<br />

Scientific knowledge is based upon the scientific<br />

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