Traditional medicine
Folk medicine includes in the population from one generation to the next traditional knowledge about diseases, cures and remedies. Folk medicine goes back to the first principles of humanity. In addition to gain experience by trying out pure - eg medicinal plants or remedies of animal or mineral origin are observations about animals that instinctively eat certain plants with disease.
In addition, should also early analogy and theoretical considerations have confessed about the preferred use of plant with liver- shaped leaves in liver disease or jaundice gelbblühender plants in accordance with the doctrine of signatures. Such considerations are classified by their critics as superstition. Continuity is the assumption that similar metabolic functions in humans and plants lead to shape similarities. The gift of such a plant, might cause the sick person to a harmonization just that metabolic functions. Such considerations lead to the production of hypotheses that need to be confirmed or falsified by the naturopathic practice.
Methods and means of folk medicine
Among the methods of healing since the Stone Age are also surgical procedures, as evidenced from archaeological finds. For example, find evidence of trepanation and other surgical procedures in the Edwin Smith Papyrus. Furthermore, this includes sweating cures, various types of therapeutic fasting or splinting of bone fractures. Folk medicine also has philosophical and religious components that until now characterize many Lent.
Folk medicine and conventional medicine
The medical people knowledge has evolved over generations and is now closely related to Naturopathy. The separation of conventional medicine began later than the 19th century with the increasing medical research at universities and the development of chemical drugs. Modern preparations very often based on active ingredients that have been used in folk medicine. Only the respective active compounds are isolated, chemically analyzed and, if necessary, prepared synthetically.
In the Middle Ages, the herb woman and spake of Bader had an important medical function, especially if the use of a doctor was too expensive. The professional group of Bader was until about 1400 as dishonorable and received only 1548 guild rights. Together with the barbers they were so-called craft physicians - as opposed to the academic education of today's medical professionals - and their training precisely controlled. With the advent of medicine, there were violent clashes between physicians ' old and new school " that reverberate in many ways today.
In Germany and partly in Switzerland / Austria had lay doctors or doctors farmer until in the middle of the 20th century an important position in the medical care of people and livestock in rural areas. In China's population, the folk medicine facility is one of almost equal rank alongside conventional medicine; Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM ) is taught at universities. After the Second World War, many so-called barefoot doctors were working in rural areas, as there was not yet enough studied TCM doctors. The same applies to many other regions.