Ayurvedic Herbalism: Humans & Plants


♦ Home Part I: Ayurveda ♦ Introduction & History ♦ Indian Cosmology ♦ The Human Body ♦ Health & Sickness Part II: Ayurvedic Herbalism ♦ Humans & Plants ♦ Food Energies ♦ Plant Classification ♦ Herbal Preparations ♦ Herbal Usage ♦ Common Herbs Part III: Future of Ayurveda ♦ Limits to Ayurveda ♦ Ayurveda-Western Medicine Comparison ♦ Ayurveda as CAM ♦ Conclusion		Humans and Plants: A Spiritual Relationship “The essence of plants is the human being.” This statement is a proclamation of the unbreakable connection between plants and humans as written in the Chandogya Upanishad, one of the books of the Vedas. Life is possible on earth because there exist sunlight, mineral nutrients, water, and air. But these things cannot come together to form the sophistication of life that inhabits the earth if plants did not exist to integrate these them into living organisms. Thus, plants are the gateway to life. The universe is vibrating with cosmic forces, but it is plants that absorb these forces (in the form of light) and transform them into life (1). We have an unbreakable tie with the plant world because we are vitally dependent on it for survival. For this reason, plants have maintained an important place in human spirituality (2), past and present. The Vedic statement above is not just a philosophical, spiritual expression but an ecological fact. Human beings are created from plants. The carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and water that create the human being are predominantly derived from plants and animals who consumed plants or other animals who consumed plants. From this ecological truth, we can develop a spiritual relationship with plants. Within the plant are the forces of nature working behind all creation and life. Humans can directly experience these forces by spiritually opening up to the plant’s energies. We open up to the plant by consuming it with an enlightened state of being. This means that we do not simply eat plants for physical nutrition but also for psychological, emotional and spiritual connection with the forces of the universe; the Cosmic Intelligence. Once we recognize that plants contain more than mineral nutrients, we can directly receive the love and consciousness of the universe. Dr. Frawley and Dr. Lad even make the argument that the human is a plant. As plants transform light into life through photosynthesis, humans transform life into consciousness through perception. Thus, the human is the “plant of consciousness.” (3). In Ayurveda, health is achieved through balancing and harmonizing our being with the universe. We can do this through the consumption of plants. It is an essential Ayurvedic practice that we consume plants spiritually as well as physically. Ayurveda requires us to always be in a state of meditation when consuming herbs so that we may maximize the powers of the herbs and open ourselves up to the universe. In Ayurveda, herbs are used as food and medicine specifically to awaken the human being to the Cosmic Intelligence that pervades all life. Herbs are consumed to intentionally arouse the body; the senses and the nervous system so that the person opens up to the plant and fully receive its energies. When our being is open, it is easier for us to rebalance ourselves and retain our harmony with the universe. To enhance our receptivity to the plants, we are encouraged to chant a mantra, a prayer recognizing unity of all life and invocation of God into the human being, before consuming herbs (4). In our modern society, our tendency to analyze the world has caused us to focus only on the chemical properties of the plants (5) and ignore the spiritual and even ecological significance of these symbols of life. Many believe that such disregard for the spiritual powers of herbs have caused us to lose balance and develop addictions and substance abuse (6). Thus, it becomes even more crucial that we learn to see plants as an aspect of ourselves; see the plants in us and us in the plants so that we may reconnect with the Cosmic Intelligence through plants and find balance and harmony again. References 1. Frawley, David and Lad, Vasant. The Yoga of Herbs. Lotus Press: Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. 2001. Pg. 4. 2. Morgenstern, Kat. “Plants as Gateways to the Sacred.” Sacred Earth. http://www.sacredearth.com/Sacred.htm. 2003. (Accessed: November 30, 2006). 3. Frawley, David and Lad, Vasant. The Yoga of Herbs. Lotus Press: Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. 2001. Pg. 5. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. Pg. 6. 6. Morgenstern, Kat. “Plants as Gateways to the Sacred.” Sacred Earth. http://www.sacredearth.com/Sacred.htm. 2003. (Accessed: November 30, 2006).

Humans and Plants: A Spiritual Relationship