African Traditional Herbal Research Clinic ... - Blackherbals.com

African Traditional Herbal Research ClinicVolume 2, Issue 7 NEWSLETTER July 2007FEATURED ARTICLESRole of Plants and Herbs in the Body as Food andMedicineKiwanuka R.G. LewisAfrican Traditional Herbal Research CentreBlackherbals at the Source of the Nile, UG Ltd.Living foods are foods that are not changed by fire,artificial chemicals or by man. This includes foodsthat retain their natural substances such as nuts,seeds, tubers, fruits, vegetables, fresh fruit andvegetable juices and all foods that are not denatured.When we take food into our bodies, we generallytake in fire, earth, air and metal elements, which areenveloped in the food substances. Air and waterderangement are responsible for many of thesicknesses we are experiencing today. Medicalscience has done much to investigate the mechanismsbehind disease, but it has only recently begun tostudy the reasons that people stay healthy based onthe foods they eat.Thousands of years ago, the ancient Egyptians hadthe unique perspective that human beings are morethan flesh and blood, proteins, fats, and nucleic acids.They believed that the life-force is part of the spiritthat animates all living creatures. The radiance, orfrozen light that circulates in the body is a uniqueform of vibrational energy. This light energy is anaspect of human nature that is not taught in Eurocentrichealth science, nor well understood by mostWestern nutritionists. The ancient Egyptians maintainthat we are beings of energy and light. If this is true,then it follows that our bodies can be affected byenergy and light waves. From this perspective, onecan begin to comprehend the ways of choosing foods,and medicines to maintain balanced health. Instead ofconventional approaches to nutrition such as countingvitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, calories, etc., ourAfrican ancestors treated people with radiant foodnutrition, also called "Photo-biogenics." Themolecular arrangement of the physical body isactually a complex network of interwoven energyfields of light.Our unique energy systems are affected by ouremotions and levels of spiritual balance as well asthrough the foods that we eat. These subtle energies-8- Traditional African Clinic October 2007influence cellular patterns of growth, the aging process,and physical balance. Highly melanised people must betreated with different health standards than whites. Thecurrent nutritional standards are based on whitebiochemistry and the daily dietary requirements areprescribed according to the needs of whites, which do notstore and radiate energy the way that blacks do.Whenever we ingest a particular food, its radiant energycan either correct or disturb the human energy systemwithin our bodies. Not only can foods rebalance thephysical body, but can also lift the consciousness andspiritual awareness. According to our ancient wisdom,food is the means by which we re-create the world asourselves. Our spiritual nature interacts with theproperties of the foods we eat. So through food, weembody the sun and the cosmic energies of the Universeto regenerate our spiritual essence.Food and Herbs as MedicineThe use of herbs as medicine and as aids to health is anancient African tradition. Thousands of years ago, ourancestors believed that health was a balance of physical,mental, emotional and spiritual elements. It is only whena system of medicine recognizes all of these levels in theindividual can it be regarded as being truly "holistic."Today, we also know that most herbs have healingpowers. Africans in the Diaspora have moved far awayfrom their African lifestyles of foraging for wild herbs.However, we can reintroduce herbs into our daily regimeand diet as we once did in Mother Africa.One of the major problems confronting the descendentsof Africans today has been the rise of degenerative andchronic illnesses--the "diseases of Caucasiancivilization." Heart attacks, high blood pressure, cancer,diabetes, hypertension and obesity are diseases connectedto European culture, which appeared soon after themodern development of agriculture and the industrializeddomestication of animals for food production. It hasbecome greatly apparent that the major illnesses sufferedContinued on page 9