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Traditional and modern herbalism in the Netherlands By
drs A.G.M. van Asseldonk (biologist and herbalist).
Summary The Netherlands is the name of a small country consisting mainly of the fertile delta’s of three major European rivers. Nearly half of the country is situated below sea level. The Dutch landscape is shaped by wind and water; there are no rocks or mountains. The climate is strongly influenced by the sea: moderate yearly temperature fluctuations (January 2oC, July 17oC); rain all year round (50-80 mm each month). The original vegetation consists of the temperate deciduous forest, partly kept open by big grazers. Of this original landscape, nearly nothing is left. Nowadays we see intensive agriculture and a very dense population (465 persons/km2). We know very little of the herbal practice of the pre Roman inhabitants although special relations to certain trees have been documented. Some folk uses still exist, like the use of the oak (Quercus robur) against fevers: pieces of cloth of the sick person are attached to it. Probably the use of herbs and trees in case of wounds and ailments was partly based on the observation of animals. In the Dutch landscape the genus Salix is very important, 12 species and 5 bastards are considered native. The wood was used for furniture, fences, wooden shoes etc. and of course, the bark (origin of the famous drug salycin) was an important fever- and pain remedy. Other important trees are Tilia cordata and T. platyphyllos, Populus nigra and P. tremula, Acer and Alnus ssp., Betula ssp., Fagus sylvatica, Fraxinus excelsior, Sambucus nigra, Ulmus ssp. and the wild fruit trees from Malus, Pyrus, Prunus
ssp. Most of them have great symbolic and medicinal value. But the most intensively used medicinal plants are the herbs to be found on the border between forests and open spaces (meadowland) and also along river banks. Some important genus include: Allium, Linaria, Digitalis, Verbascum, Veronica, Polygonum, Alchemilla, Filipendula, Potentilla, Rubus, Ribes, Symphytum, Chelidonium, Plantago, Urtica, Hypericum, Malva, Althaea, Valeriana, Alliaria, Capsella, Angelica, Artemisia, Taraxacum, Arctium, Juniperus, Genista, Vaccinium, Viburnum. As in most European countries during the Middle Ages, the Greek/Arab approach of medicine was dominant and the Catholic inquisition destroyed the remains of paganism, including what was left of the original herbal traditions. The essential absence of interest in the traditional herbalism of our country by the Dutch government and scientific community is possibly due to the fact that Holland was in the center of the rationalist and experimentalist scientific trends that began with Descartes. Another issue is that homeopathy (Hahnemann, around 1800) and anthroposophy (Steiner, around 1920) assimilated a lot of the herbal tradition and these movements had better public relations than traditional herbalism. Nevertheless, many Dutch people maintained interest in herbs. Over the years there have been many (mainly popular) books sold on the subject. Natural healers (including herbalists) worked illegally from 1865 until 1993 when a law (BIG) was established to formalize the tolerance that had existed for some years. Atypically, Dutch healing tradition incorporated a paranormal aspect, such as the so-called magnetism. Especially in dogmatic Protestant parts of the country it was considered better to consult these healers (who were said to have “God-given gifts” to take away pain) and their healing was derived from the approval of God (in contrary to modern doctors, that were thought to play for Gods themselves). Quite often, the gift of healing passed from father to son. The growing or gathering in the wild of herbs was done by the healer
himself. Because in Holland fresh herbs are only available in spring and summer, some processing took place. Out of these home-industries grew several phytopharmaceutical companies. Often criminalised and put to trial by the Dutch Quack-watch Association, the Dutch healers organized themselves and started educational courses to facilitate communication with other health care officials. Recently, new education is available in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese herbalism. In addition Winti-healers practice herbalism (a traditional healing system from Surinam, a former Dutch colony). The background philosophy of Dutch traditional herbalism stems from the Hippocratic tradition, which can be interpreted as an ecological approach of the health situation and ways to improve health. The classic herbal book (Cruydeboek, 1554) of Rembert Dodoens (a Flemish Physician 1517- 1586) has played an important role in the past and present. In this book, herbs are classified as being warm or cold and, secondarily as being dry or wet. This classical philosophical approach represents a fractal model of reality, a process approach that is in agreement with modern system theoretic approaches. It should be studied carefully and seriously, as it gives us important (contra-)indications for the use of herbs. For example, the choleric person, who has the hot/dry processes in abundance, must not use garlic (Allium sativum), that has the same quality. See also: Other IEZ Publications (educational, research reports and other) |
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