DA,

I wasn't stating that astral travel is or is not valid, I was just stating that the ideas and practices of altering realities through meditation or drugs have been around for centuries longer then what you stated.

Your stating the fact that life expectancies were shorter overlooks several things. For instance, we now have better means of birth control which lengths the lifespan of women almost automatically, many European countries lacked and actively avoided proper sanitiation methods believing that bathing was bad for you whereas most aboriginal people knew better. Living in an untamed wilderness will also knock off quite a few years as will lack of modern convienences. I never stated that herbs and herb knowledge was a cure all.

What I was trying to point out by using the term miraculous, which is used by ethno-botantists when they describe some of the cures they are finding, is that science is proving to us ignorant and arrogant Westerners that there is a lot to be learned from the past

Catholicism in it's desire to be the only religion has repressed and is still repressing ancient healing knoweldge because it is still considered the property of "evil devil worshippers"

I have posted two of many links I could find that discuss this topic. As you read more about holitic medical treatments that are becoming more popular because in many cases they are just as effective with less side effects you find that the treatments are tied into Eastern philsophies or the aboriginals belief system and so I say again that science is validating ancient religious knowledge and beliefs.

herbs

diabetes