Herbs and Weeds #7

For the reasons cited above, some editing of the original approach to healing presented by Künzle is now in order under the bright lights of progress in medical diagnosis and the understanding of pathogenesis and disease progression. If these questionable aspects of his writing had dominated his approach to herbs, Künzle might well be written off-as a few critics have done-as no more than a popular figure who offered ill-tasting placebos to desperate people. However, the above-cited transgressions are characteristic of the thinking in Europe at this time, differing not much in quality from some of the standard medical ideas of that era that are similarly rejected today. One only need read the section of the modern Journal of the American Medical Association devoted to what was published in this respected journal a century ago to see that numerous concepts of "modern medicine" simply had to be scrapped. The disputable contentions, presented as facts by Künzle, are by no means the central theme of his teaching. Instead, what we now see as erroneous claims and misunderstandings are the weaknesses in the herbal tradition that repeatedly need to be ferreted out over time, to reveal the strong heart of natural medicine. The effectiveness of the major herbs continues to stand the test of time, as will be revealed in the presentations about each of the herbs, and many of his recommendations for natural lifestyle are recognized to be of value today.

Künzle's small booklet was augmented in the last edition with brief descriptions of 30 herbs that were used in manufacture of his formulas but not included in the original Herbs and Weeds (many of those formulas had been designed by Künzle after his original book was published); 10 of those herbs are reviewed here, in Chapter 8. Also, a few illustrations were added, some corrections were made in the original text, and a listing was attached of all the preparations then being manufactured with brief description of their uses. This amended version was edited by staff members of PfafferKünzle AG, thirty years after Künzle's death. Thus, the practice of preserving but amending the original book is already a tradition.

In the current work, some of the herbs used by Künzle in Herbs and Weeds, especially those used topically, those applied as veterinary remedies (many of the people he tended to owned animals that also had various ailments), and those having some toxicity that makes them unsuited to widespread use, have not been included. Taking their place is an extended description of each of the major herbs that are available in the tea products.

http://www.itmonline.org/kunzle/index.htm