Folk Healing And Health Care Practices In Britain And Ireland

"'This is a fascinating and beautiful organized and written manuscript'-Rebecca Lester, Washington University in St. Louis.

At a time when people are increasingly interested in natural medicine and holistic remedies, this book traces the history of folk medicine in Ireland and examines its continued popularity. It reviews a comprehensive range of country cures for both people and animals, noting that many remedies date back to early pagan times before the rise of medical science in the 19th century while others arose in the 20th century as an alternative to modern medicine. With often lighthearted humor, this guide examines how folk medicine has always been a curious blend of common sense and nonsense. From attempts to cure a child of dropsy by tying it up in a rope used to hang an innocent man to driving away whooping cough with medicine made from sheep droppings boiled in milk, this book looks at how practical observations and natural cures often went hand in hand with useless and often dangerous remedies.

An exploration of the rich herbal healing traditions of Ireland which resonate through the country’s landscape, music, festivals and language. Indigenous medicine, no matter where it exists in the world, is characterised by the oral transmission of knowledge and the necessity for each person to be in harmony with themselves, their society and environment, as well as the spirit world. Ireland is no different, and its traditional therapeutic approach is designed to address body, mind, spirit and emotions within the local social and environmental context. However, these ancient healing traditions are increasingly neglected due to the dominance of biomedicine as the country's primary system of healthcare. Ireland's Hidden Medicine explores how the core elements of any medical system are always the same: diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of ill health. These central elements do not change, but the medical systems which give them expression may evolve, mutate, and even die, because their fortunes are tied up with the changing cultural, technological, and economic paradigms of their societies. This book provides a fascinating look at the history and fortunes of Irish folk medicine - from the legendary god of healing, Dein Checht, to the coming of Christianity and the religious and social backdrop of the nation's development. The book also provides a seasonal guide to utilising Ireland's indigenous medicine, which provides a wealth of benefits and a connection to a sacred and therapeutic landscape.

The World Health Organization has acknowledged that the majority of people living in developing countries continue to use traditional medicine. Increased levels of immigration and migration also mean that health professionals are more likely to come into contact with patients using them. Traditional Medicine is therefore a vital and timely book which covers medical systems practised on five continents, including: * traditional European folk medicine* Aboriginal/traditional medicine in North America* traditional medicine in the Colombian Amazon Tropical forest* traditional medical practice in Africa* traditional Chinese medicine* Indian Ayurvedic medicine* Japanese Kampo medicine * Korean medicine* traditional medicines in the Pacific* traditional Jewish medicine.Each section, written by an acknowledged expert, gives information on history, philosophy, methods of practice, safety issues, evidence, and examples of medicines. Traditional Medicine will be a crucial resource for complementary and alternative practitioners and students worldwide and for healthcare providers working in a multicultural society enabling them to interact effectively with their patients.Steven B Kayne is Honorary Consultant Pharmacist at Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital and Honorary Lecturer at the University of Strathclyde, School of Pharmacy, Glasgow, UK.

Jane Francesca Agnes, Lady Wilde (1821–1896) was an Irish poet and mother of Oscar Wilde. She wrote under the pseudonym "Speranza” and famously supported the Irish nationalist movement. She also had a particular interest in folktales, which she collected. In “Folk Medicine, Plant Lore, and Healing Plants”, Wilde looks at a variety of natural cures, healing plants, and remedies from Irish folk culture ranging from love and invisibility potions, to remedies for toothache and beyond. Contents include: “The Properties of Herbs and Their Use in Medicine”, “Medical Superstitions and Ancient Charms”, and “Plants”. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on folklore.

Neither power nor morality but both. Moral power is what Sukuma farmers in Tanzania in times of crisis attribute to an unknown figure they call their witch. A universal process is involved, as much bodily as social, which obstructs the patient's recovery. Healers turn the table on the witch through rituals showing that the community and the ancestral spirits side with the victim. In contrast to biomedicine, their magic and divination introduce moral values that assess the state of the system and that remove the obstacles to what is taken as key: self-healing. The implied 'sensory shifts' and therapeutic effectiveness have largely eluded the literature on witchcraft. This book shows how to comprehend culture other than through the prism of identity politics. It offers a framework to comprehend the rise of witch killings and human sacrifice, just as ritual initiation disappears.

This is the first book to examine the full range of the evidence for Irish charms, from medieval to modern times. As Ireland has one of the oldest literatures in Europe, and also one of the most comprehensively recorded folklore traditions, it affords a uniquely rich body of evidence for such an investigation. The collection includes surveys of broad aspects of the subject (charm scholarship, charms in medieval tales, modern narrative charms, nineteenth-century charm documentation); dossiers of the evidence for specific charms (a headache charm, a nightmare charm, charms against bleeding); a study comparing the curses of saints with those of poets; and an account of a newly discovered manuscript of a toothache charm. The practices of a contemporary healer are described on the basis of recent fieldwork, and the connection between charms and storytelling is foregrounded in chapters on the textual amulet known as the Leabhar Eoin, on the belief that witches steal butter, and on the nature of the belief that effects supernatural cures.

The definitive history of how witchcraft and black magic have survived, through the modern era and into the present dayCursed Britain unveils the enduring power of witchcraft, curses and black magic in modern times. Few topics are so secretive or controversial. Yet, whether in the 1800s or the early 2000s, when disasters struck or personal misfortunes mounted, many Britons found themselves believing in things they had previously dismissed – dark supernatural forces.Historian Thomas Waters here explores the lives of cursed or bewitched people, along with the witches and witch-busters who helped and harmed them. Waters takes us on a fascinating journey from Scottish islands to the folklore-rich West Country, from the immense territories of the British Empire to metropolitan London. We learn why magic caters to deep-seated human needs but see how it can also be abused, and discover how witchcraft survives by evolving and changing. Along the way, we examine an array of remarkable beliefs and rituals, from traditional folk magic to diverse spiritualities originating in Africa and Asia.This is a tale of cynical quacks and sincere magical healers, depressed people and furious vigilantes, innocent victims and rogues who claimed to possess evil abilities. Their spellbinding stories raise important questions about the state’s role in regulating radical spiritualities, the fragility of secularism and the true nature of magic.