Meridian Institute News   RESEARCHING THE SPIRIT-MIND-BODY CONNECTION

Herbs are a special gift from nature. Also called "botanicals" and "herbals," they include all manner of plants and plant parts, such as leaves, bark, berries, roots, gums, seeds, stems and flowers.  Herbal medicine has become so popular that television ads for popular herbs such as St. John's wort, ginkgo, and ginseng have become commonplace on the major networks.  The attention being focused on herbs is well deserved.  For centuries plants, and plant derivatives, have been the foundation of the healing art.       For persons interested in the Edgar Cayce approach to healing, herbal medicine is an extremely important area in need of further research.  Edgar Cayce recommended over 100 different herbs for a wide range of problems.  To explore the role of botanical medicine in the Cayce readings, Meridian Institute has undertaken a research project to understand Cayce's approach and document our findings in a manual - The Cayce Herbal.

• Overview - An introduction and outline of The Cayce Herbal.
• Home Remedies - A home medicine chest; simple remedies for common ailments.
• Monographs - Fact sheets on over 100 herbs recommended by Edgar Cayce.
• Classics - Classic texts that complement The Cayce Herbal.
• Graphics - Drawings and pictures of the plants in The Cayce Herbal.

Each monograph provides analysis on varies aspects of Edgar Cayce's botanical medicine.  For example, the monographs contain tables that give the  number of readings recommended for each amount of an ingredient, the most common combinations of ingredients, and the chronological pattern of utilization.  Some herbs were prescribed frequently in early readings only to be replaced by other herbs in later years.  By analyzing these patterns we hope to be able to understand the complex herbal formulas and interactions with other modalities that characterize Cayce's herbal medicine.

    The electronic format of The Cayce Herbal makes it possible to quickly and inexpensively upgrade the information by editing existing topics and adding new material.  Future upgrades of The Cayce Herbal may contain additional sections on clinical applications, popular herbs not mentioned by Edgar Cayce, and current research on the effects of specific herbs.

    The Cayce Herbal will serve as a foundation for subsequent clinical studies and continuing education opportunities.  From a networking standpoint, we hope that our work in this field will serve as a bridge to health practitioners such as traditional herbalists and naturopathic physicians who are interested in the Cayce material.

    Explore The Cayce Herbal at the Meridian Institute website: http://www.meridianinstitute.com.

    Go to the Electronic Library section and follow the links to The Cayce Herbal.

    Meridian Institute is pleased to announce the publication of a book chapter titled "Physiological Regulation Through Manual Therapy."   The work is included in a mainstream medical textbook -  Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: State of the Art Reviews (Vol. 14, No. 1, February 2000. Philadelphia, Hanley & Belfus, Inc.).

    From the standpoint of the Edgar Cayce health information, the significance of this chapter is that it documents several key manual therapy concepts frequently mentioned in the Cayce readings.  Reflexes, coordination, drainage, centers, and general treatment are discussed from perspective of traditional and modern manual therapy (primarily osteopathy).  Since physiological regulation is much less practiced by modern manual therapists than during Cayce's era, this chapter provides a foundation for practitioners interested in applying the techniques recommended by Edgar Cayce.
 

[Figure and caption from the book chapter.] Headache - holding the vaso-motor from Osteopathy Complete by E. D. Barber, D.O., published in 1898.  In addition to its use for relieving headaches, this treatment was valued as a means of regulating physiology.  "It is impossible for the osteopath to reach directly the center in the medulla oblongata.  The same results are attained, however, by a pressure  through so-called "reflex action," by a pressure upon the upper cervicals - where is situated the most important subsidiary center - at the same instant tipping the head backward, thus bringing the neck into such a position as to throw a pressure upon the nerves over the cervical vaso-motor center.  A steady pressure at this point for a few moments - reduces the general blood pressure, slows the action of the heart, and will reduce the temperature of the body in one-half the time required by any other known method."  (From Barber ED: Osteopathy Complete.  Kansas City, MO, Hudson-Kimberly Publishing, 1898.)

    This chapter is an example of Meridian Institute's commitment to publish scholarly reviews in the mainstream medical literature.  Future issues of this newsletter will keep you informed of peer-reviewed journal articles that have recently been published.