Herbalism in Polish Society After 1990

Introduction: Traditional medicine, especially herbalism has a rich tradition in Poland. In late 90's many scientific analyses describe ethnomedicine as a disappearing phenomenon. Increasing social interest in herbalism nowadays is caused by numerous publications by herbalists. Paper presents results of researches done by an author for his bac. degree thesis, focused on identifying place of herbalism in modern polish society, its medical methodology in healing most common diseases and defining perspectives of introducing herbalism in Polish public health system.

Method&Material: A systematic review of both scientific and non-scientific (grey) literature published after 1990, on a role of herbalism in healing practise in Poland, beneficiary groups and prediction of future perspectives of herbalism. Medical and social database of Jagiellonian Library, Wroclaw Public Library, Lower Poland Public Library were searched using following keywords: ethnomedicine, natural medicine, herbalism, medical anthropology.

Results&Conclusions: After analysis of 12 publications large differences between each authors in assessing perspectives of herbalism were noticed. Descriptions of treatment where relatively unanimous, which shows that in principle herbalism is based on past, consolidated tradition. Herbalism covers most of common diseases. Authors agree about high possibility of successful use it in public health care system, and point out low costs of herbal treatment

Medical anthropologists do maintain that herbalism is disappearing kind of medicine and as a main beneficiary see rural population. By them herbalism in not an independent kind of knowledge, but a part of people's culture. Modern practitioners, on the contrary, predict, that increasing disappointment about so called "modernity" will lead them to natural healing methods.

Specific conclusions will be articulate during the presentation.