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Traditional Medicine & Natural Remedies | Gold Earth
Why Are People Returning to Nature? The Forgotten Wisdom of Traditional Medicine
By Samina Khan Sharma | Founder of Gold Earth
We live in a world where medicine and technology have advanced beyond anything our ancestors could have imagined. Yet millions of people still turn to plants, herbs, roots and natural remedies.
And I keep asking myself one question. Why?
If modern medicine has all the answers, why are people across the world still looking towards nature?
Traditional Medicine: Knowledge Passed Down Through Generations
Long before modern laboratories and pharmaceutical companies, people relied on their understanding of the natural world.
From Ayurveda in India and traditional Chinese medicine to herbal practices across Africa, the Middle East and Europe, generations developed their own approaches to health and wellbeing.
Not everything worked. People suffered, diseases went untreated, and life expectancy was often much shorter. But that doesn't mean everything our ancestors discovered was without value.
I come from a Pashtoon background, where knowledge passed down through families has always mattered. I believe we should question what we have forgotten, not dismiss it simply because it comes from the past.
Why Is Natural Medicine Still Popular in Western Countries?
According to the World Health Organization, 170 member countries report the use of traditional medicine.
And this isn't limited to remote communities.
People across Britain, America and Europe continue to explore herbal remedies, botanical ingredients and complementary approaches to wellbeing.
Some want greater control over their choices. Others are concerned about side effects or want to reconnect with traditional practices.
Many use these approaches alongside conventional healthcare, rather than replacing it.
Frankincense: An Ancient Ingredient Still Valued Today
Recently, I watched an elderly gentleman describing how he believed frankincense had relieved his vertigo.
His experience stayed with me.
Frankincense has been valued for thousands of years across different cultures and spiritual traditions. It's also an ingredient I use in several of my handcrafted Gold Earth oils.
I value its distinctive aroma, history and place in botanical skincare.
One person's experience cannot establish a medical cure. But personal stories can raise questions worth investigating.
Why Isn't Traditional Medicine Researched More?
We hear stories of people who believe natural approaches helped them through serious illnesses, including cancer.
Those experiences deserve to be heard, but recovery does not prove that a particular remedy caused it. Understanding someone's diagnosis and treatment history matters.
What concerns me is whether we're investing enough in investigating traditional knowledge.
The World Health Organization has reported that less than 1% of global health research funding is dedicated to traditional medicine.
For something used so widely, isn't that worth questioning?
Research should establish what works, what doesn't and what may be harmful. It should not dismiss an idea simply because its origins are ancient.
Why I Created Gold Earth
My belief in nature is part of why I created Gold Earth, a multi-award-winning British natural beauty brand.
I wanted to work with botanical ingredients, carefully chosen and handcrafted with purpose.
I don't believe respecting nature means rejecting modern medicine. Some of today's important medicines originated from plants, and scientific research has helped us understand them.
But I do believe generations of traditional knowledge deserve serious attention.
Nature is not a new discovery. Perhaps it's time we paid more attention to what it has been teaching us all along.
Samina Khan Sharma
Founder, Gold Earth | Nurture by Nature
www.goldearth.co.uk