
Medicine's 'green revolution'
The discovery in plants of active substances which, in themselves or after further chemical transformation, have powerful therapeutic effects has led to what might be termed a "green revolution" in medicine. In many cases, chemists are finding scientific confirmation of the healing properties of plants traditionally used in popular medicine.
Taken from the Atlas of Indo-Tibetan Medicine, our cover photo, represents the "Tree of Therapy". The left hand stem, the "stem of nutrition", represents dietary treatments for various illnesses; the second stem from the left, the "stem of the way of life", recommends appropriate life styles for patients; the third stem, "the stem of medicines", demonstrates the properties of various medicines; the fourth stem, the "stem of corrigents", illustrates acupuncture, massage and surgical operations.