Channelling Bastyr

Plant Medicine in Practice:
Using the Teachings of John Bastyr

by William Mitchell

Following their 2000 publication of Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy, Churchill Livingstone deserve kudos for their continuing lead in publishing herbal medicine titles by experienced practitioners rather than by authors without training or experience in herbal medicine. Plant Medicine in Practice is exactly that - a book by a professional practitioner for the practitioner community. It mines one of the deeper and richer seams of twentieth century western botanical medicine, and is likely to become a classic text in its own right.

Describing the book is challenging. John Bastyr’s wisdom mind channeled by Bill Mitchell might be close. It is essentially an eclectic therapeutic materia medica, based on the oral teachings of the legendary naturopathic physician Dr Bastyr, distilled through the clinical practice of Dr “Bill” Mitchell. Mitchell himself is a highly regarded contemporary practitioner and teacher of botanical medicine, who was taught and later mentored by Dr Bastyr. In 1978 Dr Mitchell co-founded the prestigious naturopathic college in Seattle - Bastyr University.

The remedies covered (the great majority being herbs, but a few non-botanicals are also included) are listed under seventy headings. These encompass traditional physiological classes such as alteratives, astringents, bitters and vulneraries, and a few more pharmacological  groups such as antioxidants and hypocholesterolemics. Entries vary in length from four lines to a full page, and any given herb may have multiple entries, each one under a different category, emphasizing a different aspect of the plant.

The book is not presented as a historical document of Dr Bastyr’s teachings, although Mitchell includes a number of herbs taught by Bastyr without adding any additional  commentary, simply because he has not used them in his own practice - a refreshing change from the opinions of those who claim to be authorities but have never seen let alone prescribed the herb.   The reader will find it impossible, and ultimately irrelevant, to unravel Dr Bastyr from Dr Mitchell, although it is quite fun to try. Naturopathic alumni may have an edge here – take for example, Robert’s formula: Mitchell ‘s version of Bastyr’s Robert’s, is different from Bastyr’s Robert’s as taught at Bastyr. Readers unfamiliar with Mitchell’s work may be surprised at his characteristic non-linear approach, seamlessly combining molecules with meditation, pharmacology with philosophy, all within a thought provoking and always patient centered perspective; his style may delight, disturb, dismay, confuse or challenge (or any combination of the above). Among the many gems, my personal favorites include the listing of “placebo” as an adaptogen, vitamin K as an alterative, and the use of Cytisus for third eye visual defects.

Mitchell’s use of citations will be appreciated by readers weary of burgeoning bibliographies insinuating authority derived from the tribunal of “evidence based medicine”. Authority here derives from 75 years combined clinical experience of treating thousands of patients with as many remedies and prescriptions. Mitchell uses citations not as support, but as embedded agent provocateurs; to provoke curiosity, suggest a tangential line of reasoning, or hint at some perhaps untrodden path. Sleuthing among plant molecules is a recurrent theme...and cancer often a thread he follows. For example, Echinacea, with literally hundreds of published reports, studies and clinical trials merits but one reference from Mitchell (p52), a 1972 report relating to its anticancer activity. Some references are obscure, others do not even support the text’s argument.  For example a study cited (p58) on acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) does not support antioxidant activity as the anti-cancer mechanism of action of the compound - but what is important is not the study detail per se but that Mitchell has raised galangal in the readers mind to something quite beyond tom yum soup.

Apparently, daughter and N.D. candidate Leah was the editor for the final drafts of the text - an unenviable job - perhaps no one else but a family member would take on the task, so encyclopedic is the scope of the text. Arguably, Churchill Livingstone would have been better off with  a stronger hand in the final review and editing of the work, although  finding an experienced editor with appropriate knowledge as well as sensitivity to the project at hand would be hard.  I found a few minor errors, but it will take a while to read the text closely, and a few mistakes are inevitable in such a work. There are oddities too, some that will raise eyebrows, and others arcane enough that they will have to be pondered upon for a while. Accurate science is secondary to narrative here, and the glimpse of two unique botanical medicine minds at work is priceless. However this means Plant Medicine in Practice is not for the naive or the neophyte. It cannot really be used as a “prescriber”, at least, not without extensive clinical herbal knowledge. There are some almost casual traps waiting to ensare the illiterate or inexperienced who mistake this for a cookbook. Dr Bastyr was a true eclectic  in the sense of “use what works”,  but an overly literal or unselective interpretation of the text could be unwise (for example ergot for labor, strychnos as a stomachic).  But toxic botanicals are an essential part of herbal medicine, and like any self-secret shamanistic tool, it is unlikely that self-prescribing dietary supplement consumers will consider purchasing this book, although every serious herbalist should. Mitchell reminds us that the practice of plant medicine is also a state of mind and a way of being; a coyote medicine, where the fool and the master meet, and healing can result.

© 2005 Jonathan Treasure

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