...Every pagan I've run into who practices any sort of mystical healing flat-out encourages going to doctors and getting medication for everything. Doesn't mean there aren't pagans like the ones you're talking about, but it does mean I think they're not in nearly the same amount of percentage of Christians who practice prayer-healing.
It's generally not alt medicine, it's more like additional "medicine".
Yeah, but by the same token, healing spells never claim to be a cure anyway (unless the person making the claim is trying to screw you out of your money). They are "send good energy to speed the healing!"
Also, most healing spells don't involve ingesting hazardous substances. At worst, they are a placebo.
And I fully agree with Vene that you shouldn't go around taking herbs unless you've double-checked with a licensed doctor that you're not doing yourself harm by doing so. There's a big difference between "I will burn this incense!" and "I will eat this green stuff!" and if you're not paying attention, you can do yourself harm. This is also why I'm a huge fan of
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs--it clearly states that you should consult a medical professional before ingesting anything*, which herbs are never safe to ingest, which should be kept away from children, which should be diluted in teas rather than directly eaten, etc.
* "Herb magic" includes a lot of different things: direct ingestion (raw or cooked), tea infusion, burning as incense, use as ointment (on the self or on objects), offerings to deities--basically, if you can do it with leaves, it's been done as a form of herb magic by
someone, with
something.
