How I became a hunter of medicines: I didn't trust the powers of natural remedies until a handful of culinary spices saved me

Natural Health, Oct-Nov, 2001 by Chris Kilham

He disappeared into an anteroom for about 10 minutes and then emerged with a small paper bag filled with a cocoa-colored powder and an envelope containing brown pellets that looked to me like rabbit dung. He instructed me to mix a heaping teaspoon of the powder in a glass of water and drink it three times a day, before every meal, and take three of the pellets at the same time. "Do this for nine days," he said, "and this problem will not come back." Bajracharya explained that the powder contained many different locally grown spices as well as burned conch shell, and that the pellets were an old formula of herbs and spices. He called them "powerful for healing the digestive organs." He charged me the equivalent of about $1.20 for his consultation and medicine. I thanked him for his help.

Taking My Medicine

Praying that the remedies would improve my condition, I slowly made my way to the Blue Tibetan restaurant to take my first dose and eat some lunch. I had to force myself to eat, but I knew it was important to do so, as I was rapidly losing weight. Inside, the place was steamy and warm, filled with European trekkers, hippies, and mountaineers eating large portions of food.

Seated at a tray-size table for two against a window, I opened the bag of powder and sniffed it. The mixture smelled aromatic and bitter, and that was no surprise. I knew from my reading that certain aromatic and bitter spices, like

turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, cumin, and coriander seeds, are traditionally used to relieve gastrointestinal disorders.

I mixed a heaping teaspoon of the powder into a glass of water and selected three pellets. Popping the pellets into my mouth, I chased them with the drink, knocking back the herbal sediment at the bottom of the glass. It was pungent, but not unbearably so. I ordered some rice and vegetables and wondered whether the herbal medicines would do any good.

By early evening, after two doses of the remedies, the diarrhea that had been my constant companion for more than a week had stopped. My fever subsided, and my guts no longer quivered. That night I enjoyed eight hours of uninterrupted rest. When I awoke the next morning, I was still weak and skinny, but my symptoms were gone. I showered, pressed my body through a few easy yoga poses, and headed to the old part of town to get breakfast.

A New Respect for Spices

I later learned that the hotter the climate, the more spices the locals use, because they protect against food-borne bacteria and other kinds of germs that proliferate in sultry climates. This effect was confirmed in a recent study published in the Quarterly Review of Biology. Scientists from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., tested the antimicrobial properties of more than 30 spices. Some, including allspice, killed all the harmful organisms against which they were tested. Others, such as cinnamon, cumin, and chile peppers, wiped out up to 80 percent of them.

I find these results amazing. I used to think of spices as recipe ingredients. But after I returned to the States from Nepal, I decided to become a professional medicine hunter and eventually convinced American supplement makers to sponsor me. Now I travel to remote parts of the world, like Lebanon, Venezuela, and China, to meet with indigenous healers. Then I work with companies to produce the plant medicines I locate.