Folk Remedy Assignment

Laurie Greene

WPH

"Alternative Medicine"

The old English saying “Feed a cold, starve a fever” attests to the use of food as a tonic for good a health and the curing of disease EVEN in Western cultures. To complete this assignment, please proceed through the following STEPS:

1. Identify a folk FOOD remedy from your “culture” (family). This remedy can be a cure for an ailment and/or a tonic for health. Discuss the cultural knowledge behind the:
1. Selection
2. Preparation
3. Administration (prescription)
4. Course of treatment
2. Research the properties of the food to analyze its efficacy. This will entail the following:
1. Possible chemical properties (biomedical perspective)
2. Social/cultural properties
3. Psychological properties
3. Discuss the cultural Transformation of this food/medicine. How does this compare to the use of food as medicine in traditional societies? Consider the following:
1. Meaning of use of the food for health
2. Wider cultural meaning of food as medicine (compared to other therapies)
3. Belief in “diet” as a means to health
4. Definition of the body (individual/social/political) and the Person (mind/body/spirit)
4. Prepare the "food" and bring it into class for a feast to our health! Be prepared to present this in class, as if you were at a medical conference.