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It's overly reductionist to assume that all herbal remedies are the result of 1, maybe 2 active ingredients. The incentive for making a pill is less about efficacy and more about patentability. I can't patent camphor, but I can patent a 3% menthol & 3% camphor ointment suspended in a gel base (Fast Freeze).

I don't think it's fair to say the west as a supposed monolith rejects "woo", especially given the popularity of pseudoscience re: vaccines, homeopathy, Reiki, acupuncture, cleanses, etc.

I'm reminded of the great anthropological paper titled Body Ritual Among the Nacirema by Horace Miner: https://www.sfu.ca/~palys/Miner-1956-BodyRitualAmongTheNacir...



It sounds like you’re implying there is Western medicine and “pseudoscience”.

In other parts of the world they call this crap “white people medicine” and stick with the natural remedies. It just lacks a shiny seal of approval from the FDA/EU regulatory body, which makes it “pseudoscience”. We all know that science is totally incorruptible and always true though!


And the underlying racism shines through bright as day.

Well done, you gone played yourself.




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