Is It Actually Sinful for Christians to Use Herbs? (2024)

Herbal remedies seem to be rooted in pagan practices and cultures. But does that mean Christian herbalism is against the Bible?

If you research herbal medicine for any length of time, you’ll likely come across ideas that clash with Christianity. Nature worship, witchcraft, occult practices, and more are sometimes so intertwined with herbalism and natural health that it’s difficult to distinguish where one ends and the other begins.

Many good, honest Christians are left wonderingif Christianity and herbalism can really mix. If that sounds like you, you’re not alone.

As a Christian herbalist, I’ve also had to wrestle with this question. Let’s dig deep and explore what the Bible says about herbs, as well as answer an important question:

Can you use herbs without sinning if you’re a Christian?

When I Saw the Spiritual Side of Herbal Remedies

I came home from the library with bundles of books on herbalism packed into my bag and slung over my very tired shoulder. The world of herbal remedies was waiting for me and I was ready to dig in.

I cracked open the books and started reading, my eyes taking in all the information as quickly as possible. Then I came to a page that stopped me.

…Before harvesting, find the grandmother of the plant colony and ask her permission to harvest and maybe shake a rattle and then dance in the moonlight to show your gratitude… Wait, what?

I put the book away.

It was the first time I ever encountered the spiritual side of herbalism, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. So I kept researching, reading, and learning.

Where Does Herbalism Come From?

If you’re just getting started with natural remedies as a Christian, you might wonder where herbalism comes from and if it’s okay for Christians to use.

God warns us in Jeremiah 10:2 to “Learn not the way of the heathen.”

Shaman, pagan, and other spiritual traditions have used herbs in one way or another, whether for healing ceremonies, religious purposes, or both. Many of these cultures developed highly intricate, complex, and effective systems of herbal healing.

• Ancient India produced the Ayurvedic herbal tradition.
• Ancient China gave us Traditional Chinese Medicine.
• Indigenous people groups in Africa, North and South America, and Australia have their own unique healing traditions, too.

Modern herbalism often pulls from these traditions. In fact, while some herbalists will just work within one traditional framework, many will incorporate ideas from multiple herbal traditions in their practice and teachings.

But since none of these traditional herbal frameworks are found in the Old or New Testament, you might be left with a nagging worry.

Does this mean herbalism comes from heathen practices?

Herbalism and Religion Today

Even today, the vast majority of professional herbalists and herbal teachers are not professing Christians.

Their faiths, or lack thereof, might range from more familiar religions like Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism to lesser-known systems like

• Wicca
• Witchcraft
• Nature Worship
• Mindfulness
• Atheism
• Paganism
• Relativism

and anything or nothing in between.

Sometimes this slips through their practices or teachings lightly, like the one page dedicated to a harvest ritual in the otherwise valuable 200+ page book I mentioned above.

Other times it might be quite overt, like repeatedly singing “I’m the goddess” on stage at a well-known herbal conference.

Practicing Christian herbalists are a rarity within the modern herbal community. This only adds to the concern that using herbal remedies goes against the Bible.

But is that really true?

Can Herbalism Be Redeemed?

If past pagan cultures used herbs for healing and ritual, and if the herbalism of today is so steeped in anti-Christian teachings, is herbalism actually sinful?

Should Christians use herbal remedies?

The verdict on Christians using herbs hasn’t looked so good, but friend, here’s where the story gets sweet.

Yes, yes, and a million times yes! Christians can enthusiastically and unashamedly use herbs without fear of sinning.

God created these beautiful plants with tremendous capacities for restoring health, strength, and wellness. No doubt the earliest people, yes, even Adam, Eve, and all their descendants knew how to use these plants to benefit their bodies.

Perhaps God Himself, out of His abundant compassion and love for His fallen creation, gave Adam the knowledge of healing plants. Adam could have then passed it on to those who came after him for hundreds of years.

From Adam to His Descendants

Of course, I can’t prove that the Lord taught Adam about medicinal plants by Scripture. But it doesn’t seem farfetched to me. Even in their fallen state, God provided for Adam, Eve, and their descendants.

Considering His mercy and grace, it’s perfectly logical to assume that the God who made these healing plants made sure His creation knew how to use them.

As these early people continued to pass down herbal knowledge, some fell into paganism and idolatry. Their healing traditions would have evolved with their new religion while the minority who stayed true to the Lord God would have continued to use herbs, as well.

So while pagan cultures have used herbs for thousands of years, that doesn’t mean they invented herbalism.

There is no sin in you, as a Christian believer, using God’s own creation to promote health and wellness.

Who Gets the Glory for Herbal Remedies?

Disclosure: This section contains an affiliate link to The Christian Herbal magazine where I’m a contributor. If you subscribe through my link, your cost is the same while I can earn a commission.

For the Christian, no one gets the glory for herbalism but God Himself.

And while many pagan cultures and other religions developed complex and often effective healing systems using herbs, that doesn’t mean they got everything right.

My friend Jasmine from The Christian Herbal magazine once said:

Herbalism is not rooted in paganism. Herbalism is perverted in paganism.

You see, herbalism gives us an opportunity to thank God for graciously providing us with healing plants. Pagans and people of other faiths may give that glory to a false god, nature, or the plants themselves, but their idolatry doesn’t make herbalism inherently sinful.

As a Christian herbalist, my faith is the foundation of my love for herbal medicine.

God blessed this planet with incredible plants that work in remarkable ways within the human body. He knew sin would cause sickness, and in His love, He provided helpful remedies even before the human race fell.

When I use an herb to help the body heal, God gets the glory. Not the plant, not Mother Earth, not a nature spirit.

These remedies work because God designed them to.

I don’t need to thank nature, talk with the plants, or shake a rattle to benefit from herbs.

God, in His goodness, gave us these plants. I, as a Christian herbalist, am incredibly thankful to have these botanicals at my service.

What Does the Bible Say About Herbs?

While I wholeheartedly believe Christians can use and learn about herbs without fear of sinning, I don’t believe the Bible expressly commands believers to use herbs.

So if I’ve upset any of my non-Christian herbalist friends, here’s where I disappoint some Christians.

Yes, there are some Scriptural references about plants used for healing. Other verses mention medicinal herbs in general, as well.

Scholars disagree on the exact number of herbs mentioned in the Bible, with some suggesting over 200 and others just 45, including only a small handful referenced as explicitly medicinal.

No matter how many herbs the Bible actually mentions, the most well-known verse herbal enthusiasts cite is the last phrase of Revelation 22:2:

… and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

While this initially sounds like solid proof that herbalism isn’t sinful, I don’t use that verse to defend Christian herbalism. Here’s why.

• The verse is clearly prophetic, speaking of the new Jerusalem. It doesn’t refer to this current earth, so using it that way is taking the verse out of context.
• We don’t know if the tree and its leaves are literal or figurative. If they’re figurative, then this phrase most certainly doesn’t apply to earthly plants.
• We don’t actually need this verse to defend herbalism for Christians. We can make the case without it and let this verse be a beautiful prophetic promise for our future home.

I realize many naturally-minded Christians will disagree with me here, and that’s fine. It’s not a major issue or one worth debating.

Luke the Physician, or Herbalist?

Actually, I find the most important Biblical evidence for herbal remedies in Luke, St. Paul’s beloved physician friend and the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.

As a physician, Luke wasn’t running to a Roman pharmacy to fill a prescription for something developed by the big pharma companies of the first century. He was likely using herbs, foods, minerals, and perhaps some primitive surgery techniques. And he did it all without sinning.

Side note: Paul referenced Luke the physician on more than one occasion. So, Christian, don’t feel embarrassed or weak in faith if you need to go to the doctor. One was often with the apostle Paul.

How Can Christians Use Herbs for God’s Glory?

Scripture is clear: God calls Christianscompletely avoid witchcraft, idolatry, and spiritualism (Galatians 5:19-21).

And thankfully, you can do that and still confidently use herbal remedies. Just keep some things in mind.

• Follow your conscience as you choose herbal practices and give your fellow Christians that freedom, too. Some Christians can burn an herb for medicinal reasons with a pure conscience. Others might feel it’s too close to a spiritual practice and decide to avoid it. Both can be valid choices.
• Pray for guidance as you choose herbal teachers. Like choosing how you use herbs, choosing how you study herbs as a Christian isn’t a black-and-white issue. I choose to learn from believers and nonbelievers alikebut avoid a few herbalists whose unbiblical practices and spirituality are key features of their teaching. I do the same thing when I choose the best herbalism books for my home library.
• Consider how your herbal practices mightimpact your Christian brothers and sisters, especially those who are young or weak in faith (Romans 14:19-21). For example, if you burn sage for medicinal reasons but know it might cause a brother or sister to doubt, then consider doing this practice privately.
• Use herbs with faith in the God Who created them (Romans 14:23). Pray for wisdom as you choose remedies, use them in Jesus’s name, and give God the glory when health and wellness are restored. If you don’t want to figure that out on your own, I can help.

God is the ultimate healer, and He can heal in many ways. Herbs can be one avenue for that healing.

You don’t have to avoid herbal remedies because you’re a Christian.

But don’t worry. You don’t have to shake a rattle when you use them, either.

What have you experienced as a Christian interested in herbs?