…when the constitution is in a state of equilibrium, there
is no doubt that whatever is relished will be beneficial to health. Observe how
an animal will graze in a field where there are a hundred thousand kinds of
herbs and grasses, and how, with its sense of smell, it snuffeth up the odours
of the plants, and tasteth them with its sense of taste; then it consumeth
whatever herb is pleasurable to these senses, and benefiteth therefrom. Were it
not for this power of selectivity, the animals would all be dead in a single
day; for there are a great many poisonous plants, and animals know nothing of
the pharmacopoeia. And yet, observe what a reliable set of scales they have, by
means of which to differentiate the good from the injurious. Whatever
constituent of their body hath decreased, they can rehabilitate by seeking out
and consuming some plant that hath an abundant store of that diminished
element; and thus the equilibrium of their bodily components is re-established,
and they are rid of their disease.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings
of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
