Doctor Milko Toshkov’s family is from the Rhodopes and they have been dealing with herbs for more than a century.
When he graduated from the Medical School, he began to practice iris diagnostics. He made hundreds of herb mixes which help cure various diseases. After a lot of research he made pills out of those herb mixes, and in this way he improved their effect.
The little bottles with yellow labels, which give health from nature, have long won their place among the other medicines in the pharmacies. He also receives a lot of patients in his doctor’s office every day and has free consultations on treatment with herbs.
– Dr Toshkov, you have medical university education. Why did you concentrate on herbs?
– As a young doctor, I was disappointed with official medicine. Patients, who I had treated with various medicines and antibiotics for months came to me, safe and sound, cured for only two weeks by a local herbalist in the town of Chepelare in the Rhodopes. This did not discourage me but I started asking myself questions why the herbalists are so successful. So I decided to turn to nature.
It took me almost five years to prepare my herb recipes. I met thousands of people, heard thousands of stories and examples where herbs helped. The Rhodopes were a blessed place for my enterprise. Dozens of self-made healers, who had grown up with herbs, lived in this mountain.
After I read about people’s wisdom, transmitted from generation to generation, I began studying heaps of books. I read all the literature about herbs published in Bulgaria.
– How did you create your products?
– The way to herbs for an ordinary man is long and complicated. I had to cut down to minimum patients’ time waiting in front of the herbalists’ doors. I wanted my patients to find my recipes themselves, without my help, to easily recognize them. Therefore I gave a special name to each herb combination to easily connect it to a given disease. Besides, people have always thought that herbs are most useful if you drink them like tea, that tea is more natural and better. I do not think so. Nearly 80% of the useful substance of the herbs is lost with tea. So to reach the effect, which herb pills have, you have to drink a huge quantity of tea. With pills the body takes what it needs and disposes of what it does not need
– But you still use traditional medicines.
– I am a doctor and I will never deny official medicine. This is something that is in my blood and I accept it 100%. I cannot totally stop chemical treatment because sometimes it saves lives. However, I can make it better. The two treatments do not contradict each other, they only help each other. Iris diagnostics came as a means of herb treatment. I have always wanted to discover the patients’ disease with one look in their eyes and to cut their wandering in hospitals, policlinics and doctors’ offices. It was not difficult to start iris diagnostics because the iris maps had been long systematized by the greatest Bulgarian healer, Peter Dimkov. Herb recipes, on the contrary, were scattered all over the mountain. Few people know that Peter Dimkov made the Bulgarian school of iris diagnostics one of the most successful ones in the world.
– What do Bulgarians suffer the most of?
– After thousands of patients have come to my office, I can tell you that in Bulgaria there are no people with strong nerves and psyche. I always find spots in the upper part of the eyes of adults, where diseases of the brain and the nervous system are.
– Which are the strongest herbs in Bulgaria?
– Herbs are strong depending on what disease they cure. Here is an example: if you suffer from cough or flu, the strongest herbs are Echinacea, thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla). If you have stomach problems, the best herbs are calendula (Calendula officinalis), comfrey (Symphytum officinale), and plantain (Plantago officinalis). If you have problems with your nerves, you have the best results with lavender (Lavandula vera), valerian (Valeriana officinalis), and melissa (Melissa officinalis).
– We all have a lot of spices at home. Which are a must in our menu?
– It depends. In my opinion, you should have at home and often cook your food with thyme (Thymus vulgaris), oregano (Origanum vulgare), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), sage (Salvia officinalis), dill, mint, parsley and celery.
– When we speak about herbs, we usually say that they help with minor ailments. What do you think – is it possible to influence only with phyto products diseases like cancer, for instance?
– Problems there are more complicated. Cancer is not a random disease. It is connected mostly with immunity and the nervous system.
– At present most Bulgarians have a cedentary way of life. This often leads to overweight. What do you advise, what herbs and herb mixes help lose weight?
– I can recommend a lot of herbs, like costmary (Tanacetum balsamita), motherwort (Leonorus cardiaca), and caltrop (Tribulus terrestris), for example.
– Are there any herbs and herb mixes which can make us younger?
– Yes, there are. Here I can say that herbs which influence our liver and kidneys can be called rejuvenating. These are field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), calendula (Calendula officinalis), chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), pine, horse heal (Elecampane), and lady’s bedstraw (Galium criciatum).
– How many cups of tea should we drink per day?
– You can drink 4-5 cups of tea per day. However, my advice is to drink different kinds of herbs according to the season. In winter it is good to drink decoctions of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), linden tea, and pine tips. If you like to drink tea in summer, you should choose calendula (Calendula officinalis), field horsetail (Equisetum arvense), lavender (Lavandula vera), and hibiscus tea.
