The pharmacy aisle feels overwhelming when you’re searching for answers that traditional medicine hasn’t provided. Essential oils, herbal remedies, and ancient healing practices beckon with promises of natural wellness, while prayer circles offer testimonies of miraculous healing. If you’re exploring alternative medicine or faith healing, you might wonder where God fits into these unconventional approaches to health and wholeness.
The Bible reveals a God who works through diverse means of healing. From Hezekiah’s fig poultice to the woman with the issue of blood touching Jesus’ garment, Scripture shows us that healing comes through various methods, both natural and supernatural. Jesus himself used spit and mud to heal a blind man, demonstrating that God often works through simple, earthy elements rather than complex medical procedures.
These verses don’t endorse every alternative practice or guarantee miraculous healing, but they do reveal a Creator who embedded healing properties in creation itself and invites us to seek Him in our pursuit of wellness. Whether you’re considering herbal medicine, prayer for healing, or integrative approaches, God cares about your complete restoration.
Bible Verses About Alternative Medicine and Faith Healing
1. Ezekiel 47:12 – Leaves for Healing
Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Revelation 22:2 – The Tree of Life for Healing
In the middle of the street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
New King James Version (NKJV)
3. Isaiah 38:21 – Take a Lump of Figs
Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
New International Version (NIV)
4. Jeremiah 8:22 – Is There No Balm in Gilead?
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?
English Standard Version (ESV)
5. 1 Timothy 5:23 – Use a Little Wine
Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.
New Living Translation (NLT)
6. Luke 10:34 – Oil and Wine for Healing
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
7. James 5:14 – Anoint with Oil
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
8. Mark 6:13 – They Anointed with Oil Many Who Were Sick
And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
9. Genesis 1:29 – Every Plant for Food
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
King James Version (KJV)
10. Psalm 104:14 – Plants for People to Cultivate
You make grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth.
New International Version (NIV)
11. Genesis 43:11 – Healing Spices and Balm
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.”
New International Version (NIV)
12. 2 Kings 20:7 – Apply the Fig Poultice
Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.
English Standard Version (ESV)
13. John 9:6 – Made Clay and Anointed Eyes
Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made clay with the saliva and anointed the man’s eyes with the clay.
English Standard Version (ESV)
14. Mark 8:23 – Spit on His Eyes
He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
New Living Translation (NLT)
15. Luke 8:44 – Touched the Edge of His Cloak
She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
New International Version (NIV)
16. Acts 19:12 – Handkerchiefs and Aprons
So that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
17. 2 Kings 4:34 – Mouth to Mouth, Eyes to Eyes
Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on the boy, the boy’s body grew warm.
New Living Translation (NLT)
18. Numbers 21:8-9 – Look at the Bronze Snake
The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
19. 1 Kings 17:21 – Stretched Himself Upon the Child
And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again.”
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
20. Matthew 9:20-22 – If I Only Touch His Garment
And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
New King James Version (NKJV)
21. Song of Solomon 4:14 – Spikenard and Saffron
nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.
New International Version (NIV)
22. Proverbs 17:22 – A Cheerful Heart is Good Medicine
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
English Standard Version (ESV)
23. Ecclesiastes 3:3 – A Time to Heal
A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build.
New Living Translation (NLT)
24. Matthew 17:20 – Faith Like a Mustard Seed
Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
25. Mark 16:18 – They Will Place Hands on Sick People
they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
26. Acts 28:8 – Paul Placed His Hands on Him
His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.
King James Version (KJV)
27. 1 Corinthians 12:9 – Gifts of Healing
to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
28. Matthew 10:8 – Heal the Sick
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
The Message (MSG)
29. Luke 9:2 – Sent Them to Heal the Sick
and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
30. 3 John 1:2 – I Pray That You May Enjoy Good Health
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
New English Translation (NET)
31. Jeremiah 30:17 – I Will Restore You to Health
For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the LORD.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
32. Exodus 15:26 – I Am the Lord Who Heals You
He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
33. Psalm 103:2-3 – Who Heals All Your Diseases
Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.
Good News Translation (GNT)
34. Isaiah 53:5 – By His Wounds We Are Healed
But he was wounded because of our sins, crushed because of our evil acts. The punishment that made us well was given to him, and we are healed because of his wounds.
New Century Version (NCV)
35. Malachi 4:2 – Healing in His Wings
But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. You will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
International Standard Version (ISV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Alternative Medicine and Faith Healing
Scripture reveals a remarkably integrated approach to healing that encompasses natural remedies, prayer, and divine intervention. The Bible doesn’t create artificial divisions between “natural” and “supernatural” healing methods. Instead, it shows God working through creation’s inherent healing properties, from Hezekiah’s fig poultice to the oil used for anointing the sick.
What’s particularly striking is how often biblical healing involves physical substances and human participation alongside divine power. Jesus used spit and clay, Paul prescribed wine for Timothy’s stomach troubles, and the early church combined prayer with oil for healing. This suggests that seeking God’s healing doesn’t require rejecting natural remedies or medical wisdom.
However, Scripture also warns against practices that drift into superstition or place ultimate trust in methods rather than in God himself. The Bible calls us to discernment, recognizing that while God embedded healing properties in creation, our ultimate hope rests in Him as the source of all healing, whether it comes through conventional medicine, natural remedies, prayer, or miraculous intervention.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, I come to You seeking wisdom and healing for my body, mind, and spirit. Thank You for creating a world filled with plants, herbs, and natural substances that can bring restoration and health. Help me to approach alternative medicine and natural healing with discernment, always remembering that You are the ultimate source of all healing power.
Guide me as I explore different approaches to wellness. Show me which treatments align with Your will and which practitioners walk in integrity and wisdom. Protect me from deception and give me peace about the choices I make for my health. Help me to avoid placing my ultimate trust in any method or substance rather than in You.
I pray for healing in whatever form You choose to provide it, whether through natural remedies, conventional medicine, prayer, or miraculous intervention. Increase my faith to believe in Your power while also giving me wisdom to be a good steward of the body You’ve given me. Use my journey toward healing to draw me closer to You and to be a testimony of Your goodness to others who are seeking wholeness.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.