Were the ancients in on something we are not?

Traditional culture has been gained through many years of trial and error process. To think that any such experience has more or less value than knowledge gained through scientific methods, I think is missing the point. The fact that we are using now a very potent method, that enables us to progress quickly, is not reason to dismiss the progress made the hard way.
I will only use an example, related to the use of certain plants as remedies. A country women, a farmer, showed me a plant, that I later identified as Chelidonium Majus, and told me that it was very good for ward treatment. As I had a very prominent one, I rubbed the yellow latex-like fluid comming out of the cutted stem, on it. I repeated the procedure three or for days, and shortly after, one day, I realized the ward had desappeared. (Eventually, in Europe, this tradition comes from the Greek and Roman cultures).Edited by straightree, : No reason given.

Weather forcasting may serve us well to consider how traditional knowledge is in fact complementary to scientific one. I am engaged in an activity, agriculture, that is strongly dependent on weather, so, weather forecasting is of prime relevance to us. Traditionally, farmers had identified a correlation between certain "signs" and the occurrence of particular metheors. If, for instance, there were clouds, of such and such shapes, on top of a certain mountain in the morning, then most certainly rain would follow in the evening.Nowadays, every farmer looks the weather forecast on TV, or the Internet. Never the less, weather forecasting not being yet an exact science, some times the old "signs" are very usefull.I can recall one such very recent experience. In our area we grow alfalfa, and cut it to produce hay. After cutting, it is left on the field to be dryed by sun, but if it rains, the hay is ruined. So, we cut when there is a reasonable expectation for at least three days with no rain. Last summer, I had cut the alfalfa, and it was on the field, then a more expeienced neighbor came to me and said, look this night we have had no damping dew, this is a sign that this afternoon we may have rain. So we proceeded to collect the hay, just in time to avoid the rain, that came.Also I have to say that climatic change, is destroing much of this traditional knowledge, and the useful "signs" are fewer and fewer. But this is not a good sign for us.