Health Products Report » herbs

Herbalism in ancient civilizations

blogauthor — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:57:23 +0000

Medicinal herbs are a important part of modern civilization. Many of the drugs that we use today for healing various conditions have their roots in herbs, either because the drug itself is based on a herb, or because an active compound was discovered first in herbs, and was later researched to find more substances that work in a same or similar way.

However, medicinal herbs are not a recent discovery, they have been used since ancient times. One of the first civilizations that extensively used plants for healing, were the Sumerians, over 5000 years ago. They were known to use herbs like caraway and laurel very often.

Ancient Egyptians also used many medicinal herbs like mint, coriander, opium, garlic and many other. Even the Old Testament mentiones the use and cultivation of medicinal herbs like mandrake, caraway, rye, wheat and barley.

Indian and chinese civilizations were also known to use many herbs. The Indian Sushruta Samhita, which is a Sanskrit redaction text on all of the most important factors of ayurvedic medicine mentions over 700 different medicinal herbs, along with preparations from mineral and animal sources. The first Chinese book concerning medicinal herbs, Shennong Bencao Jing, mentioned even more plants – around 365 different plants, along with their uses.

For the western civilization, the most important literature was written by ancient Romans and Greeks. Theophrastus left the most important Greek book concerning medicine based on herbs called Historia Plantarum. Even more important was a compendium called Materia Medica, written by Dioscorides, that had more than 500 plants described and remained as one of the most important literary works regarding medicinal herbs.

The ancient civilizations already set the basics of this interesting field of science, and thanks to them, today we have many medications that are based on knowledge that they set thousands of years ago.

Find your own stress remedies

blogauthor — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:56:14 +0000

Stress is a serious and very common problem of modern people and there are many various methods how it can be treated. However, not all methods all always completely safe, or without side effects. Because of that, it is a good idea to consider trying some remedies that mother nature has given us, before we try some of the synthetic medications that can sometimes cause more problems than they solve. You can buy herbs, or even better, you can go out pick your own herbs, enjoying the nature at the same time. If you find the latter suggestion interesting, below you can find some useful information regarding searching herbal remedies good for healing stress.

One of the most known herbs that can help reduce stress and problems that come along with it, is Valeriana officinalis, also known just as valerian. Valerian is a very important and well known medicinal herb, that can grow more than one meter in height. It is a hardy perennial plant, that usually has pink or white flowers. The flowers are in bloom in the northern hemisphere usually from June to September. It is native to Europe and some parts of Asia, but can also be found in North America, soon after the medicinal properties of this plant became well known. It mostly likes shady and more humid areas. Edges of forrests are usually good places to look for this plant. The effectiveness of valerian has been scientifically proven and is one of the most used natural remedies for stress and insomnia as well.

There is another herb well known for treating stress, called Melissa officinalis, also known as lemon balm. It usually grows between 30 and 70 centimeters in height, and usually has a relatively branched form. It has white to yellow flowers. It is native to eastern mediterranean area, but can also be found in other places as well. This medicinal herb usually flowers in the late summer, but the leaves (that have the most active substances), should be picked before the flowering starts. It likes shady places, and ofter grows along fences and pathways. It’s property to calm down stressful and nervous people is the most important feature of this herb. Tea can be prepared by using only dried leaves of this plant, or even better, a herbal mixture of valerian root and lemon balm leaves can be prepared, to make an even more effective herbal cure.

There are also many other medicinal herbs that have been, and are still used today to reduce stress, but the mentioned are among the most popular, and most common used ones today.

Treating cough with medicinal herbs

blogauthor — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:55:30 +0000

The winter is coming soon, and so are the many common diseases related to the respiratory system that often come along with it. One of the most common problems is cough, that we’ve all most probably already had problems with. However, cough can be avoided relatively simply and effectively by using herbal remedies. Even in the case that a person already has complications due to cough, medicinal herbs can even help to get rid of this annoying condition pretty fast.

One of the most common herbs that are used in treating or preventing cough are plantago, horsetail, and common ivy.

The first one of the mentioned, plantago (Plantago major) is known to be a effective remedy for cough, and other various other diseases or conditions related to the respiratory system. It has also been discovered that some substances in this plant also have antibiotic effects.

The second we mentioned is a herb called horsetail (Equisetum arvense). This plant is also useful for various conditions. It can be used to treat rheumatic problems, chronic cough, and even leg swelling caused by problems with substance exchange in the body. It is also known to treat problems with bladder and kidneys.

The last one, common ivy (Hedera helix), is a very effective herb for healing cough, and problems related to it. It is mostly used in form of syrups, but tea from the leaves of this herb can also be prepared.

These are just some of the many natural herbal remedies that can help in preventing and treating cough, and they can be used either seperately, or even better, one can prepare a herbal mixture, by mixing same amounts of every of the above mentioned herbs. This herbal mixture can than be drinked two to three times per day, throughout the time period when there is a higher risk of diseases or conditions related to the respiratory system.