Admittedly, the existence of humans and herbal medicines both date back to the same time in history. Our monuments, excavations, cave paintings, and historical documents give enough evidence for it. The prehistoric men sought a cure in plants, seeds, fruit bodies, stems, herbs, and similar flora. This constant effort of humans has given us herbal blends now.
In Africa, up to 90%, in India, almost 70%, and in China, over 90% of people prefer herbal blends over modern medicines. Moreover, according to an estimate, 80% of the world's total population favor using herbs for medicinal purposes. This guide is another written piece on the history and usage of herbal blends. Read it till the end to find out details regarding the history of herbs, their usage, and the top five herbs used for medicinal purposes presently.
List Of Top Five Medicinal Herbs Used Today
1. Cannabis
People use cannabis to treat the various body and brain conditions. The most well-known use of cannabis is herbal tea. You can also use delicious CBD gummies as a substitute which will yield the same benefits.
2. Calendula
The entire golden flower is herbal-user-friendly for treating eczema to acne. Its anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties help to cure skin imperfections.
3. Lavender
This fragrance-filled herb is best useful in treating anxiety. It's an excellent herb to add during a bath or in your time to release both physical and mental stress. It’s a herb that is in demand in present times of hustles and hyper-tensions.
4. Holy Basil
From your common cold to H1N1 flu, holy basil can be beneficial in every illness. Its herbal use strongly correlates with curing diabetes, headache, fever, confused stomach, and stress.
5. Sage
Sage is a brilliant herb option to grow in your garden, capable of restoring your sore throats and ill-affected gums. Salvia Officinalis helps women to prevent hot flush during menopause and eases the weaning process.
An Introduction To Its History
Discussing the history of herbs takes us back to the times 5,000 years ago. A clay tablet in an ancient Indian city states 12 medicinal drug recipes comprising over 250 plant species. Indian holy books like Vedas (Rig Veda and Atharva Veda) and the Bible promote medicinal plants found plenty in the country.
Like India, Egypt lacks nowhere in rooting the herbal medicines’ usage. In Ebers Papyrus by Georg Ebers, you'll find a set of 800 prescriptions. These prescripts refer to using 700 plant varieties like garlic, onion, aloe, castor oil, pomegranate, coriander, senna, and juniper as medicines. In two of Homer's epic poems, Iliad and Odysseys, he mentioned 63 plants as medicinal herbs in 800 BC.
In his works 'De Causis Plantarum' and 'De Historia Plantarum,’ famous Greek Biologist Theophrastus founded botanical science. Both of his books classified medicinal plants into 500 categories as per botany's principles. Because of his irreplaceable work in botany, he was entitled 'Father of Botany.' Another celebrated Greek medical writer Celsus quoted 250 medicinal plants in his digest 'De re medica.'
In the history of herbal blends, China has also contributed significantly. They're the first to find plants’ healing properties depending on the internal chemical compounds' interaction. When Shen-Nong tasted hundreds of herbs in a day, China got 70 herbs with medicinal utility. Between 737 BCE to 2697 BCE, because of Shennong, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) became famous.
Its Usage
As the history of herbal medicines dates back to thousands of years ago, so is its usage. The primitive use of herbs by past men was through either infusions, decoctions, or macerations. However, the middle age use of medicinal herbs demanded a compound drug — a combination of medicinal plants and animal origin drugs. In the 18th century, Carl Linnaeus reported various species in his text, Species Plantarum, which were the first of its kind. The 19th century was responsible for a dramatic change in herbal medicine's usage. Early in the 19th century, the experts isolated alkaloids from plants like poppy, pomegranate, and many other plants. Later they discovered bodies like saponins, tannins, vitamins, etheric oils, and hormones in those plants.
The present-day use of herbal blends has quite become widespread in the entire world. Developed countries have published herbal pharmacopeias. Though there has been illegal use of herbal drugs, it’s notable how widely people use them for medicinal purposes. Below are the top five medicinal plants you'll find in global use today on a large scale.
The End Words
Human death is the most certain natural phenomenon. Nobody can hinder or hurt it by consuming a few medicines. However, people can gift themselves a disease-free life with better living days and experiences with proper medications. No doubt that people across the globe will favor the use of herbal blends forever.
Written by: Grace Hawkins
