Herbalism

 What is herbalism ? 

Herbal medicine also known as herbalism is the usage of the plants for medical reasons. e scope of herbal medicine is sometimes extended to include fungal and bee products, as well as minerals, shells and certain animal parts.

The use of plants as medicines predates written human history.Many of the herbs and spices used by humans to season food also yield useful medicinal compounds. The use of herbs and spices in cuisine developed in part as a response to the threat of food-borne pathogens. Studies show that in tropical climates where pathogens are the most abundant, recipes are the most highly spiced.

The first know written records of the herbs are from the Sumerians, who created clay tablets with lists of hundreds of medicinal plants, and dated back over 5000 years ago. In 1500 B.C., the Ancient Egyptians wrote the Ebers Papyrus, which contains information on over 850 plant medicines, including garlic, juniper, cannabis, castor bean, aloe, and mandrake.

In India and in China in ancient times ware created own medical herbal systems. In India it was called Ayurveda. The Ayurveda is a medical system traditional for India. Sanskrit writings from around 1500 B.C., such as the Rig Veda, are some of the earliest available documents detailing the medical knowledge that formed the basis of the Ayurveda system. Many other herbs and minerals used in Ayurveda were later described by ancient Indian herbalists such as Charaka and Sushruta during the 1st millennium BC. The Sushruta Samhita attributed to Sushruta in the 6th century BC describes 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources, and 57 preparations based on animal sources.

In China the herbal medical system is called Pen Tsao. The Pen Tsao is a list with 365 medical plants na their usage. There is a interesting myth in China about the first traditionally recognized herbalist is Shénnóng ("Divine Farmer"),  a mythical god-like figure, who is said to have lived around 2800 BC. He allegedly tasted hundreds of herbs and imparted his knowledge of medicinal and poisonous plants to farmers. His Shénnóng Běn Cǎo Jīng  is considered as the oldest book on Chinese herbal medicine. It classifies 365 species of roots, grass, woods, furs, animals and stones into three categories of herbal medicine.

Nowadays The use of herbs to treat disease is almost universal among non-industrialized societies, and is often more affordable than purchasing expensive modern pharmaceuticals. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80 percent of the population of some Asian and African countries presently use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. Studies in the United States and Europe have shown that their use is less common in clinical settings, but has become increasingly more in recent years as scientific evidence about the effectiveness of herbal medicine has become more widely available.

In the future expect from us more information about the herbs and their medical usage. If you are interested in the medical usage of the plants and have some questions, please feel free to ask us. Also if you want to tell us some interesting facts about the herbs and want to share it with us you can contact us.