About Medicinal Plants

The use of medicinal plants can be found in the alternative therapies botanical medicine and herbalism, as well as in conventional medicine. Medicinal plants contain chemical substances that have beneficial properties to the body. While alternative medicine practitioners use only the leaves, stems, roots and berry extracts to treat illness, conventional medicine practitioners isolate and extract medicinal plants' healing properties and use them as prescription drug ingredients.

History

• Medicinal plants found buried with the bones of a Stone Age Iraqi man suggest that their uses have predated written history. Early recorded use of medicinal plants include an essay by Chinese emperor Shen Nong in 2735 B.C. on ephedra as a respiratory ailment reliever, as well as ancient Babylon King Hammurabi's mint prescription for digestive ailments. Middle Easterners have been using medicinal herbs for centuries, and their testimonials eventually spread to Europe by the 17th century. The United States began to accept the use of medicinal plants in the early 19th century, but pharmaceuticals quickly took over as the preferred means to treat illness and disease.

Medicinal Herb Categories

• The two types of medicinal herb categories are farm grown and wild grown. Commercially farm grown--specifically organic farm grown--offer the greatest benefits to the consumer. Organic medicinal plant farmers are extremely knowledgeable in the planting, cultivation and harvest of their crops. Therefore, organic farm-grown medicinal plants are usually picked at their most advantageous primes, but also tend to be pesticide and chemical free. Wild-grown medicinal herbs are usually found growing in places that naturally support their growth. However, because their birthing places could be anywhere, it can never be known whether the plants were contaminated by nearby air, chemical or water pollutions.

Medicinal Plant Administration

• Medicinal plant extracts come in many different formations. These include lozenges, herbal teas, tablets, capsules, salves, rubs, ointments, tinctures and extracts. Extracts and tinctures contain the most condensed concentrations of all medicinal plant preparations, and are reasonably cheaper than the other medicinal plant forms. But they have the strong, unpleasant tastes that the other forms don't usually have.

Medicinal Plants in the United States

• According to the Medicinal Plant Working Group, well over 60 million Americans ingest medicinal plants in various forms of herbal remedies and the American medicinal plant market has surpassed $3 billion.

Medicinal Herb Benefits

• Some common medicinal herbs are St. John's Wort, which relieves mild depression; garlic, which lowers blood pressure, has natural antibacterial qualities and lowers cholesterol levels in the blood; and peppermint, which helps with irritable bowel syndrome as well as nausea. Other popular medicinal herbs are Echinacea, which is used to treat cold symptoms, and holy basil, which eases throat inflammations.