HERBS FROM A to Z

There is so much good stuff out there on herbal treatments that it is hard to know what to bring into SVDigitalUniverse to give the most entertaining and useful information to help you enjoy your body and create a better day.

Herbal medicine is older than humankind. Animals of different species know what plants to chew to treat a particular distressed condition. People who are deep into herbology say there is a lot we can learn from animals. If you want to learn a little from the animals then click here. If you want to learn a lot, or confirm some things that you've always thought, then you might want to check out Wild Health.

If we look back at ancient times we find numerous stories of herbal medicines in Native American, African, Celtic, Indian and Chinese cultures, but one of the most entertaining books for modern readers was written in 1931 in England by a woman identified as Mrs. Grieve. Her gigantic book was originally titled A Modern Herbal: the Medicinal Culinary Cosmetic and Economic Properties Cultivation and Folk-Lore of Herbs Grasses Fungi Shrubs & Trees With All Their Modern Scientific Uses in Two Volumes. Wow! What a name!

The Interactive version of A Modern Herbal is fun to play around with. Like the printed book it gives the recipes and food history drawn from sources all over the world--ancient Aztec, African, Celtic cultures, ancient Greek and Roman times through the Medieval, Renaissance, and early modern period.

The A-to-Z listings of nearly 1000 herbs include:

Each has a wonderful antique drawing or sketch, which can be enlarged with a click of the mouse, and there are thousands of interesting stories and factoids

Sunflower seeds roasted in the same manner as coffee, they make an agreeable drink, and the seeds have been used in Portugal and Russia to make a wholesome and nutritious bread.

Unfortunately there is no recipe in the book for the sunflower drink or the nutritious bread but there are recipes for stuff like Seventeenth Century Almond Butter, Apple Marmalade, Mutton Baked with Apples and Onions. There are interesting recipes for Aromatic Seasoning 1900s-style, Carrot Jam, Recipes for Herb Beers and for pickled Green Walnuts. Some of this stuff is really wild. There is a dish that we wanted someone around here to try. It sounded interesting--Rose Petal Sandwiches. No one would try it and therefore we cannot recommend it.

A Modern Herbal tells us what people used in the old days as treatment for Diabetes, A Gargle for a Sore Throat, A Cure for Sprains, A Liver and Kidney Mixture, 'A Sirrup for a Feaver'-- keep in mind that that these recipes represent the conventional thinking of a century ago. Many of these concoctions might have been proven ineffective or been replaced by better treatments from modern medical science or newer herbal remedies.

There is extensive scientific evidence that herbal treatments provide relief for hundreds of ailments, including premenstrual syndrome, indigestion, insomnia, heart disease, cancer, and HIV. There are not nearly enough test to show which herbs work best for what. Since herbs cannot be patented there is little economic motivation for drug companies to invest money in discovering and testing new herbal solutions to health problems.

According to the World Health Organization, however, approximately 25 percent of all prescription drugs are still derived from trees, shrubs, or herbs. Some are made from plant extracts; others are synthesized to mimic a natural plant compound. Of 119 plant-derived pharmaceutical medicines, about 74 percent are used in modern medicine in ways that correlated directly to with their traditional uses as plant medicines by native cultures.

"There are between 250,000 to 500,000 plants on earth and only about 5000 have been studied for medicinal application. Perhaps among the 99% that have not been studied there is a cure for cancer, AIDS, diabetes, and many other diseases and conditions," says Norman R. Farnsworth, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

HOW HERBS CAN BE USED

Whole Herbs
In tribal cultures people often chewed the leaves, stems or roots. The act of chewing was part of the treatment--it cleansed the teeth or tongue. Native Americans European settlers to chew the gum-like resin that formed on spruce trees when the bark was cut. Lumps of spruce gum were sold in the U.S during the early 1800s, making it the first commercial chewing gum in this country. Various other herbs were added to the resin, like peppermint to aid in digestion. Plants or parts of plants are also dried and then either cut or powdered. They can be used as teas or as spices with medicinal properties.

Teas
And you thought that teas were mostly for enjoyment. Herbal teas with proven curative powers are everywhere--loose or in teabags. Boiling water becomes saturated with the fragrant, aromatic flavor and the herbs' medicinal properties. Mildly medicinal effects are possible, like peppermint and chamomile for upset stomach or to improve digestion and chamomile or hops as a sleep aid or insomnia remedy. Check out some of the other traditional uses in A Modern Herbal.

Capsules and Tablets
Pills--the things we love to hate. Taking them can be a pain in and of itself, but they give us a more concentrated form of an herb that has been ground into a powder and put into a capsule or melded into a tablet usually my a commercial manufacturer. There are empty capsules available, however, and some people like to make their own. Sometimes as a custom that is part of the cure.

Extracts and Tinctures
If pills are too much pain, then extracts and tinctures give both high and low concentrations of an herb in a form that is easier for many people to ingest. Extracts and tinctures are almost always made by creating an alcohol-based solution to extract the various compounds from the herb that are not water-soluble and cannot be released into a tea.

Essential Oils
Essential oils are usually distilled from the medicinal and aromatic parts of a wide variety of plants. Some great essential oils come from plants that are not usually though of as medicinal like oranges and flowers. These are commonly used in aromatherapy. They are so strong that the aroma has a healing effect, but medicinal herbs are also distilled into essential oils, and the strength is such that most have to be diluted with water to be safely used, otherwise they can irritate the skin and eyes.

Salves, Balms, and Ointments
In ancient times herbs were cooked in the fat of animals or a vegetable oil to create a salve, balm or ointment. In this form in can be rubbed on an diseased or discomforted part of the body. In this form herbs were used to treat skin irritations, wounds, and insect and snake bites. Now most salves are made with vegetable or petroleum jelly. Many commercial ointments are herb-based.