Herbalism and Herbal Plants

 

The herbal medicine is an ancient art that deals with the knowledge of plants (herbs, medicinal plants, herbs, and spices), their cultivation, harvesting, storage and sale for medicinal purposes (herbalism, traditional Galenic), cosmetics or nutritional .

Since ancient times herbs were collected and prepared to support the welfare and human health.

Furthermore, their presence in ancient tombs is a clue that they were attributed magical powers and supernatural in Iraq, inside a sarcophagus of 60,000 years ago have been found eight different medicinal plants and the shamans of today 'healers of the Amazon and the Steppe constantly taking hallucinogens (eg Amanita muscaria), prepare decoctions, poultices, ointments and potions to cure the sick. The knowledge about the treatments was transmitted across generations. It was in 3000 BC, which appeared in the early writings and the oldest is the Ebers Papyrus, which lists many plants, tips for using them right, and magic spells. In the fourth century BC, Aristotle argued that plants possess a soul and was by Hippocrates (460 BC) that science began to separate from magic. Over the centuries, the flourishing of trade brings wealth of new studies and new knowledge.

Today we can distinguish, among others, three great traditions herbal medicine:

The popular tradition of the Western world, based on the Greek and Roman

The ancient Indian Ayurvedic tradition

The traditional Chinese medicine.

This cultural heritage, which began with the experimental use of plants by primitive people, which is used by modern science, with its research facilities acts to isolate the active principles and to identify the mechanisms of action of herbs, has determined the birth of a new "herbal".

The traditional herbal medicine was the prerogative of the home. They cultivated spices and medicinal herbs in their gardens or gathered in the wild. The used fresh or kept dry or substances extracted by putting them steeped in wine or brandy. Sophisticated galenic preparations were prepared by specialists or pharmacists. Their suppliers were mostly herbalists that herbs gathered in the wild.

 

The herbal medicine was and is, as ever, a form of therapy. It shall be adopted by medical products, naturopaths, alternative and complementary therapists, healers and people with no medical training. Industrially manufactured products are available in each pharmacy (such as "herbal"), of course dall'erborista (such as "healthy products", with no affinity therapy, which is for the exclusive use of the drug), and even in some supermarkets (such as "supplements") . The advantage is convenience and a certain guarantee of quality, the disadvantage is the cost and the fact that cultures are lost old crafts such as:

horticulture of medicinal plants: culture of vegetables

wild herbs,

collection and preservation of phytoremediation

plus the galenic art.

The Herbal Medicine is the medical discipline that uses plants and their derivatives for medical and therapeutic purposes. Many drugs (estimated approx. 1 / 3, with a tendency to 'increase) are based originally on substances from plants and not synthesized in the laboratory.

A recent example is the Tamiflu: The active substance (antiviral) is extracted from the pericarp of green star anise (Illicium verum Hooker fil.). Regarding the use of the seed used as a spice in southeastern China are major crops. At present, farmers do business with the pharmaceutical industry, and that until it is economically convenient to use a bacteria genetically modified (in development), which summarizes the same active substance in bioreactors.

Since ancient times, doctors over the head to make use of herbals related lists between plants and their therapeutic effects.

 

The name has to be searched by the name of the doctor Galenus. By Galenic means the preparation of medicines and remedies, starting from crude drugs or chemicals and auxiliary materials. They were and are still traditional Galenic preparations, the art of apothecaries and pharmacists. Today is also called 'pharmaceutical technology', since the drugs are usually packaged prepared.

For almost one hundred years of related tables are used between groups of active and plants containing them.

The Galenic phytotherapy requires great care and experience in calculating and predict the amount of active ingredient contained in vegetable extracts used. In fact, this can vary significantly depending on various factors such as soil and climate of the cultivation, collection method, storage conditions (eg drying) and production of the remedy, as opposed to pharmacological remedy that is always certain (or almost) the quantity and quality of the active ingredient employed, as well as their possible side effects.

 

 In folk medicine, herbal remedies are the remedy. The treasure of recipes is immense.

 The collection of wild medicinal plants requires above all detailed botanical and ecologicl knowledge. It does not take extensive training on the knowledge of many plants. As in the collection of mushrooms, we will focus on herbs that are known to the fund. This can easily learn, by being part of groups that organize excursions accompanied by experienced guides in herbal medicine.

A

Abies alba

Acacia nilotica

Aconitum napellus

Aesculus hippocastanum

Agrimonia eupatoria

Alfalfa

Alliaria petiolata

Allspice(Jamaica Pepper)

Almond

Alnus glutinosa

Aloe Vera

Alpinia officinarum

Althaea officinalis(Marshmallow)

Anadenanthera Colubrina Yopo

Angelica Archangelica

Angelica sinensis (Female Ginseng)

Anise

Apple mint

Artemisia (plant)

Artemisia absinthium(WORMWOOD)

Artemisia annua

Artemisia pontica

Artemisia tridentata

Artemisia umbelliformis

Artemisia vulgaris

Asafoetida

Atropa belladonna

B

Banisteriopsis caapi

Bauhinia forficata

Bay Laurel

Bergamot orange

Bitter orange

Black pepper

Boldo

Brassica juncea

Brassica napus

Brassica nigra

Bryonia dioica

Burdock

C

Calamintha nepeta

Cannabis

Cannabis sativa

Caper

Capsicum

Cardamom

Carica papaya

Castanea sativa

Centaurium erythraea

Creatonia siliqua (Carob)

Chelidonium

Chenopodium bonus-henricus

Cinnamon

Citrullus colocynthis

Clove

Cnicus

Coca

Coconut

Colchicum autumnale

Common Hogweed

Common Soapwort

Convolvulus arvensis

Coriander

Crataegus monogyna

Cubeb

Cumin

Curcuma

Cyclamen

Cynodon dactylon

D

Datura

Datura inoxia

Datura stramonium

Delphinium staphisagria

Digitalis

Digitalis ferruginea

Digitalis grandiflora

Digitalis lanata

Digitalis purpurea

Dill

Dioscorea communis

E

Echinacea

Echinacea purpurea

Elecampane

Eleutherococcus senticosus

Eucalyptus globulus

Euphorbia helioscopia

European Black Pine

F

Fennel

Fenugreek

Feverfew

Flax

Fragaria vesca

Fraxinus

Fraxinus excelsior

Fraxinus ornus

G

Garlic

Gaultheria procumbens

Génépi

Gentiana asclepiadea

Gentiana lutea

Gentiana pneumonanthe

Ginger

Ginseng

Glycyrrhiza

Greater burdock

Guaiacum officinale

Guarana

H

Hamamelis virginiana

Harmal

Harmine

Haze (cannabis)

Hibiscus

Hibiscus syriacus

Holly

Humulus lupulus

Hyoscyamus niger

Hyssop

Hyssopus officinalis

I

Ilex aquifolium

Illicium verum

Ivy

J

Juglans regia

Juniper

Juniperus communis

Juniperus oxycedrus

Juniperus procumbens

Juniperus sabina

K

Kenaf

Kudzu

L

Larix decidua

Lavandula angustifolia

Lavandula dentata

Lavandula multifida

Lavandula stoechas

Lavender

Lemon

Lesser celandine

Lily of the Valley

Linum tenuifolium

Liquorice

Long pepper

Lovage

Lumia