Versatile herbs not only offer culinary flavors and mood-elevating scents, they also provide a form of healing called phytomedicine, which dates back to ancient eras and has recently been revisited by the scientific and natural-health communities.
Herbs are generally defined as plants with leaves, seeds, or flowers that are used to flavor food, provide scent, and treat disease. Some or all parts of the plant may be utilized—root, stem, leaf, flower, fruits, and seeds. Essential oils can also be distilled from these plants; they contain concentrations of beneficial compounds as well as vitamins and minerals.
From the earliest established communities of humans, herbs were valued for their ability to combat disease and treat injuries. According to fossil records, ginkgo biloba dates back to the Paleozoic period—and was undoubtedly a curative used by early Homo sapiens. Herbal remedies were eventually found in most ancient cultures: they were praised by the Greeks and Romans, written down in Indian holy books by ayurvedic physicians, utilized throughout the Middle East, detailed in the journals of Chinese doctors, and valued by indigenous people everywhere for use in their healing rituals.
But with the advent of modern medicine, sophisticated new drugs nearly supplanted the time-honored herbal remedies. Almost everyone worshipped at the altar of the pharmaceutical. That is, until it turned out that certain serious diseases continued to evade the search for cures, in spite of all the medical advancements. Herbs again came into the spotlight, and went under the microscope. They now offer possibilities for treating, slowing, or even preventing, modern scourges such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS.
SPICES FOR LIFE
Another form of healing botanicals are the spices—food additives typically made from the dried leaves, stems, blooms, seeds, roots, bark, or other parts of plants. Spices originally provided strong flavorings in dishes and helped to prevent food spoilage. Their role was expanded once early healers realized that these seasonings—rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories—also had curative effects on the body, mind, and spirit. They were soon being used to treat systemic diseases and infections; pain, joint, and muscle complaints; reproductive issues; anxiety and depression; wounds; and injuries.
By the early Middle Ages, numerous spices were in such demand they became high-value items of barter, some worth their weight in gold. Caravans of Arab traders that carried these treasures and other rarities to the West created the Silk Road, made up of routes to the East that still exist today. Modern transportation means that few spices are so scarce, but they are still prized as culinary flourishes. And when a natural health revival occurred in the 1960s, medicinal spices again came to the fore, especially once scientific research vindicated many of them as genuine remedies and experts began to further understand their beneficial chemistry.
If natural methods of improving or maintaining your health are part of your personal agenda, read on to uncover the surprising world of medicinal herbs and spices.
Chinese herbal medicine selection