A Guide to Medicinal Herbs
In this paper, you will read:
Medicinal herbs play a fundamental and integral role in people’s lives. Identifying and using them in curing diseases and illnesses provide easily a safe alternative to the chemical medicines which have harmful side effects. In introducing medicinal herbs, we explain the background, collection, resources, effective substances, and methods of use and the difference between the two expressions “medicinal herbs” and “herbal medicines.”
Contents
Asia continent provides one of the most biological diversity in the world with its best and most diverse plants in the tropical and subtropical regions. Among the countries in the continent, Iran stands as having the most diverse plants resulting from its significant climate diversity. Medicinal herbs include a wide variety of plants usable in preventing or curing diseases and illnesses. 8000 plant species have been identified in Iran 1728 species of which are native. Among them, about 2500 species are used as medicinal, aromatic, spice, therapeutic, and cosmetic products. About 200 species of them are used by public, and about 300-400 of them are prescribed in the traditional medicine. The first step in using medicinal herbs is in producing drugs and herbal products. Treatment with medicinal herbs is as old as the history of man’s life on the earth. Through the history, men have cured their illnesses using medicinal herbs. Man is a part of the nature which means the more they are close to the nature the healthier they are and they live longer lives.
Medicinal Herbs: Definition
Fresh or dried plants including leaves, stalks, roots, and fruits, extracted substances of which directly or indirectly are used in health products, the prevention of diseases and illnesses in men, animals, and other plants. Plants contain vitamins and minerals which are among the daily needs of our bodies, for example, lavender contains vitamin c, magnesium, etc. In some countries, such as Netherlands, all products of the medicinal herbs are classified as nutrition supplements; in England, the plants with therapeutic index are considered as the medicinal herbs; in Germany, the medicinal herbs extracts are referred to as drugs; and, in some countries, plants are classified according to pharmacology.
Herbal Medicines: Definition
Drugs produced from medicinal herbs in a process in drug manufacturing factories.
Since the day man become afflicted with various diseases and conditions, they have sought to find ways of recovering health. The discovery of medicinal herbs can be considered one of the great successes of mankind in solving health issues. One day, man discovered herbs helpful in strengthening stomach, the other day herbs with pain relieving, or laxative effects, and so on. The oldest book on medicine was written in Chinese empire period 2800 BC, which describes more than 100 herbs. The ancient Greeks were the first in discovering poisonous plants. In 372-287 BC, Hippocrates, Aristotle and Theophrastus were the founders of traditional medicine; then, Dioscorides provided 600 medicinal herbs in the first century AD. In the 10th century AD, Avicennaa and Razi and later Ibn al-Baytar identified and examined about 14,000 medicinal herbs and introduced them in their books.
Where to find medicinal herbs?
In Iran, there are various places and centers where medicinal herbs can be found; nature, herbal stores, pharmacies, groceries, etc.; Some people go to nature to find natural plants who, according to researches, consist 23.6% of herbal consumers; Some 66.8% of individuals buy from herbal stores; 3.3% are cautious people who buy from pharmacies; 4.6% of people buy from grocery stores and seed stores; and other people as well make up 1.7%.
Collecting medicinal herbs
Medicinal herbs can be collected in natural environments such as forests, mountains, plains and river banks. These plants may appear as weeds in the man-made gardens and fields. One of the most important issues in collecting medicinal herbs is to determine the right time. The time for collecting is different for different plants and their usable medicinal parts, such as roots, rhizomes, flowers, sap, gum, leaves, seeds, and fruits:
- Flowers: buds or freshly blossomed flowers.
- Roots and rhizomes: autumn, before the roots are completely dry or when they are still soft and spongy.
- Skin: autumn, when the sap of the plant is reduced to a minimum.
- Sap and gum: autumn, when the sap of the trees flows.
- Leaves: fresh, green and shiny leaves.
- Seed and fruit: fully ripened juicy fruits and dry seeds in autumn.
How to know about medicinal herbs?
People get information about medicinal herbs in different ways; 69.1% of individuals get the information from relatives, acquaintances and traditions of the ancestors; 10.4% refer to books and other publications; 9.9% ask herbalists and centers selling medicinal herbs; 6.8% of people go to doctors; and 3.8% receive information from mass media. In this research, it was proved that medicinal herbs and their derivatives are welcomed by 80% in developing countries and 20% in developed countries.
The effective ingredients of medicinal herbs
The effective ingredients of medicinal herbs (metabolite in plants) are divided into two categories:
- Primary metabolites (sugars, fats, proteins).
- Secondary metabolites (alkaloids, glycosides and essential oils).
How to use medicinal herbs?
Medicinal herbs are used in different ways. According to the Iranian researches’ results, they are used by the following methods:
- Brewed: the most common way of using medicinal herbs; like brewing tea; 41.8% of individuals.
- Decoction: Pour freshly dried plant in cold water and heat it to boil and vaporize to remain 1/3 of its water.
- Syrup: Honey or refined sugar is added to brews and decoctions to thicken them and make syrups.
- Soaked: Crushed root of a plant, for example, Alcea, is boiled in water for 8 hours and then placed in a cool place to cool down, then it is filtrated and cleared for consumption.
- Tincture: Soaking the freshly dried plant in 25% ethyl alcohol and keeping it in a closed glass for two weeks, then it is taken out of the glass and consumed or poured into a colored glass for storage.
- Spirits and extracts; 24.5% of Iranians use medicinal herbs in this way.
- Oil, compress, salve, powder and capsule, incense and in bathtub water.
It should be noted that they do not follow a single specific method for consuming medicinal plants all over the world; Rather, the traditional medicine specialist determines how to use it.
Afterthought
Traditionally, men have provided most of their food needs by plants, and later on, they have used different plants to treat diseases. The science of medicine by herbs was gradually formed and transferred from a generation to the next. Scientific advances also helped to discover their properties using laboratory and clinical achievements, however, sometimes differences are seen in traditional medicine and scientific findings.
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