Medicinal herbs

Monday, September 15, 2008

• As far back as prehistoric times medicinal herbs were used totreat a myriad of maladies and even to cure disease. Today, withan ever-increasing focus on Western medicine, medicinal herbsare largely overlooked as valid options for treating sickness.However, there are many who continue to promote the positivebenefits of medicinal herbs as an alternative – or supplement -to modern medicine. And, having demonstrated a history ofsuccess, it's not difficult to see why.



• Medicinal herbs were discovered throughout a host of ancientcultures – from the Chinese to the Native Americans – and werestudied and classified to help organize and maximize their uses.Much of what we know now is due in large part to this historicundertaking. Everything from ginger root to dandelion has a specificfunction as a medicinal herb. And in certain combinations, thesenatural wonders have been known to alleviate everything fromacne to infertility. St. John's Wort has shown great promise asa mild antidepressant; Catnip works quite well as a feverreducer; ginger aids digestion; and the list goes on and on. Asalways, nature has found a way to assist us in a variety ofhealth-related issues. Learning the types of medicinal herbs and their uses andbenefits takes quite a bit of research. Luckily, an enormousamount of information can be found online. But to reallyunderstand the uses of medicinal herbs and the impact they canhave on your overall health, it's best to work with someone wellversed in this arena.



• Try visiting a local health food store oreven chat with experts online to find what medicinal herbs maywork for you. Of course, the use of medicinal herbs to treat ailments – oreven supplement treatment – is not recommended without thesupport of a medical professional. But once you begin tounderstand the positive benefits medicinal herbs can have inyour life, you'll likely continue on this enormously rewardingjourney.