The Herbal Insider

Common medicinal herbs and their uses. Throughout the centuries the plants that grow around us have been used in one way or another. Mostly for food but in other cases as cures for our ailments. Today if we do not feel too well we will go to the doctor, tell him of our ailments and he will prescribe the appropriate drug.

Healing has not really changed much since our ancestors time. For thousands of years if you did not feel well, you would go to the witch doctor, the shaman or the high priest and they would provide you with the herbs for your ailment. It may seem improbable to us that such people could perform this duty of healing as modern day doctors do but what we have to remember is that the basis of all modern medicine is based upon herbal healing of the past and that the constituents of herbal remedies that were prescribed long ago are still being used today.

Although the healing processes employed then were not as numerous as those of today they did work. The plants available to our ancestors are still available, growing in our fields, edgeways and even our gardens, and the processes and formulations that were employed in our past are still available for us to use. A benefit not available to our ancestors is that we may buy herbs grown half way around the world.

Today with the expanding volume of knowledge available, to everyone who can read a book or who can access the Internet, the knowledge of the healing of the past can be brought into our modern world and we can see and duplicate it for ourselves. Yet in saying that, care should be taken if you intend to produce your own medicines because what you have to consider is the symptoms. Simply because your head hurts does not mean you have a headache that could be cured with an aspirin. Healers from the past would try to find the reason for the headache had heal that.

I have written this article as an essay of interest and I have no medical knowledge, nor would I suggest that you take the writing literally, but only as an indication of those things around us capable of curing our ills. And before you attempt to use any herb for a medical purpose I would suggest that the plants you use are those described and identified by name and photograph.

If you are a sever sufferer of any complaint I strongly recommend that you discuss the use of ‘home made medicines’ with your primary care practitioner before you use them.

Medicinal Herbs.

Cape Aloe: Aloe ferox

Also known as Bitter Aloe, and Red Aloe. Two juices are extracted from this plant; a yellow and bitter sap which is used as a laxative, and a white aloe gel which is used in health drinks and in skin care products.

Chamomile: Matricaria recutita
Other names include German chamomile, blue chamomile, and scented mayweed. Used medicinally as an herbal tea for sore stomach, irritable bowel syndrome, and as a mild laxative; it is said to aid sleep.

Comfrey: Symphytum officinale
This herb contains allantoin, a chemical which speeds up the natural replacement of body cells. It has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments; these include bronchial problems, broken bones, sprains and arthritis.

Dandelion: Taraxaacum officinale
Dandelions are one plant which can be used completely; its flowers, roots and leaves. The Chinese have used the plant for centuries especially in herbal teas which are said to cleanse the liver of toxins. The plant contains the mineral potassium.

Dill: Anethum graveolens
Dill is used in foods as a spice where it’s flavor is much desired. Its properties are said to settle the stomach.

Feverfew: Tanacetum parthenium
Feverfew has been used for several ailments including reducing fever, treating headaches, digestive problems, and for arthritis. This plant releases serotonin and prostaglandins, chemicals which are believed to aid with migraine attacks.

Garlic: Allium sativum
Garlic is in the onion family and its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chive. Garlic has been used throughout history in medicine, and today garlic is being used in the treatment of heart disease, for combating cholesterol, high blood pressure, and is being used in experimentation for treating cancer. It is also used to help keep fleas of your dog.

Ginger: Zingiber officinale
Used as a stimulant and carminative for dyspepsia and colic. This plant may be used in heart disease because of its blood-thinning and cholesterol properties. Tea brewed from ginger was used as a remedy for colds. Ginger has also been used to treat inflammation. Ginger is the best remedy for seasickness.

Goldenseal: Hydrastis canadensis
Also known as, Orange-root or Orangeroot. In history Goldenseal was used for cancers and swellings of the breasts although no modern extract has been manufactured for these conditions. It is one of the best herbs for infections of any kind such as colds and flu. Other uses were for stomach and gastric ailments.

Mullein Leaf: Verbascum thapsus
This plant is used for sore throat, cough and for lung diseases.

Nettle: Urtica dioica
The nettle plant has been used throughout the centuries both as a food source and in medical application. A great deal of Vitamin K can be found in fresh nettles and can be used to stop bleeding. It has also been used for treating arthritis, anemia, hay fever, kidney problems, and pain in general.

Peppermint: Mentha piperita
Peppermint oil has the ability to reduce colicky abdominal pain and is used as an aid for indigestion. It is also a flavoring for candy. Peppermint leaf will have the same properties when used as a tea.

Poke Weed: Phytolacca americana
Also known as poke, pokeweed, pokebush, pokeberry, pokeroot, polk sallet*. These plants have been used in the treatment of acne and internal complaints such as tonsillitis and swollen glands. Used also for weight loss and in inhibiting the development and growth of certain types of tumors. *The term poke sallet is an old Southern term for the cooked young leaves of the poke weed. Sallet comes from Middle English and refers to a mess of greens cooked until tender. Some suggest adding molasses and fatback to the water when they cook their poke sallet others just add Lambs Quarter Chenopodium album.

Saw Palmetto Berry: Serenoa repens
Native American Indians have used Saw Palmetto berry to treat genital and urinary tract problems. Treating BHP is the primary use but it is also used for: hair loss, impotence, and to help men and women balance hormones.

St John’s Wort: Hypericum perforatum
Today this plant is most used as an herbal treatment for depression.

Sweet Wormwood: Artemisia annua
May also be known as Sweet Annie, Sweet Sagewort or Annual Wormwood. The dried leaves of this plant have been used in tea infusions for treating fevers.

Valerian: Valeriana officinalis
The plant as been employed as a sedative, and as a remedy for insomnia. It is also used for sleeping disorders, anxiety, but mostly as a muscle relaxant.

Wormwood: Artemisia absinthium
Also known as absinthe wormwood and common wormwood. The plant contains tannic and resinous substances and has been used for treating indigestion and gastric pains. It has been used as an antiseptic, and as an infusion is said to aid blood circulation.

Yarrow: Achillea millefolium
Also known as Common Yarrow, Nosebleed plant, Old Man’s Pepper, Soldier’s Woundwort, amongst other names. This is a flowering plant of the family Asteraceae, mostly native to the Northern Hemisphere. In history, Yarrow was known as herbal militaries, and being recognized for its astringent effects was used to prevent blood loss like from a wound. Yarrow is still used in medicine today being employed in cold and flu infusions.

I know the list is short, but there are thousands of plants that could have been included here and I hope I have provided enough to satisfy you, or at least your curiosity to investigate others.

The indigenous peoples of all countries relied (and many still do) on the natural remedies that could be found growing on their native soil. In America the Native American Indian believes that we should remember our past and how to get along. This indicates the knowledge of our natural earth and the plants which grow upon it, not only for food but also for medicines. Because like the natural plants which grow upon our planet, we are just as natural.