The use of plants for medicinal purposes is as old as civilization itself. The first known written record of curative plants was from a Sumerian herbal of 2200 BC. The Greek doctor Hippocrates listed some 400 herbs in common use in the 5th century BC.
Mankind has also been aware of the effects of herbal scents on the body, mind and emotion from the beginning of civilization. Flowers were utilized to attract love, and for a food source. Fragrant plants were worn to heal the body. The use of aromatic incense is recorded from the earliest of times.
Today our access to herbs and the knowledge to use them has grown exponentially. Our common uses of herbs are included in various forms such as teas, baths, pills, tinctures, infusions, extracts, poultices, ointments, oils, compresses, salves and creams. We also enjoy the availability to fresh herbs year around for seasoning our food.
General usage of herbs differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. A culinary herb is a non-woody plant, typically using the leaves; whereas medicinal herbs may be a shrub or other woody plant, the green, leafy part of the plant is often used. But herbal medicine makes use of the roots, flowers, seeds, root bark, inner bark, berries and sometimes the pericarp or other portions of the plant.
Our purpose is to help you understand the many wonderful uses of herbs, both medicinally and culinary, and also the safety and ease of using herbs in daily life.
Copyright© 2019 by David R. Card
