Nutrition-Herbs

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By Brian Gokey, CFT, BSMET

What are Herbs?

Herbs are plants that are valued for qualities such as medicinal properties, flavor, and scent. Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, and in some cases, spiritual uses. We are mostly concerned with the medicinal uses of herbs on wellness4everyone.com.

History of Herbs

Herbs have played an important part in man's life for countless years -- in his politics, romance, love, religion, health, and superstition. Celery was used by the Abyssinians for stuffing pillows. Ancient Greeks and Romans crowned their heroes with dill and laurel. Dill also was used by the Romans to purify the air in their banquet halls. Some herbs were given magical properties, probably because of their medicinal uses. Ancient Greeks used sweet marjoram as a valuable tonic, and parsley as a cure for stomach ailments. Rosemary was eaten in the Middle Ages for its tranquilizing effects and as a cure-all for headaches. Chives, still a common herb often found growing wild, had economic importance throughout Asia and many Mediterranean countries. Odd as it seems now, the early Dutch settlers in this country intentionally planted chives in the meadows so cows would give chive-flavored milk. Mint, another popular herb today, also had its beginnings early in history. Greek athletes used bruised mint leaves as an after-bath lotion. In the Middle Ages, mint was important as a cleansing agent and later was used to purify drinking water that had turned stale on long ocean voyages. Mint also was given mystical powers It was used to neutralize the "evil eye" and to produce an aggressive character. Mustard was lauded by Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, and Shakespeare called it a desirable condiment in several of his plays. Other herbs with importance dating back to early times include basil, saffron, sage, savory, tarragon, and thyme.

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Herbs in America

Early settlers brought herbs to America for use as remedies for illnesses, flavoring, storing with linens, strewing on floors, or burning for their pleasant fragrances. Some herbs were used to improve the taste of meats in the days before preservation techniques were developed. Other herbs were used to dye homespun fabrics. Herb gardens were almost an essential feature of pioneer homes. They were placed in sunny corners near the house to be readily available to the busy homemaker. As the population of the new country grew, people from many nations brought herbs with them. This resulted in an exchange of slips, seeds, and plants. Many herbs familiar to settlers from other countries were found growing wild in the new country. These included parsley, anise, pennyroyal, sorrel, watercress, liverwort, wild leeks, and lavender. American Indians knew uses for almost every wild, nonpoisonous plant, but they used the plants chiefly for domestic purposes -- tanning and dyeing leather and eating.

Why do we need Herbs?

Herbs have been used for medicinal uses for thousands of years. The Roman, Egyptian, Persian, and Hebrew cultures used herbs extensively for all illnesses that were around in their times. They cured many illnesses with the use of herbs and many people today use herbs in the same way. Herbalists believe that nature provides all the needed ingredients in the herbs we have to cure and treat all known illnesses. The good thing about herbs is that if used correctly according to proven standards, herbs have virtually no side effects. A qualified herbalist can give you the information you need to use herbs in your health plan.

How can I take Herbs?

Herbs come in the forms of fresh leaves, bark, berries, seeds, flowers and roots and can be used in their natural form or used in capsules, liquids, powders, extracts, creams, lotions, teas, and oils. Many large stores today and most natural stores will have a large variety of herbs to choose from that aid in healing or prevention of many common conditions today.

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a standard for the daily amounts of vitamins and minerals needed by a healthy person instituted the Recommended Daily Allowances over 50 years ago in the US. The FDA does not currently make recommendations for the RDA of herbs because of the differences in how the products are used, produced, cultivated, and marketed. There is not currently one standard set for herbs and no recommendations on what to take on a daily basis. However, you can find recommendations on how much to take for certain illnesses, disorders, or almost any other health needs in Prescription for Nutritional Healing, written by James and Phyllis Balch. A good qualified herbalist is also a great source for information on the type and amount of herbs to use.

More Information on Herbs

To find out more information on individual herbs and their uses, look in the herb section of www.wellness4everyone.com.