Tips For Healthy Living

For thousands of years the human race has used herbs in a variety of ways. These uses can be placed into three distinctive categories; religious, culinary and medicinal. In the following article we shall debate each of these categories in order concentrating upon the medicinal uses and essential oils.

Through the ions o time there have been many other uses of herbs which we will not be examining here and these include them being used instead of money, as a disinfectant and as a perfume or powerful smell to overpower bad smells. Herbs come from many parts of the world and each race often had unusual uses for them. It is interesting to note that the Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greek and Sumerians, the Romans all wrote about them in detail and other writings exist from Ancient India and China. We shall be concentrating on modern uses.

Herbs And Religion

Herbs are still used in a multitude of across the globe.  The majority of Christians will recognize myrrh from the Nativity (myrrh is the dried sap of Commiphora myrrha). Hindus will be very familiar with the Tulsi plant, which is a form of Basil, as it is cultivated by many and revered as a Goddess. In Wiccan faiths herbs are used widely in spells, rituals as well as for healing.

Kitchen Uses of Herbs

The leaves of different plants are used in the kitchen however there is a distinction between leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, and a herb, such as sage, in that the latter are used in very small amounts due to their distinctive, and powerful flavor. Virtually every person on the planet has benefited from the these amazing plants which are capable of lifting the plainest meal into the realms of a culinary masterpiece.

The Medical Uses of Herbs

As well as being powerful in flavor a herb can also have a profound effect upon the human body. Some types are used as recreational drugs, such as cannabis, which can cause legal problems as they can also have useful medical properties which are still being researched.

Essential Oils

An essential oil is the substance extracted from a variety of plants. Essential oils are commonly produced by the method called distillation but some require a different method of extraction such as by using solvents or expression.

Essential oils have a variety of uses, such as perfumes, bath oils, flavorings, burning (for scent) and in cleaning products. However the majority of folk know of their use in medicine and especially in aromatherapy and other forms of alternative medicine. I use lavender oil in a number of ways, I add it to my mixture for my oil burner to make the room smell nice but I also use approximately three drops in a bath when I suffer from aching limbs. When my legs are extremely painful I gently massage it into the muscles but only when it is mixed with a carrier oil. As well as helping to relax the muscles it also helps me sleep more soundly.

Herbs should be handled with care as some can be extremely harmful to the human body (in large quantities). Special care should be taken if you are planning on having a baby as something that sounds safe could be surprisingly problematic, such as peppermint oil which should never be used in its raw state. However spearmint and a few other mild oils can be used but to avoid any of miscarriage you should avoid all herbs and essential oils unless you know for certain they are safe.

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