The Benefits of Herbs And Essential Oils
For millenia the mankind has utilized herbs in a great many ways. These uses can be placed into three distinctive groups; 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 various other uses of herbs which we will not be looking at here and these include them being used instead of cash, as a disinfectant and as a perfume or powerful smell to mask disgusting smells. Herbs come from many parts of the globe and each race usually 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 focusing on modern uses.
Herbs And Religion
Herbs are still used in numerous across the world. Most Christians will be familiar with myrrh from the Nativity (myrrh is the dried sap of Commiphora myrrha). Hindus will be very familiar with the Tulsi plant, which is a type of Basil, as it is cultivated by many and praised as a Goddess. In Pagan religions herbs are used extensively in spells, rituals as well as for healing.
Herbs In Cooking
The leaves of various plants are used in the kitchen but there is a distinction between leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, and a herb, such as oregano, in that the latter are used in very small amounts due to their distinctive, and powerful flavor. Virtually every person in the world has benefited from the these amazing plants which are capable of lifting the plainest meal into the realms of a culinary masterpiece.
Herbs And Medicine
As well as being powerful in flavor herbs 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 investigated by academics.
Essential Oils
An essential oil is the oil extracted from a variety of plants. Essential oils are invariably created by the process called distillation but some need a different method of extraction such as expression or solvent extraction.
Essential oils have a number 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 variety of ways, I add it to my mixture for my oil burner to make the room smell nice but I also use about three drops in a bath when I suffer from achy legs. When my limbs are very painful I 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 used with immense care and attention as some can be extremely harmful to the human body (in large quantities). Special care should be taken if you are about to have a baby as something that you may consider safe could be dangerously problematic, such as peppermint oil which should not be used in its raw state. However spearmint and a few other mild oils can be used however to avoid the risk of miscarriage I advise that you avoid all herbs and essential oils unless you know for certain they are safe.
Filed under: aromatherapy
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