The Many Uses of Herbs And Essential Oils
For thousands of years the human race has used herbs in a variety of ways. These uses can be categorized into three distinctive groups; religious, culinary and medicinal. In the article below 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 numerous other uses of herbs which we will not be looking at here and these include them being used instead of money, as a disinfectant and as a perfume or powerful smell to smother sickening odours. Herbs originate from many parts of the planet and each race commonly 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 various religions around the planet. A large number of Christians will remember myrrh from the Nativity (myrrh is the dried sap of Commiphora myrrha). Hindus will be extremely familiar with the Tulsi plant, which is a species of Basil, as it is cultivated by many and revered as a Goddess. In Wiccan beliefs herbs are used extensively in spells, rituals as well as for healing.
Kitchen Uses of Herbs
The leaves of different plants are used in the kitchen but there is a difference between leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, and a herb, such as parsley, in that the latter are used in very small amounts due to their distinctive, and powerful flavour. Virtually every person in the world has benefited from the these amazing plants which are capable of lifting the blandest meal into the realms of a culinary masterpiece.
The Medicinal Uses of Herbs
As well as being intense 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 studied by academics.
Essential Oils
An essential oil is the concentrate extracted from a variety of plants. Essential oils are invariably created by the method called distillation but some need a different method of extraction such as by using solvents or expression.
Essential oils have a number of uses, such as perfumes, bath oils, flavourings, 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 gently rub 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 better.
Herbs should be handled with with safety in mind as some can be extremely destructive to the human body (in large quantities). Special care should be taken if you are pregnant as something that is otherwise safe could be alarmingly problematic, such as peppermint oil which should never be used in its raw form. However spearmint and a few other mild oils can be used but to avoid the risk of miscarriage I advise that you avoid all herbs and essential oils unless you know for certain they are safe.
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