For thousands of years the human race has utilized herbs in various ways. These uses can be categorized into three distinctive groups; religious, culinary and medicinal. In the following article we shall take a close look at each of these categories in order concentrating upon medical uses and essential oils.

Throughout history there have been many other uses of herbs which we will not be examining here and these include them being used as cash, as a disinfectant and as a perfume or powerful smell to overpower sickening odors. Herbs originate from various parts of the planet 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 focusing on modern uses.

Religious Uses Of Herbs

Herbs are still used in a multitude of around the globe.  A great many Christians will be familiar with 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 grown by many and praised as a Goddess. In Pagan and Wiccan faiths herbs are used extensively in spells, rituals as well as for healing.

Culinary Uses of Herbs

The leaves of various plants are used in the kitchen however there is a distinction between leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, and a herb, such as parsley, in that the latter are used in minute 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 Medicinal Uses of Herbs

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 studied by academics.

Essential Oils

An essential oil is the concentrate extracted from a variety of plants. Essential oils are invariably manufactured by the method called distillation but some require a different process 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 most people 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 limbs are terribly 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 better.

Herbs should be handled with great care as some can be extremely poisonous to the human body (in large quantities). Special care should be taken if you are planning on having a baby as something that is otherwise safe can be terribly problematic, such as peppermint oil which should be totally avoided 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 are 100% certain they are safe.

The awesome thing about herbs is that growing your own is as hard as buying a herb kit and placing it near a window. To discover more visit http://store.landscapinginfo4u.com/

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 at 9:52 am and is filed under Alternative Remedies, Proven Health Remedies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.