Naturopathy

Medicinal herbs / medicinal plants

Synonyms in a broader sense

Naturopathy
alternative medicine
Naturopathic treatment

English: medicinal plants

Explanation

As Medicinal plants one refers to plants or parts of them that are needed for the production of herbal medicines.
The medicinal plants / Medicinal herbs or their parts are fresh or dried, as an extract or extract, in water or alcohol, crushed or powdered in the pharmacy.
The content of active ingredients in the herbs is used to alleviate diseases. Medicinal plants in Europe are specially grown or come from wild collections.

Medicinal plants rich in active ingredients must be harvested at the right time and processed according to certain rules.
They can also be unprocessed, that is, they are used fresh.
After the harvest, drying begins at 80 ° Celsius. Then the Medicinal herbs / medicinal plants Stored and processed in a cool, light-protected place.
Herbal medicines such as tinctures, extracts, and essential oils are created through pressing, cleaning, distillation and extractions.
Before the extraction, the plant parts are crushed. From the dried medicinal plants or parts thereof, plant extracts are made from concentrated preparations. Many medicinal herbs are also used in the kitchen today. They serve as an appetizer and for seasoning.

history

Today's teaching of Medicinal herbs / medicinal plants is based on a wealth of experience that began thousands of years ago.
Evidence shows that people used the plants for medicinal purposes in the early days. Fruits and roots were chewed and leaves were put on. The ancient medical knowledge came from the Egyptians to the Greeks and Romans.
Through records in oriental books and through the European monastery gardens of the Middle Ages, the knowledge of the Herbal medicine passed on to this day. Papyrus rolls with medical records date back to 1600 BC.
They were discovered in Luxor in the 19th century. From this source it can be seen that people were already at that time Infectious diseases, rheumatism and cataracts suffered.
The preparations and uses of medicinal herbs were described in detail.
It already popped up as a laxative and poppy seeds or castor oil opium as a pain reliever or anesthetic.
It wasn't until much later that the first book about the "History of plants"by Theophrastus of Eresos (circa 372-322 BC). Theophrastus, also known as the father of botany, had the ability to change the character of a plant through cultivation.
He has already described the medicinal effects of some plants. Just as Greek medicine was shaped by Egyptian medicine, Roman medicine was influenced by Greek medicine.
Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) wrote an encyclopedia "Historia naturalis"which contains many references to the medicinal uses of plants.
Later on, the Arabs and Persians took some of the Greco-Roman knowledge and completed it Persian, Indian and Chinese medicinal plants. With the Arabs came the Greco-Arab Herbal medicine to Spain and the South of France.
In the period from the 8th to the 12th century, monastery medicine increased in importance in Europe: medical knowledge was taught in the monasteries as early as the 7th century and the medicinal herbs / medicinal plants were processed in the monastery pharmacy that had previously been collected in the field and hallway were.

The medicinal plants were later cultivated in the monastery gardens. The monastery medicine became the Herbal medicine handed down from antiquity to today.
Traditional medicinal plants were given Christian names such as Johannis herbs or Milk thistle.
The healer known to this day Hildegard of Bingen (1179) authored several books on Herbal medicine. She combined monastery medicine with folk medicine. Later came the teaching of Paracelsus (1493). He wrote a large medical work in German. In the 16th century, during the Baroque period, there were many Herbal books written. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Indian medicinal herbs from North America were added to the native medicinal herbs.
In the 19th century made itself Sebastian Kneipp (1821-1897) with his Naturopathic treatment a name. He used the mild medicinal plants for therapy.
Herbal medicines are now scientifically researched and tested in clinical studies. The medicinal plants from the pharmacy are grown under controlled conditions.
In addition, the medicinal plants can also come from wild collections. They can also be grown in your own garden. The scientific research of herbal medicines and the clinical application do not differ from that of the synthetic active ingredients.

effect

Today's effective drugs have their origins in medicinal plants.
Herbal medicines are made from medicinal plants or parts thereof, the active ingredients of which can consist of various healing or non-healing substances.
The different parts of the plant are flowers, stems, roots and herbs. In order to breed medicinal herbs rich in active substances, the time of harvest must be observed or the plant must be in a certain growth phase.
After drying at 80 ° C, the medicinal herbs are stored in a cool and dark place. A specified active ingredient content of the medicinal plant must be achieved during breeding. The medicinal plants are then pulverized and ground. Tinctures, extracts, essential oils and pressed juices are created. Herbal medicines can also be obtained from fresh medicinal plants, for example: pressed juices.
To make them durable, alcohol is added to it. The plant material must be checked again and again in order to minimize contamination and pollution of the medicinal plants.
The effectiveness of the medicinal herbs is proven in studies. Evidence must be provided that the active substances of the medicinal herbs can reach the relevant organs and work successfully.

info

The interaction of the various active ingredients is often what makes a medicinal herb so effective.

Decisive ingredients are for example:

Milk thistle - silymarin
Horse chestnut - aescin
Lily of the valley - cardiac glycosides
Ginseng - ginsenoids
St. John's Wort - Hypericin-Hyperforin
Chamomile - Apigenium-7-Glucoside, essential oil
Devil's Claw - Harpagoside
Coneflower - Echinacoside
Valerian - valerenic acid

In addition to the healing ingredients of the medicinal herbs, there are also fiber, vitamins and minerals in the plants. In addition, vital unsaturated fatty acids, oils and waxes with a high proportion in some medicinal herbs have been detected.

Caution

Despite the positive effects of the medicinal herbs, you should always consult your doctor when taking them!

Phytopharmaceuticals in Germany

ginkgo
Johannis herbs
Devil's claw
Horse chestnuts
artichoke
Milk thistle
Nettle
Umckaloabo
Hawthorn
ivy

Disclaimer / Exclusion of Liability

Please note that we do not claim to be complete or correct in any of our texts. The information may be out of date due to current developments.
All details are only excerpts, therefore important information cannot be given.
We expressly point out that all medications may never be discontinued, applied or changed independently and without consultation with your treating doctor.