The Many Uses of Herbs And Essential Oils

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For thousands of years the human race has used herbs in various ways. These uses can be categorized into three distinctive groups; religious, culinary and medicinal. In the article below we will discuss each of these categories in order concentrating upon medical uses and essential oils.

Through the ions o time there have been many other uses of herbs which we will not be discussing here and these include them being used as currency, as a disinfectant and as a perfume or powerful smell to overpower bad odors. Herbs originate from various 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.

Religious Uses Of Herbs

Herbs are still used in numerous around the globe. A great many 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 and Pagan 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 cooking but there is a difference between leafy vegetables, such as spinach, 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.

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 researched by scientists.

Essential Oils

An essential oil is the concentrate extracted from a variety of plants. Essential oils are commonly created by the process called distillation but some require a different method of extraction such as such as solvent extraction or expression.

Essential oils have a variety of uses, such as perfumes, bath oils, flavorings, burning (for scent) and in cleaning products. However most 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 roughly three drops in a bath when I suffer from achy legs. When my legs are terribly 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 used with immense 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 is otherwise safe could be alarmingly problematic, such as peppermint oil which should be totally avoided in its dilute state. However spearmint and a few other mild oils can be used however to avoid any of miscarriage you should avoid all herbs and essential oils unless you are one hundred percent certain they are safe.

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