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The History of Natural Herbal Remedies & Medicines

By Johney Maron

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Published: 21Mar2010
Word count: 528
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The use of natural herbal remedies for medicinal purposes goes back more than 3000 years, and today, more than 80% of the world's population uses these methods to treat ailments of all kinds.

The concept is fairly simple. Find a plant the grows naturally in your environment, eat it, and see if it has any affect (good or bad) on whatever ailment you happen to be suffering from. Each and every part of the plant, from the seed to the flower, has been used throughout the history of herbal medicine. These natural remedies have been delivered raw, brewed into teas, as topical ointments, and pills. Originally, the uses for these plants were determined by superstitious cues, based upon the plants likeness to a particular body part or because it grew in a particular area. Eventually, these practices became more and more refined, so much so that many of the pharmaceutical drugs available today contain extracts of these herbal remedies.

This simple concept has evolved into a very complex practice that today effectively treats everything from heart disease to headaches, and depression to the common cold. The first practitioners of natural herbal remedies likely used marshmallow root, which is a grass that can be chewed to treat a sick stomach. Strangely enough, this is probably a practice learned from primates. Who says we come from apes? Similarly, these first users may have used hyacinth as a diuretic to purge the body of excess water.

As the body of knowledge grew on what plants were effective in treating certain ailments, the practice of cultivating these plants became an ever more important role in human society. Eventually, these herbalists began to keep track of what was prescribed and to whom and this knowledge was passed on from generation to generation and to all subsequent forms of conquering societies. As such, these herbal remedies were first systematized by the Egyptians; and then by the Greeks. It is the Greeks, in fact, that we have to thank for what amounts to the foundation of modern medicine. They introduced the concept of not only prescribing these herbal remedies, but also recording both the prescription and the result of treatment.

Across the world, different societies took to the earth to seek out their own versions of these natural remedies. Herbalists in India combined the herbs with parts of animals to create medicinal concoctions. In the Americas, the hunt for herbal remedies was driven by spirituality and different tribes collected herbal remedies and passed the knowledge on to other tribes through oral tradition. And in China, where we find the first written record of herbal medicine, herbalist paired natural remedies with acupuncture to balance the 'life force energies'.

From its beginning as a primate activity, herbal medicine has ridden the roller coaster of being acceptance and rejection by traditional medical field. The use of natural remedies has been documented for over 3000 years, and in addition to the thousands of years of human testing, the practice has withstood intense scrutiny and real world testing. Though studies continue and remedies continue to alter, herbal medicine has stood the test of time as an effective means of helping humans stay healthy.

Johney Maron, a medical device salesman, is a believer in the power of natural herbal remedies and medicines. Pharmaca offers a selection of nutritional health products including herbal vitamin supplements and wellness products from some of the most trusted brands in the industry.

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