Harnessing the healing power of plants
throughout the years.

Phytotherapy (From ‘phyton’ which is Greek for plant) or herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of medicine in the world. The tradition of using plants in the process of healing has been handed down from generation to generation mainly through word of mouth. With the discovery and success of new medicines such as antibiotics, herbal medicine was cast aside for a while, in favour of what science had to offer, and became viewed as a dubious area of our tradition and history. However the past few years has seen an increase in the popularity of taking herbal remedies.

Herbal remedies have been rigorously tested and studied over hundreds and even thousands of years, and their efficiency has stood the test of time. The majority of medicines today are actually derived from plants.

Nearly 2500 years ago, Hippocrates recommended a tea made with willow leaves would relieve fever and pain. In 1827 French pharmacist Pierre Joseph Leroux found that the bark of the willow tree contained salicin, a substance which reduces pain, soothes inflammation and lowers fever. At around the same time, Swiss chemist; Lowig, was researching meadowsweet, and found it contained an ingredient called ‘saliciylic acid’ with similar properties. Years later the work Leroux and Lowig did resulted in the production of aspirin.

There are benefits to using plants for healing, as opposed to medicines which have derived from them. The active ingredients in the plants can naturally work in synergy, to heal and moderate side effects. While people with gastric problems are told not to take aspirin, it is reported they can take meadowsweet, which is said to prevent the development of gastric ulcers.

From scraps of evidence found on the floors of prehistoric caves it is suggested that cave men and women used herbs such as wild mint, basil and rosemary. However we can get a better picture of the early use of medicinal herbs by looking at Egyptian papyri several thousand years later.

Ancient Egyptians
Ancient papyri that have been found, tell how the Egyptians extracted oil from plants such as thyme, hops, aloe and barley to make ointments. There was also a strong connection between medicine and magic. It was believed illness had a lot to do with evil winning over good in a person’s inner self, and herbal remedies were dispensed by priest-doctors accompanied by magical spells and incantations. Even though magic was a big part of the healing process, scientists who have examined samples of herbal medicines produced at the time, and found in pharaoh’s tombs, have found them to be extremely efficient.

The ancient Greeks
Hippocrates, who became known as the father of modern medicine, was born on the island of Cos in 460BC. He was the first doctor to establish medical clinics where listening to patients, asking questions and undertaking tests such as listening to the chest, were all combined in order to make a diagnosis. He was very interested in a patient’s hygiene and nutrition which he believed greatly affected their health, and he often gave his patients herbal medicines. His knowledge of health, nutrition and herbs was passed down through the years by word of mouth.

In the first century AD the first botanical manuscript: ‘De Materia Medica’ was produced by Dioscorides, which included descriptions and illustrations of plants and their healing and harmful effects. Then in the 4th century Diocles of Caryste, another follower of Hippocrates produced the first herbal, which listed plants and their uses.

In the 11th century Claudius Galen, was another Greek doctor who made a significant contribution to the history of herbalism and modern medicine. Galen undertook painstakingly thorough investigations of plants and their healing properties. The method he used in his studies (now known as Galenic pharmacy) is still widely used in laboratories today.

Ancient Chinese balancing ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ energies
The Chinese tradition of using herbs for healing is one of the oldest in the world. The Chinese see illness as a sign of disharmony in the body, and herbs have always played a big part in restoring balance and harmony. Central to Chinese thought is the belief that there are two energies; Yin and Yang, which oppose and compliment each other. Yin represents feminine characteristics such as; cold, dark, wet, internal, and passive, while Yang represents masculine characteristics such as; warm, bright, active and external. In everyone there should be a balance of Yin and Yang, and its when one energy dominates in a certain part of the body that health problems can occur.

The Chinese believed that these life energies circulates around the body through channels called meridians, and alongside herbs they also use meditation, nutrition, and acupuncture to ensure harmonious flow, and circulation through the body.

The herbs they use are also categorised as Yin or Yang plants. A Yin plant can calm, clean out, and cool down the body, while a Yang plant stimulates, awakens and warms the body. In addition the Chinese classify their plants by five fundamental flavours which are each linked to one of the main organs of the body: acidic to the liver, bitter to the heart, sweet to the spleen, salty to the kidneys and spicy to the lungs. These main organs are seen as vital to the balance and health of the body. When treating a patient with too much yin in the heart, traditional Chinese doctors would therefore pick a yang plant with a bitter flavour.

The Ayurvedic tradition from India
‘Ayurvedic’ literally means the science of life. The practice of Ayurvedic medicine is traditional in India and its purpose is not just to focus on illness, but to balance the complete emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual health of a person. An Ayurvedic doctor first determines a person’s body type (known as constitutions or doshas). The three doshas present in all human beings are; vata, pitta and kapha, and when one becomes dominant it can cause ill health.

Indian herbalism uses more than 3000 species of plant, however which herbs are used, are subject to very precise rules such as; what time of the day it is. They believe that each hour of the day corresponds to one of the five elements: earth, air, fire, water or ether. Fire, for example, is linked to the time of the day when the sun is at its peak, and this is the time to take energising and stimulating herbs.

In Ayurvedic tradition plants were prepared in a wide variety of ways. One of the most popular remedies of Ayurvedic medicine is ‘triphala’, which are a mixture of three herbs which work together to aid digestion and the elimination of toxins, regulate the colon, and balance the doshas. In the Ayurvedic tradition of treating illness, massage, meditation and nutrition also played a big role.

For thousands of years, and across all cultures (of which I’ve only mentioned a few), people have been harnessing the healing power of plants. It’s a tradition that has been passed down through generations through word of mouth and has been widely documented. Today instead of herbalism being viewed as a dubious area of tradition and history, we can recognise and benefit from the wisdom of these ancient cultures. We are now fortunate to be able to access herbs from all over the world, and with the back up of science, we are able to determine that many plants do indeed possess remarkable healing properties.

“Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”
Hippocrates

Note: Information in this article is not intended to replace any advice from a doctor. I am not medically qualified, but have been interested in nutrition and alternative remedies since my eldest daughter developed food intolerances almost 20 years ago.