The Many Uses of Herbs And Essential Oils

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The Many Uses of Herbs And Essential Oils

Sunday, September 21st, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

For thousands of years the human race has utilized herbs in a great many ways. These uses can be placed into three distinctive categories; religious, culinary and medicinal. In the following article we will discuss each of these categories in order concentrating upon the medicinal uses and essential oils.

Throughout history there have been various other uses of herbs which we will not be looking at here and these include them being used as cash, as a disinfectant and as a perfume or powerful smell to mask sickening smells. Herbs come from various parts of the world and each culture usually 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.

The Use of Herbs In Religion

Herbs are still used in numerous around the planet.  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 type of Basil, as it is cultivated by many and revered as a Goddess. In Wiccan and Pagan faiths herbs are utilized extensively in spells, rituals as well as for healing.

Using Herbs In Cooking

The leaves of various plants are used in cooking however there is a difference between leafy vegetables, such as lettuce, and a herb, such as sage, in that the latter are used in minute amounts due to their distinctive, and powerful flavor. Virtually every person in the world has benefited from the these amazing plants which are capable of lifting the blandest meal into the realms of a culinary masterpiece.

The Medical 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 researched by academics.

Essential Oils

An essential oil is the substance extracted from a variety of plants. Essential oils are invariably manufactured by the method called distillation but some need a different method of extraction such as by using solvents or expression.

Essential oils have a number 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 variety 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 limbs are very 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 used with great 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 sounds safe can be alarmingly problematic, such as peppermint oil which should be avoided completely in its raw state. However spearmint and a few other mild oils can be used however to avoid the risk of miscarriage you should avoid all herbs and essential oils unless you are one hundred percent certain they are safe.

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