For thousands of years the human race has used herbs in a great many ways. These uses can be placed into three distinctive categories; religious, culinary and medicinal. In the article below we shall debate each of these categories in order focusing upon medical uses and essential oils.

Throughout history there have been numerous other uses of herbs which we will not be discussing here and these include them being used instead of cash, as a disinfectant and as a perfume or powerful smell to overpower bad odors. Herbs come from various parts of the globe and each culture often 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 concentrating on modern uses.

Religious Uses Of Herbs

Herbs are still used in numerous around the planet.  The majority of Christians will recognize myrrh from the Nativity (myrrh is the dried sap of Commiphora myrrha). Hindus will be very familiar with the Tulsi plant, which is a form of Basil, as it is grown by many and revered as a Goddess. In Pagan beliefs herbs are utilized widely in spells, rituals as well as for healing.

Kitchen Uses of Herbs

The leaves of various plants are used in the kitchen however there is a distinction between leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, and a herb, such as basil, in that the latter are used in very small 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 blandest meal into the realms of a culinary masterpiece.

Herbs And Medicine

As well as being intense 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 investigated by scientists.

Essential Oils

An essential oil is the oil extracted from a variety of plants. Essential oils are usually produced by the method known as distillation but some need a different process of extraction such as expression or solvent extraction.

Essential oils have a variety of uses, such as perfumes, bath oils, flavorings, burning (for scent) and in cleaning products. However the majority of people 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 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 more soundly.

Herbs should be handled with immense care as some can be extremely destructive to the human body (in large quantities). Special care should be taken if you are pregnant as something that you may consider safe can be surprisingly problematic, such as peppermint oil which should not be used in its raw form. However spearmint and a few other mild oils can be used but to avoid the risk of miscarriage you should avoid all herbs and essential oils unless you know for certain they are safe.

The awesome thing about herbs is that growing your own is as hard as buying a herb kit and placing it near a window. To discover more visit http://store.landscapinginfo4u.com/

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