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For thousands of years, humans have used herbs.
Herbs have always been used in the following ways
- in cooking to flavour foods
- as perfumes
- to make us smell nice
- as disinfectants
- to protect us against germs
- as medicines - to heal us when we are sick
- as currency, instead of money
Today we still use herbs for the same purposes, but perhaps not as
currency!
Look in your kitchen cupboard - you may find small jars or pots of
herbs. You probably add them to food to give extra flavouring.
Look at the labels and make a list of the herbs in your kitchen.
Recipe books are full of suggestions about adding herbs when
cooking. Ask if you can try some!
Of all the uses for herbs, the most important is as medicines.
Where do herbs come from?
The herbs we use today come from many parts of the world. We have
learnt about how to use herbs from people of past times. We know that
people of all ages have used herbs because they wrote about what they
learnt.
Who are the people who have taught us about herbs?
The Ancient Egyptians wrote their findings on papyrus.
The Sumerians from Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) used
tablets of cuneiform writing.
Hippocrates was a famous Ancient Greek doctor.
The Romans believed Greek doctors were the best. Galen
was doctor to the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Dioscorides was the
emperor Nero's doctor.
We learnt about the herbs used in Ancient India and Ancient
China through a famous Arabic doctor called Avicenna
who had read their writings. Throughout Europe in the Middle
Ages monks in their monasteries, grew and used herbs as medicines. In
Germany, Hildegarde of Bingen who was an abbess and a herbalist
treated the sick with herbs.
Voyages of discovery in the 15thC and 16thC resulted in The
Pilgrims taking to America herbs they used in England. Then, over
time, herbs native to America came to Europe and other parts of the
world.
In Britain, Nicholas Culpeper published a book to
help ordinary people make their own herbal remedies instead of paying
for expensive ones from doctors.
We also learnt about herbs that Druids used before the
Romans came.
What herbs have come from different parts of the world?
- From Mesopotamia: apple, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic,
onion, roses and many more
- From Ancient Greece and Roman Italy: sage, parsley,
chives, lemon balm, mint, thyme, valerian, calendula, tansy, etc.
- From India: aloe, caraway, cardamom, castor oil, nutmeg,
sugar and sesame oil and others
- From Ancient China: ginseng root, caraway, chrysanthemum,
frankincense, ginko, jasmine, kiwi fruit (Chinese gooseberry),
liquorice, loquat, lotus, lychee, magnolia, mimosa, mulberry,
myrrh, peach, pomegranate, rhubarb, walnut, etc.
- From Bhukara, Central Asia: avicenna, the great Arabian
doctor, apart from using herbs he had read about, used dressings,
compresses and massages in his treatments.
- From Europe: chickweed, dandelion, elderflower,
eyebright, goosegrass, hawthorn, milk thistle, meadowsweet,
stinging nettle, St John's Wort, vervain, woad, yarrow, yellow
dock
- From America: black cohosh, evening primrose, American
ginseng, saw palmetto, slippery elm, wintergreen, witch hazel,
wild yam.
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Hippocrates was a famous Ancient Greek
doctor
Galen
was doctor to the emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Famous Arabic doctor called Avicenna
In Britain, Nicholas Culpeper published a book to
help ordinary people made their own herbal remedies
Nick says, "If you like reading little stories about
herbs and their use, you will find details in the Fact Sheets and on
the page called: 'A spoonful of herbs: stories from history.'
Rosie says, "If you are interested in finding more
about any of the people mentioned, or about the herbs they used, you
can carry out your own investigations. Look in books about herbs, and
on the Internet."
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