The Healing Power of Nature: An Exploration of Medicinal Plants
One of the methods of treatment in many areas of Medicine is herbal medicine. It is considered relatively safe and enhances the effect of drugs. But it is important to use medicinal plants correctly, to know their photos, descriptions, and names, and always consult with an experienced doctor.
A glimpse of medicinal plants
The wealth of the plant world has been used by man for the treatment and Prevention of various diseases for thousands of years.
Although today we use synthetically created tablets and solutions, the first medicines were initially obtained from plant materials.
Therefore, pharmacology with its sections
- the science of medicinal plants, their collection, preparation, storage, and preparation of medicinal drugs from them, is actively used today. But, of course, technology has moved far ahead. and today, from the category of the master class. Phytotherapy (Phytotherapy) has become an additional measure of effect and one of the ways to prevent diseases.
In the entire plant kingdom, medicinal plants are used in herbal medicine - these are therapeutic. or preventive measures that are carried out using various kinds of plant substances.How drugs are used
alcohol tinctures or infusions (usually water), decoctions of certain parts of the plant, herbal teas. plant extracts from certain parts of the plant, ointments that include whole plants or their individual parts. Other, less common options for herbal medicine.
There were herbalists in every village and city, people came to them with all their health problems, and for centuries they chose the most effective herbal formulations, which were then tested and approved by science.
Midway through the 20th century
herbal medicine faded into the background after new options for medicines appeared - with the help of chemical composition, part of the knowledge was lost. Today, up to 500 different medicinal plants are still in use all over the world.
Phytotherapy is experiencing a rebirth today, as the side effects of modern drugs limit its use, new problems appear in traditional therapy, and the preventive direction of Medicine is developing.
Important!
Today, medicinal herbs occupy a worthy niche in pharmacies and homes of Russians. But it is important to remember that medicinal plants are not a joke. Phytotherapy is not traditional medicine, but a more serious direction of treatment.
Among medicinal plants
there is a category of potent drugs that are toxic when doses are exceeded. so it is extremely important to take herbal medicine seriously.
Equally important is the strict observance of dosages. the technology of preparation of raw materials. strict use for their intended purpose. In addition, compliance with all indications and contraindications is equally important.
It is especially necessary to pay attention to the quality of raw materials. which strongly depends on compliance with the rules of collection (sometimes it is not the month or day of collection that matters. but the time of day). storage, and preparation.
Therefore, it is worth trusting pharmaceuticals. Always seek medical advice and consider any possible interactions with traditional medicines.
Important!
Self-treatment with medicinal plants, as well as traditional medicines, is unacceptable. This is especially important for children, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly with chronic diseases.
Of all the known medicinal plants, only lime blossom, chamomile, and sage can be used relatively safely on their own (especially in children).
Forms of application of medicinal plants
Medicinal plants can be used in various forms, each of which has its own manufacturing technology. These include:
Injections.
These forms are effectively and well absorbed into the body and have a fairly quick and strong effect. The infusion can be made using a variety of:
- Cold method - crushed raw materials or a collection of herbs are poured with boiled and cooled water, insisting for 6-8 hours, after which the mixture is filtered through a colander ؛
- The hot method-the collection or parts of the plant are crushed and poured with boiling water, left for 20 minutes on low heat, not boiling (or in a water bath), then the infusion is squeezed through gauze.
Usually, for injections, a tablespoon of dry raw materials is taken and 250 ml of water is poured.
Decoction.
These forms of herbal preparations are absorbed more slowly, but their effect lasts a longer period. But it is important to know that some useful substances during the boiling of the solution can split or evaporate.
Also, the decoction may contain a certain percentage of impurities and foreign substances that can weaken the effect of the drug, which can cause a negative reaction in the body.
To prepare a decoction, you need to grind the raw materials, pour them with water, put them on fire, and boil them. After that, the broth is filtered and brought to the required volume with warm boiled water. The decoction can be stored for up to two days.
Tinctures.
These are alcohol-containing preparations, due to their pronounced and strong effect, so they are used only in small doses. It is usually measured in drops diluted with small amounts of boiled water.
Tinctures are prepared from 10 days to several months, and you need to store the finished tincture only in a glass container with a tight-fitting ground lid. It can last up to several years without losing the therapeutic effect.
Powders.
Such models can be used both internally and externally, depending on the type of raw material. They are prepared from dried plants or herbs, ground in a mortar, or ground into powder in a coffee grinder. Store such compositions in tightly closed glass jars.
Ointments.
These forms are usually used to set compresses. The ointment is prepared by grinding dry raw materials or fresh plants and mixing them with the base (astringent composition). It can be lard, petroleum jelly, lanolin, butter, or vegetable oil. Such compositions are perishable, so they are not ready for the future, only for direct use.
Excerpts.
This is a concentrated form of a medicinal plant that is extracted from plant juices. It is a mixture of biologically active components.
Drink.
These are preparations in preparation in which juices of medicinal herbs or medicinal plants mixed with sugar are used. Some preservatives accepted in medicine can be added to the drink.
What is used in medicinal plants?
It is important to choose the right medicinal raw materials - those parts of plants that will be used in the preparation of medicines. In some plants, most of it is concentrated in individual organs (roots, flowers, leaves), and in others - in the whole plant.
Thus, the term medicinal raw materials means individual parts or the whole plant, which is properly collected, harvested, processed, and dried. Any dosage forms of herbal medicine are already being prepared from it.
Therefore, medicinal plants can be used:
The leaves (Latin Folia)
are dried or fresh, separate parts from the compound leave. The leaves are usually harvested already developed and mature, both with and without petioles.
Among the famous:
- Birch leaves.
- Gooseberry leaves
- Plantain leaves
- Senna leaves.
Grass (Herbal)
is dried or fresh plant shoots. Usually, they are harvested during the flowering period, the formation of buds or fruits. The composition of the raw materials contains leaves, stems, buds, and unripe fruits. On some plants, only the upper parts of the weeds can be harvested, on others - the entire plant from the root, and on others - the entire grass and roots.
The whole grass is used in the following plants:
- Shepherd's bag
- Mother.
- Succession؛
- Celandine.
Flowers (Flores)
are medicinal raw materials containing dried individual flowers or inflorescences, individual parts of flowers. They are harvested at the beginning of their flowering or during the formation of buds.
The most famous:
- Linden flowers
- Marigold flowers.
Fruits (Fructus)
are simple fruits, faulty or complex, damaged or their separate parts. When ripe, they are picked up and dried. Fresh processing is used on some fruits.
The most famous:
- Rose fruit
- Hawthorn fruit
Seeds (fleshy)
are whole seeds and part of the cotyledons, they are usually harvested fresh and then dried.
The most famous:
The bark (Cortices)
is the outer part of the area of the trunk, roots, or branches of trees and shrubs that are located above the cambium. Usually, harvesting is carried out in the spring, when the movement of juice begins, followed by drying.
The most famous:
- Oak bark؛
- Buckthorn bark.
Rhizomes or Roots (Radicals or Rhizomata)
are dried or fresh parts of underground plants. Usually, these are perennials that are harvested in autumn or early spring, cleaned from the ground, and washed, removing dead parts, stems, and leaves. Large parts of the roots are pre-cut along or across the root and then dried.
The most famous:
- The roots and rhizomes of the plant, or ValerianaRhizomes and roots of elecampane.
- The roots of ginseng.
How to collect medicinal plants
Active compounds are contained in the plant in certain quantities, concentrating in certain areas - stems, leaves, roots, flowers, or fruits. Therefore, those parts of the plants are the richest in the harvested active ingredients.
The concentration of biologically active substances is at its highest in a certain period - from spring to autumn, so the collection rules provide for the harvesting of certain plants at a certain time.
For example, in the leaves of lily of the Valley, two weeks before the beginning of flowering, the concentration of cardiac glycosides increases by 2-3 times compared to the flowering period. There are some general rules and logic in collecting and harvesting.
If this is a collection of seeds or fruits
then the best time for this is the period of full ripening, but until such time as they crumble from trees or shrubs.
If these are flowers, leaves, or herbs, then the collection falls on the period of the beginning of flowering or full flowering of flowers, until fruits appear. During this period, these parts of plants collect the maximum concentration of biologically active compounds.
Shoots should be harvested in winter or early spring, as they swell, but have not yet begun to grow.
The bark is collected only from young plants
up to 4 years old, as well as buds and branches during early spring when sap flow increases and buds swell. Only smooth, not cracked bark is used.
The root parts are harvested at the end of autumn, after the death of the air elements of the plant. By this time, they accumulate a maximum of useful substances.
Opinions of doctors about medicinal plants
What do doctors think about medicinal plants?
- The effectiveness of medicinal plants in a particular disease. or pathological process is influenced by the general condition of the patient. the drugs he receives as prescribed by the doctor. qualifications. and practical experience of the herbalist or herbalist.
In addition, the quality of herbs, the level of examination, the accuracy of the diagnosis, and the patient's care (how accurately he fulfills all the recommendations of the herbalist) are important.
Can I use herbs myself?
Doing this is not worth it, especially if you do not have the appropriate education. All medicinal herbs have limitations and contraindications for use.
Even the attending physician, Prescribing Phytotherapy as an additional method of treating a particular disease, should definitely clarify the list of contraindications in the reference book before use.
Phytotherapy is folk medicine
All drugs used in herbal medicine are the same medicines as the usual pills listed in the official medical references. Remember that these are the means of official, not traditional medicine.
Their uncontrolled use, the use of dubious recipes from the internet, especially in collections or when using strong or poisonous plants, is dangerous to health and life.