Medicinal Herbs: Natural Healing Herbs

Simple, native herbs and spices produce some of the world's best healing agents. There are several that are used to treat addictions by assisting to heal the whole mind/body system. Organic Aromatherapy Essential oils can be used to lift depression, create the right mood for romance and ease stress. They are also used to combat infections, repair dry or damaged skin. Herbal treatments are also used for treating high blood sugar and diabetes. Some are anti-bacterial, ease breathing, decrease fevers, quiet coughs and soothe aches and pains. Herbs can also be useful for having a healthy weight, food cravings, herbal appetite depressants, low energy, weight gain, natural weight loss without drugs, diets and herbs. There are traditional women's herbs that control the hormones, decrease water retention, decrease pain and cramping and enhance the food. These are used to treat menstrual problems like heavy bleeding, PMS, skipped periods, yeast infections and excessive bleeding.

Some usual medicinal herbs in routine life are:
Neem : This is used for treatment of all sorts of skin problems. The constituents are Nimbidol and Gedunin and these have good fungicidal properties. These are very effective in treatment of skin disorders like scabies, warts, eczema, psoriasis and dandruff.

Turmeric (Haldi) : This is used as a popular remedy for infections, boils, injuries and accident recovery.

Basil (Tulsi) : This is worshipped as the purest and sublime plant. This is very effective in treating skin disorders as it is a blood purifier and kills bacteria. This provides relief to inflamed throat conditions.

Sandalwood (Chandan) : This is a unique Indian plant that has an extraordinary fragrance. The bark of the sandalwood tree is very smooth and sandal paste results in an extremely smooth, unblemished and lustrous look to the skin. The fragrance of sandalwood is proved to be an aphrodisiac.

Chinese herbal medicine : These consist of special tonic herbs. These are taken daily to raise the resistance to disease, enhance energy and prolong life. Astragalus and ginseng are the most widely known. Others include schizandra, ligustrum, ganoderma and he shou wu. Such herbs are called "adaptogens". They strengthen the body and increase its ability to adjust to the stress. There is a positive effect on the immune system. They are being successful in treating immune-related disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome, systemic candida and the management of ARC and AIDS.

Herbal medicine : These have three basic functions:

• Elimination and detoxification : They are used as diuretics, blood purifiers and laxatives
• Health management and maintenance : They are used to stimulate the body's own self-healing powers
• Health building : These are used to tone the organs and nourish the tissues and food

Herbal formulae have very less negative side effects as in case of drugs

Some other medicinal herbs
Aconite : This has anodyne, diaphoretic and diuretic properties. The tincture and liniment are used for general purposes. The preparations are used for outward application to the skin in lumbago, neuralgia and rheumatism. It is very poisonous.

Angelica : This is largely used in the grocery trade and for medicine. It is a popular flavoring for confectionery and liqueurs. It is also used to combat digestive problems, migraines, anorexia and gastric ulcers.

Boneset : This relieves the symptoms that are along with influenza. They also provide relief from aches and pains and assist in handling fevers. The mild laxative of the herb assists in clearing the body wastes and reducing constipation.

Clove : This is useful for digestive problems and helps the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract to relax. It also kills intestinal parasites. It acts as an anti-microbial agent against fungi and bacteria. Cloves also have an antihistamine action.

Dandelion : This is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. The leaves are used in salads and teas and the roots as a coffee substitute. They can treat the liver, kidney, gallbladder and joint problems. It is used as a blood purifier and used for illnesses like eczema and cancer. It is also used to treat poor digestion.

Jasmine : This is generally used for infections with high fever, sunstroke, cancer of the bones, dermatitis, conjunctivitis, lymphatic nodes and breast cancer. It is used for mouth ulcers and the fresh juice for corns.

Passion flower : This treats the nervous restlessness, neuralgia, anxiety, sleep disorders, irritability and overcoming the difficulty in falling asleep. The narcotic properties are used in diarrhea, dysentery, neuralgia, sleeplessness and dysmenorrhea.

Summer savory : This has aromatic and carminative properties. This is mainly used as a culinary herb and may be added to medicines for the aromatic and warming qualities. When the juice is dropped into the eyes it removes the dimness of sight.

Yellow dock : This is widely used in the treatment of chronic skin complaints like psoriasis. It is useful in constipation and stimulates the gut muscles. The flow of bile is promoted and there is a somewhat obscure action of being a blood cleanser. It has a role in the treatment of jaundice when it is due to congestion.