Medicinal plants: everything you should know

Since ancestral times, Medicinal plants They have been used to treat common diseases and discomforts, thanks to Healing properties that they possess.

Medicinal plants They contain chemical substances in their leaves or flowers, the stem or the root, so that, through different preparation methods, they can be applied to treat different conditions. According to properties of each plant, These can be used to treat from a simple headache to more serious conditions.

According to the properties of each plant, these can be used to treat different conditions.S. LAIBA ALI / UNSPLASH.

What are medicinal plants?

The Medicinal plants They are those vegetables that elaborate secondary metabolites, called “active ingredients”, chemical substances that exert a pharmacological action, whether beneficial or harmful, on the living organism.

Therefore, this type of plants They are used as a natural remedy, according to its properties, to relieve common diseases and discomforts, as well as a means of prevention of different conditions.

Since when are medicinal plants used?

The origin of medicinal plants It goes back to ancestral times, since before modern medicine and synthetic medications existed, diverse ancient civilizations used these plants to treat common diseases and ills.

It is known that the Egyptians used herbs Medicinal Around 1550 AC, like the Greeks in the 16th century, the medicinal plants were common during the Middle Ages, as well as in the Modern Age, before the discovery of America.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the knowledge of medicinal plants went from generation to generation, mainly attributing to women the use of healing herbs to treat common diseases and discomforts.

Different cultures throughout history have used medicinal plants to cure conditions.Katherine Hanlon / Unspash

How do they prepare?

According to the medicinal plant in question, These have specific properties to cure or prevent certain diseases or discomforts. In general, useful compounds are found in certain parts of the plant, such as its seeds, its roots, its leaves or its flowers. Therefore, the usable part of the plant depends on the species in question, and there are different forms of preparation and administration. Among the most common medicinal plants are: