Top 5 Plants Used for Medicine

There are many different plants used in medicine today. With growing concerns about prescription drug dependency and addiction, many people are turning to natural remedies for the conditions that they suffer with. With the opiate epidemic reaching every corner of the globe causing addiction and death people are becoming more thoughtful about what they’re putting in their bodies.

The list of potentially dangerous side effects associated with many common prescriptions is becoming alarming to many different individuals around the world. On any given day in the United States of America during prime-time television hours, you can watch a handful of pharmaceutical commercials. Many of these pills are there to help people with things like allergies or arthritis and to promote longevity of the mind.

What many people are learning is plant medicine has been helping people to do this for centuries already. You don’t need a magic pill. Many of the things needed for a happy healthy life can be grown right at home. Take for example these five herbs used in plant medicine that are not hard to obtain or to grow.

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo biloba is an extremely old plant used in a multitude of different plant medicines. Ginkgo Biloba has a long history dating back as far as 270 million years where it was found in fossil form. Ginkgo Biloba is native to China. Ginkgo Biloba is not only used in traditional plant medicine but it is also considered to be an excellent source of food.

Medicinally this herb has been used for thousands of years and it’s still being utilized to this day globally. Ginkgo Biloba is considered to be an antioxidant-rich herb utilized to enhance brain health. Check out the list of conditions that Ginkgo Biloba is said to help treat. Age-related macular degeneration, anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, bronchitis, depression, erectile dysfunction, glaucoma, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, multiple sclerosis, peripheral artery disease, sexual dysfunction in women, and tinnitus are just a few of the conditions Ginkgo Biloba is said to help treat and or prevent.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is a plant that has been utilized for thousands of years as a medicine. From providing soothing relief and healing capabilities for the skin to helping conditions such as constipation aloe vera has been an important medicine throughout history. Modern research even suggests that aloe vera has cancerous tumor-fighting capabilities. When taken orally those with diabetes report lower blood sugar levels.  Chronic use of aloe vera, however, is not encouraged.

Primarily aloe vera is a plant best known by many for being used to treat minor burns and sunburns.  As of 2002, the United States Food and Drug Administration ordered all products that contain aloe vera as an ingredient in laxatives to be removed from shelves. These products were to be reformulated not containing any form of aloe. Luckily a recipe to make your own aloe juice for consumption at home is easy to find into today’s era.

Peppermint

Peppermint is an amazing plant-based medicine with many different capabilities. This hybrid between spearmint and watermint is indigenous to the Middle East and Europe. Found to be cultivated widespread across many different regions worldwide peppermint can even be found today in the wild.  Perhaps one of the most powerful forms of peppermint is the oil that is derived from the peppermint plant.

Peppermint oil is commonly utilized in culinary cuisine, fragrances, and beverages. Today cosmetics and hygiene products are also starting to utilize the power of peppermint. Evidence shows that peppermint can help with indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome or IBS.  For the many people who have used peppermint oil throughout their life, they say it helps with everything from vomiting, nausea, and morning sickness all the way to cramps diarrhea, inflammation of the mouth or throat, sinus infections, and liver and gallbladder problems.

Chamomile

Chamomile is a common name used for several different daisy-like plants. Chamomile has been utilized for many different medicinal purposes throughout history. Popular medicinal applications of chamomile include treating inflammation, muscle spasms, hay fever, insomnia, ulcers, menstrual disorders, gastrointestinal disorder, and hemorrhoids just to name a few.

Chamomile is available in essential oils, powders, and tea. Chamomile tea is quite possibly one of the most common ways this plant medicine is enjoyed. If you suffer from an upset stomach or need a little help with sleep perhaps chamomile tea or the chamomile herb may be just the thing for you. Chamomile has been used throughout history to treat chest colds, abscesses, diaper rash, chickenpox, eczema, and psoriasis to name a few.

Cannabis

Cannabis is proving to be quite possibly one of the most potent powerful and oldest healing herbs and plant medicines on the planet.  Cannabis has been utilized for its healing attributes throughout many different cultures in history. Native Americans, Africans, Asians, and Hispanics were among some of the first individuals to have learned about the healing capabilities cannabis has to offer. Today research is teaching us more about cannabis and the body’s natural endocannabinoid system.  Every mammal on the planet has an endocannabinoids system.

CB1 and CB2 receptors located throughout the body becomes saturated with cannabinoids creating effective two-way communication between nerves and cells. This helps to relieve inflammation and allow more efficient natural function.  This is perhaps the reason why cannabis is helping with so many different conditions today and has done so for thousands of years.