Thousands of years ago, when humans lived as nomads, moving across the land in search of food and shelter, they collected wild plants, berries, and roots for food. When they got sick, their instincts led them to the healing properties of these plants and they ground and mixed leaves, stems, roots and berries in innovative ways and produced treatments for a variety of ailments.
Gradually, the human race began to evolve and people began to settle in one place long enough to build a home. These people still depended on plants for nutritional and medicinal purposes, but instead of going looking for them, they began to grow their own and therefore a garden became an essential part of their lives. Documents now in custody in Britain, such as the 10th century Bald’s Leech Book and the Saxon translations of the Herbarium of Apuleis, show that the use of herbs dates back to the earliest times.
However, evolution continued and as communities were built, few people in urban areas had space to grow anything and gardens were a luxury enjoyed by the minority. Unfortunately, as a result, over the past hundred years, much of the art of using herbs in cooking, as medicine, or as cosmetics has been lost.
More recently there has been a return to the roots of nature. People are increasingly disillusioned with today’s medications and more and more numbers are forming immunities or allergies to synthetic ingredients. The chemical preservatives contained in some remedies can often have adverse effects on sensitive skin and the digestive system.
As a result, people look back to nature for solutions to common ailments. Flip through the pages of a business directory or magazine and count how many advertisements you see for alternative remedies and treatments.
Preservative-free fresh fruits and vegetables are now the preferred choice and even those without a proper garden are finding the space on a balcony or windowsill to grow their own produce. And it’s not just a cure for ailments and an aid to a good diet!
As beauty remedies, the uses of herbs are very wide. Many people overlook the content of a manufactured product, allowing their purchases to be influenced by bright, attractive packaging and pungent perfumes. However, with additives and preservatives, the effectiveness of these products is minimal. Making your own beauty products can be more beneficial and also a lot of fun. There are many natural and inexpensive ways to beautify yourself. Different herbs have various components that are useful for skin, hair, teeth, and eyes, and some of the foods we eat also have these properties, so they can also be used as beauty products.
An example is tea tree oil, one of nature’s best-known antiseptics. It promotes the natural healing process, has a wide range of antibacterial applications, and has no known side effects. This natural essential oil is distilled from the leaves of the Australian tree Melaleuca alternifolia. Today, there are many products available for the treatment of psoriasis, acne, eczema, dandruff and itchy scalp, insect bites, digestive disorders, and many more.
You will rarely meet someone who has not made use of the benefits of herbs in some way. It is also an interesting fact that we go back to the way we started all those years ago. Nature seems to be coming back into our lives and it seems like it is doing us a lot of good.
