Herbal medicine is very old, with roots dating back to ancient Egypt therapeutic in what was then known as Khemet or Tamare.
In the written record, the study of herbs dates back over 5,000 years to the Sumerians, who described well-established medicinal uses for plants as laurel, caraway, and thyme.
The ancient Egyptians, who were descendants of the actual near mythical civilization and pre-historic Sumerians are credited with having had the worlds first system of holistic medicine. These systems have been officially approved and recognized even by class omnipotent priest who exercised enormous powers over the population.
Ancient Egyptian medicine of 1000 BC traditions and a very much earlier period, are known to have used garlic, opium, castor oil, coriander, mint, indigo, and other herbs for medicine and the Old Testament also mentions the use and growing herbs, including mandrake, vetch, caraway, wheat, barley and rye. It is an oversimplification However, as Egyptians had a reputation almost universally revered as practitioners of highly sophisticated forms of medicine. The embalming of mummies is an excellent example of good practice that Egypt could go further back in time to prehistoric near the Egyptian calendars' showdown. Records of the existence of these highly sophisticated systems of healing are just beginning to emerge with the discovery of new ways of understanding the semantics of the language of ancient Egypt.
Like almost every other invention or technological progress in antiquity (pre-historic Sumerians and their predecessors in the early kingdoms Egyptians) these therapeutic systems were then transferred and adopted by the outside world through the centuries and millennia of interactions and contacts.
Chinese herbal medicine, like its counterpart near Egypt also very old, with therapeutic roots dating back to the Zhou Dynasty, Late Bronze / Early Iron Age at about 2500-3000 years ago. From its origins shamanic Herbs in ancient China evolved in response to the concepts of causality or origin in force at the time. These notions of the causes of disease in human society in direct relationship with the troubled socio-economic system that prevailed in early China in the second half of the first millennium BC.
The Shennong Bencao Jing, the first book in Chinese herbal collected in Hang Dynasty period, lists 365 medicinal plants and their uses. Ma-Huang shrub that introduced the drug ephedrine modern medicine is one of the plants listed in the compilation. Includes references to 247 substances that were used by these people for many different diseases at the beginning of their back pain relief. Succeeding generations from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty increased on the Shennong Bencao Jing.
By 1596, the Ben Cao Gang Mu doctor's letters Ming Li Shizhen (1518-1593) exemplified the pinnacle of Chinese herbal medicine. Published three years after his death, this Materia Medica Grande contained no fewer than 1892 entries. In the following centuries of imperial times, Chinese herbal medicine has continued to develop. Despite the temporary setbacks incurred following the collapse of the Manchu dynasty in 1911, remains on an equal footing with biomedicine in China today.
Another system of herbal medicines, Ayurveda Indian (Sanskrit "science of the mind and body") has used herbs such as turmeric possibly as early as 1900 BC Many other herbs and minerals used in Ayurveda were later described by ancient Indian herbalists Charaka and Sushruta as during the 1st millennium BC. Sushruta Samhita attributed to Sushruta in the 6th century BC describes 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal. In this case, we found clear evidence the influence of unquestionable antiquity and prehistoric Egypt that pre-dated all the civilizations of the ancient world from perhaps tens of thousands of years.
Today, many modern Western medical professionals are beginning to look at herbal remedies for some common and not so common ailments such as arthritis and psoriasis. The lowest cost, and often use more secure, has attracted many medical professionals. Some doctors use herbs to counteract the side effects of drugs a practice that is already rapidly taking in many parts of the Western world.
We have seen the rapid increase in the use of herbal plants for medicinal purposes, such as arts traditional healing alternative medicine aliases become more accepted in the western medical practices. The Wellness Industry Industry and Health / Fitness have gained huge popularity with close geometric growth the last 20 years or so. We have seen the rise in popularity even among brand names for home personal care and beauty products that contain herbal extracts treatment, as modern consumers informed discover the hidden secrets therapeutic and rejuvenating powers of mother nature flora.