A Historical Insight into Herbal Remedies and Natural Forms of Treatments

History of Herbal Remedies

Treatment of various diseases and ailments with help of herbal remedies or by using natural products has been a common practice since the early 2700 BC. A brief history of herbal and natural forms of treatment for various ailments and maladies reveals that the Chinese were one of the first people to effectively use green plants, roots and dried plants. With effective treatment of various diseases, this natural form of treatment got famous with more and more people turning towards it.

The Europeans too were not far behind, as one of the first documents to comment on the use and practice of herbal forms of treatment is the Ebers Papyrus written in 1550 BC. Further back into history, one may find writings by Theophrastus and Dioscorides De Materia Medica both noting and emphasizing the use of herbal remedies for the treatment of various maladies in 370 BC and 77 BC respectively.

In the same way, Ibn-al-Baitar, a Muslim scholar and scientist writing in 1197-1248 presented more than 1400 drugs made from natural plants and roots.

Popularity of Herbal Remedies in Europe and United States Even the United States has had an excellent record of manufacturing drugs from plants and herbs. As it is evident from the figures for 1991 alone, it was noted that more than fifty percent of the best selling drugs in the American drug market were made from natural products and used natural herbs. A survey carried out recently in 2000 also showed that some 40 percent of the American population has tried one or more than one herbal product and herbal remedies.

Another important factor which will prove the popularity and the rising use of herbal remedies may be found in the increased sales figures as of 1998, which were some 12 billion dollars. Also, according to estimates, this figure has a tendency of rising at 10 percent per every year.

Some of the most commonly used herbal products used in the United States include ‘St. John's Wort, ginkgo, Echinacea’, and ‘ginseng’. Though investigations for these herbal products are yet to be completed through laboratory tests, their usage is continuously gaining popularity due to the minimal side effects and maximum benefits of treating the disease as well as its symptoms, thus curing the disease to its roots.