Phytotherapy: what is it and how to use medicinal plants?

Phytotherapy is a science that applies plant products for therapeutic purposes. The herbal products prevent disease, reestablish the health of people with diseases and alleviate symptoms of various diseases. Therefore, it can be understood as the treatment with medicinal plants . The term phytotherapy comes from the Greek fyton (plant) and therapeia (treatment), so its purpose is clear.

If you wonder what medicinal plants are, we can say that they are plant species with healing and therapeutic properties. It is estimated that around 10% of plant species are considered medicinal and that there are more than 100,000 worldwide . A practice that has its origin in prehistory and that has been transmitted from generation to generation until today.

In herbal medicine, medicinal plants must be used in different ways to introduce their properties into our body and thus enjoy the desired effect. The most common forms of use are the following:

Infusions and herbal teas

Through infusions and herbal teas we drink a juice created with parts of the plants (leaves, stems, flowers, seeds …) that transfer their properties to us. The usual thing is to boil water and introduce an envelope of the already purchased plant , although it can also be collected from nature and create your own homemade infusions. Linden, chamomile or horsetail are some of the most common.

Syrups

We can create homemade syrups using medicinal plants. For this you have to prepare infusions or decoctions mixing the result with honey to create a composition with positive effects on health.

Wine

It is also possible to ingest the properties of medicinal plants with wine by marinating the leaves or fruits of the plant in question in the wine .

Essential oils

One of the most concentrated ways to take medicinal plants is through essential oils. They are normally taken under a prescription and are dissolved in an infusion so as not to take it directly. It also applies to the drops of plant extracts.

Capsules

At present we can find a multitude of encapsulated medicinal plants that we ingest with a little water and that work quickly after reaching our stomach. It is the part of herbal medicine with the highest growth in recent years.

Toilets

Taking a bath in which an infusion of a mixture of medicinal plants with beneficial properties or essential oils has been previously introduced and breathing the vapors while relaxing is also another way of introducing those beneficial properties into our body.

There are thousands of plants with medicinal properties, but some are really popular for their easy accessibility and for the affordable price for the consumer. The lavender is one of them and is used to prevent insomnia and relax the body favoring nights rest. It is usually taken through essential oils or encapsulated mixed with other plants.

The rosemary is another medicinal plant, used to treat neuralgia and sore joints and muscles. It has been used since ancient times in cosmetics and gastronomy. The thyme is commonly used to treat minor ailments and frequent infusions provide us many antioxidant properties and many minerals such as iron and calcium.

The eucalyptus is also used for different conditions such as influenza, colds or respiratory diseases. It is very useful to relieve coughs and nasal congestion and to remove skin blemishes. We cannot forget aloe vera , a plant with a multitude of benefits for the skin, for cellular hydration and with very interesting antiseptic properties.

A medicinal plant for every disease

These are just some example plants that are used in herbal medicine to treat different symptoms and ailments. There is practically one medicinal plant for each disease and herbalists and natural product sales companies offer a wide variety of medicinal plants in different formats.

It is important to know the properties of the different plants and their modes of use to complement the action of conventional medicine and thus accelerate the recovery process. And it is that nature and medicine united hand in hand will help us to enjoy good health in the shortest possible time.