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Medicinal plants
Assist.Prof.Dr.Widad Jumaa Hamid
Medicinal plants, medicinal herbs, or simply herbs
have been identified and used from prehistoric
times. Plants make many chemical compounds for
biological functions, including defence against
insects, fungi and herbivorous mammals. Over
12,000 active compounds are known to science.
These chemicals work on the human body in
exactly the same way as pharmaceutical drugs, so
herbal medicines can be beneficial and have
harmful side effects just like conventional drugs.
However, since a single plant may contain many
substances, the effects of taking a plant as
medicine can be complex.
 The earliest historical records of herbs are found from the Sumerian
civilisation, where hundreds of medicinal plants including opium are
listed on clay tablets. The Ebers Papyrus from ancient Egypt describes
over 850 plant medicines, while Dioscorides documented over 1000
recipes for medicines using over 600 medicinal plants in De materia
medica, forming the basis of pharmacopoeias for some 1500 years.
These include the common drugs aspirin, digoxin, quinine, and opium.
The compounds found in plants are of many kinds, but most are in
four major biochemical classes, the alkaloids, glycosides, polyphenols,
and terpenes.
 Medicinal plants are widely used to treat disease in
non-industrialized societies, not least because they are
far cheaper than modern medicines. The annual global
export value of pharmaceutical plants in 2012 was over
US$2.2 billion

Dioscorides's 1st century De materia

medica, seen here in a c. 1334 copy
in Arabic, describes some 1000 drug
recipes based on over 600 plants.
Main articles: History of herbalism
and History of pharmacy
 Prehistoric times
Plants, including many now used as culinary herbs and spices,
have been used as medicines from prehistoric times. Spices
have been used partly to counter food spoilage bacteria,
especially in hot climates and especially in meat dishes which
spoil more readily. Angiosperms (flowering plants) were the
original source of most plant medicines .Human settlements
are often surrounded by weeds useful as medicines, such as
nettle, dandelion and chickweed .Humans were not alone in
using herbs as medicines: some animals such as non-human
primates, monarch butterflies
 monarch butterflies and sheep ingest medicinal plants
to treat illness. For instance, a 60 000-year-old
Neanderthal burial site, "Shanidar IV", in northern Iraq
has yielded large amounts of pollen from 8 plant
species, 7 of which are used now as herbal remedies. A
mushroom was found in the personal effects of Ötzi
the Iceman, whose body was frozen in the Ötztal Alps
for more than 5,000 years. The mushroom was
probably used to treat whipworm.
 The Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BC)
from Ancient Egypt describes the
use of hundreds of plant medicines
In ancient Sumeria, hundreds of medicinal plants including
myrrh and opium are listed on clay tablets. The
ancient Egyptian Ebers Papyrus lists over 800 plant
medicines such as aloe, cannabis, castor bean, garlic,
juniper, and mandrake. From ancient times to the present
used hundreds of pharmacologically active herbs and
spices such as turmeric, which contains curcumin
 Middle Ages
In the Early Middle Ages, Benedictine monasteries
preserved medical knowledge in Europe, translating
and copying classical texts and maintaining herb
gardens.Hildegard of Bingen wrote Causae et Curae
("Causes and Cures") on medicine In the
Islamic Golden Age, scholars translated many classical
Greek texts including Dioscorides into Arabic, adding
their own commentaries Herbalism flourished in the
Islamic world, particularly in Baghdad and in Al-Andalus
. Among many works on 
medicinal plants,
 , Abulcasis (936–1013) of Cordoba wrote The Book of
Simples, and Ibn al-Baitar (1197–1248) recorded
hundreds of medicinal herbs. Avicenna included many
plants in his 1025 The Canon of Medicine. Abu-Rayhan
Biruni, Ibn Zuhr, Peter of Spain, and John of St Amand
wrote further pharmacopoeias
 The Early Modern period saw the flourishing of illustrated
herbals across Europe, starting with the 1526 Grete Herball.
John Gerard wrote his famous The Herball or General History of
Plants in 1597, based on Rembert Dodoens, and
Nicholas Culpeper published his The English Physician Enlarged.
Many new plant medicines arrived in Europe as products of
Early Modern exploration and the resulting Columbian Exchange,
in which livestock, crops and technologies were transferred
between the Old World and the Americas in the 15th and 16th
centuries. Medicinal herbs arriving in the Americas included
garlic, ginger, and turmeric; coffee, tobacco and coca travelled in
the other direction In Mexico, the sixteenth century Badianus
Manuscript described medicinal plants available in Central
America.
7 Medicinal Plants You Can Use to Benefit Your Health
Below is an excellent starting point to learn how to
harness the power of medicinal plants. This is only a
small sample, of course, and once you get your feet
wet, you'll likely be inspired to explore more and more
uses for these healing wonders.
1. Ginger
Ginger is one spice that recommend keeping on
hand in your kitchen at all times. Not only is it a
wonderful addition to your cooking (especially
paired with garlic) but it also has enough
medicinal properties to fill several books.
Ginger is best known for its antinausea effects but
also has broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral,
antioxidant, and anti-parasitic properties, to name
just several of its more than 40 scientifically
confirmed pharmacological actions. It is anti-
inflammatory, making it valuable for pain relief for
joint pain, menstrual pain, headaches, and more.
Dry Ginger
The pain-relieving potential of ginger appears to be
far-reaching. Along with help for muscle and joint
pain, ginger has been found to reduce the severity
of migraine headaches as well as the migraine
medication Sumatriptan – with fewer side effects.
Ginger also shows promise for fighting cancer,
diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, asthma,
bacterial and fungal infections, and it is one of the
best natural remedies available for motion sickness
or nausea (from pregnancy or chemotherapy, for
example).
Taking one gram of ginger daily may help reduce
nausea and vomiting in pregnant women, or those
with migraines and ginger has been shown to work
better than a placebo in relieving morning sickness.
Ginger is also a must-have if you struggle with
indigestion, and it does more than simply relieve pain.
Ginger contains powerful protein-digesting enzymes
and helps to stimulate the emptying of your stomach
without any negative effect, and it's an antispasmodic
agent, which may explain its beneficial effects on your
intestinal tract.
Many people enjoy ginger tea on a regular basis,
and this is one of the simplest ways to use it.
Simply chop off a couple of inches of ginger root
and let it steep in hot water for fresh ginger tea.
2. Garlic
Eating a clove or two of fresh garlic a day may
indeed keep the doctor away, in part because it
has immune-boosting, antibacterial, antiviral, and
anti-fungal effects. Many of garlic's therapeutic
effects are derived from its sulfur-containing
compounds, such as allicin, which are also what
give it its characteristic smell. In general, garlic's
benefits fall into four main categories
•Reducing inflammation (reduces the risk of
osteoarthritis and other disease associated with
inflammation)
•Boosting immune function (antibacterial, antifungal,
antiviral, and antiparasitic properties)
•Improving cardiovascular health and circulation
(protects against clotting, improves lipids, and
reduces blood pressure)
•Toxic to at least 14 kinds of cancer cells (including
brain, lung, breast, gastric, and pancreatic)
In addition, garlic may be effective against drug-
resistant bacteria, and research has revealed that as
allicin digests in your body, it produces sulfenic acid,
a compound that reacts with dangerous free radicals
faster than any other known compound . This is one
of the reasons why they named garlic as one of the
top seven anti-aging foods you can consume.
In order to get the health benefits, the fresh clove
must be crushed or chopped in order to stimulate
the release of an enzyme called alliinase, which in
turn catalyzes the formation of allicin.
Allicin, in turn, rapidly breaks down to form a number
of different organosulfur compounds. So to "activate"
garlic's medicinal properties, compress a fresh clove
with a spoon prior to swallowing it, or put it through
your juicer to add to your vegetable juice.
A single medium-size clove or two is usually sufficient
and is well-tolerated by most people. Black garlic,
which is basically fermented garlic, and sprouted garlic
may contain even more antioxidants than regular
garlic.
3. Peppermint
Peppermint offers benefits to the
respiratory system, including for
coughs, colds, asthma, allergies,
and tuberculosis. In terms of
digestive health, peppermint oil
capsules have been described as
"the drug of first choice" in IBS
(Irritation Bowel Syndrome)
patients, and peppermint oil is an
effective alternative to drugs like
Buscopan for reducing colonic
spasms
It may also relax the muscles of your intestines,
allowing gas to pass and easing abdominal
pain. Try peppermint oil or leaves added to tea
for gas relief. Inhaling the peppermint aroma
may offer memory enhancement and stress
relief, and peppermint oil acts as an
expectorant and decongestant, and may help
clear your respiratory tract.
Use peppermint essential oil as a cold rub on your
chest or inhale it through a vaporizer to help clear
nasal congestion and relieve cough and cold
symptoms. Peppermint oil may also help relieve
tension headache pain. For headache pain, try
dabbing a few drops on your wrist or sprinkling a few
drops on a cloth, then inhaling the aroma. You can
also massage the oil directly onto your temples and
forehead. Peppermint essential oil is ideal for muscle
and chest rubs, headache pain, dental care, and
aromatherapy. You can even add it to your
homemade cleaning supplies for extra antimicrobial
power and natural fragrance.
When selecting peppermint for your own use,
the fresh leaves will impart a superior flavor to
dried leaves (such as for use in tea). Look for
fresh leaves that are green in color without any
dark spots or yellowing. In addition to using
fresh mint leaves in tea, you can add them to
soups, fruit salad, or gazpacho. Additionally, it is
really easy to grow peppermint yourself and the
plant works as a highly effective deterrent to
many insects that might invade your garden or
your home.
4. Lavender
Lavender oil has a chemically complex structure
with over 150 active constituents. This oil is rich in
esters, which are aromatic molecules with
antispasmodic (suppressing spasms and pain),
calming, and stimulating properties. The chief
botanical constituents of lavender oil are linalyl
acetate, linalool (a non-toxic terpene alcohol that
has natural germicidal properties), Other
constituents in lavender oil that are responsible for
its antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory
properties include cis-ocimene, lavandulyl acetate,
Lavender oil is known for its calming and
relaxing properties, and has been used
aromatherapeutically for alleviating insomnia,
anxiety, depression, restlessness, dental
anxiety, and stress. It has also been proven
effective for nearly all kinds of ailments, from pain
to infections.
Lavender oil's potential in fighting antifungal-resistant
skin and nail infections. Scientists from the University
of Coimbra found that lavender oil is lethal to skin-
pathogenic strains known as dermatophytes, as well
as various Candida species. Lavender oil can also be
used to:
•Relieve pain. It can ease sore or tense muscles, joint
pain and rheumatism, sprains, backache, and
lumbago. Simply massage a small amount of lavender
oil onto the affected area. Lavender oil may also help
lessen pain following needle insertion.
•Treat various skin disorders like acne, psoriasis,
eczema, and wrinkles. It also helps form scar tissues,
which may be essential in healing wounds, cuts, and
burns. Lavender can also help soothe insect bites and
itchy skin (lavender oil can help ward off mosquitoes
and moths. It is actually used as an ingredient in some
mosquito repellents).
•Keep your hair healthy. It helps kill lice, lice eggs,
and nits. The Natural Medicines Comprehensive
Database (NMCB) says that lavender is possibly
effective for treating alopecia areata (hair loss),
boosting hair growth by up to 44 percent after just
seven months of treatment.
•Improve your digestion. This oil helps stimulate the
mobility of your intestine and stimulates the
production of bile and gastric juices, which may help
treat stomach pain, indigestion, flatulence, colic,
vomiting, and diarrhea.
•Relieve respiratory disorders. Lavender oil can help
alleviate respiratory problems like colds and flu,
throat infections, cough, asthma, whooping cough,
sinus congestion, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and laryngitis.
It can be applied on your neck, chest, or back, or
inhaled via steam inhalation or through a vaporizer.
•Stimulate urine production, which helps restore
hormonal balance, prevent cystitis (inflammation of
the urinary bladder), and relieve cramps and other
urinary disorders.
•Improve your blood circulation. It helps lower
elevated blood pressure levels and can be used for
hypertension.
5. Thyme
Thyme is a fragrant herb that makes a wonderful addition to
your cooking, in part because it is rich in antioxidants. Thyme
contains health-boosting flavonoids including apigenin,
naringenin, luteolin, and thymonin, and has been shown to
protect and increase the percentage of healthy fats found in
cell membranes. As reported by the George Mateljan
Foundation: "In particular, the amount of DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid) in brain,
kidney, and heart cell membranes was increased after dietary
supplementation with thyme."
Thyme is also nutrient dense, containing vitamin C,
vitamin A, iron, manganese, copper, and dietary fiber.
When used in cooked dishes, thyme may also help inhibit
glycation and the formation of dangerous advanced
glycation end products in your food, making thyme a
potential preventer of heart disease and premature
aging. Due to thyme oil's antibacterial, antispasmodic,
antirheumatic, expectorant, hypertensive, and calming
properties, it also has a long list of topical uses, including:
•Home remedy – Thyme oil is used to relieve and
treat problems like gout, arthritis, wounds, bites,
and sores, water retention, menstrual and
menopausal problems, nausea and fatigue,
respiratory problems (like colds), skin conditions
(oily skin and scars), athlete's foot, hangovers, and
even depression.
•Aromatherapy oil – The oil can be used to
stimulate the mind, strengthen memory and
concentration, and calm the nerves.
•Hair product – It is said that thyme oil can prevent hair
loss. It is used as a treatment for the scalp and is added
to shampoos and other hair products.
•Skin product – Thyme oil can help tone aged skin and
prevent acne outbreaks.
•Mouthwashes and herbal rinses – Like peppermint,
wintergreen, and eucalyptus oils, thyme oil is used to
improve oral health.
•Insecticide/insect repellent – Thyme oil can keep
insects and parasites like mosquitoes, fleas, lice, and
moths away.
6. Chamomile
Chamomile is most popular in tea form for use to calm upset
stomach and help support restful sleep. Germany's
Commission E (a government organization) has even
approved the use of chamomile for reducing swelling on your
skin and fighting bacteria. Chamomile is a powerful anti-
inflammatory that also has antibacterial, anti-spasmodic, anti-
allergenic, muscle relaxant, and sedative properties.
It is used to treat psoriasis, eczema, chickenpox,
diaper rash, slow-healing wounds, abscesses, and
gum inflammation, and according to Herb Wisdom
may also be useful for the following conditions:
tight joints. "The oil serves many medicinal
purposes, but one of the best-documented uses is
for relaxation. The oil has a calming effect on
people, and can be used to help induce sleep, ease
frayed nerves, and promote a general sense of
calmness and well being. It is great for those with
nervousness or anxiety problems.
Aside from having mental calming properties, chamomile is
also good at relaxing sore muscles and It can ease menstrual
cramps and back aches, as well as relax the digestive system
to ease upset stomach or indigestion issues.
When applied topically to the skin, it soothes redness and
irritation. For this reason, it is a common ingredient in
skincare. It also eliminates itchiness and is good for those with
allergic reactions. Sometimes chamomile is used on rashes.
Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it can work to
take down swelling caused by rashes or skin irritants."
7. Dandelion
This flowering plant has traditionally been used as a liver
tonic, useful for detoxification and improving liver
function. Dandelion is known as a stimulant that is
typically used for kidney and liver disorders. It is also
traditionally used to reduce the side effects of
prescription drugs, as well as to treat infections,
gallbladder problems, water retention and swelling.
Dandelion greens, which you can
prepare simply by blanching them
in boiling water for 20 seconds to
help remove their bitter flavor
(they can also be added to
vegetable juice), contain many
nutrients, including vitamin C,
vitamin B6, thiamin, riboflavin,
calcium, iron, potassium, and
manganese. They are a
particularly good source of
vitamin A and may also have
cancer-fighting properties
Thank You