Natural Plant Medicines Found In The Kitchen

February 14, 2023

Before modern medicines, pharmaceuticals, and synthetic drugs, the cures for illness and disease were medications made entirely from plants and herbs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated eighty percent of the world's population is still primarily dependent on traditional medicines and remedies from plants and herbs. Approximately seventy percent of new pharmaceuticals in the United States derive from natural products and plants.

Unfortunately, the use of medicinal plants and natural remedies are no longer common in the western world. However, many plants within the family home have medicinal properties.

Use Aloe Vera For Burns, Wounds, And Dry Skin

Aloe vera is a typical plant to have as decor around the home, but it also has so many other uses than just looking pretty. The most common uses of aloe are to relieve sunburns and help heal cuts and wounds. However, consuming one to three ounces of aloe gel can alleviate the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), other digestion-related issues, and heartburn. Some people use aloe as a skin moisturizer to keep their skin clear and hydrated.

Some less common uses of aloe include using it to coat produce to maintain freshness, using it as an alternative to mouthwash, and consuming two tablespoons to lower blood sugar.

So plant some aloe vera to use to treat burns, wounds, and dry skin, and keep reading to learn what medicinal properties are within chamomile.

Drink Chamomile Tea To Relax and Calm Those Nerves

Chamomile is a widely popular tea and plant used for its relaxing effect, which helps ease sore muscles and tight joints to help induce peaceful sleep. Just as it can help physically relax, it also helps calm symptoms of nervousness and anxiety. Chamomile is also known to help calm an upset stomach, indigestion, menstrual cramps, and backaches.

Some of the less commonly known uses of chamomile happen to relate to its anti-inflammatory properties. It can be used to treat chicken pox, diaper rash, eczema, psoriasis, wounds, abscesses, and gum inflammation.

Chamomile can be used to treat many things. So brew a pot of tea and continue reading to learn how garlic can be used as medicine.

Garlic Can Kill Cancer Cells

There are many benefits to using garlic, and not just to add some flavor to a meal. Garlic boosts immune system function, which can keep illness at bay, as it has antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral properties. Other medicinal benefits of garlic include reducing inflammation, lowering the risk of osteoarthritis, and improving cardiovascular health and blood circulation, which can protect against blood-clotting, plaque, and reduce blood pressure.

On top of all the benefits, garlic is also toxic to fourteen kinds of cancer cells including brain, lung, breast, gastric, and pancreatic.

So throw some extra garlic in your next dinner and keep on reading to learn why ginger is considered a natural medicine.

Ginger Is The Medicine For Many Ailments

Ginger is a spice that should be used more often, if not in dishes, then as a natural medicine. Ginger is often regarded for its anti-nausea effects, but it also has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiparasitic, and antiviral properties. It can be used to ease muscle and joint pain, menstrual pain, and headaches.

It can be used to fight cancer-causing free radicals, and to ease symptoms of diabetes, asthma, migraine headaches, morning sickness, indigestion, motion sickness, and bacterial and fungal infections. However, it has been reported daily consumption of ginger can lead to developing an allergy towards it.

Now that you know all the medicinal effects of ginger, keep reading to learn how lavender can be used as medicine.

Use Lavender Oil As Medicine, Not Perfume

Lavender smells lovely, but lavender oil can be used as a natural medicine to treat many ailments. Lavender oil is commonly known for its relaxing and calming properties, alleviating symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, restlessness, and insomnia. However, there are many other medicinal uses such as relieving pain and respiratory disorders, improving digestion and blood circulation and treating skin disorders such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema.

Lavender oil can also be used for healthy hair, killing lice, lice eggs, and nits, and has been said to be a possible natural treatment for alopecia areata, as it increases hair growth by up to forty-four percent within seven months of treatment.

There are many reasons to use lavender oil as a medicine, such as to relieve asthma, eczema, or insomnia. So get some lavender oil and keep on reading to learn what makes peppermint a medicine.

Peppermint To Ease Respiratory And Digestion

Peppermint can be a great addition to a garden, as it can be used as a tea or as a medicine, in addition to other cooking applications. Many might not think of peppermint as natural medicine, but it has many medicinal qualities to it whether used as the herb, oil, or tea. Peppermint can benefit the respiratory system to treat asthma, allergies, colds, coughs, and tuberculosis. It can also be used for an upset stomach, relaxing the muscles of the intestines, which allows gas to pass more easily and eases the pain.

When sick with a common cold, peppermint can be rubbed on the chest or inhaled through a vaporizer to clear nasal congestion and relieve a cough.

Now that you know some of the ways to use peppermint as a medicine, keep reading to discover what makes thyme a natural medicine.

Thyme As A Multipurpose Medicine

Thyme is a herb commonly added to dishes when cooking, but many do not regard it for its medicinal properties. Thyme is rich in antioxidants and nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, copper, iron, manganese, and dietary fiber. However, the more concentrated thyme oil has many more benefits due to having antibacterial, antispasmodic, antirheumatic, expectorant, hypertensive, and calming properties.

Thyme oil can be used to treat gout, arthritis, wounds, bites, sores, nausea, fatigue, respiratory issues, skin conditions, water retention, and menstrual and menopausal symptoms. It can also be used as an insecticide, as mouthwash, to calm anxiety, and to prevent hair loss and acne.

You now know many plants and herbs act as natural medicines, but you should always speak to a doctor before ceasing taking current medications or switching to natural medicines.

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