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| All About Herbs |
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It seems it is if there is quite a bit of interest about herbs these
days, and there's a lot to learn about them. Books, magazine articles,
blogs, and help publications all list articles and information about
herbs with regularity. They serve two main purposes, first off they
add flavor to our foods and secondly, they have health qualities.
There is so much information to absorb on this topic that it's a good
idea not to worry about learning everything there is to know all at
once. Many individuals in ancient times would spend literally their
entire lives studying herbs and gathering knowledge about the
beneficial properties that they contain.
Some of us have our first exposure to herbs in the kitchen. We love the distinct flavor or cilantro in Mexican food, the oregano, thyme and garlic in many Italian dishes, the aroma and sharp taste of curry when we sample Indian cuisine, and rosemary paired with leg of lamb. Boy, that sounds good doesn't it? I know I love lamb. The use of herbs is really an indigenous phenomenon because they basically make use of what they can grow.
The variety is astounding, and now as cultures around the globe are in greater communication than ever, and people are crossing borders in great numbers, more and more people are being exposed to new flavors through herbs. This bed of different herbs and the crossing over into different cultures is becoming more and more prevalent as the world becomes more accessible.
Traditional cultures also still use herbs as medicines. They either have strong believes in them or simply do not have the technologies and medicines that the Western world has developed. Many times it's the combination of both. But even industrialized nations depended on many herbs before the development of antibiotics in the 20th century. They proved to be so effective, many folk remedies fell by the wayside. Learning about herbs is no longer seen as such an important thing now that industrialization and science have such a huge impact on our modern life. But now it seems is enough that is changing with a renewed interest in getting back to the natural, holistic treatments. Overuse of antibiotics has caused antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria to develop, which frightens many. A great many of our current medicines are actually keep all from ancient forerunners. Western cultures are beginning to embrace these that this all plants just as other cultures have for centuries, especially Chinese herbal medicine and Indian ayurveda medicine. These have been practiced for thousands of years. There is a great deal to learn about herbs, and for those who are studying it, they certainly will attest to that. The way to eat an elephant, of course, is one bite at a time. It is the same when you are studying herbs. Here's an interesting little tidbit that I would like to share about herbs. Astragalus is an herb in the Chinese medicinal pantheon. Your friendly neighborhood acupuncturist will no doubt be a to tell you about it in more depth. It is said to be an immune booster and energy builder. It is often prescribed by practitioners of Chinese medicine either by itself or in concert with immune and energy enhancing herbs such as ginseng and echinacea. |
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