Herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding
Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, aromatic and in some cases, spiritual. General usage of the term "herb" differs between culinary herbs and
The word "herb" is pronounced
"What is a herb?" "The friend of physicians and the praise of cooks."
--Alcuin and his student Charlemagne[5]
Definition
In
Another sense of the term herb can refer to a much larger range of plants, although this definition is problematic since it could cover a great many plants that are not commonly described as herbs.
History
Ancient Greek philosopher
Botany and the study of herbs was, in its infancy, primarily a study of the pharmacological uses of plants. During the Middle Ages, when
Reproduction
Uses
Culinary
Culinary herbs are distinguished from
Herbs can be perennials such as
Emperor Charlemagne (742–814) compiled a list of 74 different herbs that were to be planted in his gardens. The connection between herbs and health is important already in the European Middle Ages--The Forme of Cury (that is, "cookery") promotes extensive use of herbs, including in salads, and claims in its preface "the assent and advisement of the masters of physic and philosophy in the King's Court".[5]
Teas
Some herbs can be infused in boiling water to make
Medicine
Herbs were used in prehistoric medicine. As far back as 5000 BCE, evidence that Sumerians used herbs in medicine was inscribed on cuneiform.[16] In 162 CE, the physician Galen was known for concocting complicated herbal remedies that contained up to 100 ingredients.[17]
Some plants contain
Herbs have long been used as the basis of traditional
There is a record dated 1226 for '12d for Roses for Baron's Chamber and in 1516 for flowers and rushes for chambers for henry the 9th[6]
Certain herbs contain psychoactive properties that have been used for both religious and recreational purposes by humans since the early Holocene era, notably the leaves and extracts of the cannabis and coca plants. The leaves of the coca plant have been chewed by people in northern Peruvian societies for over 8,000 years,[19] while the use of cannabis as a psychoactive substance dates back to the first century CE in China and northern Africa.[20]
Ritual
Herbs are used in many
Cosmetics
Originally there was always doubt in ancient societies, especially in the sceptical medium of western traditions, as to the efficacity of herbal medicines. The use of herbal cosmetics dates back to around six centuries ago in the European and Western countries. Mixtures and pastes were often concocted to whiten the face. During the 1940s, herbal cosmetics took a turn with the emerging red lipstick color, with every year gaining a more intense red. Herbal cosmetics come in many forms, such as face creams, scrubs, lipstick, natural fragrances, powders, body oils, deodorants and sunscreens. They activate through the epithelium of sebaceous glands to make the skin more supple. Ayurvedic oils are widely used in India, prized for their natural health-giving properties.[22]
One method and perhaps the best, used to extract natural oils from herbs to make lipstick is partition chromatography. The process involves separation in watery solution, and then the injection of colour under pressure.
Other
Strewing herbs are scattered (strewn) over the floors of dwelling places and other buildings. Such plants usually have fragrant or astringent smells, and many also serve as insecticides (e.g. to repel fleas) or disinfectants. For example, meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) was sometimes strewn across floors in the Middle Ages because of its sweet smell.[10]
See also
- Apothecary
- Herb chopper
- Herb farm
- Outline of herbs and spices
- Seed
- Spice
References
- ^ "Herb". Cambridge Advanced Learners' Dictionary & Thesaurus. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ "'H' an ingredient of modern herb". Toronto Star. 12 October 2009. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ISBN 0730104001.
- ^ "Glossary of Botanical Terms". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ a b Freeman, Margaret B. (1943). Herbs for the Medieval Household, for Cooking, Healing and Divers uses. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. ix–x.
- ^ ISBN 9781405303538.
- ^ ISBN 9780191079030.
- ^ ISBN 978-0517353264.
- ISBN 9780199571123.
- ^ ISBN 978-0751302035.
- ^ ISBN 9780140238020.
- ^
Health and Healing From the Medieval Garden. The Boydell Press. 2008. p. 67. ISBN 9781843833635.
- ^ Tucker, Arthur; Debaggio, Thomas. The Encyclopedia of Herbs. London: Timber Press.
- ISBN 978-0-660-19073-0. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ Patrick Curry: "Culpeper, Nicholas (1616–1654)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004)
- ^ Wrensch, Ruth D. (1992). The Essence of Herbs. University Press of Mississippi. p. 9.
- ^ S2CID 9769230.
- ^ Adele G Dawson (2000). Herbs, Partners in Life: Healing, Gardening and Cooking with Wild Plants. Bear & Co. pp. 5–6.
- S2CID 162889680.
- ISBN 978-0-306-40496-2. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ Cooper, Guy; Taylor, Gordon I. (1986). English Herb Garden. Random House.
- ^ Panda, H. (2015). Herbal Cosmetics Handbook (3rd ed.). Asia-Pacific Business Press.
External links
- Media related to Herbs at Wikimedia Commons
- § 182.10 Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings that are generally recognized as safe Archived 2018-02-09 at the Wayback Machine, US Code of Federal Regulations