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The plant is used to treat bronchitis and cough. It serves as an antispasmodic and expectorant in this role. It has also been used in many other medicinal roles in Asian and Ayurvedic medicine, although it has not been shown to be effective in non-respiratory medicinal roles. [156] Tilia cordata: Small-leaved linden
The stem of the plant is tetragonal, hairy and stiff at the nodes. The bark is dark brown, although the leaves are elliptic-lanceolate and herpid. The flowers are purple and to a lesser extent violet blue. The fruit resembles a four-sided shape, linear, glabrous and about 1 cm long with seeds that are hairy and brown in color.
Archaeological evidence indicates that the use of medicinal plants dates back to the Paleolithic age, approximately 60,000 years ago. Written evidence of herbal remedies dates back over 5,000 years to the Sumerians, who compiled lists of plants. Some ancient cultures wrote about plants and their medical uses in books called herbals.
The use of plants for medicinal purposes, and their descriptions, dates back two to three thousand years. [10] [11] The word herbal is derived from the mediaeval Latin liber herbalis ("book of herbs"): [2] it is sometimes used in contrast to the word florilegium, which is a treatise on flowers [12] with emphasis on their beauty and enjoyment rather than the herbal emphasis on their utility. [13]
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection against insects , fungi , diseases , against parasites [ 2 ] and herbivorous mammals .
De materia medica (Latin name for the Greek work Περὶ ὕλης ἰατρικῆς, Peri hulēs iatrikēs, both meaning "On Medical Material") is a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them.
Besides its medicinal uses, it may also be used as a decorative dry plant. The Bodos , of Assam, India , use it as a flavourful herb and add it to soups, chicken, curries, and also as a side dish with chillies and native soda ash water called kharwi .
The plant is commonly used in Siddha medicines. The root, bark, flowers, leaves and seeds are all used for medicinal purposes by Tamils. [citation needed] The leaves are used as adjunct to medicines used for pile complaints. The flowers are used to increase semen in men. [7] [unreliable medical source?] Abutilon indicum.