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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 .
Herbs were also commonly used in the traditional medicine of ancient India, where the principal treatment for diseases was diet. [14] De Materia Medica , originally written in Greek by Pedanius Dioscorides ( c. 40 – c. 90 CE ) of Anazarbus , Cilicia , a physician and botanist, is one example of herbal writing used over centuries until the 1600s.
Cultural expectations play an important role in treatment as a 1985 study amongst the Mende people of Sierra Leone showed that treatment decisions were made "largely on traditional notions of the efficacy of a medicine of a particular color, consistency, taste, size and reputed success in treating analogous illnesses". [53]
Adverse reactions to herbs are described in traditional ayurvedic texts, but practitioners are reluctant to admit that herbs could be toxic and that reliable information on herbal toxicity is not readily available. There is a communication gap between practitioners of medicine and ayurveda. [123]
Roots were dried in large quantities, traded from one place to another and were kept as a "back-up" in times of food shortage. For example, during the summer months, St'at'imc, Nlaka'pamux and Secwepemc women would dig the corms of yellow glacier lily (Erythronium grandiflorum). Families would gather upwards of 2000 lbs.
The phytochemicals present in Ocimum gratissimum contains polyphenols such as Gallic acid, Rosmanol, rosmarinic acid, flavonoids such as Nepetrin, Quercetin, Rutin, . Catechin, and also alkaloids and terpenoids.
Coleus amboinicus, synonym Plectranthus amboinicus, [1] is a semi-succulent perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae [2] with a pungent oregano-like flavor and odor. Coleus amboinicus is considered to be native to parts of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and India, [3] although it is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in the tropics where it is used as a spice and ornamental plant. [2]
Timelapse of growing basil Desiccated basil showing seed dispersal. Basil is an annual, or sometimes perennial, herb.Depending on the variety, plants can reach heights of between 30 and 150 centimetres (1 and 5 feet). [6]