Are drugs and antidotes manufactured in a lab the only approach to physical and psychological healing? The short answer is no. Despite the overwhelming engineered options available to us, a growing number of people are choosing medicinal plants again. It only makes sense for us to go back to our roots since, as most of us know, our ancestors have been using herbal remedies to heal and boost the mind and body for centuries. Even in modern times, 11 percent of the 252 drugs the World Health Organization (WHO) considers “basic and essential” were “exclusively of flowering plant origin.”
The Most Powerful Medicinal Plants
In no particular order, here are some of the most beneficial medicinal plants in the world.
- Chamomile
This pleasing-to-the-eyes flower contains volatile oils, including bisabolol and matricin, that may play a role in healing many different conditions and diseases. Specifically, chamomile may offer the following benefits:
- Helps prevent diabetes
- Thwarts muscle spasms
- Protects the skin from free-radical damage
- Fights against inflammation
- Reduces morning sickness in pregnant women
- Prevents bacterial affections
- Balances the digestive system
- Reduces the likelihood of cancer development
- Soothes muscle rigidity
- Maintains normal blood sugar levels
- Reduces heartburn
- Eliminates dandruff and cools the scalp
- Ginger
In a number of Asian countries, people include ginger in their daily meals and beverages to reap the health benefits of this flowering plant’s disease-fighting properties. Ginger offers numerous remedial advantages, including antibacterial and antiviral.
The health benefits of ginger are:
- Restores pH balance to the digestive tract
- Improves the body’s ability to absorb nutrients
- Fights against cancer, asthma, and diabetes
- Heals joint pains with its anti-inflammatory properties
- Prevents nausea after undergoing a surgical procedure
- Clears and powers the microcirculatory channels of the body
- Echinacea
Echinacea, otherwise known as coneflower, is native to Central America. The flowers, leaves, stems, and roots of echinacea have multiple medical purposes, including working as active chemicals to defend against fungal infections, inflammation, and common flu. Furthermore, this medicinal plant:
- Addresses stiffness of joints
- Stimulates the growth of blood cells
- Improves the body’s immunity against bronchitis, sore throats, and colds
- Dandelion
The flowers, leaves, and stems of dandelions are abundant sources of vitamins and nutrients. And, aside from its medicinal properties, dandelions are a popular ingredient in many wine and coffee substitutes.
The health benefits of dandelion flowers include:
- Addresses liver problems
- Balances blood sugar and cholesterol levels
- Acts as a powerful cleaning tonic for blood vessels
- Prevents gallstones
- Relieves inflammation and swelling of the ankles
- Improves the function of the pancreas
- Marigold
Marigold is a flowering plant native to South America, southwestern United States, and Mexico, although they have been blooming in gardens around the world for hundreds of years. These edible flowers add vibrant color to many summer dishes. Healthwise, the benefits of marigold include:
- Helps relieve fevers
- Cures many skin problems and reduces the appearance of scars
- Soothes wounds and burns
- Fights against inflammation and allergies
- Treats headaches and toothaches
- Optimizes the growth of new blood vessels and skin tissues
- Reduces the chances of tumor development
- Peppermint
Peppermint is more than an alluring holiday scent. This hybrid plant, which is mainly cultivated in Europe and the Middle East, is highly sought-after for its calming effect, antibacterial and antifungal properties, and a plethora of other health benefits including:
- Enhances memory power and alertness
- Relieves body pain
- Prevents sinus infections
- Improves the body’s digestive system and ability to absorb nutrients
- The concentration of methanol in peppermint may help prevent prostate cancer
- Thyme
People from different parts of the world use thyme as an aromatic plant. However, its leaves, oil, and flowers have several health benefits, too. For example, Ancient Egyptians used thyme to heal medical conditions, as well as to embalm the dead. Moreover, this fragrant herb has anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-parasitic, and antiseptic properties.
Some of the many health benefits of thyme include:
- elps prevent food-borne bacterial infections
- Balances blood pressure levels
- Minimizes the risk of developing colon cancer
- Acts as a relaxing herb by calming down the nervous system
- Soothes skin problems such as redness, swelling, and dryness
- Relieves colds and coughs
- Lavender
The oil extracted from this purple beauty has many medicinal properties, including:
- Clears dandruff and cools down the scalp
- Addresses skin dryness, itching, and swelling
- Soothes sunburns and migraines
- Helps normalize high blood pressure levels
- Provides prevention for airborne viruses
- Helps relieve anxiety, depression, and stress
Medical researchers have also commended lavender for its sedative properties to help people with insomnia get much-needed sleep.
- Spinach
The nutritious and delicious spinach is a flowering plant native to Central Asia. This green leafy vegetable, also known as Popeye’s favorite food, has powerful healing abilities. Spinach is also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, magnesium, manganese, iron, vitamin B1, vitamin C, phosphorus, zinc, selenium, and vitamin B3.
Here are some of the many health benefits of spinach:
- The beta carotene, luteine, and riboflavin in spinach helps boost the nervous system and cardiovascular system
- Strengthens the bones
- Protects the eyes against blue light
- May help prevent diabetes and certain cancers from developing
- The antioxidant properties may help prevent damages to the DNA
- Reduces high blood pressure
- Prevents insomnia, neuritis, and obesity
- Balances the cholesterol level in the body
- Turmeric
The striking orange hue of turmeric makes this spice impossible to miss while strolling through the grocery store. Ayurvedic medicine — one of the world’s oldest medical systems and remains as a traditional health care system in India — uses turmeric in their holistic approach to health.
Turmeric could be beneficial for:
- Several skin diseases
- Preventing certain cancers
- Stopping DNA mutations
- Pain from inflammatory diseases, like arthritis
Takeaway
Pharmaceutical drugs have become paramount in our lives, but it is still comforting to know that nature and its healing powers remain on our side, and that these plant options are available to complement our health practices. However, as always, speak with your physician before starting any new health treatment.
