Phytotherapy - part 1 - Herbal therapy involves treating or alleviating diseases with plants. The category of diseases that can be treated with herbs is very large, ranging from digestive disorders to insomnia or nervous diseases. Our ancestors gave special importance to plants and their properties, as they were their only medicine. Today, plants are used preventively and phytotherapy has many followers worldwide.

 

In phytotherapy, plants are not used in their entirety. Depending on the plant, only the root, leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, seeds or bark are kept. Without realizing it, we often use phytotherapy - a linden tea before bedtime, an arnica cream on a bruise, eucalyptus candies to soothe a cough or ginseng capsules to treat fatigue.

The best use of plants is that which preserves all the properties of the plant, allowing extraction and assimilation of the active principles. Some herbs can be added fresh, either leaves or buds, to salads and raw vegetable dishes.

 

Some phytotherapists also recommend powder, obtained from dried and crushed plants. The powder is available as a powder or in capsules. The choice of the best form to use depends from plant to plant and from case to case. In general, the same dose is used for fresh and dried herbs. Fresh herbs are bulkier and their principles are more active.

The herbs can be purchased from the grocer's shop or they can be picked from the wild, preserved and prepared according to specific instructions. Ready-prepared herbs can also be bought at the grocer's or in pharmacies. Some herbs are contraindicated in pregnancy, even if they seem harmless. These include rosemary, soricel's tail, obligescens, wormwood, wormwood, chili pepper, rostopasca, anise, licorice, juniper, lavender, lavender, linseed, basil, basil, carob, carob, cress, rue, rhubarb, sage, thyme, rock thyme, vasculus, etc. There are also herbs that can be used in pregnancy, but with caution: angelica, burdock, sundew, chamomile, mint, patlagina, nettle, nettle, armoraria, ginger, etc.

There are also plants in which certain parts are toxic and others are good, which is why the plants should be picked and prepared only by specialized people who have in-depth knowledge in the field of phytotherapy.

For adults over 20 years of age, it is administered: 1 tablespoon of ground herb to a cup of water, i.e. 15-30 grams of herb to a liter of water. In general, it is preferable to drink the tea unsweetened as the sugar is fermentable and can cause bloating.

For children, doses are: 5 years - ¾ water and ¼ plant.

Tincture - pour a cup of boiling water over a tablespoon of ground herb. Cover with a lid so that the active principles do not volatilize and leave to infuse for 5-7 minutes.

Decoction - put the ground plant in water, boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Tincture - is obtained by decomposing the plant and macerating it over a short or long period of time. Tincture can be obtained by macerating the plant in cold water, wine, alcohol or oil. Tincture is used to enhance the soluble principles of certain plants.

Macerate - leave the plant in cold water for up to 12 hours.

Capsules - made from plant powder and gel. Capsules are less effective than herbs because they have a lower concentration of active ingredients and require longer administration.

Bath - put the herbs in a small canvas bag and let it infuse for 10-15 minutes in a liter of boiling water, then add the water to the bathtub or a bowl. You can also use filtered decoction.