SLC S21 Week 1 - A Comprehensive guide to Herbal Medicines

emishael60 (62)in #steemexclusive • 25 days ago

_{Edited in Canva}

Greetings 🙌🏾 my beloved Steemian friends all around the world. Here on my blog, I have done a wide research about Modern and Herbal medicine, which I'd love to share with you all. Let me update you all with my research.

My Research about the history of herbal medicine in my culture and region.

In my country, Nigeria, Here in Africa, Herbal medicine has been a part of culture for thousands of years. Long before modern medicine was revealed, we have been using plants to treat illnesses for years now. This practice is widely known as traditional African medicine. Which includes using herbs, roots of plants, and other natural substances in our environment to heal our bodies and minds. People who have deep knowledge in this medication are called traditional healers, known as herbalists, and they are highly and fully respected because they use their knowledge of plants to make remedies for various ailments, and they have saved many lives. These healers often learn their skills from their parents or grandparents, passing down the knowledge from generation to generation.

This Herbal medicine is not just about treating physical symptoms. It also includes spiritual healing. Many people believe that illnesses can be caused by spiritual problems, so they use herbs along with prayers to heal both the body and the spirit. But in all, herbal medicine has stood out as a fast cure for physical health for many years now.

A table comparing the benefits and side effects of modern medicines vs. herbal medicines for common ailments like cold and flu, headache, diarrhea, and Stomach Aches.

Modern medicine vs.

Ailments & Medicine	Benefits	Side Effects
Headache(Paracetamol)	Fast acting	It may cause nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea(Flagyl)	It treats diarrhea by slowing down the overactive bowel movement quickly	It may cause dizziness, nausea, and blood on feaces
Cold and flu(Aspirin)	Very fast in recovering from cold, flu, and catarrh	It may cause breathing problems, swelling of the mouth, sudden rashes, severe headache
Stomach Aches(Buscopan)	It relieves painful stomach cramps, it helps too in bowel movement and all other stomach pains	It may/can cause digestive issues, dry mouth, blurred vision, fast heart rate

Note that am not a doctor, so all modern medication mentioned above must be used as prescribed by the physician.

Herbal medicine

Ailments & Medicine	*Benefits*	Side effects
Headache(Peppermint tea)	It reduces the tension of headache, improves our energy, and improves sleep.	It may cause heartburn, dry mouth, nausea, and vomiting.
Diarrhea (Pawpaw leaf tea)	It helps in treating diarrhea, helping the feaces to suit the anus and avoiding excessive water on the feaces	It may cause stomach cramps and pains.
Cold & Flu(Ginger tea)	It reduces clod ,cough and flu.It soothens the throat and helps in respiratory system health.	It	may cause heartburn, diarrhea, burping, and general stomach discomfort
Stomach Aches(Chamomile tea)	This tea helps to treat and reduce stomach pains, relieves gas, and reduce stomach bloating.	It may bring about dizzines, vomiting, swelling of the face or mouth, difficulty in breathing, and fast heart rate.

Note that I am not an herbalist, so all the herbal medication must be used fully well as prescribed by the herbalist.

_{The side effects of both modern medicine and Herbal medicine always occur when the medicine is not used as prescribed by the physician or an herbalist. Or when the medicines are misused for the illness.}

Three herbs from My kitchen:- garlic, ginger, and turmeric, and their health benefits, recipes, and where I have used these herbs.

Garlic

Garlic is widely known for its power to boost and repair the immune system, and the tissues in our body. It helps lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels. As my research continued, I found out that garlic has a very high percentage of antibacterial and antiviral properties that will surely help the body fight disease. We can simply add it to dishes like soups, stews, and sauces. It will add a strong flavor and health benefits to the meals to be consumed.

Ginger

Ginger is a wonderful herb; it helps with digestion, reduces nausea, and fights inflammation very quickly, as we can imagine. It is also good for relieving pain and improving blood circulation in the body. Ginger is often used in teas, and baked goods. It adds a spicy and warm flavor to food, too. When it is added to a meal, it can change the meal to yellowish.

Turmeric

Turmeric comes with a beautiful, sweet, light orange color when added to a meal.It has a slight high percentage of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, the same as garlic. It can help with joint pain, improve brain function, and lower the risk of heart disease. Turmeric is used in soups, stew, fried rice, and smoothies. It gives a warm flavor to our dishes.

Receipt of garlic, ginger, and turmeric tea for cough and flu.

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced
1-inch piece of fresh turmeric, sliced
1 cup of water

How to prepare it:

In an empty pot, puored the sliced garlic, ginger, and turmeric into the pot.
Add water and bring it to fire to be boil.
After 5 minutes of boiling reduce the heat and wait for 10-15 minutes.
Strain and remove the solids from the liquid.
Drink it hot, adding honey to taste if desired.

I have used this ginger, garlic and tumeric last week at home while I was suffering from cold and flu and it really works for me. All thanks to God our dear creator for existing of herbs.

Different Forms of Herbs

Herbs can be used in different ways, each form works with its benefits,and we have;

Fresh Herbs: These are picked directly from the plant. They have the strongest and highest percentage of flavor and are often used in cooking.
Herbs in dried form: The word dry indicates that this particular form of herbs is the fresh herbs that have been dried totally by sunlight to preserve them for a long period of use. They last longer than fresh ones and are used in cooking and preparing teas.
Powder Herbs: This particular form of herbs is the simplest form of herbs for me to use because they are dried herbs that have been already ground into a powder form. It can be easily mixed into our foods and our drinks because there will be no need to prepare them again. It'd be good to store them in a tight container.
Herbal Oils: This form of herbs is made by infusing oil from the herbs. It is used for cooking, massage, and skincare.

While still on my research I found out that garlic is generally safe for most people when used in food. However, there are some potential side effects that we should be aware of:

My research on garlic's potential side effects and how to avoid them.

Side Effects: Eating too much garlic can cause bad breath it can cause a very serious cancer in our respiratory system, it brings about heartburn, and an upset stomach. Some people may also be allergic to garlic because of the smell it has.

Garlic can fight with certain medications, such as blood thinners like aspirin which will not allow the modern medication to work properly. This can increase the risk of bleeding in the body.

But how can we avoid these side effects ??

To avoid side effects, we have to use garlic in moderation, especially the fresh ones, because the content in it is higher. If you are taking modern medication, talk to your doctor first before using garlic supplements. Because taking modern medication and taking garlic at the same time can cause allergic reactions.