Perhaps you have asked yourself more than once where natural medicine is born, and more specifically certain disciplines such as Phytotherapy. On the one hand, you would like to know what its health benefits are and how it can be complemented with traditional medicine. But also have a broader vision, delve into its historical legacy and discover the first civilizations that knew how to see the therapeutic use of some plants for their medicinal virtues. This post brings you closer to her. From birth to employment in the 21st century Hapé.
What do we know about this natural science that is derived from the Greek “Phuton”, plant, and “Therapeia”, treatment? Talking about phytotherapy also means talking about other special branches integrated into it, such as aromatherapy, based on essential oils. And those other alternative therapies that can be your great allies to increase our health, such as Thai massage.
The birth of phytotherapy: the figure of the shaman and Egyptian medicine
The definition of the term phytotherapy as we understand it today began to be used around 1865 by Dr. Auguste Soins, officially calling it the therapy that uses medicinal plants for health. And at the beginning of the 20th century, Dr. Henri Leclerc was responsible for popularizing the term among the scientific and medical community. However, it is no less true to say that this science is as old as humanity itself and the appearance of different civilizations and cultures throughout history. Since man has existed, he has always known how to resort to vegetal means within his reach to alleviate his ailments, almost in an intuitive way and with a vision closely linked to magical rites and the figure of the shaman and the healer. And this empirical experience on medicinal plants allowed for the subsequent scientific study of it.
With the Egyptian culture, Phytotherapy achieved a more rational vision , as demonstrated by the discovery of documents that corroborated the mastery and knowledge of these plants. On the one hand the Ebbers papyrus (1500 BC) and on the other the Kaun papyrus (1900 BC). In traditional Chinese medicine and Indian culture this science also played a prominent role. The Emperor’s book of internal medicine, more than 3,000 years old, already compiled medicinal plants and their therapeutic application, and today it is still considered a valuable reference manual. And in India, the medical principles of Ayurveda cannot be explained without the use of medicinal plants in its holistic conception of health.
In a similar way, Greek culture knew how to benefit from the knowledge about medicinal plants inherited from the Egyptian people . So much so, that apparently it was in Greece where the first book dedicated to this family and its effects was born, the work of the doctor Dioscorides. And Hippocrates mentioned numerous medicinal plants in his treatises as recommendations to combat certain reactions produced by food in people.
The golden age of this science
Phytotherapy also experienced a golden age , closely associated with the arrival of the printing press during the Renaissance . Texts about this ancient science began to proliferate, compiling studies and treatments on medicinal plants. The first herbaria also emerged, conceived as collections of varieties intended for botanical studies. Subsequently, the birth of experimental botany and the study of plant physiology gave rise to an increase in plants with purely therapeutic uses.
It was in the 19th century when the active principles in plants with curative and beneficial health purposes were definitively confirmed, thanks to the development of chemistry, physics and physiology. On the other hand, the industrial revolution brought with it the preparation of the first medicines, and the appearance of pharmacists, the main people in charge of manipulating its leaves and stems.
Halfway between natural and traditional medicine
We will have to wait until the beginning of the 20th century to understand it as it is interpreted today: the treatment and prevention of ailments using plants and plant substances . As we pointed out at the beginning of this post, Dr. Henri Leclerc is credited with authoring his name to define the field of medicine that he began to use medicinal plants as medicines. Since then, this enigmatic science has been linked to both natural and conventional medicine , given the scientific evidence of studies that have revealed the presence of important pharmacological actions in them, often using them as essential ingredients for the manufacture of phytopharmaceuticals. These are used for preventive purposes or treatment of different pathologies, and include in their composition extracts made from the entire plant, or only from some organs.
- ITS ROLE IN NATURAL MEDICINE. It is true that Phytotherapy has always been closely linked to natural medicine, as one more member of the disciplines that are included under it. In reality, what we call alternative therapies leads us to discover a wide range of health practices capable of providing us with well-being and greatly improving our health with an alternative approach to conventional medical treatments. In this context, Phytotherapy can be integrated into natural therapies based on biological knowledge.
- ITS ROLE IN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE . However, this science also has a place in so-called conventional medicine , most of the time as a parallel treatment to it, ideal to be used together and respectfully. Sometimes even as effective methods to counteract side effects with chemotherapy. As the Phytotherapy Research Center (INFITO) points out, it is a therapeutic option validated by numerous scientific studies and the positive experience of millions of people. Now, medicinal plants must be administered and supplied safely by health professionals. Although their side effects are less than synthetic drugs, they are not harmless and hence the importance of approaching them with all guarantees. These drugs based on natural plants are also medications and therefore should be supplied in pharmacies or specialized centers if they are moderate ailments. And if they are more serious conditions, they will probably need a prescription, in addition to knowing if the person takes other classes of medications and knowing what their medical history is.
The therapeutic keys of phytotherapy
Therefore, phytotherapy can be a new ally to take care of our health with a more natural philosophy to prevent, treat, reduce or combat common ailments and discomforts, experienced on a regular basis and that reduce our quality of life. Their treatments are of great help to work on the symptoms of practically any disease, although it is true that with a more holistic concept of health, as they always look for the cause of the illness and then the most suitable remedy.
What plants do we talk about when we think of this extensive and varied family? The most common are plant species and they can be terrestrial or marine plants , taking advantage of their leaves, roots and sometimes their underground stems. Practically, there is a medicinal plant for each of the most common symptoms and pathologies. Strengthen our immune system, overcome fatigue, lose weight, relieve joint pain, promote better rest at night, improve digestive, cardiovascular, gynecological disorders, etc.
Integrating it into our daily lives and benefiting from its main healing qualities is a simple practice because there are various formulas to access these plants. Always hand in hand with a healthy and balanced diet. From healthy drinks, such as infusions , to natural creams , baths, tinctures or essential oils , and their administration in capsules: the most widespread and comfortable modality to facilitate consumption and correct dosage, easy to find in herbalists and pharmacies.
The main medicinal virtues
The benefits that can be experienced when we rely on Phytotherapy are varied and most act on quite common ailments . Turning to its medicinal plants can help us mitigate symptoms of stress and anxiety, combat states of insomnia, promote relaxation , reduce digestive problems , high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. Without going any further, in Spain, according to the Phytotherapy Research Center, four out of ten Spaniards turn to this type of plants when they need to fall asleep . In this same sense, the European Medicines Agency does not hesitate to approve the use of pharmaceutical preparations with some of these varieties, such as Passionflower and California Poppy, according to the Stivill Sueño Foundation.
Phytotherapy is also one of the alternative therapies to consider as a treatment capable of relieving other symptoms, such as fever, itchy throat , muscle and joint pain, and coughing spells . Although the toxicity problems associated with these plants are very low, we must not forget that we must think of them as a medical treatment, even if it is alternative or complementary. Therefore, it is important to respect the recommended quantities and inform a medical professional about the start of its administration. The main reason is that some plant varieties can reduce the action of certain synthetic medications, including anticoagulants. And on the contrary, others are susceptible to increasing their effects inappropriately.