Medicinal Herbs (n) – plants with culinary or medicinal use; this may refer to any part of the plant – including bark, root, flower, and seeds.
Humans have used medicinal plants for over 70,000 years to help preserve food, enhance flavor, and provide other health benefits.
There are literally thousands of medicinal herbs and plants. In today’s video, we’ll cover some particularly popular (and very beneficial) medicinal herbs for improving your health. All of the medicinal plants we'll cover today have strong research backing.
Hippocrates once said, “Let food be thy medicine.” We believe his words are true. Today’s video will help you take action on that sage advice.
Broadly speaking, there are two main groups of medicinal plants and herbs – 1) culinary herbs (those that we commonly use for cooking) and 2) medicinal herbs (those that we don’t cook with often yet are very beneficial for our health).
Many culinary herbs are very medicinal (example: ginger, basil, rosemary)
Here are some very popular culinary herbs that are also medicinal: -Basil: powerful antioxidants -Rosemary: great for memory -Thyme: boosts immune system -Oregano: strong antimicrobial
Culinary medicinal herbs are typically safe in large doses – hence why humans have learned to incorporate them into our food.
Many medicinal herbs are very powerful and should be used with caution. Two examples of powerful medicinal plants are St. John’s Wort (a powerful anti-depressant with lots of different interactions with drugs) and Kava (a powerful anti-anxiety and pain-relieving herb that’s toxic in high doses).
Our goal is to cover 10 medicinal herbs for beginners that have great safety profiles and are also very beneficial.
** Medicinal Herb #1: Ginger **
Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory. It also helps relieve symptoms of nausea.
** Medicinal Herb #2: Lavender **
Lavender is a great relaxing herb that is best taken as an essential oil at night. Research shows that Lavender improves sleep and mood.
** Medicinal Herb #3: Garlic **
Garlic is one of nature’s best heart health herbs. Garlic lowers triglycerides and cholesterol.
** Medicinal Herb #4: Tea Tree **
Tea Tree (best used as a topical essential oil) is one of nature’s best anti-microbial herbs. Research shows that Tea Tree can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria like methicillin-resistant staph (MRSA).
** Medicinal Herb #5: Peppermint **
Peppermint is a great herb to improve digestive health.
** Medicinal Herb #6: Cayenne **
Cayenne is a powerful herb for decreasing pain, slightly increasing your metabolic rate, and improving your circulation.
** Medicinal Herb #7: Echinacea **
Echinacea is a powerful herb for stimulating your immune system and preventing you from getting sick.
** Medicinal Herb #8: Dandelion **
Dandelion is a powerful herb for improving liver health (bile flow and supporting the liver’s natural detoxification functions).
** Medicinal Herb #9: Chamomile **
Like Lavender, Chamomile is a great relaxing herb for decreasing stress and promoting restful sleep. It’s best taken at night as a tea.
** Medicinal Herb #10: Turmeric/Curcumin **
I can’t really say enough good things about Turmeric. It’s perhaps the most versatile and powerful medicinal herb and plant on this entire list. Research supports Turmeric’s use as a powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, heart health & brain health promoter.
Unfortunately, Turmeric is poorly absorbed when eaten as a spice (only about 10% of what you eat is actually absorbed), so we do recommend you supplement with a bio-available Turmeric daily.
** Bonus Medicinal Herb #11: Stinging Nettle **
Stinging Nettle is very useful in preventing allergies (it reduces histamine release). Using the seeds of the Stinging Nettle plant also helps improve free Testosterone levels in men.
Take-Home Message: Medicinal herbs and plants are powerful, and we definitely recommend you get as many herbs and spices from your foods as possible.
-Dr. Anthony Balduzzi + The Men’s Health Experts @ The Fit Father Project
**Disclaimer: This information is for reference purposes ONLY and cannot replace personal information you can and should discuss with your Doctor. If you have any concerns about your health, you should see your Doctor immediately. Results vary by individual, so we do not guarantee you will get the same results as any shown here or on our website.
