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What is Phytotherapy?
- It is the use of plants for medicinal purposes. It is an ancient practice and has been used in many cultures throughout history. The first written records about Phyto-therapy are found on Egyptian papyrus dating back to 1500 BC. In ancient Greece, it was called pharmakeia, and Hippocrates recommended its use as one of his four pillars of medicine. Phytotherapy
- The term phytotherapy is used to describe the use of plants and plant extracts for therapeutic purposes. Physiotherapists are trained in herbal medicine, which includes a wide range of therapies that include homeopathy, aromatherapy, acupuncture, reflexology, flower essences, nutrition therapy, massage, exercise programs, stress management techniques, yoga, meditation, hypnosis ,biofeedback, music therapy, art therapy, spiritual healing, energy work, and many other modalities.
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History of phytotherapy
- The history of phytotherapy dates back to ancient times when people used plants for healing purposes. The earliest known written record of this practice was found at Eberswalde, where it has been dated to around 1000 BC.
- 1. Medicinal Plants Used in Type 2 Diabetes Management
- The first step towards understanding how phytoactive compounds work is to identify them. This task requires knowledge of plant chemistry, botany, pharmacognosy, and ethnopharmacology.
- However, it should not be forgotten that these disciplines do not always overlap completely; thus,
- when searching for new drugs or drug candidates, one must consider all aspects of each discipline.
- Cinnamon
- The first reports concerning the use of plant extracts or isolated compounds in the treatment of diabetes date back to ancient times when Hippocrates recommended the use of honey and wine inpatients suffering from hyperglycemia. Since then, several phytoextracts have been investigated for their potential antidiabetic properties, and numerous reviews have summarized the current knowledge on these topics.
- 2. Medicinal Plants Used in Traditional Medicine
- The first records of traditional uses of plant extracts date back more than 5500 years ago when Chinese physicians described several herbs useful against fever, cough, diarrhea, or pain. During ancient times, people were aware of the importance of diet and nutrition in health maintenance.
- They tried to improve it through food processing techniques, like fermentation, drying, smoking, roasting, boiling, etc., thus obtaining new foods rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds.
- 3. Preparation of Immunomodulating Acidic Heteropolysaccharides and Their Complexes
- The acidic heteropolysaccharide fraction isolated from the roots of Polygonatum odoratum L., a Chinese herb, possesses immunoactivities, including stimulation of macrophage activation, enhancement of T cell proliferation, induction of cytokine secretion, promotion of antibody synthesis, and suppression of tumorigenesis.
- Acetic acid polysaccharide fractions extracted from P. odoratum exhibited potent anti tumor activities both in vitro and in vivo.
- 4. Thyme in phytotherapy
- The present review focuses on the immunomodulatory acidic heteropolysaccharide complexes isolated from different sources, including algae, fungi, bacteria, yeast, lichens, seaweeds, fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, cereals, mushrooms, honey, propolis, bee pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, egg yolk, milk, cheese, yogurt, kefir , kombucha tea, and wine.
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Awareness of placebo and nocebo effects: facilitating the meaning response
- Our project aimed to determine if there were any differences between the traditional use of certain herbs/plants by elders versus the current evidence-based scientific data. Our goal was to learn what elder Betty knew about the healing power of her chosen plants and whether it matched up with the scientific findings.