Herbs for Health (Wellbeing Quick Guide)

For many thousands of years herbs have been used not just to add flavour to our food but as medical remedies. Even today, more than half the world’s population still rely on herbs for health. Modern medicine has yet to better many of Mother Nature’s original and most effective healers, so it’s little wonder that the origins of so many well-known medicines lie in herbal remedies. Over a hundred prescription drugs are based purely on plant and herbal extracts, including aspirin, cortisone, digitalis and codeine.

The wide variety of health benefits that the humble herb can, quite literally, bring to the table are often overlooked, yet it couldn’t be easier to introduce these potent plants into our daily lives to promote wellbeing. Take two of the most common herbs for instance – sage and thyme – found all year round on kitchen windowsills and supermarket shelves. Sage leaves help aid the digestion of fatty foods (think sage and onion stuffing) and homemade sage tea makes a fantastic antiseptic gargle for sore throats; while sipping a warm thyme and honey infusion can be a great tonic for hangovers, coughs and colds.

Happy reading and happy, herby health!