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Indian Herbs

Definition of Herb
Herb is a seeded plant that does not possess a woody stem like tree. Herb lives long enough to develop flowers and seeds.

Number of Indian Herbs Available
Herbs can be fit into one or more classifications according to use -- culinary herbs, aromatic herbs, ornamental herbs, and medicinal herbs.

Culinary Herbs
Culinary herbs are most useful to herb gardeners, because of having a wide range of uses in cooking. These herbs, because of their strong flavors, are generally used in small quantities to add flavor to food. These are produced in largest amount and used mostly as a garnish.

Aromatic Herbs
Aromatic herbs have got some novel uses and are not as popular. Most are pleasant smelling flowers or foliage. Oils from these aromatic herbs can be used to produce perfumes, toilet water, and various scents. In home, the plant parts are used to scent linens or clothing. When dried, many aromatic herbs retain their aroma for a considerable period of time. Some common aromatic herbs include mint, marjoram, rosemary, and basil.

Ornamental Herbs
Ornamental herbs consist of brightly colored flowers and foliage. Many of them have whitish or light-colored flowers. Valerian has crimson blossoms while borage and chicory has blue-flowered. Such herbs as variegated thyme mint, lavender, and chives produce variegated foliage.

Medicinal Herbs
Medicinal herbs have thought to have curative powers. But present medical knowledge recognizes as some herbs have healing properties while others are highly overrated. Medicinal herbs should be used carefully. Some herbs are harmless while others can be very dangerous if consumed improperly.

Herbs can also be classified as annuals, biennials, and perennials. Annuals bloom in only one season and then die. Biennials live for two seasons, blooming the second season. Once established, perennials overwinter and bloom each season.

Herbal Preparations
In Ayurvedic herbalism, there are different methods of preparing herbs. Each method is developed to have an intended therapeutic effect on the body or to preserve the healing properties of an herb Ayurveda aims to use herbs in their natural form as much as possible to maximize their healing abilities, thus herbs are often used fresh. Most methods involve the ingestion of fresh herbs, but there are also many methods that require the external application of preserved herbs via ointments, powders, and oils.

Main Methods of Herbal Prepartions
The main methods of herbal preparations focus on the ingestion of herbs in their fresh condition or application of herbs soon after their modification. The main methods are juice, herbal paste, decoction, hot infusion, cold infusion, powders, oils, and ghee.

Juice
Juice is made by crushing fresh herbs into a pulp and then straining the liquid through a cloth. This creates a highly concentrated juice. To dilute it, one would add water. Juice is the most powerful of all liquid preparations because it contains the medicinal properties of the herbs in the fresh, natural state.

Herbal Paste
Herbal paste is made by crushing fresh herbs to the extent that it becomes a soft, semi-solid, mass. Honey, ghee, oil, water or sugar is usually added to give it extra mass. Paste is usually applied externally on the skin to heal wounds, cuts, and sores. It can be heated to use as a poultice.

Decoction
Decoction is used to extract and concentrate the active compounds of herbs. It is a water-based preparation.It is prepared by putting the herbs in a large pot of water and then boiling the herbs over a low flame til much of the water get evaporated. Decoctions are usually made from the harder parts of herbs such as roots, stems, bark, and fruits. The main advantage with the Decoction is that it can be stored for many months unlike juices.

Hot Infusion
Hot infusion is prepared in a similar way to decoctions. It is another water-based preparation. The difference between the two is that hot infusion is made by steeping the fresh herbs in water, which is already boiling for short period of time. This is because hot infusion is used for more delicate parts of the herbs such as leaves and flowers. Also, It is primarily used for aromatic, oily herbs that get destroyed if steeped for longer span of time.

Cold Infusion
Cold infusion is the most weak method of herbal preparations because it is having the least amount of medicinal properties. It is made by putting fresh herbs in cool water and let the concoction sit for a very long time. This is necessary for extremely fragile herbs, but it generally extracts less active compounds than decoctions or hot infusions. Cold infusions are best used for cooling therapies and are usually made with mint, jasmine, sandalwood, and other aromatic herbs.

Powders
Powders are made by crushing semi-dried herbs into finely grained pieces and then it get mixed with a suitable liquid medium such as ghee, oil, water, milk or honey. Powders are supposed to be more powerful than any of the previous methods because these allow the herbs to be directly ingested. Powders have powerful short-term effects but do not last long. These are often ingested or mixed with other concoctions.

Oils
Letting herbs sit in specific oils for a period of time until the medicinal properties of the herbs have been released into the oil makes oils. Coconut, Castor oil, Sesame and Sunflower are few of the popular choices. Oil is mainly used externally, especially for massaging, because they are most effective for the skin, blood, and lungs. They lose their healing powers very quickly inorder to affect the deeper, internal organs that’s why they are often not ingested.

Ghee
Ghee is basically raw, unsalted butter which is supposed to be heated until all the water get evaporated and only the thick, nutrient-filled foam is left. After the foam gets cooled, it becomes solid and can be stored outside in refrigeration. Unlike oils, ghee has long-lasting strength to affect internal organs, tissues, bone marrow, and nerves, so it is often ingested itself or along with special herbs infused within it. Ghee helps in increasing digestion, creation of enzymes, and activities of the stomach and liver.

Indian Herbs as Food
The preparation methods described above intend to use herbs as medicine to cure a specific illness that has occurred in the body. Herbs are also consumed regularly as food to prevent illnesses and maintain good health. Whereas herbs in the form of medicine are used to restore balance, herbs in the form of food are used to maintain balance.

"Herb" is a loose term to describe any plant that has health benefits to humans. For the boundary-setting purpose of research project, "herb" term has been used only for non-fruit, non-vegetable plants and spices. Thus, when herbs are taken as food in Ayurvedic preventative practices, they are actually supplements to the main dish in the form of condiments, spices, and beverages. Herbs enhances nutrients content and healing powers of the main dish, these enhance the body's ability to absorb nutrients, and opens the whole person to get benefited psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually from eating the food.

Herbs as teas and tisanes
The tea plant, is now the most widely drunk herbal tea. Herbal teas, as we think, are actually refreshing tisanes, which are an integral part of the herbalist's medicine. They have been used against various conditions like soothe, alleviate depression, invigorate, induce sleep, aid digestion, and even in childbirth. Teas and tisanes can be differentiated by their methods of production. Teas are made from herbs that have been harvested, dried or processed, such as smoked. Tisanes are made from the infusion of fresh herbs, or herbs which are simply air-dried.





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