by Glory Lennon

Created on: August 22, 2008

All through literature as far back as the bible and actually even before, herbs have been used to cure everything from indigestion, wounds, aches, fever, colds, depression and insomnia just to mention a few ailments. Down through history claims have been made about miraculous herbs and their extraordinary healing powers that have since been proven incorrect but more often than not they have been scientifically proved to be of some benefit. With that in mind, let us take a look at the various traditional uses for some herbs throughout history and for fun, what the current scientific establishment says about them.

Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) had been used in Asia for centuries before anyone in the western world knew of its existence. Perhaps that was a good thing for the Chinese who valued it so highly they preferred it to gold. Gold never cured anything after all. They called Ginseng the ultimate tonic good for improving the ravishes of aging like memory loss, impotence, menopause troubles, senility, arthritis, sexual disinterest and lethargy. They claimed it gave people wisdom and insight and when taken daily, increased longevity.

There are skeptics to all these claims but in various studies Ginseng has been shown to improve the body's resistence to illness, memory, productivity, physical stamina and learning. It has also been proved to significantly help in cases of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, liver problems and in the treatment of cancer.

Valerian had been touted as the wonder herb since before the Roman Empire. It got the name from the Latin word for strong Valere but some like the noted herbalists of the time Pliny, Dioscorides and Galen, merely called it "Fu" because it was a stinky smelling root. They loved it though along with many others who came after, such as the English herbalist Nicolas Culpeper, the Scottish herbalist John Gerard and the American "Eclectic" physician Samuel Thomson. They all recommended the use of Valerian for relieving pain, as a decongestant, a tranquilizer, an antispasmodic and even to relieve insomnia, stress, headache, anxiety and convulsions associated with epilepsy. No wonder many called it "All Heal", a panacea for the masses.

Today most of those claims are still valid, especially in treating insomnia, anxiety and as an antispasmodic for intestinal and uterine cramps.

Cocoa (chocolate) was used by the Central Americans back several centuries before the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez came to Mexico and asked

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