Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
Open Access

Traditional Medicine: Its Evolution and Significance in Human Life

Xiao He^{* *}Correspondence: Xiao He, Department of Ayurveda, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China, Email:

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About the Study

Human life in primordial times was surely challenging from the beginning. Ancestors required food for energy and medication to be well. While hunting animals would have access to high-energy foods like meat, medications to heal diseases would surely be more difficult to come by. Although modern science has found plants and plant extracts that may treat and cure diseases, it would be difficult to discover and identify plants that possessed health-promoting constituents during ancient times. The oldest medicinal records, inscribed on clay tablets by Sumerians between 5000 and 3000 BCE, show that humans recognized diseases and that the usage of medicine-containing plants might help preserve and restore good health. Therapeutic plants discovered on the preserved remains of Tzi, the Iceman who was killed by accident between 3400 and 3100 BCE in the icy, steep Himalayas indicate that others were aware of medicinal herbs. While the history of ancestors and medicines is sketchy, the benefits of medicinal plants in treating and maintaining health are well recognized.

Plants, which are subjected to destruction by foraging animals and insects, undoubtedly survived by producing repulsive, distasteful chemical constituents that repelled foraging animals. Humans could be selective in the parts of a plant they would eat, observing that consuming some plant tissues, such as fruit, leaves, or roots of some species, made people feel better. Medical treatment has evolved over time, from diseases to vaccinations and new drugs, as well as enhanced healthcare facilities that can more accurately diagnose and treat health issues. People may now live longer and healthier lives because of the advancements in modern medicine and medical treatment [1-3]. Most diseases have been eliminated by new plant-based medications and antibiotics derived from microflora. Medical laboratories are able to identify the disease by utilizing tissue and blood samples, as well as X-rays and other materials, assuring the physician can suggest the proper prescription in the appropriate dose.

Prehistoric predecessors could only evaluate plants and plant elements for flavour and therapeutic action with their senses. However, medicinal and aromatic plants have provided several benefits since their origin, including food flavouring, medications, preservatives, decorations, aesthetics, and personal pleasure. Knowledge of medicinal and aromatic herbs has been passed down from generation to generation, increasing health and quality of life [4,5]. While not everyone recognizes the value of medicinal and aromatic plants, the extinction of species due to climate change, plant diseases, or other plant invasions might result in the extinction of various plant species as well as the benefits which were used.

Conclusion

Encouraging many activities, information was passed along to following ages. On the other hand, because different temperatures on Earth have stimulated the selection of species, numerous regionally specific unique medicinal and fragrant plants now exist around the planet. Medicinal and aromatic plants, as well as ethnobotany, were employed for traditional medicine in various civilizations and cultures. Human mobility results in the dissemination of knowledge and the diffusion of materials. The discovery of unique plants and the chemical health elements inside the plants were historical events. Due to the shortage of plant materials, people travelled the world in search of new spice plants and the environments in which they grew. Spices were known as medicinal, a preservative, and a culinary flavour by the eighteenth century. By the seventeenth century, significant compounds for human health had been discovered and invented. Many synthetic medications were influenced by plant extracts, which serve as models for developing modern medicines.

References

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