By Jacqueline Kelly –
We read a lot about herbs and their medicinal and beauty values but we fail to take cognizance of the fact that herbs and oils have been mentioned in the Bible since time immemorial.
Botanically, an herb is a plant with a non-woody stem which withers and dies down after flowering. In common usage, however, the term applies to all plants whose leaves, stems, roots, flowers, fruits or seeds have culinary or medicinal uses. Most of the herbs are seasonal.
Also Read:
Part II: Some of the Favourite Herbs During Biblical Times
Part III: Exploring Herbs and Spices During Biblical Times
India has always been a treasure trove of herbs. Historically, in traditional Indian cuisine, there was hardly any distinction between food and medicine. Herbs were perceived as agents of satisfaction and well-being. In India, it is a tradition to use herbs for health and beauty.
Herbs like spices are rich in legend, facts, romance and trade. It was Indian spices that wrote a fascinating history of adventure, exploration and colonialism. Bitter battles were fought over the spice growing colonies. Centuries before the birth of the Greeks and Roman Empires, Indian ships carried herbs and their derivatives like perfumes and textiles to far-off destinations like Arabia, Mesopotamia and Egypt.
The treasures of herbs and spices have always been indicators of wealth and status and have dictated the policies of nations. Indian herbalism was developed by the ancient sages, wanderers and tribals who through intuition and observation discovered the many properties of plants and their products.
Today, the trend is “going back to nature”. People prefer to use natural, safe and effective products for holistic health, taught to them by their ancestors.
Herbal remedies is an ancient Indian tradition and a part of the Indian culture. Home remedies and beauty aids are taught to young girls by their grandmothers in many parts of the country. Herbs act in almost magical and astonishing ways.
Since, early Neanderthal man, plants and herbs have been used for healing purposes and maintaining good health. Even as medical science has progressed, methods and ideas based on herbal healing have sustained and grown in different countries across different cultures, often being used in exactly the same way.
Traditional, herbal remedies have led scientists to the development of numerous “modern” drugs from aspirin to heart-saving stimulants, establishing beyond doubt the efficacy of “herbal medicine”.
The value of the medicinal plant depends on its active principle content and not its harvest. This aspect distinguishes the herbal industry from the others as the norms of production of agricultural crops differ. It is often found that the same plant grown in different localities differs widely in its medicinal value. Several factors such as soil, rainfall, method of cultivation, storage, transport, etc play a major role in the medicinal value of drugs.
In this decade, natural nutrients have been proven that they are the answer for healing without the many side effects that many other synthetic medications usually have. The Indian subcontinent occupies a unique position in the world, capable of cultivating most of the medicinal plants used both in modern as well as traditional systems of medicine.
The very first line of the Bible mentions the birth of the environment [Genesis 1:1]. God created the universe. Then, God created man and gifted this planet to man. There are various references in the Bible to a wide variety of herbs and treatment with medicinal herbs.
The Bible gives us a thorough knowledge of herbs and spices which Perfumed the Jerusalem Temple [2 Chronicles 2:4], Sweetened the home [Song of Songs 7:13] and Seasoned Meals during the Exodus. [Numbers 11:5-6]
People of the Bible knew exactly what the plants tasted and smelled like, where they grew and their medicinal values. Spices were used for religious purposes i.e. Incense. “Spiced Wine” in [Song of Songs 8:2] where spices were used as a flavouring.
The Jerusalem Thorn [Crown of Thorns] Mark 15:17.
Its branches can be easily bent. It is believed that the branch was made into a crown and used on Jesus during His Passion.
Bulrush [Papyrus] Exodus 2:3.
It grows in the muddy banks of the water in Egypt. The stems were pounded together to make the paper the Bible was written on.
Gall [Poppy Seeds] Hosea 10:4; Matthew 2:34
The gall in the vinegar offered to Jesus on the Cross is believed to have come from the seeds of this plant. The flowers of this plant appear in Springtime and is also called the Opium Poppy.
Bitter Herbs were mostly used for food in the Bible. The people of Israel were commanded to have bitter herbs with their Passover Lamb.
Sorrel [Numbers 9:11]
It is a bitter herb and is eaten by Jews at the Passover meal to remind them of the bitter experiences in Egypt.
Wormwood [Jeremiah 23:15]
It is frequently mentioned in the Scripture, always for its bitterness. According to legend, wormwood grew in the trail left by the serpent’s tail as it slithered out of the Garden of Eden.
According to Apocryphal – Book of Jubilees, the angels revealed to Noah all the illnesses of the world and their remedies so that he could “heal by means of the herbs of the earth”. [Jubilees 10:12]
Noah recorded all the cures of the herbs and spices of the Near East throughout history.
Herbal cures during Biblical times
1. Salt was used for body massage
2. Stomach upset was settled with gargles of rosemary water and drinking it. Ginger root helped to relieve stomach aches.
3. Sores and wounds were treated with poultices made from Bear’s breech, honey and lard, ivy gum [agrimony, linseed oil and papaya peel.]
4. Softened flowers of the Muellin plant soaked in olive oil were used as earache drops. Garlic was also used to relieve the pain and loosed the wax in the ears.
5. Crushed leaves of the Comfrey plant were used to relieve the pain caused by sprains.
6. Rheumatism was treated by soaking the balm of Gilliad in olive oil and applied in liniment form on the affected part.
7. White willow had the effect of an aspirin.
8. Rosemary tea helped to relieve headaches or spearmint leaves were placed on the forehead. Sweet Marjoram’s oil was rubbed upon the forehead for relief. Rosemary twigs were boiled in water and used to wash a feverish body.