Herbal medicine, which is also called or named botanical medicine or phytomedicine, means the use of any plant's seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal purposes.herbalism is becoming more mainstream as daily analysis and researches show their values in the treatment, cure and prevention of diseases. I will be talking on the importance of herbal medicine which I call alternative medicine. Most of the roots herbs and leaves are common plants we come across on a daily basis but because we don’t know the usage and its effectiveness we despise them. They are cheap and mostly readily available in our environments. Some of these herbs and roots will be discussed.Their names, usage, importance etc.
BASIL HERB
The king of herbs, basil herb is one of the oldest and popular herbal plant rich in many notable health benefiting phyto-nutrients. This highly prized plant is referred as "holy herb" in many traditions all over the world.
Basil belongs to the family of Lamiaceae, of the genus: Ocimum. Its scientific name is "Ocimum basilicum." Basil can be found in virtually all parts of the world but, Basil is originally native to IRAN, INDIA, and other tropical regions of Asia. It can also be found in parts of Africa as much as I know of in NIGERIA. Basil is traditionally called ‘nchanwu’ (igbo) or ‘effirin’ (yoruba) or Ɗaɗɗoya ta gida (hausa). This bushy annual herbal plant is grown for its medicinally useful leaves and seeds. Basil grows best in warm, tropical climates. Fully-grown plant reaches on an average about 100 cm in height. The leaves are light green, silky about 2.5 inches long and 1 inch broad with opposite arrangement. The flowers are quite big, white in color and arranged in a terminal spike.
Different types of basil herb exist. "Mediterranean" cultivar is typically called sweet basil, has light green leaves as opposed "Asian basil" (Ocinum sanctum) that has large, hairy stems and stalks with pink flowers, purple or red leaves and has stronger ‘clove’ like flavor. There is also lemon basil, which has "lemon" flavor.
