Herbal plants from all over the world, exhibited at the Chelsea Medicinal Botanical Garden in London

Spring is full of spring in March, which is a good time for outings. Mountains, parks, and botanical gardens are all good places. And there is a botanical garden that not only has 350 years of history and fresh and eye-catching herbal flowers but also can greatly enrich the knowledge of daily life and health preservation, that is-

Chelsea Physics Garden, London

The Medicinal Botanical Garden in Chelsea, London, was established in 1673 and is the second oldest botanical garden in Britain after Oxford University Botanical Garden.

Upon entering the park, you can see the statue of Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) from a distance.

This Sir Sloan was a well-known funder of the Chelsea Medicinal Botanical Garden in its early days. He is a physician and a major collector. He began his career as a collector in 1687. At that time, he served as a physician accompanying the new governor, Duke Abema, to Jamaica. During the journey, he collected 800 plant species and Other living specimens and bring them back to London. At the time of his death, according to his will, he donated all the 71,000 pieces of a personal collection and a large number of herbarium books and manuscripts to the state, which directly contributed to the establishment and opening of the British Museum. Sir Sloan also became president of the Royal Society in 1727 after Sir Isaac Newton.

Sir Hans Sloan:

One of the highlights of the Chelsea Medicinal Botanical Garden is the display of useful plants and plants that can be used as medicine from various regions of the world.

The following will be introduced separately according to East Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, Africa, and other regions.

Many herbaceous plants all over the world grow in forests. There are three main types of forests in the world: 

• 1. Tropical forests-in the equatorial region. The annual rainfall is usually as high as 2.5 meters and the temperature is about 27 degrees Celsius. 
• 2. Temperate forests-including hardwoods and softwoods, distributed in Europe, East Asia, North America, and Southeastern Australia. 
• 3. Frigid forests-mainly located in the northern hemisphere, dominated by coniferous forests.

Let's see about, Herbal plants from all over the world, exhibited at the Chelsea Medicinal Botanical Garden in London.

Asia:

First, come to East Asia and look at the wealth in the forest here:

In East Asia, forests have many different uses. In addition to being used as seed reservoirs, watershed forests, construction wood, and fuel, there are also some sacred uses. For example, the Feng Shui forest in China cannot be exploited, otherwise, it will destroy Feng Shui. Looking at the picture above, I found an interesting point. Perhaps it is because China’s Fengshui is so famous that Fengshui is directly translated into "Fengshui" according to Chinese Pinyin in the world.

Wood is also used to build temples. The oldest surviving wooden building in the world is the Japanese Horyuji Temple built in the seventh century AD. The wood used is mainly Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtuse). In South Korea, pine trees are not only a spiritual symbol of this nation, but also have a wide range of uses. Pinewood is used in construction, agriculture, pottery, and sea salt evaporation.

In addition, residents of East Asia also use Pueraria thunbergia fibers to weave fabrics. Other fibers, such as Broussonetia papyrifera, have been used to make paper in China since the 1-2 century AD (of course, this is one of our four proud inventions).

Let's take a look at the medicinal materials in the forests of East Asia.

The forest coverage rate in East Asia is about 20%. In East Asia, monopoly transactions of medicines and herbal medicines used to treat patients with herbs are common in the market. Plants are used to treat colds, fever, stomach problems, joint pains, injuries, and women's diseases. For example, honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is used to treat inflammation, fever, bronchitis, asthma, and tumors. Herbs are not only used to treat diseases but also to prevent diseases, so supplements and nutrition are also very popular. For example, ginseng (Panax ginseng) is used as a good tonic, so Chinese people often use silk and medicine to do business with Korea in exchange for the rich Korean ginseng.

Look at the introduction of the Chelsea Medicinal Botanical Garden: "China, with its vast territory and extremely diverse plants, has made Chinese medicine vigorously developed for hundreds of years." Of course, Chinese herbal medicine is an important part of world pharmacy. In English, the abbreviation TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is directly used to represent Chinese medicine, which shows that this term is widely used in the world.

Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on the balance of "Yin" and "Yang" in Taoism, and the adjustment of "Essence, Qi and Shen". Traditional Japanese medicine Kampo (Japanese Kampo medicine) is basically based on Chinese medicine.

China's first herbal medicine "Shen Nong's Ben Cao Jing" was written in the Eastern Han Dynasty, more than two thousand years ago. It mentions 365 kinds of medicinal materials, of which more than 250 are herbs. Some herbs, such as Ephedra sinica (Ephedra sinica), are still used as medicinal materials.

More East Asian beautiful herbal medicines will appear:

There is also a herb, which is available in every household, and is a commonly used spice in Asia:

The fragrant fennel seeds can cure colds. So, I don’t know what magical herbs are in India, the ancient country of South Asia that smells like curry?

The three major medical systems in India include Ayurveda medicine, UNANI medicine, and Siddha medicine.

Ayurveda, the most common in India, has a history of more than 5,000 years and is one of the oldest medical systems in the world. Two works from 700 to 200 BC, "Caraka Samhita" (Caraka Samhita) and "Susruta Samhita" (Susruta Samhita) are the core of Ayurvedic medicine, introducing more than a thousand herbs.

Ayurveda means "life science" and emphasizes the balance of three kinds of energy: Vata Wind Pitta Fire Kapha Earth, which pays attention to physical and mental health.

America:

Leaving Asia, flying across the ocean, walking into the North American forest where the ancient Indians lived, and seeing what wonderful gifts of nature are here:

North America has 17% of the world's forests, including as many as 950 tree species. The main forest types are frigid coniferous forests and temperate softwood forests and hardwood forests from eastern California to Alaska.

One of the most important foods in the region is maple syrup. In spring, the indigenous people moved to Acer's sugar cane forest (sugar maple), where they set up a "sugar camp" for about a month to mine maple sap, which is a rich source of energy. The tough, short-leafed yew elastic hardwood (Pacific Yew) was made into bows, arrows, and harpoon handles to allow Native Americans to show off their hunting skills.

Forests cover 25% of North America, and many plants in the forest have medicinal values. Among these North American natives living in the forest, the most common diseases are rheumatism, arthritis, dysentery, and digestive tract diseases. In addition, due to the indigenous people’s habit of making fires in their houses, many people suffer from eye diseases due to fires. Therefore, Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea ssp. sericea) is used as eye medicine by local people. Many modern diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc., are not common among North American natives, but they also have corresponding herbal treatments. Some tribes use American sea cucumber (Oplopanax horridus) to treat cancer and diabetes. Native North Americans are also good at delivering babies. Drinking tea made from the root of Caulophyllum thalictroides can make the delivery more smooth.

In 1552, Martin de la Cruz of Aztec, an Aztec scholar, wrote a handbook containing more than 250 Mexican herbs.

Shamans are a group of Indians who exorcise others and pray for others. The natives of North America believe that the role of herbs in curing diseases also comes from the blessing of gods. In the late eighteenth century, herbalist Samuel Thomson developed a set of treatments based on the herbal experience of the indigenous people of North America.

Speaking of Indian herbs, start with the herbs that these moist jungle natives mastered against malaria, skin diseases, rheumatism, and digestive diseases:

In addition, there are herbs used to treat other diseases in North American forests:

There is also a very common plant that originated in America and is indispensable for cooking:

This is Capsicum annuum, which has been cultivated for more than 9,000 years! The ancient Mayans used chili to treat microbial infections, and the Aztecs used it to treat toothaches. Capsaicin in fruits has pain-relieving properties. Used for rheumatism, psoriasis, and muscle pain. Helps circulation and digestion. It turns out that pepper has so many magical effects!

Therefore, the various types of forests across the tropical, temperate, and frigid zones in the Americas are also very rich in plants. The coordinates were transferred to Europe, a place that loves herbs.

Europe:

European trees are distributed in the cold continental, temperate, Mediterranean and mountain forests. Early Europeans hunted and gathered in these vast woodlands and quickly became part of their religion and rituals. Oak, pine, and bodhi trees were often worshipped until the early Christian churches removed these so-called pagan symbols.

As early as 5,000 years ago, Europeans managed forests, such as pruning shoots. Every few years, the new flexible hazel branches are cut and used for swordsmanship and basket weaving, and continue to this day. (No wonder the swords in fencing competitions look slender and flexible. They were originally made from hazel branches.)

In medieval Europe, with the development of agriculture, an agroforestry system was formed in some forest areas in southern Spain and Portugal. The Spanish system is to gradually cut down oak trees and harvest their seeds, wood or bark, and plant crops and livestock on the cleared land. Later, in the European maritime era, large tracts of oak forests were cut down to build ships. During the Industrial Revolution, oak was also used to produce charcoal from molten metal.

The proportion of forests in each European country varies from country to country. Finland is as high as 86%, while in Iceland it is only 7%.

These forests have been primary resources for the study of herbal medicine since ancient times. For example, the Greek doctor Dioscorides (40-90ce) described 600 medicinal herbs as folk remedies, including many forest plants. For example, he recommended Dryopteris filix mas as an insecticide and Polygonatum healing for wounds. Dioscorides had a profound influence on early medicine and herbalism.

For thousands of years, Europeans learned to store plant leaves, bark, roots, fruits, and tubers to deal with the most common diseases. For example, raspberry (Rubus idaeus) leaves are used to treat sore throats and diarrhea, while linden tree (Tilia) flowers are believed to calm the mind and soothe colds. Sanicula europaea (Sanicula europaea) has always been considered good medicine for healing wounds.

Europeans love forests and are sometimes quite superstitious. For example, they believe that resting under oak trees will bring good health, and the plants that grow near them also have special medicinal properties. If Polypodium vulgare (a kind of fern) grows closer to the oak tree, it is considered to be more beneficial for treating bronchitis and hepatitis.

Speaking of herbal books, I need to mention a few more words about the Greek doctor Pedanius Dioscorides (40-90 AD).

He participated in the Roman army of Emperor Nero. During the trip, he researched the diseases of all known medicinal plants and compiled information. He compiled his research into a five-volume encyclopedia. More than 600 kinds of plants are recorded, classified according to their nature. In addition to the medicinal uses of plants, he also described the botanical characteristics, habitat, preparation, and side effects. Also, note the effective herbal preparations and warn of potential toxicity. It remained the herbal authority in Europe and the Middle East until the 17th century.

In ancient China, there was Shennong who tasted Baicao. "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica" (English title translation: Divine Farmer's Classic of Materia Medica) was compiled during the Eastern Han Dynasty, so it is almost contemporary with this Greek medical book.

When it comes to medicinal plants, there is a special English vocabulary called officinae, which means from the monastery warehouse [medicinal]'. It is now the name of the medicinal plant. In other words, to translate "herbal medicine" into English, it can be translated into herbal medicine, or it can be directly translated into the proper noun of officinae.

In medieval Europe, monasteries took care of the sick. Monks and nuns mainly used herbs to heal them, often planting herbs in monastery gardens. Around 1100, the first herbal shop was established in the monastery. By the 13th century, these pharmacies had spread to cities such as Florence and Venice. In the 16th century, private pharmacies began to appear in business. (Compared to the Chinese Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian opening a herbal shop, it is still later.)

When the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) created the plant system nomenclature, he chose the word officinae as the species name for plants with strong medicinal effects, and it is still used today.

The Chelsea Medicinal Botanical Garden in London, England, naturally introduces the history of British herbalism. It can be traced back to the ancient Celtic era before Christ. The doctors at the time were also given the functions of priests, and they also had a deep knowledge of herbal medicine. Later, with the Roman invasion of England in the 1950s, the Romans also brought an introduction to medical teaching in the classical world. With the departure of the Romans, their medical heritage and herbal knowledge were maintained by the monasteries of the Christian church. However, many of the species described in the Greek or Roman herbal books did not grow in Britain.

With the development of British printing technology in the 16th and 7th centuries, some herbal works were printed and published, including the herbal works published by John Gerard and Nicholas Culpeper in 1597 and 1652 respectively. In 1864, the National Association of Pharmacists was established in England. This is the world's first professional organization for herbal medicine practitioners.

Then let's take a look at the herbal plants in Europe:

In Europe on the Mediterranean coast, there are some local herbs:

Oceania:

The herbs of Oceania are not mentioned much in the Chelsea Medicinal Botanical Garden. But mentioned a herb that has saved many women:

Next, let's take a look at the magical African continent, where there are ancient civilizations and countless forests and grasslands, what kind of herbal power will there be.

Africa:

There are nearly 70,000 plant species in Africa, half of which are only found locally. However, primitive African pharmacy is very superstitious of gods, and doctors believe that certain botanical prescriptions are prescribed by the will of gods. It mainly includes various supplements and herbs for treating malaria, leprosy, and snake bites.

I also have to mention herbalism in the Middle East. Herbal pollen was unearthed in a tomb 60,000 years ago in present-day Iraq. Both the Babylonian and the ancient Egyptian empires believed that the will of God could cure diseases. The ancient Egyptians also believed that eating garlic and onions could prevent infections, so the craftsmen who built the pyramids would eat them.

Some herbs in Southern Africa:

It is also worth mentioning that among African herbs, some herbs that can prevent or treat cancer have been found:

Cancer, AIDS, etc., are all major diseases that plague people in the world today. Fortunately, there are active explorations and some herbs have been discovered. Africa, which has always been mysterious and ancient, who knows whether it is also the place to give the key clues to solve the problem of life? Also, the whole nature of the earth has already given us gifts waiting for us to discover it?

Herbal plants are the representatives that carry the harmonious relationship between man and nature. On all continents of the world, this relationship has never stopped since ancient times. Today's Chelsea Medicinal Botanical Garden in London gave a small display. For more details, you can learn more from the "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" in China, Ayurveda in India, Handbook of Indian Herbal Medicine in North America, pharmacopoeias in Europe, and contemporary pharmacists based in Africa.

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