NATIONAL HERB DAY; 1ST SAT IN MAY

National Herb Day is usually celebrated annually on the first Saturday of May. The HerbDay Coalition, an organization of five non-profit groups, started National Herb Day to raise awareness about the useful properties and importance of herbs in daily life. They also work towards encouraging people to learn more about the herbs and provide a better understanding of the extensive uses of herbs in daily life. Herbs are extensively used in food, medicines, and cosmetics. They also served as the first medicines ever used by humans to cure various ailments.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL HERB DAY

Botanically, herbs are classified as the green parts of a plant used in food or medicine. Herbs are as old as human civilizations and have been used for cooking and medicine since time immemorial. There is well-preserved archaeological evidence pointing to the use of herbs 60,000 years ago. Neanderthals, ancestors of modern Homo sapiens, started using herbs for healing. In a way, we can say that herbs predate even that of recorded history and form the origin of much of modern medicine. Archeologists have discovered traces of pollen and other plant materials near burials, indicating the use of herbs.

There is hardly any civilization that didn’t take advantage of the use of herbs. The Sumerians, Egyptians, Indians, and Chinese all used herbs independently of one another. They created clay tablets that date back 5,000 years and listed hundreds of medicinal plants on them. In Egypt, texts like Papyrus Ebers describe ailments, treatments, and around 850 medicinal plants. The Indian medicinal school of Ayurveda, which uses natural remedies and herbal medicine to cure health conditions, is still prevalent in this modern age. Ayurvedic medicine has used many herbs dating back to 4000 B.C.

The study and use of herbs thrived in the Middle Ages when most cultures attributed spiritual qualities to herbs. A prominent example is the holy status of basil leaves in India. There is also a resurgence in the use of herbs in the last 40 years due to the impact of chemical drugs and the investment in pharmaceutical research and development.

NATIONAL HERB DAY TIMELINE

6,000 Years AgoThe Rise of Ayurveda

The “Rig Veda” and the “Atharva Veda,” the Vedic scriptures of Hinduism, mention the prevalence of medicinal plants and Ayurveda.

5,000 Years AgoSumerian Texts on Herbs

Sumerians write about hundreds of medicinal herbs on clay tablets.

1526 A.D.The First English Herbal

Peter Treveris prints “Grete Herball,” the first English herbal.

1600 — 1700The Era of Bubonic Plague

The popularity of herbal medicines declines because of their ineffectiveness against the Bubonic Plague.