In folk medicine, people use herbs to treat various ailments, believing in their beneficial health effects. In scientific research, however, the effect of medicinal plants is often weaker or their existence cannot be confirmed at all.
Ain Raal, professor of pharmacognosy at the University of Tartu, told Vikerraadi’s “Ökoskoop” program that the coin has two sides: one is the practical use of medicinal plants, and the other is how many different plants have been studied.
For example, according to the wisdom of grandmothers, it is worth eating garlic in the autumn-winter period so as not to get sick. Raal recalled how she did a thorough analysis of the scientific literature to see which plants affected the immune system. It turned out that, despite the long tradition, no scientific studies have confirmed the immunostimulating effect of garlic. “Garlic hasn’t been proven to have this effect, but at the same time it hasn’t been proven to have no effect,” Raal said.
However, according to Raali, the porcupine hat deserves attention. It is a medicinal plant that has been scientifically proven to have a positive effect on the immune system. “The hedgehog hat helps reduce the chance of contracting viral colds,” she said.
The professor said that dandelion is also a plant with a unique composition, which contains particular substances. According to him, based on scientific research, it is clear that the substances hidden in dandelion contain effects that protect liver cells and accelerate their recovery, which is rare in the plant kingdom. However, due to the bitterness of dandelion, people don’t use it much. You can prepare a dandelion herbal tea or use its leaves and roots in a salad.
Raal said he himself believes in chamomile, because the plant helps organize the body. “It is worth drinking chamomile from time to time. It is also known that stress and depression significantly weaken the immune system. So drink chamomile and don’t stress,” he advised.
2024-01-29 11:50:00
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