History of Botanicals

‘Let food be thy medicine, and thy medicine thy food’ (Greek healer Hippocrates. 5th Century BC)

Botanicals have been used by mankind since early history. Evidence of the use of plants to help maintain health and well-being has been found in Neanderthal graves dating as far back as 60,000 BC.

As science has evolved, so plant preservation methods have become more sophisticated and botanicals no longer need to be used freshly picked or painstakingly dried by the fireside before being brewed into teas or tisanes. The role of individual constituents within plants has also become better understood and modern processing and manufacturing methods mean that botanicals can be treated to purify and concentrate the benefits of these constituents. As a result, the health promoting properties of botanicals can still be made available via a wide range of botanical food supplements, a safe and convenient method of optimising health.