medicinal plants and herbs have played a significant role in history during wars and battles, in
this video we dive into 4 herbs, wars and battles and explore the roles that herbs have
in them. So, if you want to learn more about the connection between war and herbs, then
watch this video
War is an uncertain time, but almost every civilisation through history has participated
with the aim of achieving an objective through the use of force this can be against another
country or group or civil or revolutionary wars inside a country. During these times
of war there is evidence that herbs were used to support people in healing, recovery, stamina,
pain relief, immunity and even to stop or reduce bleeding.
Fun fact, if anyone has watched the movie 300 that depicts the spartan army from ancient
greece, the only scene in that movie when anyone actually eats is when leonidas after
he defects xaxis for the first time is seen crunching on a red apple. That’s the only
time, and funnily enough that scene is one of the reasons why I set out to look into
the historical use of foods and herbs during war time.
Sticking with ancient greece for a second, it’s been document that herbs then werewere
eaten, drank, and applied to wounds, but also, Roman soldiers mixed fennel seed with their
meals to assure fighting strength and courage during battle, fennel as well as other herbs
like thyme were revered and Fragrant herbs were used to honor the gods. This is just
one example of an historical culture’s association with herbs
War time things got a bit deeper. Let’s paint a picture of what war would have been
like
You get called to arms, you train, get to the warfield, these are times before guns,
missiles or drones, it’s hand to hand combat with heavy armour and this goes on and on
and on, in movies war scenes are depicted as short but ancient battles have been shown
to last for at least a few hours, that’s a few hours of consistently waving your weapon
or sword, being on high alert, paranoid, fear, hormones rushing through your body, flight
or flight activated throughout and with the likely chance you get injured, someone cuts
of your hand now you have to go through the painful experience of healing or surgery.
They was no pain antibiotics, these were invented in 1928, there was no pain relief in the traditional
sense, all they had was opiates and this more so used from the 16th century and even this
is extracted from an additive opium poppy which led addictions,opium poppy is a herb
too, and then codeine became popular from the mid 1800s, but even so, these were dangerous
times to fight wars or be ill in general. Nowadays, you can be put under, sleep through
your surgery, wake up and pop some pills and feel nothing. Those were very different times
and wars have been fought for thousands of years and for these times all people could
use herbs.
Before I get into 4 war examples and some herbs used. I must say, modern advancement
is a big blessing, historically you could die from so many issues that now are so simple
to treat, people used to die at battle from vitamin c deficiency or scurvy. In fact During
the 18th century, disease killed more British sailors than wartime enemy action, this was
over 100000 sailors and scurvy was the main cause of death. So even the travel then to
the battleground could kill you. So with the tone set, let’s get into the 4 examples
of herb use during war time in history
The first herb used during battle historically was maca root
In what would be today’s Peru, history housed the Incan empire. This empire started out
in a small region and through warfare, diplomacy and negotiations they managed to expand their
empire to a lot of the neighbouring land. Their army also grew, records show that sometimes
they were able to gather up to 250,000 thousand soldiers to scare enemies and prevent a battle
but what makes them interesting in the context of this video is their rituals of war and
also some habits.
For example this army before war performed sacrifices to their gods, for those who have
read my ebook, the link in description will know that historically in many cultures there
was a direct link to herbs and spirituality, hence why herbs at some points during history
have been outlawed in some countries. On top of these rituals, the inca warriors also consumed
maca root for its medicinal and health benefits.They rated maca root so highly that it was even
used to barter and as a form of currency
But during war time, In the Inca era it was given to warriors before a battle as they
believed it would increase strength and stamina and help them to be successful in war and
live to fight another day.
Also, the incas used the leaves of the coca plant to numb people who were in pain, so
likely this may have been used in wartime too. And for content, the incas existed from
the 12th century A.D and later on in history the use of coca plants to numb pain was later
adopted by modern doctors. So they were ahead of their time. Coca leaves, the herb, is what
is made from, coca.. See the connection?
The second herb used during battle historically was yarrow
Yarrow has been used at different times in history as a war aid. The scientific name
of Yarrow is Achillea millefolium, which is said to come from achilles, you may know the
name achilles as it’s the warrior Achilles who was one of the great heroes of Greek mythology.
... he was said to be courageous and loyal, but he had one vulnerability–his “Achilles
heel. The plant’s name is said to derive from him as he during the Trojan War, used
it to treat his and his soldiers’ wounds. The herb was said to have the property of
reducing blood flow from wounds. And fast forwards to 1914
Yarrow was collected by children during the First World War and sent to the front line
to be used as a herb to stop bleeding and heal wounds. It’s said that Yarrow helps
to stop bleeding by re-normalizing the pressure throughout the body and it's also a natural
disinfectant, as infection of wounds was a big killer. This is a reason another name
for yarrow is soldier’s woundwort
During these wars you have to envision it, people are getting injured and the first aid
kit they had at that time had yarrow in it, in different forms but one form was the ground
yarrow powder. AND ALSO disease killed many people during wars, so herbs like this which
are said to be beneficial for fevers, colds and flus may have also been beneficial
What’s interesting is that during these wars the sheer amount of people that were
enlisted to help pick and forage herbs, Children from all over Britain collected an amazing
amount of plants and in world world 2, in 1942 they gathered 1,000 tons and year on
year this grow, in 1944 the target was set at 4,000 tons or 4 million kg During world
war 2, these herbs were also used to try extract their active components such as saponins,
phenols and flavonoids.
The third herb that was used during war time historically was stimulant herbs
There was a kingdom known as the Zulu kingdom who under their first king Shaka Zulu, grew
immensely, they did this through war and negotiations and grew the empire 11500 square miles by
1825. This would be modern day south africa. Fast forward Around 1850s the british were
expanding empire and already had colonies in the south part of african and cut a long
story short, they presented the then zulu king CETSHWAYO With an ultimatum, disband
the army and accept the british residency or a war will ensue. He turned it down as
it meant he would have lost the throne and this is essentially what started the anglo-zulu
war.
During the first attack, the british faced the Zulu warriors who were seemingly immune
to their modern rifle fire. The reason for this was the cocktail of herbs they were said
to have taken before battle which were provided by their shamans, these included herbs known
locally such as intelezi (a traditional plant taken in purifying rites to boost morale),
along with a medicated beer called dagga, which contained a variety of modern which
had a stimulating effect, along with a potent painkiller and hallucinogen produced from
the “bushman poison bulb,”. It’s said this turned them into fearless warriors similar
to zombies who were immune to gunfire, and this is because they were really stimulated
or high as you may say.
And what's interesting is that the zulus ultimately won this battle which were spears against
guns but although they won the battle, they didn't win the war. History states that The
British Army had suffered its worst defeat against an indigenous foe with vastly inferior
military technology. The second time the british attacked they
won the war which ended the zulu kingdom and empire.
This all sounds a while ago but, for context on timeline, here is a photograph taken in
bond street london of the then ruler, king cetshwayo
The forth herb that was used during war time is calendula & bonus, valierian
During both World War I and World War II, valerian was used to treat shell-shocked troops
and calm civilians from the psychological nervous effects of air raids. Valerian root
has been mixed with other botanicals such as hops and kava-kava and used as a sedative
to induce potent, hypnotic sleep.
Calendula also known as marigold is said to have saved many people during World War I.
This was mainly externally, Calendula flowers were used on battlefield wounds for to help
slow bleeding and for its antiseptic properties and as well as in dressing to promote healing
I hope you enjoyed that video, mixing a bit of history with herbal medicine. Be sure to
leave a thumbs up and comment if you want a part 2, if you want to learn more about
herbs, click on my face and get my herb guide and before you check out this two videos right
here and right here