What Does Medicinal Mean? - Duke's Materia Tonica

What Does Medicinal Mean?

Medicinal means 'medicine that heals' and refers to the 'healing properties' of foods and dietary supplements, such as medicinal remedies used in herbalism, which is a method of understanding herbs within herbology. Specifically, medicinal is a non-nutrient property of various unique constituents found in foods, dietary supplements and herbs which are used for the purposes of health maintenance for the body and any of the various systems, organs, glands, and tissues.

Medicinal Properties are Not Drug Treatments

Medicinal herbs are studied within herbal medicine for their healing purposes of supporting, maintaining and promoting health and wellbeing, whereas drugs are medically used to mitigate, treat, cure and prevent disease.

Common Medicinal Herbs

Examples of common medicinal herbs used in herbalism:

• Garlic
• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Peppermint
• Chamomile
• Cayenne Pepper
• Aloe
• Calendula
• Burdock
• Lemon Balm
• Elderberry
• Dandelion
• Lavender
• St. John's Wort
• Echinacea
• Goldenseal
• Hawthorn
• Hops
• Skullcap
• Oregon Grape
• Cascara Sagrada