The use of herbal medicine dates back to the very beginnings of human history. The oldest physical evidence for the use of herbal remedies goes back some 60,000 years to a burial site of a Neanderthal man uncovered in 1960. Led by instinct, taste, and experience, and observation of animals, primitive men and women treated illness by using plants, animal parts, and minerals that were not part of their usual diet. There is also well documented evidence that around 1500 BC the ancient Egyptians used garlic (Allium sativum), juniper (Juniperus communis) and myrrh (Commiphora molmol) for medicinal purposes. 

Most cultures have long traditions of folk medicines that include the use of plants. Herbs were often the only means available to treat diseases, and this is still the case to this day in many rural and more secluded communities throughout the world, where treatment from local healers is still common. The WHO reports that up to 80% of the world in Africa and Asia depend on traditional healthcare for primary healthcare. (WHO 2008)

As research into Herbal Medicine products increases, much evidence is found to support the efficacy of herbal medicine. Often isolated compounds from plants have been the basis of drug development - e.g. an extract of the traditionally used Antiparasitic Herb Artemisia annua was developed into a very effective antimalarial drug. Salicylic acid (=Aspirin) was first found in the humble Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), which has traditionally been used as an antiinflammatory agent. The complexity of the compounds that are found in the plant, rather than their isolated components, as used in modern medicines, are thought to  produce a repsonse with fewer side effects. Some of the compounds in the plants are actually protective, Meadowsweet, for example is used to help stomach and gut healing, whilst the potential negative effect of some non-steroidal anti-inflammatories on the digestive tract is well documented.