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herbal

herbal

5 4.7
A book that describes plants and their uses for medicine
  • noun
  • /ˈhɜrbəl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : libro de plantas medicinales
  • "The Book of Healing was the grandmother of all herbals, for all those that survive today descend from it, sickly children though they are.
  • herbal tea
  • cup of herbal
  • herbal mix

Examples

  • In the library, I found an old herbal that illustrated the medicinal uses of local plants.

  • After researching, she decided to use an herbal that described how to grow and use herbs for healing purposes.

  • Key imports included raw silk, Chinese herbal medicines, sugar, and many books on literature, philosophy, art, science, and technology.

  • Early medieval pharmacy was passed down in herbals recording the properties of single ingredients.

    Blog text (16)
  • "Mother Food," a unique health guide, herbal, and cookbook for breastfeeding mothers, draws on traditions from around the world.

    Blog text (28)
  • The first record of its use on other continents appears in 1633, in a book called Gerard's Herbal (officially known as The Herbal, or General History of Plants) by John Gerard.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The doctor recommended an herbal to help treat my allergies, which included detailed information on various plants.

Synonyms

herbary
vsherbal
  • Archaic
9.9

A book that describes plants used for medicine

is the modern general term used instead of that older historical form

Compounds

17 1.3

A hot drink made from herbs or other plants, not tea leaves

herbal medicine
  • Specialized
2 3.3

A way of treating people using plants to prevent or cure illness

herbal therapy
  • Specialized
4.2

A treatment that uses parts of plants to help prevent or treat illness

A soft cream made from herbs that soothes skin and helps it heal

A mix made from herbs to help health and ease sickness

A plant preparation used to prevent or treat illness and improve health

Surface Forms

herbal singular
herbals plural

Etymology

Herbal also became the name for a book about plants and their uses; it comes from herb plus the little ending -al, so a herbal is literally 'a book about herbs' that describes plants and how to use them.