The ancient Sumerians described a mixture of laurels, thyme and caraway. These herbs, while enhancing digestive properties and appetite, also can help reduce swelling and sprains. Throughout the centuries and even today, these herbs have been used for the same purpose, especially among athletes.
Ancient Chinese herbalists documented over 300 herbs that could be used for vitality. Mahuang, which even today is popular (though banned) as a peak performance aid, was used to treat headaches, colds and fevers. The alkaloid found in mahuang, ephedra, also raises your heart rate, which gives the illusion of increased energy.
Other herbs were used for increased energy including huang chi (also known as astragalus), bai zhu (atractylodes), dang shen (codonopsis), shan yao (dioscorea), ren shin (ginseng), da zao (jujube), wu wei zi (schizandria) and suan zao ren (zizyphus).
Herbs were used to strengthen many other functions related to athletic performance in ancient China including fu zi (aconite) for pain relief, low metabolism and nervousness; dang gui or dong quai for blurred vision and injuries; fu ling for anxiety; jin yin hua (honeysuckle) for inflammation and swelling; ge gen (pueraria) for muscle pain and tightness; ling zhi (reishi) for fatigue, stress and weakness (today it's sometimes used to treat cancer and AIDS); and tien qi or tienchi for injury and wounds.
By : ISSA
