Herbs: Cultivation, Culinary Use and Curative Properties

Date

2014-05

Authors

Perez, Ana

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Abstract

Throughout human history, people have relied on traditional wisdom not only as a practical guide to life, but as a muse, moral code, and source of identity vital to meaning and purpose in life. Mechanization and industrialization have heralded in a new age of equality through technology and practical science. However, in the process of progression toward what has been marketed as an ever-enlightened future, ways of life representing different cultures are excluded and forgotten. As society evolves, it is important to preserve diversity, to emphasize the variance of the wide spectrum of human existence and enrich collective knowledge and aesthetic beauty. The significance of diversity is not limited to human experience; benefits of biodiversity often mirror those of cultural diversity. Biodiversity expands the gene pool, giving rise to new and more adaptable species; in the same way, cultural diversity shapes differing opinions and ideas. Modern agriculture posits its supremacy in feeding the world’s hungry over systems designed to imitate nature; despite the abundance of food, starvation persists and environments are threatened. Commercial farms operate solely under the principal of productivity measured in profit and crop yield. Recent research has increasingly shed light on the flaws inherent in modern innovation. By exploring the myths, traditions and ways of life of the Mexican people through a narrative on traditional culinary and medicinal herbs, I hope to embrace my own heritage and discover the wealth of related knowledge often left out of classrooms.

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Keywords

herbs, traditional Mexican culinary, medicinal herbs, herbal remedies, native/regional herbs, growing herbs in Texas, Honors College

Citation

Perez, A. (2014). Herbs: Cultivation, culinary use and curative properties (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.

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