Phytotherapy is the sophisticated European word for "Herbal Medicine". It comes from the Greek "Phyto" meaning Plant. Plants are the oldest form of medicine known to man, and they are also the main source of chemicals (also known as phyto-chemicals) used in the manufacture of most modern pharmaceutical drugs. During the last century however, the pharmaceutical industries have been actively replacing them with a growing number of their synthetic counterparts, cheaper to manufacture and easier to handle in the manufacturing processes. The importance of these vital elements (without which life would simply not be possible) is quite obvious. Plants form the most important part of the natural health care pharmacy as foods and as drugs. As basic nutrients, they provide us with vitamins, minerals, sugars, fatty oils, proteins.