Grow Your Own Medicine Cabinet
As I write this, I am getting over the throes of a nasty head cold. What better time than now to plan a simple medicinal garden?
The following plants would be great additions for an all-purpose medicinal garden. All are fairly easy to grow in either a traditional garden or in a container garden:
Aloe vera: Buy established plants and transplant. Good for treating minor burns and scrapes: just break a leaf and apply the serum to the affected area.
Calendula: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow from seed. Made into an infusion, calendula is a good all-purpose antiseptic wash; you can also make a balm.
Cayenne: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow from seed. Good ingested as a cold remedy and can also be made into a cream to relieve muscle aches. Caution: when handling any hot peppers, wear gloves. Trust me on this one.
Cayenne: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow from seed. Good ingested as a cold remedy and can also be made into a cream to relieve muscle aches. Caution: when handling any hot peppers, wear gloves. Trust me on this one.
Chamomile: Sow from seed. Made into a tea, chamomile is good for treating stomach upset and for inducing sleep.
Ginger root: Buy the root and cut it up; plant each piece. Ginger root is the number one treatment for nausea and is good for stomach upset.
Echinacea: Buy established plants and transplant, or directly sow the seed. Use the root as a decoction at the first sign of a cold.
Feverfew: Buy established plants and transplant. This herb is great for fevers as well as headaches, even relieving migraines for some people.
Lavender: Buy established plants and transplant. This herb prefers a slightly alkaline soil, so it's best to plant it in its own container or planter box. Made into an oil or infusion, lavender can be used to heal cuts, stings, and burns, as well as insomnia and not a few other woes.
Lemon balm: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow directly from seed. This member of the mint family is great for cold relief as well as digestive complaints.
Mint, especially peppermint: Buy established plants and transplant, or sow directly from seed. This herb is great for relieving gas and stomach upset, as well as relieving muscle pain when made into a balm.
Rosemary: Buy established plants and transplant. Made into an infusion, this herb is wonderful for digestive issues and headaches.
Sage: Buy established plants and transplant. Sore throat relief and alleviation of hot flashes are but two of sage's gifts.
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| By User:Mattes (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Medicinal Container Garden of My Dreams |
If you want to consult an herbal handbook, I recommend the following books:
Culpepper's Complete Herbal: A Book of Natural Remedies for Ancient Ills.
Walter Last's The Natural Way to Heal: 65 Ways to Create Superior Health.
The New Age Herbalist: How to Use Herbs for Healing, Nutrition, Body Care, and Relaxation.
500 Formulas for Aromatherapy: Mixing Essential Oils for Everyday Use.
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