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I would like to plant a herb garden, using herbs that can be used as remedies?
By admin | April 2, 2010
A website or a book is fine, which includes herb properties, how best to use the herbs (in tea, aromatherapy etc) and maybe how best to look after them in a garden. Thank you in advance.
Topics: Herb Gardening | 13 Comments »
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
http://www.naturalark.com/herbindex.html
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Off the top of my head I’d recommend aloe vera (not an "herb" but an excellent healer for skin and intestinal issues), peppermint for headaches, lavendar, sage, eucalyptus can be boiled and used as a steam bath for congestion, hibiscus flowers make a really delicious tea that lowers blood pressure, maybe Ill add to the list if I can think of any more off the top of my head.
And here’s a website I found with a quick search:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/ref/herbs.html
Good luck and good health!
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
nasturtiums are really easy to grow and leaves and flowers good in salads easy to pick as soft stems also self seeding so reappear year after year without any more work come in great colours flowers from red to yellow to orange and also mottled. Mint also good as improves flavours. Also easy to grow— can get a bit out of control it is so easy. Parsley is another that I grow better to plant than seed as the seeds can take a long time to germinate. Supposedly good for your breath after consuming garlic which is supposed to be very healthy. When you are using it in recipes save a few globes and plant in the garden will reproduce and nicer fresher. These are just ones I grow as they are so easy even to establish so just start with these while you are planning the garden.
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Basil added to tomatoes makes a good spaghetti sauce. Mint mixed with vinegar makes an excellent sauce for lamb. can’t think that there are many useful therapeutic options.
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Try The Reader’s Digest Gardening book. It is pretty comprehensive.
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Herbs are excellent flavor enhancers for our meet, pasta, and vegetable dishes. Not only do herbs add flavor to our food, they also can provide to us added nutrients. By growing our own organic herb garden, we can have fresh, chemical free, herbs any time we want.
By growing an organic herb garden, we can more fully appreciate the full taste of the herbs. When the chemicals are used in the herb growing process, the natural taste of the herbs is altered. Once you use herbs from your own organic herb garden, you will taste what you have been missing.
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
lets all plant some weed
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
AMAZON
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Just type the word herbs in your search box and up will come numerous selections to browse through. Malcolm
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
An excellent source for using herbs for natural healing or prevention is The Green Pharmacy by James A. Duke, PhD.
His extensive study of healing herbs from around the world makes this reference invaluable. It describes the herb, its benefit, how to use it in cooking, as a tea, etc. It also tells which are the most practical to grow or buy.
Another good source is Prevention Magazine. It addresses the use of natural herbs for preventing illness and disease.
There are many sites that have extensive information on growing herbs. Just Google "growing herbs" and you will find
all you need to know. Herbs do not take up a lot of space because a little goes a long way. A window box inside can be maintained even in cold climates. Congratulations on your approach to natural healing, IT WORKS !!, and good luck.
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Here is a website with ideas for herbs to grow & what they’re used for:
http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/a_medicinal_herb_garden
Here is a short video clip about planting:
http://video.about.com/gardening/Herb-Garden.htm
Here are guides for growing some popular herbs:
http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/plantguides/herbs/
My personal experience is that some of the easiest to grow include: chives, garlic, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, basil, echinacea, comfrey, lavender, passion flower.
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Hi Rose, You don’t say what continent you’re on, so I’m supposing you’re somewhere in the US. If you write back and clarify exactly where, that will help me a lot in the advice I give you. I live in New England. This is what is in my garden of about 3 years old now, and what will grow here well. That is to say, a beginning place:
1) Echinaecea of three varieties
Comfrey
2) Violets
3) Parsley, both curly and flat leaf
4) Thyme of multiple varieties
5) Sage
6) Violets
7) Purslane
9) Chicory
10) Queen Anne’s Lace
11) Poppies, both Icelandic and California
12) Basils
13) Rosemary (will not winter over in NE, must be brought in, along w/ some lavendars and sage)
14) Plantain
15) Savory, both Winter and Summer
16) When I lived inthe High Sierra in CA, I had nasturtium, fennel, yerba santa, osha, and many others close by, but I do not have these here in New England.
17) Foxglove
18) Dandelion
19) Feverfew
20) Fiddlehead ferns
21) Rose hips
22) Calendula
23) Blue Flag and other irises
24) Catnip
25) Yellow Dock
26) Pansies and violas
27) Many, many roses
28) Buddleia
29) Sunflowers
30) Cedar
31) chives, garlic, onions, leeks
32) Wild oregano (marjoram) and oregano
33) Belladonna and jimsonweed
34) Mallows
35) one lovely huge marijuana plant
Close by me now, I have:
1) Nettle
Wintergreen
2) Burdock
3) Chickweed
4) Evening Primrose
5) St. John’s Wort
6) Blue Flag
7) Clover, both red and white
9) Blackberry
10) Raspberry
11) Black Raspberry
12) many mints, including spearmint
13) Cowslips aka Marsh Marigold
14) Elderberry
15) Chokecherry
16) Oak, maple, ash, beech, birch tree
17) Apples! (and wild plums, peaches and many, many varieties of pears)
17) Jewelweed, and many, many others too numerous to mention
All the above, I wildcraft as needed.
This will give you some idea of what grows here, and what is possible w/ a small plot of land. I think there is less than an acre here. As far as books are concerned, look at these:
1) All Women Are Healers by Diane Stein, and any other titles by her.
a Matera Medica
2) Anything by Kathi Keville
3) Anything by Rosemary Gladstar, one of my personal favorites
4) Anything by Candace Cantin-Packard, including especially the Herbal Tarot
5) Rodale’s books on herbs are excellent
6) Homeopathic Medicine At Home by Panos & Heimlich, and Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine by Dana Ullman
7) The Handbook of Biochemic Tissue Salts
9) There are literally thousands of books, but those are the ones that come to my mind at the moment
10) Anything by Michael Tierra or Christopher Hobbs
11) Staying Healthy With the Seasons by Elson Haas
12) the works of Nicholas Culpepper and Maude Grieve. These are antiquarian texts (that is, old, old antique herbals), but they are extremely helpful in the understanding of herbal lore and history.
13) Aphrodisia
14) The works of Michael Moore, especially if you are on the West Coast
15) Gaia herbs puts out its own formulary. Contact them and buy a copy. It’s exceptionally good.
16) Anything literature that Michael’s of Texas puts out is exceptional as well. They’re a little known, but GREAT herbal company. Great product lines.
17) The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine by Mowbry
18) THat should be enough to get you started. Essentially whenever I find a book of interest, I buy it if I have the money. I have many, many others in my library, which I will be happy to share the titles and publishing info of, should you care to have it. Just e-mail me!
April 2nd, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Akapulko (scientific name: Cassia alata) – a shrub known to be a diuretic, sudorific and purgative. The medicinal uses of akapulko are to treat fungal infection of the skin and for the treatment of ringworms. English name: ringworm bush.
Ampalaya (scientific name: Momordica charantia) – a vegetable used to treat diabetes (diabetes mellitus) it is now commercially produced in tablet form and tea bags. English name: bitter melon and bitter gourd.
Atis (scientific name: Anona squamosa L.) – a small tree used as a medicinal herb. The leaves, fruit and seeds are used in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery and fainting. English name: Sugar apple and Sweet sop.
Banaba (scientific name: Lagerstroemia speciosa) – a tree found throughout the Philippines. The leaves, roots, fruit and flowers all have medicinal uses. It is used in the treatment of diabetes and other ailments. It is a purgative and a diuretic.
Bawang (scientific name: Allium sativum) – a specie of the onion family. English name: Garlic. It is used to reduce cholesterol in the blood and thus helps lower blood pressure.
Bayabas (scientific name: Psidium guajava) – more popularly known as guava, bayabas is a small tree whose boiled leaves are used as an disinfectant to treat wounds. The decoction is also used as a mouth wash to treat gum infection and tooth decay. The bark is also used in children with chronic diarrhea.
Gumamela (scientific name: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn) – called China rose or Hibiscus in the West, it is a common ornamental plant in the Philippines. As a medicinal herb, it is used as an expectorant for coughs, cold, sore throat, fever and bronchitis.
Lagundi (scientific name: Vitex negundo) – one of the better known of the medicinal plants in the Philippines, lagundi (five-leaved chaste tree) is a shrub with many medicinal uses. It is used for the relief and treatment of coughs, asthma, dyspepsia, worms, colic, rheumatism and boils. The root is known to be an expectorant, tonic and febrifuge.
Luya (scientific name: Zingiber officinale) or Ginger. It is botanically not a root but a rhizome of the monocotyledonous perennial plant. It has many uses as a medicinal herb with antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antiviral, diuretic and antiseptic properties.
Niyog-niyogan (scientific name: Quisqualis indica L.) – is a vine that is an effective in the elimination of intestinal worms, particularly the Trichina and Ascaris by ingesting its matured dried seeds. Chew (5 to 7 dried seeds for children or 8 to 10 seeds for adults) two hours after eating. Repeat treatment after a week if necessary. Roasted leaves are also used for fever and diarrhea while pounded leaves are used for skin diseases. English name: Chinese honey suckle.
Oregano (scientific name: Origanum vulgare) – a perennial herb with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Commonly used for cooking in the West, it is used as a medicinal plant in the Philippines. A decoction of oregano leaves is taken internally for the prevention of degenerative arthritis, relief of cough, osteoarthritis, asthma and upset stomach.
Pansit-Pansitan (scientific name: Peperomia pellucida Linn.) – an herb used to treat arthritis, gout, skin disorders, abdominal pains and kidney problems. It is applied to the skin as poultice or as a decoction when taken internally.
Sabila (Aloe barbadensis miller liquid) – one of the most common medicinal plants in the Philippines that can be found in many Filipino homes. It is a succulent plant used to treat burns, cuts, eczema and other disorders. Aloe vera has antiviral, antifungal, antibiotic, antioxidant and antiparasitic properties.
Sambong (scientific name: Blumea balsamifera) – a Philippine medicinal plant used to treat kidney disorders, colds, fever, rheumatism, hypertension and other ailments. As a diuretic, it helps in the excretion of urinary stones. A decoction of leaves is taken internally for treatment. It can also be used as an edema. English name: Blumea Camphora.
Tsaang Gubat (scientific name: Ehretia microphylla Lam.) – a shrub prepared like tea, it is now commercially available in tablets, capsules and tea bags. This medicinal herb is effective in treating diarrhea, dysentery, gastroenteritis and other stomach ailments. It has high fluoride concentration making it a good mouth wash for the prevention of tooth decay. English name: Wild Tea.
Ulasimang Bato (scientific name: Peperomia pellucida) – an annual herb also known as "pansit-pansitan". It is a medicinal herb that is effective in treating gout, arthritis and prevents uric acid build up. A decoction of the plant is taken internally or the leaves and stem can be eaten fresh as salad. To make a decoction, boil a cup of washed chopped leaves in 2 cups of water, simmer for about 15 minutes, strain, let cool. Drink a cup 2 times a day after meals.
Yerba Buena (scientific name: Clinopodium douglasii) – a vine of the mint family, popularly known as Peppermint. Its analgesic properties make it an ideal pain reliever to alleviate the body’s aches and pains. A decoction of clean leaves is taken internally or externally as a poultice by pounding the leaves mixed with a little water then applied directly on the afflicted area.
Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) – Although not a medicinal plant, VCO is a product of the coconut tree. VCO is one of the more popular alternative medicine widely used in the Philippines today. It is taken internally for various aliments like diabetes to high blood pressure. Topically, VCO is also applied to the skin and scalp to nourish and heal.