6 Medicinal Herbs to Grow at Home - Gardening Even urban dwellers with little more than a balcony, tiny backyard or windowsill can grow their own food. Patti Moreno's Gardening By Cuisine (Sterling 2013) offers a unique plan for creating low-maintenance organic "cuisine gardens" that produce delicious vegetables, fruits and herbs. In the following excerpt, learn how to add six medicinal herbs to your garden for easy access to natural remedies for everything from headaches to sore throats. You can buy this book from the Mother Earth Living store: Gardening By Cuisine. 1. (Echinacea purpurea) This native perennial, also known as the purple coneflower, is a glorious garden plant that grows 24 to 36 inches tall, and sometimes even taller. Echinacea boosts the immune system to prevent the common cold or flu. Making Echinacea Tea To make echinacea tea, use 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried or 2 to 4 teaspoons of fresh echinacea flowers, leaves, stems, or roots per cup of water. 2. (Tanacetum parthenium) 3. (Melissa officinalis) 4. 5. 6.
Herbs for Gardens: 5 Herbs Every Gardener Should Grow One of the best ways to eat healthy garden-fresh foods is to plant herbs. These edible plants are attractive, easy to grow and absolutely delicious. But where should you begin? First off, let me explain how I selected these Top 5 herbs for gardens. But perhaps most importantly, all of these herbs are pretty in the garden and versatile in the kitchen. 1. If you consider parsley a simple garnish, you’re missing out on a healthy and versatile herb. Parsley is a biennial grown as an annual, which is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9. 2. It’s a smart idea to grow culinary sage (Saliva officinalis). Native to the Mediterranean, sage plants like warm, sunny locations. 3. As Ophelia said in Hamlet, “Rosemary is for remembrance. You’ll want to remember this rugged herb in the garden. 4. It’s time to make room for thyme in your garden. Thyme grows well with other drought-tolerant Mediterranean herbs. 5. Mint grows so easily, the roots (or runners) can be invasive and take over your garden.
Want A Big Herb Garden? These Herbs Are Easily Grown From Cuttings. Herbs are some of my favorite plants to grow. Every year, I load my garden full of them, and when the winter time comes, I take a bunch of strong clippings and plant them in smaller pots so to have my herbs all year round. Some herbs you should start in water, others grow fine planted in soil. Here's what we start in water: Basil Thyme Oregano Mint All four, if put in water, will start to grow roots within a week. 40 Inspiring DIY Herb Gardens If you love to cook you most likely can’t live without fresh herbs. You can buy them when you need them but it would be much better if you will always have them in pots near by. This way it’s much easier to mix them in small doses and add in all meals you’re cooking. Of course to have them on your kitchen or right outside your kitchen door you need to organize a thoughtful herb garden that also looks great. Herbs And Vegetables In Modern Planters Of Different Heights (via bhg) DIY Herbal Window Box (via bhg) DIY Colorful Vertical Garden On A Fence (via shelterness) DIY Recycled Seed Pots from Newspapers and Magazines (via shelterness) Container Herb Garden (via bhg) How to Turn Coffee Tins into a Hanging Herb Garden (via curbly) DIY Flower Pot Herb Tower (via curbly) Herb Garden With A Bentwood Trellis (via bhg) DIY Small Space Vertical Garden Of A Pallet (via shelterness) Cute DIY Vertical Garden Of A Wood Pallet (via shelterness) Cute Little Indoor Herb Garden (via delicooks)
Herbs & Herbal Uses Herbs in medicine, cooking, and magic. Find charts, planting tips, and other uses for these valuable plants below. Imagine....awakening in the morning and stepping outside to a lush and fragrant paradise....which exists to satisfy your own culinary, medicinal, and even spiritual needs..... Welcome to Herb Gardening! What is an herb? The loose definition of herb is any plant that is used for its culinary, medicinal, or fragrant properties. Please do explore the links to the left for a comprehensive index of herbs and their uses, and the links below for some creative ways to use them in your own life. Culinary Chart Common Foods and Complementary Herbs Making Gourmet Herbal Vinegars Making Gourmet Herbal Oils & Butters In gardening, herbs are an important part of what is known as "Companion Planting." Companion Planting As always with gardening, esthetics are extremely important. List of Annual Herbs List of Biennial Herbs List of Perennial Herbs Landscaping with Herbs Print Your Own Seed Packets
Growing Coriander & Cilantro Did you know that what we call cilantro is actually the leaves of the coriander plant? Pretty flowers and two great flavors make this herb a great addition to any herb garden. Coriander Characteristics (coriandrum sativum, linn.) Growing Cycle of Coriander Name Origin: The coriander plant is actually named from the ancient Greek Koris, a bug. Origins: Thought to be a native of southern Europe and China. Natural Order: Umbelliferæ Growing Cycle: hardy annual herb Height: grows to 24 to 30 inches tall Appearance: Clusters of slightly divided leaves with a parsley-like appearance. Flowers: Umbels of small whitish flowers that are followed by pairs of brownish-yellow, deeply furrowed “seeds” Fun Fact. Ancient reasoning attributed anything with such a pronounced and unpleasant odor to possess powerful curative or preventative attributes. How to Grow Cilantro/Coriander (Sowing seeds and harvesting cilantro or coriander seeds) Growing Coriander From Seeds Coriander Seed Harvesting Cilantro. (leaves and seeds) Seeds.
Healthy News and Information Aloe Vera sourceThe aloe vera grows only under the sun with well drained dry or moist soil. Although the plant tastes like turd, it’s still edible. The sap from aloe vera is extremely useful to speed up the healing and reducing the risk of infections for : wounds cuts burns eczema reducing inflammation Apart from its external use on the skin, aloe vera is also taken internally in the treatment of :ulcerative colitis (drinking aloe vera juice) chronic constipation poor appetite digestive problems Marsh Mallow source The plant of which marshmallows were once made of. inflammations and irritations of the urinary and respiratory mucus membranes counter excess stomach acid peptic ulceration gastritis Externally, the root is applied to : bruises sprains aching muscles insect bites skin inflammations splinters The leaves are very edible, unlike the aloe vera. Great Burdock source It requires moist soil and can grow shadeless. boils rashes burns herpes eczema acne impetigo ringworm bites Pot Marigold source stings wounds
12 of Nature's Most Powerful Medicinal Plants From Traditional Cherokees The Cherokee have been gifted by the Creator with an understanding of the gathering, use and preservation of medicinal herbs. The Cherokee believe that these plants were put on this earth to provide not only healing methods, but preventative measures, as well. Many plants have disappeared throughout the years or have become extremely scarce. Many traditionalists carry on the practice of asking the plant's permission to be gathered, and leave a small gift of thanks. Additional information regarding the gathering, usage and application of medicinal herbs can be found by talking to the elders of a Cherokee family. One of the herbs known the longest time for soothing stomach problems is the blackberry. Cherokee healers use a mild tea made from small pieces of black gum bark and twigs to relieve chest pains. Hummingbird Blossom (Buck Brush) is used by Cherokee healers by making a weak decoction of the roots for a diuretic that stimulates kidney function.
Drying Herbs: DIY “What’s the best way to dry and store herbs from my garden for the winter? And any tips for how to use them?” —April Hockett I’m a big advocate for drying garden herbs: Like any homegrown food, you know exactly what you’re getting, and, if you store them properly, they’ll last longer than store-bought ground dried herbs. Rosemary, thyme, bay, oregano, marjoram, winter savory, sage, tarragon, lemon verbena, even fennel stalks are all good candidates for drying. Rinse the herbs if they look or feel dirty or dusty, or if you suspect they harbor any hitchhiking critters. Strip the leaves off the lower inch or so of the stems, then tie the herbs in small bunches with kitchen string (which you may need to tighten as the stems shrink). Depending on the moisture content of the herbs, they can take from a few days up to a week to dry. The leaves will retain more of their essential oils if left whole. Cooking with dried herbs Herbed Pepper 1 tablespoon dried rosemary 1 tablespoon dried winter savory