Herbs are the most decadent and useful plants a person can use in their garden. Whether it’s a window box in an apartment, a small yard with a few favorites, or a full-blown landscaping project featuring all the best herbs for health and healing, having herbs in your life is a real boost.
While just about any herb you choose is a good choice for something that ails you, these top five herbs remain tried and true any time of the year.
Mint is fast growing and needs room to grow, but in a pinch, it grows in a pot. Mint varieties send out runners that spread above and just under the ground, quickly forming large, lush green patches and in addition to healing properties, it also adds a lovely fragrance to the yard. Mint is often used as a tea to help alleviate a queasy stomach or pain. Because of its strong, sharp flavor and scent, mint is also used as a mild decongestant for illnesses such as the common cold and for a sore throat if mixed with a splash of lemon juice. During the Middle Ages, they used powdered mint leaves to whiten teeth.
At Survival Mom , there is a list of top herbs available in either capsule or tea form for best results in treating ailments. For example, the Echinacea herb is an immunity-boosting supplement. If you take it during the cold and flu season, it often helps rid you of the illness. Keep in mind though, that only use Echinacea for 10 days before taking a break as constant use creates a resistance to its benefits.
Chamomile is a sweet, light tasting herb often used in a tea for both queasy stomachs and helping calm nervousness. Many also use it as a sleep aid, and some reports indicate it helps as an anti-inflammatory for skin-irritation. Chamomile helps many, but those with an allergy to ragweed, might react to chamomile the same way.
Garlic is another herb many people call “the only drug they need.” It loses some of its potency when cooked so raw garlic is best, but either way, it helps what ails you. In fact, eating garlic regularly is a good way to stay away from getting sick at all. Garlic is good for the cardiovascular system, and is proven to have antibacterial, antibiotic, anti-fungal, and antiviral properties. Historically, the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians used Garlic, but it was even used as recently as World War I to substitute penicillin.
Though dandelions often get a bad rap, this is one of the most multipurpose herbs around. Many eat the leaves as a spring green and use the blossom to make jelly. Although fragile, the petals on the dandelion can be added to salads or any summer dish to provide relief to aching muscles. When dried and ground, the root of the dandelion is great for coffee. As a medicinal plant, adding oil to the blossom to infuse the leaf and root allows it for use in teas, tinctures, salves, and oils on occasion as a liver tonic and soothing skin.
Beyond their usefulness for ailments, beautiful in both sight and smell, these herbs are a creative way to enhance your garden
Sources:
www.bonnieplants.com and Green Earth Media Group