Medicinal Garden

[Catwoman]

Just curious about what works and doesn't, etc.
Any of you gardeners grow plants or herbs that are medicinal? About the only such thing I have grown is aloe vera, but am just starting to learn about this. Thanks!

[Rosemary]

If you have a local botanical garden or arboretum, there might be a medicinal or herb garden there that would give you an idea of what grows well in your area. What is your climate, and what is your soil like?

[Mrs. Hermit]

I currently grow mints (for stomach complaints and wonderful tea), rosemary (herbal bath ingredient, for reducing aches), sage (tea for coughs), Parsley (reduces the aftereffects of beans), oregano (by some claimed to be an antibiotic), lemon balm (calmative and great addition to tea), raspberry plants (leaves make tea for women's complaints), blueberries (leaves make tea that help the eyes). Not that I use all of these, but I like to know how each plant around me can be useful. Rodale Press and Storey Press have several good books about growing and using medicinal herbs.

[herbgeek]

I also grow mints- primarily peppermint for medicinal uses, but also other mints for mojitos :). As Mrs. Hermit mentioned above, a lot of the culinary herbs also have additional medicinal benefits. In addition to her list, I'll add chamomile (for skin, and mild calming), comfrey (for skin salves), calendula (skin, really pretty flowers), thyme (disinfectant, good for colds and hangovers), lavender (calming), nettles (all around good for you, lots of minerals but make sure to use gloves while picking, ask me how I know that ;)). I grow additional medicinal herbs because I like the foliage or the flowers, but I don't use for medicine like meadowsweet (aspirin like herb) and echinacea (immune system enhancing).

[pinkytoe]

I am fascinated with the topic but haven't actively grown anything other than a few herbs. I have been studying about various medicinal and or nutritional uses of common weeds and note that many grow in my back yard quite well on their own. Stuff like cleavers, henbit and dandelion. I would like to grow nettles way back in the wild corner of the yard, but don't know how to get them started.

[frugal-one]

Another person and I started an herb discussion group within the last year. One gal owns a health store and is very knowledgeable and another has loads of info to share as well. Last year I picked elderberries and made a tincture. It is fabulous when you start to get a cold or flu. It just knocks it right out of you! My husband is now a believer of some of the natural remedies I have inflicted on him. This year I plan on working with plaintain and the group is going to have an outing to pick nettles and discuss various uses. I also plan on planting chamomile for tea.

A few books that I think are absolutely fabulous are:

Eyewitness Companions Herbal Remedies ISBN:978-0-7566-28666-6
The Herbal Home Remedy Book by Joyce A Wardwell ISBN: 1-58017-016-1
20,000 Secrets of Tea by Victoria Zak ISBN: 0-440-23529-4

What are your favorite must-have resources?

[Amaranth]

Another good one is horseradish for medicine and food. The International Herb Association spotlights a different herb each year that is multifunctional. This year, it's horseradish.

If you look at their list, you can also get a list of the books they did each year on the featured herb.

A future focus is the rose. Some roses have very large seed pods "hips" which are high in vitamin C.

Look for any book by Susan Belsinger. She is very good at combining herbs, food, and gardening.

[puglogic]

My medicinal herb ventures are relatively new, only second year, so I don't know yet how it'll turn out. I'm growing motherwort (for female kinds of things), valerian (relaxing), chamomile, sage, oregano, scullcap (sleep aid), echinacea, nepeta, borage, and some others that haven't yet come up, so I can't remember them. That's in addition to our big culinary ones: tons of basil, thyme, tarragon, chives, lovage, and cilantro, and a lot of horseradish, onions & garlic. We collect nettles in spring/summer and wild rose hips in fall for tea. I love turning to nature for what ails me! (even if it's just a craving for pesto ;) )

[gimmethesimplelife]

My guess is that with health care in the US being what it is, more and more people in the future will be growing medicinal herbs and you know, I am thinking that this is a GOOD thing.....Maybe more people will get acquainted with growing things and the seasons and the cycles of life, much better than blowing money at the mall or watching reality TV, don't you think? Rob

[Jemima]

My guess is that with health care in the US being what it is, more and more people in the future will be growing medicinal herbs and you know, I am thinking that this is a GOOD thing.....Maybe more people will get acquainted with growing things and the seasons and the cycles of life, much better than blowing money at the mall or watching reality TV, don't you think? Rob

I agree, and I'd add that it may be better than blowing money on doctors and tests too, given my experiences of the past year. I've discovered that mint tea and raw onion do a lot more for my hay fever than Allegra, for example.

I'm just getting started with growing medicinal herbs and so far I have only peppermint coming up and plan to plant some oregano and lavender this year. Thanks to my HSSJ I haven't had much time to study up and don't want to plant a bunch of herbs I'll never use. Mine will be scattered throughout other plantings rather than placed in a special herb garden.

I'm checking out interesting weeds as well, and would love to find a book with photos for easy identification.

[puglogic]

I can stop a cold in its tracks with ginger, garlic, chilis, and echinacea. I take scullcap most nights to sleep. I'm definitely becoming a medicinal plant believer......but I sure didn't use to be.

[SRP]

Lemon balm is calming? Cool. Maybe I'll make some tea this weekend, because I sure do need to relax and calm down. I grow a few culinary herbs... and I grow lemon balm because it won't die. I planted it from seed many years ago, and it is one of the happiest plants I have. Oh, and heaven help me if I let it go to seed. Last year I had little sprouts popping up everywhere. It was amazing.