10 Easy to Grow Medicinal Herbs For Herbal Remedies- Review
Labels on store-bought herbs rarely reveal how plants are raised, let alone how long the ingredients are exposed to light and high temperatures while stored in their plastic containers. Grow your own to ensure the best quality and potency of your herbal remedies!
“The primary benefit is being able to develop a relationship with that herb,” says Jen Bredesen, an herbalist and teacher at the California School of Herbal Studies. Even novice gardeners can concoct simple home remedies like teas and salves using Bredesen’s list of the top nine easy-to-grow medicinal herbs.
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Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Calendula is also known as pot marigold. It’s a centuries-old antifungal, antiseptic, wound-healing ally, according to the National Library of Medicine. The petals of these cheerful yellow and orange daisy-like flowers lend skin-soothing properties to many natural cosmetics and diaper creams.
Calendula is a freely reseeding annual that blooms all season long. It makes a lovely addition to gardens with full sun. Harvest the petals fresh. You can also dry entire blooms — which close in the evening — before they form seeds.
Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)
Cilantro boasts a unique flavor people either love or hate. The leaves often garnish Mexican and Thai dishes. The seeds, known as coriander, are a prime ingredient in Indian curries.
Few think of this plant as a medicinal herb, but studies show it’s a powerful digestive aid and may be capable of removing heavy metals and other toxic agents from the body.
Cilantro grows best in a cool, moist garden and will quickly bolt in hot weather. Look for slow bolt varieties from seed companies.
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Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
The oils, tannins, and bitters in lemon balm’s fragrant leaves and flowers have a relaxing antispasmodic effect on the stomach and nervous system. It may help fight off viruses like herpes simplex when used topically, according to the NYU Langone Medical Center(NYULMC).
Lemon balm is tasty and gentle enough for children when prepared in teas or tinctures with a glycerin base.
This calming and uplifting perennial makes a pretty patch of bright green in the garden and is a great plant to grow fresh. The dried herb loses some potency after six months.
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Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
Spearmint and peppermint are familiar flavors in toothpaste and chewing gum. Both pack a powerfully refreshing zing, but the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) reports that peppermint makes stronger medicine than its more culinary cousin.
Peppermint may relieve digestive discomforts like indigestion and vomiting when brewed as tea. It can also soothe sore muscles when applied topically as a liquid or lotion.
All mints spread rampantly in a moist garden. Consider growing each plant in its own large pot. Harvest leaves just before flowering. Any longer and they’ll begin to taste bitter.
