The
most important herb in your stock is the one
you can get at, can positively identify and know how to use. Knowing
hundreds of different herbs and their
qualities doesn't do much good if you don't have any of them on hand.
Because
natural remedies often work on many different things, you may only
need to have and know a dozen herbs to use as treatment for anything
you encounter.Want to plant a physic garden for medicinal herbs this year
and want to
know a few simple plants to grow that are easy for beginners and will
be good for many things? These 10 plants are easy to grow, safe to use
and historically have been used to cover a wide variety of physical
ailments:
Bee
balm. Bee balm, or lemon balm as it is also called, is easy to
grow, perennial, good for many things but most importantly, bees love
it. Grow this to attract bees to your garden and help make the world a
friendlier place for our bee friends who do so much for us. Leaves are
edible or use in tea. Said to be good for mental acuity and calmness.
Borage
is an
annual plant (it lives one year and dies) but it seeds so well that it
grows like a weed and one year's planting should ensure a supply of
borage for the rest of your life, at least during the growing seasons
of late spring , summer and early autumn. Good for inflammatory
diseases, weak heart and poor circulation. Leaves and flowers are
edible, and said to confer "strength and courage"..

Clover You should be able to find these
growing wild. The whole plant edible or use in
tea. Red clover is considered
more effective than white.

Dandelion You
should be able to find these without planting. Whole plant edible or
use in tea.
Fennel Good
for digestion and tastes good. All parts edible as a vegetable or use
leaves and flowers to make tea.
Feverfew A
prolific grower and self-seeder. Leaves are
edible or use in tea. Said to be good for fever, headache, arthritis
and migraine.
Garlic Easy to grow. You can also
just push
sprouting
garlic cloves into the ground. Good to help reduce the severity of any
infectious illness. All parts are edible.
Ground
Ivy A
common lawn weed that you may already have. Check out your grass. It is
so invasive you wouldn't plant it, but should be able to find it
around. A cure-all that is used to flavor beverages.

Mullein May be
growing wild in the area. Look for fuzzy gray-green
leaves. Check along the sidewalks. Transplant to bring height to your
garden. Tea is good for soothing coughs, but be certain to strain
it through cloth or very fine sieve to get out hairs.
Sage Make an
infusion for mouthwash to cure any oral maladies. Said to be good
for mental accuity drank as a tea.
You can add oak, birch and willow to your
herbal repertoire if you have any of these trees growing nearby.
Remember the most important herbs that you can have are ones that you
can positively
identify and can get. Because individual plants are often good for a
very wide variety of ailments, you would probably need only to learn to
identify a few wild growers and a few trees and plant a few
store-boughts to have
a complete pharmacy for 90% of all ailments you would encounter.
Be An Instant Herbalist
To
make an infusion from your medicinal herbs, pack a glass jar with
the plant material, green or dried, cover with water and place in a
slow cooker for a day or until water is reduced to one third. Strain
out plant matter and pour liquid into another glass jar, cover and
store in refrigerator.
"One-Size Fits All" prescription for
most infectious diseases.
Make the above infusion and give to someone with these instructions:
Put 1 tablespoon of this into a cup of hot water or tea and
drink at least 6 cups a day.
Increase your intake of Vitamin C to 3000 - 5000 mgs (3-5 grams) per
day.
Increase vitamins A, E, zinc and selenium.
Drink lots of chicken broth.
Eat at least 2 cloves of garlic a day.
Gargle with hot salt water several
times a day.
Practice jala neti (saline nasal irrigation) if possible.
Add miso to your soups and broths.
Eat a serving of sauerkraut or other naturally lacto-fermented pickle
with every meal.
Take a spoonful of cod liver oil every day.
Take elderberry syrup if you have it.
Get plenty of sleep in a dark room. Eat a spoonful of clay a day.
How
to Grow More Vegetables: Than You Ever Thought Possible by
John Jeavons.
Four-Season
Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
by Eliot Coleman
Fire
Your Doctor! How to Be Independently Healthy by Andrew W. Saul
The
Dandelion Celebration: A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine
by Peter Gail
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