Monday, June 30, 2014

Homegrown Medicine

Although my Cilantro, Basil and Dill plants haven't yet grown big enough to harvest much, there are a few other plants in my Rock'n Herb Garden that have done very, very well.  Namely the Oregano, Chocolate Mint (chocolate...ha, as if) and Yarrow.  So well that a few weeks ago I cut a bunch and had my wonderful husband hang them up in the blast furnace attic to dry.

A few days ago, I finally remembered that there were herbs in the attic and I was afraid what they'd look like.  Paul brought them down and they were perfect!  So Rhiannon and I got to crunching the leaves off the stems (note to self: do this outside next time) and put them into jars:

I'm glad that I did the Yarrow as I'm pretty sure it did some of it's herbal magic on me.  As I was stripping and crunching the leaves off and carefully snipping the dried flowers off, I started sweating.  Didn't think much of it until later when the little light bulb went off; yarrow is used to induce sweating, among other things.  A younger me would have been a little skeptic of the actual ability of herbs to help/heal.  But when you have first hand experiences like that, it's hard to deny that the herbs are "working".  It's the little things like this that make me more inclined to use natural remedies before reaching into the medicine cabinet for a bottle of pills.

When Rhiannon was younger, she had problems with a stuffy nose and then the icky stuff draining into her lungs and she ended up with pneumonia twice, once in the ER.  Of course, the doctor gave us a bunch of medicines to clear her sinuses up, but I started looking into natural ways to help with her congestion in order to avoid the stuff getting into her lungs.  That's when I started making Mullein and Plantain tea.  Of course, I tested it on both Paul and I first before giving it to Rhiannon.  But I swear by that tea now.  Within minutes after both of us drinking the tea, our noses were dripping.  So now when Rhiannon (or us) starts getting congested, she gladly drinks her Mullein & Plantain tea with a hefty spoonful of local honey.

Do you have any "swear by" herbs you use?  I'd love to hear about them.

6 comments:

  1. I remember your post about the tea but I forgot to bookmark it. Did you say in it how much of each ingredient?
    I've been intending to dry some mint for my homemade tooth powder. Thanks for the reminder!

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  2. Now I feel guilty about ripping out all my yarrow. I should have checked with you first....you are raising a smart, self-sufficient child - there should be more parents like you!

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  3. Carolyn,

    I have yarrow growing in the garden and found it growing all over our place. I'm looking forward to harvesting it and having it available for future use.

    I grow sage and use the leaves for making tea. The tea is great for hot flashes (menopause), bloating. A good friend, Kymber over at Framboise Manor blog suggested it to me and I've been using it ever since.

    I also use fresh grown ginger in water with cucumber, and mint leaves. We make this often in a pitcher and place it in the refrigerator for something cold and refreshing to drink. Drinking makes you feel a little better especially great for calming the belly.

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  4. I'm in the "process" of starting my own herbal meds. cough, cough. sloth

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  5. I just read where if you put sesame seed oil in your nose it acts like a barrier for the allergies and cold bugs.it suppose to help with sinus infections too.Just a thought.

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  6. Orange Mint is the new herb here. I got it at Southern States because it smelled heavenly but now I am finding a great herb! It is also prolific and I have started a lot for the neighbors around us. It is a delight thrown in the steamer when we do baby potatoes, chopped fine in salad and put in citrus drinks as a garnish. It is also great in melon or fruit salads and i am going to try it in potato salad.

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