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In my search for more information on herbs this is some of the information I have found on growing your own healing herbs since certain herbs are in short supply.
There are thousands upon thousands of herbs you can grow - many would be classified by some as weeds, and many would grow naturally in your area.
You need to do some research. The herbs you are likely to need are not necessarily those that everyone else might need. Look at your health history, and that of your family, and then find out what herbs are used to treat those conditions. Then find out if the climatic conditions where you live will suit any of them. From there, look into how you'd harvest, prepare and store them in usable quantities.
If you are already on conventional medications, speak with your doctor about replacing or supplementing them with the herbs. Find out which ones interfere with each other (drug/herb; herb/herb), and which ones are contraindicated for certain conditions, and any warnings about them you should be aware of.
Then look into herbal First Aid Kits, and find out what's in them, and work out your own list. Like conventional drugs, herbal preparations do not always have a long shelf-life (except tinctures and essential oils).
Here's a sample First Aid Kit. Some of the herbs you can grow, some are easier to buy commercially. You might need to tidy it up a bit - the original is a MS Word table that doesn't translate well here (3 columns - Herb, Mainly Used For, Form Used:
Agrimony Diarrhea. Sore throat. Cystitis. Infusion.
Aloe Vera Burns including sunburn. Wounds. Fresh leaf gel, or cream
Arnica Bruises. Sprains Make up into a cream as required
Bach Flower Rescue Remedy Quells anxiety and nervousness. Place 4 drops in drinking water as needed throughout the day.
Blackberry leaves Diarrhoea. Infusion.
Black Cohosh Pain associated with menstruation. Tincture.
Calendula Minor wounds. Rashes. Burns. Tinea. As in infusion, or in a cream.
Chamomile Restless or teething babies and children. Rashes. Burns. Sore eyes. Infusion. Cream or lotion.
Clove oil Toothache Applied direct. Whole cloves can also be used.
Comfrey Sprains. Wounds. Skin problems. Fresh leaf poultice. Cream.
Cramp Bark Menstrual pain. Muscle cramp or spasms. Decoction or cream.
Dandelion Fluid retention. Warts. Infusion. Sap of fresh plants for warts.
Echinacea Improve immune system Tablets or capsules.
Elderflower Hay fever. Colds, flu. Infusion. Elderberry syrup may also be used.
Eucalyptus oil Colds, flu Inhalation.
Evening Primrose oil Premenstrual syndrome. Hangover. Eczema. Capsules.
Fennel seeds Colic in babies. Indigestion. Infusion. (Dill, Caraway or Aniseed can be substituted.)
Feverfew Headache. Rheumatic pain. Fresh or dried leaf, infusion
Figs Laxative Fresh or dried fruit, or syrup
Garlic Antiseptic. Colds, flu. Wounds. Earache. Food poisoning. Fresh bulbs or tablets. Juice for earache.
Ginger Nausea. Colds and flu. Menstrual pain. Fresh or powdered root. Infusion
Goldenseal ‘Traveller’s Diarrhoea’. Use with Echinacea for colds and flu. Tincture.
Lavender oil or flowers Antiseptic. Wounds. Minor burns. Bites and stings. Headache. Relaxant. Use externally only. An infusion of fresh or dried flowers can also be used.
Lemon Balm Insomnia. Bites, stings. Infusion. Fresh leaf for bites and stings.
Liquorice root Colds and flu. Menopausal symptoms. Sore throat. Infusion.
Marshmallow Boils. Splinters. Sore thoat. Decoction.
Mint Shock. Indigestion Infusion
Rosemary leaves Headaches. Pick-me-up. Infusion.
Slippery Elm Sore throats. Coughs. Diarrhoea. Lozenges.
St John’s Wort Burns. Earache. Mild Depression.
Haemorrhoids. Infusion.
Salve.
Tea Tree oil Tinea. Wounds. Cold sores. Use externally only.
Thyme Chest congestion. Worms. Infusion
Valerian Anxiety. Insomnia. Muscle spasms. Decoction or capsules
Also do some homework about the medicinal uses of common culinary herbs - some are mentioned above, and most have medicinal uses. Things like echinacea and evening primrose and calendula are easily grown in most gardens, but to be useful you need quite a lot of each! Even roses are herbs, and if you think of the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, you're probably already well on the way to having a medicinal garden! Look up 'medicinal uses potato (or tomato or carrot or apple or lemon)', for instance! Be prepared to be astonished at just how useful they can be.
Here is a link to a plant database that you may find very useful. It has over 7,000 medicinal plants listed in it with information about medicinal uses and growing, harvesting, preparing, etc. Medicinal Plants Database
As I have learned about different herbs I find out if they grow in my gardening zone. Your name doesn't state your gardening zone so I don't know how hot/cold your get there. Then I scout around and find seeds/starts and give it a try. So far part of the list I grow includes comfrey, marshmallow, roses,calendula, rose hips, echnacea,thyme, clary sage, yarrow, mint and the list goes on. It is fun to find the plants/seeds and then try to grow them. You also need to know when to harvest what part of the herb you want. I have some seeds of some herbs available for possible sell/trade/barter if you are interested. Just send me a p.m. if you are. Pinetree seed Co. has many herb seeds for sale and they have been great to deal with. Most seed catalogs have at least a small section of herb seeds and if you look around on e-bay there are LOtS there as well. Thereare several excellent resource books for more information on Herbalism. I have listed them below:
Growing 101 Herbs That Heal by Hartung
Abc Herbal-A Simplified Guide to Natural Health Care for Children
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