Many herbs have been used as medicine and as home remedies for hundreds or even thousands of years. If you are thinking of starting a medicinal herb garden, or if you want to make your own herbal home remedies, here are 20 posts to get you started.
How to Grow and Use Medicinal Herbs at Home: 20 Practical Tips
1. Grow aloe! An Aloe vera plant is one of the most useful medicinal plants to grow in your garden. It is especially good for the skin, an effective home remedy for sunburns and other burns, and it is also easy to grow. Read more about growing and using aloe in How to Grow Aloe.
2. Lavender is a beautiful and versatile herb: it is used in herbal medicine, in cooking, in beauty products …. Here are a few Things to Do with Lavender.
3. Chamomile (German or Roman varieties) is a very useful medicinal herb for families. Chamomile teas and infusions are safe and gentle home remedies for children’s stomach problems. Chamomile tea also soothes the nerves and promotes better sleep. Here are 7 Ways to Use Chamomile Herb at Home.
4. Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is known for its skin-healing properties. Read Growing Calendula in Your Herb Garden and use your calendula flowers for tea or for homemade herbal salves and hand creams.
5. Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is easy to grow in the herb garden and makes tasty herb tea. Drink lemon balm infusions to lift low moods, and serve cold lemon balm tea on hot summer days. Read more about the healing properties of lemon balm in Culinary Herbs as Home Remedies: Lemon Balm.
6. Mint is another herb that is very easy to grow and very useful as a home remedy. Drink mint tea to relieve indigestion or colds and sore throats. Culinary Herbs as Home Remedies: Mint has more on the medicinal properties of mint and peppermint.
7. Don’t forget wild herbs and edible weeds! Many wildcrafted herbs and edible weeds have medicinal properties and can be used as home remedies. Try My Favorite Edible Weeds and Wildcrafted Herbs.
8. The easiest way to use medicinal herbs from your garden is to make herbal tea. Try these Refreshing and Healthy Summer Herb Teas.
9. Make the most of your herb garden with DIY herbal infusions. I think fresh herbs make better infusions than dried herbs, but drying some of your herbs means you can use them around the year even after the growing season. Infusions can be served hot or cold, and feel free to be creative when combining herbs for your DIY infusions. Here’s a guide: How to Make an Herbal Infusion.
10. Herbal medicine is excellent for “women’s problems”: hormonal imbalances, menstrual problems, menopause symptoms. I make my own homemade herbal infusion to relieve menstrual problems, such as period pain and heavy period. I use wildcrafted herbs such as yarrow, raspberry leaves and clover – here is the recipe: My Homemade Herb Tea for Women.