Use Plant Identification to Grow a Medicinal Garden
If you are interested in natural remedies, we’d like to suggest a few plants you can grow in your garden to use as home remedies for common ailments. So gather up some pots or corner off a small area of ground, add some markers for plant identification and you’ll be ready for your new hobby in medicinal gardening.
Peppermint
Peppermint is one of the oldest natural remedies known to man. Because peppermint will rapidly take over any area of ground you plant it in, this is one that will be best to grow in containers. Peppermint enjoys full sun and requires little to no attention. The plant is recommended for help with digestion, soothing for troubled stomachs and can help ease stress or promote sleep. Simply make a tea with fresh or dried leaves. Pour one cup boiling water over leaves and allow to steep for at least 10 minutes. Leaves should be dried in a dark, warm space.
Chamomile
This flowering plant is popularly used to create calming teas. The daisy-looking flowers grow easily and quickly. Gardeners can easily plant and harvest flowers twice during the summer season with multiple flowers appearing during each period of bloom. In open ground gardens, the flower will sow and germinate entirely on their own.
Chamomile tea is often used as a sleep aid, but the flower offers many benefits besides. Chamomile has been shown to help reduce inflammation, relax muscles spasms, ease tension, cleanse wounds, trigger urination or soothe upset tummies. Simply dry the flower in a warm, dark environment. Pour one cup boiling water over chopped flowers and allow to steep 10 minutes. Strain before drinking.
Lemon Balm
So named for the lemon scent of its leaves, lemon balm is still sweet enough to attract bees. The plant doesn’t like full sun but is otherwise easy to grow. It prefers shady locations in conducive conditions, but is another plant in the mint family and so you may want to grow in pots because it can be invasive. If planted in-ground be sure to use markers for plant identification.
Among the many benefits from lemon balm is calming spasms (even in the digestive tract) and as an aid to sleep. Lemon balm is most effective when used near harvest. Snip off leaves just as blooms appear. Then make tea with fresh cut or dried leaves to enjoy benefits.
Yarrow
Yarrow is part of the aster family and legend says that Achilles used yarrow poultices to stanch the bleeding when soldiers were wounded in the Trojan War. In other words, it’s been used medicinally for a long time. Science has proven yarrow’s effectiveness in halting blood flow. You can crush fresh flower or leaves directly into a cleansed cut to stop bleeding.
The flower grows well with minimal care and is often seen growing wild along roadsides. Cut the stems when flowers are in full bloom and then hang stems to dry. Make yarrow tea by pouring one cup boiling water over one to two teaspoons of dried leaves and steep 10-15 minutes.
These are just a few of the plants you can grow easily right in your own yard to use as home remedies. Be sure to use markers for correct plant identification. When you choose your markers we invite you to look through the quality choices available through Kincaid Plant Markers. We believe in home gardening and enjoy helping make it happen.
