![\"Herb](\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3791\/9449346957_f567bc584e_b_d.jpg\" "\\"Herb")
<\/a>\nGrowing herbs has many advantages and takes very little space.\u00a0 You can grow 16 different herbs in a 4\u2019 x 4\u2019 raised bed garden.\u00a0 You may need to pot some plants: like mint, which is wildly invasive, but you can set the pot down into your bed if you want to keep them all in one place.<\/p>\n
Parsley<\/h1>\n
Parsley has been cultivated for 2,000 years, and was used medicinally long before that. In fact, in ancient times parsley was regarded as sacred and was used to decorate tombs.<\/p>\n
This leafy green is not just an attractive garnish; it\u2019s chock full of essential vitamins. Just two tablespoons of parsley provide over 150% of the daily recommended value of vitamin K.\u00a0 It\u2019s also rich in vitamins A & C, and is an important source of antioxidants.\u00a0 But what it less known is that the oil which is concentrated in the leaves and roots of parsley is high in apiol and myristicin, which are natural diuretics.<\/p>\n
A study published in the “Journal of Ethnopharmacology” in March 2002 gave rats parsley seed extract and found that this significantly increased urine flow.\u00a0 This would benefit anyone fighting kidney stones.<\/p>\n
Drinking a tea made from dried parsley leaves or root three times a day can help keep your kidneys clear.\u00a0 Steep 2 grams (.07 ounces) of dried parsley in 150 ml (5.07 US fl ounces) of hot water.<\/p>\n
Fine Print<\/h2>\n
Be careful when using large amounts of parsley if you are pregnant, as both apiol and myristicin can cause uterine contractions, and myristicin may cause an increase in fetal heart rate. If you are taking lithium, do not use parsley without medical supervision. Other possible side effects of excessive use of parsley oil include headaches, loss of balance, convulsions and renal failure.[1<\/a>]<\/sup><\/p>\n Several herbs that are essential seasonings for your cooking also deserve a place in your herb bed for their medicinal value. Physician Andrew Weil maintains a list of healthful herbs and their uses at his website, www.DrWeil.com. \u00a0In regard to dried herbs, Dr. Weil recommends:<\/p>\n To brew a tea, add 1 teaspoon of dried \u2014 or 3 teaspoons of fresh \u2014 herbs to 1 cup of boiled water; steep several minutes, then remove the herbs.\u00a0 This is much simplified if you use an infuser.<\/p>\n Here are some of my favorites:<\/p>\n Thyme tea soothes a throat which is sore from coughing and has anti-viral properties.<\/p>\n Is a great before-bed tea because it calms and relaxes.\u00a0 Parents report that it helps to sooth cranky kids when they\u2019re feverish.<\/p>\n Can sooth and heal mouth sores and bleeding gums after dental work.<\/p>\n Is good at soothing an upset stomach \u2013 peppermint is especially good at this.<\/p>\n While most of us won\u2019t be growing pineapple in our gardens, it is worth mentioning because of its great benefit in fighting inflammation.\u00a0 Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, a powerful anti-inflammatory.\u00a0 This is helpful in fighting the stiffness and pain of arthritis and reducing C.O.P.D. problems .\u00a0 Taking turmeric with the pineapple increases the benefit in regard to C.O.P.D.<\/p>\n Only fresh pineapple will do \u2013 cooking or processing (canning) the pineapple kills the bromelain and its benefits.\u00a0 The bromelain is concentrated in the pineapple core, so don\u2019t toss that out.\u00a0 Mix chunks with water and pulse it in your blender to make a healthy juice, or just sit and gnaw on a core chunk.\u00a0 The fiber will do you good as well.<\/p>\n As noted above, you will get the most from herbal cures by snipping off what you need and using them fresh from the garden.\u00a0 If you must dry them for storage, dry the leaves whole, seal them into air tight bags or vacuum packs and store them away from direct light.\u00a0 Some can be successfully frozen as fresh leaves.<\/p>\n As with any form of self-medication, consider your situation first.\u00a0 If you are being treated for a serious medical condition, and taking prescription drugs, check with your doctor before taking herbal remedies.\u00a0 \u201cNatural\u201d and \u201cOrganic\u201d are not guarantees of being harmless or that they won\u2019t interact with other substances.<\/p>\n I’ve been meaning to write an article about common herbal garden items that have healthful benefits beyond their vitamins and minerals. Now that spring is upon us and the garden is coming along nicely it’s time I got around to that. Growing herbs has many advantages and takes very little space. You can grow 16 … Continue reading “Herbal Cures From Your Garden”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7],"tags":[86,82],"class_list":["post-5044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational","category-life","tag-gardening","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5044"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21084,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5044\/revisions\/21084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Herbal Teas<\/h1>\n
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Thyme Tea<\/h2>\n
Chamomile Tea<\/h2>\n
Lemon Balm Tea<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Counters headaches and can be used to mask the undesirable flavor of other medicinal teas.\u00a0 Steeped in a stronger solution, lemon balm can be used as a topical antiseptic for minor injuries.<\/p>\nSage Tea<\/h2>\n
Mint Tea<\/h2>\n
Comfrey<\/h1>\n
<\/a>I grow Comfrey as a compost accelerator, but it has healthful benefits as well.\u00a0 Comfrey contains the small organic molecule: allantoin<\/a>, which stimulates cell growth and suppresses inflammation.[4]<\/a><\/sup> Scientists and physicians agree that the use of Comfrey should be restricted to topical use, and should never be ingested.\u00a0 Comfrey salve or a strong solution can be used to treat diaper rash, eczema, psoriasis, and burns. Here is a recipe for making your own Comfrey salve<\/a>.\u00a0 She adds plantain, but you won\u2019t need to cultivate those in your garden, just check your yard!<\/p>\nPineapple<\/h1>\n
Considerations:<\/h1>\n