Medicinal herbs

[Runningtrails]

I have just begun to use medicinal herbs in the form of teas this year and we are very impressed. Also impressive is the purslane on insect bites! I have been drying a lot of them and hand rubbing them this year for tea mixes. I have made a sleepytime tea for hubby that work very well and I intend to make an immune booster for the winter and one for my asthma. I'm also in the process of making some herbal ear ache drops.

This is very exciting! These things actually work and work well and they're growing right out in my garden!

I enjoy hanging and drying the herbs. I've even begun to dry our spinach and other greens.

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, I love growing herbs and make lots of tea blends.

Interesting about the purslane for insect bites. I didn't know that one. Purslane is a good edible weed, nice in salads and in the recipe section I posted a recipe for purslane potato salad that I really like.

What I use for insect bites/stings is plantain, also a very common weed. Just pick a leaf, chew it a little to release the juices and use it as a poultice. Very effective!

[smaxey843]

I am FASCINATED by what you are sharing here, rainbow can you go into detail about what you just said about plantain? what is a poultice? and what kind of tea did you use for sleep inducement/relaxation? I usually have to read science fiction novels for hours before I can sleep.

[rainbowgardener]

Poultice is just a moist compress applied to the skin. So you just chew up the plantain leaves a little bit and apply it to the area of the bite or sting. I have used it for bee stings to which I am somewhat allergic and it works amazingly.

Herbal teas are mild medicinals; they aren't knock out drops. My relaxing tea recipe is 2 parts chamomile, 2 parts lemon balm, and one part lavender. Steep for five minutes, add a little honey and sip.

Valerian is noted as a stronger sleep herb. It is available in capsule form at pharmacies. It is a natural herb and studies have shown it safe for short term use in reasonable quantities. But just because something is natural does not mean it couldn't have side effects or risks.

[soil]

try a mullein steam bath for the asthma.

an excellent medicinal plant. many uses. easy to identify.

[smaxey843]

I imagine the knock out drops are distilled from dozens of gallons of tea, but relaxation sounds great. thanks for the information about the poultice. I've never heard of that kind of medicine/remedy, sounds very holistic.

[jeff57]

There are a lot of herbs that can be grown for medicinal purposes. There are also a lot of other plants that can be used as well (tree barks, seeds, pine needles, etc). There are a lot of good books on the subject out there. One resource I use for a lot of herbs that can't be grown or located locally is Penn Herb Company. They have a great selection and good information on their products.

https://www.pennherb.com

[Runningtrails]

I use a combination of herbs for sleeytea. They seem to work very well. Hubby uses it a lot and loves it. The ones I use are: cilantro/coriander leaves, lavender, evening primrose leaves, chamomile.

Next year I am adding valerian and mullein. Mullein is prescribed in some countries as a seditive pain killer. Coriander leaves are prescribed in some arab countries for insomnia.

I have recently used purslane for big fly bites and it worked wonders. They just disappeared! The mosquito bites do the same. Rub purslane juice on them and never give them another thought. it's amazing!

I'll try the plantain (plantago) too. We certainly have a lot of it growing here!

Mullein is good for so many things!

[Middleman777]

I'm a little late to the party here, but making herbal/medicinal teas is one of the main reasons why I'm starting a garden. Does anyone know any sites that have recipes?

[rainbowgardener]

Here's a thread where I posted some:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=226004#226004

Here's some sites:

https://www.grandmas-wisdom.com/medicinal-teas.html



https://straightfromthefarm.net/2008/11/22/herbal-tea-recipes/


Get familiar with Search the Forum there's lots of good stuff here already!

[Middleman777]

Thank you rainbow!

[Gary350]

Plantain is very good to stop itching.

Check out Chinese herbology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_herbs

It is well known that Marijuana is good for Parkinson's Disease is stops the shaking. I know it works my sister got some for my mother and it stopped her shaking. Mom refused to try it at first she was worried she would get high but soon learned only 1 or 2 small breaths of smoke is all it took to stop the shaking and no feeling of getting high.
https://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/2009/05/medical-marijuana-for-parkinsons.html

Marijuana is good for Glaucoma.
https://www.glaucoma.org/treatment/medical-marijuana.php

Marijunan is good for insomnia. https://www.marijuana.com/medicinal-marijuana/123390-marijuana-chronic-insomnia.html

Marijuana is good for withdrawls and detox. https://recoveringaddict.hubpages.com/hub/Marijuana-withdrawal-symptoms-Insomnia--anxiety--iritability--headache

I saw on TV several countries use cilantro as an antibiotic.

India uses Tumeric as an antibiotic.