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Post by synergy on Feb 15, 2011 23:54:19 GMT -5
I am trying to slowly utilize herbs and plants we can grow for medicinal and utility reasons. Well I have been trying to indentify plants i have that have medicinal properties, how to use them, what else to try and why. And determine what to try next !
The whole who, what, where ,when , why
I have plantain weed, weeping willow, some garlic and lavender... for starters
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 16, 2011 5:43:04 GMT -5
Wow this is such a GIGANTIC topic. Thanks for posting. My initial interest in gardening came from planting culinary herbs in the UK where rosemary and bay laurel grow outside. Ah, those were the days. Now they languish in a window waiting for spring to arrive. Most culinary herbs seem to have some biochemically active components. I like a couple books: Culinary Herbs by Small (I think there is a medicinal one but the culinary one is surprisingly good), and Toser Use of Wild Plants. There are, of course, tonnes of other great books out there. I try and incoporate as many useful plants, wild or otherwise into the garden that I know aren't overly dangerous: In other words, I don't plant castor bean. My kids are too young. I have to go do stuff but I'm coming back to this thread!  |
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Post by mnjrutherford on Feb 16, 2011 5:55:59 GMT -5
This is a lot like the culinary use in my mind. One of the basic tenants of some Asian cultures is that you medicate yourself with the herbs and spices in your everyday food. Thats why I try to use a wide range of herbs daily.
I made a really great pot of rice yesterday seasoned with peppers and tomatoes that I've dried. I think the bigger trick is to develop the mind set to gather and store with all the various uses in mind.
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Post by garnetmoth on Feb 16, 2011 8:38:55 GMT -5
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 16, 2011 10:23:51 GMT -5
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 16, 2011 10:28:52 GMT -5
Oh, over the years, I have been naturally attracted to certain plants. When I was a kid, it was mint. I suffered from a lot of nausea. As an adult, I am attracted to bitters like quinine and yarrow. Not sure why exactly but I like tea containing yarrow.
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Post by robertb on Feb 16, 2011 14:35:19 GMT -5
A lot of common vegetables double up as medicinal plants. Garlic, for instance, for all sorts of things; rhubarb, particularly the root, as a purgative, and so on. A daily dose of feverfew is supposed to cure headaches, There are loads of books. If you keep bees, or know someone who does, untreated honey is superb on wounds and burns, and propolis (plant resins the bees collect and smear over the hive contents) can be used straight, or in alcoholic or aqueous solution, as an antiseptic or antibiotic. I've cured tooth abscesses with it several times. If you have hay fever, a spoonful of local honey a day is supposed to be good, and people claim bee stings cure arthritis. They buck up the immune system, so there may be something in it.
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Post by steev on Feb 16, 2011 16:48:10 GMT -5
I saw on Sunday that my milk thistle patch is up; I'm told it's good for my liver, but I just think it's tasty, properly prepared.
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 16, 2011 19:16:43 GMT -5
I planted milk thistle this year. It also looks beatiful!
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Post by stevil on Feb 17, 2011 12:17:47 GMT -5
A lot of common vegetables double up as medicinal plants. quote] And a lot of medicinal plants double up as vegetables. Food is medicine as they say. I grow Silybum mainly as a vegetable as have Mediterraneans for millenia - if it does me some good as well so much the better... Here's freshly harvested Silybum started inside early spring with Alliaria, Urtica, Aegopodium and Hablitzia which I made into a green pasta sauce:  |
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Post by synergy on Feb 17, 2011 13:50:04 GMT -5
Plantain grows in my lawn, I don't use any 'cides' and I pluck it and rub it on mosquito bites right away for relief. I thought we might all share what we learn so I looked up more and just found this site called the Alternative Nature Online Herbal with more information l : www.altnature.com/gallery/plantain.htmI looked at the link to the book you posted and saw a climate graph that shows us as zone 8 like northern Florida ! Elsewhere we are a 7 , hard to believe being in Canada , maybe I should have a greener thumb! |
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Post by seedywen on Feb 21, 2011 21:22:29 GMT -5
I grow Silybum as an ornamental but didn't know that it has edible leaves.
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Post by steev on Feb 22, 2011 20:37:44 GMT -5
I don't use the leaves per se; I treat it like cardoon, stripping off the leafy part to keep the heavy rib. I cut it bite-size, soak in salted water overnight and drain (to reduce the bitter). Then saute some onion (preferably in bacon grease), add the thistle, salt and pepper, cover and cook over low heat until tender. I cook a number of veggies this way (less the soaking), and I will probably die some day, but it won't be from failing to enjoy my food!
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 23, 2011 8:35:24 GMT -5
Mmmm poor pig, I love you so. I do the olive oil saute a lot. Hubby doesn't like to hear that I fried things in bacon fat. He's a tad older than me and worries about his organs more than I do (I should probably worry more).
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Post by seedywen on Feb 23, 2011 16:31:44 GMT -5
Interesting way to prepare silybum, steev. I'll try it.
Ditto for stevil's green pasta sauce. Except his mention of Aegopodium surprised me. It's edible too???
At this rate I might be able to start harvesting my whole perennial bed!
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