Top 10 medicinal herbs??????????

[homesteadingnky]

If you could pick only 10 medicinal herbs to grow, what would they be. If you could tell the name of the herb and what you would use it for. This could be really good. :D

I'll respond later with my picks (need to think about this a little while). Look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.

Homesteading Dad and proud husband of the most amazing and beautiful woman 'n KY

[Deberosa]

Comfrey - multipurpose great for livestock feed and the poultice is great for infections and skin irritations. Watch out it takes off like crazy.

Thyme - steam from boiled leaves good for sinuses - breath the steam. Also good for cooking.

Echinacea - roots make a tea that is anti-viral. We used it on the dog when he got a cough, after a couple of weeks of antibiotics from the vet did not work!

Mint - grows like crazy - great for stomach problems as a tea. Also great for ice tea's and jelly.

Lemon Balm - again good in teas for digestion.

CHamomile - sleepy tea.

Stevia (needs protection in the winter) - a great sugar relplacement.

Sweet Basil - grows great here and lots of vitamins.

Elderberry - as a honey or a tea for colds and flu preventative.

Rose Hips - rich in vitamin C - as a tea or honey or jelly.

Guess I used up my 10. ;-)

I like sage and rosemary and tarragon and oregano and chives for cooking. ;-)

[annabella1]

ginseng- Stress relief, adaptogenic (helps you adjust to change)
Rose hips- same as what was listed in last post.
Garlic- blood thinner, prevent swelling, congestion relief, antibiotic.
Tumeric- anti-carcinogenic, antiviral.
comfrey- everything that was in the last post.
lavender- anti-stress, sleep inducer.
mint- stomach relief, muscle relaxant
elderberry- antiviral, stress relief, good source of vitamin C
tobacco- wormer, insecticide.
oregano- antibacterial, adaptogenic, and really good on pizza.
I also use many non herbal medicinals, like:
Brewers yeast: Great source of all B vitamins, antiviral, gives energy.
vinegar: Strong antiviral, antibiotic and antifungal.
coffee: anti-asthmatic.
Maitake mushroom: anti-carcinogenic, blood purifier, good source of vitamin D

[bookwormom]

medicinal herbs, not cooking herbs, right?

1.)Elder, whole plant. It is my family's Nr.1 herb.

2.)Comfrey, tincture and poultice
ppermint
3.) would be Arnika, tincture

4.) Fennel or Caraway, infusion for colicky babies, stomach trouble, gas

5.) peppermint

6.) tussilago farfara for cbroa

[bookwormom]

bear with me. this computer drives me nuts. it did not seem to react when I pressed the post button, but now I see it posted half ??? ???

7.) dandelion

8.)plantain

9.) passiflora

10.)sweet woodruff

[Deberosa]

I forgot Calendula! THe flower petals make great skin balms and salves. The lavender reminded me of that. I also grow lots of sorrel - rich in vitamins and great in salads.

[CarolAnn]

Echinacea Pallida (tincture the scrubbed & chopped wild root in grain alcohol 6 weeks. Harvest this only in autumn or winter when the root is dormant and contains the full potency. A few drops under the tongue clears out bronchitis faster than anything!)

Lemon Balm, Costmary and Yarrow leaves (used in salve that soothes bites and sunburn) Balm soothes and Yarrow is a styptic.

Comfrey, fenugreek and Yarrow (Tincture of all three used in combination to fight colds and flu - will calm nausea.)

Garlic - anitvirul, generally good for you; my favorite is elephant garlic just because it's so mild in flavor.

Chamomile for tea and soothing bathing waters for babies. Aids digestion, tastes good. I use the whole dried plant in full flower.

Cayenne pepper (irritant & heating agent) Used in linement for sore muscles; use dried peppers, including seeds for maximum heat.

Mentholatum mint (also called Vicks plant) - easiest to grow souce of menthol for breathing aids, it's a tender member of the mint family with succulent leaves. I've grown it, but haven't actually made my own Vicks with it (yet!) It smells really great just crushing the leaves and smelling it when you've got a cold - seems to open up the sinuses.

[Funkhouser]

1. Echinacea for an immune system boost

2. Chamomile for its mild sedative properties

3. Horehound works so well for sore throats

4. Sweet basil for indigestion (also yummy in sauce)

5. Angelica stimulates blood flow :D

6. Coriander (see chamomile)

7. Peppermint leaves steeped in boiling water make a good expectorant when inhaled

8. Calendula for mouthwash

9. Hyssop tea makes a good cold remedy

10. Yarrow makes a good tea to help fight the flu.

Those would be the ten I would grow...actually I've already grown three of them (sweet basil, peppermint and chamomile).

[homesteadingnky]

I'm wanting to post my picks but to be honest with you I can't decide. Remember I'm talking about "medicinal herbs." Which ones will give you the best variety and treat the most common illnesses or injuries or prevent those symptoms or problems from occuring? I'm still not sure.

I know that I'd have;
Garlic (is this an herb or a veggie?)
Cayenne Pepper (stops bleeding and much more)
Echinacea (colds and ear infections)
Comfrey
Peppermint
Thyme
Yarrow
Now I'm stuck! I need 3 more but I want the best ones. Can anyone convince me which 3 I should add and why?

Obviously they need to be able to grow in zone 6 and preferably to thrive here and be fairly easy to manage to make the top 10 list.

I'd love to hear from some others and after a while we'll look at the list and post the top 10 most popular picks.

Homesteading Dad n KY

[mtwildflower]

Garlic (is this an herb or a veggie?)


I think it, like an onion, is actually a lily.

[Saoirse]

My suggestions:
Angelica Archangelica --- good for digestion, cramps, allergies --- Great history behind this one!
Sage --- many uses including indigestion and depression --- "Lucky is the man who has sage in his garden."
Lemon Verbena ---- skin care, colds, in aromatheraphy it helps recovering alcoholics --Long lasting, wonderful scent, too!

[Deberosa]

I just planted Angelica - do you make a tea with the leaves?

[Saoirse]

There is some great info in this web site:

http://www.altnature.com/gallery/angelica.htm

I use angelica for bathing herbs mainly. Very relaxing.
The history behind this herb is fascinating!

[bookwormom]

I use the root (bought) in a mixture that is very potent. Angelika grew wild at home, but I am just a bit squeazy with white blooming umbel plants.

[kaijafon]

I'm "green with envy"..... ya'all have great lists!

I was thinking:
Echinacea....but I'm having trouble getting it to grow for me (thankfully I know where to find some.....)
Lavender
Rosemary
Lemon verbana
Aloe vera
Chamomile
Rose hips

and I'm not sure about the rest...... There are so many! LOL!