Medicinal Herbs
We spoke with Rosemary, co-owner of Morningsun Herb Farm, on medicinal herbs and what you could be doing to help your body naturally. Many of these herbs can be taken straight from plant in your garden and used in your cooking; it doesn’t get any more organic than that! Rose has a B.S. degree from U.C. Berkeley in Forestry, and an M.S. from U.C. Davis in Environmental Horticulture. She managed research greenhouses for the US Forest Service for 4 years before starting Morningsun Herb Farm 16 years ago.
Morningsun Herb Farm, a specialty nursery located in the countryside of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />
The Medicine Cabinet in Your Garden
What are medicinal herbs?
These are herbs used for medicinal or beneficial health purposes. Keep in mind, however, many medicinal herbs have multiple uses. Many of the herbs that we think of as culinary plants were originally used for their medicinal properties. Many of these plants were traditionally used either internally or externally for medicinal uses (including cosmetic uses).
Here are some examples:
Echinacea: This is one of the most common medicinal herbs used in the United States, partly because it is so abundant and grows so quickly. The consumer will find this in so many things: cough drops, power water, sodas, etc. This herb helps to stimulate the immune system. Echinacea is not an ancient medicinal herb but would be considered a new world plant native to the Midwest United States. Besides its medicinal properties this herb is also grown as a garden plant. It is used as a beneficial insect plant used to attract honeybees and butterflies. Many people growing this plant do not use it for its medicinal or beneficial properties, but purely for its big beautiful purple fragrant flowers.
Chamomile: This weedy annual is best known for making tea. It is traditionally used as a sleep aid or stress reliever. And like echinacea, chamomile is used to attract butterflies into the garden.
Sage: It is widely known that sage is used to flavor meats, like sausage. What may not be known is that the original reason for using sage in meats was not for flavoring but for preservation, since it slows down rancidity (this of course dates back to the days before refrigeration). Sage is antioxidant, anti-microbial and anti-fungal.
Rosemary: Besides its well-known culinary uses, this plant is also used externally (liniment, salve or lotion) for sore muscles, muscle ache or tension, arthritis… anything where additional circulation would be helpful. It is also known as a very strong antioxidant, so many will use this herb in the winter time to ward off colds and such.
Catnip: Besides its reputation as a “drug” for cats, this plant is also a wonderful, mild, non-habit forming sedative for children. It is very gentle on the stomach. It is also being studied as an alternative for ADHD. It can be served as a tea to kids, and is very relaxing as a tea for adults and can be used as an alternative to chamomile as it is easier on the stomach and has few allergic problems if any (as opposed to chamomile). It’s nice for winter because it is used as a reliever for colds and fevers. This is so easy to grow; it grows like a weed.
Calendula: This is a winter blooming annual, with little orange daisy-like flowers. It is a very strong anti-inflammatory. Many of the high end cosmetics contain calendula because externally it is anti-inflammatory and internally it is anti-inflammatory. It is used to soften and soothe skin, burned or dry chapped skin, or if you have cracked feet. Internally it aids the digestive system as a tea, especially if you have gastric issues.
Medicinal herbs, not surprisingly, are thought of as a separate category of herb. While in reality, most culinary herbs also have medicinal properties. For example, Basil, Mint, and Parsley are well known culinary staples, but they also aid in digestion. Originally, these plants were used for their antimicrobial properties.
**Soil note: Many of the herbs we are familiar with originated in the Mediterranean lands, where soils are well drained. Here in the Sacramento region our soils tend to be clay-like and for that reason will need to have compost added to have optimal growing success. But generally speaking herbs are among the easiest plants to grow, and it is not unusual to find the herbs on this list growing wild in an empty lot.
Butterfly Bush
Morningsun Herb Farm grows primarily herbs along with perennials (including unusual or drought tolerant perennials) and beneficial insect plants which attract beneficial insects, hummingbirds, butterflies or honeybees into the garden. In fall and spring they do tons and tons of vegetable starts. MHF also has on their website both a blog and a newsletter giving the reader gardening tips and advice. Rose says that many people in California forget that we live in a year-round planting climate. So now in the fall, rather than just waiting until spring, home gardeners could be looking at what to grow for the fall and winter months.
More information may be found at the website for the Herb Society of America. http://www.herbsociety.org/ . They also have a really helpful newsletter they put out every quarter.
Editor's Note: The World Health Organizaiton (WHO) has a number of publications that, although very technical in nature, provide an extensive listing of medicinal herbs that are common in the United State as well as a number of Asian countries. WHO's listing of Medicinal Herbs
You can also contact Rose at Morningsun Herb Farm roseloveall@morningsunherbfarm.com
Or call her at (707) 451-9406.
Morningsun Herb Farm
6137 Pleasant Valley Rd.
Vacaville, CA 95688
http://www.morningsunherbfarm.com
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