my adventure with herbs

I’m taking to herbs much better than I thought I would.  First thing I want to say is that if anyone out there has any must-have books on herbs, please let me know.  The selection is overwhelming and I need to have a book referencing many of the herbs and their properties.  I also like to have books full of beautiful landscapes and garden plans…like, don’t need.  So if you know of or have a really good herbal reference book that you find yourself going to again and again, please let me know.

So I did finally order some basic herbs to start my herb cupboard.  I ordered Alfalfa, Cat Mint, Cinnamon, Slippery Elm powder, Hawthorn Berries, Bilberries, Chamomile Flowers, Comfrey, Olive Leaf, Nettle Leaf, and Ginger Root.  I’ve harvested Lemon Balm, Lavender, Plantain, Fenugreek Seed, Yarrow, Lemon Grass, Thyme, Basil, and Oregano.  All this is in addition to the Peppermint, Spearmint, Cayenne, fresh Lemons, Garlic, and Ginger that I already have on hand. It didn’t seem like much, but with it on-hand it really is quite the collection!   Thankfully we have a dresser with open shelves up top that is being moved out of one room and into my kitchen for storage.   The drawers will be a nice dark spot for herbs and “tonics” as my oldest calls them and then the top will be for cookbooks and a few other items that need a home. 

Some of my family thinks me a bit odd for having herbs brewing in alcohol, feeding a sick kid a spoonful of Garlic Honey, but so it goes.  We are trying to persue a more traditional style of life and this is one path we are taking.  Besides, when you see your kid gladly taking garlic honey to help fight an oncoming cold (and smell her breath) then see her getting well instead of more into a cold…well, let’s just say I know it’s working for us and it’s far less than a doctor bill and prescription or even a bottle of cough medicine.  I am not saying that there isn’t a time and place for the medical community.  I guess in the end we are trying to find a balance between what we can accomplish with the God-given resources at hand versus when modern medicine is best. 

Enough drivel, here’s what we have done so far with the herbs we have:

1. Lavender Honey
2. Basil Olive Oil
3. Thai Basil Olive  Oil
4. Immune Booster-  This tincture has been setting for 2 weeks will be for another week.  It has Echinacea tops and root as well as peppermint in it. 
5. Garlic Honey to help with one of the girls coming down with a cold (and it worked well)
6. Ginger Lemonade with Honey for the same little one that was under the weather
7. Plantain on bug bites, fresh chewed up and spread onto the area
8. Oatmeal with Honey, Cinnamon, and Bilberries

In my plans are:

1. a tea to help control blood pressure
2. Fenugreek Seed tincture
3. Cat Mint, Chamomile, and Lemon Balm tea because it sounds cool and calm
4. cooking as often as possible with what I have on hand!

Next time I discuss herbs, I’ll try highlighting some of what we have used so far and how it has worked for us. 

As I am sure you can figure, I am not a member of the medical community and I feel I have to say that anything I post in relation to health should be taken as just that…this is about my experience, not my trained/medical advice.