Keeping Your Family Healthy
with Five Common Herbs

By Jill Gibbs

There are five familiar culinary and medicinal herbs you can grow to keep you and your family happy and healthy. These fragrant versatile plants include Calendula, German Chamomile, Lavender, Rose Geranium & Rosemary. Using this article as a reference you will be able to prepare simple remedies to treat everything from acne to vericose veins.

Tilling a garden deepens your connection with the natural world. There is a wonderful sense of independence and satisfaction that comes from planting and harvesting herbs from your own back yard. Over the years you will develop favorite herbs to use for specific ailments. For example you may always turn to lavender to treat a headache, a kitchen scald or an inflamed pimple. Cultivating a home garden is an enriching experience for your body, mind and spirit. My first herb garden ended up leading me down a passionate new life path. Happy Gardening!

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is from the Compositae Plant Family. It is a hardy annual that needs rich well-drained soil, full sun or partial shade & soil pH of 6.6. Brilliant orange & yellow blooms similar in structure to daisies. It can grow up to 2 feet. Calendula has a pungent aroma. Start by seed. It is widely used for treating a host of minor skin problems. Harvest the petals & flowerheads.

German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is from the Compositae Plant Family. It is a hardy annual that needs sandy well-drained soil, full sun to partial shade & soil pH of 6.7. It can grow to 2 feet. The flowers are small & daisy like. The leaves are very fine & feathery. Start by seed. The flower odor is deep, herbaceous and sweet. German Chamomile makes a wonderful relaxing bath before bed. Harvest the flowering tops. Cautions: Fresh German Chamomile has the potential to cause dermatitis and some people are allergic. Do not use if you experience any discomfort.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is from the Labiatae Plant Family. It is a perennial that needs light well drained soil, full sun & soil pH of 5-8. It has gray-green foliage with velvety lavender-blue flower spikes. The aroma is floral sweet & pine like. It can grow up to 2.5 feet. Start with cuttings or seed. Lavender is effective at soothing the pain of headaches. Harvest the flowering tops.

Rose Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) is from the Geraniaceae Plant Family. It is a tender perennial that needs rich dry well drained soil, full sun or partial shade & soil pH of 6-7. It is the oldest variety, with wonderful green rosy scented leaves. It can grow up to 2 feet. Start with cuttings or seed. Rose Geranium is anti-fungal & makes a good foot soak. Harvest the leaves.

Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis) is from the Labiatae Plant Family. It is a perennial evergreen that needs light sandy well-drained soil, full sun & soil pH of 5-8. It is a gray-green shrub with needlelike leathery leaves that have a pungent camphorous aroma. It can grow up to 6 feet. Start with cuttings or seed. Rosemary is a circulatory and nervine stimulant and makes a good muscle & joint massage oil. Harvest the leaves & twigs.

Use the following KEY: (B) Bath; (C) Compress; (FB) FootBath; (M) Massage; (TU) Topical Use

Acne: use one or a combination of the following: Lavender, Rose Geranium, German Chamomile, Rosemary (B) (C)

Anxiety & stress: use one or a combination of the following: Lavender, German Chamomile, Rose Geranium (B) (C) (FB) (M)

Bruises: use one or a combination of the following: Calendula, Lavender, Rosemary, Rose Geranium (C) (M) (TU)

Colds & coughs: use one or a combination of the following: Lavender, Rosemary (B) (M) (TU)

Cracked chapped nipples from breast feeding: use one or a combination of the following: German Chamomile, Calendula, Lavender (C) (TU)

Cuts and scrapes: use one or a combination of the following: Lavender, German Chamomile, Rose Geranium, Calendula (B) (C) (TU)

Eczema: use one or a combination of the following: Rosemary, Rose Geranium, Lavender, Calendula (B) (C) (TU)

Hair Rinse: use one or a combination of the following: Rosemary, Lavender, Calendula (TU)

Headaches: use one or a combination of the following: Lavender, Rosemary, German Chamomile (B) (C) (M) (TU)

Hemorrhoids: use one or a combination of the following: German Chamomile, Rose Geranium, Calendula (B) (TU)

Increase Circulation: use one or a combination of the following: Rosemary, Rose Geranium (B) (FB) (M)

Insect bites and stings: use one or a combination of the following: Lavender, Calendula (C) (TU)

Insomnia: use one or a combination of the following: German Chamomile, Rose Geranium, Lavender (B) (M)

Nail Fungus: use one or a combination of the following: Calendula, Rose Geranium, German Chamomile, Rosemary, Lavender (FB) (TU)

Pain General: use one or a combination of the following: German Chamomile, Lavender, Rose Geranium, Rosemary (B) (C) (M) (TU)

Psoriasis: use one or a combination of the following: German Chamomile, Lavender (B) (C) (TU)

Rashes: use one or a combination of the following: Lavender, German Chamomile, Calendula (B) (C) (TU)

Sore muscles and joints: use one or a combination of the following: Lavender, Rosemary, German Chamomile (B) (FB) (M) (TU)

Sprains: use one or a combination of the following: Rosemary, German Chamomile (C) (M) (TU)

Sunburn & scalds: use one or a combination of the following: Lavender, Rose Geranium, Calendula, German Chamomile (C) (TU) (Cool B)

Varicose Veins: use one or a combination of the following: Rose Geranium, Calendula (C) (TU)

Water Infusions: Place the fresh picked botanicals from your garden into a teapot. Boil some water; remove from heat & pour over the botanicals. Place the tight fitting lid on the teapot. Let the botanicals infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain out all botanicals & compost or toss. The botanical infusion can be added to the bath water or the foot bath water.

Compresses: Follow the instructions above to make the botanical infusion. Find a cotton or linen piece of cloth & soak it in the botanical infusion. Squeeze out all the liquid & hold the compress on the affected area. When the cloth cools repeat the process.

Oil Infusions: Fill a pint size jar with fresh botanicals almost all the way full leaving about 1 inch from the top of the jar. Pour in extra virgin olive oil making sure there is about 1/2 an inch to an inch of oil covering the botanicals. Place in a sunny windowsill for 2 weeks. Shake the mixture daily. Strain out the botanicals with a fine kitchen strainer and then pour the oil through a paper coffee filter. Store the infused oil in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Hints: Make sure the botanicals have no moisture on them prior to filling the jar. Make sure that the jar & the lid are completely dry before use.

Copyright 2001
BlackPearlBotanicals LLC
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http://www.blackpearlbotanicals.com
There you will find a variety of all natural products made using these and other fine ingredients from nature's medicine chest.