10 BEST HEALING HERBS

Jane Wrigglesworth recommends the best plants to grow for homemade remedies.

Grow these ten herbs for their many medicinal uses: from soothing herbal brews to old-fashioned home remedies.

Want to use herbs to boost your and your family’s wellbeing? Here are 10 herbs worth growing.

1 Calendula Calendula officinalis is known for its skin-healing properties. It is said to hasten cell growth, so it’s seen as ideal for treating infections, abrasions, cuts, rashes, scalds and small wounds. Calendula is also anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and inhibits bleeding.

Make a tea from the fresh or dried flowers, then soak a clean cloth in the infusion. Wring it out and place over rashes, scalds or wounds.

Or make a salve. Fill a glass jar with calendula leaves (leave fresh leaves to wilt for 12 hours before using), screw on the lid and put the jar in a warm room out of sunlight for 4-6 weeks. Turn the jar upside down once a day. After 6 weeks, strain. Put 100ml calendula oil and 15g beeswax in the top of a double boiler, and heat gently until the beeswax has melted. Remove from the heat and add 10-20 drops of essential oil (chamomile essential oil is a powerful anti-inflammatory; lavender is antimicrobial and soothes the skin). Pour into small, clean pots.

In the garden: calendula likes a sunny spot in free-draining soil.

2 Lemon balm Melissa officinalis has mild sedative and mood enhancing properties, and is a common home remedy to treat insomnia, stress, anxiety and depression. It is also traditionally used to ease nausea, settle an upset stomach and relieve gas. Its antiviral properties speed up the healing of cold sores.

To make a relaxing tea, loosely pack a teapot with fresh leaves, add boiled water and steep for 10-15 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day. Or make a salve as per the instructions above.

You can also make a poultice from the fresh leaves to soothe sores, minor cuts and insect bites.

In the garden: lemon balm is a perennial that grows 60-80cm, dying down in winter. Plant in moist, free-draining soil in sun or part shade.

3 Thyme Thymus vulgaris has an essential oil, thymol, an antiseptic that can help ward off colds and flu, and soothe sore throats. It’s also used in commercial mouthwashes. It has antispasmodic properties, too, which is a great help in alleviating coughs.

Try thyme for relieving colds, sore throats and coughs as well as to help clear mucus in the upper respiratory tract. It has also long been used to relieve tonsillitis and inflammation of the mouth.

Combine it with sage to make a gargle at the first sign of a sore throat or to alleviate coughs. Use 3-12g of dried thyme each day; infuse in freshly boiled water and drink during the day, or use to gargle.

In the garden: thyme likes a sunny spot in free-draining soil.

4 Sage Salvia officinalis has antifungal and antibacterial properties that have contributed to its reputation as a healing herb. It is used in tonics for sore throats, infected gums and mouth ulcers. To make a gargle, combine sage with a little cider vinegar, or honey and lemon, and steep in boiling water.

Historically, sage has also been used as a tonic for the brain, and studies today show it may well be beneficial. British scientists found that sage improved the mood and memory of healthy adults, and adults with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s showed significant improvement in cognitive functions after using sage for four months. Sip on sage tea throughout the day to calm the nerves and stimulate the brain – ideal for those studying for exams.

Sage tea is excellent for women suffering from night sweats and hot flushes too. Combine it with alfalfa ( Medicago sativa) for a potent remedy. Studies have shown the two herbs are extremely effective together.

In the garden: sage likes a sunny spot in free-draining soil. Water young plants frequently until established.

5 Peppermint Mentha x piperita has a wide variety of medicinal uses, but it’s especially good for gut and bowel problems as it helps expel gas and stop gas build-up. It’s also used to treat headaches, nausea, morning sickness, diarrhoea, and anxiety associated with depression.

Make a herbal steam inhalation to help clear congestion and soothe sinus inflammation, or sup on peppermint tea for upset stomach, to aid digestion and ease anxiety. Carry sprigs of peppermint with you when travelling for sniffing, to prevent motion sickness.

In the garden: peppermint

Yarrow has traditionally been used to stop bleeding, comfrey to mend wounds and aloe is still commonly used to treat burns.

is a hardy perennial that grows 30-60cm. It spreads by sending out runners, so keep it contained in large pots. Soil should be moist but freedraining. Excess moisture around the root zone can lead to fungal diseases.

6Comfrey

Symphytum officinale has been used for centuries to reduce swelling and bruising, and heal superficial wounds. Also known as knitbone, it was once thought to mend broken bones, probably because one of comfrey’s key constituents is allantoin, a cell proliferant that helps repair damaged tissue surprisingly quickly. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.

To make a comfrey poultice for bruises and sprains, pick 6-7 leaves and roughly chop. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the leaves. Add enough boiling water to make a thick paste. Apply directly to the skin or spread the mixture between two layers of cotton or gauze in the size that you want your poultice to be. Apply to the skin. Wrap with cloth. Replace with a fresh poultice after a few hours.

In the garden: comfrey will grow in sun or part shade, and any cut or damaged piece of root will regrow. Confine it to one area and dig in plenty of compost or aged manure.

7Yarrow

Achillea millefolium has antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antispasmodic properties. It has traditionally been used to staunch bleeding, reduce fevers (it opens your pores and induces perspiration) as well as ease tight muscles and spasms.

To stop bleeding, grab a handful of leaves, rub them to release their juice and pack onto minor cuts. Or make a tea from the fresh or dried plant, soak a clean cloth in the infusion, wring it out, and put over the wound. To stop a bleeding nose, insert a bruised leaf into the nostril.

When ingested, yarrow is said to help alleviate indigestion as well as stimulate bile flow and liver function. Take it at the first sign of a cold. Yarrow has astringent properties, and may help dry up and expel mucus from the respiratory system, as well as reduce inflammation in the nose and throat.

To keep yarrow on hand all year round, dry leaves and flowers, and grind to a powder.

In the garden: yarrow loves a sunny spot in well-drained soil.

8German chamomile

Matricaria recutita is well known for its healing properties. Its gentle nature makes it useful for treating a wide range of childhood complaints, including restlessness, teething and colic. Adults, too, can enjoy a cup of chamomile tea to ease stress, anxiety and irritability.

Chamomile has sedative properties, but it’s also antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. It can be used in salves or compresses to soothe sores, rashes and other skin conditions, or in steam baths to calm nerves, clear congestion, alleviate bronchitis, sinusitis and hayfever. Just steep a handful of dried chamomile in a bowl with boiling water, put your head over the bowl and cover with a towel.

In the garden: chamomile prefers an open, sunny area but will grow in part shade. Harvest flowers when just or very nearly opened. If left on the plant too long, they will taste bitter.

9Mullein

Verbascum thapsus is said to be antibacterial, anodyne (relieves pain) and anti-inflammatory.

Mullein flowers are generally used to treat earaches and ear infections. To make your own eardrops: put ¼ cup

flowers into a 300ml sterilised jar and cover with sweet almond oil or olive oil. Leave in a warm, bright room, out of direct sunlight, for 2 weeks. Strain the oil and replace the old flowers with fresh. Pour the oil back into the same jar. Steep for another two weeks, then strain. Before using, put the jar in hot water to warm the oil (only warm – not hot). Dispense 2-3 drops into each ear with an eyedropper.

Mullein leaves can be used to treat coughs. They contain mucilage, which acts as an expectorant and soothes irritated mucous membranes. Harvest leaves before the flower stems appear, bruise slightly and steep in boiled water for 10 minutes. You can also try a steam bath and inhale the steam to relieve congestion.

In the garden: mullein is a biennial. It produces flowers in its second year.

10 Aloe vera Aloe vera is used in its raw form to treat burns, bites, blisters, cuts, ulcers, inflammation, rashes, eczema and psoriasis. The gel within the plant contains bradykinase, salicylic acid and magnesium lactate, which help reduce inflammation, pain and itching. The gel is also said to speed up wound healing, promote cell and tissue regeneration.

The easiest way to use it at home is to slice open a leaf and rub the gel onto minor burns, sunburn and cuts. However, when exposed to oxygen for prolonged periods, the gel oxidises (much like an apple browns when the flesh is exposed to air) and loses its potency. Use the gel within 2-4 hours after cutting. If you only require a small amount of gel, just cut off what you need. If you’ve cut a whole leaf from the plant but only use a small amount, snip off what you need from the leaf and wrap the rest in clingfilm and store in the refrigerator. When it comes to using it again, cut the used end back to the undamaged tissue, then cut off another piece to use.

Harvest leaves from plant that are at least three years old as the active constituents are higher in mature plants. In the garden: grow aloe in sun and protect from frosts.