Beat the festive fuzz with plants

COMBAT Christmas stress with home remedies plucked from the garden and you’ll soon be back in the party mood.

Rosemary tea makes an excellent breath freshener and is a good antiseptic gargle too. It thrives in a sunny position and does well in pots.

You can also ban bad breath by chewing sweet cicely seeds. And they are supposed to help sore throats.

It’s one of the few herbs that thrives in shade and will romp away in poor soils. The boiled roots are an excellent pick-me-up.

The anise-flavoured leaves are useful for sweetening fruit puddings, so could be a vital part of your New Year diet. Traditionally used in rural New Mexico to help rid a young girl of an unwanted boyfriend, garlic is handy the morning after a party.

Keep a clove or two in the cupboard for cooking up with herbs such as sage, rosemary and bay to make a digestive tonic that can ward off winter colds.

Fresh

Chew fresh parsley leaves to freshen your breath after eating garlic. It will also promote healthy skin and is packed with vitamin C, which will benefit smokers, who need twice as much in their diet as non-smokers.

Too much sugar, alcohol and stodgy Christmas food will play havoc with your digestive system. So a cup of mint tea will ease indigestion and bloating and help you to keep calm.

Mint is a great reviver, so hang a bunch of it under the tap when running a bath – you’ll scent the water and fill the whole house with an uplifting fragrance.

Keep a few pots of these helpful herbs on a sunny windowsill along with basil. It has an uplifting effect, which will relieve mental fatigue.

If you’re feeling exhausted but can’t sleep, stuff a pillow with lemon verbena leaves. The leaves and flowering tops also make one of the best teas.

Keep these frost- sensitive plants productive all year by growing some in pots indoors during the winter.