Herbal Blog is the blog of an organic herb grower who loves to cook with fresh herbs
Medicinal and Culinary Herbs
Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual usage. A medicinal herb may be a shrub or other woody plant, whereas a culinary herb is a non-woody plant, typically using the leaves. Any of the parts of the plant, as well as any edible fruits or vegetables, might be considered "herbs" in medicinal or spiritual use.
Herbal remedies are definitely a great way to treat any minor or common ailments that your family members may have. Just imagine the ease and convenience if you know how and what to do about treating open cuts, runny noses, fever, insect bites and back pain and best yet, in a natural way.
You can, instead of reaching for your drug medication cabinet ever so often, be making your own herbal remedies that come right out of your kitchen or from your garden.
Here are a couple of basic herbal home recipes that you can try:
Learn all about herbal remedies and menopause in this free video from a series covering signs and symptoms of menopause, natural remedies, therapies, and more!
Heres a list of Gardeners and their beautiful gardens from different site I found accross to net. These pictures show just how beautiful growing your own herbal garden can be. Just take a look!
I ran upon a site today that had the funniest but very informative article on herb growing Ive read in a while. This article explains how Herbs can multiply in your garden and even take over and how they can be so addicting to grow. There are so many types of herbs and the purposes served by them are endless. You have to check out this article as I’m sure you will find it as informative and enlightening as I did. Visit www.ext.vt.edu.
The Herb Yarrow is hard to mistake it has a dry, gravely small and has even been referred to as smelling like mothballs. There are many Herb remedies on the net and published books today but here one you may have not heard of. The herb is known as Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), or Yarrow, grows wild across Northern America, Europe, and Asia and is cultivated in gardens across the world. The wild and cultivated species of yarrow share similar medicinal energies and uses as well as physical characteristics. If you have a cut or scratch or any other scrape that tends to bleed heavily you may want to try this remedy. Use a poltice of yarrow, re-soaking and applying the herb every ten to fifteen minutes or so, and within a half an hour the bleeding should subside. Also Yarrow is also known for reducing fevers.
Theres a wonderful site at www.prairielandherbs.com that has homemade recipes for every ailment you can imagine and also recipes for body cleansing, soothing, relaxation and more. I chose this recipe as I though it could be something almost everyone could use especially after a long day. The ingredients are as follows:
CALMING
1 oz Lemon balm
1 oz Chamomile flowers
½ oz St Johns Wort
Steep 2 tbs of mixture in 1 cup boiled water. Cover 10 minutes; strain.
Please visit www.prairielandherbs.com for the other recipes and information. Im sure you will find these recipes as useful as I did.
Heres a list of some very interesting info you may not know. If you are growing your own garden or currently have potted plants or a beautiful landscape you may want to think about incorporating these herbs into your collection.
Feverfew contains pyre thrum which paralyzes many insects that chew plants and vegetables. It can be used as a lure plant to attract and kill feasting aphids.
Basil is often planted with Tomatoes, Onions, Salad Burnet and Peppers. It contains camphor wich confuses hornworms and other munching insects and will also inprove the growth and flavor of the veggies.
Parsley invigorates the growth of roses, tomatoes, and asparagus by repelling beetles, flies, and aphids.
These are some truly interesting and helpful tips I found at www.herbbasket.net. Please check out their site as there are lots more hints and info of the same useful nature.
Herb flavored oil or vinegar is another way of using the bounty from your herb garden to create very personal and individual gifts. You can even attatch a small card describing the significance and different ways of utilizuing your homeade oil. Rosemary’s stronger taste makes it an ideal herb for oil but if you don’t have rosemary, almost any herb can be used to make a delicious herbal oil. The secret lies in using mild flavoured oil. This can be a mild olive oil or sunflower oil. I’ve enclosed a recipe you may want to try, its sure to be a hit. This recipe as well as many others can be found at bloggingherbman.typepad.com. Heres the recipe:
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How To Make Rosemary Oil
Rosemary is a symbol of friendship, loyalty, and remembrance, which makes it a very special gift for a friend, especially those close to your heart.
You’ll need:
A cupful of fresh rosemary leaves.
A cupful of good quality olive oil.
A sterilized wide mouth jar. About 500ml volume.
How to make it:
Let the fresh rosemary leaves wilt slightly and crush them with a rolling pin.
Put the leaves in the sterilized wide mouth jar and cover them with the oil.
Seal the jar and put it on a well-lit windowsill or near a warm stove. Avoid a position that gets too hot or else the herbs will turn musty and start to ‘cook’.
Shake the jar or stir the contents with a wooden spoon at least once a day. Within a fortnight the oil should be ready.
Taste the oil and if the flavor is not strong enough repeat the process with fresh herbs.
If the flavor is strong enough you can strain the oil though an oil filter and press the herbs to extract all the liquid.
Pour in a sterilized bottle, seal, label and decorate.
Keep refrigerated. It should keep well for up to 3 months.
Heres a few kicks you may want to try to make your spreads more zesty. What a great alternative to plain everyday butter. These Herbal butters are sure to make a hit at your next dinner, event, or snacktime. These recipes and more can be found at www.herbalgardens.com.
Garlic & Chive Butter - In small bowl, blend 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine, 2 cloves finely chopped garlic and 1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives.
Parmesan & Pepper Butter - In small bowl, blend 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine, 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese and 1/8 tsp.ground black pepper.
Fresh Herb Butter - In small bowl, blend 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine and 1 tsp. each chopped fresh basil, thyme and parsley (or your favorite fresh herbs).
Serve the above spreads on baked potatoes, on grilled or broiled steak, tossed with hot pasta, or spread on bread and broiled.
Not sure what herbal products are right for you or just not quite right to suit your needs. Prices for Herbal books and catalogs can sometimes seem overwhelming. Heres a site that offers great prices and descriptions of all their Herbal products. Also you can sign up (your name and address is all that required) and receive a free 76 page catalog. I just had to take the time to blog about one of their featured products listed on their page its called the Sprouting Chart. “This engaging and informative chart is one of the most thorough sprouting tools we have used. Just turn the wheel and select your sprouts of choice and you will be served up photos, growing guidelines, taste profiles, recipes and more.” What a great tool to help anyone who’s already or planning to grow their own Herb garden. This products and your FREE CATALOG can be found at www.mountainroseherbs.com.
