Welcome to a place with a built-in natural apothecary that has healing potions, healthy CO2 balanced air, and energy that blooms so positively you can really feel it. Adding plants can transform your abode from a place to lay your head to a certified Zen den for all things personal care. Especially when you grow and surround yourself with certain medicinal plants in your indoor or outdoor garden. Not only is this happy orange blossom a bold sight in nature, but English calendula can also help eliminate pain from the body when applied topically.
The bright orange color certainly heals the eyes for its simple beauty, but many herbal experts claim that a dried marigold flower can be rubbed over an insect bite to help reduce pain and swelling. Ashwagandha is used as an adaptogen to help the body be resilient to stress. The root can be used to make tea, extract or powder and be consumed. Ashwagandra grows as an evergreen woody shrub, but in our gardens we can grow it as an annual plant.
Fluxweed was a magical plant and a member of the mustard family. All of these plants are attractive enough to grow in an ornamental garden or in pots. Several are edible and none of them is poisonous. Aloe Vera not only heals the skin, but when taken internally it is a powerful potion that helps with digestion. The aloe vera gel inside the leaves soothes and heals the skin, and the extracts of the plant are used in everything from shaving cream to sunscreen.
Native American bergamot (Monarda) used the plant to treat colds and bronchial conditions. Now make herbal tea to relieve nausea. Chamomile tea (Chamaemelum nobile) is believed to improve appetite, and chamomile oil is used to treat skin rashes or added to a relaxing bath to calm nerves. The Native Americans used echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) for everything from snake bite to bronchitis. It is now believed that it stimulates the body's immune system and helps to overcome infections such as coughs and colds and heal minor wounds. Feverfew (Tanecetum parthenium), fresh leaves are used as a treatment for migraine, although they are very bitter.
Lavender (Lavandula) has antiseptic and soothing properties. It is good for burns, bites and cuts, and as a massage oil to help overcome anxiety and insomnia, as well as a variety of aches and pains. Calendula petals (Calendula officinalis) are edible and can be used to color and decorate food. They also have antiseptic properties and are included in preparations to soothe and heal the skin and eyes. Flower teas are part of almost every culture in the world. Dried flowers and plant parts are used for teas and infusions.
Teas are useful for relaxation, as well as for medicinal benefits. Chamomile, Lavender, Rose, Hibiscus, Calendula, Chrysanthemum and Jasmine teas are some of the most consumed flower teas. Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium) and foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) are two other medicinal plants found in the Herb Garden. Feverfew is known as an effective treatment for headaches and fever. Similarly, Ditttany (Dictamnus albus), a plant found in the Harry Potter series, has been used in mixtures to treat migraines and fevers, as well as to heal wounds. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is a drug used to strengthen heart contractions and regulate heart rhythm.
The standard potion making kit of all Hogwarts students, including Harry Potter, contains belladonna, whose derivatives can be used to regulate heart rate. Daisy flower can be used on small wounds, sores, boils, scratches, dermatitis, rashes and eczema, acne due to its healing properties. As the flower has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, it is commonly used to cure skin conditions such as skin rashes, acne and athlete's foot. The juice of this plant can be extracted and applied to insect bites, ringworm and other skin ailments. The California Poppy Seeds cultivated plant can grow up to 20 to 24 inches tall and can thrive with very little care. Recent research is investigating a component that may help diabetes, and there are still more studies including an animal study that says it could influence bone healing. The legitimate drugs morphine and codeine are very effective analgesics produced from the plant.
Both ancient Greeks and Native Americans valued willow bark as an analgesic. According to these studies evening primrose oil could simply be the Swiss army knife of world plant medicine. Among the more than 75 plants in the NLM Herb Garden you can find Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea) and Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). Planting peppermint in a sunny place will increase your oil production and therefore increase your medicinal potency. Rich in nutrients such as magnesium potassium zinc iron sunflower seeds improve cardiovascular health digestion brain function.
