Growing Medicinal Plants and How to Use Them

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Weedygarden

Weedygarden

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I have planted various medicinal plants over the years. I am interested in learning more about what plants to grow and how to best use them. I realize that some plants grow better in some areas than others.

I received an email from this company. Any suggestions for other places to get seeds or seedlings would be great as well as how to best use them.

https://strictlymedicinalseeds.com/product-category/seeds/medicinal-herb-seeds/
 
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That looks like a pretty good site, Weedy. I like Bakers Creek, but have gotten seeds from all over.
Son just started his seedlings upstairs. The kiwanos are already 3" tall. Had some kiwano wine yesterday.
Curious to what you're choosing for a medicinal garden.
Hey Patchouli...you can help out with this.
 
Amish Heart said:
That looks like a pretty good site, Weedy. I like Bakers Creek, but have gotten seeds from all over.
Son just started his seedlings upstairs. The kiwanos are already 3" tall. Had some kiwano wine yesterday.
Curious to what you're choosing for a medicinal garden.
Hey Patchouli...you can help out with this.
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I am really not sure. It has been a couple of years since I looked into this idea. I am trying to jump start this idea for myself again. I need to do more research. I was hoping someone could make some suggestions for some basic plants to start with and how to use them.

The garlic in my yard has gone wild. I have mint and it is supposed to be good for upset tummies. I do have several books at home.

Can you tell how little I know? I would love to be able to take a class or a few to move forward with more knowledge about medicinal plants.
 
Bacpacker said:
I like Baker Creek as well. I order the bulk of my stuff from them typically. I did just order a catalog from Your link at Strickly Medicinals Weedy. They have a lot of seed, roots, and plants for herbs and veggies. Plus tools for preparing the harvest into ticnures and such.
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Thank you. I just ordered catalogs from Strictly Seeds, Johnny's and Mountain Rose. I have gotten catalogs from Strictly Seeds before. I think getting some catalogs would help me.

Baker Creek is out of paper catalogs, but their catalog is viewable in a PDF.
 
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Mountain Rose Herbs is a fairly good resource for seeds, however... I hesitate at purchasing agricultural products that aren't U.S. grown and many of their cut and dried herbs are not U.S. grown. Make sure you read the descriptions. Mountain Rose Herbs is my first choice for many products so please don't think I'm x-ing them for bad products, I'm not.
Finding your local herb markets, herbal consortiums, annual flower and garden shows done on a local level, are all good resources not just for seeds, but for plants that are likely grown locally and used to the growing conditions for your area.
I think @Peanut is a top ranking figure here for herbs. My growing days died when I moved to Texas. I have tried to keep things going, but mostly I kill. I slay. Nothing lives under my thumbs here. lol I've seen the stuff I would like to grow here, growing here. But it only dies for me.
Maybe I should move away and become the gardener I dream of being.
 
Patchouli said:
Mountain Rose Herbs is a fairly good resource for seeds, however... I hesitate at purchasing agricultural products that aren't U.S. grown and many of their cut and dried herbs are not U.S. grown. Make sure you read the descriptions. Mountain Rose Herbs is my first choice for many products so please don't think I'm x-ing them for bad products, I'm not.
Finding your local herb markets, herbal consortiums, annual flower and garden shows done on a local level, are all good resources not just for seeds, but for plants that are likely grown locally and used to the growing conditions for your area.
I think @Peanut is a top ranking figure here for herbs. My growing days died when I moved to Texas. I have tried to keep things going, but mostly I kill. I slay. Nothing lives under my thumbs here. lol I've seen the stuff I would like to grow here, growing here. But it only dies for me.
Maybe I should move away and become the gardener I dream of being.
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Do you have some recommendations for plants to try to grow? I think I need to make a notebook for myself with notes and records of what I want and how it will work. I am also not home now, been gone for a few days, but I do have some herbal remedy books.
 
I'm not exactly familiar with your growing zone. There are several books I'm sure that have been mentioned on the forum for medicinal herbs that can be found in your area.
This book is a good resource and was mentioned here on the forum at least once.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0395838061/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
There are conditions or illnesses you may want to learn about, or that you suffer from once in a while. It would be a benefit to learn what herbalists use to help others get better. Some things are tried and true. I know you are not going to do anything risky, @Weedygarden .
Personally, I have tried many herbs, together and separately, for various conditions over the years, with pregnancy, babies, little kids, teens, myself, for sickness, bronchitis, sore throat, injuries, sore muscles, toothache, ear infection, pink eye, bleeding, heavy menstrual bleeding, miscarriage problems, , , , , , so I'm not going to argue with anyone or defend my statements.
Yes, there are dangerous herbs out there! My best advice at this point to anyone who isn't well educated in herbal medicine: Leave it be if you don't know what you're doing.
I have grown weary of being attacked for encouraging the use of herbs, wild plants that were put here for our use, so please forgive my hastiness.
There are many wild beneficial herbs that grow all across the U.S.
If you are referred to a resource that others you know have used, trust with wisdom. If you feel it is not right for you to use, do not use it.

If I were in a good land situation these are some of the things I would be trying to grow:
red raspberry, elderberry
hawthorn berry
peppermint, lavender
roses, chamomile
oak trees, black walnut trees, cherry trees, slippery elm
marshmallow, mullein, pleurisy root
oatstraw grass, dandelion, red clover
barberry, white oak trees
comfrey, gravel root, skullcap
false unicorn root, feverfew, yarrow
calendula, echinacea, valerian
lemon balm, black cohosh, blue cohosh
vitex (chaste tree berry)
fenugreek
ginseng (3 kinds: American, Chinese, and Russian)
kava kava, passionflower, Brigham tea
blessed thistle, burdock, eyebright
ginkgo biloba, lobelia, milk thistle
plantain, horsetail grass
aloe
alfalfa, wormwood, uva ursi
usnea, mistletoe
Some things you wouldn't grow yourself, obviously. You'd harvest them out of trees, such as the last two on the list.
I pulled most of these from memory and this thread:
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/what-are-your-go-to-remedies.550/
as well as going to dr. christopher's herbal legacy pages.
Your mileage may vary since some of these herbs need desert-like conditions or moist woodland conditions. Most can be grown in your own garden but some herbalists would argue that herbs are best left to grow where the soil is perfect for them, in the wild.
There is a particular formula that we've used for keeping the flu away all winter. It wasn't something I made, but it can be made in the home. It is very potent and the scent and taste of it is...:brewing: AWFUL.
 
When I started my first medicinal garden I purchased a number of books. Read through them all. It is hard to come up with solutions to a number of ailments as many will differ. I got the basics of what I was after and compiled a list.

What I did was purchase about 50 different herbs. I tilled up a good area, prepared the soil a year before then ordered and planted. I gave each about a 2’ x 3’ plot of space. I put a nice walking path in, out of mulch so I could till it in the next year. Some, like Chamomile I gave extra space for like 3’ x 10’, because I love it. Some take a few years so I had them off to the side. Layout is important as some will be permanent beds. So, planted and tended all season.

I harvested each at its peak, some just flowers, some flowering tops, roots…. One tip here: Have a dedicated space and LABEL EVERYTHING! I ended up with a ton of stuff hanging and lots of different containers but it was really fun. I tinctured some and many I dried for teas and decoctions. You think you will remember what you have hanging or in that jar… But after a few days of adding more… You tend to forget. And tinctures are mostly green and smell like alcohol, hard to figure out what they really are. Label them before or right as you fill them. If it is 50% alcohol made with Grain, 100% grain or 50% by volume of 100 proof Vodka… Take one ounce, put 20 drops in tea… It was really convenient to have it recorded right on each jar.

Each one I tried just a pinch of first. Then wait a day and see if I had any reaction to it, hey.. Ya never know. I found many did not work for me, or did not have the desired effect. I was going mostly for pain relief at the time, had a couple injuries that I was taking prescrips for and wanted to get off of them. I did find some combinations that were very effective. No, not like taking Oxycodone or anything, but they would take the acute sting of the pain away, and I could live with that. Some, just for tea I did not care for, some I didn’t think I would like became favorites.

So the second year I concentrated on those I did like and let some others fade away. Feverfew was one I remember. Could never find a use for it to me, and it was bitter as all get out! I did find with Tinctures, they vary year by year. What was a good dose one year, might not be enough another, or may be too strong one year. It took a while each year to decide on an ‘average’ dose depending on how I felt. Best thing I did was to plant a large plot one year, tincture it and dose it out over several years. I would make up several quarts of Skullcap for example, it would last a long time and I would know the dose I needed to take for what ailed me. And write that dose on the label too! Maybe it was just me, but I would forget. It worked out very well. The teas did not matter, just dip a bowlful from the jar and simmer away.

What was fun was making concoctions of different teas. Chamomile with some mint, Mexican mint marigold… Ok, that was too much mint as I could not taste the Chamomile… Sniff each jar and put a pinch or three for a mug, mix and match kind of thing. Kind of fun!

And no, I did not become and Expert or know it all about medicinal herbs. I figured out what worked for me and stuck with that. It was pretty basic but did what I required. I could be relatively pain free and get sleep when I needed it. Never had “Valerian Nightmares” but I did have Passion Flower to add if I ever started to get them. Speaking of Passion Flower, heed how it grows. It gets huge and you want to be able to mow 4’ around it or you are going to have a lot more of it that you think.
 
Thank you, all of you. I really know little to nothing. I need to pull out my herb books, start studying, researching and to start a notebook to keep information and records. A few years ago I tried to start some things, but did not do well with keeping track of what I planted and how it worked. I have been working away from home for a few days, trying to do what I can from afar. Now I am home, so have access to my books.

I have tried to grow chamomile several times with no luck. I have a neighbor who said it took over her yard. I am thinking I need to start some pots of things, including chamomile.

I would love to take a class on herbal medicines. When I was in college, we toured a medicinal garden in someone's backyard. They had no grass. The whole yard was medicinal plants. I always thought that I wanted to do that, but have had many other things go on in life.

I also need to learn about tinctures, salves, teas and more, how to make them and use them. I am going to work on it.
 
As you take in herbal knowledge, it is important to recognize which herbs are contraindicated in certain ailments...for example, you would not want to give goldenseal to someone with glaucoma, or licorice root to someone with high blood pressure, heart and liver problems, and so on... Also, many herbs are not safe to give to a pregnant or lactating woman. Then there are many herb/pharmaceutical cautions to be aware of. It is vital that you check the most current updated information because the landscape of the pharma-world is constantly changing and with time, new discoveries are being made concerning bad herb/drug interactions.
 
Grizzleyette___Adams said:
It is vital that you check the most current updated information because the landscape of the pharma-world is constantly changing and with time, new discoveries are being made concerning bad herb/drug interactions.
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Probably why I found conflicting information in different books. Not dramatic, just different. Some were much older than others. As I remember some were about how to extract the main constituents. The percentage of alcohol to extract or the glycol ratio.... Don't remember how I decided though, I may have just used the stronger solution.
 
I try to stay with plants that are native to my region. I get good results growing such plants. I can grow plants from other areas but they just don't do as well. For instance I wouldn't try to grow scarlet beebalm here any more than I would try to grow mesquite in Maine.

I'm not saying it couldn't be done. What I'm saying is that the effort you put into growing plants that aren't native to your area never matches the poor return for your efforts.
 
Woody said:
Probably why I found conflicting information in different books. Not dramatic, just different. Some were much older than others. As I remember some were about how to extract the main constituents. The percentage of alcohol to extract or the glycol ratio.... Don't remember how I decided though, I may have just used the stronger solution.
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Woody, how do you make an extract? What alcohol do you prefer to use? If I were to go to the liquor store, what could or should I buy?
 
Mostly Grain Alcohol: 190 proof or 95% Ethanol. It is the purest you can purchase.

But it would depend on the ‘recipe’ for extraction also. Some call for different amounts to extract the constituents, 50%, 100% 0%... I used 100 proof (50% alcohol by volume) vodka if the recipe called for that. I also used Brandy for one tincture that called for a 40% because I preferred the flavor of it. I do not recall what that was for though.. Skullcap maybe?

From memory here so take that for what it is worth! A tincture needs to be 40% alcohol to store well, over a year. That would make a standard purchase of 86 proof (43% alcohol by volume) a viable compoment. One of these is what I used the brandy for.

Making them was easy. I would dry the herbs per part to be used (flowers, flowering tops, leaves/stems, roots), crunch them up and put them in mason jars. Not packed tight as you could get them, but tamped down some. Not ground to fine powder either, just roughly crunched. Too fine and you will have to let the strained tincture settle a couple times and syphon it off, like racking in wine making. ¾ full of herbs so the extracting liquid would well cover them. Remember, they will expand once rehydrated! Cover with the extract per recipe and let them sit. Shake now and again as you walk by them to keep them agitated.

I used a standard Pyrex measuring cup to get the extract mixture correct. Then dumped that right into the jar.

I believe most I let sit for a few weeks then drain off the liquid. I purchased a fantastic little tincture press, like a small wine press. Wrapped the soaked herbs in an old T-shirt and pressed the remaining liquid out of them. You could also just use the twisting method by hand to wring the remaining liquid out of them. Just have an appropriate sized tub to do it over.

I also purchased a case of small blue bottles with dropper tops. An internet search will lead to lots of them. I kept the quart jars in the basement and would refill the smaller bottles as needed using a piece of aquarium air hose, 1/8 ID. Just siphon off enough to refill as needed. The smaller bottles I kept in the kitchen.

To dry the smaller herbs, like Passion Flower flowers, Marshmallow flowers or Chamomile flowers, I purchased several small plastic baskets, more like a tray I guess. 8” x 12” x 2” tall or whatever fits your purpose. The dollar store has lots of these kinds of things. I would take a 1 gallon plastic pail out to the garden and harvest in that, then dump that into the drying trays inside. The drying trays could be stacked by putting them on top of each other, one one way, then 90 degrees on top, then 90 degrees on top of that.

I remember having mosquito netting inside a few trays, do not remember what I needed it for specifically though. I purchased a piece of netting, cut to fit the inside and hot glued the corners in. Could have been Chamomile flowers. The slits in the tray might have been a bit too large for the small flowers?
 
Thank you, Woody.

One of the things I want to grow is marijuana for CBD and other medicinal purposes. I know that I can get some seeds or starts in my area. I know we have a thread for medicinal use for it. Someone (78 year old woman) told me that medicals help her sleep really well. That would be one thing that I could work on growing this year, besides some others.
 
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Valerian root tea/decoction was my favorite for that. Took the edge off acute pain and helped me get 8 hours of sleep. I would wake up feeling fine, not drugged like with prescription sleep aids.

It takes and smells like old socks, so be ready for that! I got to where I liked it, but I am kind of a nut anyway.
 
Caribou said:
Do choke cherries have any medicinal value?
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One of the things that is a challenge for me is that this talks about chokecherry tea. From the bark? From the berry?
http://www.aihd.ku.edu/foods/chokeberries.html

"Uses
Chokecherries were an important food staple for many indigenous peoples of North America. Berries were eaten raw or dried and mixed with pemmican. The Jicarilla Apaches ground dried chokecherries and pressed them into cakes for use during the winter months (Niethammer, 58). Fresh fruit was mashed and made into jelly and syrup or fermented into cherry wine. Even the roots and bark were consumed in the form of tea (Scully, 26).

The bark and berries of the chokecherry tree were also used to treat a number of medical ailments. Chokecherry tea was used to treat everything from anxiety to colds, diarrhea and tuberculosis. Berries were eaten to relieve stomach pain and aid digestion. A common remedy for head colds involved grinding and smoking chokecherry bark like tobacco (Scully, 147)."


https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_prvim.pdf
 
There are two types of chamomile:
German, (Matricaria recutita), being the false chamomile, and Roman (Chamaemelum nobile), being the true chamomile.
The Roman is generally the one used in tea. I've read the one is easy to grow, the other is not. Which is which, I don't know. Ymmv
 
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