Garden Herbs and Medicine: Grow, Harvest, Use

Discussion in 'Back to Basics' started by Ganado, Apr 15, 2015.


  1. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    This guy's garden layout for medicinal herbs is pretty good for a basic layout. I personally am not this organized in my gardening as I think it sets you up for failure for disease or pests. Several of these medicinal plants can be inter planted with the rest of the garden. eg planted in and among other plants. Why waste perfectly good garlic in one location, it works to repel certain bugs so inter planting is better than one large block. But that's me, this gentleman is more organized.

    he did do the right thing with his rosemary, since it can get quite large he planted it on the back side away from the more delicate medicinal herbs.

    An Awesome 72 Square-Feet SHTF Medicinal Garden Plan | Ask a Prepper
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  2. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

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  3. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

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  4. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    Grape seed oil is what is commonly recommended, I'm gonna try this pressure cooker thing, I have planty of Basil and mint. I'll video tape it for you Guys/Gals it will be interesting! If you don't hear from me after a couple of weeks, that means I blew myself up, and you'll have to pay to see it!
     
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  5. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    Now, that would be a you tube clip worth paying to see! (for its entertainment value, not for your being injured).

    Oops....already done! This could be you GMan. Be careful.

    https://www.google.com.au/?gws_rd=ssl#q=pressure+cooker+exploding+youtube
     
    Ganado likes this.
  6. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    It looks like a square foot/metre herb garden plan. It doesn't have to be an either or, proposition...there are benefits to having both options.

    Advantages are

    • Convenience, particularly if sited close to the kitchen / outdoor BBQ area.
    • Ease of identification when picking,
    • A good training aid when teaching others how to identify each herb through its entire growth / life cycle.
    • With appropriate signage, even untrained individuals can be tasked, without close supervision, with collecting culinary and medicinal herbs without picking any herbs that are toxic.
    • As a raised garden bed, it is much easier for folk with mobility impairments to pick herbs, than having to forage around in a wilder, more "organic" layout.
     
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  7. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Dunerunner likes this.
  8. Aeason

    Aeason Monkey

    Read up on fulvic acid, ignore the sales pitching read the uses, is my number one thing in my medicine supplies, I know from experience and years of use before we even heard of fulvic acid we were making and using it 5 generations
     
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  9. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Apparrently stinging Nettle and Dock go together
    DOCK LEAF - ANTIDOTE FOR NETTLE STINGS: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF DOCK LEAF
    [​IMG]
    DOCK LEAF, BROAD-LEAVED DOCK, BUTTER DOCK, RUMEX OBTUSIFOLIA

    Dock leaves are commonly found growing with stinging nettles and are a useful antidote when you get stung. I always did as a child because I couldn’t understand how stinging nettles worked. My father would crush a dock leaf and wrap it around the area that had been stung which gave instant relief. There seems to be some debate about whether this actually works, but it does, although the red dock and crispy or yellow dock don’t. Perhaps the wrong dock leaf has been applied to the sting?

    Here is a poem about the dock leaf which I think is apt: -
    The Dock
    Come here, son: look! that leaf is dock,
    Beside the dandelion clock.
    [​IMG]
    Wherever stinging nettle grows
    There, too, the healing dock leaf blows

    As if to show some grand Design
    Of Mother Nature, all benign,

    Who suffers with her children's pain
    And longs to make them well again:

    Who cannot but provide relief
    As in this sting-removing leaf.

    ………………………..

    Or are there flowers that can abate
    The pain when people love, or hate?

    No: men and towns to dust return:
    The fires drink up the clouds, and burn.

    Oh no, relief is never there.
    Come, we must go: and son, beware,

    For where the balmy dock leaves stand
    Are stinging nettles close at hand.
    Or perhaps the dock leaf didn’t work because this rhyme wasn’t said when the dock leaf was applied?
    'Nettle in, Dock;
    Dock in, Nettle out
    Dock rub Nettle out,”
    This is a traditional rhyme that country people used to say on such occasions.
    [​IMG] Nicholas Culpeper writing in the 17th century wrote about docks in particular and in general, and although the red dock, or bloodwort was commonly used in medicine he says that other docks such as the common one had similar properties: -
    “The seed of most of the other kinds, whether gardens or fields, doth stay laxes and fluxes of all sorts, the loathing of the stomach through choler, and is helpful for those that spit blood. The roots boiled in vinegar helpeth the itch, scabs, and breaking out of the skin, if it be bathed therewith. The distilled water of the herb and roots have the same virtue, and cleanseth the skin from freckles, morphewa, and all other spots and discoloured rings therein. All Docks being boiled with meat, make it boil the sooner.”
    While it is true that young dock leaved can be used as a pot herb, it isn’t to be recommended as even grazing animals avoid them.
    [​IMG] The dock is related to sorrel as both belong to the Rumex genus, and so are also related to rhubarb as they are in the Polygonaceae family of plants. The dock leaf contains an antihistamine, chlorphenamine, which is responsible for it astringent action. The bruised leaves have been used to treat burns and scalds too by country people throughout the ages as they have cooling properties. The plant is called Butter dock because farm made butter was wrapped in the big, broad leaves to keep the butter cool while it was transported to markets. Mention of this use is made by George Eliot in her 19th century novel, “Adam Bede” in chapter 8 when Mrs. Poysner summons Molly.
    [​IMG]
    “Molly,” she said rather languidly, “just run out and set me a bunch of dock leaves: the butter’s ready to pack now.”
    Dock leaves have had many uses in the past, and next time you get stung by nettles, make sure you pick the right kind of dock leaf to treat the sting!

    Herbs-Treat and Taste: DOCK LEAF - ANTIDOTE FOR NETTLE STINGS: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF DOCK LEAF
     
    Tobit likes this.
  10. Gopherman

    Gopherman Sometimes I Wish I Could Go Back to Sleep

    I've seen a lot of people using Grape Seed oil because it is light and neutral. I like the alchohol method, its easy to do, and when you freeze it the alcohol pours right off. I did it with Peppermint last year. It was green, but other than that it worked very well. You can also evaporate it off as well.
     
    Ganado likes this.
  11. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Could you expand on this. I tried to understand this link Fulvic acid Benefits - A detailed overview of the benefits of Fulvic acid What do you use it for? everything?
     
    Ganado likes this.
  12. Tobit

    Tobit Ham Extra Class

  13. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Thank you Tobit. As I was searching I kept running into Humic acid. @Aeason said they produced their own and I am curious how they use it. I read topical. I read an article that stated this is why children need to play in the dirt.
     
    pearlselby likes this.
  14. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    alot of people use Fulvic acids as a topical, and in food

    The way I understand it, Humic acid is best used as a soil amendment but not as a topical healing element.
     
  15. Aeason

    Aeason Monkey

    Google fulvic acid virus and you should find information on the benefits of using it as a supplement
     
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  16. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    12 Natural Antibiotics That Our Ancestors Used Instead Of Pills
    Antibiotics are commonly regarded as the most over-prescribed of all medicines. Having been massively overused as a “short-term fix”, we now have a huge global problem: Antibiotic resistant bacteria.

    Drug-resistant, difficult-to-treat bacterial infections such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus) and Clostridium difficile have become very resistant to the strongest of antibiotics. This makes sense if you consider it: “Attacking” the bacteria with isolated molecular components literally forces the bacteria to evolve due to their incredibly rapid process of natural selection.

    The world of medicine has been forced to revisit the use of older antimicrobials that had previously been discarded. Here are some of the many things used as antibiotics in ancient times – and the science that shows that the ancients may have known much more about medicine than we give them credit for…

    1: Oregano Oil
    Oregano has been regarded as beneficial against bacterial infections since very old days. Oregano oils and extracts have seen a massive resurgence in use in modern times as natural cold remedies (oregano extract) and lab research has indicated they are powerfully active against food-borne stomach illness bacteria, including the dreaded E. Coli. [1]

    Oregano leaves and extracts have been shown by scientists to have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties against airway infections, proven in an in-vivo study published in 2014. [2]

    2: Apple Cider Vinegar
    Acetic acid or vinegar, specifally apple cider vinegar, is a popular natural household cleansing agent because of it antibacterial properties. However, it can also be used raw and unfiltered as a skin cleansing agent or a natural antibiotic for the common cold when mixed in with warm water. [3]

    3: Honey
    Honey is one of the oldest known remedies to fight infection. In a recent study, manuka honey was proven to be effective in fighting biofilm bacteria, or strains are known to be resistant to most antibiotics. If you have a cold or cough, try mixing a little bit of honey in warm water and drink it two to three times a day. [4]

    4: Turmeric
    Staphylococcus aureus and E.coli are two of the most common infection-causing bacteria in humans, and are two of the most difficult strains to cure. Turmeric paste was used in a very recent 2015 study that revealed how it was able to inhibit the growth of both strains. [5]

    5: Garlic
    Not only is garlic widely regarded as good for the heart and your cholesterol, it is also thought to be effective as an antibiotic against food poisoning bacteria. In the lab, garlic oil has been demonstrated to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Bacillus subtilis. [6]

    6: Grapefruit seed extract
    The antibacterial properties of grapefruit seed extract have been studied over the years, discovering how it is able to fight the growth of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. It is an effective topical antibiotic, which can be used for mild skin abrasions and irritations. [7]

    7: Echinacea
    In traditional medicine, the Echinacea plant has been used in North America for the management of a variety of infections and wounds. Studies have proven the plant’s anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties which can fight a variety of infections. [8]

    8: Essential Oils
    Numerous essential oils have been found to have potent antibacterial qualities. These have been known about since ancient times: “Plague doctors” used to wear masks filled with certain herbs as the aromas from these herbs were thought to prevent the plague from being breathed in by the physician.

    Eucalyptus Essential Oil and Tea Tree Essential Oil have been found active against MRSA infections. [9][10]

    9: Extra virgin coconut oil
    A popular beauty regimen is the use of coconut oil to moisturize the skin and prevent acne. But this is backed by science as well! Coconut oil has been found active in vitro against bacterial strains of clostridium and staphylococcus. [11][12] There may even be some antibacterial support for those oil pulling with coconut oil.

    10: Fermented food
    Fermented food like vegetables and dairy are rich in probiotics, healthy bacteria that improve our digestive and immune systems. Regular intake of probiotic-rich food and drink has been suggested to prevent infectious diarrhea and upper airway infections. [13][14]

    11: Silver
    Silver has been known for its antibiotic properties since ancient times. Hippocrates first described its antimicrobial properties in 400 BC. In ancient days, people used to put silver coins in jars of water in the belief in its ability to sterilize them – and it’s thought that one of the reasons people used silver cutlery was that it may have assisted with prevention of food-borne bacteria.

    While these uses may not be considered “proven”, the use of silver as an antibiotic is not just an old folk remedy: Did you know that modern bandages and wound treatments are impregnated with silver particles in order to assist prevention of infection? It’s done on a massive scale: In 2006, the UK’s National Health Services spent about 25 million pounds on silver-containing dressings. This represents about 14% of the total dressings used and about 25% of the overall wound dressing costs. [15] Silver compounds are also used in external preparations as antiseptics.

    Silver and most silver compounds have been found toxic to bacteria, algae, and fungi in vitro. This is not fringe science: The prestigious journal Nature recently reported that silver “could help to deal with the thoroughly modern scourge of antibiotic resistance”. Silver ions have been found to have a “dual mode” of action against bacterial cells: It makes the cell membrane more permeable, and it interferes with the cell’s metabolism. [16]

    Colloidal silver has been found to have potent antimicrobial effects on Staphyloccocus aureus [17] and Proteus bacteria which can cause rheumatoid arthritis. [18]

    Note that silver accumulates in the body and taking it internally can potentially lead to argyria, a condition that turns the body’s tissue grey-blue. [16] However, it’s important to realize that this only occurs in people who ingest or inhale silver in large quantities over a long period.

    Silver has been found to potentiate the activity of a broad range of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria in different metabolic states, as well as to restore antibiotic susceptibility to resistant bacterial strains. [19]

    12: Cabbage
    Did you know that this vegetable was once called “doctor of the poor”? Used by sailors to prevent scurvy, it was also used as an ancient remedy for tuberculosis. Cabbage leaves have also long been used as a poultices to treat infected wounds. [20]

    Numerous modern studies have found antibacterial effects from cabbage. Note that raw cabbage is suggested as cooking may diminish these effects. Shredded raw cabbage makes a great salad ingredient.

    Note that cabbage should be avoided by those who have an overactive thyroid gland.

    Further Reading:

    For a deeper discussion of this fascinating topic and lists of even more antibiotic herbs, check out this top five-star rated book on Amazon:

    References:

    [1] Antibacterial activity of oregano essential oil (Origanum heracleoticum L.) against clinical strains of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa] (2012) [The antibacterial activity of oregano essential oil (Origanum heracleoticum L.) against clinical strains of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aerug... - PubMed - NCBI

    [2] Grondona, E., et. al. (2014). Bio-efficacy of the essential oil of oregano (Origanum vulgare Lamiaceae. Ssp. Hirtum). Bio-efficacy of the essential oil of oregano (Origanum vulgare Lamiaceae. Ssp. Hirtum). - PubMed - NCBI

    [3] Bragg, P. (2003). Apple Cider Vinegar Health Care System. isbn:0877905010 - Google Search

    [4] Hammond, E., Donkor, E., & Brown, C. (2014). Biofilm formation of Clostridium difficile and susceptibility to Manuka honey. Biofilm formation of Clostridium difficile and susceptibility to Manuka honey. - PubMed - NCBI

    [5] Afrose, R., et. al. (2015). Antibacterial Effect of Curcuma longa (Turmeric) Against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Antibacterial Effect of Curcuma longa (Turmeric) Against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. - PubMed - NCBI

    [6] Guo, Y. (2014). Experimental study on the optimization of extraction process of garlic oil and its antibacterial effects. Experimental study on the optimization of extraction process of garlic oil and its antibacterial effects. - PubMed - NCBI

    [7] Reagor, L., et. al. (2002). The effectiveness of processed grapefruit-seed extract as an antibacterial agent: I. An in vitro agar assay. An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie

    [8] Hudson, J. (2012). Applications of the phytomedicine Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) in infectious diseases. Applications of the phytomedicine Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) in infectious diseases. - PubMed - NCBI

    [9] Topical application of a new formulation of eucalyptus oil phytochemical clears methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection. (American Journal of Infection Control, 2001) Topical application of a new formulation of eucalyptus oil phytochemical clears methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection. - PubMed - NCBI

    [10] Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice (p.489) Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice - Barbara Montgomery Dossey, Lynn Keegan - Google Books

    [11] Shilling, M., et. al. (2013). Antimicrobial effects of virgin coconut oil and its medium-chain fatty acids on Clostridium difficile. Antimicrobial effects of virgin coconut oil and its medium-chain fatty acids on Clostridium difficile. - PubMed - NCBI

    [12] Tangwatcharin, P.& Khopaibool, P. (2012). Activity of virgin coconut oil, lauric acid or monolaurin in combination with lactic acid against Staphylococcus aureus. Activity of virgin coconut oil, lauric acid or monolaurin in combination with lactic acid against Staphylococcus aureus. - PubMed - NCBI

    [13] Issa, I. & Moucari, R. (2014). Probiotics for antibiotic-associated diarrhea: do we have a verdict? Probiotics for antibiotic-associated diarrhea: do we have a verdict? - PubMed - NCBI

    [14] Hao, Q., Dong, B. & Wu, T. (2015). Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections. Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections. - PubMed - NCBI

    [15] Medical uses of silver - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    [16] “Silver makes antibiotics thousands of times more effective
    ” – Nature, 2013 Silver makes antibiotics thousands of times more effective : Nature News & Comment

    [17] Goggin, R., et. al. (2014). Colloidal silver: a novel treatment for Staphylococcus aureus biofilms? Colloidal silver: a novel treatment for Staphylococcus aureus biofilms? - PubMed - NCBI

    [18] Disaanayake, D., et. al. (2014). Efficacy of some colloidal silver preparations and silver salts against Proteus bacteria, one possible cause of rheumatoid arthritis. Efficacy of some colloidal silver preparations and silver salts against Proteus bacteria, one possible cause of rheumatoid arthritis. - PubMed - NCBI

    [19] Silver Enhances Antibiotic Activity Against Gram-Negative Bacteria (STM, 2013) Silver Enhances Antibiotic Activity Against Gram-Negative Bacteria | Science Translational Medicine

    [20] Cabbage - Herbal Encyclopedia
     
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  17. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

  18. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Grow plants that attract ladybugs, praying mantises and other predatory insects.

    Attractive plants include angelica, cosmos, yarrow, marigold, and raspberry canes. Beneficial insects also enjoy culinary herbs, such as dill, caraway and fennel.
     
  19. pearlselby

    pearlselby Monkey++

    @Ganado, I just planted all of these above in my greenhouse. I read that the also attract bees. That was my reason. Thanks so much for your excellent information.

    @Motomom34, I knew there was a good reason for playing in the dirt.
     
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  20. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    Preserving fresh basil
    need 4 things: Jar, basil, salt, olive oil.
    Clean your fresh basil in cold water, and let it air dry well.
    Find a clean glass container with a lid.
    Sprinkle a little salt (I used Kosher) on the bottom of the jar.
    Add a little basil.
    Add a little olive oil.
    Repeat salt, basil, oil.
    Repeat salt, basil, oil.
    Repeat until your container is full, or you’re out of basil.

    Be sure to press down so to cover all of the basil with oil & salt.

    Put the lid on it. Label your container with the date. stores it this way for up to 1 year in the fridge according to the article. I've had mine in a quart jar since last october.

    You do have to warm the leaves and oil up after being in the fridge
     
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