HERBS.
Herb useage dates back to Biblical times. The Greeks, Romans and Chinese studied, wrote about and used Herbs in medicine and in their cooking. Early physicians used hundreds of herbs to treat a variety of ailments. Herbs were also used to mask unpleasant household odors and to enhance the taste of dull food.
In Medieval Europe herbs were continued to be studied for their medical applications and their use in cooking.
Herbs today are used primarily as seasonings to flavor and enhance food.
Herbs are also used in a variety of products such as soap, shampoo, powder, or cosmetics. Herbal teas, made from many different herbs, are considered by some to be healthful. Modern drugs replaced most of the old Herbal remedies, but many still contain the ingredients derived from herbs
Useful Herbs
Borage
(Borago officinalis) The fresh young leaves are used raw in salads and cool drinks or cooked with vegetables. The edible blue flowers have been used to decorate salads since the early seventeenth century; they may also be crystallized for cake decorations. It used to be said
that eating borage flowers gave you courage. Borage also has medicinal properties.
Caraway
(Carum) Is an essential herb, caraway has been used as a condiment and medicinal herb since Ancient Egyptian times. It is still widely cultivated for its aromatic seeds, used mainly to flavor bread, cakes, sauces and pickles.
Chamomile
(Chamaemelum nobile) Chamomile tea is made from the leaves and blossoms and has a mild sedative and soothing effect. This tea can also be used as an antifungal spray in the Garden
CHIVES
(Allium schoenoprasum) this perennial plant are used for flavoring and garnishing savory dishes. Chives makes an attractive edging for the herb garden and can be grown in window boxes, troughs and flower pots.
Digitalis Natives of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia,. The medicinal properties of digitalis have been known since ancient times, and these plants are still used in the treatment of
heart ailments.
Dill
(Anethum) This well-known herb genus includes two species occurring wild in Europe and temperate Asia. The commonly cultivated dill (Anethum graveolens) is an annual, the other a biennial. Dill is a culinary herb that is widely used in pickling and fish dishes. Both the foliage and the seeds are used. The foliage is best used before flowering. It also has medicinal uses, these days most notably as an indigestion remedy.
Ginseng -
In China, both varieties are used particularly for dyspepsia, vomiting and nervous disorders. A decoction of 1/2 oz. of the root, boiled in tea or soup and taken every morning, is commonly held a remedy for consumption and other diseases. In Western medicine, it is considered a mild stomachic tonic and stimulant, useful in loss of appetite and in digestive affections that arise from mental and nervous exhaustion.
Lungwort
(Pulmonaria officinals) Often recommended by herbalists as a treatment for coughs, bronchitis and other breathing disorders, this evergreen perennial is widely grown as an ornamental.
Mentha pulegium A native of Asia and Europe, It is renowned for its curative value in treating colds, nausea, headaches, nervous disorders and various skin conditions.
Parsley
(Petroselinum) Cultivated for thousands of years for their flavor and health-giving properties, Petroselinum are still one of the most popular herbs grown and are very decorative foliage plants for edging and ideal herbs for pot culture.
PEPPERMINT
Peppermint oil is the most extensively used of all the volatile oils, both medicinally and commercially. The characteristic anti-spasmodic action of the volatile oil is more marked in this than in any other oil, and greatly adds to its power of relieving pains arising in the alimentary canal.
Rosemary
(Rosmarinus) is an evergreen and is native to the Mediterranean. It has been valued for centuries for its perfume and for medicinal and culinary uses. A small shrub rarely growing more than 4 ft (1.2 m) tall.
Rudbeckias
(Echinacea) The dried root and rhizome of Echinacea angustifolia and E. purpurea are used in herbal medicine to increase the body�s resistance to infection.
Valeriana
(Valeriana officinalis) The name derives from the Latin valere, meaning �keep well�, in recognition of the medicinal properties. Before modern tranquillizers were introduced, valerian root from Valeriana officinalis was used to treat nervous conditions.
Organic Gardening Ideas
Got a potassium shortage?
Place banana peels around the base of plants.
NOTE: Roses tend to suffer from a lack of potsassium.
Antifungal agents from your kitchen.
Cinnamon sprinkled on a fungal infested plant can clear up the Problem.
Chamomile tea left to cool and then sprayed on an infested plant is also effective.
Milk on Powdery Mildew = Mix 1 part milk to 9 parts water in a spray bottle and sprayed all over the infected plant. Doing this twice a week should fix a powdery mildew problem.
Bug deterrent sprays.
Boil up some Rhubarb or elderberry leaves in a pot of water. Let it cool add a few drops of liquid soap and then spray it all over the effected plants. This spray Works well on Aphids
NOTE: Wash the pot well after use as the leaves of both are poisonous.
Honey rooting hormone
Take 1 tablespoon of honey and 2 cups of water.
boil water in pot then and the honey and stir it in.
Let mixture cool then put in an airtight container.
Store in a dark place. Solution can be stored for upto 2 weeks.
Garlic Insecticide Spray
Take one bulb of garlic a blender and two cups of water.
mix the garlic in two cups of water on high for 2 minutes.
Pour into a container and leave for upto 24 hours.
Strain liquid and the Mix liquid with about 3 1/2 liters of water.
Tip: For a better result add a tablespoon of dish washing liquid to the Mix.
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