Drought-Tolerant Medicinal Herbs to Grow

In San Diego and other areas, there is a move to plant drought-resistant plants that preserve our precious water supply. Planting drought tolerant plants also preserves our budget, as well. Water rates just keep sky rocketing.
Here are some medicinal herbs that are drought tolerant for your herb garden. It is important whether planting in the ground or in containers that you plant them where they will get lots of sunlight. Herbs need soil that is rich is organic matter and drains well. Some will grow in poor soil but poor soil will reduce the essential medicinal oils. You need to protect them against rabbits and gophers.

There are many varieties of each kind of herb. Many varieties are fine for cooking but do not contain medicinal properties. You need to know the Latin names for the medicinal herbs to want to grow.

Medicinal herbs are not processed in the same way as cooking herbs. If you use heat to process medicinal herbs, the medicinal oils are destroyed. You must learn first, where the herb's medicinal properties are found in each plant. The medicinal oils may be present in the leaf, flower, root, or bark. In Goldenseal, as an example, the root is where the greatest medicinal value is found. Herbs must be picked at the proper time of growth and even the time of day the leaves are picked can make a difference. Once they are picked, they must be cleaned and dried in a specific manner to preserve the medicinal properties. There are books that give instructions on the proper processing of medicinal herbs for teas, extracts and infusions.

Dried herbs in the spice section of your supermarket do not have much value other than cooking. Most fresh herbs found in the produce section are not grown for their medicinal properties. They are grown to cook with. The exception is garlic cloves and dried garlic powder which both seem to work on colds.

Container Gardening: If you plant your herbs in containers, you need to monitor them more closely. It is easy to either over water or underwater the plants. Do not leave them in small containers. They dry out easily and become root bound quickly. It takes a large plot of herbs to have enough leaves or flowers to make medicinal teas, extracts, and dried product. Plant medicinal herbs in big tubs (4' by 4') or half barrels. If you don't have money for a nice big container, go to a nursery and buy a used 15 gal black plastic container for around $5 to $8. Even big trash cans work, as long as there is good drainage from the bottom. The size and depth of the container for planting is determined by each plant. Some herbs grow in mounds needing a wider container. Some herbs grow tall with deep roots. It is extremely important to plant your container herbs in good quality organic, potting soil. Cheap soil gives cheap results, poor herb quality, and sick, disease prone plants. Use organic fertilizers not chemicals. Organic fertilizers include sea weed, fish emulsion, bat guano, and worm castings.

Curry (Murraya koenigi): A Native shrub from India with pretty yellow flowers that takes full sun and well draining soil. Use the fresh leaves in salads or add to cooked dishes. Curry is used in India as a herbal tonic to strengthen the stomach and intestinal function. In those countries, it is also used to help digestion, diabetes, burns and bruises. Read more here.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare): Needs full sun; pretty yellow flowers; leaves have a licorice flavor; the seeds and leaves are used to make a refreshing herb tea. Add fennel to soup, stews, and stuffing. Fennel seeds can be chewed as a breath freshener, helps curb hunger pains, and baked into bread and cookies.

Garlic (Allium sativum): Needs full sun; a potent natural antibiotic; anti-bacterial; anti-viral; anti-fungal; It helps reduce high cholesterol and high blood pressure. If you are feeling ill, make up a pot of chicken soup with lots of crushed garlic gloves. Don't plan on any social engagements for a couple of days. It will really do a number of the flu bugs. Garlic is one of the most versatile, medicinal herbs in your garden. Spend some time to research garlic and its many virtues for your health. Visit this site for more information.

Lavender (Lavandula sp): Needs full sun; well draining soil; use big tub or plant in the ground; Flowers attract bees and are used to make tea and drawer sachets, Lavender oil in your bath water is a great way to relax.

Medicinal Oregano (Origanum vulgare or Origanum compactum): Oregano has been shown in numerous research studies to kill bacteria and viruses including staph. It is one of the main herbs that I keep on hand at all times. If I am feeling sick, I begin a regimen of Oregano and Vitamin C. There are 60 varieties of Oregano plants. Most varieties of Oregano do not contain medicinal properties. Medicinal Oregano is taken from wild, mountain-grown, Greek or Mediterranean Oregano grown on organic soil without chemicals and pesticides. Oregano bought in spice bottles is not the medicinal variety. Cooking herbs are processed with heat and chemicals. Medicinal herbs are processed differently to preserve their medicinal oils and properties. Research has proved that wild grown Oregano contains higher amounts of antioxidants than apples, potatoes, oranges, blueberries, and garlic. It even surpasses garlic.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis): Full sun; The leaves season meat, chicken, seafood, vegetables, soups, and sauces. Rosemary bread is one of our favorite breads. It is wonderful. Rosemary is used in a tea to help with insomnia, improve memory, deter headaches, and in beauty supplies to keep hair and skin beautiful and healthy.

Sage (Salvia Clevelandii): There are many varieties of sage and all have beautiful flowers which the bees love. Plant big tubs of sage in between your containers of tomatoes to make sure the bees pollinate your vegetables. Add sage leaves to meat and poultry dishes; stuffing; fish; soups; vegetables and more. Adding sage to fatty meats makes it more easily digestible. Sage has many medicinal qualities including using it as a tea to relieve a sore throat.

Thyme (Thymus sp): Full sun; over 300 species of Thyme from ground cover plants to taller ones. Thyme is very medicinal and is used in many products including Listerine. It is the thymol and carvacrol oils found in Thyme which give it medicinal properties. These oils have anti-bacterial properties so that is why it is used in mouthwash. Thyme tea is good to drink when coming down with a cold or the flu.The processing to extract and preserve these oils must be performed with special equipment. Thyme is spice bottles is processed with heat and chemicals.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Needs full sun; various varieties each with different colored flowers and beautiful foliage; used as a anti-spasmodic; used to break fevers; anti-inflammatory properties; used to stop internal bleeding; used to stop female uterine bleeding and cramping; and used to relieve urinary tract infections. Used as a tea, tincture, extract, and essential oil. One of the herbs used in the old herb books going back centuries. It is an herb that should be kept in every medicinal herb garden.

This article does not permit me to fully explain all the medicinal benefits of these herbs. I challenge you to research the links below and other sites as well to realize how these herbs can benefit your health.

References:

http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_yarrow.htm

http://www.nzhealth.net.nz/herbs/curryleaf.shtml

http://gardening.about.com/od/plantprofile1/p/LambsEars.htm

http://www.botanical-online.com/medicinalsalliumsativumangles.htm

http://www.helleniccomserve.com/oregano.html

http://oreganooilof.com/