Herbs and Spices with Medicinal Properties

For centuries people have used herbs and spices to relieve colds symptoms, dandruff, stomach upset, headaches. I vividly remember my mother measuring out herbs from labeled brown paperbags stored in the cold room of our home. Every spring she would brew sassafras, coltsfoot, a tablespoon of molasses and fenugreek seeds line us up and spoon a teaspoon or two into our mouths. It was her recipe for what she called her, "Spring Cleansing Tonic." As children I can not remember us being very sick. Maybe it was mother's home-grown elixir. Many of these herbs she used were grown in our backyard. Here are a few you might like to try growing for your own home remedies.

Peppermint: Mint has always been used in household remedies and should be in every garden, as it grows very prolifically. Peppermint is an excellent remedy for chills, colic, fevers, dizziness and stomach gas. Applied externally it is good for rheumatism, neuralgia and headaches.

Sassafras: Old folks call brewed sassafras a spring medicine to purify the blood and cleanse the entire system. Useful as a tonic sassafras is good for the stomach and bowls. It relieves gas and is good for kidneys, bladder and throat troubles.

Ginseng: Flavored with any flavoring you like Ginseng makes an agreeable and very effective drink for colds, chest troubles and coughs. It's also good for stomach troubles and constipation.

Ginger: Taken hot brewed ginger is excellent for suppressed menstruation. Hot it is also helps with cold symptoms; it's also helps with diarrhea. A small bit of ginger root chewed is good for a sore throat.

Coltsfoot: Steeped as a tea it is excellent to relieve the chest of phlegm in all coughs, asthma, bronchitis, and spasmodic cough.

Fennel: Not only is fennel used a culinary herb, it's used in many old household remedies. Good for flavoring foods and other medicines. The tea makes an excellent eye wash. Fennel is one of the thoroughly tried remedies for gas, acid stomach and cramps.

Aloes: The aloe plant is one of the most healing agencies we have today among the herbs. Excellent for burns, rashes, scrapes and scratches, its healing properties are used in many over-the-counter antiseptics.

Black Cohosh: A wonderful remedy for high blood pressure and for equalizing the circulation. By making it into syrup, black cohosh is effective for coughs and in liver and kidney troubles.

Fenugreek seed: This seed is excellent when made into a poultice for wounds and inflammations. Grind the seed, make into a thick paste, and mix with powdered charcoal. The charcoal makes the poultice more effective. Steeped as a tea it's an excellent gargle for sore throats.

Anise: This seed or root is a very good stomach remedy to overcome nausea and colic. It is useful to mix with or take with other herbs to give them a more palatable flavor.

Remember, the use of herbs and spices is not a substitute for prescribed medicines. Always check with your physician before using herbs as an alternative treatment.

Source(s)
Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss
Nature Herb Guide