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Keep any gardening queries coming to the Facebook page called Palmers or their web site www.palmers.co.nz and I will answer in detail all of your queries.
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Wherever you are in the country you have a Palmers near by and everything I talk about here is available at a store near you.
Herbs for Health - Part 1
The sweet smell of fresh herbs with their pretty flowers and aromatic foliage complete a garden to me. I keep many of mine close to the kitchen so can effortlessly snip and add to cooking or herbal teas as well as create a relaxing spot to spend time in the sun surrounded by these medicinal gems.
Not all of the herbs I write about here grow in my garden at present, but knowing about the varieties that you can harvest and what to do with them to aid anything from healing of wounds to gastric upset is a handy 'medi kit' to have.
Over the next month I will look forward to dosing you will an A - Z of what you can grow that will help with all sorts of ailments. Follow my introduction to growing and using herbs for health.
Happy Gardening everyone!
ANGELICA
Also known as Holy Ghost, master wort and lungwort is a beautiful and useful plant that came from Russia and Lithuania.
GROW - in cool, damp position in good soil. Will grow 1.5m
HABIT - bright green leaves with white umbrella like flowers on tall stems. The seed head contains hundreds of flat seeds packed together, similar to a sunflower seed head. When ripe they are dark brown in colour.
HOW TO CARE - In the second year the plant dies but if the seed head is cut right back after flowering it will form side shoots and last for years to come
HOW TO USE - The leaves and seeds when boiled are a remedy for colds and coughs. The raw stalks when chewed relieve flatulence.
BALM (Melissa officinalis)GROW - likes any soil and grows well from seed. Best planted in a pot or container as the seeds are so tiny.
HABIT - small compact plant with heart shaped leaves which have a lavender scent and lemon taste.
HOW TO CARE - plant dies in winter but comes back in spring
HOW TO USE - grown for it's fragrant leaves and is used at a pultus for wounds and will close up cuts without inflammation. Balm tea is great for digestive and nervous complaints as well as relieve headaches. Make tea from pouring boiling water over a handful of fresh leaves. Infuse for 15 mins, strain and drink tea.
BASIL GROW - in a sunny spot in rich soil that is kept well watered but not wet. Best companion to Tomatoes for flavour and leaves are used in Mediterranean cooking.
HABIT - leaves are oval and rounded from the ridge. Both leaves and flowers are fragrant, flowers form in summer toward end of growing season.
HOW TO CARE - pinch out leaf tips when plant is young to slow bolt to flower.
HOW TO USE - great for use to reduce anxiety, hiccups, chest congestion, stimulates digestion and relieves Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Excellent to eat to reduce nausea and morning sickness.
BAY (Laurus noblilis) GROW - as a shrub or tree and will grow well in pots.
HABIT - dark green, glossy scented leaves with slight red leaves.
HOW TO CARE - keep soil moist but not wet, withstands wind
HOW TO USE - pick and dry whole leaves and use whole leaf in cooking to flavour.
BERGAMOT (SWEET) GROW - in damp soil allowing for height of 1.2m
HABIT - rich red flowers that look like honeysuckle blooms and have a lemon perfume. Both flowers and leaves retain perfume when dried.
HOW TO CARE - If grown in the right conditions, bergamot will come up each year as a perennial. Bergamot belongs to the mint family so can be easily divided for more plants.
HOW TO USE - excellent for use to control flatulence, sore throats, headaches/migraines make a tea with a few leaves and flowers in boiled water, steep for 5 mins and serve.
BORAGE (Borago officinalis). GROW - best grown from seed or from dividing root stock in spring. It grows 60cm high and is a great companion plant in the vegetable garden and with strawberries. Bees love it and are always flying around as it contains lots of nectar. Borage self seeds easily
HOW TO CARE - break off branches if it gets too big to shade other plants and provide staking support if required or windy as its thick branches break easily.
HOW TO USE - brilliant when drunk as a tea for mood enhancing if feeling discouraged or sad, urinary tract infection, cough suppressant and to encourage lactation in breastfeeding. Add a handful of leaves to boiling water and steep for 10 min before drinking. The fresh leaves taste of cucumber and can be added to salads. They are very high in potassium and calcium.
CALENDULA
GROW - a wonderful companion in your vegetable garden to attract beneficial insects and deter pest insects. Known as pot marigold it drives nematodes from the soil that affect Tomatoes.
HOW TO CARE - grows freely in most soil
HOW TO USE - dried flowers can be used as an antiseptic and anti-fungal for wounds and are either used in a tea to drink or as an ointment. Clean the wound well before using to ensure bacteria is not trapped in tissue as Calendula heals so quickly debris can get trapped under skin.
CATMINT GROW - perennial plant that has leaves that look a lot like mint and has a spreading habit. Pretty blue flowers sit above the blue/grey foliage. Cats love it and either are soothed or excited by the scent.
HOW TO CARE - plant in sunny position and grows nicely at front of garden as only grows 20cm high
HOW TO USE - pinch off flowering tips and make into a tea for a calming effect. The tea solution can also be used for irritated and dry scalps as well as cradle cap in babies. Leaves and flowers that are crushed and placed on a bruise before wrapping with a bandage will heal quickly
CHAMOMILE GROW - Chamomile is a little plant that creeps along the ground and smells like apples. Some people grow it as a lawn, which can be done only if weeds are kept well under control as it establishes.
HOW TO CARE - It likes stony ground mixed with soil and will cover a dry stony bank well. Keep it trim and remove flower heads as they appear and dry them for teas.
HOW TO USE - great as a sedative and crushed flowers soaked in hot water then placed on the face is great for tooth ache and teething. It is known for giving immediate relief. Helps relax after nightmares. Use 5 to 7 dried flower heads in a cup of boiling water and drink as a tea.
CHERVIL
GROW - perennial plant with small waxy leaves that look like parsley but have small dainty white flowers that sit on stems that reach 40 - 70cm high
HOW TO CARE - grow in a cool shady place in the garden. Some people can experience a rash from the leaves so I plant it away from my other picking herbs that children have access to.
HOW TO USE - make a tea to lower blood pressure and as a soothing eye wash. Use the leaves in salads for a taste of anise and caraway. Chervil is rich in magnesium, iron and vitamin C.
COMFREY GROW - Comfrey is a perennial of the borage family and is best grown direct in ground especially good under fruit trees but plant in an area that is accepted that you will have it forever. Best known for it's healing properties.
HOW TO CARE - will grow easily in shade or sun. Each tiny piece of tiny root will grow.
HOW TO USE - leaves and roots can be used as a poultice on sprains and bruises and to reduce swelling. Crush leaves and roots to release moisture and wrap over wound with muslin. Change every day until wound healed. Make a tea from the leaves steeped in boiling water. Comfrey is rich in vitimin A,
B12, C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, iron, sulpher, zinc and lysine which is important in the control of cold sores. Apply as a poultice to a cold sore for healing relief. Great for stomach disorders as well.
CORIANDER GROW - in a semi shady place in rich soil.
HOW TO CARE - Water well but ensure soil not water logged. Keep flower heads cut off to ensure they don't bolt.
HOW TO USE - Leaves are best used fresh in salads for full antioxidant benefit. Roots are often used in Asian cooking. Leaves have a cleansing and stimulating effect on the liver and the seeds are great for fat metabolism, flatulence, bloating, improve memory, stimulate appetite and aid arthritis.
DANDELION GROW - anywhere and easily
HOW TO CARE - known as a troublesome weed, cultivation is not hard at all!
HOW TO USE - The food value of Dandelion is huge, it has more iron then spinach, many more times vitamin C than lettuce, oranges and blueberries. The leaves taste like endive (I plant mine with endive so it doesn't matter if I mix up the leaves when picking a salad. Dandelion tea is great as a blood purifier and is good for loss of appetite, liver and kidney complaints. The dried root of two year old Dandelion can be used as a healthy coffee substitute. Carefully lift the Dandelion plant in about April and cut off the crown, wash and dry in a cool oven with the door open a bit. Store in a dry place in a jar and when required roast to a light brown and grind in coffee grinder then use as you would when making plunger coffee. The juice of the dandelion leaf is a cure for warts but only in late spring and summer when juice is acrid. Drip the milky juice directly on wart as often as possible and the wart will die. Don't break the skin of the wart or squeeze.
DILL GROW - annual plant 45 cm high 45 - 60cm wide.
HOW TO CARE - Grow in a sunny position in well drained soil with good water supply
HOW TO USE - Dill is rich in calcium, manganese, iron, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. It relives colic and flatulence. To assist in milk flow with breast feeding, boil a teaspoon of seeds in a cup of water for two minutes let stand for 10 mins and drink twice a day. This will also help baby with colic.
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