Do you grow your own Herbs?

Ramona

I'm on the research route

celticnoodle said:
sounds like the ideal herb for me and i'll be looking for it to plant and try as well! could you send me the recipes you use this miracle herb for, and how you use it for your thyroid problem, allergies, etc?

I do have thyroid problems, and taking meds for this now. so, i'll have to really be careful. i wonder if applying it to my skin would still affect me wiht the thyroid medicine, or is it only when taken orally that it can effect that?

I have allergies galore, bruise very easiy, soft bone disease, (wonder if it could help that?!) and a score of problems--arthritis, etc. I also suffer from rosacea and lately have been breaking out in terrible large itchy hives all over my face, neck and chest. this has happened 4 or 5 times in the last 2mos. :rolleyes: we cannot (doc & I) figure out if it is food allergies or what, as I keep a food diary and will try a suspect again only to have no problem at all. very frustrating! i wonder if this would be a good topical aid for that? I do have a prescription gel for it now, but it's expensive and I also have to carry Benadryl with me everywhere for this--which I don't really like to take.

anyway, thank you for the info and the site for me to check out online. i will do that! i'm v ery interested in finding out more on this incredibly sounding herb.

:)

Hi CN ~
Wow, you do have a slew of problems! I have to do stuff right now but I am making a copy of this post and I will look into this for you. The Self-Heal plant would certainly help with many of your ills, I think, but I want to check and double-check to make sure, and perhaps find some uses to help you out, ok?
Be back soon!
Ramona
 

Dancing Bear

celticnoodle said:
wow DB! you have quite a gardnen going there. :D
we are getting there! I actually ordered 10 camellia sinensis seeds today , Yay!! I ordered 10 because apparently they are hard to grow from seed, with a high strike rate of infertile seeds, Bugger!! My birthday is not coming around quick enough LOL!! ( I have put in a order for a green house LOL)


yes, i also like to gently simmer lemons or oranges, and you know, it is very healthy to drink lemon water rather then plain ol' water from the tap. not to mention much tastier too! :D
I would never have thought about drinking it Cn, I will save it next time..
I actually bought a steamer today. I am going to use this next time and see how it goes.. if it doesnt work on my herbs i am sure i can use for veges :)


never thought about simmering hte basil leaves, we eat them nearly every day--its wonderful in salads, esp. with fresh tomatoes, a little bit of soft mozzarella and then drizzle with some basalmic vinegar--mmmmm good! try it.
Ye sCn basil is very well used in our home too. Yes Yummm!! Love that recipe try it next time on toasted bread rolls :D If you havent already it is also yum!!

you don't like the taste of sage???!! :bugeyed: OMG! I absolutely love that herb! its a staple in our home. :laugh:
LOl!! No for some reason the entire fmily are not keen on cooking with it.. But i do grow it for smudging. LOL!!

the rosemary plants too, yes, you're going to really like them! they are also good to cook with dried. our basil and rosemary are nearly small bushes and interestingly enough in VT, (a very cold place ot live w/a very short growing season) we had HUGE bushes of both due to it's warm location - planted near a slate rock wall we had. just plenty of water for them, as they do not like to get too dry, and being where you are might be the biggest problem for you.
Yes we love using rosemary i use so much , I decided to grow it aswell LOL!! I actually toast up some lebanese bread, drizzle oil over it craked sea salt, and fresh rosemary. then as a side dip I mix olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, (white or red) Your choice, and a small amount of garlic.. Break of your crisp lebanese bread and get dunking, You may have tried this before, it is an absolute favourite in this house. LOL!! great for lounging around watchign TV and dunking LOL!

I live in the tropics CN we get plenty of rain up here.. it is down south, that get hardly any.. we rarely stop raining lately. which i am not complaining my garden grows beautiful with warm days, and drizzly nights. Like living in a hot house really LOL!!

i LOVE this thread and enjoy reading everyone's posts.
same CN , I love my garden (now i have one) LOL!! and I am passionate about trying to grow from seed, I think it is important to get down on our hands and knees in the garden and get grubby LOL!! very grounding.
I am becoming an enthusiast really. I am not by all means knowledable about much to do with gardening , I didnt even know what a passionfruit vine looked like until a week ago LOL!! But i dont think i am doing bad at all..My plants are thriving :D
 

Dancing Bear

Ramona said:
Hi DancingBear ~
Yes, Self-Heal is definitely in Australia. I found it when we lived near Kyogle, NSW, and a few places after that. Its preferred habitat is pastures - paddocks - that are moist, so near a dam or pond, that sort of thing, and definitely disturbed ground. Send me a private message and I'll see what I can do to get you some seeds from some friends I know who live in Aus, ok?
Not only does it grow in your country, it THRIVES! lol It spreads well in a suitable habitat, i.e., enough moisture, light, etc. but, as mentioned before, it needs some shade, so trying to grow it in bright sun would cause some problems.

For varicose veins, I would use it both ways, both topically applied as a poultice on the skin, and taken as a tincture internally. I can also tell you how to do that via pm, if you like?

The Camilla sinensis is THE tea plant, from which all black and white teas originate. Its antioxidant powers are fabulous, of course, and being able to get a plant and grow it is a privilege, believe me. I worked in a plant nursery when I was there and it is not something that is widely available, so when we did get some tea plants in, they were snapped up quickly.

There is a seed supplier that I dealt with when I lived there, and you could see her website to check out for Self-Heal seeds, let me find that out for you and I'll get back to you on it. I've always had the easiest luck in finding the plant in the wilds, that's why I never checked to buy the seeds for myself. Once the plant grows, by the way, it just produced a vast amount of seeds, so you will never need anymore after that initial plant flowers and goes to seed. It also reproduces by stolons, like strawberry, and forms a carpet of purple flowers. It's truly lovely.

Talk to you in PM
Cheers
Ramona

Cool stuff i have researched it and found it here.. I am on the search for some seeds , so i will definately pm you..
I did find a supplier of the Tea bush.. i have ordered 10 seeds.. we have the Nerada organic tea company up here so our climate is perfect for it..
I dont know how i will go growing from seed as it is not easy apparently.
I have all the info on how to cultivate it for use, so i am going to be watching eagerly as it grows LOL!
I will om you re: the self heal plant..

Do you know also of a herb that is good for dramatic hormone induced moods swings? ont he verge od depression really 2weeks out of 4 .. which is a real bummer.. I at the moment am using rescue remedie , but it doesnt seem to work on the real bad times.
I think i heard of one that starts with G, cant remember the name. would it grow easily in the tropics because it is apparently a chinese herb.

I will pm you anyway..
Db xx
 

Ramona

Good on you, DB!
Yes, I do know of an herb for hormonal fluctuations, and it's a proven help for other things as well, but it's mainly known for PMT:

Evening Primrose Oil Capsules. 1000 mg, 10% GLA - ask at Health Food Stores.

It's the best! LOL! If I hadn't had these a few years ago when my PMT-PMS was out of control, I wouldn't be here now. I still take them...

I've PM'ed you!
Ramona
 

Ramona

Thank you, Franniee

It's so exciting to start a garden, isn't it? You have some very interesting herbs. And thanks for the suggestion that I read Judika Illes. She has some very interesting books! I am thrilled that you mentioned her. Her "Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells" looks fascinating!

If you grow Lemon Balm, you are in for a very pleasant surprise. :) It is a super-herb in my opinion, not only flavourful for cooking, but also as a medicine. Not good (again) for people who have thyroid problems, but great for everyone else. Good remedy for colds, flu, infections, cold sores, open sores, bruises, anxiety, insomnia... I could go on and on. The scent is a divine lemony fragrance and because of this, makes the best tea ever. You can even use a few leaves in regular tea - or coffee - to stop bitterness. It does have some sedative chems, so beware and don't take too much before driving, etc. Along with Catnip, it's the only herb I would ever give to children, because it's so mild. Except for the thyroid thing, it has no other side-effects.

Have fun with that - oh, and it grows very well in a pot. :)

As for myself, I've just yesterday taken down my box of seeds that I've collected from last year. Sigh! I wish I could plant many, many herbs but I have no practical room to have a big garden. Nevertheless, I will endeavour to plant some in pots, as you do, and go from there.

I did, however, have fun yesterday by going over to my sister's and helping her with her cultivated garden. Right beside it is a large patch of MUGWORT! I grabbed my shovel and got me a plant and put it in a pot -mine! Then I asked it for help with my dreams, and cut off a good thirty stems to make smudging sticks with. Last night, I tied them all up and what a beauty they are! The plant will still grow - my sister leaves the 'weeds' to grow at that spot - but I will have nine beautiful sticks for my dreaming spells. How good is that! I also found some Self-Heal, White Sage and Elderberry trees so I took some great photos.

Cheers!

franniee said:
Hi Ramona,

Welcome to AT! I just started growing things. I have always had a vegetable garden but this year I read up on a lot of plants and herbs and have expanded my plantings.

I have many herbs in pots. Most of the herbs are common ones - basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, dill, & mint. I use them in cooking! :D I also plant a lot of lavender. I love it so it is a staple around my home. I use it in the bath or as sachets. I planted rosemary in the ground as well and rose bushes and marigolds. I mailed away for white sage, fenugreek, rue, vervain and Angelica and planted them. The rue is on my back patio where I hear it will chase away bugs! Fine by me! :) Our mosquitos are huge this year!

When I considered my gardens I knew I wanted a healing garden, plants for protection and a garden to attract health, wealth and overall abundance.

As for using them..... I've done a few things. I am just beginning. I think I would like to make my own candles with my herbs and my own soap with my herbs.... I have a friend who promised to teach me what he knows.

I haven't done the backyard yet. I wanted an herb garden with a water structure - we have a bunch of things to do and I am not sure we are going to get to that but I hope we will one of these days.

I would like to plant some chamomile and lemon balm. I haven't used them for divination but I would love to learn how.

I read pure magic by judika illes - she is wonderful and that gave me a start. I delved into more books and compiled a list of things I wanted and knew I needed. I would start with one of Judika's books. There are also the herbal almanacs.

What have you done? I would be interested in hearing. :)

:heart:
f
 

Ramona

Answered CN and DB

Ok, Celticnoodle and Dancing Bear, you both have PMs waiting for you.

The research I did for you was long and had a lot of herbs listed, so I thought it wise to send all this by PM. If someone else wants to know about Self-Heal, varicose veins, or the conditions that CN addressed, feel free to PM me to get some info, too.

When I first started this thread, I got behind on answering everyone, so I'll try to catch up with that, now.

Thanks to everyone who posted here in this thread; it's been so much fun!
 

celticnoodle

:) ramona, that was very nice of you to share your knowledge with me and I so appreciate it! heart felt thank yous!
 

merissa_88

I only grow catnip because I killed my rosemary by allowing it to get too much sun. I'm gonna try again with basil. Maybe I will grow rosemary next winter. I'm growing these plants indoors in Florida so I have to move them out of the sunlight sometimes.



I do divination with dried herbs but I haven't used any that I have grown yet. Thanks for the great thread! Peace, Merissa
 

celticnoodle

our neighbors at our last home use to grow catnip outdoors and all the neighborhood cats would always be rolling around in their backyard. :p we use to always laugh about that, and say it was the local bar for the cats. lol. :D
 

Ramona

It's funny how catnip is a euphoric agent for cats, but for us humans, it's a sedative! It's a great anti-depressant, too, and helps you sleep like a baby.

If I were to use it for spiritual-magickal purposes, would it be for gaining calmness, then? Sounds right...?