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Kitchen Herbs
The picture is courtesy of Mother Earth News
The forgotten Medicines
Today I like to talk about some Kitchen Herbs and Spices. You know the little jars and glass containers you have sitting around in your cupboards or even in a drawer and hardly use!
Kitchen Herbs are truly the forgotten Medicine.
In our busy lives, we grab that bottle of Tylenol for a headache, get the Rolaids or that nasty pink stuff for an upset stomach and if we do not have that in our medicine cabinets, we panic and run right out to the store to get it. All the while, we have a perfectly good medicine cabinet stashed away in our kitchen that is much safer on our bodies.
Most of our grandparents and their parents did not have an idea what Tylenol or any of the other fancy chemicals would do. Yes, they had Aspirin and other nasty, long since forbidden "snake oils" and even opioids that helped with or supposed to help with different ailments. But when it came to headaches, the common cold, belly upsets and such minor illnesses, they went to their kitchen and brewed up some tea, made a plaster or otherwise used those herbs she has been growing in her Kitchen Garden to help with the hurt.
I am not saying that kitchen herbs could replace a visit to the doctor, but it definitely limits those visits.
In our world of cancers and dangerous infections,(inside and outside the body), it is important to know when to go and see a professional.
What I do say, however, is that not every little sneeze and bellyache from overeating is warranted a visit to the ER. There are little wonders hiding away in those cupboards that could be money savers by lot having to make that threatened doctors visit and sometimes even lifesavers because they can hold a person over until a doctor can be reached.
In this segment of making due, I will dive into the mysterious world of your spice and herbal rack starting with A and ending with Z.
Eventually, I will elaborate on each one of these, put in some history, where they came from and more medicinal uses. This will not be on this blog, it will, however, be in an e-book that you can download.
Not sure yet where I am going to publish, but Amazon is an option.
Anyone interested can get hold of me and see where I am at with the publishing of that.
My Herbal Garden ready to get planted for the year
You can plant your own Kitchen Garden anywhere. Outside in your already existing garden, you could dedicate a corner just for Herbs, potted on your balcony or even your window sills.
Herbs are a very forgiving plant and will grow just about anywhere as long as you feed it and pay attention to it during the growing season.
only have the benefit of having fresh herbs for your cooking, you will also have an ever-growing medicine supply and some wonderful aromas to fill the air around you.
So without further adoo, I will get started with descriptions, pictures, and uses of kitchen herbs.
ALOE VERA
Aloe Vera is not your typical kitchen herb.
However, I am a firm believer that every household should have at least one live plant of this wonderful cacti growing.
In warmer climates, you can grow this outside, but it also does very well inside in a pot.
If you have little kids, they get hurt and a small amount of the gel the comes out of a leaf will make that little boo-boo go away in a hurry.
It is also very helpful if you have ailing seniors in your home that develop bedsores and other skin problems.
Sunburns are easily soothed with a little Aloe. Cut the leaf and carefully rub the gel all over the burn, it will relive the pain, the inflammation and the burn itself.
Aloe Vera gel will soften rough skin and also help with many skin irritations.
Some women use Aloe Vera gel every day as a regiment of their cosmetic applications. It seems to make a big difference to put a soothing Aloe mask on at night after all the make-up comes off.
ALMONDS (sweet)
Almonds are not only for those cookies
Did you know that ground up almonds in water are an excellent remedy for coughs and fevers?
Next chest cough or fever you have, try to grind six tablespoons of almonds in an old coffee grinder, put that in a pint of cold water and drink the milky drink slowly.
You may get relief without having to send your spouse to the store to get ni-quill or any of the other harmful chemicals that are sold OTC for this sort of thing.
The latest research also suggests that a handful of almonds eaten every other day will keep the Cancer away.
I can neither confirm nor deny this, but you can do the research on it yourself.
However, what I can tell you is that almonds are an excellent survival food.
Ten almonds equal a half pound beef in protein.
So store those almonds away for the times you just too hungry to wait for that steak or burger to get done.
BASIL
Basil is one of those Herbs that everyone needs for their Spaghetti Sauces.
It is so much more.
The crushed leaf of Basil will relieve the sting of an insect bite.
Drinking Basil tea will be a very effective way to get a woman's monthly going, it stimulates the immune system,
rids a body of intestinal parasites, treats acne
and does so much more.
Basil in Pasta will help with digestion and stomach upsets.
So plant that seed in a pot, set it on your windowsill in the kitchen and you will always have a sweet smelling plant and fresh herbs.
BAY LEAF
Bay is one of these many often overlooked spices in your cupboard that can do so much.
Crumble some and sprinkle in the corners of your kitchen cupboards if you have a cockroach problem, the nasty buggers will stay out and away from your dishes.
Use one to two teaspoons of the crushed bay as a relaxing tea. Make sure you strain before drinking, the edges are sharp and could be harmful.
CATNIP
Catnip belongs to the mint family and as the name suggests, Cats love the stuff.
I would advise that if you grow catnip and do not want the whole towns Cat population in your garden, you plant it in a pot and keep it in the house.
However, the same properties in the plant that attracts cats also lower fevers, dry's up that nasty sniffle you get every spring, is effective of reliving hammer-headaches, and relieves the aching of colds and touches of flu.
Older Norwegians know that to drink a cup or two of Catnip tea every day will keep the colds away.
CAYENNE
The main ingredient in Cayenne peppers is Capsicum.
You see, Cayenne peppers are not only useful in that hot pot of Chilli you bring to the family reunion or the main ingredient in that small tabasco bottle, it is also a way to stop bleeding, relive those aching joints, and fights colds like a pro.
You may not realize that a dash of cayenne pepper in a glass of orange juice is a way to keep those nasty sniffles away.
If you have problems with blood clods, taking Capsicum Capsules every day seem to thin out that blood and you may even be able to get rid of the nasty blood thinner medication and it's side effects.
But as always, have a talk with your doctor first before you throw the chemicals away.
Cayenne is also a digestive aid in heavy meals and a source for vitamin C. I am not sure if it is still a secret, but as a Student, crunching hours before exams, we added 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to a glass of grape juice and alertness and energy seemed to magically appear again.
CHAMOMILE
Chamomile is one of those herbs many of us only know in the form of teabags.
Just about everyone knows that a nice cup of chamomile at night should produce a good nights sleep.
But it is so much more.
This is one of the most versatile and benign herbs know for thousands of years and all over the world.
Chamomile does wonders for digestion, weak stomach, stomach cramps and anything related to that. It's soothing and sedative properties will guarantee that.
Those same properties and that fact that Chamomile is more antiseptic than seawater also makes it a great healing agent directly applied to a wound or burn.
Inflammations are reduced and pain is managed as soon as you apply a paste of chamomile to a wound.
Adding chamomile to bathwater will do wonders for a hurt, tired and weary body.
Used as a hair rinse will not only strengthen the hair follicles but also will put wonderful highlights into the hair.
A facial steam or even a full facial pack will do miracles to tired skin.
I have been told that a splash of watered down chamomile tea in the face on arms and any exposed skin, will keep the mosquitos and other bugs away.
CARAWAY and FENNEL
Have you ever wondered why Caraway and Fennel seed are so popular with bread bakers?
I used that on all my kids.
I crush the seeds and add a half of teaspoon to a pint of hot water, let it sit till cool, strain and then mix that 1/4 x 3/4 in a bottle to feed. Infants seem to like the taste and colic's disappear.
For thousands of years, the bakers kept a well-known secret: Caraway and Fennel is a digestive aid that will help with the digestion and expel the gas of heavy bread.
Infant colic can be soothed with a weak caraway or fennel tea
CLOVES
Cloves have a wonderful aroma and just about every kitchen I ever been in has a jar full of them, seldom used, but it is there.
A Dentist uses clove oil as an anesthetic and to disinfect root canals.
Many time did I hear or read that to put a clove in your mouth on the hurting tooth, it will help with the pain.
There is truth in that.
Clove oil is the active ingredient in many OTC pain-relief preparations for the inside of the mouth. It will give temporary relief until you can see a dentist.
A Clove-studded orange is not only a Christmas thing, it is not only a wonderful air freshener, but it is also an insect repellent.
Those pesky moths that seem to be able to come even through the screen in your window do not care for the aroma and rather stay out in the night.
Keep one in your drawer and moths do not have a chance. If treated right, these aroma balls will last a lifetime.
Bruise one clove and add it to chamomile tea and mild depression will go away.
Studies have shown that if a person consumes a clove a day, the healing power of the body will greatly increase and the whole system will change and work more efficient.
It will also help with keeping colds and the flu away.
DILL
Dill is one of my favorited kitchen spices, I put it on just about everything.
If you do any pickling, Dill is a must ingredient in just about any pickle jar.
I use it for my cucumbers, pickled eggs, all my pickled vegetables have dill in it, some more, some just a pinch and I love it fresh.
Dill is a wonderful digestive aid and gas reliever.
It posses a wonderful thing called an anti-foaming agent and stop gas bubbles to form in the digestive tract.
It is also a breath freshener that will have you breathing and graving dill pickles, but it does the trick on the most horrible breaths that come from the stomach.
Swallowing the juices generated by chewing some fresh dill will sooth the stomach. Nasty burbs will not be so nasty anymore.
A Sitz bath with dill infused water also will be very helpful with UTI's. If you are a UTI magnet, drink dill tea every day and maybe you be able to keep it at bay.
FLAX SEED
Flaxseed also is one of those herbs that linger in the bag of your cabinet, maybe you sprinkle some on your breakfast cereal every once in a while.
Flaxseeds oil is also called linseed oil, but please do not confuse it with the stuff you buy at the hardware store.
It contains a wonderful healing oil which you can use internally and externally.
Externally it can be used for sprains, combine it with lime it is used for burns or you may even find it makes simple growths go away.
Flaxseed tea is very helpful with sore or hoarse throat or to calm bronchitis. It is a mild laxative and can be used to introduce kidney activity and sooth the pain of kidney colic.
GARLIC
Garlic is one of the oldest known healing herbs. It is used in many applications for multiple ailments.
During WW I and II, Garlic was used extensively and with effect, in treating infected wounds and amoebic dysentery.
The potent anti-bacterial and anti-protozoan effect, known for thousands of years by soldiers, had been established in the herbal healing world.
A person with heart problems should consider in eating garlic every day. It is the all-around remedy for Heart Disease and Stroke.
Garlic reduces cholesterol, high blood pressure, the likelihood of internal blood clots, and strengthens the heart walls if eaten regularly.
For diabetics, garlic reduces the blood sugar levels. However, it is not a replacement for medical treatment. So please do see your doctor on a regular base.
Tantalizing evidence suggest that garlic also plays a major role in preventing and treating Stomach Cancer.
Again, it is not a replacement for the doctor in this case, but it can not hurt to eat garlic and maybe get ahead in the treatment your doctor has prescribed.
Garlic also helps with eliminating lead and other heavy metals from the body.
Add liberal amounts of garlic to your food if you are around any of the culprits that could give you lead poison or introduce heavy metals to your system.
Breathing Gasoline, btw, will also put these poisons in your body.
Regular intake of crushed or chopped garlic, either in your food or singular will strengthen a weak immune system. Your body will heal faster, sores will disappear, minor skin infections will clear up.
If you can not stand the smell, there are some wonderful capsules in your local herbal store that will overcome that problem. Make sure you buy the good stuff, though. A weak and cheap wanna-be pill will do you no good.
GINGER
Some women swear that drinking ginger tea will make those nasty PMS cramps and pains go away
There is nothing better for morning sickness then ginger tea, ginger ale (make sure it is the real stuff, I found Canadian Dry works for me very well) or even ginger capsules.
I use ginger for indigestion in either a slice of the root ( a very small slice), ginger ale or tea.
Nausea associated with Chemotherapy seems to be manageable after the intake of some ginger tea.
It contains some substances similar to the digestive enzymes that break down proteins.
Ginger is also known to boost the immune system and fight cold and flu infections and other infectious diseases.
HONEY
Even though Honey is not seen as an Herb or a Spice, it is in your kitchen and has wonderful healing properties.
Some call it "Ambrosia Medicine", and it truly is am Ambrosia and a medicine.
I buy local raw honey because it is helpful to fight local allergies.
Buying honey has become a quest. Most honey in the grocery store is not the real honey our grandparents used. Raw unfiltered honey is a very different product from the filtered and sometimes chemically enhanced honey sold in grocery stores.
Raw unfiltered honey contains bee pollen, which has long been considered one of nature's most nourishing and healing foods.
Find your local beekeeper and buy from him/her.
Mouth sores and fever blisters are quickly healed with a dab of honey or two.
It destroys the bacteria in the blister.
It is also a good healing agent on any other open sores. Mix with a little butter or any other solid fat and smear on the wound, you will find the wound will heal and the infection will go away in a short time.
Mixing it with a solid fat will stop the bandage from sticking.
Tired and worn out? Combine a spoon of honey with a spoon of raw apple cider, fill the cup with warm (not hot) water and drink every day once or twice.
This tea has a wonderful rebalancing effect on the human system and it tastes delicious to boot.
As a side note, it also helps to eliminate arthritic deposits in the joints.
Honey added to your various healing teas will give them a boost and a sweeter disposition.
Do not give raw honey to any children under the age of one and then be very stingy with it until the child has reached the age of 4. It can cause terrible diarrhea in the immature digestive system.
MARJORAM
Marjoram is my favorited herb in my spice rack. I am one of those people that tastes soap when eating Oregano, so I substitute with Marjoram and it works beautifully.
Marjoram is like many herbs a digestive aid, soothing the intestinal tract, it has antispasmodic properties and a tea of Marjoram and honey will relieve most stomach cramps after overindulging in fatty foods.
Tests have also shown that Marjoram inhibits the growth of Herpes Simplex.
A paste made with coconut oil and marjoram or make a tincture and use a few drops on the sores will and they will shrink in no time at all.
NUTMEG
A smudge of nutmeg is a must on a good mug of eggnog.
But that is not all that it is good for.
The aroma alone is one of those smells that make you feel better in an instant.
Memories of Holidays and good times may be the reason, the smell itself may be another.
A weak tea will also be a good sleep-aid and it has internal warming properties and be helpful with sluggish digestion, flatulence.
However, there should be a warning with medicinal use of this: Do not use large or concentrated doses of this aromatic herb.
Large amounts of this tea will cause giddiness and intoxication and possibly also produce too deep of sleep.
Oatmeal
It's not only for breakfast!
Made into a paste, this wonderful food herb will relieve many skin ailments.
This paste works on sores, inflammation, and rough skin. Itches from insect bites, poison ivy, and hives.
It will soften rough skin, and if applied to a pesky splinter that just will not come out, it softens the splinter and then that can be removed without pain.
A warm oatmeal pack will lessen pain in infected wounds.
Crushed oatmeal added to a bath will take care of many skin irritations and soothe sunburns that have not opened yet. Internally, oatmeal is a wonderful convalescent food and it is said that it will help the healing process of a patient.
ONION
Onions are very handy and every kitchen has them but their healing power is not very big knowledge today.
The smell is a big deterrent in using this useful globe for healing purposes.
Today, I am going to let you in on another well-known secret: “how to make a smelly onion un-smelly”
Before slicing and dicing an onion, run the whole onion under a stream of cold water, that will get rid of the teary part of preparing onions.
After you slice and chop the onion, put them in a sieve and quickly pour boiling water over them followed by dipping them in ice water.
They will stay crispy but the strong flavour will be greatly diminished.
Onion Soup has long been know as a preventative and remedy for the flu.
The French have been serving Onion Soup in their early morning fish-markets to the fishermen for centuries, making sure they stay healthy for the next days fishing trip.
An Earache is a very bothersome thing, but a poultice of roasted onions will take away a great deal of that pain as well a speed up the healing of an infection.
A plaster of raw and bruised onion will relieve the pain of sprained ankles, bruises, and unbroken minor frostbites.
It will not only take care of the pain but it also helps with healing that bruise a lot faster.
As a teenager, we used onion slices on those nasty red marks our boyfriends were so found of leaving on our necks but our parents and employers did not seem to think that was a good thing.
Put a slice of raw onion on the bruise overnight and there be no evidence the next morning.
Coughs and other chest complain's have no chance in hanging around if you simmer some sliced onion and honey, maybe add a pinch of thyme and ginger powder and indulge in this delicious concoction.
As for sinus problems, we all have experienced how fast sinuses can be cleaned by just slicing and dicing an onion.
Folklore has it that if you put half an onion in the sick room of a patient with a cold or flu, the onion will take the sick right out of that patient. Just make sure you throw that away each morning and use a fresh one
PARSLEY
Parsley is best known for it diuretic actions on the body.
Many avoid the garnish that comes with meals, but historically, that garnish is important.
It helps with the digestion of the food and also with the elimination of salts that may have been sprinkled too liberally.
Doctors prescribe diuretics for a number of ailments and those most harmful chemicals with more side effects then healing properties could be diminished or even replaced by just eating parley.
Parsley Seed tea is a diuretic for high blood pressure is a well-known remedy in Germany.
With the supervision of your physician, parley as a diuretic replacement for congestive heart failure is also a way to eliminate chemical intake.
That bloated feeling a woman has during her cycle is from water retention and Parsley can eliminate that as well.
Parsley also has a way of inhibiting the secretion of histamine and therefore can be very helpful with hay fever and hives.
Last but not least, chewing a sprig of parsley will take care of any bad breath problems.
PEPPERMINT/SPEARMINT
This is the most used herb in my house.
I use Peppermint in a variety of applications.
There is alway oil for aroma and other uses, tea for internal and external use, dried leaves for sprinkling and for in the bathwater, and Altoids (can't forget the Altoids)
not so long ago, most restaurants gave you an after-dinner mint, now they have it on the counter when you walk out.
There is a reason for that: Peppermint is the number one digestive aid.
It soothes the smooth muscle lining of the large intestine and prevents heartburn and other minor food complication including soothing, headaches due to indigestion.
The menthol content in both mints also acts as a mild anaesthetic and is used in many topical applications for skin ailments.
A hot cup of strong Peppermint tea will also serve as a decongestant internally and external.
Let the hot vapours work on your sinuses and lungs, perhaps with a towel over your head to help you breathe in the healing and when it gets too cold to have any vapour left, put a spoon of raw honey in it and drink it.
Peppermint oil has been tested an as an Infection prevention and the old remedy of putting a dap of peppermint oil on fever-blisters (herpes simplex virus) is officially a favour of herbalists and some doctor's that look favourable on herbs as a healing vessel.
Spiders and mice do not appreciate the smell of peppermint, so if you have a problem with that get some peppermint oil in a spray bottle, fill with water, shake up and give your rooms a good spraying all around, especially around doors, windows and any places the critters can find an entrance.
It not only keeps the critter out, but it makes your room smell good and you have the added benefit of the aroma in the air to soothe your lungs.
Next time you go for an adjustment with your chiropractor, take a bottle of peppermint oil with you and ask him or her to rub a few drops of it into your spinal area, it will relax you and the adjustment will be delightfully easy.
Yes, you read that right, Potato.
It may not be a herb, but it is in your kitchen and it is a remedy.
Bruises, burns, and sprains are the target for this tasty tuber. Use raw grate potato around an eye bruise or as a pack on a sprain of any kind.
A baked potato cut in half and applied very warm to a tennis elbow will work wonder on that and any other joints you apply it too.
SAGE
Sage translates from Latin as “to save” and that it does.
It's purpose as a healing aid is versatile and includes sleep, gargle, breath cleansing, fever, rough skin, cleaning the air in a sick room, help heal leg ulcers, antiseptic and as a tea to lift depression.
If you feeling yourself slip toward that dark place nobody should be at, drink a cup of sage tea, maybe add a pinch of ginger and a bruised clove and you will find that your mood gets
lifted and you are on your way to light again.
Using sage leaves to clean your teeth not only cleans them, but it will leave your mouth smelling good
Sage tea rubdowns and baths will bring a fever down in a hurry.
This remedy is known all over the world by many indigenous people and used for thousands of years.
Hot sage tea with a spoon of raw honey will induce sweating and therefore will be helpful to break a fever.
Sponge the sweating body with cool water will add to the healing of this tea.
Chewing sage leaves will clean your system of impurities. Native Tribes have used this and the Gypsy's in Europe believe it will expel evil.
American Indigenous Tribes have used Sage in a various manner, but the most known is to burn sage leaves and to let the smoke clean the air.
This is very helpful in a sick room.
Also, a few leaves of sage in plain water or a glass of wine will make an excellent gargle for a sore mouth.
Sage is part of my sleep-aid mix.
It helps soothe the nerves and anxieties.
Sage compresses on legs and feet will help with the healing of varicose veins, leg ulcers due to diabetes and other open wounds.
Use as compresses and as a frequent wash.
Cuts and scrapes in the garden can be covered with crushed sage leaves to prevent infection.
Last but not least, mix sage into your next picnic meat in the park. It will act as a preservative, keeping the raw meat from spoiling before it hits that grill at the outdoors party and has the addition of a pleasant tasting burger.
THYME
Not so long ago, women all over the world grew Thyme on their window sills.
Not only for the culinary use of the herb, but the knew that a tea made from the flowers and leaves of this aromatic plant will help overcome unitary problems in women.
In ancient times it was viewed as the Mother of Herbs.
The tea has antiseptic and healing properties for coughs and sore throats.
A whooping Cough is not a big problem anymore, but it is still around and a syrup made with thyme and honey will sooth that.
Make thyme tea and add a generous amount of honey for a sore throat syrup.
A couple of teaspoons of that will sooth hat throat without having to go to the pharmacy for chemical relieve.
It will also loosen that nasty phlegm in the lung that comes with a chest cold. You may want to add a pinch of ginseng and any leaf tea that you like for a better taste and more effect.
Thyme can relieve a headache when used cold.
Thyme tea hot will influence your central nervous system and sooth it in cases of anxiety and other nervous system upsets such as nightmares.
A hot poultice made from dry thyme will be a excellent first aid for pain-relieve due to an abscess, boil, and swelling of any kind.
The same hot poultice is also very helpful in case of a sciatic attack.
The oil from thyme is frequently used for rheumatic pain, but I have to throw caution in here: mix with olive or coconut oil since the thyme oil by itself can cost skin reactions.
Thyme is also a good deterrent for pesky insects. Plant thyme around your home and you will find very few of them inside your house, also use on pomanders with other herbs to keep them out of your closets and drawers.
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