Healing plants

Frankly, with words like chia, flax, probiotics, goji, and more making the rounds, it’s understandable to become sick of the whole bandwagon of health food and stick to a normal diet instead.

What all can the humble marigold do? It can repel bugs in your garden, make a crunchy addition to your salads and cookies, and offer a whole bunch of medicinal and health benefits as well. Intrigued? The concept of marigold as a medicinal plant is not new, considering it has been used in apothecaries for over 1000 years already.

Recently, a client was hauling it very quickly down a hill on his road bicycle and took a trip over the handlebars.  Unfortunately, spandex doesn’t do much to protect the skin and he wound up with some pretty nasty road rashes, something most cyclists are familiar with (or may be at some point if not yet).   

What essential oils are in your medicine cabinet?  Being commercially available doesn’t mean that an essential oil is safe to have around the house.

The moonflower is in the family Convolvulaceae, which includes the morning-glory. The plant is native to Central America and is now found worldwide. Moonflowers are tropical plants that are perennials in hot climates. Those plants growing in the southeastern United States form tuberous roots and become perennials; however, those plants growing in Arkansas and cooler climates are annuals.

Essential oils are immensely useful and are loads of fun to work with, sniff, and collect. I usually have about 80 of them at any given time! Essential oils are very concentrated aromatic oils that are distilled or pressed from plants. Similar oils, called absolutes, are obtained via solvent extraction from more delicate botanicals like tuberose and jasmine (more on these in a future article). 

As a writer, and as a health enthusiast, I have learned about a great many supplements, treatments, and healing modalities in my lifetime.

The nasturtium is a member of the mustard family known as Brassicaceae, which contains five species. It is native to South America and brought to Europe by the Spanish conquistadors at the end of the 15th century. By the 17th century, Dutch and Spanish herbalists began developing another species and shared the seeds with British and other European botanists.

The pansy is a member of the genus Viola – it is closely related to the violet and of the species Viola tricolor. Its common name is derived from the French word “pensée” meaning “thought” because the petals of the flower can resemble a human face that nods downward in contemplation.

Growing up, there were a few different honeysuckle bushes around the neighborhood. They were like a kid magnet – we would all gather around them and wonder how a flower tasted so sweet, picking the little blossoms and sipping their sweetness. I had no idea at that age that these nectar-filled blossoms were actually good for me or that they held any sort of medicinal properties. Mother Nature's Medicine Cabinet is full of surprises and they are all really amazing.