The 10 Medicinal Plants You Want to Have in Your Backyard:
Wild Lettuce – The Forgotten “Relieving Plant” That Should Grow in Every U.S Backyard
This plant is also known as opium lettuce due to its pain relieving and sedative effects. It acts directly on the central nervous system to lessen the feeling of pain. I’ve found that its sap is so effective that you can numb even the greatest of pains. As opioids are becoming harder to obtain, wild lettuce seems like the best alternative to powerful commercial painkillers. Best of all, it’s not addictive and has no side effects.
Yarrow – Nature’s Tourniquet
The second plant you’ll receive is called Yarrow and this one saved my knuckle. On day 42 of the Alone Show I accidentally cut my hand while gutting a fish. The wound was deep and most likely would have gotten infected. Luckily, I found some Yarrow growing nearby and packed some inside the cut. The bleeding stopped in minutes and my wound healed so well that now there’s barely a scar left.
California Poppy – The Herbal Sandman
You won’t know the value of a good night’s sleep until you can’t get anymore. Unfortunately, as we age, that naturally tends to happen to most people. But this plant can help support a healthy and restorative deep sleep like we enjoyed as children, when falling and staying asleep were both effortless. I usually take my California Poppy as a simple tea, right before bed, and then doze off soon after. But you can also enjoy its sleep benefits as a more concentrated tincture.
Peppermint – The Pioneer’s Stomach Band-Aid
The 4th plant will fill your backyard with a pleasantly refreshing smell. When you pick and prepare your newly grown Peppermint leaves, your stomach will be grateful. Most of our lives we eat whatever we want, and we rarely give him a break. But FRESH Peppermint tea or oil are doing just that.
Chamomile – Our Grandparents Eye-Catching Plant
The 5th plant you’ll have is called Chamomile. And this is how it could look in your garden. My grandmother used to dip a clean cloth in warm chamomile tea and place it over swollen joints or irritated eyes. Chamomile has a lot of healthy properties and uses. You can use it for: muscles, skin, eyes and many others.
Evening Primrose – The Old Answer to Morning Stiffness
Our grandparents would take this plant first thing each morning and then get to enjoy a healthy mobility until the sun went down. I have a big patch of it in my garden and I think it should definitely become a staple in yours as well. You can also use the plant for: bones, nerves, digestion, liver, eyes, blood vessels, energy, etc.
Meadowsweet – The Perennial Anti-Inflammatory Herb
The 7th plant you’ll find waiting for you in the garden is Meadowsweet. This was one of three plants revered most by the druid healers. Later, during the 19th century, Felix Hoffman used Meadowsweet and not the Willow Tree when he first extracted his famous salicylic acid. You might know it as Aspirin. But it has several other powerful uses for lungs and nerves.
Echinacea – The Plant for a Strong Immune System
What I realized in my 20 years of practicing herbalism is that the medicinal substances found in plants you buy at the herbal stores pale in comparison to the ones you find in nature or grow yourself. It’s never been more evident than for Echinacea, which is a plant known to support a healthy immune system. But Echinacea is also used for the urinary tract in both women and men.
Calendula – The Herb You Need to Keep Close during Dark Times
The 9th plant in your kit is Calendula. In the old days’ folks used to dress wounds and cover cuts with a salve made from it. But where this plant really shines is with the immune and lymphatic system. A good plant to have around the house, especially in times like these. You can make it into an oil, a salve, a decoction and an extract.
Chicory – For Healthy Back, Knee, Neck, Hip, Shoulder and Joints in General
Chicory was largely used by our forefathers whenever they were in pain. This “relieving plant” deals with a wide range of physical discomforts, especially aches and inflammation of the back, knee, neck, hip, shoulder and joints in general. Chicoric Acid (CA) seems to be the plant substance responsible for that.
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