Millard Elizabeth - Backyard Pharmacy

In addition to being useful, medicinal plants can also make an outdoor living space look more vibrant.

Part of the appeal of medicinals for me comes from being drawn to self-sufficiency, sustainability, and better control over my health. Ive always been an advocate of health-care over sick-care, and part of that difference springs from preventative measuresstaying de-stressed, connecting with nature, sleeping well, eating real food, and using plants with known medicinal properties for boosting immunity and reducing inflammation. To me, all of these strategies are interconnected.

Im also humbled to be connected to a deep, rich history of medicinal tradition. For centuries, plants have been used in ritual and healing. Some of the oldest documents from Chinese and Egyptian culture describe medicinal uses of plants, and recently the World Health Organization estimated that 80 percent of people worldwide still rely on herbal medicines for some aspect of their health care.

In terms of my own medicinal uses, youll find that Im particularly fond of very simple remedies. I greatly admire herbalists who create five-herb blends that address specific conditions, but I gravitate toward one-herb, one-purpose kind of uses. If I have a sore throat, I gargle with a mix of hot water and crushed, dried cayenne. For those mosquito bites, I chew a plantain leaf and put the mushy result on them. Ive tried to create more combinations, but always find myself drifting back to easier approaches, usually resulting in lots and lots of tea.

As a gardener and farmer, I take the same strategy as I do with medicinal preparations: if its easy to grow, it wins my love. At Bossy Acres, we grow about sixty different vegetables, some fruits, and around twenty to thirty herbs per year, so any plant that needs a wealth of attention tends to get knocked out of the lineup.

For this book, I chose my favorite plants based on ease of growing, medicinal efficacy, one-herb remedies, and personal fondness. Rather than focus exclusively on herbs, Ive included some other major plants that have plenty of medicinal uses. Berry bushes, for example, are often overlooked when it comes to wellness, but because of their longevity and whole-plant usefulness, its great to include them in a backyard plan.

Each chapter covers plant history, simple preparations, planting and growing considerations, and storage tips. Enjoy your herbal adventures, and if you discover a love potion in the process, definitely let me know.

We grow an array of robust vegetables on our farm that take up plenty of space, like the pumpkins that send out thick runner stems, or the alien-looking kohlrabi, with their heavy globes snugged into the ground.

By comparison, the section we have allocated for medicinal plants seems like a little fairy garden. The delicate fronds and cute-as-a-button flowers of chamomile wave just above the dark green, lush leaves of lemon balm, giving me plenty of ideas about how to combine the two.

The fact is that our farm could become a large-scale production enterprise (it wont) and Id still consider this small growing space as one of the most important on the land. Perhaps its because I harvest from this section every day, chopping a bit of oregano and basil for a dish, or grabbing a few raspberry leaves to make into a bedtime tea. Our medicinal garden has become like a friend whos always happy to see me.

People tend to grow especially fond of nurturing medicinal plants, fussing over their watering needs and soil acidity. Thats not surprising, because consider the return: A backyard spot filled with wellness and culinary wonders, many of them coming back year after year, growing more sturdy and robust. Creating a garden spaceeven if garden means a windowbox of herbs in your kitchenis distinctly soul quenching, and much less intimidating than you might think. Lets get started with some herb basics.