Dorie Byers - Growing herbs for cold & flu relief

Excerpted from Herbal Remedy Gardens,

by Dorie Byers

Healing with plants is not a new idea by any means. For centuries, people have used plants from their own environments to heal their ailments and to support their health. Many of these ideas, or granny cures, as they have been called by many who now have revived their uses, were put aside in favor of more modern methods of healing early in the 20th century. Over the last two to three decades, healing with herbs has been rediscovered. This renaissance has come about with good reason, for modern research is affirming that many of the herbal treatments used through history by many cultures really do work.

If you like plants that are healing, practical, decorative, tasty, nutritious, fragrant, and otherwise useful, grow a gardenful of herbs. The word herb can have different meanings for different people. To me it signifies any plant that can be put to medicinal, cosmetic, culinary, decorative, or aromatic use. Gardeners often have questions about not only how to grow herbs, but how to tap into their curatives as well. I find that most are eager for this knowledge, and pleased when they learn how versatile herbs can be. Many are surprised to find that certain herbs they had not thought of as medicinal do indeed have healing properties and promote general well-being.

Not only will cold and flu herbs help soothe the symptoms of illness, but the garden itself can also have therapeutic benefits. Consider creating a beautiful, peaceful sanctuary by setting a small bench beside a patch of your herbs.

Each of the herbs in this bulletin is specially suited for soothing and relieving the coughs, sore throats, and congestion that come with colds and flus. Growing these herbs in your garden will help you become familiar with each one, as well as provide you with a beautiful, varied, wonderfully scented garden, plus natural remedies right at your fingertips. Youll find some recipes using these herbs here; recipes for cold and flu relief in other herbals will also call for many of these plants. So please, expand your medicine chest to include herbal teas, tinctures, infusions, and even stir-fry dishes that will chase away the symptoms that have you hiding under a blanket!

Cold and Flu Herbs

Catnip

Cayenne

Echinacea

Garlic

Ginger

Peppermint

Rosemary

Thyme

Yarrow

A member of the Mint family, this Mediterranean native was once thought to symbolize love, beauty, and happiness. In pre-Elizabethan England, people drank catnip tea in the afternoons. In fact, many gardens in colonial America included catnip.

Commonly thought of as a treat for cats and frequently found stuffed in cat toys, this useful herb can also promote rest, improve digestion, calm and soothe stomach upsets, and relieve the symptoms of colds, flu, and fevers. It even contains antiseptic properties with which minor skin lesions can be treated. The volatile oils contained in catnip can absorb intestinal gas, so it is an age-old remedy for childhood colic. Taken before meals, it can be used to stimulate the appetite. The fresh leaves contain vitamins A, B, and C.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Catnips ability to help you relax and sleep has been compared to valerians. It is calming without being disruptive of the next days activities.

Catnip has many and varied uses with just one caution: You should not use catnip if you are pregnant.

CATNIP TEA

A cup of this tea in the evening hours will help you relax and prepare for sleep. Use the same infusion to alleviate cold and flu symptoms and to help settle a stomach upset from indigestion and/or gas.

Water

12 teaspoons (510 ml) of dried herb per cup of water

Bring the water to a boil. Place the herbs in a nonreactive container and pour the boiling water over them. Cover the container to keep the volatile oils from evaporating and let the infusion steep for 15 to 20 minutes, then strain and drink.

DECONGESTANT INHALANT

This versatile mixture is for external use only. Simmer it in a pan or place it in a reusable muslin bag for the same soothing effect.

Equal parts dried catnip, dried rosemary, and dried catnip

Eucalyptus essential oil

A muslin tea bag

Mix the herbs together. For each cup of dried mixture, add 4 or 5 drops of eucalyptus essential oil. Place the mixture in a muslin tea bag.

To relieve congestions, occasionally squeeze and bring this bag close to your nose to inhale. You also can place the bag on a warm register or in a sunny window to distribute the aroma into the air. Alternatively, put to cup (59118 ml) of the mixture in 1 quart (946 ml) of simmering water in a noncorrosive pan and let the aroma drift through your house.

When youre traveling, place the muslin bag on the dashboard of your car. The heat from the sun and the defroster will help disperse the aroma.

Raising catnip is easy. My first and only patch of catnip was grown from a free packet of seeds scratched into the heavy clay soil on the western side of our corrugated metal shed. There it grows year after year, spreading out some but not as drastically as its mint cousins are apt to do. It will also self-sow. The seeds germinate best when they are planted shallowly. Further propagation can be accomplished by dividing mature plants (see box below) or by cuttings (see instructions for peppermint on page 23).

rowing at a Glance

OPTIMAL GROWING CONDITIONS:

Adaptable to a variety of soil types, likes warm temperatures

ZONES:

3 to 10; the plants may winter-kill in Zones 3 and 4

COMMON PROPAGATION:

Seeds, division, cuttings (and will reseed itself readily)

TYPE OF PLANT:

Perennial

Propagation by Division

When you are growing a lot of perennial herbs, you will find that dividing them is a good way to obtain more plants. It is also a good way to renew perennial herbs that have been around for a while and are nearing the end of their usefulness.

The ideal time to divide is in spring or fall. First lift the mother plant from the soil and shake the dirt from its roots. Look at the plant for natural divisions each new planting will need some roots and one or two stems. Pull the plant apart at those divisions, making cuts with a sharp knife or pair of scissors when necessary. Then replant each division in the soil. Water thoroughly and trim some of the top growth. Keep the new planting well watered. New growth will signal that your plant is established.