Grow Medicinal Herbs at Home

Megan Anderson
Mar 16, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Jul 17, 2020

A few years ago, I worked with the Federal Government in the emergency preparedness area. I would work with communities to prepare for natural disasters. It left me feeling a little vulnerable. In many of the cases, we realized that if sugar hit the fan, most health departments, hospitals, and response teams are whollly under-supplied. It's just not sexy to fund your safety departments without a looming safety threat. Money taken from those departments and given to the departments fighting the immediate fires. With the idea that "we'll cross that bridge when we get there." So I would go home and look at my situation. Where was I getting my essentials from? If an ice storm stopped all transport into our town, where would I get my food? For how long? If the power is out for an extended time, where will I get my water? What about my kids and dogs? What do they need?

What if I got sick and I couldn't get to the hospital, or because of my profession wanted to take care of ourselves at home and decrease exposure to more severe things (Now I know my limits. I know when I need to seek professional help. Always use your head and common sense when approaching home health care.) I searched many different home health modalities. I was nervous about not finding something I felt comfortable with. I was scared I wouldn't know what to use and when. I wanted something affordable, effective, and potent. I spent years learning, researching, finding trustworthy sources for everything from information to products. I knew there had to be something out there that we could keep onhand for the everyday emergencies, but more importantly I learned our first line of defense is to always, always, ALWAYS build your immune system first. If a germ can't find a home in you, then you will not get sick.

It's my goal to distill my years of training and research into quick easy how-tos for you to take action on right away! Because you don't want to get caught not being prepared if your kiddo comes to you with an illness that you know you could take care of right at home. And avoid further exposure by going to a crowded drug store or ER. (Of course, know your limits.)

By far the easiest is essential oils. I know, they've gotten a lot of hype over the past few years. But there is a reason this is one of the fastest growing areas in the healthcare system. Do your research on where you buy. Don't just take my word for it. These are ready, on your shelf, in a moments notice. No preparing (other than diluting). And easy to understand reference books. These have become our go to. I would say this is the easiest and fastest way to build your self-reliance in the healthcare arena. Here is a link to learn more.

Once you are set up, you can take the time to start your own apothecary garden to further increase your self-reliance in your own home.

This one is easy and fun. And even though it may still be winter where you are, its never to early to start planning. Got kiddos at home? Involve them! I bet they would love to draw out a fun design. Look up each plant. Pick a favorite that they can steward all season long. You can make a matching game with plant names and uses. So many fun ideas that also adds a useful skill. :) As always, come back and share with our community, all your great ideas! The best part about our community is learning from each other!

Another plus, I haven't seen any of our favorite seed companies sold out of all their medicinal herbs. Make your plan now, order your seeds, start having medicinal herbs in your own back yard or patio or window box by this summer. Follow along here as we share just how we use these around our homestead in easy to implement ways.

What are medicinal herbs? That can have different meanings depending on the State you live in these days. But if you've ever used herbs in cooking then you've already taken steps to use herbal medicines. If you have ever planted herbs here and there in your vegetable garden for their natural pest control or scents you've already been practicing with herbal medicine.

Most herbalists include any plant that offers healings in their reference of herbal medicine. And if you think about it, this has evolved over generations. So it only makes sense people have used what they've had available in their gardens and environments.

"Many of the most common plants are still our best and most popular remedies for common ailments."-Rosemary Gladstar

Growing your herbs:

Healthy soil is ideal. But herbs are hearty and can thrive in a less than ideal soil. They can easily be woven into already established gardens. Echinacia, yarrow, and valerian add color, scent, and beauty to any flower bed. Calendula, chammomile, and thyme are commonly planted along side vegetables as "companion plants." And of course medicinal herbs such as basil, parsley, and dill are common culinary herbs, often found in their own herb garden.

Container Garden:

If you don't have the space for an in the ground garden, according to Rosemary Gladstar recommends the following herbs can easily be grown in a container:

Basil

Calendula

Cayenne

Chamomile

Chickweed

Dandelion

Echinacea

Garlic

Ginger

Lavender

Lemon Balm

Peppermint

Plantain

Red Clover

Rosemary

Sage

Spearmint

Thyme

Turmeric

Yarrow

Garden Design:

A great way to start is to find an old ladder or wagon wheel. Put that down on the ground and use the spaces between the rungs or spokes as your dividers between each plant type. Rosemary recommends these herbs for this type of garden: