Now, is it as strong as what you have in the roots? That's kind of debatable. But the key there is not to dry the Echinacea and then tincture it. You want to make sure that you're tincturing it when it's fresh because that's where it has those antiviral properties for the tincture. Once it's dried, it's not as potent as when it's fresh. Probably, the ones that I would make sure have a little bit more compost worked in and some mulching would be the elderberries, just so that they have a little bit of good drainage. But the others do, they do really well in less than ideal, especially the yarrow and the mullein, they tend to just kind of thrive wherever. So yeah.

Ask your gardener friend for a volunteer plant start. Likes morning sun better than afternoon, and well-fertilized beds. Great edging herb with musky scent. Ally for reducing fevers. Friend of babies, adults, and cats. Perennial.

How and Why to Plan & Create a Medicinal Herb Garden

Oregano– You’re good with just one oregano plant as well. Once it’s established you’ll likely have enough for culinary and herbal purposes. Has anti-bacterial properties.

Valerian– Valerian will grow very tall, and you want to get it established so you can harvest the roots and rhizomes. “Historically, valerian was used to treat insomnia, migraine, fatigue, and stomach cramps. Today, valerian is promoted for insomnia, anxiety, depression, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), menopause symptoms, and headaches.” ( Source) Whatever you plant, be sure to do your research to ensure that you are planting things that will benefit each other. Starting Your Herb GardenAnd you may have mullein already growing around you that some parts of the country, it's just this prolific thing and people are like, "Why on earth would you grow that? You can go to any field and find it." But that's not the case for every geographical location. It's not the case actually in mine, on our side of the mountains. We're a little too wet for it to self-populate. It does in a little bit drier areas, but it grows really well in gravel because I had purposely planted a mullein and stuffed with the seed, [inaudible 00:33:41] to the gravel and it was very, very happy in our driveway. Not so great though because it kept getting ran over, so I did transplant over. Once harvested, there are many ways to process them into different herbal preparations, but this is a big topic – one that we will look at in more detail later in the year as it is a special skill to harness all the healing vitality of the herbs. Licorice –Harvest the root of an established plant for the medicinal benefits. Licorice root was traditionally used for circulatory, kidney, liver and lung diseases. I like to use it in my throat tea blend for sore throats. It is also a dietary supplement for digestive issues, menopausal symptoms, cough, and bacterial and viral infections. ( Source) Melissa: They grow crazy. You really only need one. Really, I've got one oregano, I've got one thyme, I've got one peppermint, I have one lemon balm. Of course, the lemon balm, I let some go to seed and now I've got lots of little baby plants that have popped up and I'm like, "Ooh, do I let you grow or do I take you out?" We haven't decided yet. So, anything in the mint family, I think you're really, for most families, one plant, just because they are so prolific, you're probably going to be fine. I would say two max, and that's just going to depend on the family size and if you're using it more. I am a registered member of the Ayurvedic Professionals Association, Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine and a Fellow of the Unified Register of Herbal Practitioners. I qualified as a herbalist with the aim of using the principles of Ayurveda (the ancient art of living wisely) and the Herbal tradition to help transform health. I have been in clinical practice since 1998.

STEVEN FOSTER is a best-selling author, photographer, consultant, and herbalist with 40 years of comprehensive experience in the herbal field. He started his career at the Sabbathday Lake, Maine, Shaker’s Herb Department—America’s oldest herb business dating to 1799. So, yarrow is one of my favorites because it has so many different multiple purposes. And yarrow can actually be really good as well, it wasn't one that you mentioned, but it's one that's often used for cardiovascular systems so that it can be great for those aspects if somebody is having heart, hypertension, like that. And of course, I should say in the course of this as you're listening, anything that we're sharing is not to be taken as medical advice individually to anybody who's listening. You have to do your own research and know the precautions and yarrow was one that you should not actually be using during pregnancy. So yeah, it is compatible with breastfeeding, however, so just not during pregnancy. It’s why planting in herbs in containers or pots is so popular. It makes it easier to separately water, fertilize, and care for each type of plant. Bonus? You can take in your pots when cold weather strikes and save annual herbs from frost damage. With a little planning, you can pair tall plants that like to soak up the sun with short plants that prefer a little shade. For instance, a giant parsley plant can provide shade for low-growing sweet woodruff.If asked to imagine a garden, I’d bet that most of us would call to mind a sunny patch interplanted with some array of food, flowers, and herbs—the traditional household and homestead arrangement. Yet Indigenous peoples around the world have long understood that any ecosystem can be gently tended as a garden. For those of us fortunate enough to live near forests, the woodland—with its watery seeps, shady hollows, and part-sun edges—presents us with a fertile opportunity to grow a bounty of food and medicine.