Plants for Health

Plants for Health is a useful lens if you want some information on what certain herbs and spices can do in the way of enhancing a meal or helping to cure a certain ailment, or act to help improve your overall level of health and wellbeing.

There are so many uses for so many of these wonderful herb groups and species that can either be found growing in your garden or in fields that it would take several volumes of collected individual lenses to do it any justice.

So this lens will provide the information that I have personally gathered over the years of some of the more commonly found varieties to at least give you an insight into what is available and easily accessible to most people around the world.

The Health Benefits of Herbs SAGE

SAGE

There are many herbs that have health giving and healing properties, but one of the best known of the healing herbs is sage.

It's latin name, salvia means to save or to heal, so it can be seen that the healing properties of sage have been known for millenia. Sage oil contains the chemical substances alpha- and beta-thujone, camphor and cineole as well as rosmarinic acid, tannins, and flavonoids.

Here are just some of the incredible properties of sage:

1. Memory Booster.

A 1993 study at the Universities of Newcastle and Northumbria found that test subjects given sage oil tablets performed much better in a "word recall test" than those given a placebo. From this study. experts believe the active ingredient in sage may boost levels of certain chemicals that help transmit messages around the brain.

In 1597 the herbalist John Gerard is quoted as saying that it was "singularly good for the head and quickeneth the nerves and memory."

It is possible that sage could help patients affected by Alzheimer's disease. In many cases of Alzheimer's there is a drop in the same brain chemical boosted by sage in experiments.

2. Cancer

Sage also has antioxidant properties, making it a good natural weapon in the fight against cancer causing free radicals in the body.

3. Arthritis

Its anti-inflammatory properties go some way to helping alleviate the painful swelling around the joints in arthritis sufferers.

4. Sore Throats

Sage contains powerful anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties making it a popular natural gargle still commonly used in parts of Europe in place of commercially available treatments. It is also used as a refreshing and tonic herbal tea to fight against coughs, colds and influenza.

5. Wounds

Sage has also been used in connection with sprains, swelling, ulcers, and bleeding, again thanks to its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties as well as its styptic ability in helping to stop bleeding.

So sage is a wonderful all rounder and one of the top healing herbs used as alternative cures. Keep some in your garden as the plant is a hardy perennial which will grow well in almost any type of soil.

The Health Benefits of Herbs Rosemary

Terry Didcott

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region and is actually a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), which includes many other herbs.

The plant contains some tannic acid, together with a resin, a bitter principle and a volatile oil. The main constituents of this oil are Borneol, bornyl acetate and other esters, a camphor similar to myrtle, cineol, pinene and camphene. It is colourless, with the odour of Rosemary and a warm camphoraceous taste. The main adulterants of oil of Rosemary are oil of turpentine and petroleum.

As a healing and tonic herb, Rosemary has a long had a reputation for improving memory.

In hair-lotions, rosemary is well known for its effect in stimulating the hair-bulbs to renewed activity and allegedly preventing premature baldness. An infusion of the dried leaves and flowers combined with borax and used cold, makes one of the best hairwashes known. It forms an effective natural remedy for the prevention of scurf and dandruff.

Oil of Rosemary can be added to liniments as a fragrant stimulant. Known as Hungary Water, this was also considered very effective against gout in the hands and feet when rubbed in vigorously. As one of the effective and natural remedies for gout, rosemary oil is one of the more reliable and effective treatments as it also stimulates blood flow to the area, which is important for clearing away the crystallised uric acid deposits in the joints.

Rosemary Wine is made from white wine poured onto chopped up sprigs of green Rosemary and then strained off after a few days. When this is taken in small quantities, it acts as a quieting cordial to a weak heart that is subject to palpitation. It is also attributed with relieving dropsy by stimulating the kidneys.

The young tops, leaves and flowers can be infused to make Rosemary Tea. This when taken warm is a good remedy for headaches, colic, colds and nervous diseases. It can also relieve nervous depression and act as as an antispasmodic.

The Health Benefits of Herbs Thyme

Thyme (thymus vulgaris), is commonly known by several different names: cooking thyme, English thyme, French thyme, or winter thyme. It is just one of 350 species of the genus Thymus.

Often known as the "herb of courage", garden thyme can be grown indoors or out. As a plant in the herb border, thyme is a shrubby perennial with small, oval, narrow, grey-green leaves, long, woody, branched stems, and sturdy roots. Thyme blooms in mid-summer with lavender-pink flowers that occur in small clusters. These flowers attract bees and the honey they produce is highly valued. The leaves are highly aromatic. Leaves, stems, and flowers may all be eaten.

As a culinary herb the leaves (fresh or dried), alone or combined with parsley and bay leaves to make a bouquet garni, add a distinctive aromatic flavouring to meats, poultry, stews, sauces and stuffings.

As a healing herb, much is made of the volatile oil that is produced from thyme. This is extracted by steam distillation from the the flowering tops and leaves of the herb. Thyme has an intensely hot antiseptic smell with a spicy overtone.

It is said that thyme oil provides a protective barrier for body, mind and spirit against a broad spectrum of ailments. These include virus, bacteria and fungus attacks.

One of nature's most potent anti-microbials and a powerful stimulant, thyme's ability to support and protect the immune system is unequaled by other aromatic oils.

Thyme oil is also an excellent disinfectant, antiseptic and expectorant that's highly regarded in aromatherapy for protection against infectious disease.

There is strong evidence to suggest that diffusion of thyme into the atmosphere may be beneficial for the treatment and relief of symptoms of bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis, cough, colds and flu and as a natural asthma treatment.

Thyme oil works by stimulating the formation of white blood cells and boosts your lymphatic system for aiding the oxygenation of cellular tissue for removal of toxic wastes during illness.

Thyme contains thymol, a warming immunostimulant and powerful antibacterial agent which has been researched for its effectiveness in treating harmful mouth bacteria.

Thyme may also be an effective treatment for thrush (candida albicans overgrowth in the mouth) and gingivitis.

CAUTION: Thyme oil is a skin irritant, so avoid during pregnancy or in cases with a diagnosed seizure disorder, high-blood pressure, or hyperthyroidism. Always consult your doctor first.

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