hanging herbs

GAEA'S HEART

Examples Of Herbs Growing In My Garden

chamomile
Chamomile

I grow my own Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) from seed every year, as it is an annual. It takes me about two hours to harvest 700 blossoms, which sounds like a lot, though when dried they barely cover the bottom inch of a 500 ml mason jar. I do it every single day all summer long. It is a task I'm lucky to love, immersed in the sweet apple smell of this amazing herb, the songs of the birds all around. The quality of my own Chamomile is incomparably better than any dried herb I can buy from even the most reliable suppliers. And Chamomile has so many uses that a feature-length movie was made on it by herbalists at a convention I attended recently. From dietary problems to nervous system unrest, this is an herb among thousands. People even use it to lighten their hair naturally! For a sweet and gentle cup of tea taken by more people in the world than almost any other self-administered herb, it makes for some profoundly versatile medicine!

st_johns-wort
St John's Wort

St John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is known for its ability to alleviate the misery of people who go through the motions of life, feeling joyless and dreary most of the time. Other people who feel low when the sun is not around much in winter (an ailment called “SAD”, or Seasonal Affective Disorder) can also be helped by St John’s Wort. It is a remarkable herb, but you shouldn’t take it without guidance, as there are some kinds of depression it doesn't help. I love St John's Wort for its ability to help with pain due to nerve inflammation (such as happens with shingles, sciatica, and bone/cartilage impingement on the spinal cord.) Again, use of this herb might be unwise for an individual's specific situation. Do get an herbalist's advice.

meadowsweet
Meadowsweet

Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) plant is beautiful at all times of the year. I harvest it when it sends out its sprays of fluffy white flowers, though it is mostly the leaves that are herbally beneficial. This herb helps coat the gastro-intestinal tract for people with ulcers or other digestive problems, and contains the same kind of pain-killing chemical as is found in aspirin.

peony_root
Peony root (red and white varieties particularly)

This lovely plant is famous in Asia for its ability to help with pain and inflammation, especially the kind that permeates the whole body. I have two young plants in my garden. Another kind of peony, known as a tree peony, is also used in Chinese medicine. It is the roots of these peonies that is most effective.

spilanthes
Spilanthes

This joyous little plant has many names, but “buzz button” is my favourite. The children love it, because if you touch the flower to your tongue you feel a small jolt of electricity. I use Spilanthes (Acmella oleracea) mostly for its antiseptic abilities. It fights both candida and colds, and its use with toothache is immortalized in one of its other names, “The Toothache Plant.” (Personally, I think Cloves work better when you have that grinding pain of toothache and you can’t get to the dentist right away.)

stingingP_nettle
Stinging Nettle

Nettle (Urticaria dioica) doesn’t sting once it is thoroughly dried or cooked when fresh. But I wear long -sleeved shirts and pants and thick gloves when I am harvesting this amazing herb! It is nutritious in spring, especially for people who can’t get fresh food all winter, and this is among the first of the tasty greens to come out of the ground. The leaves, the roots, and the seeds all are powerful medicines in different ways. I think I use it most to help prevent kidney disease (which has no cure in ordinary medicine), or to mitigate it, if it has already started. But it has many, many other uses. As the famous herbalist Hoffman has said to legions of students, “When in doubt, use nettles!”

WHAT WE TREAT

Here are some common ailments and conditions that I treat. Before checking the list, please understand that an herbalist does not approach treatment as would an allopathic (Western medice) doctor. Yes, these are the treatments for specific symptoms, and in emergency situations, I would go directly to my knowledge base on that specific symptom.But on follow-up, I ask my clients to participate in an extensive interview so that we may be mutually assured that we are not missing some more systemic health issue. In non-emergency cases, this interview is the starting point, and I do not charge for this time.

Common Conditions I Can Help With (Alphabetical Order):

  1. Accidents and First Aid including bleeding that can’t be bandaged, poison ivy or poison oak, sunburn with a fever
  2. Acid Reflux
  3. Acne
  4. Adrenal insufficiency due to stress
  5. Allergies (to something external, such as hayfever)
  6. ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
  7. Alzheimer’s disease
  8. Anger - inappropriate
  9. Anxiety
  10. Arteriosclerosis (atherosclerosis)
  11. Arthritis – osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, CPPD
  12. Athletic performance
  13. Athlete’s foot
  14. Autoimmune diseases – rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleraderma, Sjogren’s, multiple sclerosis, many others
  15. Back seizing up
  16. Biliary Function and Gallbladder
  17. Breathing problems – allergy
  18. Breathing problems – asthma emergencies
  19. Breathing problems – due to anxiety
  20. Breathing problems – due to COPD
  21. Breathing problems – due to coughs, colds, flu, bronchitis
  22. Breathing problems – while you sleep, including snoring
  23. Burns and scalds, including sunburn with a fever
  24. Cancer
  25. Chemotherapy issues – immune deficiency, nausea, health, stress
  26. Children’s ailments
  27. Chronic Kidney Disease
  28. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  29. Chronic venous insufficiency
  30. Cognitive decline
  31. Colic – babies
  32. Colitis
  33. Constipation
  34. CPPD
  35. Cystitis
  36. Dementia
  37. Depression (clinical)
  38. Diarrhoea
  39. Diverticulosis/itis
  40. Dry eyes
  41. Dry skin
  42. Earache
  43. Eczema
  44. Emotional issues and trauma
  45. Fatigue
  46. Fatty Liver Disease
  47. Fungal infections
  48. Gas in the upper or lower bowel
  49. Gastritis
  50. Gout
  51. Hair and nail problems
  52. Headache
  53. Heart arrhythmia
  54. Heart attack recovery
  55. Heartbreak
  56. Heart disease
  57. Hepatitis
  58. High and low blood pressure
  59. High Cholesterol
  60. Huntingdon’s Disease (HD)
  61. Immune support
  62. Indigestion, heartburn
  63. Inflammation
  64. Insomnia – can’t get to sleep
  65. Insomnia –wake up too early
  66. Insomnia – wake too often during the night
  67. Intestinal parasites
  68. Irritable Bowel Disease – either manifestation
  69. Kidney stones
  70. Labyrinthitis
  71. Laryngitis
  72. Liver issues including cyrrhosis
  73. Low immunity
  74. Lyme Disease
  75. Memory impairment
  76. Men’s problems – including enlarged prostate
  77. Menstrual pain
  78. Metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, obesity
  79. Migraine headaches
  80. Mucous at the back of the throat
  81. Multiple sclerosis (MS)
  82. Muscle Pain
  83. Muscle Spasms
  84. Muscle Tension
  85. Muscular dystrophy (MD)
  86. Nausea
  87. Neuritis and nerve pain
  88. Neuritis, nerve pain
  89. Nutritional problems
  90. Osteoporosis
  91. Overactive or underactive bacteria in the digestive system
  92. Pain
  93. Parkinson’s Disease (PD)
  94. Preparing for surgery
  95. Psoriasis
  96. Rashes
  97. Recovering from surgery
  98. Recurrent infections
  99. Relaxation problems
  100. Restless leg syndrome, restless limb syndrome
  101. Right upper quadrant pain
  102. Scarring
  103. Shingles
  104. Sinus issues
  105. Weep too much
  106. Sprains
  107. Stress
  108. Stroke
  109. Surgery preparation and recovery
  110. Swelling in lower limbs
  111. Thyroid issues – hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, goiter
  112. Tightness in the jaw or neck
  113. Tonsillitis
  114. Toothache
  115. Type 2 Diabetes
  116. Ulcer
  117. Ulcerative colitis
  118. Urinary frequency
  119. Urinary tract infections
  120. Vitality issues
  121. Weakness Tonics
  122. Women’s health – menstrual problems, breast milk production, endometriosis, PCOS, estrogen too high/low relative to progesterone, menopause, perimenopausa>l problems, post-menopausal problems
  123. Wound healing