As a small girl with a belly ache, I thought my grandmother was silly for going outside and “making” me eat a mint leaf from the blanket of green that exploded in her back yard. Now, I understand, all of our cultures and ancestors had a Healing Garden. 

Herbs are a food source (essential nutrients derived from plants, shrubs, and trees) with healing qualities. Herbal Healing dates back to India’s Ayurvedic Medicine (6000BC), the first form of preventative medicine. Ayur means “light” and Vedic means “knowledge”. This was and is still known today as the “knowledge of how to live,” that influenced Chinese Medicine as well as Modern Medicine. Ayurvedic medicine takes in consideration the “whole” of the person. Prana is the name given for the universal healing force; physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. The key to prana is in a balanced lifestyle of diet, exercise, and behavior.

The “Yellow Emperor” founded Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and this culture was the first to have a complete Materia Medica, a complete guide of medicinal healing, in print for the layman (2700BC). The root of TCM is in the balance of body, mind, spirit, emotion, and season; all hold equal counterparts in health. Taste is specifically important for herbal healing because some Herbs are bitter, sweet, pungent, or sour, and this may give a clue as to their healing properties, as based on the earth’s elements. It is said that the Yellow Emperor tasted thousands of Herbs so others would be able to know, recognize, and utilize these Herbs for their health. 

The essential root of herbal healing in TCM is Qi, the life force. Qi is found in all living things, such as plants, animals, and humans. The Herbs your body needs is based on where you are lacking a proper flow of Qi (energy). Healing always comes back to your body’s balance of energy, no matter the culture or doctrine. In 1960, TCM became the National Standard of Medicine, and even today we know that it encompasses a broad spectrum of healing.

The roots of Chumash Medicine, American Indian Medicine, started with “talking and listening” to the plants for its name as well as its uses in the Medicine Bag. Each Herb (natural substance) has its roots in a member of a family and specific tribe in which has story of the Herb and how its name came to be, as naming is a very important ceremony in Native American culture. 

Wind Medicine, North Appalachian American Indian Medicine, includes many Appalachian trees for their medicinal properties. The inner barks of trees were and are still used today for bronchial infections as well as relaxing the spirit. We also learn from Native American culture the importance of Sage. Sage is burned in cleansing rituals of the mind, body, spirit, and environment, because the smoke carries our prayers upward.

The roots of Allopathic Medicine (modern medicine) as well as the first Scientific Healer began in ancient Greece, Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine. Hippocrates was the first to utilize Science & Nature in combination for healing; he was influenced by the Egyptians, Arabs, and Latin’s. Hippocrates was interested in our bodies’ four humors (fluids) that correlated with the four seasons. This medical theory of humors was eventually expanded upon to a psychological theory of the personality. 

However, the Greeks in the 17th century were more interested in the toxicology of Herbs; hence the gap between Science & Nature occurred as Galen (after Hippocrates) initiated polypharmacy. In the early 19th century an active compound from an Herb was successfully isolated into a pure form. Later, Serturnet (1806) isolated the active compound (morphine) in the opium plant (Papever somniferum L.). More recently researchers extracted Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) and turned it into a pharmaceutical drug to treat liver damage and hepatitis C. These isolations were the foundation of the Pharmaceutical Companies dominance; which caused the separation in the bonding with nature. We have replaced people freely picking their medicinal plants in the leisure of their Healing Gardens with over the counter (OTC’s) fixes. 

Although some medications and supplements are necessary, it will never replace the power of the true form of an herbal plant. 80% of doctor visits are caused by stress and 80% of the pharmaceutical drugs are based on Herbs. However, these drugs are not based on the whole Herb but on one "active ingredient" derived from the plant. These changes in the active compound of the Herb is duplicated in the laboratory and produced synthetically to alleviate a “symptom.” This processing compromises the medicinal properties of the Herbs. 

The laboratory processing of the Herbal compound is why scientific studies sometimes fail to confirm an Herb's traditional use in healing because they often focus only on the isolated compound of interest, not on the whole plant (seeds, leaves, flowers, stems, barks, and roots). 

In nature, multiple Herbs combine to produce a greater effect than each herb would provide alone. The body extracts the compounds it needs from each Herb and discards the compounds it doesn’t need. Herbal Healing offers a cure for the whole body, as herbs can cover many bases at once; this is the miracle of nature. 

We are now rebuilding the separation of the Science & Nature of healing. A small step that anyone can take is to have their own Healing Garden (if you already have one, help someone else start theirs). As it does not replace a physicians care, it can help replace your OTC’s as well as make those cooking recipes delicious. 

A Healing Garden can bring you peace, physical exercise, and a feeling of accomplishment, keeping you tuned into the miracle of nature. You come to find Herbs that regulate the body seem to have an inner intelligence with the ability to perform many different functions, depending upon one’s needs. Also, it aids in your health to reduce the need for healing. For example, dark leafy greens are so nutritious for you, they help fight off the free-radicals that cause cancer. Marshmallow (Althaea officinals) for example, strengthens your digestive system and improves the functioning of your immune system while relieving stomach distress. 

Besides the obvious benefits, an Herbal Garden is just practical and fun to have. I recommend anyone and everyone to have at least a small herbal Healing Garden where the plants you will use the most for your individual needs will be readily available for healing and cooking. If a garden is not feasible for you, there are farms and plant nurseries that will ship herbs or even small plants to your door (root in tact), or you can find an Herbalist or Holistic Health Practitioner who will make you a tailored herbal regiment for your body’s specific needs. 

What Every Healing Garden Needs: 6 Rescue Remedies

Echinacea purpurea L. Moench

Echinacea Root Tincture: Lessens any allergic response to bites or stings.

1 T Distilled water (or rose water)
2 T Echinacea root
½ T Lavender essential oil
*Add enough baking soda powder to form a paste. Apply to bite as needed & restrict activity for 20 minutes to reduce the poisons from circulating through the bloodstream.

Lavandula L.

Eucalyptus & Lavender Repellent: Used as an insect repellent or to add scent to natural cleaning products. Hang fresh bundles of Lavender to keep insects outside.

¼ teas. Each of Eucalyptus & Lavender oils
(lavender oil: simmer a handful fresh flowers with 1/2 C Rose Water & ½ C Grape seed Oil) 
*Put 2 Drops behind ears & 1 Drop on chest. For cleaning, 5 Drops to a gallon

Capsicum annuum L.

Cayenne Pepper Spray: Spray on plants getting eaten by unknown critters

Small squirt bottle filled with water
2 T of dried cayenne pepper or powder

Aloe L.

Burn Gel: Reduce burn damage, promote new skin growth, and stop cell destruction 

¼ C peeled vitamin C powder 
¼ C of aloe leaves 
*Blend to make ¼ c of puree&
*Keep a bottle of Witch Hazel next to your Aloe plant, poor over a cut to stop bleeding

Calendula L.

Bruise & Varicose Vein Compress: Rid unwanted skin markings

4 Marigold flowers
1 T tincture of Saint-John’s-Wart flowers (or Chamomile)
¼ C of a fresh Lemon Juice
*Blend & use as poultice. Do not use directly on skin, marigolds can be a dyeing agent.

Nepeta L.

Catnip Plant: Chew fresh leaves for headaches & toothaches
*Also, when you grow and dry your own catnip, you know that is pure and chemical free for your pet’s enjoyment.

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