Herbalists: I'm looking for suggestions...

[Rebecca in VA]

for five easy-to-grow herbs that are useful in everyday medical situations. I'm planning out long-term crafts for Year 2 of TOG (my daughter and I will be doing TOG together next year at half-speed), and medicinal herbs are on the list.

 

Ideally, I'd like something that can grow in an indoor window garden, since we'll be working on this through the fall and winter.

 

I'm also looking for book suggestions that will help us in this project. Juvenile-level books are what I'm really looking for.

 

Thank you!

[Audrey]

#1 ALOE! - use it topically for burns, cuts, scrapes, sunburn, etc. etc. It can also be taken internally for a variety of complaints.

 

After that, these are the ones I find most useful and fit your window box criteria:

Chamomile - soothes many complaints, and it is safe for all ages (use as tea)

Nettle - very good for colds, coughs, bronchial complaints (use as tea)

Lavender - good for many things, but really best to have as an oil, otherwise in teas.

Catnip - believe it or not, it's an excellent tea!

Any of the mint family.

[Mama Lynx]

Everything Audrey said, plus: Lemon balm (which is a mint, if my tired brain remembers correctly). It makes a delicious, soothing tea. Oh, I miss my lemon balm!

 

Thyme is another possibility, as is rosemary.

[Peela]

Everything everyone else has said,

 

plus parsely. I jsut lvoe parseley, and it is very high in iron and minerals. And you can just pick a sprig and munch on it.

 

The other herb I like to have growing in the garden (not so good for windowsills) is comfrey. If you get a sprain, you can macerate it (just chop some leaves up small) and place some onto the sprain, cover with plastic wrap, and cover with a bandage. We did it ith my daughter when she sprained her knee falling awkwardly out of a hammock- it was swelling up straight away. We comfreyed it and it was fine within a couple of days- the healing was very quick.

[mcconnellboys]

I would add to this great list lemon verbena, and here's a webpage that tells about its many uses:

 

http://www.iloveherbs.net/herb-profile-lemon-verbena/

[Audrey]

Comfrey is a fantastic herb to have! But, like you said, not so great for windowsills.

[mcconnellboys]

And here are some children's books that our library carries related to herbs:

 

My Nana's Remedies, Roni Chapin

 

Medicines from Nature, Peggy Thomas

 

The Bridge Dancers, Carol Saller (fiction)

 

Gardening Wizardry for Kids, Patricia Kite

 

Wonders of Herbs, Sigmund Levine (probably in b/w, as most of his stuff)

 

The Spice Alphabet Book, Jerry Pallotta

 

And if you're not opposed to a theme that includes Midsummer Night's Eve: Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane, P.L. Travers (does take place in an herb garden)

[greenwillow]

Ditto on the aloe, chamomile, balm, mint family, etc. Chamomile, spearmint, hops, and a little bit of catnip make a good bedtime tea, and peppermint tea often helps a queasy tummy or stomach cramps, so those are some we actually use. This wouldn't count as medicinal, but chamomile and marigold petal tea makes a great hair rinse for blonde hair - my dd loved using it when she was little and her hair was still light. It was a special part of bathtime and made her "feel pretty". I hear rosemary makes a good hair rinse for brunettes also. :)