Herbs are essential elements and have played an important role in natural living since their existence. These nutritional gems of nature are contributing to an ever-growing desire to consume healthy, plant-based options that include the benefits they provide. Herbs have been prized for their different unique flavors, admired for their beauty, and used for their common elements for hundreds of years. Discover all the different herbs used in healing supplements and the many benefits they offer but first, let's understand what exactly IS an herb?
What are Herbs?
An herb is an edible plant with aromatic leaves, seeds, and flowers and is often used for cooking a variety of dishes, used for medical purposes and fragrant properties. Some herbs are weeds and wildflowers, whereas others are ground covers and leaves. They are recognized as important elements in many aspects of life due to its variety of advantages.
Some examples of herbs are turmeric, ginger, myrrh, Mojave yucca root, gancoa, dang GUI, Huai Niu xi root, and many others.
They are mostly identified by their green, leafy, mossy, and spiny qualities. Do you know what separates them from spices? Dried bark, root, seed, berry, twig, or any other flavor food is considered a spice, whereas herbs are leaves, seeds, or flowers.
Let’s get to know about all the different herb benefits in details:
1. Freeze Fresh Herbs
You can freeze fresh herbs in ice cubes to make them last longer. Store them in a freezer and you will have them when you need them. Make herbal ice cubes by pouring water to 1/4th of an ice cube mold, then add any herb of your choice and store them in your freezer. Repeat this same process for a variety of herbs and store for later use.
2. Useful for Cleaning your Home
Rinse your laundry or any other household products with the scent of herbs. It can add freshness to your house while removing bacteria. Herbs such as basil, rosemary, or lavender when added to white vinegar will provide you with a glass cleaner or a laundry wash. You can make your own cleaning supplies with the help of a DIY cleaner for all purposes.
3. Useful for Treating Illness
Chinese herbs are useful in treating illness but you should keep in mind to consult a doctor before using them. Herbs can be powerful, just like Mother Nature, so research and understand about the herb you want to use. Many people are allergic to herbs, whereas other herbs contain concentrated ingredients that can be harmful to pregnant women or some patients undergoing any treatment. Chinese herbs have shown many considerate benefits. Western medicine, unfortunately, has been slow to embrace the 5000-year-old practice of traditional Chinese medicine, which has given benefits for centuries.
4. Some Herbs Prefer Shade
One universal advice is to plant herbs in a sunny spot to maximize the harvest. However, this advice isn’t always correct, many herbs prefer to grow in shade. Herbs like cilantro and chervil will be a bit more delayed in growth if planted in the sunshine. So, before planting your herbs such that you can harvest your herbs, make sure where that particular herb will grow and give you a bounty of goodness.
5. Repel Mosquitoes
Few herbs like lavender, basil, and geraniums release an odor, which smells wonderful to humans but mosquitoes disagree. Spraying lavender or basil around your home will repel mosquitoes.
Herbs pungent aroma will bury other ambient smells such as lactic acid and carbon dioxide, which draws mosquitoes. You can create your own mosquito repellent at home with many herbs.
6. Plant Mint in a Pot
It’s best to plant mint in a pot because it will turn invasive if left on its own. Even in the garden, you need to plant mint in a small vessel. If raised in a bed, it may crowd out the other herb plants. You can prevent such an issue, by transferring mint to a container garden. A small patio pot is the best solution or you can directly place the pot in the soil of your garden to let mint grow within it.
7. Drying Herbs
To dry herbs you need to keep certain things in mind. The process is simpler than it seems. When trimming the plant, make sure you do it in such a way that it promotes growth. Once you have trimmed off the desired amount, also remove otherwise unwanted leaves. Simply tie the herbs together at the stems and hang them upside down in a dry spot. Take care that your drying area does not include a lot of moisture as this may cause the herbs to mold.
8. Grow Herbs in Water
Roots that are used to the soil will have a more difficult time growing in water. If you don’t wish to purchase a device meant specifically for circulating water, try reducing, rescuing, and recycling. You can use your old mason jars or any other glassware for the budding garden. Bottles or glassware that can be covered works the best.
These eight facts of herb cultivating, growing, usage and benefits will help you learn how to use herbs and manage your own herb garden indoors or outdoors, before splurging on a larger planting spree. Understand such facts about herbs and their usefulness in killing mosquitoes, cleaning the house, or how they can be used as medicine in herbal supplements, will help you understand how these wonderful gifts of nature can help in your daily lives. Delight in the benefits of herbs, some for curing stomach pains, increased brain function, or how they alleviate anxiety while also being used for culinary purposes. Basically, herbs are not just for cooking, they can be used in many helpful ways to enhance your well-being and in healing the body.
Our blog post is a collaborative effort by the founders of More Natural Healing in conjunction with Editors of Renewed Health Alliance, and our board of advisors including doctors, herbalists, and experts in using natural herbs and supplements to enhance our daily lives. We only provide information that has been researched, validated, and vetted for our posts and includes validation from experts in the herbal community. A person of interest on our team is:Cindy Burrows, B.S., M.T., Herbalist, and Nutritional Health Consultant. Cindy helps individuals start health programs to improve their life, wellness, and happiness. She is a speaker, writer, and entrepreneur of several businesses. Cindy is a contributing writer and blogger for More Natural Healing & Renewed Health Alliance