Medicinal Plants, Part 3

Here’s the third installment about these common garden and backyard medicinal plants.

Oregano leaves and stems when used in an infusion can be used as an expectorant, to treat colds and coughs.

Rose hips are an excellent source of vitamin C and as such can be used to treat colds, flu and bladder problems. Two or three of the hips dried, chopped and steeped in boiling water are an excellent source of vitamins A, B3, C, D and E.

Rosemary leaves help preserve meats, can be used as a digestive aid. An infusion of the dried leaves will treat headaches and low blood pressure. It’s an astringent, antibacterial, antispasmodic and aids circulation.

Spearmint/Peppermint leaves and flower tops make as excellent tea that can treat indigestion and morning sickness. The leaves can also be rubbed on your clothes to ward off bees.

Thyme like rosemary can be used to help preserve meat. An infusion of the leaves can be used to treat cough, emphysema and headache. It has antifungal and antispasmodic as well as antibacterial properties.

Whether you are at home or in the wilderness there are a multitude of plants that you should know how to recognize and use. In a survival situation where medical help may not be possible, you need to know how to treat a number of physical ailments using the plants in nature’s pharmacy. To learn more about plants that and cure illness, click here.

Plants Used for Medicine - Part 3

Some everyday plants can be used for medicine. Some that you might eat for a snack might do more than fill you up. The Juglans regia or more commonly known as the walnut has many, many medicinal uses. The leaves can be used for constipation, chronic cough, asthma, diarrhea, and skin ailments. The bark and root bark can be used for cleaning wounds and getting rid of dead and diseased skin tissue.

A healing plant that you probably already have in your cupboard is Thyme or Thymus vulgaris. A tea can be made by boiling the leaves in water and letting it steep for ten minutes. Thyme is mostly commonly used as a meat preservative, but fresh Thyme in a tea can be used as an antiseptic, antibacterial, as an expectorant and to treat coughs.

For more information about medicinal plants, click here.