Medicinal plants

[maddie]

The Aloe Vera is my go to plant, it is good for skin rashes, burns and so much more. I have never grown ginger but I will give it a try. I like ginger tea. I love cooking with rosemary so I will go to the store to pick up a few plants. I am running out of space that gets good sun to place the plants.

Pat, thanks for that interesting list of plants. Though it may be impossible to get some of those here.. I think I have about five or six of them in my garden.
Peppermint is one of my favorites and so is fenugreek which gets into my cooking almost every day. I grow this from seeds.
@xiensky , I have oregano and yes it Is a wonderful cough remedy. We wash and warm the leaves over a stove , crush and extract the juice which is taken as a cough reliever.

 

[taskeinc]

Ditto .. thanks for the list Pat ... I added the link, "27 Medicinal Plants" to my blog about plants. Number one on the list is the Aloe Vera plant. I had to laugh when the blogger mentioned, "Although the plant tastes like a turd, it’s still edible." I have a couple at home and about twice a month, I eat the Aloe Vera gel straight from the plant. Yesterday, as I was taking a spoonful of A.V. gel, I thought to myself, "this taste like funk", like you're swallowing water that had an old sock dipped into it." But it's healthy! I chased it with a hot cup of lemon tea. This gets rid of the bad taste almost immediately.

 

[taskeinc]

I want to try the Chinese Yam and Ginseng. I've had Ginseng before but didn't realize the medicinal benefits. I absolutely love this list!

Ironically, and sadly, two of my ex co-workers, one was 51, the other 52, passed away within 2 weeks of one another. Both died from heart attacks and both deaths were shocking because there was no warning. My female friend and former co-worker passed while in the Bahamas at a jazz festival.

I mention this, not to bring anyone down (plus, death is not nearly as terrible as people think - that's a whole different story for a different forum), I only mentioned this to point out how critical this list of medicinal plants can be for all of us. Thanks again Pat, good looking out! I'm going to purchase most of the edible plants on this list.

 

[taskeinc]

OK guys, Pat's posting of the medicinal plants has got me fired up. It is 11:27pm, I just cut one of the leaves on my Aloe Vera, used a spoon to scrap the gel in a small glass and warmed up some lemon tea. So I'm drinking the gel - and it is NASTY - and chasing it with the tea.

I'm looking forward in the next few days, to getting some of the other plants on the list. I'll let you all know how it goes!

 

[maddie]

Ditto .. thanks for the list Pat ... I added the link, "27 Medicinal Plants" to my blog about plants. Number one on the list is the Aloe Vera plant. I had to laugh when the blogger mentioned, "Although the plant tastes like a turd, it’s still edible." I have a couple at home and about twice a month, I eat the Aloe Vera gel straight from the plant. Yesterday, as I was taking a spoonful of A.V. gel, I thought to myself, "this taste like funk", like you're swallowing water that had an old sock dipped into it." But it's healthy! I chased it with a hot cup of lemon tea. This gets rid of the bad taste almost immediately.

Task, the gel has no taste if you wash it off before you drink the stuff.. it is the smell that kills you..The green part of the leaf gives it the taste and the weird smell. I used to drink the gel myself a few years ago.. but the smell makes me want to throw up each time and I have given up on that.

 

[taskeinc]

Thanks.. I've not actually been turned off by the smell. The gel, to me, doesn't really smell at all, it's the taste that gets me, but it is bearable. There's a video about the Aloe Vera plant where the guy says that the more full the leaf is, the more convex the leaf (curving outward instead of concave - curving inward) is, the sweeter it would actually taste (see the video below). Either way, I'm at the point where the taste doesn't bother me because I'm always thinking about the health benefits.

 

[ChanellG]

If you look at the "leaves" of the aloe when you cut it, you'll notice a yellowish "sap" start to appear. It's this stuff that causes the bad taste. I've never been braved enough to use aloe internally from a plant I purchased. I've always gotten it distilled in a drink from the store.

 

[taskeinc]

If you look at the "leaves" of the aloe when you cut it, you'll notice a yellowish "sap" start to appear. It's this stuff that causes the bad taste. I've never been braved enough to use aloe internally from a plant I purchased. I've always gotten it distilled in a drink from the store.

When you get the aloe from the store, you're getting about 2-5% aloe and the rest is something else. It's really not that bad when you get it directly from the plant. The taste does not linger, especially if you immediately wash it down with a bottle of water, or juice, or mix it with juice. I like it straight from the leaf, that way I know it's serving its purpose, it's not watered down, and it's not tainted in any way.

 

[ChanellG]

When you get the aloe from the store, you're getting about 2-5% aloe and the rest is something else. It's really not that bad when you get it directly from the plant. The taste does not linger, especially if you immediately wash it down with a bottle of water, or juice, or mix it with juice. I like it straight from the leaf, that way I know it's serving its purpose, it's not watered down, and it's not tainted in any way.

It's always good to get whatever the thing is as unadulterated as possible, which is why I like to shop at the farmer's market. (I'll be going tomorrow!) It's also another reason I want to try and grow more food plants - that way I can know exactly what I am eating. Before I expand more though, I have to come up with a plan for hurricane season.

 

[Lilley1]

I know this is an older thread but I just couldn't resist posting a reply. I love the topic of medicinal plants and all its benefits from an economical stand point to vitality of life.

Pat, I really enjoyed reading the list of medicinal plants and all their uses. However, I think there is one that may top the aloe plant, and I love aloe plants! That would be the Holy Basil, also known as Tulsi (not to be confused with sweet basil). Holy Basil is known as the "Queen of Herbs' and is very sacred in India.

My boss is Indian and his wife gave me sprouts from their Holy Basil plant. She said it is their culture's tradition to keep the plant on the front porch near the door. As guests walk in, they simply snap a leaf off the plant and chew on it during their visit. She said it is also a tradition to give a Tulsi plant as a gift. It symbolizes good health, prosperity and happiness.

Health benefits from the Holy Basil are renowned for its restorative powers. I added the link so you can learn more about Tulsi.

http://www.organicindia.com/tulsi-facts.php

 

[limcid]

The funny thing, to me, is that so many of the plants that I'm starting to realize as having real benefits seem to all fall into the "weed" category. I would be afraid to just pick them anywhere because they may have been sprayed as weeds. It's best to grow them all yourself.

 

[maddie]

Thanks.. I've not actually been turned off by the smell. The gel, to me, doesn't really smell at all, it's the taste that gets me, but it is bearable. There's a video about the Aloe Vera plant where the guy says that the more full the leaf is, the more convex the leaf (curving outward instead of concave - curving inward) is, the sweeter it would actually taste (see the video below). Either way, I'm at the point where the taste doesn't bother me because I'm always thinking about the health benefits.

Actually in Ayurvedic medicines they do not use the gel of younger plants. The plants themselves have to be three to five years old and the leaves should be really ripe.
I am okay with the taste too.. but I cannot stand the smell. Maybe I should mask it with some lemon rind or something before I gulp it down. I guess I should remind myself of all the benefits of aloe and start to drink the gel again.

 

[warmweatherwoman]

The only medicinal plant I'd like to grow is illegal without a license to distribute to dispensaries....so I'm patiently waiting .... LOL

 

[taskeinc]

The only medicinal plant I'd like to grow is illegal without a license to distribute to dispensaries....so I'm patiently waiting .... LOL

I hear ya.. This might help you. There are 18 states in the U.S. that have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana. Those states are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

You probably couldn't grow large fields of the stuff, but it may not be frowned upon if you have a small amount without a prescription, and it's probably not that difficult to get a prescription.

 

[warmweatherwoman]

I hear ya.. This might help you. There are 18 states in the U.S. that have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana. Those states are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

You probably couldn't grow large fields of the stuff, but it may not be frowned upon if you have a small amount without a prescription, and it's probably not that difficult to get a prescription.

Thanks! Unfortunately, although they have legalized the medicinal use of it....The Feds can still arrest and charge you if they so feel like it They have not decriminalized it yet..even for medicinal use

There would be a significant loss in profits to pharmaceutical companies if the medicinal benefit information of marijuana use were more wide spread. In college I did a paper on the history of the medicinal use and was AMAZED at the information I found!