My Top 3 Medicinal Plants for Your Garden

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If you haven’t seen earlier posts regarding gardening for survival, Click HERE and HERE to read those.

In the second of those links above, I noted how it is beneficial to have plants that can pull “double duty” as a consumable and also be used for medicinal reasons.

Depending on the situation we can find ourselves in for survival purposes, a medical professional may not be available – particularly in a situation where our current societal norms have vanished completely. Although there are things like major surgery that are best done in the hands of professionals, having alternative forms of healing available once the stockpiles of band-aids and Neosporin run out are good to have on hand.

Personally, I have greater preference to the alternative/natural methods by comparison to the traditional. I don’t remember the last time I even took an Aspirin or Tylenol. If I have any in my First Aid kit, I am sure it is at least 5 years expired. In various jobs I have had, my co-workers were using Purell like it was water. Frankly, if it was possible to use a straw instead of a pump for the bottle, I am sure that would be the preferred method of use. Amazingly, it always seemed that the people that used Purell the most were always the ones that were sick all the time. As of this post, I don’t think I have been sick in about 15 years. When co-workers were sick, I would hang around them instead of creating a Lysol barrier between us. I figured one of two things would happen with the exposure to the virus: (1) I would build up an immunity to whatever “plague” was going around the area or (2) I would get sick and get a day or two off work. Every time it seemed to be that option 1 won out as I never became ill or needed to call out sick.

What few gardens I have been able to have and the small size of them, I try to have the following plants in them, as I can use them for both food needs and medicinal needs as well:

1. Aloe Vera
2. Spearmint and/or Peppermint
3. Rosemary

**Please note that the below is based on my own experience with the plants. Please note that reactions to plants may be different for each individual. Remember to seek out information from medical professionals and to do your own research on these plants for your use.

Aloe Vera

This is mostly thought of as the green goo in bottles around areas that are prone to sunburn. However, the stuff in bottles on the store shelves aren’t solely aloe vera. They include lots of things that I can’t pronounce and are from some laboratory somewhere I am sure to keep it shelf stable.

Aloe Vera is mostly known to soothe sunburns, but it is also good as a way help heal other wounds. Fortunately for me, it seems to be a pretty hardy plant, making it easy to care for if you tend to be without a green thumb.

There are those that I know have consumed it as a juice, but I have only used it externally myself. I have used it on my fair share of sunburns, but I have also used it on my face and hands as a form of moisturizer and has also helped with acne outbreaks in the past as well.

As noted earlier, I haven’t ingested the plant, but as I understand it, the leaves can provide a laxative effect, so be cautious.

Spearmint/Peppermint

The spearmint and peppermint leaves are always good to have for various foods as a flavoring. If you have a dehydrator, they can also be dried and used for tea.

If you have a moment of nausea, you can smell the mint and it will alleviate your nausea and helps settle the stomach as a tea. For my needs, I have found that a little can go a long way.

Further, if you add it to hot water that is steaming, it can help clear nasal passages.

Rosemary

I like to have rosemary since it’s just got a wonderful smell and I can always use it on various meats that I cook. Sometimes I will add a sprig or two to a bottle of olive oil to enhance the flavor of the olive oil.

For medicinal use, it is known to be beneficial for blood circulation. I use it every now and then in my shampoo/conditioner routine to help keep my hair and scalp healthy.

Beyond this, I will sometimes add a sprig into my half water/half white vinegar spray bottle for cleaning, as it can also work as a disinfectant from what I have found in my research.

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