Backyard Herbal Remedies
Herbal remedies can prevent sickness, boost energy, and round out a healthy diet. They’re free from artificial chemicals and ingredients, and best of all, you can grow them at home!
Let’s start with the basics: green tea. It’s so common that it may already be part of your daily routine. If it’s not, it’s easy to incorporate. Just as simple to brew at home as it is to order at your local coffee shop, green tea can be enjoyed hot or cold so it matches every season. Green tea seems to be the cure-all of herbal remedies: it helps combat fatigue, prevents arteriosclerosis and certain cancers, lower cholesterol, and aid weight loss. If you want to learn more about green tea and its many benefits, check out this guide to green tea from UW Medicine’s division of alternative medicine.
Another basic herbal remedy is garlic. You know that garlic adds delicious flavor to recipes, but a high consumption of this root can also lower your risk of certain types of cancers, like ovarian and colorectal, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Not only that, but it can also bring cardiovascular benefits as well. A UCLA study suggests that the 70 active phytochemicals found in garlic can lower your blood pressure and help prevent strokes by reversing artery plaque buildup. To yield the best results — and for extra flavor — add crushed garlic to meals and recipes.
Love it or hate it, cilantro has wonderful health benefits as a natural cleansing agent. Users have cited it as a powerful digestive aid in addition to its ability to remove heavy metals and other toxic agents from the body. It’s also packed with vitamins A, C, K, and B, and it provides high traces of calcium and potassium. Check out the other benefits and how to incorporate it into your daily life here.
Mint has loads of excellent uses and might be one of the easiest herbs to add to your diet as a remedy. You might be more familiar with mint in your toothpaste or chewing gum, but it can provide more than just a refreshing zing. Mint can relieve indigestion and nausea, and all you have to do is brew it as tea. But the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health lists even more benefits than that. To rid yourself of a pesky headache, rubbing a mint leaf on your forehead or nose can do the trick, and the strong aroma can be effective in clearing congestion in the nose or throat. Who knew that brewing a cup of peppermint tea could provide so many quick fixes?
Extending far beyond culinary delight, rosemary is the “great reviver,” according to Georgetown University Medical Center. By bringing more oxygen to the brain, this herb stimulates energy and optimism while sharpening the memory and sparking concentration. Swap out your afternoon caffeine for rosemary by making it into a tea and adding honey for a little sweetness.
These are just a few herbs that double as at-home remedies, but there are plenty more out there with loads of benefits to offer. Make sure to consult your doctor before incorporating any of these herbs into your diet.