AROMATIC HERBS FOR FOOD AND WELLNESS

Lately my children and I have been busy in our vegetable, flower and herb garden tilling, digging, adding compost, germinating seeds, and planting.  We are ready for the growing season and I am eagerly waiting for the plants to be ready for harvest.  In the meantime I will lovingly tend to the plants, watering and weeding so they have the best opportunity to flourish.  I am also hungrily devouring recipe books to find inspiring recipes to make with our produce and fresh herbs.

Following is my top 5 list of aromatic herbs to grow to nourish and promote wellness in your family this summer.

Basil

Ocimum basilicum                        

How to grow:  a tender annual herb that will need to be planted every year when the weather and soil is warm.  It is easy to grow, simply needing a sunny spot with compost rich well draining soil.  Try growing some in a planter in a sunny spot close to your kitchen so you can easily grab some when needed.  There are many varieties of basil, “Sweet Basil” being the most popular with large green “sweet” leaves.  “Dark opal” is very pretty to grow with purple leaves and it has a spicy flavor that is nice in Thai food. 

How to harvest:  pinch off small to medium sized leaves at the stem.  Make sure to pinch off any flowers to encourage the basil plant to keep growing leaves. 

How to use:

The fresh herb:  add fresh basil leaves to a garden salad or salad dressing.  Add basil to any tomato-based dish.  Add fresh basil at the end of cooking to maintain the fresh taste in the dish.

As an essential oil:  Basil has a fresh and slightly spicy smell.  Some physical benefits include headache relief, help with coughs and asthma, and soothing muscle pain.  Emotionally basil is helpful with calming the nervous system, easing anxiety and encouraging concentration. 

Safety Precaution: Basil essential oil is to be avoided in pregnancy and with estrogen dependant cancer.  It can be a possible skin irritant.  For use on adults (not children).

Diffuse Basil essential oil in a candle lit diffuser along with some cinnamon and lemon for an uplifting, concentration enhancing scent.

Dill

 Anethum graveolens

How to grow: an easy to grow annual herb that often self sows.  Produces fern like foliage then large bright yellow umbel flower heads.  It is best to plant into the garden in full sun (can tolerate some shade) from seed.  Water well then watch this herb grow as it grows very quick! 

How to use:

The fresh herb:  use the fern like leaves in EVERYTHING!  I love dill and use it in most dishes I make.  The fresh herb is terrific in potato salad, salad dressings, with green beans and with lentils.  The flower heads are best known for their use in making dill pickles.  The seeds can also be saved for planting next season.  

As an essential oil:  Dill is a wonderful essential oil to use on children.  It is soothing to the stomach and provides colic relief for infants.  Dill settles the nervous system so that any fears and anxieties can be calmed.  Dill is respected as a symbol of vitality.

Evoke Aromatherapy makes an essential oil blend with dill and mandarin essential oil for babies and children to help with digestive upset, nervousness that upsets the stomach and colic.  Stomach Support is an all-natural way to calm your baby and ease sore stomachs.

Safety Precaution: Dill is generally non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Lemon Balm also known as Melissa

Melissa officinalis

How to grow:  if you have one plant of Melisa growing in your garden you will have many, as this herb is so prolific!  Mine has sprung up everywhere and I credit the birds for spreading this plant throughout my yard and garden. 

How to use:

The fresh herb:  Melissa is a real gift to the gardener because of its willingness to grow anywhere.  This means you will always have plenty of leaves to harvest for use in tea, infused water and fruit salads. 

As an Essential oil:  Melissa oil is representative of the heart chakra bringing peace, unconditional love, and acceptance.  Melissa is calming to both the digestive system and cardiovascular system by its ability to regulate and relieve over stimulation in these areas.  Studies have shown that Melissa oil provides antiviral actions against Herpes simplex and Herpes zoster.

Safety Precautions:  Not to be used on children under 10 years old.  Melissa oil is non-toxic, but can be a skin sensitizer and skin irritant.  Melissa oil is an expensive oil which makes it susceptible to being adulterated, so care needs to be taken where you purchase this essential oil.

Evoke Aromatherapy MeditativeTrance is a heart centering Room Mist created with Melissa essential oil that is useful for meditation, yoga and bringing peace, calm and love into any atmosphere.

Peppermint

Mentha x piperita (Mentha spp.)

How to grow:  peppermint is a vigorous hardy perennial that happily spreads through the garden by its roots.  It is best grown in an area that is contained otherwise this herb will take over your garden.  Very easy to grow, simply plant a small cutting of mint in the ground, water, then you will have lots of mint!  I like mint because it tolerates drought but if you want a lush mint plant watering will ensure a harvest of lots of green leaves.

How to use:

The fresh herb:  Pick the leaves or harvest a stem a few inches from the ground.  Use the leaves to make tea, aromatic water, as a unique flavoring to fruit salad and tabouli.

As an essential oil:  I love the crisp mint smell of Peppermint essential oil.  It is an essential oil I use often especially when I get a headache.   

Evoke Aromatherapy has a wonderful headache blend called Tranquil Temple that helps relieve neck and shoulder pain that can bring on tension headaches. 

Peppermint is well known for its pain relieving properties for muscle aches and digestive upset.  Peppermint helps bring clear focus to the mind and a cooling sensation to the body thus lending itself well to clearing out stagnation in the body and bringing about a strengthened immune.

Safety Precautions:  Always dilute before applying to the skin.  Do not use on children.  May be skin sensitizing.  Select peppermint essential oil that is low in menthone and pulegone both chemical constituents that can be harmful in large doses to the liver and other body systems.

Thyme

Thymus vulgaris

How to Grow:  Thyme is best grown from a small plant in full sun, in sandy well-drained soil.  Once Thyme is growing it is an easy to grow perennial that needs frequent light watering.  After the plant flowers cut off the flower tops to encourage continued plant growth.   English Thyme is the most common Thyme grown.  I also love to grow Lemon Thyme (Thymus citrodorus) for its refreshing citrus scent and flavor.

How to Use: 

The fresh herb:  pick a stem of thyme to use in everything from pasta and pizza sauce, to baked breads, herbed butters, soups and lentils.  I love the versatility of Thyme and use this herb in most everything I make.  Lemon Thyme is my all “Thyme” favorite!  I use this in making lemon cake, tea, aromatic water and soup.

As an essential oil:

Thyme essential oil is excellent as a disinfectant and to boost the immune system.  Add thyme essential oil to a vaporizer to clear the air of germs.  Thyme blends well with citrus smells to make an uplifting essential oil blend.

You can find Thyme essential oil in Evoke Aromatherapy’s Nail Support Essential Oil Blend.  This oil blend is formulated to stop athletes’ foot and clear up nail fungus.  Click here to read testimonials about Nail Support.

I hope this guide helps you choose plants for your herb garden and that you and your family enjoy the benefits of using these aromatic herbs in your food and for Aromatherapy. 

Have fun planting your aromatic garden!   

Now I would LOVE to hear from you!  Please comment below on what your favorite aromatic herbs are to grow?  What are your favorite essential oils?

NOTE:  Always dilute essential oils before using on the skin.  Do not use essential oils internally.  Use extra care when choosing essential oils for children.  Not all essential oils are considered safe for children.

Information on this blog is for educational purposes only.  Consult a medical practitioner for health problems.

Be sure to properly identify plants before consuming.