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.
Hiding this problem upset me because it wasn't letting me live to my fullest and realize my wellness goals. I wanted to wear open toed sandals and walk bare foot in the sand without feeling embarrassed about my nails. In 2009 I developed Nail Support which naturally addresses nail fungus and athletes' foot using 100% pure vegetable and essential oils. 
