Growing Your Own Pharmacy: The Medicinal Garden

If some people are crazy cat ladies, I am much closer to being a crazy plant lady.

And just as a pet can be therapeutic, plants can be just as beneficial (if not more)!

I started by getting interested in edible plants (because I am, above all, a big foodie!) and I can only encourage you to grow fresh fruits and vegetables (after all, promoting urban agriculture is my job in "real life"!). There is nothing better than a sun-warmed tomato, freshly picked from your balcony or yard.

That said, I am also increasingly interested in ornamental plants—indoor or outdoor—because they are so pretty, smell good, and improve air quality.

But medicinal plants are the ones that fascinate me above all! Ever since I was very small, I wanted to mix herbs to make herbal teas! Although I don’t know everything there is to know yet, I harbor the plan of taking herbalism courses and one day having my very own large medicinal garden.

But why not start right now?

Whether you have a small balcony corner, an available flower bed, or a large backyard, you can easily grow herbs and flowers with a thousand benefits! In fact, we’ve designed two seed kits for you specifically for that!

German/Roman Chamomile — Matricaria recutita/Chamaemelum nobile

These two varieties of chamomile have similar effects on the nervous system and digestion, in addition to being allies for sensitive skin (perfect for a bath salt for dry skin!).

However, Roman chamomile is said to be slightly more effective, while German chamomile is said to taste better (good to know if you use it in your lemonades, sorbets, and other desserts). The German variety is an annual, while the Roman is a perennial. In both cases, they reseed themselves very easily—you’re likely to find many little chamomile sprouts the following spring!

Lemon Balm — Melissa officinalis

My favorite herb! Its lemony scent flavors dishes and drinks well, but lemon balm is also good for digestion, for calming down, and for concentration. It is also appreciated as an herbal tea after childbirth. It is a perennial that likes partial shade and attracts bees.

Peppermint — Mentha x piperita

Very well known, it is an invasive perennial that is better grown in a pot. Use it for digestion, cooling down, relief... and for better breath! Estelle incorporates it into her super herbal and sea salt body scrub.

Peppermint also proves very useful in essential oil form: on the temples for headaches, in a massage oil for sore muscles, or in a very practical decongestant balm!

Thyme — Thymus vulgaris

A star in the kitchen, thyme is also very practical when cold and flu season hits. Antiseptic and expectorant, it helps clear the airways. Infuse some in honey to accompany your fire cider next winter, or prepare yourself some actual plantain cough syrup! Thyme prefers dry soil and requires full sun. It also makes an excellent ground cover to replace grass in a yard.

Rosemary — Rosmarinus officinalis

Another must-have of Mediterranean cuisine (use it in Audrey’s fresh herb salt recipe), rosemary is also antibacterial and stimulates blood circulation, in addition to acting as a mild antidepressant.

It also prefers dry soil. Bring it inside in the autumn, before the temperature drops too much, and place it in a very sunny spot in your home—you will thus have a beautiful shrub growing year after year.

In a small flower bed

In addition to the herbs above, you could add:

Cornflower — Centaurea cyanus

The famous cornflower of cornflower hydrosol is a centaurea, a very pretty flower that is a friend to the eyes! It is often used in makeup removers. The flower is also edible and can be used in salads or desserts.

Echinacea — Echinacea purpurea

These beautiful large pink flowers are mostly known for fighting respiratory infections and strengthening the immune system, but their roots also have adaptogenic properties. They require little water but lots of sun.

Hyssop — Hyssopus officinalis

Expectorant, hyssop in an infusion is to be used when one is coughing a lot. This flower is also a good ally for digestion. To be grown in dry, or even rocky, soil, and pruned in the spring.

Lavender — Lavandula angustifolia

Hmm, the lovely scent of lavender! Its purple flowers are well-known, but did you know that the leaves are also edible? Very versatile, lavender is, among other things, good for fighting anxiety and stress, promoting sleep, healing the skin, and fighting bruises.

Grow it in full sun, in soil mixed with a bit of sand. Macerate the flowers and then use it in a soap or a sleep balm, or even to chase away mosquitoes!

If you have a good plot of land

If you have plenty of space, grow more:

Yarrow — Achillea millefolium

It grows in pretty much any type of soil, is very hardy, but has a tendency to be invasive, so it should be controlled. It is a plant that is a friend to the uterus and stomach!

Raspberry — Rubus idaeus

Also a plant requiring very little maintenance, which grows well pretty much anywhere, but which can prove very invasive. It also grows well in (fairly large) pots. It is another friend to the uterus; its leaves are very rich in minerals.

And do I really need to tell you that the main benefit of growing it is having plenty of raspberries? ❤

Marshmallow — Althaea officinalis

This pretty plant that gave its name to the famous treat has many uses (roots, leaves, flowers), but marshmallow is above all recognized for its emollient properties.

Use its roots to make an oily macerate or a hair detangler! The plant can reach 1.5 meters in height.

Nettle — Urtica dioica

A champion of medicinal plants, loved as much by the skin, hair, and bladder as by the uterus, nettle is also rich in iron and can be incorporated, cooked, into recipes (a bit like spinach).

Quite literally, it grows like a weed, so it might be better to grow it in a pot so as not to find it everywhere.

Be careful: wear gloves to pick it and don't grow it if you have young children, because nettle is... stinging. Cooking or good drying allow you to neutralize the prickles, however, so you can eat it afterward or make herbal teas!

Elderberry — Sambucus canadensis

A pretty tree with white blooms, its black berries—very popular with birds—are also used to make syrup very rich in antioxidants. You can make wine or lemonade with its flowers, which have a diuretic effect.

Caution: raw berries are toxic in too large a quantity; it's better to cook them! All other parts of the plant are also toxic.

Bonus

Indoors, grow aloe vera, a great ally for the skin (and bums and other intimate areas). In your yard (if you use no chemical products and your soil is healthy), pick plantain leaves to make Estelle's anti-itch balm! Plantain is literally everywhere!

A word on wild plant harvesting

Many of the medicinal plants mentioned here grow in the wild in fields or on the side of the road. If you want to pick them to use later, pay close attention to the harvest site: avoid roadsides, agricultural land, and any other place where pollutants or pesticides might be present.

Also, just as if you were picking mushrooms, make sure you are 300% certain that you are picking the right thing. Some plants have near-lookalikes that, themselves, wouldn't necessarily do you any good...

I highly recommend reading our column on eco-responsible plant identification and harvesting.

Preserving medicinal herbs and flowers

The vast majority of medicinal herbs and flowers keep well after being dried. Spread them out on a dish towel, in a ventilated place, out of direct sunlight. You can also hang the stems upside down, out of the light again, to dry them.

When they are well dried, store them in an airtight container, away from light.

Depending on what you plan to do with your medicinal plants, you can also take advantage of the fact that they are fresh to macerate them in oil, honey, or vinegar, for example.

Happy gardening and happy potion-making! 😉

Marie-Hélène xx