Herbs At A Glance
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/
Showing posts with label herbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label herbs. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Cool Herbs for Spring Meals
Cool Herbs for Spring Meals
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-71-1010,00.html?cm_mmc=OGNews-_-2009_03_18-_-growingatoz-_-cool_herbs_for_spring_meals
These herbs may thrive in cooler temperatures, but some seeds, such as those of parsley, can take up to a month to germinate, especially in cold spring soils. Soaking the seeds overnight and covering newly seeded beds with clear plastic help speed germination of direct-sown seeds.
If you start the plants indoors, make sure the plants' growth hasn't been hindered and that the transplants go into the ground when quite small, and take are not to disturb the roots during the planting process.
Most of the herbs can be sown outdoors six to eight weeks before the last frost.
Note: If you have poor soil, applying aged manure or granulated organic fertilizer to the soil during the seedling stage helps get plants off to a healthy start.
Parsley
Two different forms include the familiar curly parsley and the more flavorful flat-leaved Italian version, with leaves like celery and cilantro.
Sow: Direct-sow seeds or set out six- to eight-week-old transplants about a week before the last spring frost, spacing seeds or seedlings 8 to 10 inches apart.
Grow: Tolerates full sun or partial shade.
Cilantro
The emerald leaves have a distinctive flavor that combines parsley, sage, and citrus; and its seed (coriander), which is reminiscent of citrus and spice.
Sow: Direct-sow seeds a week or two before the last spring frost and again in late summer.
Grow: Best in full sun, with some afternoon shade in hotter regions.
Dill
Dill combines well with fish, mild cheeses, and vegetable dishes.
Sow: Best sown directly into the ground four to five weeks before the last spring frost; thin seedlings to 6 to 18 inches apart.
Grow: This aromatic annual thrives in full sun.
To read the full article: http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-71-1010,00.html?cm_mmc=OGNews-_-2009_03_18-_-growingatoz-_-cool_herbs_for_spring_meals
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-71-1010,00.html?cm_mmc=OGNews-_-2009_03_18-_-growingatoz-_-cool_herbs_for_spring_meals
These herbs may thrive in cooler temperatures, but some seeds, such as those of parsley, can take up to a month to germinate, especially in cold spring soils. Soaking the seeds overnight and covering newly seeded beds with clear plastic help speed germination of direct-sown seeds.
If you start the plants indoors, make sure the plants' growth hasn't been hindered and that the transplants go into the ground when quite small, and take are not to disturb the roots during the planting process.
Most of the herbs can be sown outdoors six to eight weeks before the last frost.
Note: If you have poor soil, applying aged manure or granulated organic fertilizer to the soil during the seedling stage helps get plants off to a healthy start.
Parsley
Two different forms include the familiar curly parsley and the more flavorful flat-leaved Italian version, with leaves like celery and cilantro.
Sow: Direct-sow seeds or set out six- to eight-week-old transplants about a week before the last spring frost, spacing seeds or seedlings 8 to 10 inches apart.
Grow: Tolerates full sun or partial shade.
Cilantro
The emerald leaves have a distinctive flavor that combines parsley, sage, and citrus; and its seed (coriander), which is reminiscent of citrus and spice.
Sow: Direct-sow seeds a week or two before the last spring frost and again in late summer.
Grow: Best in full sun, with some afternoon shade in hotter regions.
Dill
Dill combines well with fish, mild cheeses, and vegetable dishes.
Sow: Best sown directly into the ground four to five weeks before the last spring frost; thin seedlings to 6 to 18 inches apart.
Grow: This aromatic annual thrives in full sun.
To read the full article: http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-71-1010,00.html?cm_mmc=OGNews-_-2009_03_18-_-growingatoz-_-cool_herbs_for_spring_meals
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Healing Holiday Herbs
Healing Holiday Herbs
Aside from lending visual and symbolic appeal, many of the holiday herbs historically used to ring in the season have medicinal benefits as well.
By Brigitte Mars
http://www.yogajournal.com/health/516_1.cfm?ctsrc=nlv183
No matter what holiday tradition you celebrate this winter, chances are you'll incorporate a fir tree, a potted poinsettia, or other significant plants in the festivities. Aside from lending visual and symbolic appeal, many of the holiday herbs historically used to ring in the season have medicinal benefits as well.
Take pine (Pinus species), for instance, which appears in cough syrups. This expectorant and antioxidant helps lung-related complaints such as asthma and respiratory infections. For this reason, Dr. Alfred Vogel, the late Swiss herbalist, used pine syrup in his popular cough formulas. Pine tea added to a bath relieves sore muscles, while pine sap in a salve benefits eczema and psoriasis and draws out splinters.
We can clearly see why gold figured as a valuable gift in the age of the three wise men. But what about frankincense and myrrh? In the Middle East, people burned these resins to help purify the air, especially in public places of worship, where airborne disease presented a particular health threat. Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha), a plant native to the Red Sea region, served as a disinfectant, destroying bacteria and stimulating white blood cell production. Small amounts of the resin, usually used in tincture form, also treat gum infections, candida, impetigo, lung infections, and arthritis. (Use only small amounts of myrrh for brief periods of time, as excessive use may be toxic.) In traditional European and Ayurvedic medicine, the pale-colored resin of frankincense (Boswellia carteri) taken internally helped treat dysentery, fevers, vomiting, and menstrual cramps. Topical applications improve arthritis, athletic injuries, bruises, acne, and tumors.
Mistletoe ( Viscum album in Europe and Phoradendron serotinum in America) appeared as far back as 200 B.C. in the winter celebrations of the Druids, who gathered sprigs of the plant and hung them in their homes for good fortune. Herbalists today use small amounts of the herb to lower blood pressure, promote menstrual flow, and as a diuretic. (Mistletoe, especially the American variety, can be toxic, so use only under an herbalist's supervision, and always keep the plant away from children.) In the anthroposophical medicine of the Austrian philosopher and educator Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925), mistletoe even factors as a cancer treatment in a formula called Iscar that works as an immuno-modulator. Like many holiday herbs, its cultural significance as a winter-celebration plant endures in tandem with its healing benefits.
November/December 1999
Aside from lending visual and symbolic appeal, many of the holiday herbs historically used to ring in the season have medicinal benefits as well.
By Brigitte Mars
http://www.yogajournal.com/
No matter what holiday tradition you celebrate this winter, chances are you'll incorporate a fir tree, a potted poinsettia, or other significant plants in the festivities. Aside from lending visual and symbolic appeal, many of the holiday herbs historically used to ring in the season have medicinal benefits as well.
Take pine (Pinus species), for instance, which appears in cough syrups. This expectorant and antioxidant helps lung-related complaints such as asthma and respiratory infections. For this reason, Dr. Alfred Vogel, the late Swiss herbalist, used pine syrup in his popular cough formulas. Pine tea added to a bath relieves sore muscles, while pine sap in a salve benefits eczema and psoriasis and draws out splinters.
We can clearly see why gold figured as a valuable gift in the age of the three wise men. But what about frankincense and myrrh? In the Middle East, people burned these resins to help purify the air, especially in public places of worship, where airborne disease presented a particular health threat. Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha), a plant native to the Red Sea region, served as a disinfectant, destroying bacteria and stimulating white blood cell production. Small amounts of the resin, usually used in tincture form, also treat gum infections, candida, impetigo, lung infections, and arthritis. (Use only small amounts of myrrh for brief periods of time, as excessive use may be toxic.) In traditional European and Ayurvedic medicine, the pale-colored resin of frankincense (Boswellia carteri) taken internally helped treat dysentery, fevers, vomiting, and menstrual cramps. Topical applications improve arthritis, athletic injuries, bruises, acne, and tumors.
Mistletoe ( Viscum album in Europe and Phoradendron serotinum in America) appeared as far back as 200 B.C. in the winter celebrations of the Druids, who gathered sprigs of the plant and hung them in their homes for good fortune. Herbalists today use small amounts of the herb to lower blood pressure, promote menstrual flow, and as a diuretic. (Mistletoe, especially the American variety, can be toxic, so use only under an herbalist's supervision, and always keep the plant away from children.) In the anthroposophical medicine of the Austrian philosopher and educator Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925), mistletoe even factors as a cancer treatment in a formula called Iscar that works as an immuno-modulator. Like many holiday herbs, its cultural significance as a winter-celebration plant endures in tandem with its healing benefits.
November/December 1999
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