Your herbal corner this winter

29 May, 2016 - 00:05 0 Views
Your herbal corner this winter

The Sunday Mail

Andrew Mangwarara
There are some winter plants you can include on your next visit to the nursery, if you have not already planted them in your garden.
To start with ensure that you have your own herb corner, preferably near the kitchen for easy access.
Be imaginative and make your herb garden the envy of the neighbourhood by including distinctive features such as multiple planting pots or hanging baskets.
This winter remember to include rosmarinus officinalis, simply known as rosemary. It will definitely offer plenty of relief from a cold and those accompanying headaches that come with a cold.
The other herbal remedies that one can combat with rosemary include depression, high blood pressure, memory loss, digestive ailments, colic and preventing dandruff on the scalp. Rosemary is an easy plant to grow preferring a well-drained compost rich soil.
It will succeed in a drought situation but water it copiously and it will reward you generously. Rosemary cuttings planted in river sand succeed quite fast and also ground layering is quick.
A plant I fancy in the garden is nasturtium, tropaeolum majus, because of its regular bright orange flowers and easy of propagation. It self seeds quickly multiplying and never disappearing on the spot you once introduced it. It is a natural antibiotic, which you can include in your salads.
Both leaves and flowers are edible. Eat the fresh leaves when you feel the start of a cold as it is rich in vitamin C. It has a peppery bitter taste. Start nasturtium from seed and in situ as it does not take well to being transplanted.
The plant for the throat is none other than thyme, thymus vulgaris, with a good reputation for dealing with sore throats, infected gums, coughs, colds, flu, hay fever and improving digestion.
It is a strong antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-fungal, no wonder it is included in many modern day concoctions.
Thyme is a plant to grow in a full sun position in a well drained soil and can be propagated from seed, cuttings or by simply dividing the plant. It is also a common herb for cooking purposes.
In all my years of fighting colds and flus nothing works better than the traditional king onion. Though commonly used for cooking purposes onions offer a lot relief from colds and should not be missing either in your herb garden or pantry.
Place a cut onion in boiling water and drink the water after a few minutes, or – if you can stomach it – chew a few slices of onion before going to bed. Onions prefer raised beds in a well drained fertile soil and also do well during our cool winters.
One last herb to consider adding to your collection to keep the family immune from colds is mint. This group of plants has many species, but the common ones are spearmint (mentha spicata) and pepper mint (mentha piperata).
Mints are highly aromatic being used in toothpastes. They leave a fresh flavour in mouth and help fight throat infections.
Cultivate mints in moist soil.
Most of these herbs can be consumed as teas, the strength being determined by the amount of herb included. One can add honey or sugar to taste.
However, a word of caution for very young children and pregnant woman: always consult your doctor before consuming herbs.
There are many other herbs to include in your herb garden, do take the time to explore this group of plants.
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