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Backyard Remedies
Growing Your Own Medicinal Garden
By Verna Gates
, puts out fuzzy leaves that work as a pad for your shoes to supposedly give you strength. These same leaves can be dried and made into tea that is supposed to be good for bronchitis and asthma. Or let the flowers soak in oil and place a drop or two of the liquid in a sore ear to relieve the pain, according to Hatter.
Just Don't Pull These Up
There is a theory among old herbalists that a plant that loves people and grows abundantly around them wants to help and heal them. Several of our "weeds" actually are marvelous medicines if you can only learn to live with them in your medicinal garden. Think of all the effort you'll save by not weeding.
Few plants love people like the dandelion, or Taraxacum officinale. Believe it or not, this plant was introduced as a food crop; few things are more nutritious. The dandelion plant is richer in vitamin A than carrots. The flowers contain lecithin, a fat emulsifier and triglyceride reducer. A tea from the leaves is mildly diuretic and acts as a laxative, making it a great diet drink.
One of our greatest threats to health points to overweight bodies. The ancient cure for obesity was the chickweed, or Stellaria media
