Medicinal plants you can grow at home

Plants can be both beautiful and useful, with many plants providing medicinal and healing properties.

For centuries humans around the globe have been experimenting and learning how plants can help to heal us. Resulting in medicinal plant knowledge that has been passed down through generations and well documented in herbal books and almanacs.

Historical healing gardens

In the UK, several historical medicinal gardens are open to the public to learn more about how plants have been used for medicinal purposes.

In London, Chelsea Physic Garden is one such example. It was established in the 17^th century by the Wonderful Society of Apothecaries in London to serve as an outdoor classroom to train their apprentices. Today it houses over four thousand medicinal, edible and useful plants. At a time when modern medicine and access to a local GP surgery did not exist, apothecaries formed an important and accessible part of society, where people could turn to for medical advice and purchase herbal treatments. Chelsea Physic Garden provides the public with a tangible opportunity to explore the history of plant medicine and guides visitors in understanding the relationship between plants, people and health.

Another medicinal garden of interest is found in Oxford Botanic Garden. It is home to a modern medicinal plant collection, in which a range of plants are grown that have medicinal connections and have been used to treat a wide variety of illnesses, including skin and digestive complaints, heart issues, breathing problems, nervous and blood disorders. Similarly, the Royal College of Physicians in London has cultivated a garden of medicinal plants that is open to the public. The garden has a collection of around a thousand plants with links to medicine and offers visitors the chance to learn about the history and culture of plant medicine.  

The Royal Horticultural Society has produced a beautifully illustrated guide entitled Healing garden - a guide to medicinal plants. It takes the reader through a historical journey and provides lots of detailed information on the types of remedies that have been used from plants, such as peonies to cure epilepsy, foxgloves to regulate the heart and lemon balm to treat stress and anxiety. 

What to grow at home?

A wide variety of medicinal plants can be grown in your own garden to support your health and wellbeing. Examples that are easy to source and easy-to-grow include:  

	Used for	How to use
Calendula	Anti-inflammatory and heals skin	Dried petals used in creams and oils for skincare
Lavender	Helps with sleep	Dried flowers can be placed by pillow or added to herbal tea blend
Lemon balm	Helps to reduce anxiety and stress	Leaves used in herbal tea blend
Rosemary	Aids digestion and supports mental health	Leaves can be used in a tea blend, or added to make an oil or tincture
Mint	Helps with digestive issues	Leaves added to hot water for herbal tea
Chamomile	Calming properties	Flower heads are dried out and used in a herbal tea
Aloe vera	For irritated skin, such as sunburn or rashes	This plant makes a good indoor house plant. Simply snap off a piece of leaf, squeeze out the clear gel from the leaf and apply it direct to sore skin

 Similarly to the ‘How to grow a tea garden’ blog post , care should be taken when deciding to use plants for medicinal purposes at home. Your own research into preparing these plants should be carried out before consuming and particular care taken if you have existing health conditions or are pregnant.

For more in-depth information on all things related to plants and their medicinal uses, a number of interesting publications are available:

·         Kew Gardens has published a gardener’s companion to medicinal plants; an A-Z of over 270 plants listed for their medicinal use.

·         Kew Gardens has also produced a series of cards in a box set illustrating 60 medicinal plants that have been used for centuries to improve health.

·         The Royal College of Physicians has produced a book called ‘A Garden of Medicinal Plants’ which documents 50 plants from the Medicinal Garden at the Royal College of Physicians that are sources of medicine, both modern and historical.

 So, with all this in mind, why not get experimenting in your own garden and have a go at growing some plants that both look lovely and help you feel better if needed!