Identifying Common Summer Herbs
Posted by TriLight Health on Jun 4th 2019
There is nothing quite as nice as a summer herb garden. To head out the back door and have fresh herbs available is so valuable. Not only can plant herbs to enhance our food, we can plant medicine as well. You’ll save a fortune over buying them at the store as well.
Many late spring/ early summer herbs are a food source for bees as well. With declining bee populations worldwide, providing them with food at any chance benefits us all. If the bees go away our food sources all go away too. Herbs can nourish us and help pollinate other plants- what a great symbiotic relationship.
Even if you do not have your own garden, summer herbs are great to know. You’ll find herbs growing alongside your favorite hiking trail. Herbs can be found popping up in abandoned parking lots. They’re even found in the depths of the city. No green thumb, or even a garden, is needed to harvest and use herbs.
Basil- best known in Italian dishes. Herbalists use it for inflammation, coughs, digestive support, and more. Calendula- these beautiful flowers also happen to be edible & added to salads. Herbal uses include- relaxation, rashes, bites, and stings.
Cilantro- most commonly found in Mexican food. There is a unique gene found in some people who think it tastes like soap. Herbalists use it to help detox heavy metals from the body among other things.
Rose- sweet, fragrant, and beautiful. There are some varieties that are even edible. The rose hip is most commonly used in herbal preparations and is incredibly high in Vitamin C.
Mullein- often passed off as a pesky weed. This is one on our list that’s not used in culinary preparations. The most common herbal use is for ear pain although it is used in dozens of other preparations.
Thyme- a primary ingredient in Italian and many French dishes. Herbalists traditionally use thyme for infections and immune support.
Jewelweed- this is not used in culinary preparations but is a valuable summer herb. Jewelweed can often be found growing near poison ivy and can be used topically to help heal the rash and pain from poison ivy.
Dill- good for far more than pickles. Herbal uses of dill include- digestive support, minerals, flatulence, and breast-milk supply.
Consider planting some of these valuable herbs in your yard or learn how to identify them in the wild.
