Medicinal Herbs

I use herbs every single day. I doubt I'd last long without them in fact. They have so many uses and you can incorporate them into your life in so many ways. My favourite ways to use herbs are in cooking, fresh in salads and to steep them in hot water for a medicinal tea infusion. My Mum and Aunt used to use them in our homemade body products when we were little. Talk about botanical heaven!

Below are my top three herbs and their uses.

Lemon Balm

This herb smells so damn good! It's an extremely calming herb which helps to reduce stress and anxiety whilst promoting sleep. Forgage and Bloom combine this herb with chamomile, rooibos and rose petals in their tea which makes for a gentle, nourishing tea before bed. The rose petals make it the prettiest tea I have ever seen. Sometimes I rub lemon balm on my legs in summer to stave off mosquitoes too.

Rosemary

It's name is so pretty how could you not like this pungent woody herb. I'll state the obvious - it's delicious in cooking, looks gorgeous in the garden, attracts our little bee friends and dries beautifully. The essential oil can be used in anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory preparations. Just steer clear if you're hapu/pregnant.

Parsley Well for me this herb is the winner. I love it fresh in salads and in cooking. Flat leaf is my favourite however I do get a little nostalgic over the curly type at times. Parsley has so many medicinal properties including soothing gastrointestinal upset, fluid retention, hypertension and you can even use it as a breath freshener rather than toxic breath mints.

Try growing herbs of your own. They're super easy and so beneficial for your lovely body.

Sum x