05/07/2022
♥️
Whether you're growing vegetables, herbs, or flowers, one of the greatest joys of gardening is the connection you make with nature. As you tend your garden, you observe the rhythms and cycles of nature, watching a tiny seed grow to maturity, flower, and, perhaps, seed again. This understanding of natural rhythms and cycles is integral to most traditional systems of healing.
Perhaps it's one of the big disconnects we feel with modern medicine: we have little connection to where drugs come from, how they are made, and who makes them. By starting a little herb garden, you set up a direct connection with the earth and the healing plants it nurtures.
Medicinal herbs can also easily be woven into the tapestry of an already-established garden. For instance, echinacea, yarrow, and valerian are lovely additions to flower gardens, providing color, scent, and beauty. Calendula, chamomile, and thyme are often planted in vegetable gardens as "companion" plants, said to enhance the growth and vitality of their vegetable partners. Still other medicinal herbs, such as basil, parsley, and dill, are common culinary herbs, often found in their own patch known as the herb garden. And, of course, there's the lawn that surrounds most homes. Reclaiming a section of lawn for a small plot of medicinal herbs is a revolutionary act that may get your neighbors talking.
~ Excerpted from Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide
This beautiful artwork is "Garden Magic" by the talented Joséphine Klerks of .klerks 🙏🌿💕
