As I continue learning more about how a healthy diet and alternative, natural medicines are the cornerstones of your body’s wellbeing, there’s one thing that keeps getting validated with each new post: herbs are invaluable part of both your kitchen and your homemade health kit.
Why Herbs Are Amazing
Besides being the finishing touch of any recipe or meal, herbs can help treat multiple health conditions. Some examples are:
Basil can boost digestion and treat an upset stomach because its eugenol acts as a natural muscle relaxant to get rid of involuntary spasms.
Mint, besides also helping your digestive system, is also a powerful antibacterial agent that can fight infections. It also helps clear your air passageways.
Parsley, like most diuretic herbs, helps prevent urinary infections and the formation of that ever-looming threat of kidney stones.
Rosemary is an amazing source of antioxidants that can help you prevent cataracts in the future. Additionally, it contains up to nineteen compounds that can help your immune system fight infections.
But wait there’s more! Using the right herbs can help improve your lung health or even help treat the chronic pain of inflammation.
A Warning About Buying Herbs
Like most produce, I always recommend researching your supermarket’s suppliers to discover if they use dangerous pesticides or sow genetically modified seeds for their product.
Pesticides alone can cause cancer, nerve damage, and sabotage your lymphatic system. If you have children you need to be extra careful because they are especially vulnerable to danger posed by pesticides.
GMOs, regardless of the massive PR and legal campaigns of Monsanto, are still especially dangerous because they can cause cancers and destroy the environment.
Currently, they’re threatening the existence of the monarch butterfly.
What Can You Do?
Besides finding a responsible and affordable supplier you should consider the possibility of growing your own herbs at home.
In fact, you’ll find that tending and nurturing your plants is an extremely relaxing hobby that can bring your stress down after a particularly rough day.
4 Tips to Grow Your Own Healthy Herbs
1. Buy Organic
It sounds pretty simple, right? Unfortunately Monsanto and other similar companies have their hands in the pockets of too many producers. Like with all things organic, you’re going to need to invest some time into researching vendors.
2. Focus on the Roots
Your main concern should be keeping your herbs’ roots happy and healthy. I recommend you re-pot your herbs into a well draining soil mix.
Fertilize your herbs on a monthly basis. To keep things natural, don’t buy commercial brands that might be loaded with chemicals. Instead try out some fish fertilizer, don’t worry the smell goes away quickly.
3. Do Not Drown Your Herbs
When you’re watering your herbs make sure the soil is nice and moist. If you use too much water, you run the risk of damaging your herbs.
If you have an air humidifier lying around, place it beside your herbs to keep them happy.
4. Let Them See The Light
Ideally, you should place your herbs right beside a south-facing window. Herbs need at least five hours of full sunlight a day to grow healthy.
However, if you’re living far away from the Equator this might not seem like much of an option. To solve this issue, simply place your herbs eight inches from a fluorescent bulb.
With these tips you should be having a fresh source of herbs in your own home.
Sources:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/risks.htm
