5 Herbs You Can Easily Grow Indoors
1. Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is a perennial herb that can be grown and used for a variety of stomach ailments including gas bloating, nausea, colic and menstrual cramping. It is also believed to have sedative properties and are taken as a stress relieving herb as well. Lemon Balm is relatively easy to grow, but if you are starting it outside, it’s good to give it some time in a shady area to allow it to acclimatize. It should be placed in a window where it can receive at least 4 hours of sunlight a day. When the soil seems dry water it until it drains out of the pot.
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2 Aloe Vera
We’ve already discussed the amazing properties of the Aloe Vera plant in other articles and this informative video. Aloe Vera is a common ingredient in a large amount of skin care products and has too many medicinal properties to list them all. It has excellent properties for treating burns, moisturizing skin and even treating stomach ailments. It’s also a very easy plant to grow indoors. Use a loose, sandy soil, as it is a desert plant. Make sure it’s in an area that gets lots of sunlight, make sure your house doesn’t get too cool and your Aloe plant should thrive!
3. Sage
Sage has been grown in medicinal gardens for hundreds of years, dating back to early eastern medicine. Sages has antibacterial and soothing properties that make it and excellent treatment choice for sore throats, gums, teeth and other oral issues. It can also be used topically as a treatment for open wounds. Sage can also be chewed after a meal to aid with digestion.
Sage should be grown in a warm, sunny location but kept away from extreme heat. Be careful about giving it too much water and only prune lightly the first year. After that leaves can be used fresh or dried and stored for later use.
4.Valerian
While not quite as common as our previous herbs, Valerian is a good plant to have in your home medicine arsenal. Its potent aroma attracts cats in similar fashion to catnip, but produces the opposite effect in humans. Drink Valerian tea for its sedative properties to soothe anxiety and as a sleep aid when insomnia strikes.Plant your Valerian in thick soil and keep it well watered. When the plant matures, harvest the root and dry it for future use.
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5.Peppermint
A common and very simple plant to grow, peppermint has a variety of uses and is one of the tastier herbs you can produce. Peppermint tea has soothing effects on cold symptoms such as sore throats, cough and cold, and sinus issues. It is also a good treatment for stomach issues such as indigestion, nausea, morning sickness and even symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Peppermint has a reputation of being easy to grow. Keep them in an area with modest sunlight as they don’t mind a little shade, water your plant when the soil is dry and try to maintain a temperature of 70-80 degrees to keep them nice and happy. One of the benefits of growing peppermint is that it likes to spread out, so one strong seedling can multiply quickly in the right conditions.
Jonathan Parker is an EMT-Paramedic and Preparedness Instructor with a love for emergency medicine, self-sufficiency and homesteading. His goal is to empower people towards a natural and sustainable lifestyle.
