Medicinal herbs for your lifestyle

The Best Medicinal Herbs

If you enjoy using fresh or dried herbs in your recipes, you can usually get them year-round. The following herbs are easy to find even in the cold season and really go perfectly with all your holiday recipes. The combination of dried herbs and essential oils goes perfectly together. You can truly bring some medicinal magic into your lifestyle by combining the two.

Rosemary Herb as medicine?

One herb you will see used often in recipes is rosemary. This can be grown all year round and is ideal to use with various superfoods and other dishes often prepared in the colder months because it is readily available. So, regardless of the climate you live in, you can find rosemary that is fresh even in the dead of winter.

Rosemary is wonderful when used fresh for hearty dishes like organic beef and lamb, and also goes wonderful with organic chicken and vegetarian dishes. It also has some health benefits, including helping with digestive problems.

Rosemary Essential Oil: This can be used in cooking as a substitute for herbs if you have run out. It is also been shown to have positive effects on the areas of the brain controlling memory when inhaled. Try adding a couple of drops of rosemary essential oil to a diffuser with peppermint and lemon for an aromatic blend to aid concentration, memory, and alertness. Your room will smell fabulous and you will get a lot more done too!

Basil

Another popular herb because it is easy to find and very versatile is basil. There really is so much you can do with it, from making your own pesto at home to adding it to various Italian dishes. It also goes great in Asian-inspired dishes. I always prefer to use fresh basil but don’t worry if you can’t find this, you can substitute for a drop of (food grade medicinal) basil essential oil or dried if that is all you can find.

Basil Essential Oil: Not only can basil essential oil be used in cooking but studies have shown it has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-spasmodic properties, along with being a potent decongestant. I love using basil essential oil topically applied to reflex points on the feet or in a blend applied to the chest, back of the neck, and sinuses when I am run down. Shop Essential oils here.

Mint

This is such a wonderful herb found all year round and very hardy. Whether you grow it yourself at home or get it fresh from a local grocery store. Mint is on the stronger side, so keep that in mind when you are choosing what to use it in. While you might use multiple leaves of basil or twigs of rosemary, you really only need a single leaf of mint for the typical meal.

Of course, this will depend on what you are preparing as well. The great thing about mint is that not only are there many food dishes you can make with it, but it is amazing for those fun holiday cocktails also.

Peppermint Essential Oil: One of my favourite oils as it is so versatile and has so many benefits for a range of health concerns including easing digestive discomfort, reducing a fever, relieves headaches, relieves nausea, relieve nerve pain, and also helps reduce the symptoms of cold and flu viruses. It has been studied extensively and been shown to have analgesic (painkilling), antibacterial, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral properties. An all-around winner in my eyes and yes you can also add this to cooking or use it as a breath freshener or as a flavour for your water! Shop Essential oils here.

Thyme

The last herb to consider is thyme. This is very similar to mint, both in how strong of a herb is, and how quickly it can grow both indoors and outdoors. Thyme is wonderful when you are making a meat dish like pork or beef, and adding sage to it as well. It is also a good compliment to lemon tones in your dishes too.

Thyme Essential Oil: Historically it was used by the Egyptians for embalming and also by the Greeks to fight against infectious illnesses. It is a real powerhouse of essential oil and has been used for respiratory problems, digestive complaints, the prevention and treatment of infection, chronic gastritis, bronchitis, laryngitis and tonsillitis. For when you are feeling run down and in need of immune support thyme essential oil is a tool you want in your toolkit. Use it as a hot compress over the lungs, massage into reflex points on the feet or use it in cooking for flavour and medicinal benefits.

Shop Essential Oils here.