Creating a Garden Pharmacy
With every news headline lately, I have become more aware of the fragile thread that holds civilized society together. I had thought before of the effects a catastrophe would have on my family. I thought of war, a power grid failure, or terrorist attacks. But all it took was images of medical personnel in hazmat suits, flashing continually over our screens, to bring the civilized world to its knees.
Meanwhile, we hoard toilet paper in a desperate attempt to control our fate.
There is very little I can control in this world. But what I can do is plant a garden.
I don’t live in the country, with acres at my disposal. My yard is small, yet it’s gold. Beneath my feet is untapped possibility. The lifeblood of nature pulses there, under the grass roots, and asks for the freedom to nurture a different kind of life. A life of healing.
All it asks of me is my hands.
A garden has this advantage,
that it makes it indifferent where you live.
A well-laid garden makes the face of the country
of no account;
let that be low or high, grand or mean,
you have made a beautiful abode worthy of man.
– Emerson
I sink my fingers into the earth and marvel at the miracle of new life poking through last year’s dead leaves. I let the warm promise of a March sun take the chill of winter from my bones. I prune hydrangea shrubs and prepare the garden bed for tomatoes, and peppers, and wildflowers.
But my favorite? Medicinal herbs.
This is my stockpile of necessities. This is my investment.
To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.
-Audrey Hepburn
It’s an adventure. Building a garden pharmacy takes time, and some failures. Some plants come back every year. Others only bloom once, and new seedlings must grow from their seeds for the next season. Some grow tall, and some creep. Some wander all over my garden, and pop up in different places, like little gypsies. Some have died; some have remained stunted but when transplanted have suddenly flourished.
A garden is always a series of losses
set against a few triumphs,
like life itself.
-May Sarton
Echinacea towers against the fence, dark and dusky, and spilanthes bobs its pretty little yellow buttons among the cool aloofness of lemon balm. These three will meet later in the fall, in one of my favorite immune boosting blends, but for now they are nourished by the sun and rain, and kissed by the bumbling wings of bees. Chamomile lights up in the sunshine like a hundred little sparklers. There is horehound, and sage. Sweet woodruff. Ashwaganda. Calendula. Blessed thistle. Cayenne peppers. And any flavor of mint you can offer me will find a home somewhere.
Some strengthen the immune system, some are anti-inflammatory, some cool fevers, and some heal the skin. Some hold the healing in their leaves, and some in their roots. I’m still learning. They amaze me with their diversity and potential.
I use them in different ways.
Herbal Tisanes and Infusions
I use all my herbs in teas, though purists say it’s not really tea, but a tisane. Tea, such as black or green tea, is from the camellia sinensis plant. Tisanes are made from herbs. Leaves, flowers, and berries are all used in a tisane. Roots are as well, though they’re often simmered into a decoction.
An infusion is the monster truck version of a cup of tea. It’s a larger amount of dried herb that is given the benefit of a long steep. Usually overnight. This pulls out maximum vitamins and minerals, and because they’re coming from a food source they’re highly absorbable.
I don’t grow all the plants I use for my infusions yet, though I’d love to add them all to my garden someday. Nettle is my favorite. It’s authoritative and robust, and the beautiful rich, green color makes me feel like I’m drinking liquid chlorophyl. There is some debate wether you should drink infusions separately, or mix a blend of herbs together. I’ve made them both ways, depending on what my body feels it needs.
Fresh Cup Magazine has a delightful article on infusions. Nourishing Infusions – Fresh Cup Magazine And so does Mother Earth News. Can Nourishing Herbal Infusions Replace Your Multivitamin? – Mother Earth News
The other way I preserve medicinal herbs is by making tinctures.
Medicinal Tinctures
Tinctures are a concentrated version of an herb. Vodka is used to extract all the medicinal properties. This makes it an excellent health remedy to store, as they will keep indefinitely. Mountain Rose Herbs has an excellent, in-depth tincture tutorial. How to Make Herbal Tinctures
I’ve also infused apple cider vinegar with immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory herbs such as lavender and thyme, and taken it as a daily tonic during flu seasons or times of feeling run down. And of course the ever-popular Master Tonic is a staple in my herbal apothecary. I don’t want to go into the winter season without it.
Note: Use common sense when taking herbal medicine. If you are taking medications, always consult with your doctor before adding herbal supplements. And never take herbal medicine when pregnant unless approved by a doctor.
Nature’s healing is not a quick fix. Like nature itself, it is slow. It requires patience, and rest. It nourishes and supports, in conjunction with nourishing food, mental clarity, emotional stability, and soul health. I don’t believe that herbal medicine is the only answer.
Nature should walk hand in hand with science.
In our age of science and reason, our understanding of the human body is incredible. Modern medicine has saved many lives. It is only because a surgeon’s skilled hands saved the life of my father many years ago that I am here today. But nature holds untapped power and potential that we have forgotten. It’s making a comeback, and there are many people more qualified than I who understand it. I’m still learning, and I learn something new every season.
The best part is that it pulls me outside, and grounds me in the solidness of the earth and the One who created it. As I work with nature from planting to harvest, and witness its resilience through heat and rain and bugs and blight, the uncertainty of the world around me fades. I’m reminded that all I can really do is build today.
Muriel Barbery says, “If you dread tomorrow it’s because you don’t know how to build the present, and when you don’t know how to build the present, you tell yourself you can deal with it tomorrow, and it’s a lost cause anyway because tomorrow always ends up being today… That’s what the future is for: to build the present with real plans made by living people.”
I can’t plan for every scenario. I don’t have a homestead in the country, and I’m by no means self-sufficient. But perhaps I can meet a need in the lives of those around me, as their strengths so often help meet the needs in mine.
Adam called his house heaven and earth;
Caesar called his house Rome;
you perhaps call yours a cobbler’s trade,
a hundred acres of ploughed land,
or a scholar’s garret.
Yet line for line,
and point for point,
your dominion is as great as theirs,
though without fine names.
Build, therefore, your own world.”
-Emerson
And just because garden dreaming is some of the best therapy, here are a few of my favorite inspiring gardeners of Instagram.
