Common Herbs and Vegetables Do More Than You Think...

Herbs, Plants and Vegetables have been used to aid the sick and injured throughout history. While

Nicholas Culpepper

researching for my novella, FERN I came across the medicinal use of certain herbs we eat everyday. I also stumbled upon Nickolas Culpepper, an English physician, botanist, herbalist, and astrologer who lived during the 1600’s. He wrote Culpepper’s Complete Herbal remedies book (which I reference in my novella) in 1653, that contains herbal and pharmaceutical information.

Below are a few of the herbs and vegetables I used within my book:

Sage: Has been used as far back as the ninth century for medicinal purposes. In the sixteenth century sage tea was brewed to help with the common cold and build up immunities to sickness. Sage was also used to ward off infection and stop bleeding. The American Indians believed that by mixing hear grease with the plants leaves to make a salve and placed upon open wounds, or rubbed into sore muscles it would cure it. The leaf was also used to clean teeth.

Rosemary: Used not only for its culinary effects, but also to aid in helping those with stomach ailments, digestive disorders and headaches. The scented camphor oil within the leaves was used to help the circulatory and nervous systems.

Thyme: This along with sage, rosemary and oregano are wonderful for the immune system. Culpepper says thyme is a “Noble strengthener of the lungs” The herb loosens thick mucous and congestion. It is also used topically for infections, joint pain, sprains, and strains.

Garlic: Is known for it’s strong odor and flavoring your food, but did you know that Garlic was also used to help heal infection? Roman soldiers carried garlic with them to ward off infection and disease. During the Civil War and World War I medics used garlic so extensively on the battlefields to treat and help prevent gangrene and infection, that there became a shortage of them.

Fresh cloves were eaten, boiled, or placed directly on an infection to draw out the puss.

Homemade remedies:

Wet coughs- tincture of osha, thyme, elecampane, wild cherry bark

Dry coughs – syrup of garlic, thyme; tincture of thyme, elecampane, Solomon seal, lobelia

Gastrointestinal distress - general- tea of thyme, peppermint, holy basil

Cold and flu tea for wet runny conditions- sage, ginger, osha

Hot flash formula- tincture of sage, motherwort, kava

Abscess salve (for drawing out pussy infection)- sage and St. Johns wort infused oil, essential oil of clove and lavender, tinctures of yerba mansa or pine, blood root, Echinacea.

   Can one woman heal the heart of a lawman?

A gardener who uses plants to heal, Fern Montgomery is an outcast who refuses to be pushed out of town. When her friend is murdered and all fingers point to Fern as the only suspect, she must find a way to prove her innocence while fighting off unwanted feelings for the sheriff.

Sheriff Gabe Bennett has his mind set on arresting Sarah Fuller’s killer. But his key suspect isn’t what he expected. He soon realizes there is more to the quiet gardener than he’d first anticipated. As passion blooms, Gabe is forced to face his feelings—and the woman who has stolen his heart.

            Released Tomorrow, September 19th!

Available at:  Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, GooglePlay

Cheers, 

Kat

Links:

Herbal remedies Culpepper Complete Herbal