Wormwood (left) and St. John's wort grow side by side in the Peace Garden.
Now being gathered at the Cottage...
Wormwood, St. John's Wort, poppy seeds, mugwort, larkspur and flax seeds, lavender...
Some will be turned into medicinal tinctures, dried herbs, sachets, and seeds to scatter, give as gifts, or sell on my etsy shop site "gailsgarden".
The aerial parts of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) are gathered to dry and make into healing tinctures and oils. Bees love the sunny, yellow flowers that make a red-tinged tincture or oil.
St. John's wort tincture alleviates mild to moderate depression. I also believe that it aids in the reduction of chronic pain. Not all at once as with aspirin and other pain killers but when used daily over time.
St. John's wort oil when applied to muscle aches, and osteo- and rheumatoid arthritic pains, aids in relieving both pain and inflammation when used regularly. I use this herb for all of these applications.
Silvery-gray leaves and a pungent, bitter scent identify Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium).
Wormwood was used in olden days to expel worms. Today, it is used in small quantities to heal the gallbladder and to improve digestion when taken before meals. It's innate bitterness indicates its use as a digestive. It is still used to flush worms and parasites from the body.
For those who prepare their medicinal herbs spagyrically, it is of note that the herbs gathered at the Cottage are not allowed to come into contact with the ground when harvested or during drying.
Herbs at the Cottage are grown organically and handcrafted with care. Little to no useless parts are included. Herbs are naturally air dried in bundles hung up from the ceiling or rods. Leaf and blossom material is dried on trays.
Mugwort was traditionally used to cleanse ritual tools, crystals, and divination aids. Medicinally, this herb aids digestion and has many of the same uses as its artemisia cousin, wormwood.
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is milder in action than wormwood and is used in the Chinese practice of moxibustion to remove toxins and impurities from the body. This herb will soon be offered on my etsy shop site.
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) has just been listed on my etsy site along with seeds of perennials and annuals that may be Fall-planted for a head start on next Spring's (2013) garden!
This evening, the first ripe tomatoes were gathered. Just three...but many green ones await ripening! And, the first of MANY zucchini...
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Abundance is...the first ripe tomatoes of the Season!
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