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Last month I shared a post titled 13 Easy Herbs to Grow. I’ve enjoyed fun conversations with other gardeners about growing herbs. One question I’ve had repeatedly from those new to gardening is:
“What can I do with those herbs?”
It’s a good question. I use herbs primarily for tea, potpourri and cooking. However, there are many other ways to benefit from growing and harvesting herbs.
Using last month’s post as a guide, here are 13 Extraordinary Uses for Herbs.
Extraordinary Uses for Herbs
Using each of the easy to grow herbs from last month’s post, here are additional ways to benefit from these medicinal plants.
Basil
A favorite herb in Italian dishes, basil has powerful antibacterial properties that help to heal acne. Steep basil leaves in hot water for 30 minutes. Remove leaves and allow liquid to cool. Use a cotton square to dab basil water on acne.
Dill
This fragrant herb does more than flavor potato salad. Chew on the flowers or prepare a weak tea to use as a mouth wash for bad breath. Drink dill tea to relieve indigestion.
Mint
People love the distinctive aroma of mint. However, mice hate it. Keep mice out of the house by drying mint leaves, crushing them and sprinkling them along baseboards.
Thyme
With its antibacterial properties, thyme makes an excellent household cleaner. Steep sprigs of thyme in very hot water for 30 minutes. Remove herb and allow liquid to cool. Pour into a spray bottle and add a small amount of plant based soap, such as Castile Pure Organic Liquid Soap. Use to clean hard surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms.
Chives
Pour boiling water over chive flowers and leaves and allow to steep until liquid cools. Strain and pour into a spray bottle. Spray plants in the garden to prevent mildew and mold.
Lavender
This versatile plant has so many uses. Steep lavender flowers and leaves in hot water. After liquid cools use lavender water to soothe skin irritations such as burns, scrapes and cuts. Lavender’s antiseptic qualities relieves itchy bug bites as well. Store leftover water in refrigerator for additional cooling effect.
Chamomile
The anti-inflammatory properties in this soothing herb makes it great for skin irritations as well. Pour boiling water over chamomile flowers. Allow to steep as water cools down. Remove flowers. Use chamomile water to wash wounds and rashes and heal pink eye. Use chamomile water as a mouth wash for gum irritation.
Lemon Balm
Create lemon balm tea by steeping fresh leaves in hot water. Use tea as a mouthwash to heal canker sores and ease the pain of toothaches.
Bee Balm
The antiseptic qualities in bee balm heal mouth and throat infections, including gingivitis. Brew a strong bee balm tea by steeping leaves and flowers in hot water. Gargle with tea and rinse mouth with it several times a day.
Lemongrass
This lemon scented herb makes a great rinse for dogs, after a bath. The compound that gives lemongrass its citrusy scent repels lice and ticks. Steep lemongrass leaves in hot water. Strain after cooling and pour over dog’s fur as a final rinse.
Sage
This aromatic herb has powerful antiseptic properties as well. Pour boiling water over sage leaves and let liquid cool. Strain and use sage water to bathe wounds, skin irritations and scrapes.
Fennell
Chew fennel seeds after a meal to freshen breath. Or prepare a weak fennel tea and use as a mouthwash.
Rosemary
For shiny healthy hair, free from dandruff, prepare a rosemary hair rinse. Pour boiling water over sprigs of fresh rosemary and steep for at least 30 minutes. Remove sprigs and allow rosemary water to cool. Pour over hair after shampooing.
Extraordinarily Helpful Herbs
There are so many wonderful ways to incorporate herbs into daily life. I’ll be posting a series of articles with DIY recipes and ideas as the growing season gets underway.
Herbal essential oils are available and they are excellent to use. However, growing your own herbs is fun and the health benefits and household uses make them so beneficial. I am grateful for nature’s bounty and the goodness that grows in my herb garden.
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Loved this information. I’ve started using some oils in my home for soothing. I pinned it so I can refer back to it as well.
Awesome thank you!
Thanks for the information!
You are welcome!
Ah, you’ve inspired me to try my hand at growing herbs this year. It’s a world I want to know more about, as I believe they are nature’s medicine. I just bought some chamomile and lavender tea to help with nausea. I had no idea that mice don’t like mint!
There are so many amazing uses for herbs! Enjoy creating a garden or gathering together a collection of containers for them.
Wow! I just learned so much about herbs in this post! I’ll definitely be using mint to keep the mice away, that is if we get them again like we did last year.
And as a bonus tip, ants don’t like cinnamon.
Thank you, Cindy. This is a wonderful guide to using herbs! I am saving it 🙂
Awesome thank you! I love herbs so.
Great post!! I love the use of herbs for natural healing and use in the home! Thank you for the great recipes!
They are amazing aren’t they?! So exciting for the growing season.
I love lemongrass. Its my favorite EO scent. I will pass that tip on to my friends that have dogs. Ticks are terrible. Thanks.
I love lemongrass too! I brush against the plants just to catch the scent.
So many wonders from the natural world! Love learning about this, thank you!
Yes wonders is right! I love the healing properties of herbs.
Isn’t it amazing how many benefits herbs have? I didn’t know chamomile was an anti-inflammatory!
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
I love that about herbs! So many healing benefits.
Thanks for sharing! I’m prepping for planting my first herb garden in May and am so excited!
How exciting! Enjoy it!
So cool! I’ve had a little herb garden in our kitchen window but never knew much what to do with them before they died. I had no idea you could use rosemary on hair 👍
Yes! Rosemary helps strengthen hair too and gives it a nice shine. Smells wonderful too!
I have tried for a while to grow my own herbs. I’m really bad a taking care of plants so they always die on me. But I do love herbs, I know they are really good for you and they have a ton of health benefits, Thanks for sharing this info. I’m saving it for later!
Awesome! Are you growing herbs in containers or planting in the ground? A container might do better for you. Some sunshine and a weekly watering is all a potted herb needs.
Mint as a mouse deterrent!? Will have to give that one (and a couple others) a go! thanks for sharing Cindy.
And ants dislike cinnamon! 😊
This post is so full of great information. You can really tell you love sharing this knowledge with others. Such a great read!
Thank you! I love herbs so…and being healthy. I desire good health and wellbeing for everyone!
Love this! I absolutely love growing my own herbs each year. We have an herb festival every April near our home and I love to go and get my little herb garden started =) Thank you for all the info!
Oh that sounds wonderful! My local farmers market sells herbs to plant. A festive would be fun!
Basil is one of my favorite herbs. I had no idea it healed acne.
I love growing Basil. I have several varieties. So fragrant!
This is such a cool post! I love love love all the unique information!
Thank you Jen! Herbs are such powerful plants.
These are all great uses. I don’t think people realize what powerful properties plants have. As for the dill, it really works. In highschool we would eat dill pickles when we were naughty and snuck beer.
Ha ha that’s great about dill pickles to cover your beer indulgence! Yes there really is power and medicine in herbs.
Thanks! I showed this to my 13 year old son who got his own small garden bed last summer. He asked me to save this post so he could keep referring to it.
That’s so sweet! I love that your son is already gardening. I started at age four when my parents let me plant veggies in the backyard. Tell him I’d love to see pictures of his garden. 😊❤️
I’ve been wanting to start using herbs, especially in tea! Thank you for this clear list of what they are good for.
Creating tea with herbs is my favorite use! I’m finding so many other great ways to benefit from them as well.
There are so many uses for these herbs that I was not aware of. Pinned it for future references! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for pinning! I love how versatile herbs are.
Thank you! I am a novice at gardening, but always looking to learn more. I am going to try herbs this year. I love this list. I never thought to grow lavender.
Lavender is very easy to grow! Enjoy trying herbs this year.
This is so cool! What useful info. I didn’t know about basil, I might need to try that..
Thank you! I love the versatility and goodness of herbs.
I love herbs! And they are just about the only thing I can grow so it works out well!
That is wonderful! I’m adding to my herb garden again this year.
Last year I had an abundance of herbs in my garden but didn’t know what to do with them all (besides cooking)…I will have to give some of these a try if my garden comes in this time!
Yes! There are so many beneficial uses.
Fascinating! I love lemongrass but didn’t know it had anti flea properties. I’ll keep that in mind for my dog!
I love lemongrass too. It smells so good in the garden! I enjoy making tea with it.
This is a fabulous post! I adore herbs and cook with them quite frequently, but I didn’t know about all their medicinal properties. Wonderful! Thanks for this post.
They are amazing plants, aren’t they?!
This is a fantastic read because I learn so much about herbs that I never knew before. But, how would get bee balm? I don’t know if we have something like that in Japan. Can I get it shipped from the US?
I bought my plant at a local garden center. I think you could get seeds online!
Herbs are the best, right!
They are! I’m planning on adding even more herbs to my garden this year.
I loved having an herb garden. Dill, rosemary and basil were my favorites because I use them so much!
Those are great herbs!
Cannot WAIT for this winter to be over and to start growing again! This year herbs are a priority!
That’s awesome! It’s finally warm enough in Missouri to plant next weekend.
You’ve got some great ideas here. I swear by the use of herbs and herbal remedies, and try to go that route as opposed to the chemical route every chance possible.
Yes, herbs are what I turn to first to stay healthy or combat a symptom.
I mostly just chop them up and put them in my food, but I love learning about all the other possibilities!
I’ve enjoyed learning about the many uses for herbs too.
I knew about Mint and Lavender, but had no idea the abilities about many of the other that you list. I am starting an herb garden and can’t wait to include some of these.
Wonderful! Enjoy growing those herbs!
I am a huge fan of lavender and chamomile.
Both so good for destressing!
Wow, great tips for so many herbs that we have on hand all of the time! I love finding new uses for foods and these are especially great! Thank you so much for sharing 🤗
I love finding those new uses too. Herbs are so versatile.
Great list. Thanks for sharing! We have a small herb garden and I’m always looking for new ways to use them. One of my favourites is lavender.
I love lavender! So many uses for it.