10 Common Medicinal Herbs

Are you looking to start a medicinal herb garden? Check out these 10 common medicinal herbs that you should try out this year. Even if you aren’t planting you can always buy them dried and enjoy making your own herbal remedies this year. If nothing else these herbs look pretty in the garden and taste yummy in the kitchen.

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Herbs to the Rescue

After years of taking the traditional route when it came to medicine, I decided it was time for a change. It wasn’t working and I started to question mainstream medicine. It started with some essential oils. Then it snowballed into a change of lifestyle. I purchased some dried herbs and started making tinctures and glycerites. I put them on the shelf and waited for cold and flu season.

It finally happened. I came down with something and turned to my herbal remedies for help. Compared to the other teachers, who also got sick, I recovered much faster. The only difference was that I didn’t use anything except for some common medicinal herbs. Much to my surprise, I felt better within 48 hours. My herbs really worked!

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About Medicinal Herbs

For many years herbs were used as medicine. I remember reading about bitter herbs in Little House in the Big Woods. ”The hams and the venison hung in their paper wrappings, and all the bunches of dried herbs, the spicy herbs for cooking and the bitter herbs for medicine, gave the place a dusty-spicy smell,” Laura Ingalls Wilder. I always wondered what bitter herbs Laura was talking about and why they were used as medicine.

As it turns out these herbs have medicinal properties that help the body fight off infection and illness. There are tons of herbs out there, but these are my top 10 common medicinal herbs. I’ve picked them because they are easy to grow and easy to source if you can’t.

As with anything on the internet, remember to talk to your doctor before taking any herbal remedy. I am not a doctor and can not provide medical advice. Do your own research and be aware of any drug/herb interactions.

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Common Medicinal Herbs: Yarrow

Yarrow makes beautiful flowers, but it also can be used in the medicine cabinet. It is soothing to the skin. It is a perineal so it will come back year after year. I’ll put some in my flower beds. Then it can double as pretty and functional. You’ll often find it in

Uses

Reducing fevers

Stop bleeding

Reduce stomach cramps

Common Medicinal Herbs: Echinacea

Echinacea is also known as coneflower. Or as my Mama called them “Zoo Plant” because she got the seeds at the zoo. This common medicinal herb is a beautiful purple flower. It is one of the more popular medicinal herbs. When using echinacea as a medical herb, you will use the root. This means you will have to harvest the entire plant, so when growing it make sure to have more than one plant growing. If you decide to grow it yourself you will have to wait until the second year to actually harvest anything.

Uses

Immune booster

Fight bacterial and viral infections

Sore Throat

Common Medicinal Herbs: Peppermint

Peppermint can be grown just about anywhere. Seriously this stuff takes over. I suggest planting it in a pot for this exact reason. Although this is a common culinary herb, it is also a common medicinal herb. Peppermint is cooling and is great in tea.

Uses

Cooling burns

Calming an upset stomach

Relieving headaches

Relieving sinuses

Common Medicinal Herbs: Mullein

Mullein is a biennial, which means it will take two years to go from seed to finish. In the second year it can get around 7 feet tall, so make sure it has room to grow. All parts of the plant can be used medicinally.

Uses

Coughs

Congestion

Allergies

Swelling

Bug bites

Boils

Ear infections

Common Medicinal Herbs: Sage

This culinary herb is also one of the common medicinal herbs. Sage is a perennial so it will come back year after year. I can often clip it fresh from the garden year around here in zone 6.

Uses

Sore throat

Hot Flashes

Reduce Mucus

Cold and Flu

Common Medicinal Herbs: Hollyhock

My mom and both grandmas have planted hollyhocks for as long as I can remember. They never knew that these pretty flowers can be used as a medicinal herb as well. All parts of this plant are edible from root to flower.

Uses

Sore throat

Rashes

Upset stomach

Common Medicinal Herbs: Calendula

Calendula is a very common herb in homemade salves. The flowers are pretty too. Unlike some flowers, these aren’t picky and will grow well just about anywhere. The flower is the only part of this plant that is used medicinally.

Uses

Cuts

Rashes

Diaper Rash

Cradle Cap

Bruises

Common Medicinal Herbs: German Chamomile

Everybody knows chamomile for the tea that puts you to sleep. As it turns out that is only one of its many uses. Chamomile is a pretty white flower that can brighten any garden. When it comes time to use it as a medicinal herb the flower is the star of the show there as well.

Uses

Upset stomach

Insomnia

Colic

Digestive troubles

Common Medicinal Herbs: Lavender

This is my favorite herb. It smells amazing and is good in all sorts of applications. The flower is the main part used as a medicinal herb, but sometimes the leaf can be used as well. Although lavender can be finicky to grow, if the conditions are right it will go crazy.

Uses

Insomnia

Migraines

Headaches

Reduce stress

Infections

Cold and flus

Scrapes and cuts

Common Medicinal Herbs: Oregano

Oregano is great in the kitchen and in the medicine cabinet. This is one herbal powerhouse. It has antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties. It is high in antioxidants as well.

Uses

Cold and flus

Digestive troubles

Sore muscles