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Everlasting Gardener’s
Improving Your Herb Know-How
Publisher: Joanie Lapic Volume Number 2
Issue Number 19 Date: October, 2009
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“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the
whole earth . . . And to . . . Everything that has the breath of life in it
I give every green plant for food.’” Gen.1: 29,30
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IN THIS ISSUE:
~ Get Your Herb Plants Inside
~ Herbs Have a History of Effectiveness
(“Six Reasons” series)
~ Herbal Highlight
~ October SPECIAL
~ Avoiding Swine Flu
~ Upcoming
Classes
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Get Your Herb Plants Inside
If you haven’t already had a frost in your garden, you soon will. Do
you want to enjoy your Herb plants all winter? Would you like to enhance
your cooking with fresh Basil, Chives and Rosemary, or sweeten foods and tea
with Stevia – that you grow right on your own sunny windowsill?
Do you want to
relieve your stuffy sinuses with Thyme, lift winter gloom with Lemon Balm,
calm upset stomach with Mint, fight viruses with Sweet Oregano, soothe a
sore throat with Sage, heal skin rashes and injuries with rose Scented
Geraniums or Aloe, sleep better with Sweet Marjoram? ALL of these plants
will grow on a windowsill which receives 5 or more hours of bright sunshine.
WHAT TO DO:
First, dig up your
Herbs that spent all summer growing in your garden. Plant them with rich
potting soil, in pots an inch or so bigger than the roots, water well and
set them on your porch or other sheltered place where they can adapt to
being in a pot. Or, if they spent the summer in pots on your deck, porch or
sidewalk, make sure they get repotted into a larger pot with the addition of
rich, new soil.
Secondly, after a few
days’ rest, bring the potted Herbs inside and place in your sunny window.
Their
care after that is not complicated.
You won’t need to fertilize them much during the fall and early winter, due
to less
intense light levels.
Follow the directions on your plant fertilizer package, except HALF the
amount of plant food you give them, until about early February, when
sunlight levels begin returning to higher levels. Inspect the fragrant Herbs
every day to make sure no bugs have hatched on them. If they do, use a
natural pesticide which has the Herb Neem in it, such as Schultz’s Fungicide
3.
It will be easier
than ever to harvest your Herbs straight from your windowsill, or just to
enjoy their fragrance as you’re caring for them.
If you’d like more
Herb plants for your windowsill, please check out Joanie’s October SPECIAL,
in the article in this newsletter issue.
Buy 3
windowsill
Herbs, get one FREE, during October, 2009.
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Herbs Have a History of Effectiveness
(“Six Reasons to Use Herbs” series)
This is seventh in
the series, which began in my July 1, 2009 newsletter.
Herbs have a long history of effective use, having been
tested and used by people for hundreds and hundreds, of years. Since plants
were created for us and ‘planted’ all over the earth for our use, people
have always been able to gather and use them for their food and medicine.
Generation after generation has realized what herbs can do for the body,
soul and spirit.
Here are two more short histories of Herbs which have
been used by people for many, many years:
CARAWAY, Carum carvi, has been familiar to mankind since the Stone
Age, we know because the seed was found in meals left from that era. Caraway
was also found in Egyptian tombs and ancient caravan stops along the Silk
Road. Isaiah of the Bible tells about it being grown. In Henry IV,
Shakespeare speaks of a dish of Caraway which was a traditional finish to
an Elizabethan feast. Magic is attached to it – it gives protection from
witches and used in love potions because it prevents departures.
CHAMOMILE, Chamaemelum nobile
Egyptians revered Chamomile for its excellent healing properties, and so
dedicated it
to the sun. Greek
physicians prescribed it for fevers and female disorders. An ancient
Anglo-Saxon manuscript includes Chamomile among its “Nine Sacred Herbs”.
Chamomile has been used for hundreds of years by mothers to calm their
children’s colic, also for digestive upset and female cramps. It is served
at spas to relax facial muscles.
(some
information obtained from "The Complete Book of Herbs“, by Leslie Bremness,
and from “The Complete Guide to Natural Healing”)
If you have any
question about any Herbs or their uses, please contact Joanie: http://everlastinggardener.net/contact_us.htm
To visit Joanie’s
online Herb supplement store:
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Herbal Highlight
ASHWAGANDHA
Withania somniferous
This plant, with the common name “Indian Ginseng”, enjoys
growing in a part-sun position, in fairly fertile soil. It is a tender
perennial, adapting easily to indoor growth in a sunny window, where it must
be placed after being outside in the warmth of summer.
It originates in India, the Mediterranean region and
Middle East.
This wonderful tonic herb, dear to the people of India,
is used much the same way in Ayurvedic medicine as Ginseng is in Chinese
medicine.
Ashwagandha improves vitality, especially for those
suffering from overwork or nervous exhaustion, and helps bring about
recovery from chronic illness.
Research results have been published about Ashwagandha. A
study done in 1970 shows that its natural chemicals, withanolides, similar
to the human body’s steroid hormones, are anti-inflammatory. The leaves
contain the most withanolides. They also inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
The herb may be of use in chronic inflammatory diseases
such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and as a cancer preventive. Further
research in trials in 1980 indicated that Withania increases hemoglobin
levels, reduces graying of hair, and improves sexual performance.
By reducing over-activity and encouraging rest and relaxation, Withania is
useful in counteracting the debility that occurs from long-term stress. Its
high iron content gives good help to those with anemia.
The leaves are harvested in the spring and the fruit and
root in the fall. Tea or tincture delivers the medicine to our bodies.
(Information obtained from “The
Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants” by Andrew Chevallier)
Joanie offers
Ashwaganda plants, which can be grown on your sunny windowsill. Please
contact her for your
appointment to get yours.
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OCTOBER SPECIAL
Buy 3 windowsill
herbs, get one FREE, during the month of October, 2009.
This
includes any of the plants mentioned in the “Get Your Herb Plants Inside”
article (this issue of this newsletter), PLUS MANY MORE. To find out which
are the best herbs to grow indoors in a sunny window, just ask Joanie. Or
check the
Herb Plants section of her
website.
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Avoiding Swine Flu
To avoid getting the H1N1 virus, commonly known as Swine Flu, follow some
basic steps.
1. Be cautious and
aware when in public.
2. Strengthen your
body’s immune system.
~ IN PUBLIC - be aware of the surfaces you touch, handshakes and greetings
that can pass germs if you touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
Keep your hands clean
(Silver
Shield is great for that).
Avoid sick people,
and if YOU get sick, stay home.
~ TO BUILD YOUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM - follow these steps:
~ Be sure to get enough sleep.
~ Keep yourself hydrated with 6 to 8 8 oz. glasses of water each day.
~ Eat whole, nutritious foods, including Herbs, closest to fresh as
possible, that feed your body’s systems and organs.
~ Get your exercise, a good way to keep your lymphatic, hormone and thus
your immune system healthy.
~ Avoid stress at all costs. Stress puts a major strain on all of your
body’s functions and emotional health. (Please
read how
Joanie overcame stress
here)
~ Certain supplements
contribute to immune strength – B-complex, Probiotics, vitamin D3, vitamin C
and Elderberry Defense are very effective. These last two are available in
chewable, to protect your children. Health- giving liquid nutrients are also
available, to protect your infants and toddlers when you must leave them at
day-care or other nurseries. You can
talk to Joanie about these
supplements or
view them here.
If
you end up catching the Swine flu, there are many things you can do to
overcome the symptoms and suffer less intensely and for a shorter period
than you might otherwise. You could even emerge from the clutches of the
virus STRONGER than before you caught it! Let’s talk about that in my next
newsletter issue, around mid-October.
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Upcoming Classes
Herb Harvesting
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
6:30 pm
Learn the best practices for
~ preserving Herbs for wintertime uses
~ using them for cooking and medicine
We’ll tour the Gardens, harvest some Herbs, and learn the
techniques to make them into tinctures, teas, jellies, vinegars, butters,
etc.
Take home
an Herb plant to grow in your window
some fresh-made Basil Pesto
$12.00 per person. Take $1.00 off each when attending with a friend.
Your deposit of $6.00 must be in Joanie’s
mailbox by Monday, Oct. 5.
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Act 48 Continuing Education
courses for Pennsylvania teachers are listed on Joanie’s
website.
For
details on the class content and registration please the
website.
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"Trust in the Lord with
all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways,
acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6
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