, most commonly from
the herb's leaves, is the basis for most internal remedies.
Basil: Use hot tea for nausea, gas, and diarrhea. Add peppercorns to
reduce fevers.
Catnip: Drink catnip tea, in one cup dosages as needed, for insomnia,
colds, fevers, and headaches. For cold symptoms and indigestion, add chamomile
and peppermint; sweeten with honey.
Comfrey: Use for external healing only. Mash fresh leaves in a blender or
steep in hot water for skin problems including eczema, psoriasis, athlete's
foot, insect bites, and to relieve bruises and sprains.
Dill: Steep two teaspoons of seeds in one cup of hot water for 10-15
minutes. Drink, up to 2 cups daily, to relieve gas and upset stomachs or to
increase breast milk, and stimulate appetites.
Garlic: Use raw because cooking will destroy its medicinal benefits. Add
a small amount of juice to hot water for tea or mix with honey for a syrup. Good
for respiratory problems, sore throats, high blood pressure, and intestinal
ailments. Apply mashed clove to insect stings as an antibiotic and
antiseptic.
Lemon Balm: Used as a mild form of Valium in the seventeenth century,
this tea has a calming effect. Hot tea facials are good for acne.
Onion: Onion paste prevents infection in wounds and burns. Folklore
claims that rubbing a little onion juice on your head and lying in the sun will
cure baldness.
Parsley: Drink a cup of tea, 2-3 times daily, for kidney problems and
water retention. Health enthusiasts swear to the invigorating effect of drinking
two ounces parsley juice, twice daily. Chewing a fresh parsley sprig will
freshen your breath.
Peppermint: Drink a cup of tea, three times daily, for upset stomachs,
chills, and headaches. Mint hastens digestion and relieves gas. Drink tea or
warm milk, heated with fresh or dried leaves, for abdominal pains including
menstrual cramps. To relieve cold and flu symptoms, add peppermint and
chamomile. Chewing a fresh mint leaf will freshen your breath. Fresh leaves will
soothe tired, sore muscles, arthritic joints, and insect bites when placed
directly on the afflicted area.
Rosemary: Drink two ounces of tea, three times daily, to relieve gas,
colic, indigestion, and fevers.
Sage: Drink up to two cups of hot or cold tea daily, a tablespoon at a
time, for cold symptoms. Good for dizziness, nausea, headaches, and indigestion.
Gargling, with sage tea, relieves sore throats and laryngitis.
Spearmint: Tea is great for sore throats and mouths. Wash chapped hands
in it.
Thyme: Drink up to two cups of tea daily for all throat,
respiratory, stomach, and intestinal problems.
Since ancient times, an
