12 Ways to Feel Better with Herbs

Here is another Dynamic Dozen from local herbalist, Ellen Zimmermann. Read about twelve ways for you and your family to feel better while using and enjoying our delightful Green Friends.

1. Grow your own herbs for food and medicine. Using fresh, organic plants is a natural, healthier, more nutritious and delicious treat for your palate and your body. See the California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica from my garden used to make safe and effective California Poppy tincture.

2. Using herbs is far more economical than purchasing over-the-counter or prescription medicines.

3. Learning to make your own herbal teas, tinctures, salves, liniments and soaks, gives you a sense of empowerment, self-confidence and competency.

4. Discovering the medicinal properties of the plants helps you to stay mentally alert while challenging your mind.

5. Many herbs are used to help you feel a sense of relaxation, calmness and peacefulness. You will sleep better and more soundly, then wake up refreshed.
6.  Being out in the garden planting and nurturing your plants is a practice of mindfulness, patience and caring. These qualities help to maintain and develop one’s emotional stability.

7. Sharing plants, seeds and herbal products with others helps you to feel a connection with people. People, like plants, live in communities, which facilitates a sense of belongingness.

8. Working with plants helps develop a deep spiritual practice as one communes with nature. Experiencing the outside world helps you to feel connected to the plant world, the animal world, the air, water and soil that nourishes all of us.

9. Learning to identify plants and how they are used gives you the ability to find plants in the wild for food and medicine while hiking or being far away from civilization. Knowing how to use the plants allows you to be self-sufficient and independent.

10. Herbs can be used for creating homemade gift items for holidays, weddings and all occasions. You will feel proud of your gift made with herbs and your love. It will be received with great appreciation.

11. Herbs can be used for dying cloth, wool, straw, etc.. You will feel accomplished as you enhance your creativity by discovering new color combinations for various materials.

12. Your sense of independence and self-care will be enhanced as you use your herbs to ward off a cold, hasten the healing of a sore throat and/or heal an infection or injury. We truly can take care of others and ourselves with help from the green world.