Easy access to natural remedies can be at every person’s fingertips if you start cultivating medicinal plants in your garden. Something you can do as a hobby can grow into a passion and reduce your dependency on pharmaceutical remedies for common health issues. It’s also a therapeutic practice, as growing any type of plant is a rewarding experience. If you’re interested in learning more about growing medicinal plants as a complete beginner, we’ll cover the most important tips.
What plants are considered as medicinal plants?
Plants have always been used as a cure for some ailments. That’s why there are plants referred to as the medicinal plants. Over the centuries, medicinal plants had their place in traditional medicine. Their reach has extended to the modern times, even though we have modern pharmaceutical solutions. Different plants, their roots, leaves, and flowers can have a healing effect when you know how to use them.
Choose beginner-friendly plants
If you want to start harnessing the power of nature to improve your health and wellbeing, start with beginner-friendly plants. Ensure you choose species that can be cultivated in your climate and that you have enough space. Some beginner-friendly medicinal plants are chamomile for soothing stomach pain, peppermint for digestion, echinacea for immune support, and lavender for relaxation. Putting them in pots is best if you don’t want them to spread uncontrollably in your garden.
Choose the right location
If you want to grow medicinal herbs successfully, give them what they need. Choosing the ideal growing environment is the key to successfully cultivating your own medicinal plants garden. Some plants thrive indoors, while others need to be outside and get as much sun as possible.
You must create the ideal growing environment by choosing the right spot and ensuring the proper soil requirements, pH levels and essential nutrients like fertilisers and minerals. Don’t neglect other essential ingredients like sunlight, water, or protection against pests and diseases.
Gather additional information
There are different kinds of medicinal plants, ones you can grow freely on your own and others that require additional information to grow. First, you need to get acquainted with the rules and legislation in your country if you want to grow cannabis for medicinal purposes. You should consult with the cannabis growing info you get access to so you’ll learn about any specifics or cautions you need to take. Such practice is often regulated, or at least there are certain legalities you need to consider before you plant your first medicinal plant.
Learn about the growing process
Before embarking on this journey, you must also learn much about the growing process. Each plant goes through a specific growing process, from a seed to a grown plant. The in-between stages require additional attention, specific conditions, watering and sunlight, and adding fertilisers, minerals and pest protection.
Regular care best practices
The growing process and regular care best practices go hand in hand. For the plant to grow, you must provide the starting conditions – soil, indoor or outdoor conditions and daily care. Consistent care is essential if you want to harvest the plant and use it for medicinal purposes.
If you want the plant to be healthy, you need to provide consistent care. Depending on the plant care requirements and best practices, you should establish a routine which includes watering schedules, pruning, and timely harvesting. This will provide your medicinal plant garden with the conditions needed to thrive.
The harvesting process
If you ensure all of the previous points are taken care of, you’ll ensure your medicinal plant garden will reach the harvesting stage. Once it does, the timing is of the essence. If you harvest too early, the parts of the plant with medicinal properties might not be potent enough. If you wait too long, the same can happen because the leaves or the flower might be dry enough. Either way, you need to maximise their medicinal potency, so ensure you learn about the right timing. You also need to know what happens after harvesting and which processes have to take place, from drying, storing, and processing herbs, to preserving their vitality for future use.
Daily life integration
The entire process of growing any kind of garden is rewarding, and it goes well beyond their cultivation. You need to find a way to integrate medicinal plants into your daily life to embrace their benefits and infuse your life with natural remedies. It begins with being creative and adding medicinal plants into your daily routines, brewing herbal teas, concocting tinctures, and crafting salves to invigorate your well-being.
There’s one last thing to remember – you need to grow your knowledge base before using medicinal plants. You need to be cautious and curious so you’ll know when it’s enough just to brew herbal tea and when it’s best to visit a medical professional.
