Typical Places Found: Cultivated widely, particularly in Europe and America.

How to Collect This Herb:  The aerial parts are collected just before the flowers open.

Part Used: Aerial parts.

Carminative, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, aromatic, diaphoretic, anti-emetic, nervine, anti-microbial, analgesic.

Peppermint is an excellent carminative, having a relaxing effect on the muscles of the digestive system, combats flatulence and stimulates bile and digestive juice flow. It is used to relieve intestinal colic, flatulent dyspepsia and associated conditions.  The volatile oil acts as a mild anesthetic to the stomach wall, which allays feelings of nausea and the desire to vomit.  It helps to relieve the nausea & vomiting of pregnancy and travel sickness.  Peppermint can play a role in the treatment of ulcerative conditions of the bowels. It is a traditional treatment of fevers, colds and influenza.  As an inhalant it is used as temporary relief for nasal catarrh.  Where headaches are associated with digestion, Peppermint may help.  As a nervine it eases anxiety and tension. In painful periods, it relieves the pain and eases associated tension.  Externally it is used to relieve itching and inflammations.

Combinations: For colds and influenza it may be used with Boneset, Elder Flowers and Yarrow.

Preparations & Dosage:

Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto a heaped teaspoonful of the dried herb and leave to infuse for l0 minutes. This may be drunk as often as desired.

Tincture: l-2ml three times a day.

Typical Places Found: Cultivated worldwide

How to Collect This Herb:

The bulb with its numerous cloves should be unearthed when the leaves begin to wither in September. They should be stored in a cool dry place.

Part Used: Bulb

Anti-microbial, diaphoretic, cholagogue, hypotensive, anti-spasmodic.

Garlic is among the few herbs that have a universal usage and recognition. Its daily usage aids and supports the body in ways that no other herb does. It is one of the most effective anti-microbial plants available, acting on bacteria, viruses and alimentary parasites. The volatile oil is an effective agent and as it is largely excreted via the lungs, it is used in infections of this system such as chronic bronchitis, respiratory catarrh, recurrent colds and influenza. It may be helpful in the treatment of whooping cough and as part of a broader approach to bronchitic asthma.

In general it may be used as a preventative for most infectious conditions, digestive as well as respiratory. For the digestive tract it has been found that Garlic will support the development of the natural bacterial flora while killing pathogenic organisms. In addition to these amazing properties, Garlic has an international reputation for lowering both blood pressure, blood cholesterol levels and generally improving the health of the cardio-vascular system. The essential oil of Garlic possesses a distinct hypolipidemic, or fat reducing, action in both healthy people and patients with coronary heart disease. Garlic should be thought of as a basic food that will augment the body’s health and protect it in general. It has been used externally for the treatment of ringworm and threadworm.

Combinations: For microbial infections it will combine well with Echinacea.

Preparations & Dosage:  A clove should be eaten three times a day. If the smell becomes a problem, use Garlic oil capsules; take three a day as a prophylactic or three times a day when an infection occurs.