Top 5 Favorite Herbs

[Autumn-Forest]

Merry meet,
I was wondering what your favorite herbs were, I narrowed it down to 5 because that seems to be a good number. List their properties or medicinal or anything else that you know about them and state why they are your favorite. :)

be well,
Autumn

[Sage]

My top 5 would have to be:

Sage- I use it for smudging and relaxation........ among many other things. Nothing works better for me in this area. As a tea tis good for coughs and sore throats. I sometimes cook with it for digestion benefits. It might be benefical to menopausal women because it has oestrogenic properties, so it might relieve sweating, hot flashes, and night sweats. On the other side of that coin it has a stimulating effect on the uterus that can be of help for expelling the placenta..... for all my unassisted homebirthers out there ;) It is a strong antioxdiant, antiseptic, and astringent. Works great on cuts, sores, sunburn, and burns. I could go on forever about this herb, it is truly my favorite..... but then I again I guess you already knew that ;)

Rosemary- My favorite oil for hair! It's also very good for increasing circulation to the skin, and can help with bringing down fevers by causing sweating. It stimulates the liver and gall-bladder thereby increasing the flow of bile and aiding with the digestion of fats...... magick to my ears and hips. It is a diurectic. It was the main ingredient of Hungary Water. It is also a powerful antioxidant.

Chamomile- Great relaxent for muscles and that time of the month. It can aid recovery by inducing sleep, allowing your body to heal. Steam inhalations will help relieve asthma, hay fever, catarrh, and sinusitis. Sitting in a siltz bath of the tea of chamomile is great relief for haemorrhoids. The tea is also great for eyebaths for sore inflamed eyes. I also like to use it as an oil and hair rinse.

Garlic- Another all purpose herb in my cupboard. It's antibracterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic. The allicin that is released when raw garlic is crushed has been shown to be a more powerful antibotic that penicillin and tetracycline! When absorbed from the digestive tract, it ciculates the blood and is excreted through the bowels, lungs, urinary system, and skin.... all of which is disinfected in the process. It also has great benefits on the pancreas, enhancing the the production of insulin.... making it a great remedy to lower sugar in diabetics. It's also great at lowering harmful blood cholestrols, particularly those in high blood pressure. I also love it as a herbal honey.... yum.

Thyme- Great liver cleansing tonic. It also helps to re-establish a normal bacterial population in the bowel. I also use it as a spice for certain foods. I love it with extra virgin olive oil with bread...... I almost lived off this combination during my stay in Egypt and I was in the best health of my life.

I also use Sage, Chamomile, and Rosemary (among others sometimes) for herbal facial steams and baths.

Of course these herbs do way more than my listings here, but I only listed what I have personal used them for.

Great question!
Sage

[Tanya]

Garlic: For all the reasons above.

Basil: because it tastes so good and is high in iron

Ginger: Its has anti-irritant properties, calms an upset stomach or cough and is relaxing as well as invigorating.

chili Peppers: anti biotic, full of flavinoids and a stimulant and decongestant

Lemons: high in vitamin C

The B-all and End-all Remedy for Colds and Flu:

2 C salted chicken broth poured over

1T each crushed fresh garlic
diced fresh ginger
diced fresh chili peppers
and topped with 1 T lemon juice and shredded basil leaves....

you can always bulk it up with some nice Asian noodles for sustanence and chunks of chicken... Carbs, fat and a bit of salt are good for the sick... they build you up.


Tea for a Cold:

1C hot green tea (full of flavinoids) (or use chamomile if its before bedtime)
1T lemon juice
1T fresh shredded ginger
2t honey


there it is, that's all the medicine I've taken in a decade...it seems to be working alright for me.

[Autumn-Forest]

Thank you guys, this is exactly what i'm looking for. :)

be well and keep em comin',
Autumn

[Infinite Muse]

i can only pick a few:
lemon thyme ... mmmm .....
sage
spearmint
...
i can't pick any more or I'd go nuts trying to pick *just* two more.

[Astara Seague]

I use thyme, rosemary, mugwort and mint the most
second is sage and chamolie and lavender
then dragons blood
angelica and anise is up there too

[faeriewitch]

Sage (use for cleansing and protection )
Lavender (helps with anxiety ,stress and depression,smells beautiful,helps you sleep,relaxing,soothes sun burn and cuts,helps headaches)
Garlic (helps fight infections,good for body,protection)
Basil (protection,peace,purification,cleansing,drinking basil relieves nausea and vomiting)
Cinnamon (love the smell for a start,relieves stress and anxiety,kills infection)
Also looooove Dragons Blood !!(use for protection and purification,very powerful )
and Frankinsence (I use it for cleansing,protection,during meditation to inhance clairvoyance .)

[Lolair]

Most used would be Rosemary, I use it for cooking, as a tea when I have a cold, the oil or an infusion for bathroom cleaning (it's an antimicrobial), some drops of the oil in shampoo or mixed with olive oil for an intensive hair treatment... it has endless uses!

Lavendar is next, I keep a bottle of the essential oil handy as an anaesthetic (sp?) for nasty burns, it is also an antimicrobial so I use with with rosemary for a homeade bathroom cleaner ( I mix the two essential oils with water and some liquid soap). I also drink a lavender/chamomile tea blend before bedtime. It's also good for relieving headaches and mixing with some massage oil for some extra sore muscles (my sweetie plays football). Since it's an anaesthetic it relieves the pain and helps you relax.

Lemon is another one I use a lot, I use the oil for woodworking and also for cleaning. A lemon slice is the main ingredient in teas for colds and sore throats. The recipe is one green tea bag, 1 echinacea tea bag, 2-3 lemon wedges, 1 Tbsp of honey, and 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional). Drink 1-2 times a day until your cold clears up. I also use the juice for cleaning wooden cutting boards and also getting rid of the smell of cat pee (along with some baking soda)

For cooking I don't think I could live without thyme, basil, oregano or garlic.

[Flaire-FireStar]

Mine are all for cooking ( ;) )

In no particular order:
Thyme, parsley, sage, basil, cilantro.

I have some mint in my garden, but I have yet to find a recipe to use it in. :ack:

[alwaysfallingup]

This is really hard for me, because there are so many herbs I love and use all the time, but my favorites (magickally) are:

--Lavender
--Chamomile
--Bay
--Sage
--Clove

As far as culinary herbs go, I love to cook with:
--Garlic
--Sage
--Cinnamon
--Oregano
--Rosemary