Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden

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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) About Herbs and Herbalism

Whenever I lead tours of my garden, sell plants and herbal products at the farmer's market, or teach herbalism classes, I am frequently asked several questions. Because these questions are so common, it indicates that many people are not clear about some fundamental aspects of herbalism.

I'll address four common questions here:

1. Can you eat the flowers of herb plants or use them in tea?
2. Do you have to dry herbs before making them into tea?
3. How do I use plants as medicine?
4. Do I need to take a tincture under my tongue? And in what amount?

Question Number 1: Yes, you can definitely eat herb flowers and drink tea made from them. I once gave some basil plants to a friend and told her to be sure to pinch off and "use" the flowers once they started forming, to encourage bushy growth and to prolong the life of the plants. Later, when I visited her home and saw her healthy basil plants, I was surprised to see the flowering tops scattered on the ground around the base of the plants. She had "used" them as mulch! I then clearly told her to "use" the flowering tops in tea, as an attractive garnish for salads, in spaghetti or pesto sauce, or whatever other culinary purpose came to mind.

The general rule about the edibility of flowers is that if you can eat the leaves of a plant, you can eat the flowers. Not only herbs have edible, delicious, and beautiful flowers: other edible flowers are guava, fuchsias, daylilies, calendula, English daisy, nasturtium, pansy, rose, squash, violet, onion and chive. If you decide to grow edible flowers, treat the planting area the same as you would for any other edible crop. Make sure that no contaminants such as animal waste or motor oil are present in the soil. Do not eat any flower unless you are absolutely certain that it is edible. Some plants that grow in the wild have edible flowers, but take extra care to identify such plants first. Finally, make sure the plants have not been sprayed with chemicals or pesticides.

Question number 2: No, you do not need to dry herbs before making them into tea or using them in cooking. Fresh is best. One of the joys of growing herbs is to wander through the garden, snip sprigs of various plants, immediately put them into a teapot or cup, pour boiling water over them, allow to steep for about 10 minutes, then enjoy your fresh and healthful beverage. You can also add fresh fruit such as chopped-up guavas, mangoes, or papayas. I often use chopped ginger root or `olena (turmeric) in tea because they taste good and add a mildly anti-inflammatory effect for my arthritis. You can also use regular tea bags and jazz them up by adding fresh herbs. I especially like the combination of green tea with lemon- or clove-scented basil. Experiment! It's fun and you can create your own healthful blends from common plants in your yard such as mint or lemon grass.

If you plan ahead a few hours, sun tea is fun to make and uses the power of the sun rather than that of gas or electricity. To make a fresh, delicious pot of sun tea, collect about two loosely-packed cups of leaves and flowers, place them in a clean 2-quart glass container, add water, cover it and set it in a sunny spot for about four hours. Strain the mixture before drinking it, then add honey or sugar, lemon, lime, orange, or anything else that you like to flavor tea. You can keep your herb tea in the refrigerator for a couple of days, so make up a large batch and enjoy it instead of soda or other beverages.

Question number 3: There are several simple ways to use plants as medicine. I had never thought of simply grazing on plants directly from the garden as a way to use them as medicine until recently when I started meeting people who were doing this. Teas are very simple to make, as just described, and are the fastest way of extracting the beneficial properties contained in plants. Tinctures are the strongest oral plant medicine, as they are usually made with vodka. The active ingredients in the plant are drawn into the alcohol, then after about four weeks of allowing the plant material to "steep," you strain it and drink the liquid in small amounts to gain the healthful benefits of the plant.

Other forms of plant medicine include herbal oils (made much like sun tea), salves (a combination of an herbal oil with beeswax for use on the skin), liniments, syrups, and poultices. To assist the healing of skin problems, make a poultice by collecting and chopping such plants as comfrey, plantain (considered a lawn weed, not the cooking banana), and noni leaves. Place them in a pot of water, boil, then simmer it for about 20 minutes. When it cools, grab a handful of the plant material, squeeze it out and apply it to your boo-boo. I've even used this on my pets! For serious injuries, tooth infections or staph, please consult your health care provider and do not attempt to treat yourself.

Question number 4: You can take a tincture under your tongue, but it's not necessary to take it that way. Perhaps this belief comes from naturopathic (or homeopathic) medicine, which uses very small amounts of certain plants. The amount of a tincture that is normally taken is much larger than the homeopathic dosage. For health maintenance, many herbs are taken as a "tonic," which means that you take it every day. For more acute health problems, such as a cold or an infection, take larger doses of tinctures. If you're taking something like noni to maintain good health, the dosage would be about two full droppers twice each day. If you're fighting off a cold or the flu, you would take a larger amount of an herb such as echinacea: four full droppers four times a day until your symptoms subside. As always, be sure to consult your doctor if you have questions or if your illness is a serious one, such as pneumonia.