The 10 Medicinal Plants You'll Have in Your Backyard:

Chicory – The Painkilling Plant You Should Grow in Your Backyard

 

This is the wild plant that Native Americans used to look for more than any other. They’d harvest and use chicory to make a natural painkilling extract for a wide range of physical discomforts, especially stiff and achy joints. And so can you! The root is rich in chicoric acid (CA), a plant compound with potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties but no risk of addiction. If our pharmacies ever run dry, having even a small patch of chicory growing in your own backyard will provide relief. 

Quick Backyard Remedy    

Add 1 Tbsp of ground chicory root to your coffee or tea. It’s a prebiotic and natural laxative that will help move things along and regulate your bowels.

Garden Uses

Chicory is a very good soil builder in your garden, pulling nutrients up from deeper in the soil with its long taproot and then returning them to the surface when it dies back.

Yarrow – The Backyard Wound Healer

 

You always want to have a quick and reliable way to stop a wound from bleeding and help prevent infection. Yarrow does both, and it really saved my knuckle. On day 42 of Alone, I accidentally cut my hand while gutting a fish. The wound was very deep and most likely would have gotten infected since I had no antibiotics with me. 

Luckily, I found some yarrow and wrapped it around the wound. The bleeding stopped in minutes, and my wound healed so well that now there’s barely a scar left. Since then, I always carry a pouch of dried yarrow with me, just in case. A yarrow tincture, when applied to your skin, acts as a natural and effective way to repel mosquitos and other insects.

Quick Backyard Remedy

If you ever get a toothache, try chewing on a fresh yarrow leaf as it will numb the area and provide needed relief.

Garden Uses

The beautiful yarrow flowers attract beneficial insects like bees and ladybugs, which eat aphids and other pests and also help pollinate your plants.

Can Also Be Used For  

Infused Yarrow Oil for Swelling and Varicose Veins; Stop Bleeding Poultice; Yarrow Tincture for Burns, Cuts, Bruises, and Insect Bites; Yarrow Salve for Old Scars; Yarrow Elixir for Menstrual Cramps and Heartburn; Yarrow Tea for Digestive Upsets

California Poppy – Better Than Sleeping Pills

California poppy helps support a restorative, deep sleep like we enjoyed as children, when falling and staying asleep for at least eight hours each night were both effortless. Why risk the addiction of prescription sleeping pills when you can make your own Sleep Tea from this plant?  

I usually drink it before bed and then doze off soon after, while I’m reading or watching TV. You could not wake me up easily; my kids have tried a few times. Now, if your bout of insomnia is of the more serious nature or you’re suffering from PTSD, just turn California poppy into a more concentrated sleep tincture. That should do it.

Quick Backyard Remedy

Gather any of these: leaves, flowers, or stems. Cut finely, add to a cup or pot, and pour hot water. Let it steep for about 10 minutes. Drink warm just before bed for deep, uninterrupted, and restful sleep that night.

Garden Uses

With extremely high levels of pollen production, the poppy is an important food source for beneficial insects. It also needs very little water, so the other plants will get more.

Other Ways to Use

Deep Sleep Tincture, Analgesic Salve, Sleep Tea Blend, California Poppy Decoction for Head Lice, California Poppy Vinegar, California Poppy Infusion

Marshmallow – The Most Powerful Plant for a Healthy Digestive System

 

When most people hear marshmallow, they tend to picture the white fluffy treat commonly roasted over a campfire. Traditionally these were made from the root of the marshmallow plant, a powerful medicinal herb that you’ll want to grow yourself at home. Its leaves and root are antibacterial, and most importantly, they contain a sap-like substance called mucilage.  

 As the marshmallow mucilage goes down through your digestive tract, it will coat your stomach, intestines, and colon with an additional protective layer, soothing inflammation it finds along the way. That’s why this tea also helps people with stomach ulcers and digestive disorders, such as heartburn, indigestion, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, or Crohn's disease.

 Quick Backyard Remedy

Pull out a few marshmallow roots, wash off the dirt, and add them to a glass jar or cup. Cover with ice-cold water and let the mucilage extract for a few hours. Drink for a soothing and restorative effect all along your digestive tract, from mouth to colon.

 

Garden Uses

Painted lady butterflies are attracted to it, and native pollinators cover its blossoms all summer long.

 

Other Things You Ca Do

Cold Root Infusion for Heartburn and Reflux, Stomach Tea, Marshmallow Poultice for Skin Repair, Decoction for Stubborn Coughs, Throat Syrup, Marshmallow Salve

Chamomile – The Natural Antibiotic

 My grandmother used to grow chamomile in her garden. She would pick the flowers in early autumn, dry them on old newspapers, and store them in mason jars. She saw this plant as a real “heal-all.” If I’d get pinkeye, she’d put a warm compress dipped in chamomile tea over my irritated eyes. If my stomach hurt, she’d make me drink the tea, and I’d soon start to feel better.  

It’s very soothing, and it helps relax your digestive muscles. You can also use this plant to make your own chamomile oil, which is still probably one of the best natural skin remedies out there. Researchers believe that’s because chamomile oil can penetrate even the deep layers of your skin, where true healing takes place.

 

Quick Backyard Remedy

Take a handful of dried or fresh chamomile leaves and add them to a warm bath. Step inside to relax your entire body, especially sore muscles, and aching joints.

Garden Uses

Chamomile is known as “The Gardener’s Doctor” as it has the power to heal and enhance the growth of the plants around it.

 

Other Things You Can Do  

 

Chamomile Compresses for Irritated Eyes, Stomach Tea, Infused Chamomile Oil for Wounds and Skin Ulcers, Chamomile Tincture for Sciatica and Rheumatic Pain, Eczema Salve, Chamomile Sitz Bath for Hemorrhoids

Evening Primrose – A Natural Remedy for Skin and Nerves

 

This plant is called evening primrose because its flowers open at sunset. Each bloom lasts for only one night. Our forefathers would use it to make a poultice for bruises, wounds, and skin eruptions. Turns out they were right. This plant contains two substances our skin needs but cannot produce on its own (gamma-linolenic acid and linolenic acid).

They’re also very important for the membranes of nerve cells, and that’s probably why more and more people with unresolved nerve pain are turning to this plant. Evening primrose can also help to balance out hormone levels. If you ever feel like you’re constantly fatigued, you gain weight inexplicably, or you’re simply unable to tolerate hot or cold temperatures like you used to, then you might be dealing with a hormonal imbalance.

Quick Backyard Remedy

Grab a leaf or root of the plant and crush it to make a poultice. Apply it directly to a wound or skin rash to promote healing.

Garden Uses

This plant provides food and attracts numerous species of hawk moths, which tend to move pollen farther than bees or birds, as well as butterflies and bumblebees.

Other Things You Can Do

Infused Evening Primrose Oil for Skin and Nerves, Anti-Bruise Poultice of Native Americans, Evening Primrose Tea for Digestive Issues and Mood Swings, Revitalizing Body Balm, Lung Tonic, Cough and Sore Throat Mixture, Cold-Pressed Seed Oil

Lavender – The Perennial Anti-Inflammatory Herb

 

You’re probably familiar with how this aromatic plant can keep moths from dining on your winter wardrobe. But if you use it medicinally, it can offer so much more! A recent double-blind study concluded that lavender oil cuts down anxiety to the same extent as taking a 0.5 mg daily dose of Lorazepam, a popular anxiety drug.

 

A lavender tincture used alongside a regular antidepressant can help you recover from mild to moderate depression a lot faster and lower the chance for a relapse. And if you just rub a few drops of lavender oil on your scalp every day, it will improve blood flow, strengthen hair follicles, and even help with lost hair. That and the divine scent it has is why I like to mix it with my shampoo.

 

Quick Backyard Remedy

Gather some fresh lavender from your garden and put it in a small herb pouch. Place the pouch inside your sleeping pillow or under your mattress. It will ward off mosquitos and other insects and help you fall asleep faster.

 

Garden Uses

Just as it banishes bugs from your closet, it also banishes pests from the garden. It’s also one of the best companion plants out there, helping many others reach their full potential. It attracts many species of butterflies, including painted ladies, woodland skippers, and tiger swallowtails.

 

Other Things You Can Do

Lavender Sleep Tincture; Lavender Tea for Anxiety; Lavender Oil for Fungal Infections, Acne, Dry and Blotchy Skin, and Psoriasis; Lavender Hair Mask; Lavender Salve for Chapped Lips, Cracked Cuticles, Rough Elbows, and Feet

Echinacea – The Most Powerful Immunity Plant You Should Grow

 

When it comes to our health, the immune system is king. A strong one might save you even if you’re very sick and have no medicines available. A weak immune system might not, even if you have all the best medicines and doctors by your side. There’s no better plant for taking care of your immune system than echinacea. 

 But don’t make the mistake of thinking that supplements bought at the health store can even compare with the natural medicines you can make from organic plants you grow yourself. That’s true for all plants but especially for echinacea, which has fallen prey to its own popularity. It is one of the most counterfeited natural supplements out there. So why risk a bad batch that will do little more than a placebo? Better to grow your own patch.

 

Quick Backyard Remedy

Dig up some echinacea roots and slice them rather thinly. Put them in a pot with water and let everything simmer for 30 minutes. Drink hot for an immune boost at the first sign of a cold or any other illness.

Garden Uses

Echinacea helps keep plants moist and prevents weeds from spreading and taking over your backyard pharmacy.

Other Things You Can Do

Immune-Stimulating Echinacea Tincture, Antiseptic Mouthwash, Echinacea Tisane, Echinacea Oil for Inflammation, Anti-Germ Skin Salve, Root Decoction for Pains and Aches

Calendula – The Herb You Need to Keep Close During Dark Times

 

Before I ever came across calendula in my natural practice, I had heard about it from my grandfather. He was always working around the house, tinkering on his projects, and one day he accidentally cut his leg to the bone. Stubborn as he was, he refused to go see a doctor. He tied it with a thick cloth and just poured my grandmother’s calendula extract on it each time he would dress the wound. Believe it or not, it healed in weeks! 

I later found out about other uses for this powerful backyard helper. I make a calendula salve to speed up healing and minimize scarring for wounds, scrapes, cuts, sores, burns, and scalds and to deal with all manner of rashes or insect bites. As a tea, calendula does something really unique and important. It moves lymphatic fluid and cleanses your lymphatic system from the mucky remnants of old infections and the metabolic waste we all accumulate over time. This is absolutely vital for continued good health and something no modern drug does, to the best of my knowledge.

 

Quick Backyard Remedy

During the Civil War, calendula flowers were packed directly into open wounds, and they were used by surgeons when dressing wounds to promote healing and prevent infection.

 

Garden Uses

Calendula helps repel insect pests and benefits the soil by forming active relationships with soil fungi.

 

Other Things You can Do

Calendula Flower Infused Oil for Most Skin Problems, Calendula Salve to Rub Over Wounds and Scars, Calendula Soak for Itches and Rashes, Calendula Tea for Sore Throat and Mouth Ulcers, Calming Calendula Spray for Burns, Tea for Irritated Eyes and Stomach, Protective Skin Lotion, Calendula Extract for Skin Ulcers and Eczema, Anti-Inflammatory Ice

 

Feverfew – Nature’s Aspirin for Fevers and Migraines

 With feverfew in your backyard, you’ll always have a way to deal with a cold, lower a fever, or fight off migraines. This plant is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and people have used it to deal with inflamed and painful joints. Parthenolide seems to be the plant compound responsible for its medicinal power. The highest concentration of parthenolide is found in the flower heads and leaves, so the easiest way to use this plant is to chew them raw so they release the parthenolide flowing inside.

But it is not the most effective. A few drops in your coffee or tea should be enough for some headaches as well.  An extract from feverfew flowers can prove a potent pain reliever for articular and neuropathic pain.

 

Quick Backyard Remedy

Chew some of its leaves raw whenever you have a fever or feel a migraine attack is about to strike (very important to use before it does).

Garden Uses

Feverfew repels pests, hides other plants from them, and also attracts beneficial insects such as hoverflies and tachinid flies to your garden.

Other Things You Can Do

Oil for Inflamed Joints, Natural Insect Repellant, Anti-Migraine Tincture, Salve for Eczema, Rosacea and Acne, Feverfew Tincture, Feverfew Febrifuge Tea, Feverfew Compress for Bruised Skin

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