Essential Oils in the Garden

Tags

companion plants, Essential oil, health, insect repellant, Pest control

Essential oils play several roles in the garden. They are a natural pest deterrent and as pests carry disease in the form of bacteria and viruses, the oil’s antibacterial and antiviral properties act as a form of preventative medicine for your garden. Fungi and mould are other problems essential oils can deal with quickly and effectively.
Strong healthy plants resist disease, and essential oils build up the health of plants, an example being that roses love to be in the company of garlic, basil or thyme and you can either plant them around the bush or use their essential oil when watering them. Add 2 drops of each essential oil to your watering can, mix well and water.
Essential oils not only control pests and make your crop stronger, they improve the taste and fragrance of the plant. Ants can be deterred by peppermint. To clear a nest just put 2 neat drops of peppermint oil directly onto the nest. If ants are coming into your house put 1 or 2 drops of oil where they enter. Thyme and lavender oils protect all vegetables and can be used in your watering can.
Of course, certain insects are essential for pollination, including bees, wasps and butterflies, and using essential oils in your garden will attract these useful insects. Bees especially like coriander.
Sprays can be used as insect deterrents, to banish fungi and mildew, or to encourage growth. Use 4 – 6 drops of essential oil in 4 litres of water for spraying onto flowers, fruit and vegetables. Treated with the antifungal essential oils the mould and fungi do not survive very long and simply disappear. Patchouli, Tea Tree and Cinnamon are recommended.
Slugs can be easily deterred using essential oils. They have an acute sense of smell and hate the smell of garlic. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to your watering can, mix well and water the area where the slugs and snails are causing damage.

NATURAL PEST REPELLANTS
Insect Essential Oil
Ants – peppermint, garlic, citronella
Aphids – peppermint, cedarwood, hyssop
Black Fly – lavender, tagetes
Caterpillars – peppermint
Fleas – lemongrass, citronella, lavender
Flies – lavender, citronella, peppermint, basil
Gnats – citronella, patchouli
Lice – peppermint, cedarwood
Mosquitoes – lavender, citronella, lemongrass
Slugs – garlic, cedar wood, pine
Snails – cedarwood, pine, garlic, hyssop
Ticks – thyme, citronella, sage
Weevils – sandalwood, citronella, sage

GOOD COMPANIONS
Vegetable Essential Oil
Asparagus basil
Green beans lavender, basil
Beetroot marjoram
Broccoli basil, thyme
Cabbage peppermint, sage, thyme
Cauliflower thyme
Celery geranium
Cucumber sage
Leeks hyssop
Lettuce tagetes
Onions chamomile
Peas geranium
Potatoes basil, sage
Tomatoes basil

Moutain Herb Estate

Tags

Courier service, herbs, Moutain Herb Estate

Last week I was looking for Hyssop Officinalis to companion plant my Grape Vine.

I came across this delightful supplier online. I placed an order last Thursday for 4 plants to be couriered from Gauteng to the Western Cape. The plants arrived early on Monday morning in really good moist condition.

Thank you so must Zirkia for the fast, efficient and friendly service.

Please contact Mountain Herb Estate for all your herbal requirements.

 

 

 

Lemongrass

Tags

Bee, food, garden, green tips, health, honey bee, Insects, Intercropping, Lemongrass, medicinal herb, organic, tea, Whitefly

Sweet Pickled Lemongrass

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citratus) , are commonly cultivated as culinary and medicinal herbs because of their scent, resembling that of lemons.

Lemongrass is usually planted in home gardens to ward off insects such as whitefly adults. Its cultivation enables growing some vegetables (e.g. tomatoes and broccoli) without applying pesticides. Intercropping should include physical barriers, for citronella roots can take over the field.

Lemongrass is widely used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisine and also as medicinal herb in India. It has a subtle citrus flavor and can be dried and powdered, or used fresh. It is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries. It is also suitable for use with poultry, fish, beef, and seafood. It is often used as a tea in African countries such as Togo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Latin American countries such as Mexico. Lemongrass oil is used as a pesticide and a preservative. Research shows that lemongrass oil has antifungal properties. Despite its ability to repel some insects, such as mosquitoes, its oil is commonly used as a “lure” to attract honey bees. “Lemongrass works conveniently as well as the pheromone created by the honeybee’s Nasonov gland, also known as attractant pheromones. Because of this, lemongrass oil can be used as a lure when trapping swarms or attempting to draw the attention of hived bees.

Health Benefits of Lemongrass Essential Oil

Analgesic, Antidepressant, Antimicrobial and Antibacterial, Anti-pyretic, Antiseptic, Astringent, Carminative, Deodorant, Diuretic, Febrifuge, Fungicidal, Galactogogue, Insecticidaland Nervine.

A Few Words of Caution: It is likely to irritate the skin and produce other types of irritations too. Hence it should be avoided during pregnancy, and kept away from the eyes.

 

Dog Rose

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Dog Rose, dogberry, Flowers, health, hedging, Hildesheim Rose, plants, rabid dogs, Rosa canina, thorny creeper, witches" briar

Dog Rose – Rosa canina                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The Dog rose is a sprawling, fast growing, thorny creeper making it a very good security climber and hedging.

In the 18th and 19th century it was used as a cure for rabid dogs, hence the name Dog Rose. Other old folk names include dogberry and witches’ briar.

The fruit is noted for its high vitamin C level and is used to make syrup, tea and marmalade. It has been grown or encouraged in the wild for the production of vitamin C, from its fruit (often as rose-hip syrup), especially during conditions of scarcity or during wartime.

The dog rose was the stylized rose of medieval European heraldry. It is also the county flower of Hampshire. Legend states the Thousand-year Rose or Hildesheim Rose, that climbs against a wall of Hildesheim Cathedral dates back to the establishment of the diocese in 815.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_canina

Nasturtium

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bladder, bronchitis, colds, companion plant, coughs, flower, flu, Herb, kidney, nasturtium, nasturtiums, salad, showy flowers, sore throat

Nasturtium Tropaeolum maju

Nasturtiums are a wonderfully colorful and useful  annual addition to any garden and they are easy to grow. It has a pleasant peppery taste and has become a favourite world over. The showy flowers come in shades of fiery red, oranges and yellows. The flowers can be single or double.

Sow the seeds in Spring in a sunny spot. It does best in sandy soils, but any well drained soil will do. Interestingly, the poorer the soil, the more flowers the plant will produce.  Once they are established they will reseed themselves year after year.

Nasturtiums are wonderful companion plants. Plant them near roses, cucumbers, cabbage and other plants.

All parts of the plant are used. Eat a leaf at the first sign of a sore throat, another an hour later and a third leaf an house later. Nasturtiums have a high vitamin C content, as well as being a natural antibiotic. It is also used to treat bladder and kidney ailments,coughs, colds, flu, sore throats and bronchitis.

The flower has most often been consumed, making for an especially ornamental salad ingredient.

July in Ariston

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Cape Town, environment, Flowers, food, garden, health, herbs, home grown, organic, South African endemic plant

This gallery contains 13 photos.

Rose Pelargonium

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calming, Essential oil, Flowers, geranium oil, high anxiety, leaves, menopause, oliy skin, Pelargonium, Pelargonium Graveolens, PMT, quotes, Rose Geranium, Rose geranium oil, Shampoo Rose geranium oil, South African endemic plant, waterwise

Rose Geranium – Pelargonium Graveolens

The true Pelargonium graveolens is an uncommon species in the Pelargonium genus, which is native to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

This wonderful plant is easy to propagate. Take a cutting and plant in a well composted hole in the ground with a sunny aspect. Watering well until these are signs of good new growth. Thereafter is can be quite waterwise.

Rose Geranium and the plant can be used in many different ways.

• Calming
• De-stressing
• Easing tension
• Fighting anxiety
• Pre-Menstrual tension  (PMT)
• Menopause problems
• Poor circulation

The leaves are used to make a herbal tea.

Diluted Essential Oil on the skin, rose geranium oil helps to balance the secretion of sebum and clears sluggish and oily skins, while the antiseptic and cicatrisant properties make this oil an effective aid to help with burns, wounds, ulcers and other skin problems.

• Burners and vaporizers
  • In vapor therapy rose geranium oil can be used to help relieve stress, mild depression, PMS, anxiety and tension, menopausal problems and for general energizing.
• Blended massage oil or in the bath
  • Rose geranium oil can be used in blended massage oil, or diluted in a bath to assist with PMS, depression, stress, anxiety and tension, fluid retention, edema, eczema, shingles, cellulite, bruises, ringworm, hemorrhoids and menstrual irregularities.
• Cream or lotion
  • As a constituent in a blended cream or lotion, rose geranium essential oil can be used for clearing sluggish and oily skin, as well as wound, burn and ulcer healing and has value to treat eczema, repelling insects, shingles, cellulite, ringworm, bruises and engorgement of the breasts.
• Shampoo
  • Rose geranium oil can also be diluted in shampoo to help with head lice.

It has a general diuretic effect on the body and balances the water systems in the body, correcting any poor elimination of water and waste material. It is useful for treating jaundice, gall stones and can also be used for restraining nose bleeds and other hemorrhaging.

Precautions :

Geranium oil is not indicated to cause any side effects, since it is non-toxic, non-irritant and generally non-sensitizing, yet can cause sensitivity in some people. Due to the fact that it balances the hormonal system, it might not be a good idea to use in pregnancy.

Rose Geranium

Lemongrass

Tags

athletes foot, brinjals, companion plant, Cymbopogon citratus, fleas, food, gardening, herbs, home grown, insect repellant, lemon grass, marinade, Mosquitoes, organic, plants, skin ailments, stirfries, sweet potatoes, Thai cooking, ticks, tomato

Lemongrass – Cymbopogon citratus

Lemon grass originates from Southern India and Sri Lanka. It has long been characteristic of Far Eastern Cuisines. It has found it’s place in Gourmet dishes as well as fragrant toiletries around the world. Apart from culinary and cosmetic uses, Lemon grass has an array of medicinal properties.

To increase your stock of Lemon grass, divide it by pulling apart sections. Potted Lemon grass should be divided every two years. It makes a good companion plant with sweet potatoes, peppers, brinjals and tomatoes. Lemon grass requires full sun.

Uses :

Culinary :

• Delicious as a tea.
• The chopped base of the leaf cluster is used in Thai cooking.
• Delicious with cheese, egg and fish dishes
• Flavouring for marinades, oils, sauces and stir fries.

Medicinal:

• Lemon grass stimulates cell regeneration.
• Soothes intestinal infections
• A strong infusion can be used as a deodorant.
• Soothes fever, colitis, digestive upset, muscular pain,poor circulation,skin ailments and stress related conditions.

Cosmetic :

• Useful for treating most skin ailments.’
• Athlete’s foot
• foot bath and massage.
• Essential Oil diluted in carried oil, will deter mosquitoes, ticks, fleas.

Gardening : 

• Lemon grass insect repelling spray can be used on insect infected plants.
• Watered over beds where seeds will be sown, to protect them from predators.
• Soak pea and bean seed in  Lemon grass tea to have bumper crops.
• Rub the inside of your hive when baiting bees.

 

 

 

Rosemary – Dew of the Sea (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Tags

antimicrobial, antiseptic, Aromatherapy, colds, coughs, flu, Greek, Latin, Mediterranean, Mediterranean Sea, Middle Ages, rosemary, Tunisia

The name rosemary has nothing to do with the rose or the name Mary, but derives from the Latin name rosmarinus, which is from “dew” (ros) and “sea” (marinus), or “dew of the sea”— apparently because it is frequently, found growing near the sea.

Rosemary is a symbol for remembrance and originally comes from the Mediterranean but is now grown world-wide. It is cultivated for oil production in France, Spain and Tunisia. It is an easy herb to grow and is a popular flavouring ingredient in many countries. It is a favourite in scented and herb gardens. Planted alongside a path it is delicious when people brush past it. It is a small bushy shrub with scented needle like grey green aromatic leaves. The flowers are small and a pale greyish blue. Rosemary has been used in herbal medicine for centuries and also has religious and spiritual significance in some countries. In several cultures it is believed to ward of “Evil spirits”. In medieval times it was used as a fumigant to ward off the plague. It is used to treat digestive, skin, respiratory and nervous complaints and is still recommended as a stimulant.

In the Middle Ages, rosemary was associated with wedding ceremonies – the bride would wear a rosemary headpiece and the groom and wedding guests would all wear a sprig of rosemary, and from this association with weddings rosemary evolved into a love charm. Newly wed couples would plant a branch of rosemary on their wedding day. If the branch grew it was a good omen for the union and family. In ‘A Modern Herbal’, Mrs Grieves says “A rosemary branch, richly gilded and tied with silken ribands of all colours, was also presented to wedding guests, as a symbol of love and loyalty.” Another example of rosemary’s use as a love charm was that a young person would tap another with a rosemary sprig and if the sprig contained an open flower, it was said that the couple would fall in love. Rosemary was used as divinatory herb-several types of herbs were grown in pots and assigned the name of a potential lover. Then they were left to grow and the plant that grew the strongest and fastest gave the answer. Rosemary was also stuffed into puppets (cloth dolls) in order to attract a lover or attract curative vibrations for illness. It was believed that placing a sprig of rosemary under a pillow before sleep would repel nightmares, and if placed outside the home it would repel witches. Somehow, the use of rosemary in the garden to repel witches turned into signification that the woman ruled the household in homes and gardens where rosemary grew abundantly. By the 16th century, this practise became a bone of contention; and men were known to rip up rosemary bushes to show that they, not their wives, ruled the roost.

Rosemary has particular benefits for the circulatory system easing cold extremities. The fragrance stimulates the mind, helping concentration, improving memory and relieving mental fatigue. It is said the ancient Greeks wore a garland of rosemary to achieve this effect. Rosemary helps tone the muscles and prevent strain. Rheumatism and Arthritis can also be relieved using Rosemary.

The pain relieving properties make it useful for headaches and revitalises the spirit when fatigue sets in from over work. It stimulating effects will work for the benefit of the digestive system, relieving flatulence, colic and irritated colon. Massage has a detoxifying effect on the body which stimulates the lymphatic drainage.

Rosemary is antiseptic and antimicrobial and can be used to treat colds, flu and bronchitis. It is used to treat oral and throat infections.

Rosemary is popular in hair-care is it counteracts greasy hair, seborrhoea and dandruff and might benefit some case of hair loss. It is used to treat lice and scabies as well.
Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6

 

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Tags

Ayahuasca, Brunfelsia grandiflora, flowering shrub, Flowers, grandiflora, health, herbal medicine, nightshade family, scent, South America, Yesterday Today Tomorrow

Brunfelsia grandiflora is a flowering shrub in the nightshade family. It is native to South America. In English is known by the common names royal purple brunfelsia, kiss-me-quick, and yesterday-today-and-tomorrow. In Peru it is known by the Spanish-Quechua name chiric sanango.

In its native range it is used in traditional medicine to treat fever, rheumatism, syphilis, and arthritis. It is added to ayahuasca.

Brunfelsia grandiflora is a tree-like shrub indigenous to the tropical regions of South America, ranging from Venezuela to Bolivia. It is especially abundant in Brazil and on the Caribbean Islands. In the wild this plant can grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall, and produces many dark green long oval leaves that will  grow up to 12 inches (30cm) long. This shrub produces many ornamental flowers and has long been cultivated for its aesthetic beauty. The flowers are thin, trumpet-like and will grow up to 4 inch long, producing five petals and varying in color from lavender, dark blue and violet to light purple and white (Ratsch 1998, 112).

TRADITIONAL USE: The indigenous peoples of the Amazon have used Manaca for ritual healing ceremonies, and in magical and religious observances. The shaman of the Kofan Indian tribe drink a tea made from the roots and root bark of the plant to see into the body of an ill patient.  The plant allows them to understand the nature of the ailment and to help heal the patient. Many tribes throughout the Amazonian River basin add Brunfelsia grandiflora leaves, roots and root bark to their Ayahuasca brews, to produce a brew that is blessed by the plant and animal spirits.  In Peru, the roots are sometimes taken as a plant teacher for a period of one month.  It is said that the older, thick roots are toxic, whereas the young roots that are 1.5cm or under are safe for use.  A dose generally consists of two or three roots (Plowman 1977).