5 Powerful Herbal Medicines You Can Make (And GROW) Right At Home – In Any Sized Space!

I’ve talked to so many people who tried the “herbal medicine” thing and went quickly back to pharmaceuticals because the herbal remedies “didn’t work.”

And I understand why some people feel this way…

We’ve been conditioned to assume medicine works instantly—that they get rid of our headaches, cure our sinus infections, or get rid of our yeast infections as soon as the pill, cream, or spray reaches our skin or blood.

So you must understand that herbal medicine is not a “quick fix” like the aspirin or Pepto-Bismol… but they do create a lifetime of health and wellness by healing your body and helping each system in your body work the way it was intended to.

If you’re traveling down the alternative medicine path, not only will you find it super rewarding – especially when you can grow your own medicine – and you’ll foster an individualized, holistic care plan that offers you a lifetime of personal health and wellness.

The key is to find herbal remedies that work for you – and to get you started…

Here Are 5 Super Easy “Grow At Home” Herbal Medicines You Can Make That Are Powerful Prescription Alternatives…

My first recommendation when getting started with making your own herbal medicines is to start with herbs and plants you can grow yourself.

You don’t need a lot of space (you can even grow them in pots out on your porch, sun room, or even on an apartment balcony) and I think you’ll find the results more powerful than buying your ingredients at your local grocery’s produce section or health food store.

(And you’ll save a bunch of moolah at the same time!)

Here are the 5 easiest plants anyone can grow that will get you started on your path to home-grown natural wellness…

Garlic

Ahh, garlic. That pungent-smelling, mouth-watering clove of antibiotic goodness is my #1 favorite antibiotic alternative.

It’s been shown to combat a wide range of infections and illnesses, including:

• Common colds
• Flus
• Fungal skin infections
• STDs (including genital warts)
• Lyme disease
• Pneumonia
• Candidiasis
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Yeast infections
• Intestinal parasites
• Meningitis
• Herpes

You can grow garlic in containers in your patio garden… just be sure you give them plenty of room to stretch out in the soil in a container that is around 18 inches deep and 12 inches wide.

How To Use It:

Of course you can add garlic to any meal you’re cooking to add robust flavor and reap all of its medicinal qualities at the same time.

But if you really want to kick things up a notch, I highly recommend trying your own batch of “Fire Cider”.

“Fire Cider” Recipe

This simple recipe has an indefinite shelf life (I still have some bottles that I made almost 8 years ago, and their contents are still just as good as the day I made it) and this tincture has saved me from food poisoning, flu, colds, etc., many times.

The amount of ingredients will depend upon the size of the mason jar that you are filling. Whether this is a pint, quart, or gallon size, you will need enough vegetables to fill the jar full with the 5 different layers of ingredients.

1 part freshly chopped garlic cloves (This is antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiparasitic.)

1 part freshly chopped white onions (Whites have a higher sulfur content and are strongly antibacterial.

1 part freshly grated ginger root (This helps with circulation and is anti-inflammatory.)

1 part freshly grated horseradish root (This stimulates the immune system and will help clear sinus and upper respiratory issues.)

1 part freshly chopped jalapeños, or habaneros (I recommend habaneros, as jalapeños are very inconsistent with their heat, and the heat is what you want for circulation.)

Raw apple cider vinegar with “the mother” (I find the Eden brand to be the best.)

Here’s a video showing how to add all the ingredients together:

Echinacea

One of the most visited sections of the pharmacy is the Cold and Flu section.

Sinus “yuck” sufferers, get out of the pharmacy and into the garden!

If you’re like the women in my family, you know how nasty the winter sinus infection can be.

The only time I’ve had to take antibiotics is for sinus infections, but echinacea is an herbal alternative that can help knock out the sinus yuck without the harmful side effects of pharmaceutical antibiotics.

You can grow echinacea in a pot on your garden patio.

How To Use It:

While most people are used to using dry echinacea, recent studies have shown that fresh echinacea has far more power to treat colds than the dried plant.

Echinacea Tea Recipe

You can make a simple fresh echinacea tea to drink during the cold and flu season by simply adding 1/2 cup of fresh echinacea to 8 ounces of water.

Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat for a few minutes, then add the echinacea. Simmer covered for 15 minutes.

Strain and add 1-2 tablespoons of raw, local honey.

(The honey is especially helpful for a sore throat and a cough).

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper has shown itself worthy to replace over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen—especially for muscle and joint pain.

This is another area of the pharmacy that is overused; acetaminophen and ibuprofen have droves of loyal consumers who take the medicines daily in an attempt to heal chronic pain.

But they have side effects like liver damage and ulcers, so we need a natural alternative like cayenne pepper to replace the medicines we take for pain relief.

Those with no yard can grow cayenne peppers in a patio garden or in a small pot indoors.

How To Use It:

Simply dry your peppers in the oven on parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Cut the peppers into chunks so they dry faster and place them in the oven at about 200°F for 1–3 hours until dry.

You can then grind them into a powder to use in this simple pain salve recipe:

Pain Salve Recipe

1/2 c. olive oil
2 T. cayenne powder
1/2 oz. beeswax

Infuse the olive oil with the cayenne powder using a double boiler technique.

Strain through a cheesecloth, then melt the beeswax and stir in the cayenne-infused olive oil.

Pour the liquid mixture into jars or tins and let it cool.

You can rub this salve directly onto the painful area.

Not only does it allow you to avoid the dangerous side effects of over-the-counter pain medicines, but it may also work quicker than the oral pain relievers because it reaches the area of pain immediately without having to go through your blood stream to get there.

Turmeric

Turmeric, a bright orange root, is a great one to add to your garden for dietary and medicinal uses on your homestead.

Turmeric has been shown to help mobilize fat in the body and may help reduce bad cholesterol.

High cholesterol is something many American adults struggle with, and too many of us depend on cholesterol medication to keep us out of the hospital for cholesterol-related issues.

You can grow turmeric on your patio or indoors and harvest for treating a whole host of other health issues, as well—from inflammatory bowel disease to gall stones.

How To Use It:

One of my favorite ways to use turmeric is in a tea. Here’s the recipe:

Turmeric Tea Recipe

Boil 4 cups of water, add 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric, and reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.

Learn how to make turmeric powder here.

Then, strain the tea and add honey or lemon to taste. You can also add a pinch of black pepper for increased absorption.

Ginger

Ginger is another plant you can grow fairly easily indoors if you don’t have space for an outdoor garden.

Ginger has been shown to have antiviral effects as well as antibacterial properties.

Ginger is one of my favorites to use when I suffer from stomach bugs so replace Pepto-Bismol, Imodium, Nauzene, and other medicines for stomach upset with ginger.

How To Use It:

This is another one I like to take in tea form.

Ginger Tea Recipe

Simply steep between 1 and 1-1/2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger in boiling water for about 10 minutes.

Then just strain and sip!

What Other “Home-Grown” Herbal Medicines Have You Tried To Create Yourself?

How Successful Were You And What Tricks Can You Share With Your Fellow “Home Doctor” Warriors?