For a very long time I’ve been looking for a seed kit to start a small medicinal garden in my backyard. I’m no spring chicken anymore and as health problems start to creep up, I knew some old-fashioned natural remedies could help.
The problem was I never have the time or that much energy to go out foraging for the plants needed to make them.
So, I decided to grow my own, on a small plot, no bigger than 10 by 3 feet in total.
The problem with most of the seed kits I found online was they either didn’t have the right plants or they took up a lot more space than I had available. I was looking for something more complete that I could use not just for one condition, like a headache or an upset stomach but for everything I needed.
This one, was just right and I very much liked that is made by an experienced herbalist Dr. Nicole Apelian. It’s true that it’s a little bit more expensive but still compared with the money we pay on pills, it’s nothing. When I go buy one drug and pay $70 or even $80 dollars I usually don’t think twice. You can probably relate…and that’s just to treat a single condition!
This kit contains over 1625 NON-GMO seeds to grow 10 plants that cover a senior like me for almost every medical need: painkiller, stop bleeding, sleeping aid, stomach relief, allergies, rheumatism, anti-inflammatory, prostate and bladder, anti-viral and immunity booster and of course a blood sugar controller for diabetes.
I also believe it’s equally important that all these seeds are US grown.
What that tells me is that the plants they make will be much better adapted to the soil and the climate in my own backyard. And the one in yours too!
A while back I made the mistake of buying one of those popular seeds kits off Amazon only to find out every seed was coming from China. Needless to say, the results were terribly disappointing.
When my medicinal garden kit arrived a few short days after ordering it I was like a kid on Christmas morning.
I could not wait to open the package. Here’s what it looked like once I opened it and laid everything out.
The first thing I noticed was that every seed pack came with specific planting instructions on it. So I would not have to search online for the instructions. Phew!
What caught my eye next was the medicinal guide included.
As the weather was fine outside, I grabbed a shovel, took with me the Medicinal Garden Kit, and headed into the backyard to start planting my own natural pharmacy.
So, here’s what the seeds look like after some time in the ground, water and plenty of sunlight.
Most of them germinated into a medicinal plant that would offer me and my family relief. Even the tree had taken hold. I started using it to manage my blood sugar.
I was actually surprised at how good my new medicinal plants looked. Here’s a closer look:
Before long I began to harvest the plants… making sure I don’t take too much and upset the natural balance.
The first in line was Chamomile. I’m making a tea out of it now, that not only helps me sleep like a baby but also plays a part in managing my blood sugar. The spikes have really been reduced after I started to drink it every day.
But there is another plant in the garden that helps with that even more, which I’ll let you discover on your own
Over the next couple of weeks, using the medicinal guide that came with the kit I started to make my own tinctures and other natural remedies that I had not even heard about before.
To be honest they are not at all hard to make.
But the best part is not that I now have an alternative in my medicine cabinet. What surprised me the most is that I could safely cut back on my pill use with no ill effects.
The plants were doing their job… and my body responded with more energy and less “foggy-head” days.
My wife is using our new medicinal garden to deal with some nagging joint and hip pain she’s been getting lately.
All in all, I’m very happy with The Medicinal Garden Kit. It’s everything I was looking for and more.
You can check out The Medicinal Garden Kit here.
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I have been worrying about what I would if the SHTF comes along and I cannot get any of my meds any more, like for blood sugar issues and high blood pressure issues, so this may just be the answer to all my worries. Thank you for Sharing
I think about that a lot, as well. I have blood pressure and cholesterol issues. I’ve always maintained a healthy weight and lifestyle, but my genetics got me. I wish I could ween myself off by moving into natural remedies. I’d rather start now that when SHTF, so I think I will give it try sooner rather than later, while I still have my doctor’s guidance.
Annie: Might I be so bold to suggest that when you have finished the last can of Bush’s baked beans and have switched to dandelion greens and squirrel and your dress size has shrunk from a 10 to a 4 you will find that your blood pressure and blood sugar problems will have cured themselves? Especially blood sugar when you would trade your first born for a super grande latte with extra cream and sugar from Starducks. When the last such concoction passed your lips was six months ago you just may find that if you had the means to get it tested that your A1C was about 3, especially with moving those buckets of water from the fire for dish washing by hand, clothes washing by hand, drinking purposes and, of yes, of course, the occasional bath. Oh, and the other daily exercises of kneading dough to make flat bread, chopping kindling, gathering kindling prior to chopping it. Carrying the .30-30 that your Granddad gave your husband before he passed away while carrying the axe to chop the kindling and then carrying the .30-30, axe and kindling back a quarter mile to the soddy, together with several magazines full of ammunition in the cartridge belt around your waist to feed the .30-30.
The diet the doctor recommended, cut down on carbs, cut down on sugars and get more exercise will be forced upon you because the carbs and sugars just are’t available and if you don’t move, you die.
Not to say that it wouldn’t be well to keep a supply of your meds on hand for the transition period, but your A1C and your blood pressure will be far down on your list of concerns after the end of the world as we know it.
Diet is a major help. Fasting under the direction of a doctor is, as well. One thing I do when the BP is rising is a cool/cold shower. Mine is caused by a chronic fungal infection (aspergillus) in the inner ears. That pushes back the fever for a time. I had to stop eating gluten, and now stopped eating most carbs. Not eating gluten helps with the diabetes, and no carbs helps against the infections. niio
Good article but are those plants zone specific?
I’m in zone 7b so I’m sure most of them would do ok but some others may not.
I am in zone 4a so I would like to know what zone these plants are for, also.
Link doesn’t work. I think you mean this link: https://nicole-apelian.com/my-store/
I found others, but they were much more modestly priced and didn’t seem to match your description.
Much more information should be provided here! It’s a big topic with lots at stake! Remember the old adage “First do no harm.” What might work in one instance, may not be the best in another. Dosage is always of concern. Hildegard von Bingen, a medieval herbalist extraordinaire, identified many herbal tinctures that
provided functional foundations in herbal medicinal cures still in use today in modern medicine. My favorite, the use of hops in the making of beer. Adds new meaning to toasting to one’s “good health!”
There should definitely be a mention of potential risks, consulting a doctor, using caution, etc. People on blood thinners need to be especially careful with supplements, due to drug interactions.
Depending on zone, I’d recommend bitter melon for blood sugar control and toothache plant, which works surprisingly well.
CC: In medieval times, beer and weak wine were drunk in preference to plain water as a means of controlling “the bloody flux.” That was a broad, non-specific term to cover a variety of sometimes terminal diarrheal diseases.
Even if my youth, if you wanted to say some drink tasted really bad, you said, “That tastes like Philadelphia water.”
So beer was the healthful drink of choice with each housewife making the household beer daily along with the daily bread (kneaded by hand — no nifty bread making machine)
LCC- Hops itself actually brings some antibacterial properties to the brewing process. Got that info recently from my internist who also makes his own beer. Nowadays most of the big health benefits enjoyed in a beer in medieval times are taken out of the beer in the brewing process.
CC: Today’s beer is pasteurized to make shelf life longer. Medieval beer had to be drunk fresh. That was why there were so many local breweries. It didn’t ship well.
Be cool if everybody who has good experience with a traditional herb or treatment would tell about it. I have been 100% protected from colds and flu for over 20 years now, 1 capsule of Standardized Echinacea (Echinacea extract) every 3-4 days. Since 25% of colds are caused by Corona viruses this probably protects against the Covidia too, but who knows?
One of the problems I have with herbal treatments is reproducibility of dosage. When I take 83 milligrams of aspirin I am pretty certain that the dosage is extremely close to that amount. The most significant thing about modern metering equipment is that it is extremely accurate.
The last herbal remedy I criticized started with “Take five leaves. . .” That is very inaccurate. What size leaves? One week old leaves? Leaves that have been on the plant a month? All season? A more accurate recipe would be: “Take 25 milligrams of one week old leaves. . .” Or even 1/2 ounce or some reasonably accurate, reproducible measurement other than “five leaves”.
I may take 1/2 ounce of week old leaves mixed with 4 ounces of distilled water and have a great reaction. You may take a different dose of old leaves and have an acute reaction.
Then there is always the age problem. Can you give the standard adult dose to a child? How about a senior? Lots of times children have a stronger reaction to adult drugs as do seniors because of their reduced functions. Being in the later group I can tell you things just don’t work the way they did 50 years ago.
I have never seen a warning about giving herbal drugs to seniors. I have seen warnings about pregnant women and children. It is hard for me to believe that the standard dosage for middle aged or younger adults is the same for seniors for all herbal drugs.
Those are just a few of the problems I see with the use of herbal drugs.
Mike swears that echinacea works wonders protecting him from the common cold. From his posts I gather that Mike lives a fairly isolated life. It doesn’t seem from his posts that he is a regular in the bars and restaurants of his closest town. I would suggest that his isolated life has a much to do with his freedom from common illnesses as his echinacea.
Herbal use almost seems like some kind of cult following to me. There is no room for reasonable discussion. It works for me and so it’s going to work for everybody. That’s all there is to it PERIOD!
LCC- Absolutely. And I might add that when you whip up these concoctions you’re technically making a type of drug for which you do not know if there’s any potential issue of a negative drug interaction. There is a good reason why your doctor will ask you what you’re taking and quiz you a bit about OTC and herbal remedies. Your health’s at stake! In my garden, I stick to the culinary herbs. In my book, they have all the health benefits I need.
Sadly, dosage recommendations for herbal products seem to be determined by a need to sell as much of the product as possible. The alternative health industry, IMHO, is as screwed up as the real health industry.
I read about a study last year that found that traditional remedies are more effective when administered by a Curandero, Shaman, or other traditional healer. Sounds interesting, but I haven’t found the study itself.
It is true I have been hiding out here at the mini farm since March 10, but before that I had what is called a job and interacted with many different humans every day w/o getting sick.
Staying out of bars doesn’t keep me healthy, it keeps me out of jail.
I can understand that herbal remedies are more effective when administered by some traditional healer. First of all, most healers come to the practice via the apprentice system where they studied under a successful older healer. While, unfortunately, some really weird practices got handed down, successful formulae were passed on.
How did the older healer come to know successful formulae? He or she had studied under an older healer herself and had learned just what mixture was necessary to achieve the desired result. She knew that the five leaf formula required leaves of a certain age and certain size and made sure that her secret formula matched the successful formula that she had learned. There was a lot of memory work involved, although many healers had their secret formula written down in some form that they could consult for formula that they didn’t use as frequently.
Makes a lot of sense. One reason we consult doctors and those of us of a certain age consult doctors who are neither too new or too long in practice. Though sometimes it is helpful to consult a doc who has been around for a long time. A doc my age may know measles because he treated measles cases many many years ago. A younger doc may not recognize measles symptoms until he has had a chance to go on line and input the symptoms and come up with the diagnosis. I have read that that is a problem among young docs who have never even studied the disease because inoculations had eliminated the disease until this recent craze about remaining inoculation free started.
It may be the very first time you have the symptoms and your on-line research doesn’t come up with anything. The doc, because he sees many folks, recognizes the symptoms and also knows which medicine generally works best with those symptoms. Or recognizes the need for surgical intervention. Even if we correctly recognize the problem ourselves, a second opinion is always comforting.
Self-administering herbal remedies is like self-administering drug industry remedies. While I don’t agree with having the government mandate that we must consult a medical professional before buying certain medications, it is really good practice because you might have something totally different from what you think you have.
You have to beware of quacks. I saw one herbalist on Taiwan who was treating a compound fracture where I could see the bone sticking out through the guy’s shin. The herbalist was treating it with poultices. I don’t know if the herbalist actually thought that the poultices would somehow get the bone back through the skin and align it with the other portion of the bone or was just taking the poor guy’s money. I suspected the latter. But it wasn’t my business to insure that the guy got good medical treatment. We got the signatures and thumb print, paid the guy the settlement money and got out of there.
I always wondered though whether the guy lost his leg or somehow it healed over and he was able to have limited use of it. I suspect he used a crutch for the rest of his life even if he didn’t lose the lower portion of his leg.
I went to an acupuncturist for a little while. His treatment resulted in relief of symptoms for a day or two. It looked like the treatment would go on for the rest of my life. I found that two ibuprofen four times a day was just as effective as the acupuncture and much cheaper and less time consuming. Eventually whatever was irritated became less irritated and I was symptom free.
Had a wonderful colleague who was not feeling well. She went to a Chinese herbalist, an acupuncturist, a chiropractor. They all treated here symptoms. They did not treat the cause. She went to just about everybody except a medical doctor. Big mistake! That’s why I say “had”rather than “have.” By the time she went to see her regular MD, she was diagnosed too late!
I have no idea why one standardized capsule of Echinacea every 3-4 days has kept me free from respiratory viruses since 1999, when all the years of my life before then I had the flu twice a year and one or two colds a year besides. I’ve researched it in depth, finding only one good double blind/placebo study that was independently run, and it showed no advantage from standardized E. Maybe it only works for certain people? I don’t know. I do know that I quit recommending it to friends years ago because everybody always tells me I’m stupid and wrong and it just don’t work, the Gooberment says so. Meanwhile, I continue to enjoy the blessing of great health.
I don’t think “stupid” is a phrase anyone should use about people interested in taking dietary supplements. If you do your research and consider the risks and rewards as they pertain to your health — AND you consult a doctor or pharmacist to check interactions and contraindications — you are putting in your due diligence.
I used to avoid herbal supplements entirely, but I have seen positive results in the few that I do take. I’ve slso abandoned some as a waste of time or potentially harmful. Heck, I even found myself bleeding out my eyes from a multivitamin given to me by my gastroenterologist. (Massive amounts of Vitamin K while on Warfarin.) There are no sure things, snd every substance has an impact — for good or ill.
It’s unfortunate the marketplace is filled with grifters who try to market “super ultra strength” varieties that can be dangerous, or that use ingredients that aren’t vetted by reputable groups, like the USDA.
Also, there is indeed no regulation, because there is no money in it. The government would be required to conduct very expensive studies, and it’s just not worth it to them. As a result, it’s a Wild West out there.
My feeling is that a person should approach any substance with caution, and read deeply about all substances — without implicit bias. Understand that your hopes about a supplement may be dashed. Most of all, accept the risks that come with your decision, and do everything you can to protect yourself from harm. That is definitely not stupid.
The standard placebo effect is 30%, Mike.
LCC: yeah, people who love all natural tend to be a cult. Remind them arsenic and the plague are natural. But, as well, herbals from reliable sources are standardized to weight and value. If, like me, you buy bulk and not in pill form, you better know what you’re doing. Minerals, tho, I always prefer the pills. Everything comes in 3 major grades and it’s not that hard to learn. A lot of herbalists are willing to teach it and how to use things. niio
If I have to watch the damn video just to get to the link to check out the price and to order it, screw it..
i watched a program on NHK about the pharmaceutical industry in Japan. A Japanese doctor, talking about vaccines said that in order for a vaccine to be effective, it has to make you sick in order for your body to generate the necessary antibodies to fight the full strength pathogens.
Note that he was talking about vaccines, not antibiotics or vitamins. He also said it was a very fine line to walk between making the patient just a little sick and making them really sick.
I don`t really MEAN to be a “Stick-in the-Mud” But, doesn`t anybody else think that $59 +tax then Shipping & Handling of $4.99 kind of “Over the Top”? for a package of (they say, Non GMO) SEEDS?, They are ALREADY “Non GMO” in your backyard anyway. Yeah-I know they are for medical use but MOST of these plants grow in the wild and SOME are even in our backyards. The ONLY convince WITH this kit would be the information on HOW to prepare and administer them and for WHAT use. I don`t see the logic in “The Cost” here.
Be cautious. Learn everything. You can go to an herbalist and they’ll teach basics. we raise a lot of stuff already. Things like calendula are great in a hidden garden. People think they’re only flowers, not a strong antibiotic and a food additive. We can grow saffron here, and that’s medicinal, provided it is saffron and not autumn crocus, which are toxic.
All those spices and herbs we use in cooking started out as medicinal foods. Food is medicine. Garlic, onions, rosemary, and so on. Black pepper helps give us a happy feeling–in moderation.
Right now, I’m experimenting with borax, not boric acid, which is a toxin. Research sent me to earth clinic https://www.earthclinic.com/ which had a lot to say about it. Do your own research and always follow guidelines. May you all survive and survive in style. niio
Hey! Thanks for the info. This info helped me a lot. I will wait some more.