Wherever you are a flower will make you smile

Be Well Natural Herbs

Bee Balm the most perfect feeding flower. Monarda is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genus is endemic to North America. Common names include bee balm, horsemint, oswego tea, and bergamot, the latter inspired by the fragrance of the leaves.

Bee Balm herb is edible and medicinal.All above parts of the plant are edible and used as a potherb,and also used as a flavoring in cooked foods. The flowers make an attractive edible garnish in salads.Bee Balm leaves and flowers and stems are used in alternative medicine as an Bee balm plants prefer moist, rich soil, and a sunny location. Bee balm will tolerate shade, particularly in hot-summer areas. Plant it in any protected spot that would benefit from a bright shot of color.
as an antiseptic,carminative,diaphoretic,diuretic and stimulant. An medicinal infusion is used internally in treatment of colds,catarrh,headaches, and gastric disorders,to reduce low fevers and sooth sore throat, to relieve flatulence,nausea, for menstrual pain and insomnia.Steam inhalation of the plant can be used for sore throats,and inflammation of the mucus membrane,causing an increased flow of mucus.


Light: Bee balm does best in full sun. Though it will grow in part shade, it tends to stretch and become leggy over time.
Soil: Bee balm does best in evenly moist soil rich in organic matter. It can tolerate lighter soil, but richer soil will encourage taller, stronger specimens. Boggy conditions are not tolerated, nor are soils that are allowed to dry out for long periods of time.
Spacing: Plants should be spaced 18-24 inches apart.Bee balm is available to plant in the spring and fall. Plant them as soon as they arrive in well-drained soil that has been amended with organic matter. If you cannot plant them at once in permanent positions, shallowly heel them into a temporary position and keep them well-watered until transplanting.
Light: Bee balm does best in full sun. Though it will grow in part shade, it tends to stretch and become leggy over time.
Soil: Bee balm does best in evenly moist soil rich in organic matter. It can tolerate lighter soil, but richer soil will encourage taller, stronger specimens. Boggy conditions are not tolerated, nor are soils that are allowed to dry out for long periods of time.
Spacing: Plants should be spaced 18-24 inches apart.: The growing plant acts as an insect deterrent, it reduces the soil eel-worm population.

Lemon Balm and Bee Balm   Bee balm is available to plant in the spring and fall. Plant them as soon as they arrive in well-drained soil that has been amended with organic matter. If you cannot plant them at once in permanent positions, shallowly heel them into a temporary position and keep them well-watered until transplanting.
Lemon Balm

Lemon balm is a member of the mint family, and like all the mints, it tends to ramble. It produces long stems that start out tidy but eventually begin to lean every which way like a head of unruly hair. Wandering by a patch in spring you'll see light green, toothed leaves in a dome shaped mound. The plant can grow to almost five feet in some cases, but tends to be somewhat smaller -- and certainly looks best if cut back regularly to maintain a cohesive shape.

Originally a native of southern Europe, lemon balm now grows wild in many parts of the world, including areas of the U.S. It's a perennial in hardiness zones 5 through 9. It's also a bee magnet. The "melissa" in its scientific name is Greek for honeybee. You've probably heard that honey bees have been having a tough time with parasitic wasps and pesticides in recent years. Show your bee love by filling a corner of your garden with lemon balm. Imagine the honey that pairing would produce.  Oh, and if you've had trouble pollinating your squash blossoms (or anything else), plant a little lemon balm nearby for added insurance.

This versatile herb is easy to grow. For everything you get into the bargain, you'd expect lemon balm to be persnickety about soil pH or susceptible to wilt or vulnerable to the predations of common insects. It turn out that everything about this little plant is good news, though.

One of my favorite herbalist and healer said Lemon Balm “causeth the mind and heart to become merry…” – Nicholas Culpeper

Infusions of fresh leaves are used for depression, nervous exhaustion, indigestion, nausea, and the early stages of colds or flu.

Tinctures are best when made with fresh leaves. They are used for the same conditions as infusions, but small doses are usually more effective.

Compresses are soaked in infusions to relieve such painful swellings as gout.

Ointments are used on sores, insect bites, or to repel insects.

Essential oil can also be used on shingles (5 drops to 1 tsp. olive oil and gently massage into area). Note that the commercial lemon balm essential oil is difficult to find, and most are adulterated with lemon or lemongrass oils.

Infused oil is used warm to hot as a gentle massage oil for depression, tension, asthma, and bronchitis.

Juice can be applied to cuts and scrapes.

Lotions made from an infusion can be applied to cold sores.

Comfrey

Comfrey

Cultivation---Comfrey thrives in almost any soil or situation, but does best under the shade of trees.
Propagation may be effected either by seed or by division of roots in the autumn: the roots are very brittle, and the least bit of root will start growing afresh. They should be planted about 2 1/2 feet apart each way, and will need no further care except to keep them clear from weeds.

As a green crop they will yield largely if well-rotted manure be dug between the rows when dressing for winter.

As an ornamental plant, Comfrey is often introduced into gardens, from which it is very difficult to eradicate it when it has once established itself, a new plant arising from any severed portion of the root.Formerly country people cultivated Comfrey in their gardens for its virtue in wound healing, and the many local names of the plant testify to its long reputation as a vulnerary herb - in the Middle Ages it was a famous remedy for broken bones. The very name, Comfrey, is a corruption of con firma, in allusion to the uniting of bones it was thought to effect, and the botanical name, 

Symphytum, is derived from the Greek symphyo (to unite).

Symphytum officinale

Parts Used Medicinally---The root and leaves, generally collected from wild plants

Traditional Uses

Comfrey leaves are dried, ground up, and mixed with water, a moisturizing oil, or aloe vera to form salves or pastes that can be used externally to promote the healing of skin ailments, while reducing inflammations and infection. When the crushed herb is applied to an injured limb, the allantoin is absorbed through the skin to speed healing. When a compress is applied immediately to a sprained ankle, it can significantly reduce the severity of the injury.

Indigenous to Europe, comfrey now grows in all temperate regions of the world, including western Asia, North America, and Australia. The herb is a perennial that grows up to three feet, producing thick leaves and bell-like white to pink or mauve flowers. It thrives in moist, marshy places; but it can send down a ten-foot, or longer, taproot to raise moisture and valuable minerals. The leaves and flowering tops are harvested during the summer. The root is harvested in the spring or fall when the allantoin levels are the highest.

The use of comfrey is restricted in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Germany because of the toxic alkaloids, mainly pyrrolizidine. However, it is unclear as to whether they are toxic in the context of the whole plant, since they are only present in minute amounts and are often completely absent from samples of dried aerial parts. The highest concentration is in the root, having almost twice as much as in the aerial parts. Until such time as it is proven one way or the other, use of the root internally is not advised. It should be noted that Swedish researchers have determined that these alkaloids are destroyed when making a decoction of the aerial parts. Though symptoms may not show up for several months after use, liver damage can occur in a week.Formerly country people cultivated Comfrey in their gardens for its virtue in wound healing, and the many local names of the plant testify to its long reputation as a vulnerary herb - in the Middle Ages it was a famous remedy for broken bones. The very name, Comfrey, is a corruption of con firma, in allusion to the uniting of bones it was thought to effect, and the botanical name,
Symphytum, is derived from the Greek symphyo (to unite).
Symphytum officinale

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Borage: A cooling,saline,diuretic herb that soothes damaged or irritated tissues,increases perpiration,and has mild seditive and anti-depression effects. Seeds are rich source of gamma-linolenic acid. Oil regulates hormonal systems and lowers blood pressure. Due to the small amonts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids that may cause liver damage only the oil from the seeds should be taken internaly'
Culivation : Well Drained moist soil in full sun.Will tolerate poor dry soil but makes a much larger plant in better conditions.
Syrrup made of the flowers of Borage comforteth the heart.

Dill And Pot Marigold 

Calendula: The growing
plant acts as an insect deterrent, it reduces the soil eelworm population.
A yellow dye is obtained from the boiled flowers. An essential oil is obtained from the plant.
Like most herbs,calendulas are adaptable and do not require a lot of maintenance.Roots will often adapt to space provided.can be grown in full sun or shade.The plant actually prefers cool temperatures the flowers last longer in filtered sun.
The flowers are used cosmetically. They can be used in skin lotions and when added to hair shampoos will lighten the hair colour. The flowers are an alternative ingredient of 'Quick Return' compost activator. This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost.
The whole flowers can also be dried, and added to soups and stews in the winter as an immune tonic. This traditional folk use heralds from medieval Europe, where the flowers were also added to bread, syrups and conserves.
Culpepper wrote, “The flowers, either green or dried, are much used in possets, broths, and drink, as a comforter of the heart and spirits, and to expel any malignant or pestilential quality which might annoy them.”Materia Medica

Dill:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill
Dill (Anethum graveolens) is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae.Like so many other food- or medicine-based plants, dill originated in the Mediterranean region, specifically southern Russia and West Africa.


The Health benefits of dill include promoting digestion,relief from insomnia,hiccups,diarrhea,dysentery,menstrual disorders,respiratory disorders,and cancer.Dill can be a powerful boost to the immune system and can protect from bone degradation.It is also an anti-inflammatory substance, which means that it can protect you against arthritis.
Dill has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes for hundreds of years.Both seeds and leaves can be used. Apart from giving a strong, tangy, appetizing flavor and taste, it has many medicinal properties, which mainly come from certain compounds called Monoterpenes, as well as flavonoids,
minerals and certain amino acids.
** Information on the traditional uses and properties of herbs are provided on this site is for educational use only, and is not intended as medical advice. Every attempt has been made for accuracy, but none is guaranteed. Many traditional uses and properties of herbs have not been validated by the FDA. If you have any serious health concerns, you should always check with your health care practitioner before self-administering herbs. **