Herbal remedies you can get from your garden

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- You're used to using herbs to flavor your food, but how about to heal your body?

Herbs are bought and planted for three major reasons: flavor, beauty and fragrance. Now you can add a fourth reason - healing!

According to the Herb Society of America, herbs have been used for years for their healing power. Eddie Russell, certified master gardener at Cornelius Nursery, shares some popular herbs and their natural healing properties.

Basil: Pureed with olive oil, nuts and garlic, basil creates the popular pesto, but also can relieve bloating, gas and soothe stomach upsets.

Rosemary: Makes any chicken dish sing and the stems make excellent skewers for grilling. Rosemary is also an effective antioxidant and helps with digestion, circulation and blood flow to the brain, which helps with concentration.

Parsley: Cleanses the breath and adds a fresh zing to most fish, meat and egg dishes, but it also relieves bloating, prevents kidney stones and bladder infections.

Dill: Irreplaceable when pickling cucumbers and can be used to treat heartburn, colic and gas. Dill also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Sage: Irreplaceable in cornbread dressing, but it is also an antiseptic and antibiotic.

Oregano: Popular in Italian dishes, but it also is the herb highest in antioxidants and antibacterial properties and helps soothe menstrual cramps.

Cilantro or Coriander: Good with all Mexican dishes and is one of the easiest herbs to grow, it also relieves toxins that cause chronic fatigue, joint pain and depression.

Mint: Can be used to make a soothing cup of tea, but also can ease hiccups, nausea and vomiting. Mint can also prevent asthma and is a good source of Vitamin C.

Thyme: With buttermilk, it creates a fresh dressing for greens, but is also used for relaxing respiratory muscles, which helps relieve coughs, bronchitis and chest congestion.

Growing Herbs at Home

Supermarket herbs range in cost from $.79 to $4.99 per bunch and last between four and five days. If you want to grow your own herbal medicine cabinet, Eddie says it's not only easy, but inexpensive to do. On average, a 4" herb pot at a nursery will cost between $2.49 and $2.99. You want to make sure they get three to four hours of direct sunlight and have good drainage. Be sure to fertilize once a month with a good organic plant food. To keep insects away, Eddie suggests planting marigolds near your herbs.

If you have a green thumb, Eddie suggests growing your herbs from seeds, which is even less expensive. Seed packets range from $1.00 to $2.00 with hundreds of seeds inside each one. To plant them, use a seed starting pot made of peat moss and a seed starting soil mix. Put three to four seeds in each pot. Once they grow into a small seedling with at least two sets of leaves, it's time to transplant into a larger pot or into the ground.

Eddie creates herb theme gardens based on the herbs popularly used in certain foods, like salsa and pizza. In his pizza garden, he planted basil, oregano and a roma tomato plant. In his salsa pot, he planted a tomato plant, a hot pepper and cilantro.

Just one plant yields a lot of herbs. You can harvest for months or up to a year, and some herbs reseed themselves, like dill.

Now you can start growing your own healing garden today!