St John's Wort & Angelica: Plant Profiles & Medicinal/Culinary Uses
Two More Plant Profiles & Their (Medicinal) Uses
In my quest to have one of the best (medicinal) herb and flower gardens I have ever planted, cultivated and harvested, I wanted to share two more flowers I am adding this coming year.
Two that I am thrilled to add are St John's Wort and Angelica; both for their medicinal uses as well as their vibrant flowers which will add just the right amount of color to my overly green herb garden area. Mixed in between the sage, oregano and spinach, I believe the St John's Wort bright yellow petals and the sweet delicate white of the Angelica will be just what I want and need in certain areas.
My Uses For St John's Wort & Angelica
St John's Wort- I will use in dehydrated (powder) form to add to my herbal teas and once I find a safe recipe I may add to my homemade soaps and lotions. It has properties good for eczema and dry skin.
Angelica- (commonly called wild celery) The same as St John's Wort, I will use in my teas and homemade soaps and lotion after finding a safe recipe. Leaves can be made into a tea which is good for acne and a refreshing face wash when applied directly to the face.
St John's Wort For Medicinal Uses
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Uses For St John's Wort
Common Uses:
- Natural remedy for depression
- Anxiety
- Tiredness
- Loss of appetite
- Insomnia
- Relief of some PMS symptoms
- Helps with OCD symptoms
St John's Wort comes in these forms:
- Capsules
- Tablets
- Tinctures
- Teas
- Oil-based skin lotions
- Chopped & powdered
Warning - St John's Wort
According to Dr. Axe's website there are some concerns when wanting to start using St John's Wort:
... it does interact with a number of medications, so it should be taken only under the guidance of a health care provider, especially if you already take medications for depression
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Angelica Medicinal & Culinary Uses
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Uses For Angelica
Common Uses:
- Heartburn
- Intestinal gas (ie. flatulence)
- Loss of appetite (ie. anorexia)
- Arthritis & anti-inflammatory
- Circulation problems
- Runny nose (ie. respiratory catarrh)
- Insomnia (use in bath for relaxation)
- PMS symptoms
- Mouth sores (use as a gargle with warm water)
It's recommended to harvest the flowers and plant in mid-June through July for its culinary and medicinal uses.
Culinary Uses
One day last year another steemian had mentioned to me that she was harvesting angelica and highly recommended the plant. She had said it was great in salads and added a nice flavor when cooking. I remember thinking angelica would be nice to have on hand, just like summer savory, and use in some Mediterranean style dinners and even as an added flavor and flair in some soups. We don't care for celery so when I'm cooking I will toss in some celery seeds just for a hint of the flavor; so I'm hoping that angelica can replace using celery seed.
Warning- According to Mother Earth News:
...use moderation when ingesting angelica. In large doses it may affect blood pressure, heart action, and respiration.
And incidentally, unless you're an herb expert, stick with the cultivated variety (which has a better flavor than its wild sister, anyway). Wild angelica may be confused with water hemlock, a highly poisonous plant.
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I noticed your emphasis on safe and am curious, have you run across unsafe recipes? How do you distinguish between the two? I keep running into conflicting information on essential oils, for example, and when two “experts” downright contradict each other, I’m left just wanting to avoid using them. I imagine the use of herbs is similar.
Do you use any particular books on herbs? I’ve got Rosemary Gladstar’s “Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health” saved on Amazon and was wondering if it was the best one for a brand new beginner.
I LOVE Rosemary Gladstar's books! She is a wealth of information. One day I would love to visit her retreat and farm.
For the SAFE thing, I know some herbs don't mix well especially with lye soap recipes, but they may be good for the melt & pour soaps.
I also have read and researched so much about EOs- and I too, get conflicting information- it really is annoying at times. I generally use Rosemary's info or the Young Living website for any questions I have. Those two seem to be the most trustworthy to me.
Oh, I’m glad to have that confirmation! Now I can buy with more confidence :) Thank you!
I forage St. John’s wort and use it in my tea. It is great for taking the edge off. I think it would replace a lot of antidepressant drugs if given a chance. I also use it when I have a cold. With blue vervain and a little shot of whiskey and honey. Knocks you right out.
I take Xanax on rare occasion for anxiety and stress; this will definitely help to stop taking prescribed medications.
I don't drink alcohol so the whiskey is out... but the honey is in.
awesome! i'm excited for you! i added some st johns wort to the garden last year and am excited about harvesting for tinctures, making an oil (hypericum oil)! not sure if you know this too, but if you make a topical using st johns wort and apply it, it will make your skin more sensitive to then sun-photosensitivity, fyi, so we all gotta be careful of that <3 enjoy your rocking herb gardens!
I didn't know this about hypericum oil but that is so cool! One of these days I am going to go to your online store. I just never have enough time in the day!
Thank you for contributing your knowledge to help others! The Sotall Community has linked to your post here.. If you write any future articles with instructions on how to do any tasks related to a homestead or survival, to ensure they are added to the directory, please submit them. They will be added as soon as possible.
Thank you and I will submit some this week hopefully.
I don't see how you have the time to write with all the other things you are doing for Steemit! Please know your efforts are appreciated and always welcomed!
I am working on my herb garden. I want to have as many as possible too. Yiu can never have enough medicinal or culinary herbs in your garden!
EXACTLY! I just hope I have enough space! But I have dozens and dozens of containers!
When you run out of space on the ground, start going up and us hanging baskets and pots!
I love learning about the plants around us and how to use them for our benefits. Great post
Me too! Bad thing is.. then I want to add to the garden!
Which means more seeds to buy- hubby's not so happy!
Happy Hubby happy home;)
Thanks for the tips..
You're welcome!
I love that yellow flower, it's beautiful.
wow. what a valuable post! I so such love natural remedy and i know those plants St. Johns wort and Angelical are very valuable. You doing great creating health & wealth through nature and steemit. keep it coming. upped
Thank you! Yes, I am striving for 100% natural remedies and a healthier lifestyle.
Sure and let's keep steeming hot 😋
I'm a fan of St. John's Wort but I never heard of Angelica. Thanks for the information. P.S. I like the flower on the St. John's Wort, vibrant yellow it's very eye catching.
I know it is! The vibrant color actually brings a smile to me