Herbs: The Spice of Life

When I was in 7^th grade, we had to do a science project.  Our project has to be on something in the plant world, biology plant-life, if you will.  I found it extremely uninteresting, but I wanted an A.  For the record, I still will do whatever I need to get an A.

I also wanted it to be important – according to my 7^th grade brain.  And I knew that the process of photosynthesis was important BUT not that interesting.  However, herbs were very interesting.

And with that thought, I started to read about oregano, pepper, rosemary and things called ‘nettle’.  They had been used for centuries to heal people.  I perked up even more.  Now, remember, this was before the internet, before computers at home.  This was when we had to flip through encyclopedias while sitting at the library.

Page after page, I flipped through the encyclopedias, the old books showing photographs and drawings of plants – and explaining the good they do.  I was sold.  I whipped out my markers and drew plant leaves, outlining in magic marker and coloring in with crayons (I was super advanced and shooting for an A remember).  I was a multi-media artist – and a scientist – and a healer.

Convinced I had discovered something new under the sun, I drew my poster and preached my findings in proclamation fashion - for each of my plants.  Then, after a round of (perceived) applause, I sat back down, received my A, and forgot about it.

Yet somewhere in the back of my mind, through ups and downs, decades later, illness and health, deaths and births, I come back to the earth.  Literally.  Back to the stuff that grows from the earth.  Back to my kick-arse drawing with magic marker and crayon and can’t help but feel intuitively there is real healing in these plants.  They were made for us.

For example, take tumeric.  Do you know there are claims it helps to ease arthritis?  Reduce inflammation?  How awesome is that!  Cinnamon will lower blood sugar and ginger can avert naseau.  Again, super cool.
Don’t take my word for it.  Please explore and experiment yourself.  Afterall, in 1980, I did get an A on my poster…..

Here is a short list of my favorite herbs. In reality, I really wish I had my poster from all those years ago.  I'd just use that!  :)

In the meantime, feel free to comment below, what you have found.  Good, bad or indifferent.  I look forward to hearing from you!