My peppermint-scented geranium grew to two meters across in Katoomba. It has some shade but gets afternoon sun. The herb has a sprawling habit and looks nice cascading over stone walls. The soft-haired leaves smell deliciously of peppermint. Delightful in a potpourri for tea or in cooking. Can be grown in the garden, in a … Read more Scented Geranium Peppermint, Pelargonium tomentosum
What a pretty plant is that! It looks great in a rocky site similar to its natural habitat. I seriously run out of sunny sites otherwise I would plant a lot of them and try to cook the edible roots and shoots and flowers. The lore goes that the roots of the asphodel are best … Read more Asphodeline lutea, King’s spear, Yellow asphodel
This is the classical Dan Shen herb of Chinese medicine. Cultivate as any other salvia, full sun, average soil, good drainage. Dan Shen is not as pretty as other sages, this one is grown for medicine. Danshen is used for heart and blood vessel health, cancer, and many other conditions. Other names: Ch’ih Shen, … Read more Dan Shen, Salvia multiorrhiza
Jjiaogulan herb palnt at Mountainherbs in Katoomba
This is the famous adaptogen herb of the Ayurveda medicine. Ashwagandha is used for a myriad of issues from improving immune system as a potent adaptogen, aphrodisiac, for impotency, cancer, frequent miscarriage, uterine weakness, infertility, asthma, anemia, cancer, arthritis (osteoarthritis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis), anxiety, stress, depression, ADHD , cerebellar ataxia, diabetes, high cholesterol, infertility, Parkinson’s … Read more Ashwagandha, Withania somnifera, Indian Ginseng
No, I haven’t used the African Dream Herb so far but maybe I should. Shouldn’t we all care more for our dreams? This herb is said to induce spectacular vivid dreaming. It was used for millennia by the African Xhosa shamans. The dreams were regarded as healing guidance and knowledge, a present from the ancestors. … Read more African Dream Herb Silene Capensis
Do contain the yomogi plant it is a very agressive grower! Grow it in a pot, not in the garden! This is the famous Japanese artemisia used esxtensively in in moxibustion, Japanese folk medicine and to flavour the dish ‘mochi’.Yomogi is an excellent smudging plant producing a smooth and cooling smoke that purifies the air … Read more Yomogi; Artemisia princeps – the Artemisia used for Moxibustion and Mochi, 50 mm pot
Pretty plant for shallow water. Very wet soil or shallow water, spreading groundcover, tolerates alkaline soil, sand, clay, no drainage and seasonal flooding. Deciduous, does well in pots. Traditional usage (American Indian, TWM): colds, arthritis athlete’s foot, wound dressing.
Other than with pharmaceutical drugs which are either for cough or high blood pressure or for any single ailment many plant medicines are much more complex and can be used to fight so many illnesses that you cannot decide which are the main applications for that plant. Yarrow is such a herb, but for me … Read more Yarrow, Achillea Millefolium, supplied in 50 mm pot
My plants survived the cold winter in pots and just make their comeback, the tops are still quite small. Yacon is as easy to grow as the so called Jerusalem artichoke, but it tastes way better. The yields are ridiculously high and unlike the Jerusalem artichoke, the tubers are smooth and easy to clean. The … Read more Yacon, Smallanthus sonchifolius, high yielding edible tubers for self sufficiency