Aloe barbadensis

❧ Plant Details - Aloe barbadensis. Also known as Curacao aloe, Aloe, Indian Alces, Aloe Vera, Gawarpaltra, Kumari, Ghirita, Lu hui, Barbados aloe. Aloe vera is a part of the lily (Liliaceae) family. Probably originating in northern Africa, aloe vera does not have any naturally occurring populations, but is closely related to the aloes that do occur in northern Africa. Aloe vera has commonly been used in herbal medicines for about 2 000 years. Extracts are widely used in both the cosmetic and alternative medicine industries, being marketed for having healing, soothing, or rejuvenating properties. Aloe is a stemless or very short-stemmed plant that grows 24-39 inches tall. The leaves are thick and fleshy, colouring green to grey-green. The flowers produce in summer, on a spike that grows up to 35 inches tall.
❧ Common Uses - This herb is commonly used for medicinal purposes. It treats burns, sores, insomnia, eye problems, coughs, fever, ear infections, facial, edema, colds, and many other conditions.
❧ Personal Use - A few days ago I burned my lip when eating food that was too hot. After placing something cold on it right away (ice from my water glass), I went and got some aloe. Applying the gel to my lip really helped to sooth the burn and cause it to heal faster.
❧ Reflection - Aloe is a great remedy for burns. I would have felt more pain if I hadn't used the plant to help heal my lip. It also would not have healed as quickly otherwise. I think aloe is something handy to have because it can be kept in your house as a decorative plant, and also help sooth burns and sores etc.



Zingiber officinale

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Cinnamomum verum

❧ Plant Details - Cinnamomum verum. Also known as Real Cinnamon, Cinnamomum Zeylancium, or Ceylon Cinnamon. Sri Lanka, India, and Peninsular Malaysia are the only places where Real Cinnamon can be found. Cinnamomum verum is the bark of the cinnamon tree, which is a species of evergreen. The tree can grow up to 40 feet high. The leaves are glossy, ovate, red when young, and green when mature. They have a spicy aroma to them. The flowers are tiny and yellowish-white, and are followed by red berries. The fruit is small (1/2 to 3/4 inch) and pointed. The bark is harvested from young shoots.
❧ Common Uses - This spice is used commonly in cooking. It is used commonly as a spice in many dishes, and used in supplements. It also has medicinal uses, helping prevent and cure diabetes, help circulation, lower bad cholesterol, boost memory, relieve pain, aid digestion, treat the flu, relieve colds, and battle heart disease. It also contains antiseptic properties.
❧ Personal Use - Cinnamon is always great to add to hot chocolate. Especially when it has whipped cream or marshmallows. During Christmas time, I drink a lot of hot chocolate, so the cinnamon was also useful in adding some extra delicious flavour to my hot chocolate. Just like peppermint in tea, it makes the drink so much better in my opinion.
❧ Reflection - Like peppermint, cinnamon is one of my favourite spices. I do not cook much, but when I do I think I should use more cinnamon. It really is great on everything, and I want to experiment with it. I haven't ever tried using it for any of its medicinal properties yet, but the way I see it, if it tastes this good, it also must do an amazing job health-wise. Cinnamon donuts are also amazing.



Lavandula angustifolia

❧ Plant Details - Lavandula angustifolia. Also known as lavender, English lavender, common lavender, narrow-leaved lavender, true lavender. This plant is a part of the mint family, and native to the western Mediterranean, primarily the mountains in northern Spain. It is a strongly aromatic shrub, and can grow up to 6.6 feet tall. It has evergreen leaves and the flowers are a pinkish-purple (lavender) colour, set upon spikes at the top of leafless stems. The species name, angustifolia means ''narrow leaf'' in Latin. It was formally referred to as Lavandula officinalis because of its medicinal properties. Plants with the name officinalis are ones that were traditionally sold in apothecaries, and considered to have medicinal or healthful properties.
❧ Common Uses - This herb is commonly grown ornamentally in gardening and landscaping. It is popular because of its scent, colourful flowers, and ability to live with low water consumption. Its flowers and leaves are used in herbal medicine - either in the form of lavender oil, or as a herbal tea. It is known to be a relaxant, and also helps with pain and stiffness, stress related symptoms, headaches, dizziness, fever, nausea, insect bites, depression, burns, as well as other conditions and illnesses. Lavender is used commercially in products for home use such as lotions, bath oils, shampoos, etc. The flowers can be used in cooking, often as a part of the French herb blend, herbes de Provence.
❧ Personal Use - Since Christmas was approaching, I had decided that I would make Ness a nice present using flowers as she had loved the flower arrangement I had given her. Knowing that she loves purple, and that girls seem to love the smell of lavender, I decided to make her a wreath of lavender. Going down to the student gardens, I picked some of the beautiful flowers. Back in my Common Room, I weaved the flowers together. It took a lot of hard work and I had to make sure that I didn't damage the flowers, but I succeeded.
❧ Reflection - Lavender really is a lovely flower. The scent can be pretty strong, and there were times where I sneezed a lot while making the present... but really it is a pretty flower. I can see why girls tend to love it so much. And if Ness loves the present I made her, I think I will be using lavender more often just for her.

Eupatorium perfoliatum

❧ Plant Details - Eupatorium perfoliatum. Also known as: Feverwort, Indian Sage, Vegetable Antimony, Boneset, Agueweed, teasel, Sweating plant, Thoroughwort, Crosswort, wood boneset. Grows to 3+ feet, and has a distinctive double leaf (one that is long, tapering, pointed, dark green in colour, and shiny on its top surface). Flowers are dense on the plant, and colours range from white to a bluish purple. Its fruits are achenes - in many species, what looks like a ''seed'' really is an achene, a small, dry fruit containing the seed - and have crowns of white bristles on them.
❧ Common Uses - This herb is used for medicinal purposes. It treats fevers (as well as prevents them), colds, aches, pains, rheumatism, broken bones, pneumonia, jaundice, malaria, as well as other injuries, conditions, and illnesses. Mainly the leaves and flowers are used, the latter commonly having been dried after harvest.
❧ Personal Use - Since I was sick with a flu recently, my mom sent me some boneset that she had grown in our garden at home. It came in a powder, and she told me how to brew it in order to make it as a tea. I added boiling water to 1/2 teaspoon of the powder, letting it steep for 15 minutes before drinking. I drank this repeatedly until I felt better.
❧ Reflection - Though I found this tea to be rather helpful, it had a rather bitter taste to it. I am not a huge fan of bitter things (I don't like coffee), so it was rather hard to drink it at first. After a few times drinking this tea, I had decided to see if I could sweeten it with honey (which would also help treat my sore throat). It made the tea taste less bitter, and thus better.



Allium sativum

❧ Plant Details - Allium sativum. Commonly referred as garlic. Garlic is a species of the onion genus (Allium). It is closely related to onions, leeks, chives, shallots, and rakkyo. It has been used for over 7 000 years, is native to central Asia, and was well known by the Ancient Egyptians. Garlic has been a staple in the Mediterranean region for a long time, and is often used as a seasoning in Africa, Asia, and Europe. It has both culinary and medicinal uses. A bulb, it grows up to 2 feet in height. It has hermaphrodite flowers (containing both a staminate and carpellate). Insects and bees pollinate it.
❧ Common Uses - This herb works as a natural antibiotic and antiseptic. It can be used to treat bronchial and lung infections, tuberculosis, tonsillitis, throat infections, pressure, colds, as well as other illnesses and conditions.
❧ Personal Use - I used the garlic to help me treat my flu along with the boneset. While the boneset helped me treat my fever, the garlic helped me to treat my sore throat and runny nose. My mom sent me some cloves along with a jar of honey. Instead of using this as a tea on top of the other one that I had been drinking, I used it as a syrup. I peeled and minced a whole head of garlic and covered it with 1/2 cup of the honey in a small jar. I let it set for over three hours, and then took a teaspoon of it every hour as I needed it.
❧ Reflection - I like garlic, but I still found the taste really strong. The honey helped lessen it a little, as well as boosted the effects of the treatment. It was definitely better when I swallowed the mixture whole. Garlic and honey is a very good remedy for colds even if the taste isn't all that great.



Mentha piperita

❧ Plant Details - Mentha piperita. Also known as peppermint, balm mint, lamb mint, curled mint, brady mint. It is a hybrid mint, a cross between spearmint and watermint. Originating in Europe, it is now cultivated around the world. It is a perennial plant, and grows 12 - 25 inches tall. The leaves are dark green with reddish veins, usually slightly hairy as are the stems. The flowers are purple, are are produced in whorls around the stem, creating think, blunt spikes. As it is a hybrid plant, it is generally sterile (producing no seeds), and produces vegitatively via its rhizomes (stems of a plant that are usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from their nodes).
❧ Common Uses - This herb is used in cooking, for candies, teas, cookies, ice cream, beverages, jellies, as a seasoning etc. It is also used for medicinal purposes. The methanol in mint has antiseptic properties. It stimulates the heart and circulation. It is used to treat fever, colds, flu, nausea, Crohn's disease, nasal/sinus/chest congestion, as well as other conditions and illnesses. On top of culinary and medicinal uses, peppermint is also used cosmetically in herbal baths, face washes, and infusions.
❧ Personal Use - Since I had been drinking some pretty bad tasting tea in order to help with the fevers I had, I decided that I would try a better tasting tea as soon as I was all better. Having brought peppermint tea leaves with me to school in case I wanted some tea in winter, I seeped some in boiling water and made myself a drink of nice tea. It was definitely better than the boneset. I drank a few cups over a day.
❧ Reflection - I definitely like mint. Basically every kind of mint that I can think of. I find the flavour soothing and comforting, and it's my favourite tea. This is definitely a herb that I use more than a lot of others, since I do enjoy tea in the winter. I also hear that peppermint oil is beneficial for some things, though I'm not specifically sure what.