Both of my grandmothers made their own home remedies. My mother used a sweet violet syrup made by her mother. Whenever I had a cough, cold or sore throat, I got a glass of water with a few teaspoons of violet syrup. I remember it being very soothing, especially when it came to reducing coughing and easing a sore throat.

I think that was when I learned that common garden plants had medicinal properties.Dr Mercola shares two fascinating statistics in this article. First, the World Health Organization estimates that 80% of people in the world still use traditional home remedies as their primary health care tools. This includes the use of plants.

Secondly, 70% of the new drugs introduced in the US are derived from natural products, primarily plants.Dr Mercola discusses 7 medicinal plants that you can use for health purposes. These are common plants that will be familiar to everyone. He discusses in detail the health benefits of:

• Ginger
• Garlic
• Peppermint
• Lavender
• Thyme
• Chamomile
• Dandelion

He also suggests taking a class in herbalism to learn an herbal healing skill that you don’t have and want to develop.

One of the best classes I’ve seen is the Introductory Herbal Course offered by the Herbal Academy of New England. It provides an excellent foundation in herbalism. The course is online, you work at your own pace, the instructors are excellent, and the price is reasonable. Read more about the Introductory Herbal Class HERE.

Click on the 7 Underrated Medicinal Plants link below to see the complete article.

Also, here’s a recipe for Violet Syrup

Ingredients

• 2 cups cleaned, tightly packed Sweet Violet flower petals (no stems, centers or leaves)
• 3 cups boiling water
• 8 cups sugar

Directions

• Put the flowers in a glass or ceramic pot or large, clean glass bottle.
• In a separate pot, boil the water.
• Pour the water over the flowers. Cover the pot or glass bottle tightly. Store at room temperature for 24 hours.
• The next morning strain the violet water through a fine mesh sieve or coffee filter into a glass or ceramic bowl. You want to separate the liquid from the petals. Squeeze the remaining flower petals to get all of the fluid out and into the bowl. You can use an herb press, panty hose, or press the petals against a sieve over the bowl.
• Pour the fluid, cup by cup, into a clean glass or ceramic pot. Keep track of the number of cups of fluid you have.
• For every cup of violet water add 1 cup of sugar. (If you want sweeter syrup you can add up to 1-1/2 cups of sugar for every cup of water)
• Bring the liquid to a slow simmer. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat slightly and keep cooking for 5 to 10 minutes. You don’t want to boil the syrup or it will lose its beautiful color. If a skin forms on top, skim it off.
• Remove the pot from the heat and allow the syrup to cool.
• Pour into a sterile jar or bottle (It will look Beautiful!). Store in the refrigerator.

Use 1 to 2 teaspoons in a glass of water for medicinal purposes. This syrup can also be used for culinary recipes too.

Click the 7 Underrated Medicinal Plants link below to read the entire article.

7 Underrated Medicinal Plants