Imagine your house will look aesthetically good with the help of potted plants and most importantly, have medicinal use. There are herbal plants out there easily to be plant for health purposes. However, the medicinal plants have a widely range for medicinal use, from curing the flu to other serious illness. Besides, with the goodness of medicinal or herbal plant, you can conveniently pick up them right in front of your doorstep instead of looking high and low in the supermarket. Here are some of the plants you can easily grow in your very own box planter.
Turmeric - it’s not all about spice
Turmeric is known for it’s natural colouring for cone rice or yellow rice. By mixing with turmeric, your rice will have the taste and aroma that is incredibly unique. Even if it is mixing with water, the drink is a herbal medicine. Turmeric has plentiful of benefits which includes:
Remove body odour
Lower heart disease risk
Cure gingivitis
Regulate the menstrual cycle
Relieves fever
Natural anti-inflammatory
Increase antioxidant
Aloe vera - the beauty product at your door step
Aloe vera is extremely popular amongst women because of it’s soothing and moisturize function in nature. It is used as a face mask to moisturize the skin and inhibit aging. Besides, aloe vera helps with acne treatment by soothing your acne as it has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties. It is also known that it helps to soothe scars or burns whenever you have sunburn. Although aloe vera leaves are affordable and cheap in supermarket but if you are growing the succulent yourself at home, then you can get it anytime and free.
You can make your own face mask anytime with using some of the ingredients easily available from the kitchen. For example, aloe vera + honey + cinnamon face mask can control and reduce acne-causing bacteria. You can also exfoliate your skin with these ingredients, aloe vera + sugar + coconut oil scrub.
Celery - more than just an appetizer
While celery is usually used as a complement to buffalo wings that goes with sour cream dip, the celery is also a good herbal health plant. Celery is loaded with essential minerals and vitamins like folate, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and vitamin K. With the abundance of nutrients, every part of the celery including stalks, seeds and leaves are rich in nutrients. Celery also provides dietary fiber that boosts digestion and weight loss. The high percentage of water and electrolytes can prevent dehydration.
Here are some benefits of celery:
Helps lower high cholesterol
Reduces inflammation
Treats high blood pressure
Protects liver health
Benefits weight loss
Prevents urinary tract infections
Help protect from cancer
Boosts digestion and reduces bloating
Ginger - wonder spice
A popular ingredient in cooking especially in Asia for it’s medicinal purposes. This flowering plant is best consumed when it is cold that soothes sore throats. The root or underground stem (rhizome) of the ginger plant can be consumed fresh, powdered, dried as a spice, in oil form, or as juice. Ginger is also part of Zingiberaceae family which is also found in cardamom and turmeric. Studies found that ginger contains hundreds of compounds and metabolites that can contribute to health and healing.
Ginger is commonly known to help with abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea. However, there is more than that it helps our body to be better.
Digestion
Cold and flu relief
Pain reduction
Inflammation
Cardiovascular health
Although ginger is commonly found in the grocery store or supermarket but nothing beats fresh ginger from the pot.
Mint - cooling herb
Mint is relatively easy to grow from the small pots on a sunny windowsill and they can help to ward off ants and flies. A popular herb that can be used fresh or dried in many dishes or drinks and mint oil is often found in toothpaste, candy and beauty products. It has antioxidants and anti-inflammatory that can reduce the potential health risks. Here are mint’s health benefits:
Relieves allergies
Treats common cold
Reduces indigestion and gas
Treats irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Prevents gastric ulcers
Pain reliever
Breath freshener
Try mixing mint in your lime juice with sugar then top off with filtered water and ice cubes. You can also add it into your daily drinking water with chopped apples or sliced lemons to make your drink more interesting.