Mullein... and mullein... and mullein... did I say mullein for my allergies? :o)
Self heal for my owies..
Calendula and comfrey for my lotions.
I also make calendula, comfrey and chamomile into a facial wash....
lemon balm for sleeplessnes...
the list just goes on...
I think one should figure out what they need then just grow it! :o)

lemon balm for sleeplessness...

Did you grow it from seeds and was it difficult to germinate? I'm trying to grow this one for sleeplessness too (and a few other herbs), but the seeds are just sitting there, doing nothing. I'm now trying the baggie method so I can *see* what the seeds are doing. still nothing.

well, this is kind of OT, isn't it? I'm never sure about these things.

Sage (salvia officinalis) for sore throat tea - sage and ginger with lemon and honey. Yarrow for bleeding. Mullein leaf for poultices for my husband's slipped discs and mullein flower oil for earaches. Skullcap for headaches. Kava tincture for stress reduction. This list could go on for ever!

Hmmm... lemon balm self sows itself all over the place at my house... you might try refrigerating it, cuz mine seems to do most of it's popping up in January. It is loving our rain, and getting a lot bigger than it normally does. I warn you, it is a mint! You will be picking it out of everywhere, it even made it over the fence, over my house, into my backyard.

1. St. Johns Wort- oil for sore backs, tincture for depression
2. Echinacea, fresh roots for at least a gallon of tincture
3. MINTS- soothing teas all year long
4. Calendula- dried flower oil
5. Comfrey- fresh root oil

Those are my most important plants I have growing now. I wish I could grow Arnica, but my growing conditions have not afforded me that luxury.
I too love Skullcap, and hopefully my plants will yield harvest this year. They are slow growing here.

Thanks for the topic! Lynn

Herbalynn... skullcap is slow growing for you? I thought that it would be too hot here, and boy, was I wrong! I must be severly mistaken and thought that it is a cool weather herb.

My herbal medicine cabinet is outside in the garden. If I need anything, I harvest and use it fresh.

I would not be without my elder tree, aloe vera, nasturtium and agrimony. Parsley and garlic have to be considered essential to any herb garden. Ditto rosemary and sage and mint.... Honestly, I can't limit myself to 10 herbs! I seldom need to use them medicinally, but it's comforting to know they're there if I need them.

Well I guess in Australia you can harvest "fresH" herbs from outdoors all year long but here we have to dry etc. some! :)

I have to second herbalbetty's recommendation on skullcap for headaches. When a nasty one hits, one or sometimes two cups will usually knock it back to a bearable level or get rid of it all together.

Calendula infused oil is awesome for many topical uses and very mild as well.

Would not leave home without infused arnica for the sore back and joints!

What, did noone mention garlic??!!! Can't live without it.

Also, personally need/use red raspberry leaf, echinacea, red root/cleavers, and mullein, too. Nettles. Wish I could grow ginseng!

Right now my must-have list is: yarrow, calendula, comfrey, lemon balm, dandelion, spearmint, burdock, milky oats, lavender, roses.

But ask me next week & I'll give you a whole different list I'm sure, lol.

~bushpoet

Only ten? This is tough!

1. Arnica - and my plants have spread like crazy this year
2. St. John's wort - need more of these...can't have enough as so many people I know use it
3. Hops - great for sleeplessness too, and making dog treats that calm an over-excited puppy. (Although last year my plants were so heavy they snapped the arches they were on!)
4. Lemon Balm
5. Lemon Catnip (& regular)- tea is good for restlessness, safe enough for children
6. Echinacea - as a preventative, not a cure (it can actually make a fever worse if you take it while already ill)
7. Solomon's seal - and it's spreading too... Yay!
8. Pennyroyal - tea is flavorful, but don't drink too often
9. Valerian - the flowers make the whole backyard smell somewhat like musky vanilla... pleasant surprise considering what the root smells like! ;)

10. Comfrey, mugwort, ginger, bergamot, chamomile, anise hyssop, astralagus, lemon verbena, motherwort, stevia, angelica, feverfew, hip roses, slippery elm, marshmallow, nasturtium, sage, lemongrass, garlic, spearmint, sweet woodruff, and horehound.

Hmm...sorry. Guess I couldn't keep it to just ten. And that was after I narrowed it down to the favorites of what I'm actually growing, hehe. The "medicine cabinet" contains much more. Hopefully I'll trade for some more plants this year, to make the medicine cabinet more self-sustaining. Yay for gardenweb!

Plumflower brand Huang Lien(with coptis root in it) for
throat infections-use as directed, overdoseage is
Forbidden!; aloe vera and garlic for yeast infections (put
the garlic powder on the aloe gel and use as a suppository);
plantain for gum problems(raw),dandelion for liver and
bladder,echinacea for all purpose, astragalus to use with
huang lien(echinacea can put some problems in your bones),
dan shen for bone pain,release the muscle layer formula
for a problem I have.

Well I can answer by what we all like to use almost everyday. It's not exclusively herbals though....

I firmly believe that if the alimentary canal is cared for the outside will take care of itself in most cases...

We use slippery elm as a base for my capsules that hold 160,000 HU of cayenne, and clay. I usually add a fourth component but vary this with each batch we make up. Once I added barley green but this time I'm going to add some powdered prairie mimosa we wildharvested last year. It's plenty green with cholophyl.

We often use tea tree oil and a product from Rawlieghs called Antiseptic Salve. The company stopped producing here in the states in the early ninties because the FDA or one of those agencies banned the use of many of it's ingredients. You still have to buy it through a dealer but it's made in Autralia or somewhere like that now. But I had a stubborn boil that just wouldn't completely go away, I used this stuff and it went away. I was amazed. It's phenol and terpentine in a petrolatum base, like vasoline. Great stuff. It rids the skin of rashes like nobodies business.

And I would not be without my homemade aspercream using willow bark. Rub that on aches and pains and you feel better. I wouldn't be without my cayenne tincture either. It's the best stomach remedy that ever was. No more ulcers. I haven't had ulcers in years since I learned about cayenne powder and tinctures. And B3/ Niacin... It gives you a flush like no bodies business. It helps to oxygenate the tiniest capilaries in the body. I can't leave off mentioning the use of fresh lemon juice with some of the raw honey from my beehives. It cuts a sore throat in minutes and eliminates colds and flus practically over night if combined with a good homemade flu remedy that has golden seal mixed in a steamy cup of herbal tea. And sunshine. LOL

to make a long list short
Datura Inoxia - Toxic
Nicotiana Tabacum -Toxic
Nicotiana Rustica -Very Toxic
Brugmansia Versicolor - very toxic
Atropa Belladonna- very toxic
Salvia Officinalis ' sore throat rinse '
Chamomiles ( weeds in this area )
Lemon Balm 'Mesquitos may love me, but they hate Melissa '
California Poppy ( toxic )
as for the things marked ' toxic , they serve to treat a few things , mostly the same issues, localized but severe pain resulting from injuries , trouble breathing ' cold , flu , general trouble in this area ' and the Nicotiania's , are valuable to aid digestion when smoked moderatly ' very moderatly in case of N. Rustica ' while these are probobly bad choices for most people, as they are toxic , if they have been a part of your life for any length of time, they become valuable medicines, as well as valuable friends ;) and you are willing to except the toxicity . in the case of Datura / Brugmansia / Atropa Belladonna, these are things I resort to when I am already for all pratical purposes bed ridden , that the pain is so sever that moving is almost impossible , and this is as a topical preperation , relieves pain, relaxes muscles , does however induce some ' mental' effects, disassociation , delerium ' in excessive amounts similar to used in rituals by some ' , but if used sparingly , this benifits you when you are already in so much pain that to leave your bed to visit restroom is a proposition you fear through the day . it dosent really matter if you are in a stupor , for me this is preferable to trying to sleep feeling like there is a large kitchen knife in my back - Adam

Herb robert,freshly picked.
Brahmi,freshly picked.
Gotu kola,freshly picked.
Indian ginseng,freshly picked.
Suma,dried and ground into powder.
Dandelion,freshly picked.
Capcicum(this is counted as a herb by some)

Since Ive mentioned herbs,I will say to add to this that Glucosamine sulfate is the most signifcant non herb treatment that I have taken in the last 15 years and has had a hugh impact for the better on my health.

Im new to herbs...I've only been taking them for 3-4 years.
I take the above every day.
Give me another 3-4 years and the total will be "10".

Herbite, I have a large patch of solomons seal too...what do you use it for medicially? Thus far, we just really enjoy their incredible form - and their fragrant flowers in the spring ...

>purple sage for sore throats
>green tea for hangover sickness (gonna try and grow tea soon)
>hops for anyone with insomnia and for decorating my house, use as a pillow or by chewing (horribly bitter but i like it +faster effects, i.e. marijuana like as is closely related)
>garlic. (i don't need to lovwer my blood preasure being 16, but useful nonetheless)
>mugwort for smoother sleep (fights bad dreams), haven't tried yet but will make up a hop pillow when my hops flower and include mugwort.
>majoram for relaxation, just relaxing cos it makes a nice tea, especialy when mixed with hops and anything else you care to throw in.
>water mint. good tea, clears the mind
>just obtained some creeping english thyme(i think) strongest medicaly of all thymes

Bilberry leaf powder tea, Dandelion leaf tea and Bitter melon powder as a help in managing diabetes.
Dandelion will help in keeping liver healthy.
Butcher's Broom root and Burdock root as diuretic.

Hope you don't mind me bringing these to the top. LMK if you do. Also reported East herb for spam.

This was such a refreshing thread and no rants.

bumbed up for newbees

Proper thread for HERBALISM forum.