welllll. I had an herbal skin care business for 29 years. Haven't done any of it since 2019 when I closed the biz. I have moved from the west to the east, zone 7, middle of virginia.
It's taking me time to acclimate to zone 7 from zone 11, Phoenix. I had a smokin garden in phx, struggling now to figure out this dirt, climate. I should have a better handle on it next year.
this year I grew/is growing:
Lemongrass, distill for eo, put in cold process soap. use in tea, 1 gram makes ..well, go read it:
https://www.israel21c.org/fresh-lemon-grass-fields-in-israel-become-mecca-for-cancer-patients/
it's good as a sleep inducing aid, calming.
Lemon verbena, omgosh it smells divine and lasts for YEARS. tea to relax, stomach cramps, calming, relieves stress, also as flower essence. Seasoning, salads, ice cream.
Lemon balm, tea, flower essence for dog as he's afraid of loud noises, it helps calm him down. Sleep inducing, calming, ani-viral. anti-gas. relaxant.
Echinacea - just cause I always grow it, but here, plants get mold on them. all plants. it's basically the amazon rainforest/jungle here. it did and I pulled it. Already have a flower essence from it from Idaho.
basil for pesto, dry for my seasoning jar cause I want fresh stuff. Good for skeeter bites, I like the smell.
Holy basil - excellent for calming for ptsd, sleep inducing, relaxing. the smell is awesome. eat one leaf a day and boost your immune system.
choc mint for hydrosol distilling. the best cold tea around. also make it into hot tea and let cool.
sage, great as tea for headaches, good for seasoning. good support for memory, gas, stomach bloat/pain.
rosemary, MEMORY, helps to focus, good for concentration. great seasoning. had tunisian rosemary in phoenix, can't find it anywhere out here. it has less camphor in it.
oregano, seasoning, exc to just smell to help immune system.
had parsley for the smell, but pulled it cause i don't use it. made the flower essence already.
lemon thyme, great for headaches, sinus issues, in scrambled eggs, in tea. smells divine.
we had a forester come out and he said the forest is the healthiest one he's seen in a long time. said we have pawpaw and sassafras, but I wasn't there, so I don't know which ones they are. there's sumac berries, that I didn't get cause i didn't know when to get them. Just picked striped wintergreen with the berries yesterday.
Might try neem tree, moringa, they'll die at first cold.
Will try to plant loofah, green beans, tomatos. tried tomatoes this year and they were miserable.
HOPS I wanna plant hops. good for so many things.
And plant or find cramp bark.
I HAVE to find comfrey plant that isn't $20 for a 2 inch plant. SOMEONE MUST have some growing around here.
I've got a ton of bulbs to plant, as soon as Ian's gone, the ground will be super soft and I'll plant them then.
mint anything will help tremendously for stomach aches. mint and chamomile tea for inducing sleepiness.
oh and plantain, will take itching and inflammation away in minutes.
oh and mimosa tree, aka silk persian tree. bark infused in oil for pain, WORKS, tincture I can't remember for what, and tea from the flowers for happiness. tea from bark for I can't remember, but you can look it up. I made flower essence, [brings joy, helps with depression], tincture and oil.
I ordered a home distiller and all the instructions were in Chinese. Sent it back....
