If you were to plant an herb garden to take care of wounds, pain, headaches, colds and fevers, sleeplessness, etc. What would you put in it?
Medicinal Herb Garden
A few to research:
Comfrey
Valerian
Catnip
Willow
yarrow stops bleeding in a matter of seconds - but supposedly only the white yarrow (Achillea millefolium) works and the crosses aren't supposed to have medicinal value. i haven't had time to test and see if it's true.
the best headache herb is feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), but it only works for some people. for me, it is highly effective but i have some friends who have tried it and had no effect at all. it works best if you take a small amount every day as a preventative, but if used that way it has an unusual side effect of messing with chemical birth controls.
pain - there are a lot, and it depends on why the pain is there. a lot work best as rubs directly on the area that hurts. cayenne is good for this. for me, the most effective is eucalyptus, which you probably can't grow yourself, and i use that for carpal tunnel and muscle aches.
colds - to prevent or shorten them, you want echinacea (Echinacea purpurea, but this is almost extinct in the wild and native americans uses all the species so any echinacea should do fine). the root is the strongest part so it has to be 2-3 years old, and you have to keep planting new ones to make up for the ones you dig up to use. garlic (Allium species) is also good because it's such a strong antioxidant. ginger (Zingiber Officinale) is good for sinuses and sore throats, but it won't grow outside unless you're tropical. elderberry (Sambucus nigra) is also very good for chasing off a cold once it starts and so is horseradish.
sleeplessness - my favorite is valerian (Valeriana officinalis), but again most of the medicine is concentrated in the root, so it has to be 2-3 years old before you can harvest, and you have to keep starting new ones or you'll use them up. it has a terrible smell and taste so you probably only want to dry and grind it and put it in capsules to use. cats love it though even more than catnip, so while it's drying you may have to keep kitties at bay. however, this is another herb that some people react to differently. some people are out in 15 minutes or so, others it actually acts as a stimulant (!). if you know valerian isn't for you, chamomile (Matricaria recutica) is a much milder calm/sleep inducer that is safe even for kids (unless they have an allergy to Asteraceae or Compositae flowers). Sleep can also be gained through scent, so many of the "smell good" herbs would do there.
Thanks so much! I have a bunch of books I'm using to cross reference and research. I just wanted some tried and trues before I went off half cocked from a book I read.
Sapphirestar19 ~ on your reference books, an older one I'd recommend that is applicable to herbal growing in the south was written by a lady and her daughter from Cleveland, TX. Southern Herb Growing by Madalene Hill & Gwen Barclay. It is more of a selection of herbs suited for the area rather than the medicinal uses but has given me an understanding of why some herbs like French tarragon or lavendar do no do well for me.
To truly get into medicinal herbs takes far more education and devotion than I will do. I am fascinated to learn what the various plants can be used for but I doubt I will ever get further than making teas, sachets or using them for cooking. I wish you well in your endeavor as there is much to be learned.
Cerridwenn made some good suggestions and many will do well in your zone. Ginger ~ Zingiber officinale is one that will grow here. You can pick up "palms" of ginger at the grocery and plant in a container or in ground. It can be harvested in fall and frozen for later use. Garlic and horseradish can be acquired and started in the same manner. All are common and easy to grow.