These 4 medicinal herbs are not only useful for home remedies, but they also look beautiful in your garden!

With today’s high cost of health care, many people are turning to less expensive traditional remedies such as medicinal herbs for minor ailments. There are many different herbs you can grow in your own backyard that boast medicinal properties – from immune-boosting properties, to relief from cold and flu symptoms, to healing of minor cuts and scrapes.

Below are just 4 common medicinal herbs that are not only easy to grow, but have a long history of medicinal use.

You can use these herbs in teas, make them into herbal tinctures, or some you can also use in salves or rubs. Many of these plants are not only useful, but look absolutely stunning in your garden!

Note: Keep in mind that medicinal herbs, although generally safe, can still cause allergic reactions or interact with other medications, so be sure that you check with a professional herbalist or naturopath before using any herbal remedy.

1.) Echinacea (Echincaea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia) – Zones 3 to 9

Commonly called coneflower, this native plant is prized for its ornamental qualities, as well as its immune boosting properties. Only the roots have medicinal potential, so you’ll have to dig up the plant to harvest them in the fall for use in both teas and tinctures. Echinacea can be grown from seeds or seedlings in full sun and reaches heights of about 2 feet.

2.) Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) – Zones 5 to 9

While passionflower blossoms are beautiful to behold, it’s the leaves of this cold-hardy species that house medicinal applications, as both a mild sedative and an aphrodisiac. Harvest in spring, summer, or fall. Use in teas and tinctures. Passiflora incarnata can be grown from seeds or seedlings in full sun and reaches heights of about 20 feet. The fruits are also delicious in the fall when the skin dries and becomes slightly shriveled.

3.) St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) – Zones 3 to 8

These bright yellow blossoms are more frequently called upon to treat mild depression and other mood disorders, though a variety of other medicinal benefits have been attributed to them. The flowers are harvested in summer for use in tea or tincture. St. John’s Wort can be grown from seeds or seedlings in full sun and reaches heights of about 2 feet.

4.) German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) – Annual

This dainty daisy-like flower has long been a popular Western remedy for everything from chest colds and stomachaches to anxiety and insomnia. The flowers are used for medicinal purposes, generally as a tea. Harvest in summer. Chamomile can be grown from seed in full sun and reaches heights of about 18 inches.

Read more about growing medicinal herbs at ModernFarmer.com…