The Practical Nutritionist, LLC

Audrey J Pellegrino, M. Ed, M.HN,CNW®

Nationally board Certified Nutritional Wellness

Holistic Nutritionist/Educator

603-768-3214

practicalnutrition@gmail.com

www.pnutritionist.com

THE GIFT OF YOUR GARDEN

If you are like so many New Hampshire residents you get intense pleasure out of your garden. Maybe because it is so relaxing and rewarding and maybe in part because you realize how short the season is and you want to enjoy every moment of it. I am one of those people who really, really enjoy my garden. It doesn’t even matter if I can eat it or not, just the calm reward that I get from puttering and watching things grow and change is enough for me. Throughout the years I have realized how undervalued and underused so many parts of my garden are. There is a medicinal or nutritional purpose for almost everything growing in my little gardens and I had no idea, I just liked watching them grow.

I think most of us realize that basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender and sage are plants that we use for culinary purposes to make our food tastier. But do you realize that Basil is used for indigestion? Thyme is used for bronchial problems, as well as intestinal parasites. Rosemary has been used historically to treat headaches and sage is used for night sweats and colds. A lot of the herbs we grow in our gardens and store in our kitchen cabinets are also used as a basis for modern day “pharmaceutical” medications or by themselves as herbal remedies.

For those who do not have an herbal garden your flower bed also has a lot to offer. Of course it offers visual diversity, attracts birds and butterflies for our enjoyment and provides pleasant scents on a summer evening. But did you know your Lily of the Valley is used in cardiac tonics or that your Linden flowers are used for calming nerve tonics. The sweet little Violets that give us so much pleasure when we come upon them unexpectedly are used to treat dry coughs and sore throats. Yet in contrast to the delicate violet, the peony which takes so long to establish is valued for its roots to regulate menstruation and epilepsy.

Of course in gardening there is always the curse of the weeds. They aggravate us and threaten to take over our beloved flowers and vegetables. We will do anything to stop them. I truly believe all people and all things have value and so do the weeds. Chickweed is the annoying weed that grows on the side of the road and everywhere else but it is also used for skin rashes, fevers and even weight loss. Lawn evils tend to be Dandelion and Clover, yet Dandelion aids the liver in removing toxins and Red Clover is used as a blood thinner.

I do not recommend that you go right out to your garden and self medicate yourself through your plants. However, I find it interesting to know that when someone is trained and understands the different plants, they have something more to offer us.