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Of
the many reasons to plant an herb garden, growing herbs
for culinary or medicinal purposes are the most popular.
Aside from growing culinary herbs, people of many ancient
cultures were both cognizant and appreciative of the pathological
benefits which can be derived from herbs. In ancient times
herbs were attributed miraculous powers in many cultures
and such beliefs made herbal concoctions popular with
seers and faith healers as well. Aside from their ability
to heal, herbs were also associated with superstitions
and for one reason or the other, certain herbs gained
popularity in certain regions. For instance, in the ancient
Roman Empire, war heroes were decorated with dill and
laurel to celebrate their victories. In ancient times,
French people believed that rubbing a concoction of Artemisia
juice on a baby would protect the child from the harsh
winter air. The English, on the other hand, believed that
Rosemary worked as a great pain-reliever. There are also
records to show that Greek athletes once used crushed
mint leaves right after their baths to complete the cleansing
process and to invigorate them.
In recent years many people have turned to growing Ayurvedic
and Chinese traditional herbs. Some of these herbs are
used in the preparation of food or beverages and are simply
appreciated for the flavor they provide while others are
specifically added in cuisines or taken in the form of
medicine to boost health and wellbeing. In addition, one
other point to note when growing herbs indoors is that
some herbs have today been seen to work as an effective
mosquito-repellent while others are useful to purify the
air.
If you are enthusiastic about growing herbs from seeds
or maintaining your own herb garden, there are a few things
you need to know. To begin with you should understand
what an herb is. An herb is typically defined as a seed
plant that does not grow a woody stem though it may bear
flowers. After deciding where you plan to have your herb
garden, you need to list which herbs you plan to grow
there. Different kinds of herbs have different requirements
and for successfully managing an herb garden of your own,
you should understand these before taking on the project.
Certain basic points however, are a must for any herb
garden whether it is an indoor garden or an outdoor one.
For instance, your garden must allow for proper drainage
as too much moisture will ruin the flavor of your herbs.
You should also keep points like weather and sunshine
in mind before deciding which herbs you want to grow.
If you plan to grow mainly culinary herbs, you should
think about how much your requirement is and also how
long you would be able to store these herbs for use once
they are grown and cut. Here, you would need to read up
about issues like how to preserve herbs. Freezing and
drying herbs are some popular methods of preserving herbs.
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