I’m the sort of person that always likes to be prepared. It’s for that reason that I always carry dental floss, a sewing kit, and a tiny Merriam-Webster’s dictionary in my handbag. Breath mints, an eyeglass repair screwdriver, and calming flower essences round out the “preparation station,” always within arm’s reach. So maybe my shoulder gets tired from time to time-it’s worth it in the event that corn should get lodged between my incisors, I partake of too much garlic for lunch right before an important meeting, or I forget what laconic means, again.

Things at home are pretty much the same. Flashlights, candles, and matches are ever at the ready for power outages, the guest bed is always made, the pantry filled with a rotating supply of non-perishable goods, and the herb garden continually growing something for my homegrown medicine cabinet. While I am a huge fan of commercially prepared herbal remedies (a close friend founded one of the largest herb companies in the business, Gaia Herbs, and Red Moon Herbs, located a mere two towns over, sponsors an annual Southeast Women’s Herb Conference that is transformational beyond words), the do-it-yourself-er in me delights in whipping up my own herbal preparations to supplement those I pick up at the market.

Inspired by a recent read on making your own elderberry syrup to keep the H1N1 virus at bay over at Homegrown , I set out to score some elderberry bushes of my own. They’ll go into the ever-evolving medicinal herb garden, rubbing shoulders with echinacea (for immune strength), chamomile (for calming), lemon balm (for calming), astragalus (for overall strengthening), comfrey (for wounds and as a tea for my plants themselves), burdock (for detoxifying), lemon verbena (for raising my spirits), spearmint (for upset stomachs), rosemary (or circulation, concentration, and memory), sage (for immune strength), and lavender (for calming).

CLICK HERE for the rest of “You Can Grow Your Own Way: Homegrown Pharmacy” after the jump!

There are countless preparations your homegrown herbs can be transformed into. Several include:
-Tincture (extracts prepared by steeping herbs in alcohol or glycerin)
-Syrup (prepared with honey or sugar)
-Tea
-Capsule
-Ointment, salve, or liniment (extracts combined with a fat, such as beeswax, shea butter, vitamin e, and others)
-Infusion (similar to tea, only that the herbs are covered while they steep for a designated period of time-commonly made when you are using the leaves and petals of a plant)
-Decoction (herbs are combined with water and boiled over heat for a designated period of time-often used with hard or woody plants
-Compress (applying an hot infusion or decoction to skin via cloth or gauze)
-Poultice (applying herbs directly to the skin, or wrapping them in a thin gauze and then applying)
-Infused oil (herbs are allowed to steep in a carrier oil for a designated period of time prior to use)
-Lozenges (herbs are combined with sugar and a mucilaginous substance and formed into pills)
-Bath

And my personal favorite:

-Foot soak (simply add about 2/3 c.herbs and 2 1/2 quarts boiling water to a heat-proof basin large enough to accommodate your feet; steep about 10 minutes; add cold water until the water reaches a temperature you find tolerable, slid your aching dogs in, and relax until the water cools; towel off, put on dry socks, and rest easy; if you want to recharge, try lemon verbena; if you want to chill, try chamomile or lavender; if you’re fighting the funk (cold-wise, that is), try ginger or echinacea)

This list really just sort of scratches the surface. There are almost as many ways to perform herbal alchemy as there are herbs. I’ve whipped up all sorts of concoctions in my kitchen. You don’t even need a yard to grow medicinal herbs. Many are happy to set up shop in a pot on a balcony, stoop, or sunny windowsill. If you’re interested in growing your own pharmacy, I’d suggest picking up an homemade herb-making book or two. Several of my favorites include:

- Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal , by Rosemary Gladstar

- Growing 101 Herbs that Heal , by Tammi Hartung

- The Herbal Home Remedy Book , by Joyce A. Wardwell

- Backyard Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies , by Juile Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal

It might also be worth checking with your physician before you begin taking any herbs, especially if you are pregnant, might become pregnant, are nursing, or are taking prescription medications. Although they might seem benign, herbs are medicine, too, and can be contraindicated when combined with certain medications.

If you need to score some tincture bottles, droppers, dried herbs, glycerin, beeswax, or other ingredients and supplies for whipping up your home brews, check out:

- Frontier Co-op
- Mountain Rose Herbs

Decide which herbs are best for yourself and your family so that you too can be always be prepared, then get busy discovering the sublime joy of growing-it-yourself (G.I.Y.?)!

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