Summer herbs

Some fresh summer herbs like thyme, cress, or lemon balm... 

Keep areas of continuous, unbroken paving to a minimum. They cannot support the same biodiversity as a border with soii, and they do not act as a soakaway for rainfaii—an increasingiy necessary feature as flooding becomes more prevalent. However, broken paving, with herbs or alpines planted between gaps, can provide a valuable wildlife habitat The stones absorb heat in summer, and provide a basking spot for snakes and other small animals, while the nearby plants give cover. If laid on only a minimal foundation of sharp sand, the stones will also provide cover for invertebrates such as beetles. 

Herbs that like damp soil will grow well in a naturally boggy area, or you can create one by the edge of a pond. Try meadowsweet Filipendula), water mint, valerian, and hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum). In dry summers you will need to keep the water levels in the pond or bog garden topped off. Note that some of these species can become invasive once they are established in the garden. 

Leafy herbs such as parsley, chervil, cilantro, summer savory, and dill all enjoy the slightly richer soil found in a vegetable garden. These types of herbs are best sown direct in the spring once the soil is warm enough. 

It is good to have breaks in long-term treatment of chronic disorders. The best time to do this is in the summer because summer-heat or damp-heat may weaken the function of the Spleen at this time, and the herbs may overburden the Spleen and cause digestive disorders. 

In summer or in places with a warm dry climate, pungent, warm and bitter herbs should not be used at high doses because the pores of the body are not tightly closed and so the body fluid can easily be consumed by heat. This precaution relates to herbs that induce sweating, expel wind and cold, disperse the Lung-Qi, dry dampness and increase urination. 

Applications Distilled medicinal liquids are light in smell, taste and function. Fresh herbs that clear heat and nourish the body fluids are often used in this form, especially in the summer. 

The dosage of the herbs in the formula should be adjusted to suit the condition of the individual, the syndrome and the season. For elderly people, children, people with a weak constitution and for mild syndromes, at a place of gentle climate and in the summer, the dosage should be less. For adults with a strong constitution, for treating severe syndromes, in winter or in a cold place, the dosage should be larger. 

Huo Xiang is an excellent herb to expel wind, cold and dampness it can also transform dampness in the Middle-Jiao. Compared with Xiang Ru, it is stronger in transforming dampness in the Middle-Jiao compared with Zi Su Ye, it not only expels wind and cold, but also disperses dampness in the superficial regions of the body to treat heaviness and stiffness of body. It is selected especially in the summer to treat the common cold, influenza and acute gastritis. 

These aromatic fresh herbs can reduce the summer-heat and transform and disperse the dampness. They can be used as assistants in the formula if the damp-heat occurs in a humid and warm area. The main indications are fullness in the chest, reduced appetite, a sticky feeling in the mouth and sleepiness. The aromatic fresh herbs can penetrate the dampness in the Middle-Jiao, revive the function of the Spleen and accelerate the transformation of dampness. 

Qing Hao is bitter, cold and aromatic, and enters the Liver and Gall Bladder meridians. It can clear and disperse heat from these meridians, especially from the blood and Yin levels. In a formula that descends the Liver-Yang, Qing Hao is used as a corrective assistant to disperse and ascend the restrained Liver-Qi, which is suppressed by the heavy and cold descending minerals and herbs. Meanwhile, since Qing Hao can brighten the eyes, clear summer-heat and damp-heat, it can be selected if red and swollen eyes with blurred vision are present in the syndrome. 

Tea with fenugreek is thought to promote lactation. It can be made iced in the summer, hot in the winter. For more on herbs, read Nursing Mother s Herbal by Sheila Humphrey. 

Over three summer vacations, the Wassons searched the Oaxacan highlands for someone who could tell them about the sacred mushrooms. They spoke to all the herb venders they could find and collected many different species of mushrooms previously unknown to scientists. In retrospect, it may seem amazing how long it took to find the objects of their search. The problem was that while they did find psychedelic mushrooms (none of which were tried), they found no one who would perform the ceremony or talk about the use of mushrooms. There was no way to tell if they were psychoactive unless tried, and who were they to trust ... 

Perfume chemists use extraordinary language to describe their achievements Paco Rabanne pour homme was created to reproduce the effect of a summer walk in the open air among the hills of Provence the smell of herbs, rosemary and thyme, and sparkling freshness with cool sea breezes mingling with warm soft Alpine air. To... 

TERENIABIN — The Fat of Manna, Wild Honey, approaching black, a deposit from the Air, and not from bees it is found upon grass, trees, and herbs, and it is as sweet as true honey. It is found largely during the summer months-June, July, August. The ancients call it Threr. 

For centuries, herbs have been used to make relaxing or refreshing drinks, and for infusions to help relieve a whole range of ailments from headaches to sore throats and indigestion. You can buy many of these herbs dried, in sachets, from supermarkets and health stores, but the drinks taste much better if you use fresh leaves. Fresh herbs are less concentrated than dried ones, so you ll need to use more (usually twice as much). If you grow them yourself, you ll have plenty of leaves, flowers, and seeds to brew yourself a healthy, non-caffeinated drink—served hot in winter, cool in summer— whenever you feel like it. Many of these herbs have very pretty leaves and flowers, too, so they make excellent plants for window boxes or containers. 

In the summer, lightly cut back herbs after flowering and feed them to encourage a second flush of leaves. 

St. John s wort Hypericum perforatum), an herb used extensiveiy in the treatment of miid to moderate depression in Europe, has aroused interest in the United States. A bushy, iow-growing plant covered with yeiiow fiowers in summer, St. John s wort has been used for centuries in many folk and herbal remedies. In Germany, hypericum is used in the treatment of depression more than any other antidepressant. The scientific studies that have been conducted regarding its use have been short-term, however, and have used several different doses. St. John s Wort works like the SSRIs, in that it not only increases the availability of 5-HT in synaptic clefts by blocking its reuptake but also increases the availability of NE, which increases energy and alertness, and dopamine, which increases the feeling of well-being. 

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