Grow herbs indoors for year round enjoyment

Herbs throughout history have influenced all facets of man’s life including politics, romance, religion, health and superstition. Ancient Abyssinians used celery to stuff their pillows. Romans gathered dill to purify their banquet halls. Ancient Greeks used marjoram and parsley as a tonic and cure for stomach ailments, respectively. They also rubbed themselves with bruised mint after their bathes. In the middle ages, France thought Artemisia (wormwood) to possess magical and medicinal powers and rubbed babies with it when they were with cold. Rosemary was known as a cure for headaches and also used as a tranquilizer. As man ventured from his home in exploration, herbs made the trip with him. Mint was prized not only to ward off the evil eye but also to flavor stagnant water during long sea voyages. Early settlers to the new world brought herbs with them to trade, to use as medicines, incense or as flavorings for food before man became adept at food preservation. Today, growing herbs is simple and economical. While many of those once used for medicinal purposes still exist, the preventative punch that these small plants possess outweighs their medicinal value by a long shot. Not to mention that they make everything you cook taste a whole lot better.

Herbs are at home in the outdoors but can be also be enjoyed as year round houseplants. All you need to start is a container with drainage holes and a sunny location within your home. If you have a southern exposed kitchen window, porch or patio then you’re all set. Most herbs require about six hours of direct sunlight per day. Some however, such as mint, bay, rosemary or thyme do survive in indirect lighting situations. Others like lemon balm and tarragon thrive in low light conditions. They should be placed in rooms where the temperature stays within 65 to 70 degrees during the day and 55 to 60 degrees during the night as some can’t survive temperatures 50 degrees or below. Basil is one such culprit. And while herbs don’t like drafty locations, they do prefer those that afford them good air circulation and a humid environment. Strike a balance by placing them near an open window with a cool breeze or run a small fan. Enhance humidity by setting them close together and putting the containers in trays with moist, lightly watered pebbles in the bottom.

Herb plants can be purchased almost everywhere. You can get them at your local farmer’s markets, hardware stores, supermarkets, florists and wholesale clubs. They’re everywhere but take care to purchase healthy specimens. The plant should be free of pests, healthy looking with no wilted or dried leaves and the soil moist. If the roots are showing through the bottom of the pot, and they probably will be, then you’ll have to repot it. Be careful not to transplant the plant into too large a pot. Trust me; doing so will most definitely kill it. The new pot should be 1” – 2” larger in diameter and deeper than the original. Once transplanted water thoroughly and sit in your sunny spot, turning the plant occasionally to promote even growth. Use fresh or cut and store in air tight containers in your refrigerator. Either way fresh herbs pack almost 10 times the antioxidant punch of their dried equivalents. So, instead of sprinkling some oregano or basil into your pasta gravy, chop some fresh and not only taste the difference but also get a cancer fighting boost all in one spoonful.

A recent USDA study boasted of the benefits of eating fresh herbs. Of all the cooking herbs, oregano and it’s chemical partner quercetin has the ability to produce 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples, 4 time more than oranges and 30 times more than potatoes. Basil, a good source of Vitamin A is a potent fighter of atherosclerosis which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. It is also thought to slow the progression of other conditions including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Sage is shaping up to be a player on the Alzheimer’s battlefield by inhibiting the breakdown of a chemical crucial in memory and problem solving. The fatty acid terpene, which gives Rosemary its woody fragrance, is also responsible for preventing the reproduction of cancer cells. Recently, it’s been used in conjunction with the chemotherapy drugs Andriamycin and Velban. Terpene assists cancer cells in the absorption of these drugs where before they were unable to. So much more than a pretty garnish, parsley’s active ingredient, the natural oil apigenine prevents angiogenesis or the growth of nutrient supplying blood vessels for tumor cells. In effect, parsley assists in cutting off the blood supply of cancer cells. Mint is another herb shown to have an effect on tumor blood supply. Dill is among other things a natural stimulant and a digestive. But its active ingredient Monoterpenes creates an enzyme called gluthathione-S-transferase which neutralizes carcinogens or free radicals within the body, making Dill a premium cancer preventer in addition to its other capabilities.

So what does all of this mean? Should we start massive indoor herb gardens with the intent of smothering our food with fresh cut herbs in the hopes of garnering as much of the therapeutic benefit as possible? I’d say no, not a massive one. Just a few pots or urns in your kitchen window or on your porch will suffice. But if you intend to start consuming inordinate amounts of herbs, or anything for that matter, you should consult your physician before doing so. And take care when ingesting huge amounts of some herbs. Doing so in large quantities could prove dangerous. But if you’re just looking to take a right turn on the road to good health then plant yourself some sage, oregano, basil or thyme. Maybe some tarragon, rosemary and parsley, even. Whatever you plant, use them in your daily cooking for both maximum flavor and maximum health.

Source: American Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
               Volume 49, No. 11: pgs. 5165-5170

               5 Cancer Fighting Herbs/Healthy & Green Living
               Veronica Peterson, Editor, Healthy & Green Living

For more info:
American Cancer Society; “Common Cooking Herbs Packed with Antioxidants”

The Epicenter Exotic Herbs and Spices; “Herbs and Spices Fight Disease”