Garden Terms
Welcome Back! I have some new information for you about your container herbs. Don't forget to check out the new poster page.
Annual: Annual herbs produce foliage, flowers, and seed in one growing season and then die. For some plants, the seeds will fall to the ground and survive the winter, sprouting new plants the next growing season. For others, seed must be collected and stored over the winter or purchased fresh every year. Examples of annual herbs include basil and cilantro.
Note: Using saved seeds from Hybrid annuals (and biennials) will likely result in plants that don’t retain the hybrid characteristics but can produce great new plants.
Biennial: A few herbs are biennial. Biennials form leaves in the first growing season, flowers, and seed in the second season, then die.
Perennial: Most culinary herbs are perennials. Perennials live more than two growing seasons. Perennials grown from seed may grow slowly the first year but gain vigor and maturity in the second year. The herbaceous (without woody stems) perennial will die back over the winter and return in the spring. Woody perennials such as lavender have stems that survive and continue to grow from year to year.
What Do All Those Funny Words Mean When Talking About Healing Herbs?
Then talking about healing herbs, herbal remedies and any medicines people tend to use words that are not easy to understand. No matter how many words you know, medical terms can be confusing.
So here is a list of the most commonly used terms when explaining what a healing herbs, herbal remedy, or even some medications terms mean. In no particular order, stay tuned because I will add to this list as I get requests on what certain words mean.
Vulnerary– Used to promote the healing of wounds, as herbs or other remedies.
Emollient– Having the power of softening or relaxing, as a medicinal substance; soothing to the skin.
Purgative– Purging or cleansing; by causing evacuation of the bowels.
Expectorant– Promoting the discharge of phlegm or other fluid from the respiratory tract.
Diuretic– Increasing the volume of the urine excreted, as by a medicinal substance.
Diaphoretic– Producing perspiration; To induce sweating.
Alterative– Tending to alter. Gradually restoring healthy bodily functions. Make changes to something
Aperients– Gently stimulating evacuation of the bowels; laxative; A mild laxative.
