5 essential medicinal plants for your survival garden

When prepping a survival garden, we tend to think of what edible foods we can grow first. Although it’s essential to feed ourselves, we shouldn’t forget about the medicines we need to make survival possible—or even just more pleasant.

When SHTF, you probably won’t be able to run to the pharmacy. So, wouldn’t it be convenient to have the medicines you need right in your survival garden?

There are almost countless medicinal plants out there that you can grow in your garden for survival—it can be overwhelming. Luckily, we’ve gathered the best medicinal plants to plant in your survival garden for treating common ailments.

1.    High Fever

Use Holy Basil to Reduce Fevers

Holy basil, which you may also know as tulsi, is one of the best herbs for reducing fevers. In Ayurvedic medicine, this herb is one of the most sacred plants. And rightfully so. Holy basil reduces fevers and pain, fights bacteria, viruses, and inflammation, and works as a preventative medicine.

If a prepper could only plant one medicinal herb in their survival garden, it should be holy basil—although you should be able to squeeze at least a few more in there.

Don’t confuse this herb with your run-of-the-mill basil. Holy basil is a floral variety with a pleasant aroma and purple flowers that originates in Southeast Asia.

It contains plenty of nutrients and can be used for a wide variety of conditions, from eczema to stomach ulcers to malaria. Scientific research has proven that holy basil can also aid with:

• stress and anxiety management
• better sleep
• improved memory
• higher endurance
• reduced symptoms of depression

If a magic cure-all existed, it would probably contain holy basil.

How to Cultivate Holy Basil

Holy bail enjoys warm temperatures, some shade, and well-fertilized soil, although it can tolerate poor soil fairly well compared to other herbs. Keep it watered and well-drained as you would with other plants, and harvest the leaves as-needed, not taking more than one-third of its leaves at a time.

How to Use Holy Basil

To reap the benefits of holy basil, you can brew the leaves (dried or fresh) into tea. It’s completely safe to drink daily, and frequent ingestion is even recommended. Although the taste is a bit bitter and spicy, replacing your morning coffee with some caffeine-free holy basil tea can promote good health even after SHTF.

2.    Pain and Inflammation

Use Featherfew to Reduce Pain

If you’re in pain and can get your hands on some white willow bark, that will be the best option to reduce your discomfort. However, most of us don’t have the space or the outdoor environment to cultivate a tree that grows up to 100 feet. So, we recommend growing featherfew in your survival garden to reduce pain.

You might also know featherfew as:

• feverfew
• featherfoil
• flirtwort
• bride’s (or bachelor’s) buttons
• febrifuge plant
• pyrethrum
• wild chamomile
• midsummer daisy

Featherfew is a medicinal plant that is mainly used to reduce inflammation and pain, especially headaches and migraines. It can also help break fevers and provide relief from digestive pain.

The active ingredients in featherfew include:

• sesquiterpene lactones, primarily parthenolide
• flavonoids
• essential oil
• pyrethrin
• tannins

The concentration of parthenolide varies, depending on how the plant is grown and treated, but the highest concentrations can be found in the flowers and fruit.

Scientists claim that featherfew works similarly to aspirin, inhibiting the production of prostaglandins which aid in inflammatory processes. Clinical studies confirm that featherfew is a reliable and effective treatment for migraines. It is more effective as a long-term treatment for pain management and provides less immediate relief comparatively.

Featherfew is also a laxative and is believed to aid in managing symptoms of depression. It has also proved beneficial in managing pain associated with menstruation, such as cramping.

How to Cultivate Featherfew

To grow featherfew seeds, you can buy either Tanacetum parthenium or Chrysanthemum parthenium seeds. Featherfew seeds take about two weeks to germinate in direct sunlight, and they will want direct sunlight after maturing. If they don’t get enough sun, featherfew plants tend to become leggy. Featherfew is easily reseeded, so you can even give some to your prepper friends!

How to Use Featherfew

Although its flowers only bloom from July through October, Featherfew can be used all year round for medicinal purposes since every above-ground part of the plant has healing properties.

You can dry and preserve the leaves and stems, but fresh featherfew is more effective. To treat pain and inflammation, consume featherfew by chewing on 1-4 leaves.

3.    Open Wounds

Use Goldenseal to Treat Open Wounds and Infection

Goldenseal is a medicinal plant that works as an antibacterial and antibiotic treatment. It is safe to ingest and can be used topically on open cuts and wounds, as well as pink eye, vaginal infections, and sores.

Goldenseal contains berberine, an active ingredient comparable to penicillin that works similarly to pharmaceutical drugs. It activates AMPK, an enzyme that exists on the cellular level and is necessary for regulating metabolism.

Berberine is also an effective treatment for:

• diabetes
• high blood pressure
• liver disease
• weight loss
• depression

How to Cultivate Goldenseal

Goldenseal is considered an endangered species, so you shouldn’t pick the leaves from wildly grown plants. Even though no one will come after you for gathering this plant after SHTF, it’s still a much better practice to plant it yourself.

There are a few different methods to cultivating goldenseal. You can propagate the plant from rhizome pieces or root cuttings. You can also grow goldenseal from young seedlings or from seeds.

Like many other plants, goldenseal is sensitive to overly wet soil, so well-draining soil is a must. It prefers 75% shade, a soil pH between 5.5-6.5, and nutrient-rich soil.

How to Use Goldenseal

You can create an ointment out of goldenseal in two ways. First, you can crush the fresh leaves into a paste. Second, you can dry the leaves. Crush them into a powder. Then, mix the powder into Vaseline. You can apply the ointment directly to cuts, scrapes, sores, and other wounds on the skin, inside the mouth, or in the vagina.

To use internally, you can also brew fresh or dried goldenseal leaves into a tea.

You should avoid using goldenseal topically or internally for more than six consecutive weeks.

4.    Anxiety and Depression

Use St John’s Wort to Treat Anxiety and Depression

Physical health isn’t all you’ll need to worry about after SHTF. Your mental health is just as—if not more—crucial to your wellbeing, so keeping something around to aid in common mental health issues such as anxiety and depression is essential.

St John’s wort is an effective treatment for anxiety and depression. Some studies have proven that St John’s wort is just as reliable as pharmaceutical antidepressants, although it is more effective at treating mild depression as opposed to severe cases.

How to Cultivate St John’s Wort

St John’s wort grows well in partial shade and isn’t picky about soil. It can grow in sand, clay, rocky soil, or loam and can tolerate acidic and slightly alkaline pH.

It will produce the most flowers without getting burnt if you give it sun in the early morning and shade during hot afternoons.

How to Use St John’s Wort

St John’s wort is most effective at treating anxiety and depression over long periods of time, such as two months or more. Clinical studies administered St. John’s wort to patients three times a day for up to 6 months.

The leaves and flowers of St John’s wort are both edible and possess healing properties. They can be eaten fresh or dried and turned into tea.

5.    Insomnia

Use Valerian Root to Treat Insomnia

Valerian is a medicinal herb and natural source of Valium (yes, Valium). That means it eases stress and tension, relaxes muscles, and reduces anxiety.

Since valerian can make you sleepy, you should avoid taking it before driving or doing anything that requires a lot of awareness.

How to Cultivate Valerian Root

Valerian enjoys growing in partially shaded areas with well-draining soil. To harvest, you dig the roots out during the fall of the plant’s second year. You’ll know it’s time when the leaves yellow and the plant dies. After this process, if you don’t harvest the roots, the plant will bear several daughter plants around the base. You can transplant these where they will have enough space to grow.

How to Use Valerian Root

Valerian root is useful when used short term, but it is most effective when used as a long-term treatment for insomnia. You can ingest valerian by chewing on freshly harvested or dried roots. You can also crush the dried root into an edible powder or brew it into tea.

The Best Plants to Grow in Your Medicinal Survival Garden

If you can grow all five of these plants, then your survival garden will have the basics you’ll need to maintain a healthy body and mind—both of which are essential for survival.

If you can only grow one or two herbs, opt for the powerhouse plants that have many uses, such as holy basil and featherfew. You can always save other plants for later when you have the energy and resources to cultivate them in your medical plant garden.

Always Practice Safety When Using Medicinal Plants

Keep in mind that, like over-the-counter or prescription medications, most medicinal herbs are not recommended for pregnant or nursing women and babies or young children. Every medicinal plant will also have side effects that can vary depending on who is taking it, and some people may also be allergic to certain medicinal plants.

You should always treat medicinal herbs for what they are – medicine. That means not taking too much too often and being aware that they may interact with other prescription medications or each other. If you have health conditions, you should always consult your doctor (and you should do it while you still can!) before consuming medicinal plants. It’s also a good idea to monitor your response to them.

Be safe, be careful, and these plants will help you survive. For more information on growing a survival garden, check out our prepper’s guide.