Medicinal Plants of the Greenbrier ValleyBiennial HerbsBurdock, mullein, and teasel have two year life cycles. The leaves of such biennials are rich in medicinal properties during the first summer and fall. Roots contain the concentrated properties when the leaves start to die back at the end of the first year and as leaves start to emerge in the second year. The plants shift their energies to fertilization during the second summer when flowers become the medicinal part. Biennials are no longer potent once flowers fade and the plant starts to die back at the end of the second year.
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Medicinal MintsWe all know their feeling - warm in the belly, cool in the head. This paradoxical effect of the mints (Lamiaceae) makes them unique herbs for digestive and nervous system problems. Bitter oils in these square-stemmed, opposite leaved plants are vasodilating, relaxing blood vessels and calming the central nervous system. Menthol is a stimulating oil, warming the body and bringing on a sweat (diaphoretic). Each mint has differing concentrations of these oils along with unique properties, providing a wide range of medicinal applications for a single plant family.
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