GARDENS
Naturally better
Whether easing digestion or calming chesty coughs, relieving hangovers or boosting your mood and memory, your garden is the source of many natural remedies. So kick-start your year with a health boost from everyday plants.
By Lucy Hall
Perfect remedy Herbal tea can alleviate common health issues
GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK
The nation’s leading herb grower, multi-award-winning Jekka McVicar, is chuckling about how she awoke to the restorative power of herbs. ‘Back in the day, I was a rock chick!’ she explains, failing to mention that she played the first-ever Glastonbury festival. ‘I ended up busking around Crete and got so ill the locals took pity on me. They fed me dittany tea, and it totally calmed me. Just four to five leaves of Origanum dictamnus in hot water is how to ease an upset stomach – and I’ve used it ever since.’
The herbs in our garden don’t just look decorative, says Jekka, they benefit us hugely all year round. ‘I wouldn’t get through winter without them,’ she admits. ‘I use them in teas every day, as first-aid remedies, and cook with them to add flavour and boost my digestive system. We take herbs for granted, but they’re the foundation of modern medicine and the bedrock of our health.’