Herbs

The beginning of August always makes me sad, because it means in a few weeks the fun will be over and I will have to prepare to go back to school, which is work. I love my job but I love better still summer vacation. Summer is such a wonderful season. My garden looks lush and I can pop out to my garden to collect hardy herbs or my deck for others that would not survive the New England winter. I have had a sage plant in my garden for years.

The Latin name for sage, salvia, means “to heal" and evidence supports its effects as an antibiotic, antifungal, antiseptic, and antispasmodic. There has even been a study that found sage was found to be effective in the management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. I always use sage from my garden in my Thanksgiving meal, both in the stuffing and as a decorative bit of green on platters of carved turkey.

I planted chives many years ago and, despite an over vigorous weeding that eradicated many of my treasured plants, the chives have reappeared. Chives is in the allium family and is related to onions and garlic. The medical properties of chives are similar to those of garlic, but weaker; the faint effects in comparison with garlic are probably the main reason for its limited use as a medicinal herb.

A herb that is impossible to get rid of is Mint. I have a small, flowering mint which is lovely and easy to control. It's larger and more aggressive cousin
sends rhizomes underground and thrives in gardens and in our backyard lawn that is regularly cut. Mint was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains, and it is commonly used in the form of tea as a home remedy to help alleviate stomach pain. Mint tea is a strong diuretic. Mint also aids digestion, in a way that it breaks down the fats. Mojito anyone? During the Middle Ages, powdered mint leaves were used to whiten teeth.

On my deck this year I have parsley, tarragon, rosemary, and basil. Last evening for dinner I gathered fresh basil and rosemary to add to roasted fennel, eggplant, leeks, and tomatoes that were dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. The basil and rosemary were sticky with resinous oils and their fragrance was divine. The roasted vegetables accompanied grilled lamb chops and complemented the lamb flavor.
Basil contains large amounts of (E)-beta-caryophyllene (BCP), which might have a use in treating inflammatory bowel diseases and arthritis. BCP is the only product identified in nature that activates CB2 selectively; it interacts with one of two cannabinoid receptors (CB2), blocking chemical signals that lead to inflammation, without triggering cannabis's mood-altering effects.
When soaked in water, the seeds of several basil varieties become gelatinous, and are used in Asian drinks and desserts. They are also used for their medicinal properties in Ayurveda, the traditional medicinal system of India. Yum.

My favorite herb is rosemary. I lay branches on rosemary on a rack on which I place a leg a lamb that has been stuck with garlic and smothered with Dijon mustard and chopped rosemary. Sound like a lot of rosemary, but trust me, it is fabulous.
Rosemary has a very old reputation for improving memory, and has been used as a symbol for remembrance during weddings, war commemorations and funerals in Europe. Mourners would throw it into graves as a symbol of remembrance for the dead. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." In the Middle Ages, rosemary was associated with wedding ceremonies - the bride would wear a rosemary headpiece and the groom and wedding guests would all wear a sprig of rosemary, and from this association with weddings rosemary evolved into a love charm. Rosemary was also stuffed into poppets (cloth dolls) in order to attract a lover or attract curative vibrations for illness. It was believed that placing a sprig of rosemary under a pillow before sleep would repel nightmares, and if placed outside the home it would repel witches. Somehow, the use of rosemary in the garden to repel witches turned into signification that the woman ruled the household in homes and gardens where rosemary grew abundantly. By the 16th century, this practice became a bone of contention; and men were known to rip up rosemary bushes to show that they, not their wives, ruled the roost. Rosemary contains a number of potentially biologically active compounds, including antioxidants such as carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid. Studies for medicinal use suggest that carnosic acid, found in rosemary, may shield the brain from free radicals, lowering the risk of strokes and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's. Rosemary along with lavender is commonly used as an effective moth repellent. I once had a border of lavender along my back garden but a particularly cold and wet winter did it in. I will replace that border next spring. The deer don't like it because of its fragrance and I like to make sachets for closets.