By Jeff Gilder, NaturalHealth.website
As a child on our family farm, my grandmother’s Cherokee Indian heritage had a huge impact on my life. I realize that now more than I did then. I did not know how special that time with her was. Little did I know then just how important natural health would become. She seemed to have a remedy for every ailment. Sometimes it was a weed growing out by the barn. She always knew exactly where it was. At times it may have been the bark of a particular tree out in the woods….and yes, she always knew exactly where it was. 
Nowadays, when we go to the doctor, they want to treat us with some sort of medicine. Personally, I’d rather have the natural remedy…but how do I know what it is and where to find it? This website exists for that purpose. I’d like to encourage you to research and learn natural health.
For this article, I’d like to inspire you start your own medicinal garden. I’m sharing some ideas here for beginners. Perhaps you’ll become hooked on the idea. As alwasy, If you like what we have, please share it with your family, friends, or social followers.

Choosing Your Plants: A Beginner’s Medicinal Garden

To start, you don’t need a big plot or expert skills—just a sunny spot and a few hardy, healing plants. Here are six beginner-friendly herbs, many of which echo the remedies my grandmother used on our farm. Each is easy to grow, packed with medicinal benefits, and tied to Cherokee healing traditions.

  • Echinacea (Purple Coneflower): This vibrant flower boosts immunity and fights colds. My grandmother brewed its roots into tea for sore throats. Grow it in full sun with well-drained soil; it’s hardy in USDA zones 3–9 and blooms in summer.
  • Peppermint: A go-to for upset stomachs or headaches, its leaves make soothing teas or salves. Plant in pots to control its spread, in partial shade to full sun, zones 5–9.
  • Yarrow: Perfect for stopping bleeding or reducing fevers, yarrow was a farm staple for my childhood scrapes. It loves full sun and poor soil, thriving in zones 3–9.
  • Chamomile: Its delicate flowers calm anxiety and aid sleep. We’d dry it in the barn loft for winter teas. Sow in full sun, zones 4–9, and harvest when flowers open.
  • Calendula (Pot Marigold): These sunny blooms heal skin irritations and burns. Ideal for salves, they grow in full sun, zones 2–11, as annuals in colder climates.
  • Sage: Antibacterial and soothing, sage was my grandmother’s favorite for sore throat gargles. Plant in sunny, sandy soil, zones 5–9, and prune to keep it lush.

Safety Note: Always identify plants correctly—mistaking a toxic look-alike like poison sumac for a remedy can be dangerous. Consult a healthcare provider before using herbs, especially if pregnant or on medication.

Plant
Healing Use
Growing Conditions
Harvest Tips
Echinacea
Boosts immunity, fights colds
Full sun, well-drained soil, zones 3–9
Harvest roots in fall, 2nd year
Peppermint
Soothes digestion, headaches
Partial shade/sun, moist soil, zones 5–9
Pick leaves anytime; dry for tea
Yarrow
Stops bleeding, reduces fevers
Full sun, poor soil, zones 3–9
Cut flowers when open; dry for use
Chamomile
Calms anxiety, aids sleep
Full sun, well-drained soil, zones 4–9
Harvest open flowers; dry gently
Calendula
Heals skin wounds, burns
Full sun, moderate soil, zones 2–11
Pick flowers regularly to extend bloom
Sage
Antibacterial, soothes throat
Full sun, sandy soil, zones 5–9
Harvest leaves before flowering

 

Getting Started: Building Your Healing Garden

You don’t need a farm like ours to grow remedies—a 4×4-foot raised bed, a few pots, or even a sunny windowsill will do. Here’s how to start, inspired by the hands-on lessons I learned as a kid:

  1. Pick Your Spot: Choose a location with 6–8 hours of sunlight. Most medicinal herbs, like echinacea and sage, thrive in sunny, well-drained spots. Urban gardeners can use balconies or rooftops with containers.
  2. Prepare the Soil: Enrich your soil with compost—think of the kitchen scraps I carried to our hogs, now feeding your plants. Test drainage by digging a hole, filling it with water, and ensuring it drains in a few hours.
  3. Plant with Purpose: Spring is ideal for sowing seeds or planting starters. Follow spacing guidelines (e.g., 12 inches for echinacea, 8 inches for chamomile). Check your USDA zone to confirm hardiness.
  4. Care with Love: Water regularly but avoid sogging—peppermint likes moisture, while sage prefers drier conditions. Weed by hand and use organic pest control, like planting marigolds to deter bugs.
  5. Honor the Land: My grandmother taught me to thank each plant before harvesting, a Cherokee practice that fosters respect. Take only what you need to ensure future growth.

From Garden to Remedy: Using Your Harvest – Once your plants flourish, they’re ready to heal.

Start simple:
Brew peppermint or chamomile tea for digestion or sleep.
Dry yarrow or calendula in a cool, airy space for salves to soothe cuts or burns.
My grandmother would crush sage leaves for a gargle to ease sore throats—a trick I still use.
For beginners, try this chamomile tea recipe: steep 1 tablespoon of dried flowers in hot water for 10 minutes, strain, and sip before bed.
Always research safe dosages and consult a professional, especially for potent herbs like echinacea.
Store dried herbs in airtight jars, labeled with the date, to keep them potent through winter, just as we did on the farm.
The Bigger Picture: A Journey Toward Natural Health
Starting a medicinal garden is more than growing plants—it’s a step toward the self-sufficient life I learned on the farm, where we plowed, harvested, and trusted the earth for healing. It’s a way to honor Cherokee wisdom, like my grandmother’s, which sees the land as a partner, not a resource to exploit.
This garden is your invitation to that legacy, a chance to grow remedies and reconnect with nature’s rhythms.
This is just the beginning. On NaturalHealth.website, we’ll explore more in the future. Feel free to share your experience on our Facebook page.  Thanks for reading!