A Mini Herb Garden That Goes a Long Way

By: Eustache Davenport

Any great meal starts with fresh ingredients, so it is said and has been proven time and time again. So, imagine that if instead of using store bought herbs to add some zest to the meal, you could simply pick the herbs you need while preparing a meal, a snack, a salad directly from the plants in your mini herb garden on the kitchen windowsill.

Can't get any fresher than that, right! Fresh herbs will add a ''zestier" burst of flavor that you will definitively notice. Think of great meals in a many-stars restaurants you might have enjoyed so much that you can almost feel the taste in your mouth when reminiscing about them. You can be sure that they insist on fresh supplies and it definitively includes fresh herbs.

A lot of folks live in small apartments and lack space as some people just don't wish to get into a bigger size garden project for lack of experience or might not dispose of much time, no matter the reason, a mini garden is a fantastic solution to consider. It is an occasion to start small and let you test your skills at this highly rewarding hobby. Some parents initiates the young ones to life, evolution and the practicality of cultivating and the rewards to reap through a mini herb garden for kids.

These kitchen herb gardens have been gaining in popularity for some time now, certainly for the fresh, healthy and flavorful value they add to any prepared dish but also for the economical alternative that assure a constant fresh supply.

Of course, once you have a good experience with your initial project and see how easy it really is, you may wish to add a few more plants and expand.
Big or small garden: Same rules apply
The mini garden requires the same basics care as larger gardens do. Lots of sunlight, a good soil that drains well and regular appropriate amount of water. Of course, a small scale garden will require only minimal maintenance. Another advantage is the miniature garden is the next-to-nothing space they occupy. The 1 to 3 pot making-up your garden can occupy the kitchen windowsill is very handy when preparing dishes. The biggest downfall of growing only a few plants restricts the choice of fresh herbs you can use.
The choice of herbs
Considering the large choice of herbs to choose from, the biggest dilemma you might have to deal with is which ones to grow. Start with a choice that is practical and can be used for multiple purposes or the one you use a lot in your cooking. Take full advantage of the work you will be doing to give provide good care to those plants.
Herb Garden Kits
The variety of choice is considerable and can pretty much live up to most needs. A herb garden kit require a one-stop purchase, is easy and quick set-up and contains all you need to start a mini herb garden. The only other element to provide is water. If the space you can provide for the garden is more in height, a stacking herb garden is available but usually contains more herbs.

Once the first steps are taken in this adventure, expanding to numerous mini gardens adds variety to you choice of herbs for cooking but also for other purposes. Consider a little garden for tea herbs or, grow a few medicinal herbs that can be what the doctor orders.


About the Author


Eustache Davenport is a gardening enthusiast and author. He lives in Montreal and enjoy teaching his gardening secrets to work groups on how to setup, optimize and maintain an amazing herb garden. For more great tips and information on kitchen herb gardens, visit http://www.herbgardeningonlineguide.com.

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Alternative Medicine: What Is It?

By Jessica Burde

What is alternative medicine? It is a phrase that has been tossed around more and more in the media, the bookstores, and increasingly, the doctor's office, but how often does anyone say what alternative medicine is?

Theoretically, alternative medicine is any form of medicine that does not fit with in the scientific framework of western medicine. Once a form of medicine has been proven scientifically effective, and a theory has been determined to explain in the language of western medicine why it is effective, it should no longer be considered alternative

Unfortunately, after the theory comes the politics. In reality, in the United States, alternative medicine is any form of medicine that has not been accepted as scientifically valid by the American Medical Association and the United States Government. In other countries different official bodies will determine what is and is not alternative medicine. In the United States, massage is alternative medicine. In Canada massage is conventional medicine, and as such, highly regulated.

Would you believe that according the US government's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vitamins are a complementary or alternative medicine (depending on how they are used) that have not yet been proven to have any greater effect on the human body then a placebo? Personally, I'd like to know if they would like to be treated for scurvy with a placebo. I'll stick with vitamin C. There are theoretical uses for vitamins that have not yet been fully proven, but that does not make the proven effects any less scientifically valid.

At the same time, just because someone claims what they offer is medicine does not make it true. Herbal supplements are not regulated, and may not fully disclose their ingredients. They certainly will not tell you about any dangerous interaction with your heart medication!

Of course, you can ask an expert, but keep in mind that there are many kinds of alternative medicine, an acupuncturist is not necessarily trained in herbs, and your primary care physician probably won't be trained in any of them.

If you are interested in using alternative medicine, either for a specific problem, or simply improve your overall health, it's probably best to first research what kinds of alternative medicine you are interested in, and speak with you doctor about whether or not she will be willing to work with an alternative medicine practitioner. Then find a practitioner who has had training in that specific area of alternative medicine. Most forms of alternative medicine are not licensed in the United States, so ask where they went to school, and how long they have been practicing. Then they can work with your doctor to make sure you get the care you need, without any unexpected side effects.

Some forms of alternative medicine that might be worth looking into are:

Oriental medicine: Oriental medicine is the only form of alternative medicine that is truly comparably to western medicine as a complete system of medicine. Oriental medicine is based on several theories developed thousands of years ago and first elaborated on in the Yellow Emperor's Classic, between three and five thousand years ago. Oriental medicine includes the practices of massage, acupuncture, herbal therapy, qi gong, and several others. Tradition Chinese Medicine is a variant of oriental medicine specific to China. It is the only variant of oriental medicine the can be found with relative ease in the United States. In many parts of Asia, oriental medicine is still considered the standard of medical care and western medicine is 'alternative.'

Herbal therapy: Herbal therapy is probably the most common form of alternative medicine found in the United States, and quite possibly one of the riskiest. While most of the conventional medicines doctors prescribe today were derived from herbs, the herbal supplements commonly on sale have no common dosages, mat contain fillers, and will rarely warn of side effects. While herbs can be used to treat everything that medication can, and possibly quite a bit more, make sure you speak with a trained herbalist before taking any. They can tell you what dosage is safe, what suppliers are worth using, and any potential side effects.

Homeopathy: Homeopathy was developed in the 1800's by two doctors who noticed that quinine, the only medicine capable of treated malaria, caused symptoms of malaria in healthy people who were given it. They theorized that like would cure like, so caffeine which normally causes wakefulness, would be used to help someone who was not sleeping through the night, sleep better. Homeopathy is probably the only alternative medicine that is safe to try without speaking with an expert, because the active substance is so dilute that it is not possible to over dose, or incur side effects on the amounts in the local health food store, never mind the few bottles you would keep in your home. At the same time, it is still best to consult a homeopath to be sure that what your taking will work for what you need.

Massage: Massage is the use of hands or tools to manipulate the muscles and tendons. The two most common uses of massage are to ease aches and pains, and for stress relief. While there are many conditions that massage will obviously not help with (diabetes, for instance), there are many that it is surprisingly effective on, such as eating disorders, fibromyalgia, and carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition, almost any muscular injury can be treated with massage to prevent scar build up, speed healing, and increase a restricted range of motion. There are many different forms of massage therapy, including Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Pre-Natal Massage, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, Lomi Lomi, Medical Massage, Chair Massage, Aromatherapy Massage and Hot Stone Massage. If you go to a massage therapist for a medical condition, make sure they are trained in Medical Massage. Some states have licensing programs for massage therapists now, as do most European countries. If you live in an area that has licensing, make sure the therapist you go to is licensed.

Other forms of alternative medicine include: energetic healing, aromatherapy, Rolfing, cranial-sacral therapy, and most forms of holistic medicine.

I am a trained massage therapist, and grew up surrounded by alternative medicine. I entered massage training almost by accident, and found that I had fallen into the place I truly belonged. I believe that healthy human contact is the most powerful medicine there is. If you're interested, you can learn more about me, and my massage practice at [http://www.healinghandshealthylife.com]

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