How to Design an Herb Garden and Plant it for the Best Results

   Take a look in your chain stores and local pharmacies and you'll find plenty of manufactured prodycts to keep bugs off of your skin and to heal bug bites.

   These commercial sprays and remedies are usually quite effective, but many of them contain chemicals that are harmful to your body or the environment, and you may find yourself having a worse reaction to them than you would have had to any bug!

   Well, what other option is there, then?

   Herbs that you can find in specialty store or oftentimes in your own backyard are a natural, non-toxic, and equally effective way to combat bugs and bug bites.

Tea tree oil*, peppermint essential oil, and lavender essential oil are the three types of oils most recommended by herbalists for their ability to neutralize the toxicity of a bug bite, stave off itchiness, and reduce skin inflammation.

Peppermint

   An undiluted drop or two of any of these oils can be applied directly onto the skin
or bug bite, or add a few drops into clay, honey, or baking soda mixtures first to increase their efficacy. If you want another essential oil to keep bugs away, choose one that has a spicy, pungent, or woodsy odor, such as cedar wood, citronella,
eucalyptus, and rosemary.

Lavenders are widely grown in gardens. Flower spikes are used for dried flower arrangements. The fragrant, pale purple flowers and flower buds are used in potpourris. Dried and sealed in pouches, they are placed among stored items of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and as a deterrent to moths. The plant is also grown commercially for extraction of lavender oil from the flowers. This oil is used as an antiseptic and for aromatherapy.

   The plantain plant (it's really a weed), makes its home along the roadways and in the backyards of American homes as an unassuming weed. Give it a closer look and learn about its "drawing" properties and you have another treatment for bug bites. Simply take the fresh herb (or you can dry it out), chop it finely, add water, and then apply this mixture to a sting or bite. You should feel the area begin to warm; this means that the toxins are being drawn from the skin. Continue adding more plantain to the bite until the swelling and pain has subsided.

   Although harmful in other forms, tobacco as a topical herb possesses many medicinal properties. A small bunch of loose tobacco leaves, combined with water or apple cider and turned into a paste, can be applied topically to a bite to help ease pain and can remain on the skin until the swelling has subsided. However, if you notice the area becoming irritated, wash away the paste completely.

   The next time you're looking to find a way to stop the bugs from bugging you, look no further than at what nature has provided for you!

* Tea tree oil is effective for treating insect bites, boils and minor wounds. It has also been known to help soothe sunburns, poison ivy, ear infections, and bee stings. Tea tree oil or melaleuca oil is a clear to very pale golden color essential oil with a fresh camphoraceous odour. It is extracted from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia which is native to the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia.

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RESOURCES:

1. At Sage Hill Farms, organic herbs grown by safe and natural methods of farming produce healthier and better tasting products and give the satisfaction of giving something back to Mother Earth. From acres of land to a small patio container garden, there is something each of us can do to improve the earth around us. Subscribe to  FREE Newsletter and receive herb gardening tips from the dedicated Sage Hill Farm family.

2. More Landscaping and Gardening Tips for Homeowners and Garden Lovers.

3.Herbkits.com- Indoor Herb Growing Kits - .Grow Culinary, Medicinal & Tea Herbs in your own kitchen with fun and easy indoor herb garden kits. Grow your own fresh cooking herbs! Parsley, Thyme, Cilantro, Basil, Dill, Oregano, Sweet Marjoram, Chives, Savory, Garlic Chives, Mustard, Sage. Enjoy fresh herbs all year long.

4. A real thrill for many avid gardeners is creating their own Bonsai trees. Get your
Bonsai Tree Growing guide and join the fun. It's a a quick and easy, Step by Step, A to Z guide to creating your very own Bonsai Trees...even if you're new at it and you're not exactly a "green thumb".

5. Tea Tree Oil  products are available from the Puritan Pride Company

6. Natural Herbal Remedies

	Get more info on Itch Dr. to soothe symptoms of itching and irritated skin and to treat and relieve fungal infections

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