Feverfew is a great resource to have on your homestead. With so much work to get done, you can’t just take a sick day every time you don’t feel good. You need to have a medicine on hand to get you back on your feet. Feverfew can help with that.
Uses
Feverfew can be used to treat headaches, reduce fever, and help with inflammation. It works by opening up your vascular system and allowing the blood to flow smoothly as it should. Feverfew is said to be safe for pregnant women and children.
Cultivation
Feverfew is grown from seed. Once established it is a hardy herb, tolerating low to full sun, drought resistant, and frost resistant. You may even need to weed out seedlings in the spring to prevent it from spreading.
Harvest
All above-ground portions of the plant can be used medicinally. When harvesting plants that you want to continue to grow, find the stems that green and bendable, avoiding the hard woody stems towards the bottom.
Methods
Most people who treat migraines with Feverfew eat the leaves daily, as little as 1 leaf a day can be effective, some eat as much as 3 leaves a day. Others make tea from fresh or dried leaves. Because of the bitter taste, you may want to add some honey, or just hold your nose and hurry up and swallow it. Alcohol tinctures are a great option since they make the medicinal components more bioavailable, and can be used in the winter when your plants have stopped producing leaves.
Growing medicinal herbs will allow you to stay healthy and working to your best potential on your homestead, while also reducing your need to spend your hard earned money on store bought remedies or pharmaceutical drugs.
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