Gardening is a fun and rewarding hobby. But that’s just the first of its amazing benefits.
Many plants you can grow at home also clean your air, flavor your food or serve as natural remedies.
Want to try growing a few of these incredible plants? The six listed below look good, grow easily indoors and out, take up little space (perfect if you’re working with a small windowsill)—and have other beneficial uses.
1. Parsley
You might know parsley as the garnish you remove from your meal before eating, but this leafy green has a host of uses, from freshening the breath to being a natural
diuretic.
It’s also rich in vitamin C and antioxidants and may even help moderate blood sugar.
Parsley is hardy and grows well indoors or out. It can also easily be made into a tea.
Just mix ¼ cup of fresh parsley leaves with 1 cup of hot water and steep for 10 minutes before straining to remove the leaves.
2. Peppermint
Long used as a flavoring in candy and baking, peppermint is easy to grow at home and famously helpful for indigestion when brewed as a tea. It’s also rich in vitamin A and iron.
Just mix 15 mint leaves with 2 cups of hot water and steep for 3 to 5 minutes to create a tea to settle the stomach. Many people also find the aroma of peppermint soothing and settling when nauseous.
3. Boston ferns
Volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs, are often present in indoor air due to the off-gassing of the many synthetic materials present in our homes.
All plants can help filter these VOCs, purifying indoor air—but Boston ferns are one of the most efficient.
They’re particularly good at removing formaldehyde, a dangerous chemical tied to serious health problems.
4. Aloe vera
The aloe vera plant is beloved for its ability to soothe burns, accelerate wound healing and hydrate the skin.
This easy-growing succulent can be regularly harvested once mature by cutting no more than 3-4 stalks at a time near the bottom, above the roots. Then apply the clear, sticky gel inside directly to the skin or collect it and store it in the fridge or freezer until needed.
5. Sage
This member of the mint family has soft, fuzzy leaves and adds flavor and aroma to poultry and other meat dishes.
Sage grows easily indoors or out and can be chopped and sprinkled on soups, rubbed on meat or blended into herb butter. It’s high in vitamin K and may help soothe menopause symptoms like hot flashes and irritability.
6. Thyme
This fragrant herb is used for cooking and can also be steeped in hot water to create a tea that may help ease a cough.
Thyme oil can also be mixed with water to form a natural bug spray or you can simply inhale its aroma to get a quick mood boost.
Keeping an indoor garden with beneficial plants is a hobby that could pay off in many ways.
Tell us, do you grow any useful plants at home or in the garden? How do you use them?
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