Clinton News-Record, 1985-4-17, Page 67Bayfield woman
shows herb use
A TASTE TEST — Leda McAlister of Bayfield is trying out the flavor of one of the many herbs
she grows in her gardens. She grows over 60 varieties of herbs, and explains what can be
(Mothey
photo)
rtu'
used for.
HERBS IN DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES — These,are just a few of the many herbs Leda
McAlister grows. Groups come tc her place just to take a look at her herb gardens.
(Mphoto)
There are many different types of herbs
around, but very few people know what they
can be used for or where they can be found
says Leda McAlister, a herbalist in Bayfield.
She often has garden dubs and horticultur-
al groups visit her home. As well Mrs.
McAlister is a member of the Bayfield
Garden Club.
"Herbs have been around for a long time.
One herb, the costrnary, is even mentioned in
the bible. It remains in the theological
vocabulary today. The reason is that it was
used as a book mark and if the sermon got dull
the person would take a sniff to wake
themselves up," says Mrs. McAlister.
WieRIEWIMROMIIWW
Chinese herbs
used for medicine
The Chinese used herbs exclusively for
medicine; the Indians also used herbs.
particularly the bark from a willow tree. The
Indians used the bark for pain. It so happens
that the bark contains acetylsalicylic acid,
which is what Aspirin is made of.
"In a book written by a modern pharm-
acist, he broke down some of the elements in
ordinary garden plants. The ingredients
found in the plants are the same as those
found in many of the popular medicines,"
Mrs. McAlister says.
The herb ajuga is a green plant that Looks
like a vine with large green leaves. The ajuga
grows in many people's gardens and flower
beds and looks like a ground cover. The leaf of
this plant was used for lung problems.
Periwinkle or vinca-minor is a herb that is
used to keep fevers down. Ordinary bed straw
used to be used for stuffing in mattresses, as
the scent of the straw often helped people
sleep who had insomnia. A lot of these cures
were introduced to the early settlers by the
Indians, according to Mrs. McAlister.
NON -MEDICINAL USES TOO
There are many non-medical uses for herbs
and Mrs. McAlister pointed a few of these
out. If you tape a bay leaf on a dog or a cat or
put bay leaves in their sleeping area, the
chemical in the leaf will repel fleas.
If you mix a number of herbs in a blender
and rub the mixture into your dog or cat's fur,
the flea or tick problem will be solved. The
ingredients arc: wormwood, southernwood,
Penny Royal, rue or bay leaves and painted
daisies (pink to red). All of these herbs can be
obtained from an old time gardener or from a
herb outlet.
According to Mrs. McAlister there is. a
herb store in Puslinch and one in Goodwood
just past Toronto. She acquired many of her
herbs from old gardeners, however some
herbs will not grow from slips and you have to
buy the plant.
In years gone by, people used silver sage or
artemisia for keeping moths out of wool and
women used to put a sachet (a bag of
perfumed herbs) in their dresser drawers to
keep their clothes smelling good.
Herbs are also used for cooking, summer or
winter savoury can be substituted for salt.
There are a number of herbs that people don' t
think of using, like rose petals, violets, daylily
flowers or wild strawberry leaves. Mrs.
McAlister says all of these things can be used
in salads and are high in Vitamin C.
People more
interested in herbs
"People are just now starting to become
interested in herbs and more and more plant
stores are carrying a greater variety of herbs.
They are like anything else, if you use them in
moderation they will work for you," says
Mrs. McAlister.
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