diaphoretic – Harman Farms LLC

I won’t lie, I will use eucalyptus essential oil in my diffuser even if I’m NOT congested at times. Too much can be too much for me sometimes, but even a little bit smells heavenly.

Eucalyptus is commonly known for congestion of the sinuses and chest. In Ayurvedic practices, it is considered a cooling and moist herb.

Congestion

The volatile oils found in eucalyptus aid in congestion by relaxing airways and actually thinning mucus. Most people are pretty familiar with using it in steam, or as an essential oil in a diffuser. Interestingly enough, this herb can be helpful as a tea. This is a very potent herb though, so use with caution as it can be overwhelming. A safe start would be 1/2 a teaspoon of dried eucalyptus per cup of water. If you grow this herb, you can also use one torn fresh leaf per cup of water. It is not recommended to take more than 3 cups a day. When steeping, do not exceed 15 minutes due to its potency.

Diaphoretic

Eucalyptus is a herb that is diaphoretic and can mildly induce sweating. As much as most of us hate the idea of sweating, it is our body’s natural response to avoid overheating. When we’re sick and we have a fever, that’s our body’s immune system killing whatever is foreign in our bodies. When we finally break into a sweat, our fever will break and we’ll feel a little bit better.

Expectorant

This herbal action promotes the dispelling of sputum (spit and mucus). This is very helpful for coughs and chest congestion. Even just inhaling steam that’s been infused with eucalyptus has the potential to be a huge help.

Antimicrobial

Eucalyptus has a pretty major component called eucalyptol. This is the component of eucalyptus that is antimicrobial. Eucalyptol can have the potential to effect many bacteria. The list of bacteria it effects consists of, but is not limited to:

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
various viruses
various fungi (even candida)

This herb is a fantastic addition for inflamed tissue in the respiratory tract and even for fever.

Young children should not be exposed to eucalyptus. Eucalyptol can actually have severe effects on young children and babies.

Avoid eucalyptus oil if pregnant or breastfeeding. Using it in food amounts when pregnant or breastfeeding should be fine. If you worry about consuming too much, just avoid it altogether. Always better safe than sorry.

Looking to buy eucalyptus essential oil? My favorite brand is here, with an organic option here.

Want to see what herbs we have in our garden? Take a look here.

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My somewhat recent acquired feverfew is finally blooming! It is a small flower and it gives off a very cute appearance, which couldn’t be more contrasting from its fierce properties.

By the way, you use the leaves. Not the flowers. Which kind of makes me sad because it is so cool to harvest a flower for its medicinal properties. Still though.

SONY DSC — *Photographed by Amanda Harman*

Fever

As its name suggests, this herb aids in fever reduction. It is a diaphoretic, which can induce sweating. Normally, this isn’t a sought after reaction of our bodies; I don’t meet a lot of people who particularly enjoy sweating, but this does help break a fever as sweating is the body’s natural response to overheating. Sweating will also help eliminate some toxins within the body.

Migraines

Migraines. Ugh. I don’t get them often, but when I do it is torture. I never had a migraine until after my first pregnancy. And then I didn’t have ANY during my second pregnancy. Then they came back. Jerks. I can see my migraines coming sometimes. The lights shimmer. And if I do miss that warning sign, I can suddenly smell everything in a room when one is about to hit me. If I catch it in time and treat it, I can avert it. If not, I end up suffering through it until vomiting. Yay! So, if you’re as familiar with this hell as I am, I will tell you this can help. Tension in the cardiovascular system is what can cause these headaches. Feverfew relaxes the vessels needed for relief.

Anxiety

Feverfew can help with chronic anxiety. This is a strange one. Normally when we say an herb may be able to assist in something, it is because we have actual facts to support it. The only evidence that is found on this subject is that it just does. Nobody is really sure what components of the herb are responsible for this. We just know that people swear by it and it worked on some rodents in a lab.

Anti-Inflammatory

Volatile components in feverfew have anti-inflammatory properties. Feverfew may help those with chronic pain caused by inflammation, like joint pain or arthritis.

Analgesic

Always gotta give credit when an herb is analgesic. This aids in the reducing of the sensation of pain. Some herbs are stronger in this area than others, but this is always a nice perk. Especially if you’re fighting headaches at the root cause or breaking fevers–all of which feverfew does.

Menstruation

Sorry, men. This needs to be talked about because it happens and it is never fun. Remember that feverfew is an anti-inflammatory and a stress reducer. Two big things to aid during those monthly cycles. This also means this herb should be avoided when pregnant. It can cause early contractions and that’s not good for obvious reasons. There is not enough information for me to say this is an okay herb to take while breastfeeding either. Generally, though not always, if you can’t take it while you’re pregnant you should avoid it while breastfeeding unless otherwise stated. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

So, that is the mighty feverfew. All compacted into a dainty little flower. That you don’t use. Still irked by that.

Here’s the leaf that you use.

Wanting to use feverfew, but don’t grow it? I always recommend using Mountain Rose Herbs. If they’re out of stock, this is a pretty good alternative.

Journeying on your own herbal path? Check out here to see how I continue my education.

Curious about other medicinal herbs we grow? Check out our medicinal herb garden here.

Follow our blog to stay updated. We’re also on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Come check us out.

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