If you eat fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, then you know your diet consists of a number of edible plants. However, there may be a few plants that you didn’t know were good—or safe—to eat. Aside from some of our favorite edible plants, like blueberries or grapes, here are some plants you may want to try growing in your backyard garden.
Bergamot. While this plant is not one you’ll want to eat, per se, it is great for making tea, and you can use the entire plant for brewing. Bergamot helps to reduce fevers, relieve colds and treat insomnia. You can also drink some of the tea if you have a stomach ache. This is a great plant to add to your container garden as well, since it is an edible plant you can use often.
Wild ginger. This warm, sweet and spicy plant root is used for tea and flavoring food and is great for the respiratory system. It is used as an expectorant, and you may want to try planting these in your garden wall planter as well, so that you will have the root available whenever you feel yourself coming down with the flu.
Wood sorrel. You can eat the green leaves of this plant for a great boost of iron and other nutrients, or you can steep the leaves for drink that is cool and slightly sour. Sorrel is also rich in vitamin C and can be used to treat canker sores, nausea and a sore throat.
Growing these plants yourself in your backyard garden could be rewarding and truly organic.
edited for Functional Gardens