5 Easy to grow Herbs for your Kitchen

Who doesn’t like fresh home-grown herbs ?

Imagine having some fresh herbs right at home – you reach out to the plants in your kitchen garden and pluck the ones you need. Now, wouldn’t that be amazing!

It’s very easy to grow a few herbs at home for an everyday healthy menu. All you need is a little space in your kitchen balcony or window and of course, a bit of love and care.

Tulsi (Holy Basil): 

 Tulsi has proved to be highly effective in protecting our body from various infections and diseases of heart, liver, skin, kidney etc. So, Tulsi is rightly called the ‘Queen of Herbs’.

Benefits of Tulsi:

• Natural Immunity Booster
• Reduces Fever & Pain
• Reduces Cold, Cough & Other Respiratory Disorders
• Reduces Stress & Blood Pressure
• Improves liver function
• Good for Skin & Hair
• Acts as an Insect Repellent
• Anti-cancer properties

How to Consume Tulsi?

Consume Tulsi leaves raw, plucked fresh from the plant, add it in your tea or make kadha out of it.

CURRY LEAVES:

Enriched with the goodness of nature, curry leaves are loaded with Vitamin A, B, C and B12. Apart from that, these leaves are also a great source of iron and calcium. Moreover, adding curry leaves to your daily diet can prevent several deficiencies and strengthen your immunity naturally.

Here are a few ways to use curry leaves in the kitchen:

• Sauté curry leaves in ghee
   at high heat and then add the ghee and softened curry leaves to any dish of your liking.
• Combine fresh or dried curry leaves with other spices, such as red chili, turmeric, and cumin seeds, to make a flavorful seasoning blend.
• Top any savory dish with diced or crumbled dried curry leaves for a pop of flavor.
• Cook curry leaves in hot oil and then use the infused oil as a dip or topping for crusty bread.
• Add curry leaves to chutneys and sauces.
• Toss chopped curry leaves into savory baked good recipes like breads and crackers.

Although the ideas listed above are some common ways to use curry leaves, they’re highly versatile and can be used in many applications, so don’t be afraid to experiment with this flavorful ingredient.

Mint Leaves

From boosting digestion to keeping your breath fresh for long, mint is packed with a number of benefits that make its more than just a mocktail, chutney or raita ingredient.

Here are some mint benefits you may not have known

• Aids Digestion
• Treats Common Cold
• Cures Headache
• Aids Weight Loss
• Beats stress and depression

Does Mint regrow after cutting?

Cut the mint stem just below a node (where a leaf grows) on the plant. Remove all but the top leaves. Stick a few cuttings into a glass jar with about one inch of water. ... As the mint grows, replant in a larger pot or in the ground.

Lemon Grass

Benefits of Lemon Grass:

• Lowers Cholesterol
• Detoxifies the Body
• Anticancer Potential
• Stomach Disorders
• Treats Insomnia
• Prevents Anemia
• Reduces Fever
• Boosts Immunity

The dried leaves of this plant are brewed for flavouring as well as to prepare its tea. Lemongrass tea is filled with antioxidant, detoxing, and diuretic properties. These factors act together to remove all excess toxins from the human body. ... These collectively can aide in reducing body fat.

How to care for your lemongrass plant:

Keep the soil barely moist, as plants grow very slowly over winter. Another option is to store a pot of lemongrass, cut down, in a cool, dark place like a basement. Water just a few times over winter to keep roots alive. In summer, bring the pot into a bright spot, and resume normal watering.

Turmeric - The Golden Spice

Turmeric is a plant that has a very long history of medicinal use, dating back nearly 4000 years.  Because of its brilliant yellow color, turmeric is also known as “Indian saffron”.

It contains a yellow-colored chemical called curcumin, which is often used to color foods and cosmetics. Turmeric is commonly used for conditions involving pain and inflammation, such as osteoarthritis. It is also used for hay fever, depression, high cholesterol, a type of liver disease, and itching.

To grow turmeric at home:

You will need a 14- to 18-inch pot or planter for each 6 to 8 inches of rhizome, and enough potting soil to fill it. But to start, it's more practical to sprout your rhizomes in smaller containers and then transplant them into the larger containers once they have a few leaves and are growing well.

Lopaa K Vyas