Top 5 Healing Herbs and Plants

Many of us may view these plants as backyard “weeds,” but with a bit of knowledge, you’ll recognize them as healing herbs and plants in our medicinal herb gardens. Join me with guest Dr. Patrick Jones as we discuss his top five favorite medicinal herbs and their common uses.

Why “Weeds” Belong in the Family Apothecary

On our homestead, one of my favorite things to teach is that real medicine often grows just a few steps from your kitchen door. We spend a lot of time here at Homesteading Family talking about medicinal herbs, from the original 15 medicinal herbs I planted in my cottage garden, to foraging for wild medicinal herbs right in your backyard, to using antiviral herbs and even caring for animals with herbal remedies.

Home remedies are such a gift to have on hand when life happens (like these five herbs every mom should keep close by), especially when you want to support your immune system naturally. But here’s the thing, it doesn’t happen overnight. Building a home medicine cabinet takes time, just like building any other skill.

Some of our family favorites include homemade cough remedies, homemade elderberry syrup, elderberry gummies, medicinal hop tea, a simple remedy for chest congestion, and even a good old-fashioned mustard plaster remedy.

Each one is practical, powerful and tested right here at home. Because once you start learning, you realize you don’t have to run to the store every time someone starts to sniffle, you can reach for something you grew, blended, or bottled yourself.

Mallow, Marshmallow, or Hollyhock (Malvaceae): “Slippery Soothers”

These three are cousins in the same plant family, and all share that beautiful, soothing nature that makes them so helpful when tissues are inflamed or irritated. These are staples when designing a cottage garden.

What It Helps:

Mallow, marshmallow, and hollyhock are some of the gentlest, most reliable herbs for calming irritation in the mucous membranes (think throat, mouth, digestive tract, or even the bladder). They’re also wonderful for easing that stubborn, dry cough that just hangs on after an illness.

Doc’s used them topically (and internally) for tissue around a bite or wound that looks pale, dry, or like it’s “starting to die back.” In those cases, the soothing moisture from the root can make a visible difference fast.

How to Identify and Harvest

Since they’re all in the same family, they look and act a lot alike. You’ll notice those soft, velvety leaves and pale pink to white flowers that bloom along tall stalks. The root is where you’ll find the strongest medicine, though the leaves are also helpful, just milder.

Harvest roots in the fall of the first year or in early spring of the second year, before the plant sends up its flower stalk.

How We Use it at Home

• Powder on a sore: Dust a bit of dried root powder right onto a canker sore to seal and soothe.
• Simple tea: Simmer chopped root for a few minutes to make a thick, soothing drink that coats the throat, calms the stomach, and eases bladder irritation.
• Wound paste: Mix the powdered root with a little water to form a paste, then apply directly to angry tissue or along the “die lines” of a wound.

Why It Works

The root is rich in mucilage, a slippery, gel-like substance that coats and calms irritated tissue. It’s that soothing action that makes it so effective. In practice, Doc Jones has even seen “die lines” on wounds start to recede within hours when the herb is used both internally and externally.

Safety Notes

This is one of the gentlest herbs you can work with. It’s safe for most people and a wonderful one to have on hand for family use.

Plantain (Plantago spp.): The Draw-Out First Aid Leaf

If I could only keep one “first aid weed” growing near the garden gate, it would be plantain. This humble little plant shows up everywhere, between the cracks in the path or along the garden edge, and it’s one of the most useful healing herbs you can learn to recognize (and the first one I teach my kids about).

What It Helps

Plantain is best known for its ability to draw out infection, splinters, venom, or irritation that’s settled deep under the skin. It’s a must-have for puncture wounds that need to heal from the inside out and a quick go-to for bites and stings from bees, mosquitoes, or anything that leaves that hot, itchy welt behind.

Taken internally, plantain also helps soothe and tone the digestive tract, gently supporting leaky gut and helping balance the good flora. Because it acts as a mild diuretic, it can also be a friend to the bladder when things feel inflamed or sluggish.

How to Identify and Harvest

There are two main types, broadleaf and narrowleaf, and both are equally effective. You’ll recognize them by their parallel veins that run straight up the leaf, unlike most plants that have branching veins.

Plantain thrives in compacted soil such as lawns, footpaths, or gravel driveways. Harvest fresh leaves whenever you need them, and if you want to preserve some for winter, dry them whole in a single layer until crisp.

How We Use It at Home

• Garden-side spit poultice: For stings, bites, or splinters, chew a clean leaf (or crush it between your fingers) and press it right onto the spot. It’s fast, simple, and surprisingly effective.
• Hot soaks for punctures: For a deeper puncture, I’ll use an Epsom salt foot bath and then follow up with a plantain poultice a few times a day.
• Drawing poultice: Mix dried plantain powder with a little ground flax (for absorption) and a pinch of cayenne (to stimulate circulation). Add just enough water to make a paste, then spread it on gauze or cloth and apply it under a wrap.
• Soothing burn salve: If you want to make a soothing and healing wound salve or a plantain bug bite balm, check out those posts.

Why It Works

Plantain contains compounds that have a gentle antimicrobial effect, yet they favor the body’s beneficial microbes. It also has a unique drawing action that helps pull out infection or irritation while supporting slow, steady tissue repair. This makes it especially helpful for wounds that need to heal from the inside out.

Safety Notes

Plantain is very safe for both topical and internal use. Still, for any serious puncture or if you see red streaks, fever, or signs of spreading infection, it’s important to seek medical care.

Burdock (Arctium spp.) Root: Gentle Daily Liver and Skin Support

Burdock is one of those steady, behind-the-scenes herbs that works quietly but powerfully over time. It’s a wonderful ally for the liver, the skin, and even the gut.

What It Helps

Burdock root supports a healthy liver and bile flow, encouraging gentle detoxification. It can be especially helpful when skin issues like eczema, psoriasis, or allergy-type flares are connected to sluggish elimination.

Because it’s rich in prebiotic fiber (inulin), burdock also nourishes beneficial gut bacteria. That in turn can calm systemic inflammation that often shows up in the skin.

How to Identify and Harvest

You’ll know burdock by its big, heart-shaped leaves and those sticky burrs that cling to everything. It’s a biennial, meaning it lives for two years. For medicine, harvest the roots in the fall of the first year or in early spring of the second year, before the plant sends up a stalk.

Slice the roots thin before drying. Once dry, they become quite woody and hard, so it’s best to prepare them while fresh.

How We Use It at Home

• Daily powder: Add a small spoonful of dried, powdered burdock root to smoothies or oatmeal for steady, gentle liver and skin support.
• Decoction: Simmer sliced root for 15 to 20 minutes to make a warm, earthy tea that supports both the liver and digestion.

Why It Works

Burdock acts as a mild diuretic and gently encourages bile production. The inulin it contains feeds the beneficial gut flora, helping the body eliminate waste more effectively and reducing inflammation that often surfaces in the skin.

Safety Notes

Burdock is generally food-like and gentle. If you’re sensitive to fibers or FODMAPs, start slowly and build up as your body adjusts.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica): A Whole-Plant Powerhouse

If I’m being honest, I can’t think of another plant that offers more across the board than nettles. From its nourishing greens to its restorative seeds and supportive roots, nettle really is a whole-plant powerhouse. We absolutely rely on it for our home remedy for allergies.

What It Helps

• Leaf: A daily nutritive tonic that helps with seasonal allergies, mild fluid retention, and general vitality.
• Seed: Supports kidney strength and resilience.
• Root: Traditionally used for male urinary support, including BPH tendencies.

How to Identify and Harvest

In early spring, young nettles don’t sting much and can be harvested with bare hands if you’re gentle. Once they mature, be sure to wear gloves.

Use the leaf for teas, capsules, or smoothie powders. Gather seed when the flower clusters mature. Dig the root in the fall of the first year or early spring of the second year before the plant fully leafs out.

How We Use It at Home

• Daily capsules or tea: Combine nettle leaf with alfalfa for everyday nourishment. During respiratory season, add mullein for extra support.
• Allergy season: Start nettle leaf tea or capsules a few weeks before pollen arrives.
• Kidney support: Use small daily amounts of seed to encourage healthy function.
• Male urinary support: Use the root in tea or tincture form as part of a daily routine.

Why It Works

The leaf acts like a natural antihistamine while also providing deep nutrition and mild diuretic action. The seed supports kidney tissue recovery and resilience. The root supports the prostate and overall urinary tract health.

Safety Notes

The leaf is considered food-level safe and can be used daily. Seed and root are also gentle when used as directed. Avoid nettle if you have a known allergy to the plant.

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus): Calm the Cough, Soothe the Lungs

If you’ve ever run your hand over a mullein leaf, you know it’s soft and velvety, almost like lamb’s ear. That gentle feel gives you a good clue about what this plant does in the body. Mullein soothes, softens, and calms irritated tissues, especially in the lungs. We use it in this steam inhalation for congestion.

What It Helps

Mullein is one of my favorite herbs for those dry, nagging coughs that keep you up at night. It also helps with lingering irritation after a cold or flu when the lungs just need a little extra care.

The blossoms can be infused into oil for ear discomfort, and the root has a long history of use for supporting back muscles and bladder tone.

How to Identify and Harvest

Mullein is a biennial, so it grows a low rosette of soft, fuzzy leaves the first year and sends up a tall flower stalk the second year.

The leaf is easiest to harvest and store, while the flowers are potent but take some patience to collect. If you’re after the root, harvest it in the fall of the first year or early spring of the second, before the plant sends up its stalk.

How We Use It at Home

• Night cough tea: Brew mullein leaf tea before bed to quiet a dry, unproductive cough.
• Ear oil: Infuse the blossoms in olive oil for a week or two, then strain. Use a few drops of the warmed oil for ear discomfort.
• Back support: Use a tea or tincture made from the root before bodywork or chiropractic adjustments to help the body relax and hold the adjustment more easily.

Why It Works

Mullein is a nervine for the bronchi, meaning it helps calm the nerves that trigger coughing once the cough is no longer helpful. It also has mild expectorant action to assist the body in clearing mucus and shows supportive antiviral properties for common respiratory infections.

Safety Notes

The tiny hairs on the leaf can be scratchy, so strain tea well before drinking. When using ear oil, make sure it is warm (not hot) and never use it if you suspect a perforated eardrum.

Simple Starter Kit for the Homestead Herbal Shelf

• Dried plantain leaf powder for emergency poultices
• Mallow/marshmallow root slices or powder
• Burdock root powder for smoothies
• Nettle leaf tea or capsules, plus a small jar of nettle seed
• Mullein leaf tea and a small bottle of mullein blossom ear oil

Keep clean glass jars, gauze, and elastic wraps ready for quick poultices. Add Epsom salts for soaks, and a small bag of ground flax to boost drawing action.

If you’d like to learn more, check out Doc’s website, the Homegrown Herbalist and Doc Jones’ book, The Homegrown Herbalist Guide to Medicinal Weeds.

Foraging and Preparation Tips

• Harvest roots of biennials in fall of year one or spring of year two.
• Slice roots thin before drying. Otherwise they are nearly impossible to grind.
• Dry leaves quickly in good airflow away from direct sun.
• Label jars with plant, part, and date.
• When making poultices, mix powder with warm water to a spreadable paste and apply under a breathable wrap. Refresh as needed.

Building a home herbal cabinet doesn’t happen overnight, and that’s okay. Just like learning to can or bake bread, it’s something you grow into one step at a time. Start with one herb, get comfortable using it, and then add another when you’re ready. Before long, you’ll look around and realize you’ve built a beautiful rhythm of care right in your own home.

The more you work with these herbs, the more you’ll see how they meet everyday needs in simple, practical ways. And the best part is, you’ll feel that quiet confidence of knowing you can care for your family safely and naturally, using what the garden and the good Lord provide.

Because you really can do this, and you don’t have to do it alone.

FAQs

More Posts You May Enjoy

• How To Start Using Medicinal Herbs
• How to Use Herb Medicine Safely at Home
• Herbal Cold and Flu Tea Recipe for Comfort & Relief
• Steeping Tea for Medicinal Purposes
• Hop Tea + Medicinal Benefits of Hops
• Homemade Dandelion Root Tea Latte
• Immune Boosting Tea (Throat Soothing!)
• Instant Herbal Iced Tea (Instant Cold Brew)