Whitehouse Herbs Part 1

Thyme:
Culinary
Thyme is a low maintenance herb and is perfect for a border plant or a container herb pot. It not only goes well with fish and chicken, but is essential for stocks, stuffing and stews or soups.
Companion Plants
Thyme is a pest repellent and tomatoes, eggplant, cabbage and potatoes especially enjoy it’s company. It has no known enemies, so feel free to tuck some in anywhere you have room.
Medicinal
Thyme is primarily antiseptic, carminative, and diuretic, and secondarily antispasmodic, expectorant and parasitacide. It warms the lungs and helps expel mucous., and aids in digestion. It can be used alone or infused with a blend of other antispasmodic herbs in a good extra virgin olive oil for a massage oil to relieve muscle aches.

Oregano
Culinary
That essential herb for Italian cooking. It goes well in spaghetti sauce, pizza and other classic Italian dishes as well as being the star of the menu when infused into butter for fish dishes. It enjoys a well drained soil and, like mint, grows best when watered regularly.
Companion Plants.
Oregano is a general pest repellent, but is especially useful for flea beatles. Cabbage likes to be planted with oregano. Be careful where you plant it. It spreads like mint. To keep it from spreading but still get its benefits, plant in a well draining pot and sink the pot into the ground.
Medicinal
Oregano can be used as a tea to reduce flatulence, bloating, headaches, cough, bronchial problems and swollen glands. The fresh or dried leaves can be pounded into a paste with a little hot water and used topically to reduce the pain of rheumatism, aching muscles and sores. Tie a handful of oregano leaves in a cheese cloth bag and float it in a bath tub of hot water to ease tired, aching muscles and joints.

Sage:
Sage is a great addition to any garden. Allowed to grow bush like it makes a great focal point and it grey-green leaves provide a great contrast.
Culinary
Sage is a wonderful addition to poultry and pork dishes and stuffing as well as adding great flavor to some vegetable dishes.
Companion
Sage deters root maggot flies and cabbage worms. Plant it near tomatoes, carrots, cabbage and strawberries. Don’t plant near cucumbers. They don’t make good neighbors. Sage flowers attract many beneficial insects to the garden
Medicinal
Ahhh Sage, the great panacea! An old saying goes “if a man has sage in his garden why should he die”. Well it’s not the fountain of youth, or life everlasting, but it has a great range of healing properties. It’s primarily antispasmodic, cardio tonic and aromatic, but has been used through the centuries to reduce fevers, combat hot flashes during menopause, and as a gargle for sore throat and tonsilitis, just to mention a few.