Grow Your Own Medicine Interview

Grow Your Own Medicine Interview

Create an organic medicine cabinet in your own backyard with this step-by-step guide to growing and using plant superfoods.

The medicinal powers of herbs, vegetables and fruits have been revered for thousands of years. This practical guide shows you how to grow and use these plants to prevent diseases, treat everyday ailments and promote general good health.

More than sixty plants and their properties are discussed in detail, from echinacea to fight colds and boost the immune system to cabbage to ward off cancer. You will learn their medicinal properties, how best to administer them - in teas, tinctures, compresses, poultices and more - and, of course, how to grow and prepare them for use.

Whether you have a small vegie patch or a room in a courtyard for a few pots, this book will show you how easy it is to create an organic medicine cabinet in your own backyard.

Mim Beim is a highly respected nutritionist and naturopath. She graduated from Nature Care College with the nutrition prize in 1988 and has since helped to create two TV series on Foxtel (LifeForce), as well as appearing on many TV shows, including Fresh. Mim was also the Triple J naturopath and frequently appears on ABC radio.

A regular contributor to Life Etc., Good Health & Medicine, the Sun Herald and Family Circle, Mim has also been a consultant to Liptons, Nokia and Big Brother, and nowadays gives workshops to groups, including corporations and government departments, on the effects of stress and how to deal with it.

Mim is the past Head of Naturopathy for the Australian Traditional Medicine Society (ATMS), Australia's leading society for natural medicine, and currently lectures at the Australasian School of Natural Therapies in Sydney.

Grow Your Own Medicine
Harper Collins Australia
Author: Mim Beim
ISBN: 9780733328046
Price: $27.99

Interview with Mim Beim

Question: What are the most common herbs, vegetables and fruits we can grow, in our gardens, to help prevent diseases?

Mim Beim: Garlic would have to be the most useful medicine you can grow at home to prevent and treat disease. And so simple to grow. Simply plant a clove of garlic (organic or your own from last year) in the ground in the middle of winter, and pick a whole bulb in the middle of summer. Garlic reduces cholesterol, blood fats, high blood pressure, all risk factors for heart disease. It also helps to treat and prevent flu's, colds and sinusitis. It is also a wonderful detoxifier and doesn't taste too shabby in spaghetti bolognaise.

Chillies are wonderful for the circulation and give you a sense of fullness, great if you are interested in losing weight. Also good for coughs and colds. Chamomile is very soothing for the digestion, it has anti-inflammatory properties and assists sleep.


Question: What herbs and vegetables promote general good health?

Mim Beim: Parsley contains a host of minerals including iron and magnesium. Californian poppy helps anxiety and promotes sleep. Nasturtiums help the digestion and are terrific for relieving coughs. Peppermint is another good one for colds and flu, it also helps digestion and has cooling properties for menopause.


Question: If we only had a small space what herbs, vegetables or fruits that work as a 'medicine' should we aim to grow?

Mim Beim: Herbs including parsley, sage, oregano, chilli, basil, rosemary grow very easily in pots on a balcony. All you need is some sunshine. Used in cooking, or made into medicine.


Question: How can we grow Echinacea at home?

Mim Beim: Easily grown from seed, or if you have a clump, divide some and give to a friend. Echinacea is a hardy water wise plant that after some initial lovingwill take care of itself. You need some free draining soil, it can be grown in pot or in the garden. Echinacea has a beautiful purple flower for vase or garden before you make into a medicine via tea, compress or cream.


Question: Why do you think it is important to look to herbs, vegetables and fruits as medicine rather than pharmaceuticals?

Mim Beim: Plant medicine is mankind's oldest form of medicine. Using plants you grow yourself to heal yourself is a deeply satisfying thing to do. A strong brew of freshly picked thyme is an excellent remedy for a sore throat. Quick, easy and inexpensive.


Question: What specialties do cabbages have that wards off cancer?

Mim Beim: Cabbage is part of the brassica group, which includes broccoli and Brussels sprouts, plants that contain sulphurous-smelling compounds called glucosinolates. Glucosinolates have significant anticancer properties, as well as protecting the liver from damage and improving its ability to eliminate toxic substances and excess hormones.

Interview by Brooke Hunter

Grow Your Own Medicine
Harper Collins Australia
Author: Mim Beim
ISBN: 9780733328046
Price: $27.99