Fast medical relief in your compound
The feverfew plant above can be used to treat headaches and fever while the yarrow below is used to control bleeding. Photos by Constance Obonyo
What you need to know:
As we go into the New Year, consider plants that will work well in case of a medical emergency.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to rush out to your garden in case of a medical emergency and get some immediate and inexpensive relief?
Joseph Kaka, who sells flowers along Mukwano Road in Nsambya recommends a medicinal plant combination of the feverfew (Tanectum Parthenium) and the yarrow (Achillea Millefolium) for your consideration in the new year.
The feverfew
On why he recommends the feverfew, Kaka says: “It is rare, especially in Uganda. The seeds are imported. Use it to cure headache and malaria. For headache, squeeze the leaves and chew them.
“For flu, squeeze the juice out of the leaves and put it in your nose; or get the whole plant and boil it to treat fever. (When you cut it, you are pruning it. It will come up again.) Boil two palms of leaves in six mugs of water. Cook it down to one mug, then cool. Take eight tea spoons at once every day for a week to treat fever.
Planting it
When planting it, here is what Kaka says you should do. “Propagate it by cuttings, which can root anywhere easily. Water frequently if it is in a pot.
“Once a day is adequate. If you’ve planted it in your garden, there’s no need to water it. Pruning is vital. The more you prune it, the more branches it will produce.
“When it produces new shoots after pruning, put them in salads or sprinkle them on your meals to prevent headaches. It also adds flavour to the food. It has a distinctive smell and is slightly bitter.
“It will take six months to mature and produce seeds. When the seeds fall to the ground, they grow into seedlings. The seedlings cost Shs10,000 each. It is a perennial and will last three to six years.
“Even though it dies, other seedlings will have sprouted from its shed seed.
Yarrow
Yarrow is another good plant to have, and Kaka explains why: “It stops any kind of bleeding, whether external or internal. To stop nose bleeds, squeeze juice out of the leaves and apply approximately two drops to the inside of the nose. You will get immediate relief. It is very effective.”
Having it in your garden
Here is how to plant it, according to Kaka.
“Propagate it by planting its suckers. After planting, it will not need much maintenance. It is better planted in the garden than potted. It spreads quickly when planted in the garden and is difficult to eradicate.
“Pick dry flowers out of their stalks, but use the leaves to stop bleeding. Its seedling costs Shs2,000.”
Plan to have this medicinal plant combination in your spice garden for the New Year, especially if you have children. With one mischief or the other always up their sleeves, cuts and bleeding are inevitable.
Remember though that these are usually helpful remedies and if one has a serious illness, it is advisable to have them visit the doctor as early as possible.
