Foraging Around Your Garden

4 Edible Or Medicinal Around My Home

Forefathers spent years sharing knowledge about what roots, bark, fruits could be used to sustain life depending on the region in which you live.

Today I share a few plants I know or learned new tricks from other locals as times goes on, I'm not a Botanist, always eager to listen and learn from those who are knowledgeable.

With school starting, swimming season takes it's toll with swimmers ear, anyone familiar with earache knows how annoying it is. My friendly neighbour sent me a message, do I have a Snake Plant, to which I replied I have Snake Lily and sent a photo, she replied with a photo for what she was looking for and taught me something I did not know. Zulu people rely on many local plants to medicate with.

What Khazi was referring to we call "Mother In Law's Tongue", she laughed telling me the name in Zulu is Snake Plant, one and the same I removed a couple from the garden for her to grow and use, what was the reason; her lovely little girl is an avid swimmer and to cut a leaf drip some drops directly into ear the pain is relieved something her mother taught her.

Rhizomes and leaves of Sansevieria hyacinthoides are used medicinally. It is a popular medicine for the treatment of ear infection, earache and toothache. It is also used traditionally to treat multiple ailments such as haemorrhoids, ulcers, intestinal worms, stomach disorders and diarrhoea.

Apparently if your plant has a yellow border to its leaves, it's a mother-in-law's tongue. If it has green leaves with lighter colored horizontal bands, then it's a snake plant. Mine is the latter.

Currently flowering once again I will share Alpinia zerumbet Shell Ginger, "pink porcelain lily", "variegated ginger, "butterfly ginger", and "light galangal". An attractive jungle type leafy shrub plant to added into sub-tropical garden, offering additional uses once you are aware of what is outdoors.

First spike type plant evident under long leaves.

Glossy beads prior to opening up for all to see....

People use alpinia for fevers, muscle spasms, intestinal gas, and swelling (inflammation), but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses. Source

Wild garlic (Tulbaghia species) Planted where it has shaded afternoon sun by large trees or would not survive blistering heat. My particular one only ever has mauve flowers on long stems, sub-tropical flowers year round.

Clump-forming bulbous plant with garlic scented, grey, strap-like leaves and mauve flowers on long stems for most of the year. T. violacea ‘Silver Lace’ is a beautiful new addition, with white-edged, blue-grey leaves that become pink in cold winters. It bears delicate mauve flowers in summer. Source

Spekboom (Portulacaria Afra) Porkbush, is a succulent plant found in South Africa good for purifying the air, removing carbon dioxide acting like a carbon sponge improving the air we breath.

Sucking a leaf to quench thirst, treat exhaustion, dehydration and heatstroke. Using crushed leaves to provide relief for blisters. Chewing leaves can treat a sore throat and mouth infections. Juiced leaves are used as an antiseptic and to soothe skin ailments such as pimples, rashes, insect stings and sunburn.

Spekboom an exceptional fresh addition to salads and a small sprig will add a delicious flavour to a stew. 5 Amazing Facts About Spekboom if elephants love it perhaps we should too! Still waiting to see flowering perhaps conditions in our region may take some time, patience with nature is required.