By Valerie Macon
For generations, people have integrated herbs into their everyday lives. They grow them in gardens and on windowsills, add them to their cooking, and rely on them for simple home remedies. Their benefits don’t stop there. Many of these same herbs also play a valuable role in the garden, attracting pollinators and other beneficial insects while naturally discouraging common pests. Whether you’re cooking, soothing a sore throat, gardening, or simply enjoying their scent, herbs offer an easy way to bring a bit of the natural world into your daily routine.
Herbs for Wellness and Flavor
To explore the wellness benefits of herbs, I sat down with Erika Tyler, herbalist and owner of The Vine Natural Health Shoppe in Fuquay-Varina. Herbs were a way of life for Erika and her family. They cooked with them, cultivated them in their gardens, and passed down a deep appreciation for their uses from one generation of women to the next. When Erika wasn’t feeling well, a cup of herbal tea was always the remedy. She remembers feeling anxious before her first day of school and her mother preparing chamomile tea, which even today evokes a sense of calm and nostalgia. That early influence stayed with her, shaping a lifelong connection to natural health.
Erika suggests approaching herbs from a holistic perspective. She explains, “Herbs are most effective when used to support the body system behind the symptoms. Herbs work best when used consistently over time. Herbal wellness is about building habits and incorporating herbs and herbal practices into your daily life.” Some examples she provided include using chamomile and lavender for relaxation and ashwagandha to help manage stress and the muscle tension that often accompanies it. During allergy season, nettle and mullein can ease mucus and respiratory discomfort. Erika uses these herbs in teas and handcrafted salves, but notes that one of the simplest ways to benefit from them is to sprinkle them directly onto food.
In the kitchen, extracts are a way to get a higher, more concentrated dose of an herb. These are preparations derived from plants in which the active or beneficial compounds are drawn out using a solvent. Extracts are more potent than raw dried herbs because the extraction process removes much of the plant fiber and water, leaving behind a rich concentration of phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are the natural compounds that give plants their color, flavor, aroma, and protective qualities.
Using herbs in cooking helps you become familiar with an herb’s aroma and flavor. Start by making tea from ground or cut, dried herbs. Steeping an herb in hot water is a simple way to experience its flavor and notice how it affects your body.
Erika explains, “If I’m unfamiliar with an herb like nettle, I start by smelling it, then brew a tea using just that herb. From there, I decide whether to add something like peppermint or some local honey. Each time you drink it, you know you’re getting a good dose of minerals while also helping to ease allergy symptoms. It’s fun.” Nettle is one of the herbs you can turn to during pollen season. You can even share it with your dog if s/he experiences grass allergies.
Some proven herbal pairings for health support include chamomile, lemon balm, and lavender; peppermint, ginger, and lemon balm; thyme, sage, and rosemary; nettle, peppermint, and local honey.
Herbs are categorized according to their primary actions in the body. Adaptogens help the body manage stress and build resilience over time, such as ashwagandha, holy basil, and rhodiola. Nervines support the nervous system, including skullcap, passionflower, lemon balm, chamomile, and lavender, while valerian is especially beneficial for relaxation and sleep. Nutritive herbs, such as nettle, alfalfa, and red raspberry leaf, are rich in vitamins and minerals and provide deep nourishment. Bitters, including genetian, dandelion, burdock, and artichoke leaf, stimulate digestion by increasing digestive secretions. Demulcents, such as marshmallow root, slippery elm, and licorice, moisten and soothe irritated tissues. Astringents, including witch hazel, yarrow, and raspberry leaf, tighten and tone tissue. Expectorants, such as mullein and nettle, help thin mucus. Lymphatics support the movement and drainage of lymph fluid, helping the body clear waste and maintain immune function, and include calendula, ginger, and echinacea.
Erika adds that not every herb works the same way for everybody. “We can’t think of using them as we would a prescription or an antibiotic when there’s an infection and expect a good result; it doesn’t work that way.” Using herbs consistently over time will produce the most desirable results.
Herbs for Your Garden
In the garden, some herbs repel pests, others attract beneficial insects, some improve soil conditions, and others provide shade. In this sense, companion planting is the placement of plants so they support one another’s growth, health, and resilience.
Repelling Insects
Many garden pests rely on scent to find their host crops. Aromatic herbs produce essential oils that affect how insects locate plants. Some of these scents are irritating to insects, so they move on; other scents draw helpful insects.
While all harmful pests may not be eliminated entirely, they can be deterred by herbs. Aphids can be managed with basil and chives, and chives may also help prevent fungus. Cabbage worms and moths are deterred by sage, thyme, and rosemary, while dill attracts their natural enemies. Whiteflies can be discouraged by basil and mint. Carrot flies are reduced by strong-scented herbs like rosemary and sage. Mosquitoes and flies are reduced by herbs like lavender and basil. Ants, flea beetles and cabbage moths are repelled by mint. Aphids, whiteflies and hornworms are warded off when basil is partnered with tomatoes and peppers. Fleas, moths and flies are discouraged by lavender.
Inviting Insects
Some herbs invite beneficial insects into the garden. Parsley attracts hoverflies whose larvae feed on aphids, making it a valuable companion for tomatoes and leafy greens. Cilantro, when allowed to flower, draws in pollinators and insects that help reduce pests. Dill near cabbage attracts insects that prey on cabbage worms. Thyme is low-growing and ideal for deterring pests in tighter spaces.
Flowering herbs are the best for bringing in pollinators and predatory insects. Unlike pests that damage your plants, these are often the “good guys” in a garden because they naturally control harmful insects. Dill and fennel attract ladybugs, lacewings, and parasitic wasps; cilantro is excellent for hoverflies and beneficial wasps; lavender draws bees and butterflies; borage is great for pollinators and is often planted near tomatoes and squash; mint, when allowed to flower, attracts a wide range of beneficial insects; thyme and oregano produce small flowers that attract pollinators. The key is to allow some herbs to flower rather than harvesting all of them early, as their blooms function as landing pads.
Placement of Herbs in Your Garden
Herbs give off natural chemicals into the air and soil through their leaves and roots that can affect how nearby plants grow and how insects behave around them. By helping to reduce pests, the plant’s health improves, which allows vegetables to grow stronger. Certain herbs, such as chamomile and yarrow, are believed to support plant growth by encouraging beneficial microbial activity in the soil.
Integrating herbs into a vegetable garden works best when they are planted throughout the garden rather than placing them in a single corner. Place tall or flowering herbs like dill or cilantro among vegetables so they can attract pollinators and beneficial insects right where they’re needed. Herbs like basil and chives do well when planted close to the vegetables they support. It is best to plant perennial or spreading herbs, such as mint, oregano, or lemon balm, in containers so they don’t overtake nearby crops.
Compact herbs like thyme, chives, basil, and parsley thrive in containers and can be grouped with vegetables in pots or in raised beds. Keeping herbs close to the vegetables they support ensures their benefits are concentrated. Start with just a few combinations, notice how the plants respond, and let that guide future planting decisions.
The following combinations work well: tomatoes + basil + chives; carrots + chives or rosemary; cabbage/kale + dill; lettuce + cilantro or parsley; cucumbers + dill.
Incorporating herbs into your daily life could start with a mindful cup of tea or a sprig of basil. As you experiment with time-tested pairings like nettle and peppermint in your mug or tomatoes and chives in your garden, you’ll begin to appreciate the many gifts that herbs offer.
