Aromatic Herbs for Indoors

For the past couple decades people have been spreading the word on how indoors plants can help clean the air indoors. This is true ALL plants clean the air. I read an article the other day on 8 aromatic herbs that you can grow indoors to help purify the air. Now there were no references to any research, but it does make sense to me. Plants are a part of nature’s cleaning system.

This is a collection of some house plants which help clean the air in the room from pollution, bad smell and lower carbon dioxide naturally.

Some of them repel biting insects, other invite useful wasps that kill the parasites on the other plants.
Most of those plants below will live in perfect coexistence near each other (except the mint, if planted in the same box or pot).

They will also not grow too tall and wide, so you can fill small spaces around your windows and not risk stumbling upon them all the time.

Click on the linked plant name that follow for more information.

Rosemary

(Rosmarinus officinalis L.)
Some use this herb for cooking, other use it as a herbal tea.
As with all plants having needle-like leaves, the rosemary is evergreen and can be held indoors in the whole winter, still leaving pleasant aroma.
Most of the needle-leaved plants are very good purifiers, especially for humid winter air. They breathe carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. Rosemary is not an exception.

The most important function of this herb is its ability to improve cognitive function and shield the brain from free radicals.  And the presence of this plant in the room is enough in the long run. Rosemary still exhales some of its essential oils in the room (you don't need to boil it in a tea infusion to benefit from it).

NOTE: Add dried rosemary to your beef burgers (or any meat burgers) to combat carcinogens (cancer causing agents) and because it gives the burgers an even more fabulous taste. 

Tip from Pearl for using Rosemary:
“I try to add rosemary whenever I prepare charred or browned meat. Rosemary is a potent antioxidant. It combats the carcinogens (HCA’s) that are formed when meat is browned or gets charred and crusty. It’s a great idea to add rosemary any time you are trying to get a good crisp on meat but especially important when char grilling."

Lavender 

(Lavandula spica L.)

You need to check if you are not allergic first, but this herb makes very good house plant.

1. It is excellent insect repellent.
2. The aroma relaxes the lungs and helps for calmer night sleep.
3. The aroma (also) helps relax if you suffer from anxiety.

Basil

(Ocimum basilicum L.)
Basil is one well known herb and spice.
Naturally it is spread in Asia and North Africa but can easily be cultivated for all climates and domesticated.
Grows about 1-2 feet long with small white blossoms and wide leaves.

The fruit is small 4-seed nut that dries and drops by itself at autumn and can be reseeded in the next Spring. The rich aroma and the pleasant peppery taste are only one part of the coin. It can be also used as herbal tea and as all other plants will reduce the Carbon Dioxide in the room. Gather some leaves for the salad and leave enough smaller leaves for it to grow.

Mint

(Mentha spicatta L.)
The best herbal tea for winter.
The best plant for indoor planting.
There are many subspecies which are also called Mint. They include plants suitable with cooking with dry beans, plants suitable for baking meat, others suitable for extracting fragrant oils for perfumery and scent lamps and dozens more.
*They love sun and water but are incredibly easy to grow. The root is quite invasive and strong (smothers and kills other plants around the mint). 

 Jasmine

(Jasminum officinale L.)
Jasmine opens its flowers between 6 and 8 PM, when the temperature is lower. Having Jasmine aroma when dining is very pleasant.

Geranium

Geraniums, (Pelargoniums) are more than 200 kinds.
For all of them is valid:

• Excellent aroma if you can tolerate it.

  

  Rose Geranium

• Mosquitoes repellent.
• Don't attract most of the parasites which suck plants dry.
• Looks excellent when blooming.
• Purify air.
• A detached cutting can be grown by just re-planting it. Takes about a week to grow new roots.
• Don't need much care. Can live without water for 2 weeks in cold days.
• More sun = more blossoms.

Coffee plant

(Coffea arabica L.) CAN be domesticated easier than an avocado seedling.

There are above 120 subspecies Coffee plants, with sub-gene arabica being most famous and easy to grow at home. They are spread worldwide and you probably don't know how good this plant can be indoors.

If you are still not convinced or not having too much botanical knowledge - this is the best houseplant for beginners.
Even more: Rose geranium (Pelargonium roseum Willd.) can be used as a helpful herbal tea in Diabetes melitus (type 2). It lowers blood glucose levels very quick.

Woodbine

(Lonicera periclymenum L.) a.k.a. European honeysuckle or Common honeysuckle
This plant is very useful for indoor stairs, especially if your rooms have sufficient sunlight.
Regardless it is forest semi-parasitic plant growing over tree trunks, it can be domesticated and dwarfed.
You can grow it in pot with a wooden log or dry branch planted in the soil, so the vine can climb on it. It has very sweet scent, especially at night. Can be grown from a seed, and takes about 2 years to start blossoming indoors.

IMPORTANT! How NOT to Cook a Turkey

Unsafe Methods

Every year methods circulate about unconventional ways to cook a turkey. These are the unsafe methods that you should not use. Of course, nobody can stop you, and if you've used these methods before, you have free will. But be careful: if you're serving someone in a high risk group (the elderly, pregnant women, the very young, those with chronic illnesses and compromised immune systems) you are risking some very unhappy holiday memories.

Please use approved turkey roasting methods. And there are some caveats even with those methods! To be completely safe, don't stuff your turkey, but cook the stuffing mixture in the crockpot or in the oven alongside the bird. And I've recently discovered that even turkey breasts cooked in the crockpot may carry risks. If you feel you should, please pass this information on to family and friends.   

So have a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving! 

How NOT to Cook a Turkey

• Turkey in the Crockpot
  Most food experts say that cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker is unsafe, because the low cooking temperature keeps the cavity at an ideal temperature for breeding bacteria for too long a time. The same holds true for turkey. Note that a slow cooker is not the same as a roaster oven, such as those made by Nesco.
• Turkey Roasted Overnight
  Lots of us have recipes from our mothers and grandmothers that call for roasting the turkey overnight at a temperature ranging from 200 to 250 degrees F. This is unsafe. The lowest recommended oven temperature for roasting a turkey is 325 degrees F. Once again, the long slow cooking is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. And if the turkey is stuffed the danger is even greater.
• Turkey in the Microwave
  The microwave cooks too unevenly, with hot spots and cool spots, to be safe. The largest cut of poultry that I cook in the microwave is boneless skinless chicken breasts. Don't even cook a turkey breast in the microwave oven.
• Turkey Breast in the Crockpot
  I have many recipes for this method. I've always considered it safe, but in my research I've found that this method is now also considered risky. If you don't have anyone in your family in the high risk group, go ahead. I'll continue to cook my turkey this way unless I'm serving someone at risk. But now I know there is a risk.
• Deep Frying Turkey
  This method produces a perfectly safe bird, but the method itself can be dangerous and has led to many fires. The Underwriter's Laboratory has decided not to certify any turkey fryers. If you do choose to deep fry your turkey, make sure the container is large enough, and that the frying is done outside away from flammable materials (that includes your house and deck!). Keep kids and pets away and make sure the oil cools down in a safe place before disposing. And have a couple of fire extinguishers ready and waiting.
• Stuffing Your Turkey the Night Before
  Never never never stuff your turkey until it's ready to go into the oven. Even if the stuffing reaches a safe internal temperature, the bacteria have had plenty of time to produce toxins that are not destroyed by heat and can make you sick.
• Thawing Turkey at Room Temperature
  Again, this allows bacteria to reach truly dangerous levels. Either thaw the turkey in the refrigerator, under running cold water, or cook it frozen.
• The Brown Paper Bag Method
  Do not cook turkey in a brown paper bag unless it is one that has been approved for food use. The chemicals used in manufacturing these bags could leach into the turkey and cause health problems, which may not appear for years, but can be significant.
• The Trash Bag Method
  Do not use a trash bag to brine or marinate the turkey, for the same reason. Oven roasting bags and frozen birds sold in the bags are perfectly safe.
• Turducken
  Turducken can be perfectly safe, but only if it is prepared quickly and the ingredients that aren't being immediately used are refrigerated. Do not prepare this recipe in advance Also do not bake the turducken at temperatures below 325 degrees F; again, overnight and long slow cooking is dangerous. And be sure that the very interior is cooked to 165 degrees F (some sources say 180 degrees F).

 Many, many more hints, tips and instructions on this site... be sure to visit it if you have any questions or need help. Better yet, contact the local University Extension Office or Health Department, who would have safety instructions available.   

More info: About.com