Growing healing herbs and plants also comes with the benefits of playing in the dirt: plenty of fresh air and exercise.

Imagine for a moment the processes that take place in our bodies as soon as we encounter even a tiny breach of the skin. A miniscule scrape draws a little blood, fends off infection and eventually heals over, involving so many processes and encapsulating so many minor miracles—none of them conscious, willed or even noticed—that the mind simply boggles.

Now imagine these processes on a scale much larger and more complex: wounds, burns, sore throats, fevers, queasy stomachs. For the seemingly endless things that can go wrong with our bodies, each of us carries an arsenal of weapons, tools and front-line soldiers ready to protect and defend against invaders, interlopers or the simple imbalances that can set us on a rocky path. If the complexity and wonder of that don’t just knock you out, what would it take to impress you?

How about the amazing fact that much of what you need to promote these processes is available in the plant world, and that you can grow these plants and turn them into not just good food, but good medicine, for pennies and without side effects?

Besides the beauty and bounty of the garden—and the exertion involved in creating and maintaining it—our bodies have been interacting with plants for millennia and know what to do with plant medicines. Herbs interact with our bodies as recognizable nourishment that helps them do what they’re cut out to do: get better. With that as a place to start—that our bodies are designed to heal and actually want to do so—we can plant a garden that gives them fuel for that endeavor.

Check out How to Grow a Garden with Healing Herbs