Whether you consider it to be a stinking rose or the nectar of the gods, garlic has been around forever. It was traditionally used for health purposes by people in many parts of the world, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, Japanese, and Native Americans.

This knobby tuber, like ginger and turmeric with their rhizomes (mass of roots), is chock-full of goodies from the inside out.

You can eat it raw, roasted, boiled, steamed or mashed and can be added to many dishes. Put it in salads, soup or sandwiches to improve vitamin, mineral and fiber content. It’s a root vegetable and eaten in much the same way like potato in many parts of Western Europe and Mediterranean regions.

Jerusalem artichoke is excellent source of vitamins B1 and B3 as well as minerals and electrolytes such as iron, potassium, copper and phosphorus. It also has some of  the B-complex group of vitamins such as folates, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and thiamine.


Spiny exterior hides the secret medicinal properties inside. Good use of camouflage if you’re a spiny plant.

Blessed Thistle is native to the Mediterranean and is a member of the Asteraceae (Aster) family, as are Jerusalem Artichoke and Dandelion. It was often grown in the gardens of monks, and the leaves, stems and blossoms were used to make bitter tonics and liqueurs. Other names for Blessed Thistle include holy thistle, St. Benedict's thistle, and spotted thistle.

Saw Palmetto is considered an herb although it is a dwarf palm that grows in the coastal lands of North America, West Indies, and Mediterranean countries. The fruits are a rich source of fatty acids and phytosterols (those are naturally occurring compounds found in plant cell membranes) and have been used to help with various health conditions.