Let me tell you how I justify my plant obsession to anyone who questions it: every plant I put in the ground earns its keep at least three ways. It feeds the pollinators. It looks good. And — when we're talking about the right plants — it might actually keep me out of the urgent care line come November.
I'm talking about native medicinal plants. The plants that were growing here, in this exact soil and climate, long before anyone showed up with a pharmacy or a supplement aisle. Native Americans figured out what these plants did over generations of careful observation. And those plants are still here, still useful — and honestly, still underappreciated.
Here's my pitch: native medicinals are triple-duty plants. They support wildlife habitat (natives feed the native bees and butterflies and birds in ways that ornamental cultivars simply can't match). They're beautiful — we're talking showstoppers, most of them. And they're useful to actual human beings in ways that go beyond pretty. That's the trifecta. That's why my yard is slowly becoming a very intentional medicine garden.
Important: This is not medical advice. I am a gardener and an Ohio Army veteran, not a doctor. Always consult a healthcare provider before using any plant medicinally. Do your own research. What's helpful for one person can interact with medications or conditions in another. I'm telling you what these plants are used for — not prescribing anything.
The Plants
Echinacea / Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia
What it does
Immune system support is the main claim to fame — stimulating white blood cell production and potentially shortening the duration of colds. Echinacea supplements are everywhere, but growing your own means you know exactly what you've got. The roots have the highest concentration of active compounds; the flowers and leaves are also used.
Growing it
This is your gateway drug to native medicinals. Purple coneflower is one of the easiest natives you can grow — full sun, tolerates drought once established, blooms reliably from midsummer through fall. Start from seed in fall (it needs cold stratification) or buy transplants in spring. Give it average to poor soil; rich soil makes it floppy. The goldfinches will strip the seedheads in fall and you'll be fine with that.
Elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis
What it does
Elderberry syrup has had a moment — and by moment I mean a five-year sustained cultural explosion. There's solid research behind it: elderberries contain compounds that may inhibit viral replication and have been studied for influenza. People have been making elderberry syrup, elderberry gummies, and elderberry wine since before this country had a name. Raw elderberries and other parts of the plant are toxic — cook them first, always.
Growing it
Native elderberry is a large shrub — easily eight to twelve feet tall and wide, so give it room. Full sun to part shade, moist to average soil. It spreads by suckers, which is either charming or alarming depending on your garden layout. Plant two different varieties for better berry production. The flat white flower clusters in early summer are gorgeous and also edible (elderflower cordial is a thing). Birds will compete with you for the berries — plant more than you think you need.
Black Cohosh Actaea racemosa
What it does
Women's health, primarily — black cohosh has been used for centuries to address menopausal symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes. It's one of the best-studied herbal remedies for menopause and you'll find it in the supplement aisle of every natural grocery store in America. As a woman of a certain age in Ohio, I have a personal interest in this one.
Growing it
This is a woodland plant, which means it wants shade — dappled light under deciduous trees is ideal. It's a big, dramatic perennial: tall, deeply cut leaves and tall wands of white flowers in midsummer that tower above everything else in a shade garden and smell a little funky (the pollinators don't mind). It's slow to establish — don't expect a lot the first two years — but once it's settled in, it's there for decades. Moist, rich, slightly acidic woodland soil. Think: what the forest floor looks like.
Goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis
What it does
Goldenseal contains berberine, which has documented antimicrobial properties — it's been used as a topical antiseptic and as a treatment for various infections. It's genuinely useful. It's also genuinely endangered in the wild, because decades of wild-harvesting for the supplement trade have wiped out wild populations across much of its native range. If you see goldenseal for sale at a wild-crafted herb stand, walk away. If you want it, grow it.
Growing it
Same woodland conditions as black cohosh — deep shade, rich moist soil, leaf duff on the surface. Goldenseal is low-growing, about a foot tall, with distinctive lobed leaves and small white flowers. It spreads slowly by rhizome once established. It takes several years to reach harvestable size, which is honestly fine — you're not running a commercial operation, you're building a medicine garden. Buy from reputable nurseries that propagate their own stock and never collect from wild plants. This is a non-negotiable for me.
Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
What it does
The name comes from its historical use for "break-bone fever" — the deep, aching bone pain that comes with influenza. Boneset tea was a go-to remedy for fevers and flu symptoms among both indigenous peoples and European settlers, and it earned its reputation through use across centuries. It's not as widely known as echinacea today but it deserves more attention.
Growing it
Boneset is a native prairie and meadow plant — it wants full sun, tolerates wet soil better than most, and blooms in late summer with flat-topped clusters of small white flowers that bees absolutely love. It can get four to five feet tall. Plant it at the back of a border or in a rain garden or anywhere that gets a little soggy. Tough, reliable, almost impossible to kill once established. Under-appreciated and easy to find at native plant nurseries.
Wild Bergamot / Bee Balm Monarda fistulosa / M. didyma
What it does
The leaves contain thymol — the same compound in thyme — with proven antiseptic and antimicrobial properties. Bee balm tea has been used for colds, sore throats, and digestive complaints. The Oswego people used it so extensively for tea that early colonists called the drink "Oswego tea" and it gained popularity as a coffee substitute after the Boston Tea Party. This is genuinely American tea.
Growing it
This one earns triple-duty status loud and clear — the flowers are spectacular (deep red or lavender, depending on species), the bees and hummingbirds go absolutely bananas for it, and you can harvest the leaves for tea all season. It wants full sun and good air circulation — it's prone to powdery mildew in crowded or humid spots. Spreads vigorously by rhizome, so give it a contained bed or be prepared to manage it. Divide it every few years to keep it healthy. Easy to grow, wonderful to have.
Yarrow Achillea millefolium
What it does
The Latin name tells the story — named for Achilles, who supposedly used it on the wounds of his soldiers. Yarrow has been used as a wound herb across cultures and continents for thousands of years. It's astringent, it helps blood clot, and it has antimicrobial properties. Fresh crushed leaves pressed to a minor wound is a classic field remedy that actually holds up. It's also been used for fevers and as a digestive bitter.
Growing it
Yarrow is tough as nails — drought tolerant, tolerates poor soil, spreads by rhizome and self-seeds freely. Full sun. The flat-topped flower clusters in white or yellow are favorites of beneficial insects, including many parasitic wasps that you want in your garden because they eat the things that eat your vegetables. It can get weedy if you let it go; deadhead or divide it to keep it in bounds. Native white yarrow is better for wildlife than the fancy cultivated colors, but they're all useful.
Passionflower Passiflora incarnata
What it does
Anxiety and sleep — passionflower is used as a mild sedative and anxiolytic, and it's been studied in small trials for generalized anxiety disorder with promising results. It contains compounds that are thought to increase GABA activity in the brain, similar to how many anti-anxiety medications work. Passionflower tea or tincture is a popular natural remedy for winding down, and unlike some herbal sleep aids it doesn't seem to cause grogginess the next morning.
Growing it
And then there's the plant itself, which is one of the most extraordinary things you will ever grow in Ohio. The flowers look like they came from another planet — intricate, architectural, lavender and white and purple in concentric rings. It's a vine — a vigorous one — that can reach twenty feet. It's also the host plant for the zebra longwing and gulf fritillary butterflies. Full sun, well-drained soil, something to climb. It dies back to the ground in winter in Ohio but returns reliably from the roots. The maypop fruits it produces in fall are edible and taste like a sweet-tart tropical punch. I'm not making this up. It's native.
"A plant that feeds the bees, stops traffic in your garden, helps you sleep, and grows itself back every spring. I rest my case."
Where to Source These Plants
This matters. For most of these plants — especially goldenseal and black cohosh — wild populations are under serious pressure from over-harvesting. Buying nursery-propagated plants is the only responsible choice for the endangered ones, and it's good practice across the board.
Look for native plant nurseries in your region. In Ohio, options include the Metro Parks native plant sales, Prairie Moon Nursery (Wisconsin-based, ships nationwide, excellent reputation), and local conservation district plant sales that happen every spring. Native plant societies often hold sales too — the Ohio Native Plant Society is a good starting point.
What to avoid: wildcrafted goldenseal, wildcrafted black cohosh, or any native plant dug from the forest and resold. If a vendor can't tell you how their stock was propagated, that's a red flag. Legitimate native nurseries are proud of this information.
Seeds are another great option for the easier-to-grow plants like echinacea, boneset, yarrow, and wild bergamot. Start them in fall for natural cold stratification or cold-stratify in your refrigerator in late winter.
What to Stock Up On
Growing the plants is the long game. In the meantime, here are some items worth having while your garden gets established — and honest tools for when you're ready to start processing your harvest.
- Organic Elderberry Syrup Making Kit — start making your own before your elderberry shrub is big enough to harvest
- Echinacea Root Tincture (certified organic) — hold you over while your stand fills in
- Stainless Steel Herb Drying Rack — essential for processing bee balm, yarrow, and boneset
- Passionflower Tea (loose leaf) — the vine takes a couple seasons to establish; this tides you over
- Herbal Academy's Introductory Herbal Course — learn to use what you grow, responsibly
Disclosure: these are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link things I'd actually use.
The Bigger Picture
Here's what I keep coming back to: this land had a working pharmacy before there were pharmacies. The plants that evolved here developed compounds that interact with the biology of the animals — including humans — that evolved alongside them. That's not a coincidence. That's a relationship built over thousands of years.
When we replace native plants with ornamentals that do nothing for anyone except look pretty, we lose something. When we replace medicine gardens with grass, we lose something. When we over-harvest what's left in the wild, we lose something that can't easily be replaced.
Growing even a few of these plants is a small act of restoration. You're putting something back. You're giving the bees something to eat, the butterflies something to raise their young on, and yourself something genuinely useful. That's not gardening as a hobby. That's gardening as a position.
I'm not telling you to throw out your prescriptions and go live in the woods. I'm a veteran who has used plenty of modern medicine and is grateful it exists. What I'm saying is: the yard has more potential than most people give it credit for. You can have the habitat and the beauty and the usefulness, all in the same square footage.
Start with echinacea. It's easy, it's gorgeous, and the goldfinches will be there when the seeds ripen in fall. That's enough reason for year one. Go from there.
Reminder: This is not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider. Do your own research before using any plant medicinally. Some of these plants interact with medications or are contraindicated during pregnancy. I am a gardener, not a clinician.
Now go plant something that earns its keep. 🌿