Spokane’s Mother Herb Woman Grows And Sells All Kinds Of Herbs, Touts Them For All Kinds Of Ailments

Bev Bailey, herb grower B ev Bailey’s herb garden makes her an apothecary for any ailment: common colds, kidney stones, fever, indigestion, cramps, constipation …

Bailey and her partners grow some 200 different herbs at their Pine Meadow Farm near Cheney and then sell them locally.

Theirs is a world of witchlike names and traditional remedies handed down through the ages.

Clumps of comfrey, horehound, hyssop, borage, feverfew and echinacea fill the air with exotic scents and an expectation of better health.

Bailey believes her herbs can ward off any manner of discomfort and disease. They strengthen the immune system, increase energy levels and cleanse toxins from the blood, she says.

Lemon thyme is said to ease congestion in the lungs. Nettles are thought to stimulate hair growth when mixed in a tonic with rosemary and sage. Ginseng is reputed to improve sexual potency, she said.

“The body will heal itself if you give it what it needs,” Bailey said during a recent tour of her garden.

“The herbs help re-balance the body.”

Bailey doesn’t reject conventional medicine but believes herbal therapy can keep doctor’s visits to a minimum.

Using herbs, she said, is nothing more than taking responsibility for personal health, and doctors would be better off if they would pay more attention to what plants can offer.

“It is medicine,” Bailey said.

But her view is not universally accepted. Federal regulators are seeking to restrict the sale of food supplements, many of which come from herbs. In some cases, supplements are sold to treat ailments.

Skeptics view herbs as nothing more than floral placebos for the irrational.

And herbs can be dangerous. Foxglove, once used to make the heart drug digitalis, is poisonous. It is feared by some that comfrey could cause liver problems, although that is far from clear, Bailey said.

Anyone who uses medicinal herbs should be familiar with their safety and effects, she said.

Nearly everyone eats herbs in food. Cilantro, a type of parsley, is common in salsa. Oregano, basil and sage are indispensable in Italian cooking.

Studies have proved the health benefits of garlic.

But Bailey goes well beyond herbs for spice. She steeps them as medicinal teas. She crushes them into salves. She mixes them into lotions. Herbs can cool burns, soften skin, even ward off insects. Bailey also enjoys a good herbal bath. Sage is a favorite.

“There are endless things herbs can do for us,” she said.

She might as well be Spokane’s Mother Herb.

A master gardener with the county Cooperative Extension Service, Bailey, 40, gives free lectures to garden clubs and other groups.

To talk about herbs is to enter a world rich in folklore. Medicine men, medieval witches and Asian pharmacists all have relied on them. They still are widely used in many cultures.

Among natives in New Mexico, for example, it was believed that basil could cure a husband’s wandering eye. The wife was supposed to dust basil powder all over her upper body, especially over her heart, to secure her man.

Today, herbs are gaining wider acceptance.

Echinacea is sold as tea in health-food sections of many stores. It is supposed to strengthen the immune system and is used to fight back colds. Some gardeners grow echinacea for its flower and may not know it has herbal value.

Other herbs are widely known. Dill and mint are thought to have positive effects on the body. The lowly dandelion, considered a weed by most people, is a healthful food. Bailey recommends eating dandelions - leaves, roots and all. Parsley root is considered beneficial, too.

Tarragon, commonly used in soups and fish, is one of Bailey’s favorite herbs because it not only tastes good, but it also works as a stimulant.

All herbs are loaded with vitamins and minerals, and that is the fundamental basis for their health effects, she said.

Bailey’s interest in herbs began about six years ago following the death of her husband from a brain tumor. She had raised vegetables and a few herbs as a child but never had paid much attention to the medicinal value of plants.

After doctors couldn’t stop her husband’s cancer, she began studying herbal remedies to protect her own health. Now, she encourages her two children to use some herbs.

Bailey is a partner with Linda Moulder and Kelly Reynolds. The three operate on about an acre of land at a farm owned by Moulder and her husband, Jerry White, a biology professor at Eastern Washington University.

Moulder is a teaching technician in the biology department at EWU.

The women sell herbs and dried flowers through Pine Meadow Farm at the public market in Riverfront Park.

Bailey said the farm provides supplemental income but she hopes to expand the business into a full-time job eventually.

Tasting some of these herbs takes a little courage. Horehound is very bitter, but chocolate mint is refreshing.

Lovage tastes like strong celery, and salad burnet is mild like a cucumber. Greek oregano is spicy hot. Anise hyssop is similar to licorice.

Bailey recommends reading about herbs. Reader’s Digest has a book called “Magic & Medicine of Plants.” Another good reference is “The Herb Book” by John Lust.

Bailey said interest in herbs today stems from a growing desire to get away from processed foods. Her farm uses organic methods to ensure that the herbs don’t have harmful residues from pesticides.

“People are tired of all the additives and preservatives,” she said.

Anise hyssop makes tasty sun tea that is believed to remove those toxins.

As Bailey said, “It’s flushing out all of the junk we put into ourselves.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo