-by Kyle Schroeder, Senior Designer at THLD

Plants in the garden can be powerfully restorative when used properly; they can protect against erosion, screen wind, provide drainage control, remediate soil and create harvests…the list goes on. Plants have also been used for medicinal purposes since the dawn of civilization. However many medicinal plants that have become popular are not native to North America. Most come from Eastern countries such as India and China where herbal medicine has been practiced and embraced as an integral part of culture for generations. These plants struggle to grow outside of their native ecosystem as they lack the symbiotic and climatic conditions they have evolved to depend on. Moreover, introducing non-native species to an ecosystem they haven’t adapted to disrupts the existing flora fauna relationship often leading to an overall lack of biodiversity and resilience.

North America has its own collection of medicinal plants that can thrive in harmony with their native wildlife to create a restorative and therapeutic garden environment that meets the needs of both the local ecosystem and the conscious designer.

“Native insects have shared little or no evolutionary history with alien (non-native) plants…and thus are not likely to posses the adaptations required for using these plants as nutritional hosts.” - Douglas Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home  

Below is a list of plants that demonstrate medicinal efficacy for a variety of ailments while simultaneously acting as critical support for threatened native species. For the purposes of this guide we will focus on plants that are specifically oriented to pollinators.

Anise Hyssop - Agastache foeniculum

Pollinators: Long bloom periods produce large quantities of spiked vertical blooms providing nectar to a wide range of wildlife including butterflies, sweat bees, leafcutter bees, honeybees, bumblebees and hummingbirds. Hyssop has a history of being used to support apiaries in the Midwest and Canada. 

Medicinal: If it’s strong anise fragrance isn’t enough to merit an inclusion in the garden it also happens to have a wide medicinal and culinary use. The leaves and blooms are edible and can be used to compliment salads. An infusion of the leaves can be used to relieve congestion and break up mucus. The essential oil has been studied clinically for its antiviral action against the herpes virus. The leaves are used to strengthen heart muscles and as a diaphoretic

Bee Balm / Wild Bergamot / Oswego tea / Sonoran Oregano - Monarda Fistulosa 

Pollinators: Monarda’s unique clustered tubular bloom is popular among a wide range of pollinator species. Specialist bees, bumblebees, wasps, hawk / hummingbird moths and hummingbirds all visit the flower. One bee in particular, Dufourea monardae, drinks exclusively Monarda nectar. The hollowed stems also make it suitable for cavity nesting bees to lay their eggs in. 

Medicinal: Bee Balm refers to the plants traditional use in balms and salves as a treatment for bee stings and skin inflammation. Thymol present in the plant is a potent and a natural antiseptic used in mouthwashes and antibacterial skin ointments. The entire plant above the roots is edible and has a strong citrus mint aroma similar to bergamot orange. Blooms and leaves can be used to make tea infusion to treat colds, headache, gastric issues, sore throat and reduce fever. Colonists used the plant as a replacement for english tea subsequent to the Boston Tea Party. The dried leaves are a suitable oregano substitute for their peppery flavor.

Marginal Wood Fern / Cinnamon Fern - Dryopteris marginalis / Osmunda cinnamomea

Pollinators: The tiny hairs present on the fiddlehead sprouts are a valuable nest building resource for hummingbirds. Keep in mind that a healthy pollinator garden is comprised of more than just flowering plants. Non flowering grasses and ferns provide critical shelter and nesting sites especially for ground dwelling bees (these types of solitary bee species comprise the majority of our native bee population).

Medicinal: Dryopteris : Traditional medicine has used Dryopteris root as an anthelmintic (anti-parasite). The active ingredient, filicin is an effective treatment to paralyze and expel tapeworms. A decoction of the root has been used to treat rheumatism as well as toothaches. Osmunda : A decoction of the root has been used topically on joints affected by rheumatism and internally. 

Slender Mountain Mint - Pycnanthemum tenuifolium

Pollinators: The tightly clustered white florets are attractive to many kinds of insects including bumblebees, honeybees, sweatbees, wasps, flies, (29) butterflies, skippers, beetles, and plant bugs. A study from 1928 found that out of 244 flowering plant species, this particular mint attracted the most butterflies. Important for home gardeners - deer will not eat mountain mints.

Medicinal: All parts of the plant when crushed have a strong spicy mint aroma. The entire plant above the roots is edible and have been used traditionally as a tea to treat indigestion, coughs, colds, chills and fever. It is analgesic, antiseptic, diaphoretic, carminative, emmenagogue and tonic.

“Plant based medicines, unlike pharmaceuticals, don’t cause resistance problems, they are much safer, and they are ecologically sound - they are also biodegradable and renewable, which most pharmaceutical are not.” - Stephen Buhner, Herbal Antivirals 

Yarrow - Achillea millefolium

Pollinators: Yarrows flat topped clustered umbel flowers make it an ideal landing spot for many pollinators including butterflies, wasps, flies and a variety of bees. The florets on this flower make it an especially popular destination for the smaller scale pollinators such as sweat bees, skippers and flies.

Medicinal: Yarrow has a long history of traditional use dating back to Greek mythology. Achillea is reference to the warrior Achilles, who purportedly used the herb to treat wounded soldiers. It may come as no surprise then that the herb is used chiefly as a treatment to stop bleeding due to its constituent achilleine which assists in clotting. However it has a broad range of internal and external use to treat fever, topical infections, common cold, hay fever, absence of menstruation, dysentery, diarrhea, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal (GI) tract discomfort, and to induce sweating. Recent clinical research suggests it is neuroprotective, anti-anxiety, a digestive aid and anti-inflammatory.

Blazing Star - Liatris spicata 

Pollinators: The striking tendrilled vertical blooms are a destination for a large variety of pollinators including butterflies, bumblebees, flies and moths. Two species of flower moth , Schinia gloriosa and Schinia sanguinea feed on exclusively on the plant. 

Medicinal: Traditional medicine uses the leaves and roots are used to treat sore throat, gonorrhea  and kidney disease. Native American medicine also used the ground roots to treat bacterial infections and the leaves as an antiseptic wash. Modern research suggests it has anti cancer effects.

Joe Pye Weed - Eutrochium purpureum

Pollinators: This tall perennials boasts large domed pink clusters of disc flowers. They attract all manner of pollinators including …

Medicinal: Named for a native American herbalist, Joe Pye, who used the herb to treat typhus. A tea made from the whole herb is diuretic. It is used in the treatment of kidney complaints, painful urination, rheumatism etc. The leaves and stems are harvested in the summer before the flower buds open, and are dried for later use. A tea made from the roots is used in the treatment of fevers, colds, kidney and liver complaints, and rheumatism.

**Disclaimer - While traditional medicine has long recognized the therapeutic benefits of these plants, many of them have not been sufficiently clinically studied. They should only be used under the supervision of a licensed professional doctor. Also please keep in mind this is meant to be a brief overview of the more common applications of these plants, please use the linked references to research additional information.