A love affair with mustard . . .

I did not know how easy it really was to grow mustard and to make prepared mustard until recently!

The leaves of the young plants are fabulous in salads, with lightly cooked greens and in omelets. I try to keep some mustard coming along all year. It grows in the greenhouse most of the winter. The seeds are easy to germinate and to harvest for prepared mustard. Use the seeds for sprouts too! And for healing the outside in foot baths and the 'old fashion' mustard plaster.

The mustard shown is Red Mustard (Brassica juncea) from Johnny's Selected Seeds as a fall crop growing out in the garden.

More than a Condiment

... the plant’s seeds, leaves and roots have been used as food, fertilizer, seasoning and medicine for millennia. Every part of the plant can be and has been used throughout history.

For centuries, people have eaten young mustard greens in salads. Loaded with vitamin A, mustard greens also are an excellent source of calcium and vitamin C. ...

Reputation for Healing

As medicine, mustard musters up more than 40 restorative properties, from poultices and plasters to infusions, baths, liniments and antiseptic solutions. ... Before the advent of aspirin, people made mustard plasters (also called poultices) and applied them to the body to relieve aches and pains. They also used mustard in baths (for the feet or the entire body) to increase blood flow to inflamed tissues.

More recently, James Duke, Ph.D., in his book The Green Pharmacy (Rodale, 1997) suggests using a mustard plaster, made by mixing 4 ounces of ground seed with warm water, for fingers affected with Raynaud’s disease, as well as for sciatica.

For the complete article go to Herb Companion