Food as medicine? Mike McEnearney takes us on a tour of the Physic Garden at Kitchen By Mike and shares his knowledge on the healing powers of plants, herbs, fruits and vegetables.
In 2009, I changed the way I thought about food. I was introduced to medicinal herbs at my mother-in-law’s farm in Wales. I knew a lot of them as culinary herbs however, she had planted them for their medicinal value.
In 2013 we planted the Physic Garden at Kitchen by Mike with the assistance of my friend and renowned herbalist and naturopath Anthia Koullouros, the founder of Ovvio Organics. There were five beds to plant, so I divided them up according to their traditional medicinal uses: ear nose and throat (meyer lemon and lemongrass); musculoskeletal and cardiology (ginger and tumeric); gastroenterology (dill and oregano); neurology (lemon verbena and German chamomile); and dermatology (Italian parsley and nasturtium).
Anthia then helped choose the correct plants. My gardeners Byron and Grant of Urban Growers carried out the plantings and have maintained the garden ever since. It is now flourishing with healing plants, herbs, fruit and vegetables.
The Kitchen by Mike Physic Garden is our chance to educate people about the health benefits of food. Over the past 10 years, awareness of good health habits has increased and balanced eating is fast replacing fad diets. Kitchen by Mike has always focused on fresh, seasonal food and in doing so has unconsciously endorsed healthy eating. Preparing meals with local produce and doing little to the ingredients is essential.
The Physic Garden is an educational space that you can wander through at your own leisure. You can learn by reading plaques with details of the plant, its botanical name and benefits. If you recognise that oregano is a digestive healer and has antimicrobial effects, then perhaps you might eat more of it and not rely heavily on pharmaceutical drugs. As Hippocrates once said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.
Step-by-step tips
1. For the alkaline juice, use a cold-press or slow juicer to juice all ingredients.
2. Drink within 48 hours as the medicinal benefits are most potent within the first day.
3. For the winter tea tonic, use fresh herbs when available, as some nutrients and benefits can be lost in the drying process.
4. Place ingredients in a teapot with boiling water and steep for five minutes.
5. These juices and Anthia’s winter tea tonic will help kick start any morning.
Mike’s top tips
• Don’t fret if you don’t have a garden. You can source top-quality fresh and dried organic produce from a reputable supplier.
• Listen to your body and you’ll know what to eat.
• Eat seasonally; it’s important to work with Mother Nature.
• Fresh tonics are most potent on the day they are made. Don’t just use fruit and vegetables. Fresh herbs and spices also add their own medicinal benefits and flavours.
• Anthia’s book, I Am Food, is easy to follow and full of great information to help you get started. It will change your life.
Try Mike McEnearney’s deliciously healthy alkaline juice, pink grapefruit, oregano and habanero morning tonic and fresh winter tea tonic for yourself!
For more recipes by Mike McEnearney be sure to visit his profile here.
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