Keep The Weeds
- Dana Marion
- Aug 1, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 11, 2025
Before you yank all of those pesky weeds out of your garden, flower beds, and lawn--or worse treat your yard with pesticides--check out some of the amazing health benefits you can harness right in your own backyard!
Calendula
One of my favorite herbal healers and garden flowers, calendula is the herbal skincare queen. Calendulas come in many colors, from orange and yellow to pink and white and are closely related to marigolds and chrysanthemums. While there are many uses for calendulas, the most well known is in skincare. Because of their soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, calendulas are very popular for their use in balms, salves, lotions and creams that treat rashes, bug bites, eczema, psoriasis, and sunburn.
But calendulas are great for the skin for a few other reasons as well! The fatty acids in calendula helps keep your skin moisturized by protecting your skin's natural moisture barrier. And because of its ability to keep your skin hydrated, calendula is credited with helping slow down signs of aging and helping skin retain its firmness. High in antioxidants, calendula also aids in the healing of wounds and because it is anti-microbial, helps prevent infections to these wounds. Finally, calendula is a very gentle herb and is great for sensitive skin.
Chickweed
Chickweed is an invasive yard or garden weed that most gardeners (guilty) just rip out and toss. BUT chickweed has traditionally been used to treat a wide variety ailments for centuries. Native to North America and Europe, this pesky weed contains saponins-plant compounds that help soothe mucous membranes and breakup the secretions from these membranes. Traditional herbalists would use the plant to help clear congestion in the lungs and inflammation and congestions in the sinuses. Chickweed is also high in vitamin C and was even used by sailors to prevent scurvy!
Today, many herbalists use chickweed to soothe inflamed skin. Because it has cooling, drying and antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties, it is often used to treat insect bites, rashes, minor burns, eczema, and psoriasis. I love using chickweed in my anti-itch balm stick because it helps soothe the itch and reduces the inflammation of the bite
Plantain
Let's make a bet. I bet that if you go outside and look in your yard or on a sidewalk, you can find plantain. I would also bet that you didn't know how amazing this little leaf is for your skin!
Applied topically, plantain is a great healer because it is high in allantoin, which has anti-bacterial properties. You can use plantain to treat wounds, inflamed skin, insect bites & stings and dermatitis. Plantain can also reduce the effects of scarring.
Internally, plantain has been used to treat coughs, sinus infections and cold & flu. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, its great for improved digestion.
Stinging Nettle
Have you ever been on a hike or in the woods and you brushed past a plant that attacked you with little stingers? There is nothing worse than finding yourself in the middle of a nettle patch while trying to have fun outside. But nettles are such amazing herbal all stars.
Nettles are native to Europe, Asia, Africa & North America. They are a natural astringent--which means they help tighten and firm the skin. Nettles are anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, anti-rheumatic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral & analgesic (a pain reliever).
Nettles have high levels of chlorophyll, which contribute to its anti-inflammatory nature. This makes it great for skin allergies, eczema, rashes, rosacea, psoriasis, and bug bites and stings. Nettles also help speed the healing of wounds and burns, strengthen hair follicles, treat dandruff, and are helpful are reliving joint pain--including arthritis and rheumatism.
Nutritionally, nettles are rich in vitamins C, B2, K1, and carotenoids and tocopherols (vitamins A & E). They are also high in many minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, chlorine, manganese, copper, iron, chloryphyll, and the omega3 linolenic. Nettle's high levels of silicon & magnesium contribute its anti-aging properties.
Holy Basil
Basil: highly regarded as a culinary herb basil has many varieties, which have a whole host of benefits. Holy basil has been highly regarded in traditional Indian medicine-Ayurveda-for centuries for its many, many medicinal benefits.
Internally, holy basil protects the body against infections, lowers blood sugar and eases joint pain. Holy basil is considered a nootropic, which means it improves cognitive function--or memory in this case. It is also an adaptogen and helps your body and mind be able to better cope with internal and external stressors.
Topically, holy basil has a cooling and soothing effect, making its a great anti-inflammatory option to be used to treat many skin irritations. Holy Basil is also high in vitamin C and helps to brighten, firm and improve skin's elasticity.
Tansy (Blue Tansy)
Blue tansy is the newest must have ingredient in beauty and skincare products. Some of you might be nodding in agreement and some of you might have no idea what I'm talking about. Blue tansy is the essential oil of the common tansy plant. During the distillation process to make the oil, the chemical component chamazulene in tansy, turns blue and leaves behind a gorgeous indigo hued essential oil.
Blue tansy is so highly prized in skincare because it is amazing for sensitive or troubled skin. It helps calm irritated skin, reduces redness, and clears pore--making it especially great for acne prone skin. The high levels of camphor in blue tansy oil help repair damaged skin--making it GREAT for aging skin. It also helps reduce the heat from burns and has anti-inflammatory properties that help control the itch and inflammation from bug bites.
Chamomile
Chamomile tea is famous and for good reason. Chamomile herb is a nervine and helps calm the nervous system and promotes relaxation and better sleep, which is why drinking chamomile tea or taking a tincture at the end of the day is so great. Chamomile soothes stomach aches, reduces inflammation and helps relax muscles. It can even help ease menstrual pain because it is an antispasmodic.
Chamomile is also extremely beneficial for you skin. It contains antioxidants, including polypherols and phytochemical which help reduce signs of aging by protecting against free radical damage. It's also great for sensitive skin because it is anti-inflammatory and reduces redness, calms blemishes, calms sunburn, soothes eczema and dermatitis and relieves insect bites & stings.
Lavender
Can you close your eyes and conjure up the scent of lavender? Lavender is probably one of the most recognizable and widely used scents. Its popularity comes from the calming effect it can have on your JUST by smelling it. Simply smelling lavender sends a signal to your brain to relax.
For your skin, lavender is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and detoxifying. It soothes redness, calms the skin and helps heal minor cuts and burns and soothes rashes and insect bites. It also helps soothe eczema and dry skin, fights acne and can help even skin tone and reduce wrinkles. Lavender also help relieve tension in muscles and draws toxins and impurities out of the skin.
So what does all this mean? First I hope that before you pull a weed or treat your yard with weed killers or herbicides you'll be curious about what the plant is and what it might be able to do do. I highly recommend the app PictureThis to help identify plants. (and it tries to trick you into thinking that you need to subscribe to the app but just click the "cancel" button they try to hide in the top right hand corner)
Second, I really, really hope that you know how intentionally and carefully I formulate every single product I make. I want to make products that smell great and feel great on your skin, but I really just want to make things that will help you have your healthiest skin.
-xoxo-
Dana
Here are some of our favorite products that feature some of these herbs:
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