It's one of the weeds I don't mind dealing with, as it pulls up so easily - rather satisfying really, as you can make a big impact pretty quickly with minimal effort. But it is so prolific, so I can understand the challenges if one has a large area to deal with. I was at the the Rhododendron Species Foundation garden the other day and it was everywhere, although pretty much only in seedling form. I can only imagine what an onging ordeal it must be for the caretakers of a huge woodland garden like that to keep this weed under control. I am not a huge proponent of chemical pesticides, but I recognize they often have their place and can be very useful. Herb Robert seeds plentifully in spring and fall, so pre-emergents used after clearing out as much as possible of the existing plants would go a long way in slowing the spread. Both Preen and Snapshot are granular in application and contain trifluralin as their active ingredient (Snapshot also contains isoxaben) and are considered low toxicity. Corn gluten meal is another possible approach and is considered an organic control. And I'd definitely suggest mulching as well to extend the control.

Scullcap, Passionflower and Valerian root can be used as a sleep aid. Herbs which help with fatigue include: Schizandra, Ginseng, and Ginger. Drink 1-2 cups Gotu Kola tea per day to combat fatigue. Cayenne tea is good when you are feeling tired and run-down. Flavour some Sage tea with a little Cinnamon and drink it to clear the mind and improve thought processes. Borage tea may help "lift your spirits". Eat plenty of Artichoke, Tomato and Zucchini. Take Evening Primrose capsules as directed by a professional. Bring 600ml water to the boil, add 1 teaspoon dried Astragalus root and, for extra effect, 1 teaspoon dried Ginseng root. Cover and simmer slowly for 5 minutes, remove from heat and leave for 20 minutes. Strain. Drink 1-2 cups before meals twice daily to increase energy and improve the immune system. Take Vitamin C supplements and magnesium supplements and eat plenty of foods containing magnesium.

Gee, if herbs are weeds, then my garden has nothing else but weeds in it! Some people go so far as to say that all herbs are weeds. Think of chickweed, dandelion, burdock, couch grass, stinging nettles, dock, agrimony, (and thousands of others) and then check up on their medicinal and culinary uses before you begin to dig them out of your precious vege patch or lawn! IMO, Herb Robert is a very attractive plant, to add to its virtues. Herb Robert is used for several medicinal purposes. Amongst other things, it is used to treat inflammations under the fingernails and toenails (felon). Hence one of its other names, Felonwort. As a styptic, it's also called Bloodwort. It is reputed to help reduce cancerous tumors, but there hasn't been a lot of scientific research into it, and most reported 'success stories' are merely anecdotal. It's useful information, but if it had close to 100% success rate, some marketing person out there would be extremely wealthy by now, and the medical reports would be raving about it! It's been a folklore remedy for quite some time now, so you have to ask yourself why chemist's shelves aren't overcrowded with bottles of the stuff. I doubt if it's the 'magic wand' so people people want. Still, if it works for you, that's a very happy outcome. While on the subject, I'm trying to discover whether, when you see a remedy calling for 'geranium', is it really Herb Robert which is being referred to, or is it one of the scented pelargoniums? Does anybody know for sure? I've found it (geranium) listed (with no further information) as a remedy for 'internal bleeding'. To add to the confusion, both Herb Robert and the 'scented geraniums' (pelargoniums) have a styptic action.

I'm a compulsive collector of ethnobotanical specimens. I grow the following plants; Sage - golden, regular, tricolour, spanish, clary Oregano - italian, greek and golden (marjoram) Marjoram Thymes including, spicy broadleaf, culinary, lemon, wooly, orange peel, caraway, and other ornamentals Winter savory Summer savory Lemon savory Bergamot Comfrey Rue Anise hyssop Calamint Rosemary - various forms Lavendar - italian, english, ornamentals Lemon balm Lime balm Mints including - spearmint (round leaf), spearmint (regular), peppermint, watermint, stone mint, menthol mint, basil mint, corsican mint, apple mint, lime mint, native river mint, pennyroyal, native pennyroyal, common garden mint (sp?) Chives Garlic chives Garlic Russian garlic Society garlic Hops - golden and regular Fennel, bronze fennel, florence fennel Dill Chervil Tarragon - russian and french Mexican marrigold (mexican tarragon, tagetes) Wormwood Southernwood Cat mint Catnip Cammomile Dyers cammomile Echinacea Borage Calendula Parsley - italian and crinkly Lovage Alexanders Basils - seasonal Thai, sweet, cinnamon, lemon, purple ruffles, and greek ~ Ocimum minimum (favourite!) clove basil, holy basil Angelica - Glossy, Angelica sinensis, Culinary Nigella Fenugreek Coriander Horseraddish Sweet Cicely - my pride and joy. Turmeric Galangal Lesser Galangal Fingerroot Long pepper Betel pepper Rice paddy herb Fish herb - Houttuynia cordata Laksa plant - Polygonum odorata Cinnamon Lemon myrtle Aniseed myrtle Native pepper (Tasmania lanceolata) Saffron Perilla Elderberry Cardamom - I think / I hope... Lemongrass Native lemongrass Caper Curry leaf tree - very sick :-( Long coriander - could be dead. :-( Sweet bay Kaffir lime Poppy (somniferum) many others but that's a different story Various chilies - seasonal That's enough for now.. there may be some I've forgotten. If anyone would like seeds, plants or just advice email me. I love hearing from fellow plant lovers. Cheers