Most of the plants I’ve planted in the medicinal garden are doing well. The Moldavian dragonhead was one of the first to grow and flower. The mugwort I planted right next to, however, is getting really large and is shading out the dragonhead a bit. I did a little pruning of the mugwort to make sure the dragonhead gets plenty of sun.The dragonhead gets it name from the shape of the flower which some say resemble a dragon’s head with fangs.
The fragrant lemony leaves and flowers are used to make an herbal tea. It is said to have anti-oxidant properties which uplifts the spirit, similar to lemon balm – who couldn’t use some uplifting every once in a while?! Traditionally it was used as astringent and to help treat wounds.
Harvesting should be done once the flowers flowers have bloomed. Simply cut about 6 inches or so off the top of each stem. I’m currently drying what I collected today in our dry room. It’s been pretty hot lately, so it should dry fairly quickly. Once dried, I’ll remove the leaves and flowers from the stem, and store in an airtight container for future use. You can make tea out of either fresh or dried leaves and flowers, although it tends to be stronger once dried.
The plant is known to attract bees, which is a really nice benefit to have in our garden. I have yet to see any bees on it, but if you look closely you’ll see an ant in one of the flowers above.
It’s also just a really pretty plant. I like it so much, I think I’ll grow some in pots around the house just for the aesthetic appeal.
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