7 of the Best Medicinal Herbs to Grow Indoors

There are a ton of benefits to growing your medicinal herbs indoors. First and foremost, convenience! Are you a little under the weather and need a spot of tea to comfort you? How nice would it be to simply walk 10 steps to your spare room with your scissors, give one of your fav tea herbs a small haircut and start that tea steeping immediately?

And growing herbs indoors is easier than you think. Fortunately for all of us, in many parts of the world several of these teas are actually considered a weed – and we know how easily THOSE grow now don’t we? In this case, you just need a little know-how and learn a few tricks to put up your sleeve (for future reference!) and you will have your own indoor medicinal herb garden in no time!

If you want to get serious about this garden, one of the things I highly recommend is that you invest in some grow lights. You can go as cheap as fluorescent shop lights or splurge a little and get some full spectrum grow lights. My article here dives deeper into grow lights for indoor herb gardens.

Additionally, even though I realize it might be more attractive to grow them all together in the same pot, I recommend you give each herb its own home (container) so there is no competition for space or soil nutrients.

Also, confirm the height of some of these plants – in relation to the room you have. For example, lemon balm can grow to 2ft. Thyme is really short though. It could almost be considered a ground cover plant.

Best medicinal herbs to grow indoors

1. Lemon balm 

Have you ever smelled fresh lemon balm? It is absolutely divine.

Lemon balm is known to calm anxiety, help with insomnia and improves digestive function. And that’s not all! It’s a great first herb to grow in your new herb garden.

This is an herb you want to harvest and use fresh as it loses its potency quickly after drying.

Lemon balm does need a larger container so I recommend at least 20”. It requires well drained soil and decent light.

2. Mint 

I loooove mint – especially in a mojito – but I digress…

Mint has menthol in it. Menthol has a ton of benefits such as releasing gas and bloating. It also helps with muscle tension.  Peppermint and chocolate mint are particularly rich in menthol whereas spearmint and apple mint are milder with less menthol potency.

The mint also needs a larger container so for this one I also recommend around 20 inches.

3. Holy Basil

Holy basil is known for calming the spirit, soothing anxiety and making you want to do yoga all the time. It also is supposed to fight infections and protect against ulcers.

I have grown basil on and off for years. It does really well in containers as long as you give it plenty of light and warmth.

4. Sage

Among several other recommended herbs on my list, sage is also part of the mint family. Sage has a really cool history of being known for bringing wisdom and protection to you.

It also is known to help with overactive sweat glands by drying the user out. It is also used as a gargle for sore throats and inhaling it is supposed to help with aging and cognitive function. (I NEED sage in my life! Not getting any younger you know?!?)

Make sure this Mediterranean perennial is kept warm and fairly dry and it will last a long time. After a few years, they begin to bloom gorgeous purple flowers too. What more can you ask for?!?

5. Thyme

Yet again, another member of the mint family, I love the idea of growing thyme for its multipurpose uses. Not only do we cook with thyme a ton, but this aromatic and delicate little herb also packs a punch where health is concerned.

Herbalists use thyme to get rid of phlegm, disinfect the lungs and open airways. It can be combined with other ‘lung herbs’ to help with colds, coughs, etc. (along with any conventional medicines you need of course)

Thyme grows low, dense and wide so make sure you give it plenty of space to do its thing. Additionally, you don’t want to water them too much or the roots will rot and you’ll lose the plant. I may or may not have plenty of experience overwatering my thyme and killing it. 😉

6. Rosemary

I’ll give you one guess as to which family the rosemary is in. I’ll even give you a hint. It starts with the M! Yep. That mint plant sure does pack a large punch for us doesn’t?

Besides being the culinary goddess that it is, rosemary is also known for pain relief, heart health and help with circulation. A word of warning though, research carefully how to use this herb medicinally because it is potent and you don’t want to over herb yourself.

Rosemary is a little bit of a challenge to grow. It wants a warm and quite dry environment. In fact, its not very tolerant of overwatering so watch closely there. You can mist it periodically too if the lack of watering makes you nervous.

Lastly, rosemary can grow quite tall and wide. Think up to 8ft high and 4 feet wide so you’ll definitely want to harvest often.

7. Bacopa (water hyssop) 

Bacopa, which is part of the plantain family, is actually a water plant. Aquarium stores generally sell it but there is only one species known for its healing qualities – bacopa monnieri. 

This plant is known for helping with memory and cognition. It also calms the mind and is useful for reducing stress, anxiety and bad moods.

The Bacopa plant does really well in pots.It just needs to be kept really moist all the time. It is known to be quite bitter so may be better to mix with other herbs before consuming.

Growing medicinal herbs indoors isn’t difficult if you are diligent and watch your plants carefully for any issues they might be having. These 7 easy to grow  herbs will get you quickly started toward having your own natural medicine chest inside your home.

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