If you’ve ever thought about growing your own medicine instead of just running to the store every time someone in the house gets sick… this video is for you. I’m sharing some of the powerful healing plants we grow right here in our Florida backyard herbs and fruit trees we actually use for our family’s health and wellness.

🌱 Grow Your Own Medicine Cabinet
If you’re ready to take more control over your health and food security, these are some of the same healing plants my family and I grow here in Florida. You can find them at the links below if you’d like to start growing your own.

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If my videos help you, consider planting a “seed” of support:
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Every seed helps me create more guides, videos, and resources to inspire families to grow food, stay healthy, and live stronger together.

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📜 Food Forest Starter Guide – The guide that updates and grows with you:
https://growfitfl.com/products/the-florida-backyard-food-forest-starter-guide

🛒 Buy the Plants Featured in This Video:

🌿 Elderberry: https://creatoriq.cc/4liTnWo

🌿 Lemongrass: https://creatoriq.cc/4labf5I

🌿 Katuk: https://creatoriq.cc/40LmEkY

🌿 Pigeon Peas: https://creatoriq.cc/4m1IXeM

🌿 Shampoo Ginger: https://creatoriq.cc/4mrinvn

🌿 Ashwagandha: https://creatoriq.cc/4fkulVd

🌿 Vicks Plant: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1423951466/vicks-live-plant

🌿 Aloe Plant: https://creatoriq.cc/3UH8RZa

Your support helps me keep sharing what I learn. I appreciate you 🙏🏾

🔗 Some of the links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel.
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We’re talking real-life, God-given medicine you can grow with your own hands no PhD, no big pharma, no nonsense. Just what works.

I’m not a doctor. I’m just a husband, a dad, and a man of faith doing everything I can to build something strong for my family and I want to help you do the same. This isn’t a complete list of everything we grow for health (not even close!), but it’s a great place to start if you’re trying to grow your own natural medicine cabinet, vitamins, and immune boosters in your own backyard.

🛠️ Quick Clarification:
Around 10:31, I mentioned Cuban Oregano but the plant shown and described is actually the Vicks Plant. These two plants are often confused because they look and smell similar. Out of habit, I called it Cuban Oregano, but it’s the Vicks Plant being featured and talked about. Appreciate y’all keeping me sharp!

🌱 What You’ll Learn in This Video:
✔️ Easy-to-grow medicinal plants for beginners
✔️ Backyard herbs that boost immunity and fight inflammation
✔️ Real ways we use these plants for cold & flu, energy, stress, and more
✔️ Family friendly, faith-rooted reasons to start your own garden pharmacy
✔️ And why you don’t need a farm just a little space, consistency, and care

📍We’re growing in Zone 10A, Central Florida
But many of these plants can grow in other warm zones or even in containers!

📘 Grab My Florida Food Forest Starter Guide!
Want to grow your own food in Florida but not sure where to start? I made a no-fluff guide packed with everything I wish I had when I started perfect for beginners and Florida growers.

➡️ Download it here: https://growfitfl.gumroad.com/l/foodforestguide

This guide supports the channel and helps you grow smarter, faster, and with way less stress. Let’s grow something real. 🌱

💚 If you believe in:

Building generational health

Being self-sufficient

Eating what you grow

Faith, family, and food security…

Then you’re in the right place. I appreciate you being here. Let’s grow together.

🔔 Subscribe for more videos on:

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⚠️ Disclaimer:
This video is for educational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a licensed medical professional, and nothing in this video should be taken as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbs, supplements, or making changes to your health routine especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications. Some plants, including Moringa, may interact with certain medications or health conditions.

From time to time, I may also feature paid promotions or sponsored content. When I do, I’ll always make that clear because trust matters.

If you own the rights to any media used in this video and believe it was included improperly, email contact.growfitfl@gmail.com and I’ll gladly remove or credit it.

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I’m about to help you turn your backyard into a full-blown pharmacy. Everything I’m about to show you, I’m actually growing right now in our backyard. Some things we just planted not too long ago, and others we’ve been using for years. One thing about me, family, I don’t speak on things that I haven’t done or tried. Every single plant in this video has helped my family in some way, whether that’s sleep, stress, immunity, skin, or just getting back to feeling like ourselves. So, I’m going to tell you how we use them, what we’ve learned, and why we keep growing them year after year after year. By the end of this video, you’re going to see that God provides everything we need to keep ourselves healthy, and we can grow it right in our own backyards. Stay tuned. Years ago, my sister-in-law, she was deep into holistic healing. She always talked about elderberry for cold and flu season as a supplement that we should take daily. in 2020 when the world went. Y’all know she brought it up again and encouraged us to take it to help boost our immune system naturally. Well, we finally put two trees in the ground and I’m so glad we did. This month, we’ve harvested over 10 lbs of elderberry and this tree is still producing more. Now, we froze it. We haven’t had time to process this elderberry, but we found out that you can keep it frozen for up to eight months before processing it and it’s still good. That’s something that you probably want to think about if you’re going to plant this tree. It produces a whole lot. So, just be ready for that. Now, we plan on making syrup and jam for this upcoming cold season. And that’s right, we still have it here in Florida. And these two trees alone are going to be able to produce enough for our entire family to get through cold flu season, giving us all a immunity booster. And if you have little ones who’s in school, they always have runny noses during that time. And it’s always someone coming to school that’s super sick and it’s just so happened that your child is best friends with them and y’all know the rest. They’re sharing food, giving hugs, and your child get it and bring it home to you. Why not plant this tree? is going to boost the entire family’s immunity. Elderberry trees, they grow extremely large and they also send out suckers pretty far away from the trunk. So, if you got a shared fence with a neighbor, you might want to throw down some root blocker. And I pretty much highly suggest that you plant it away from a shared fence. Don’t be like us like we did, but we have root blocker that. And because you don’t want these berries falling off if they have kids and they’re eating them as well. So that’s why elderberries are known to support immunity, reduce the duration of colds, and are rich in antioxidants. Just make sure you cook them before you consume them. Again, make sure you cook them before you consume them. But hey, just the other day, I’ve ate a handful of these elderberries and I was fine. I didn’t feel anything. So, I don’t know. But I won’t do it again. My wife thought I was crazy, but I’m just that type of person. I got to see. But are you excited yet? because that’s just the first tree on this list and I already gave you something that’s about to boost your immunity for your family and it’s going to get you through cold and flu season. So that’s just tree number one. We got eight more to go. So let’s get into the next one. I’m excited. So I hope you’re excited. So next up we have lemongrass. Now hear me out here. If you grow herbs for tea in your backyard, you have to grow lemongrass in my opinion. Why? Because it makes everything taste better. Have you tried sour sap leaves or Kentucky or moringa or anything else green that you grow in the backyard that’s super healthy for you? It doesn’t always taste the best. Am I right? But that’s okay because God gave us lemongrass to add some flavor to it. And lemongrass have its own goodness all on its own. Lemongrass has a naturally calming effect when you tee it. But when you pair it with something like katuck, it helps you relax even more. I’m talking about deep sleep, help you relax and unwind at the end of the day. It also has antifungal, antibacterial, it supports digestion, and it can help lower your blood pressure. Now, this is something that I found true. And yes, it does keep mosquitoes away. We all know that. But in our backyard, we’re not growing it to keep the mosquitoes away. We’re growing it because we want to add that flavor and we want to help our blood pressure. So, that’s number two. We still got more coming, y’all. So, stay tuned. So number three is Kuck. Now I mentioned Katuck months ago. I talked about Kuck. I was real heavy on Katuck. I’m about to bring it back up. Now we just talked about pairing it with lemongrass. It’s a great nighttime combination that you can grow in your backyard in my opinion. But let me add something to that just so you guys know. Now Kentucky is high in protein. It’s one of those greens that’s extremely high in protein. We use it as a spinach substitute for meals because spinach doesn’t grow well for us. You got pests, snails, worms. Y’all know how it goes. Some crops are just more trouble than what they provide. So, we always look for a substitute and that’s Kentucky. Kuck just replaces our spinach. Now, with Kentucky, we have no issues with pests. It gives us more protein than spinach, and we can grow it year round here in Central Florida. And the good thing about Kuck, too, is the more you cut it and the more you use it, the more it grows. So you can cut it and a week later. It’s full of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. We use it for strength, energy, and everyday meals. You can eat this right off the tree. Has a nutty taste when you eat it, but it’s extremely healthy for you. Get you some. All right, family. So, next up, we have pigeon peas. Now, we all know pigeon peas feed the soil nitrogen. Yes, that’s true. It produces pods. That’s good food. Not talking about that today. It’s excellent for those things, but not today. Let me put you on how our family uses pigeon peas. We use it for the leaves. We make tea. Now, my father-in-law taught us this. This tea is strong and it heals your body. Uh, pigeon peas help regulate blood sugar. I’m talking about the leaf. It supports liver health, aids in digestion, and helps reduce fever. And matter of fact, a couple of weeks ago, I was outside making a trellis. I had a box cutter and I accidentally cut my finger and it started to bleed. Since I was next to the pigeon pee plant, I didn’t not even knowing. I grabbed some leaves. I bought it up in my hand and I put it on the wound like that and it was like so quick. It actually stopped the bleeding like that. So that’s another thing I was thinking how is this is it all leaves do this? This just me thinking. So I went inside and I got on the computer and yes, that’s one of the other great things that pigeon peas are good for. So you could use pigeon peas for teas. It’s going to aid you in so many different things. is going to benefit your body and you can also use it for first aid. That pigeon pee plant is something that you definitely should plant and put in your yard. So, next on the list is shampoo ginger. When building our food forest, I wanted plants that can help our skin and hair too. So, y’all know Florida sun is no joke. We talked about that ear in a previous video, but that’s when I came across shampoo ginger. Now, it dies back in winter, then it shoots back up in spring. That’s what ours do every year. By midsummer, you’ll see these little green cones. Then they turn red. Once they’re red, you can squeeze them and a liquid will come out. And you can put that, you can apply it to your skin. You can put it on your scalp. Now, some say it helps reduce dandruff, cools sunburn, softens dry skin, and it even strengthens hair follicles. No chemicals, no store-bought lotions out here. Just walk outside and you can squeeze and get your own lotion. Imagine that. Instead of squeezing it from a bottle that has probably 10 plus ingredients. Seriously, when was the last time you checked the back of your lotion? How many ingredients are in it? And we’re putting stuff like that on our skin and it’s absorbed daily. Crazy, right? But maybe I don’t know. I’m Y’all know how I am. Sometimes I start to think, but because we’re mindful now when it comes to our food, we’re looking at the ingredients, but then we go pick up deodorant and lotion and toothpaste and we don’t read the ingredients on that. So, that’s just something family I want to say. Let’s check into imagine coming outside and you’re getting your lotion straight from outside squeezing some shampoo, ginger. So, it’s not bad to go natural sometimes. So, check your lotion. See what those chemicals are. Just a little. All right, family. So, next on this list is Ashwagandha. Now, this is for someone if you’re dealing with stress, if you’re dealing with sleepless nights, this is something that you need to really pay attention to and listen up with because when my father passed away a a few months ago, it was so difficult for me. I I was not sleeping. I couldn’t think straight. I was just it it was a rough time. And I’m sure you guys been there before, too. You know exactly what I’m talking about. I remember this old saying that if you have a problem that man or money can solve, then you ain’t got no problem. Well, during the final few months of his life, it really hit me because he had a problem that wasn’t fixable by either. Now, while I was researching just natural ways to take something to help me with my sleep cuz I wasn’t getting any, I came across ashwagandha. So, I’m getting ready to go get this ashwagandha. And one day, my wife came home with ashwagandha seeds. I didn’t say nothing to her about it. I’m like, what? But that’s what God do. God will provide and he will use someone else to bring something good in your life if you just let him. Now, ashwagandha is good for cognitive clarity, recovery, deep sleep, and athletic performance. If you’re growing ashwagandha when it’s time to harvest it because the leaves and everything will start to die back. The goodness is in the roots. You can also steep these leaves and you’ll be able to get tea from them. We haven’t did that yet. And they say the berries are edible, but I’m not messing with that. Now, it’s a strong herb, so you don’t need much. Just constant use is how you’re going to get this goodness in your body. So, just less ashwagandha, but just use it constantly. I’m going to put it in capsules. I’m going to dry it out and put it in capsules. So, I’m excited. I’m already taking ashwagandha, but now when I can harvest this and I’m going to grow it year after year, I can save money and I know where my ashwagandha has come from. So, if you’re someone who you’re not sleeping at night and you have high stress levels right now, something’s going on in your life. We all been there. Ashwagandha might be a good supplement that you can grow in your backyard right now and you can take. So, look into it, y’all. But just remember, less is more with ashwagandha. Next up is Cuban oregano or most of us know it as the Vix plant. We grow this for the scent. You can crush up the leaves and it opens up your sinuses almost instantly. It’s your backyard or front yard where we have it. Your Vix Vapor Rub. That’s right. This is Vix Vapor Rub. You can grow it. You can grow your own Vix Vapor Rub. I like it because I take it and I’ll bring it in my office and the aroma lasts for a couple hours. You can also tee it when you feel like a cold coming on. It’s easy to grow. It’s great in pots, also fast growing. And we always keep it close to the house. That’s why we plant it right in the front yard. Did you guys know that you can grow Vix Vapor Rub in your backyard or front yard? You can. So, that’s what we’re doing. I suggest you get some because hey, break it, cut it, put it to your nose, rub it on your skin. Vix Vapor Rub. Save yourself some money and it’s all natural. Get some. All right. So, next up on this list is aloe vera. Uh, aloe is one of those things you don’t really think about until you really need it. So, we use it for burns. We use it for cuts and scrapes. Uh, we put it on bug bite, sunburn, dry skin. It’s our go-to for all that. You cut a leaf, you squeeze it out, and there you go. It’s also good for digestion in small doses. It barely needs water. And I don’t think we’ve ever done anything where we put it in the ground, we just let God take care of it. We’re all gardeners here. I use this plant as a rooting hormone to transplant other plants. I use it for when I’m about to air layer. It naturally helps other plants avoid shock. So, not only is this good for your body, this is good for your plants. Aloe is one of those medical plants that’s good just for every you and everything in your yard. So, if you’re not growing aloe, I highly suggest you grow some aloe cuz for all those reasons and you don’t have to do nothing. Just put it in the ground and you’re good. Last up, the best out of all of them. I already made a video about it. You guys got to watch that. Moringa. Moringa is the one thing in the yard that is everything in the yard. It’s the first thing that I suggest everyone plant if you’re starting a food forest or a garden. It’s your daily multivitamin. You can dry the leaves, you can powder it, you can eat it right off the tree, or you can make tea like we do. Moringa is going to be your go-to for everything. That is your multivitamin. Moringa is your health. So, I’m not going to go deep into moringa and everything that moringa has cuz I’ve already made a video on it. You guys can watch it to learn more. But moringa, so if you’re not growing moringa, get you some. That that is your healthc care plan in your backyard. That’s your pharmacy. Oh, that’s some of our backyard medicine cabinet. So that’s everything we’re using. No brands, no pills, just plants. We’re not doctors. I’m not a doctor. Know that. But I’m just sharing what works for our family. So let me know in the comments if you grow any of these or about to. And I didn’t even mention papaya. I’m going to do that probably on a video of his own. Papaya is just we don’t even care much about the fruit. It it’s the seeds, but I’m going to explain that in in another video about papaya. That’s another thing that you’re going to have to add to your yard for your own health care plan. So, take care of yourselves, take care of your family, and God bless. Until the next video, thank you guys for watching. [Music] [Music]

40 Comments

  1. ⚠Just a quick heads up the plant featured in the video is indeed the Vicks plant, and not Cuban oregano. They’re super similar in look and smell and I’ve heard folks call it Cuban oregano my whole life, so I slipped into the habit too. The information is accurate. Should’ve left that part out calling it also Cuban Oregano, but hey… old habits from growing up around it, that’s all. Thanks to the community for keeping things sharp! 🙏🏽
    🌿 If this video blessed you even a little bit, drop a comment below so I know I’m not just talking to the trees out here.

    I made this for the people trying to heal. The ones building something better for themselves and their family. The ones choosing peace, purpose, and provision from the land.

    If you know someone who needs to see this a neighbor, a parent, a friend going through something send this their way.

    Let’s remind each other: we’re not alone. We’re growing through it. Together.

    I grow all the plants I showed in this video right in my Florida backyard. If you’re ready to build your own “medicine cabinet,” here are a few you can grab today:

    🌿 Elderberry: https://creatoriq.cc/4liTnWo
    🌿 Katuk: https://creatoriq.cc/40LmEkY
    🌿 Ashwagandha: https://creatoriq.cc/4fkulVd
    🌿 Aloe Plant: https://creatoriq.cc/3UH8RZa

    The full list (including lemongrass, pigeon peas, shampoo ginger, and more) is in the description.
    Appreciate your support 🤝

    — Much love, Jermaine

    GrowFitFL | Growing food, faith, and freedom 💚

  2. Wow, thank you so much! Out of all the medicinal videos I've watched, this is the most informative video I have seen. I'll be watching you, lol! {Your vidios} 😊

  3. I use lemon balm like you use lemon grass. Nettle works for sinus issues. It has also been shown to help blood sugars, blood pressure and even cholesterol. As well as being an antiinflammatory. Mullein works for chest congestion.

  4. Thank you for a great video. I grow most of these and Love them. Two of them I don't have but will get real soon. I also grow papayas, pomegranates and guavas. The guava leaves are great medicine and the fruit is delicious. God's Blessings to you and your family. I grow these things in Jacksonville, FL.

  5. Great info, brother🤓 For my herbal arsenal, I love growing + using wormwood, feverfew, lemon balm, mint, horehound, echinacea, goldenrod, and stinging nettle. Nature provides🤲🏾

  6. Well done. You are doing a great job. I like to have a list of the plants, so that I can start growing them.

  7. Thank you. Diani beach, Ukunda Mombasa: Moringa and Ashwagandha power. But, seeds & plant, thank you.

  8. New subscriber! We are trying to get there. The last 3 years I grow medicinal, but haven't done much with it. I got that Moranga going strong though. Great video!

  9. I love your family garden! Can you do a video about the root blocker you referenced and how to deter stray animals from ruining the garden please?

  10. Elderberry works so well that people with autoimmune disorders should not take it. It will wreak havoc on their immune response.

  11. I bring back dry Moranga leaves and seeds from Jamaica every year, also fever grass (lemon grass) and French Thyme (Cuban oregano). I am in a cold climate so can't plant pigeon peas or moranga.

  12. If you can get some neem, soursop, mango, turkey berries, and artemisia to add to what you already have you can pretty much cure almost anything you come across. Turkey berries for iron and blood bood, neem cures all from human and animal to agriculture, soursop you should already know, mango the entire tree is medicinal, and artemisia works for everything from parasites to the rona.

  13. You are absolutely correct. You can grow your own!

    I'm in Orlando. I had or have a number of the plants you spoke about. I grew a papaya tree that was hit by the freeze in December 2022. It produced huge papaya. I planted it for the benefit of my stomach however, I couldn't get past the smell and taste. I had it cut down. For four years, I've been looking for shampoo ginger. Where did you find yours?
    I grew my moringa trees (the tree of life) from seed. They're about 15+ feet tall. I've eaten fresh, dehydrated and powderized the leaves. I also have the Kalanchoe Pinnata (leaf of life) plant. My oregano is about 4 or 5 years old. I do the same with it as the moringa. I recently transplanted it again. Rosemary, thyme and cranberry hibiscus, I grow and are good as well. Oh, Aloe vera, doesn’t die, it multiples 😅 I share my plants with those who know and value their benefits and need it for health purposes. I've used ashwagandha. You're right, less is more. I never thought about growing it. Must look into it.

    I was told that shampoo ginger has been seen growing on the roadside. I haven't found any, yet. I would love to know where you found yours.
    Thanks for the informative video!

    My sincerest condolences to you and your family
    💪🏾🕊🙏🏾

  14. Great video. I grew two moringa trees a couple of years ago. I couldn’t put it in the ground because of gas pipes and other underground wires. I grew in a container

  15. Wow I’m from the Caribbean, St. Vincent specifically… I have been eating pigeon peas my whole life but this the first time
    Hearing about the benefits of the leaves… Thanks for that, Bless up!!!!

  16. You have me inspired. We are getting our first home soon, and I have been wondering what to do in the yard. I will definitely be bringing your videos for a how-to.

  17. In Hawaii, Moringa is known as Kalamungai. I thought that the leaves looked familiar but in another video the bean like fruit confirmed it.

  18. Wow, you are an amazing man. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am going to share your channel with my friends. This world needs more of this. Teach your children all these amazing things about what the earth can provide .

  19. Thank you. Great video. One important note: Cuban oregano is different from Vicks plant. 2 different plants. If someone is on medication already for high blood pressure, and takes herbs daily, they will run in to problems. I’m not a dr. either.

  20. Alright brother! I'm down here in the swampland of good ole Ft. Myers FL. Been here since 1972 and married a girl that was born here. We go out on 70 near Okeechobee to pick elderberry but I am going to plant some in the yard to see how it does. I am finally getting my Moringa plants in the ground and ready to fill the yard with plants you are talking about on your channel. We live 1 block off the river and got slammed by IAN. I am still putting our home back together but we are almost done. As a 64 year old man trying to do everything myself is a challenge but God has blessed me with the strength and the health to do it. Love what you are doing here brother and I will keep you in my prayers.

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