This Mother's Day, consider a gift that keeps on giving—medicinal plants that not only beautify the home but offer natural healing benefits too. While flowers have long been the traditional gift for Mother's Day, selecting varieties with therapeutic properties adds an extra dimension of care and thoughtfulness. These are also great flower and house plant options for any loved one.

Healing Flowers for Mom

Lavender: The Relaxation Queen

Lavender isn't just a beautiful purple bloom with a heavenly scent—it's nature's stress reliever. As a gift for Mom, lavender plants can be grown indoors near a sunny window or outdoors in a garden. The essential oils in lavender have been shown to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality. Mom can harvest the flowers to make sachets for her pillow or create homemade lavender tea.

Chamomile: Gentle Comfort

With its delicate, daisy-like blooms, chamomile makes both a charming visual display and a powerful medicinal ally. Known for its calming properties, chamomile flowers can be harvested and dried for tea that soothes digestive issues and promotes relaxation. A potted chamomile plant is perfect for a kitchen windowsill where Mom can easily snip flowers as needed.

Calendula: Healing Sunshine

Bright orange calendula (pot marigold) blooms bring cheerful color while offering remarkable skin-healing properties. The flowers can be harvested to make salves and oils that help with minor cuts, burns, and skin irritations. This resilient plant grows easily indoors or out, providing Mom with both beauty and practical healing benefits.

Medicinal Houseplants for Everyday Wellness

Aloe Vera: The First Aid Plant

Perhaps the most famous medicinal houseplant, aloe vera is a gift that demonstrates both practicality and care. Its thick, gel-filled leaves provide immediate relief for kitchen burns, minor cuts, and sunburns. Aloe requires minimal care—just bright indirect light and occasional watering—making it perfect for busy moms.

Snake Plant: The Air Purifier

Known for its striking vertical leaves, the snake plant isn't just visually appealing—it's one of the best air-purifying plants available. NASA studies have shown it removes toxins like formaldehyde and benzene from indoor air. For moms who suffer from allergies or respiratory issues, a snake plant can contribute to easier breathing and better sleep.

Rosemary: Culinary Medicine

This aromatic herb does double duty as both a cooking ingredient and medicinal plant. Rosemary improves memory and concentration while adding incredible flavor to meals. As a potted plant, it brings a lovely pine-like fragrance to any sunny windowsill. Mom can snip sprigs for cooking or make rosemary-infused oil for soothing sore muscles.

Lemon Balm: Uplifting Energy

With its bright citrusy scent and pretty green leaves, lemon balm makes a cheerful addition to any indoor garden. This member of the mint family helps reduce anxiety and stress while improving mood. It grows easily in containers and can be used fresh in teas or desserts for its calming properties.

Creating a Medicinal Plant Gift Set

For a truly special Mother's Day gift, consider creating a collection of medicinal plants with a beautiful ceramic pot, organic soil, and care instructions. Include a small journal where Mom can record her experiences using the plants and perhaps a book on herbal remedies to inspire her healing journey.

Remember that the most meaningful gifts combine beauty with purpose. By giving medicinal plants, you're providing Mom with tools for self-care long after Mother's Day has passed—a living reminder of your love and concern for her wellbeing.

This Mother's Day, celebrate the nurturing spirit of motherhood with gifts that nurture in return.

Heal + Healing

The AU Wellness Care Team

Moms deserve their flowers on mother’s day, but let’s make them medicinal