A gardener specializing in edible and medicinal plants, Vito Gambino says plants can cure all diseases. Speaking at Topanga Garden Club’s October meeting, Gambino told attendees about the extraordinary healing powers of his three favorite plants: hemp, Melissa officinalis (commonly known as lemon balm) and nominous officinalis.
A Topanga resident, Gambino was born in southern Italy and travelled the world studying plants. While it’s tough to substantiate Gambino’s claims to be able to cure all ills with plants, Lynne Maclean, Topanga Garden Club’s organizer, told the meeting that Gambino had made a salve that healed her husband’s psoriasis.
“Within days of using the salve, it calmed down and now the sores are gone. Arthur’s skin has never been better,” Maclean said. “I also used it on one of my dogs who had a scratch on her nose. It healed up completely within three days.”
Gambino described the ingredients of the salve he made for Arthur Maclean: Aloe vera as a base, Melissa officinalis, hemp, Nominous officinalis and bee pollen. “I use bee pollen in the salve unless I’m asked not to by someone who’s allergic to it,” he said.
He says the Melissa plant that’s grown here is not as good as the stuff he gets from Italy. Two pounds of hemp makes about two shot glasses of hemp oil, according to Gambino and it’s only available from licensed growers.
The newly formed Topanga Garden Club was the brainchild of Miriam Suit, who confessed that she’s not great at organizing. So she posted a message on Topanga NextDoor asking if anyone else would be interested. Among those who responded was Lynne Maclean, who does indeed have organizational skills. She calls herself the club’s “wrangler.”
“We agreed at the first meeting at Topanga Library in July to make it community based, not to be led by anyone in particular,” said Maclean. “I’d like to see the group expand to help each other in their gardens, like a work exchange. We might even help people start their own garden as a community effort. We have master gardeners teaching novices and we sometimes have guest speakers. It’s a learning opportunity for gardeners.”
Meeting attendees learned from Gambino that banana skin face down on a rash will calm it down. If you’re having a cleanse, eat two red delicious apples including the seeds. “The seeds are safe so long as you eat them with the meat of the apple. This will replace the B16 and B17 you’ll be missing from the cleanse,” he said.
Hemp oil is good for arthritis, Gambino claimed. “The best thing for it is hemp oil mixed with something like aloe, then rub it on the affected area. Or you can take it in capsule form.”
Plants with strong aromas are the best for medicinal purposes, says Gambino.
“If the plant smells bad, use the root. If it’s really fragrant, use the buds and leaves. If you can’t decide if it smells good or bad, use the stem, the leaf and the root. And grow lavender if you want to keep pests away from your plants. The smell drives them nuts,” he said.
There are usually about 20 people at each meeting, out of 100 members. Meetings are held at gardeners’ homes or, on this occasion, at The Dome in Topanga.
The group has one certified master gardener, Carolyn Day, who runs the children’s organic garden at the Topanga Community Club.
“Carolyn’s an incredible resource for the club and then we have others who, although not certified, are amazing gardeners with many years’ experience,” Maclean said.
For more information about upcoming Topanga Garden Club meetings contact Lynne Maclean, lynne@somaticawarenesshealing.com. For more information about the medicinal benefits of plants, vitogambino@gmail.com.
