If you happened to be browsing through a London bookshop, you might stumble upon a book titled “Drugs in Pots” and do one of two things: Grab it and dart for a dark corner, thinking you were discovering some illicit farming tome, or skip right over it, not keen on digging yourself into trouble.

Good thing here in the states, herbalist Anne McIntyre’s lovely new garden primer is titled “Homegrown Remedies” (Octopus Books, $16.99), which is gentler, yes, and more to the point. Point being: You can grow yourself an apothecary, be it in pots on your rusty old fire escape, or in a spread-out plot just beyond your kitchen door.

As a civilization, we’ve been turning to the healing powers of herbs since Neanderthal days. Archaeologists in 1963 discovered herbs in a cave in Iraq, believed to have been buried there some 60,000 years before, McIntyre writes. Some of the earliest written records of medicinal herbs, she adds, are found in ancient Chinese treatises from around 2,500 B.C.

“Herbs go back to when human beings began. What else was there? We lived on plants in every way,” said McIntyre, who has been a practicing herbalist in the United Kingdom for 30 years — after graduating from college with an herbalist degree — and who has written some 18 books. “Herbs are made of an amazingly complex array of chemicals. Our bodies assimilate them much more easily than the foreign chemicals found in drugs.

“We are multidimensional people, and herbs have the ability to heal us on all levels: physical, emotional and spiritual.”

The beautiful thing about herbs is that they aren’t finicky, for the most part. Just plop them in a pot, keep them moist but not sodden (think of all the Mediterranean herbs that grow lusciously on dry mountainsides) and provide plenty of sunshine. You might provide a booster with weekly applications of liquid seaweed.

The herbs, bless them, will take it from there and soothe you, heal you, even chase away the blues.

Five favorites

If herbalist Anne McIntyre were to plant an all-star pot, one packed with the five MVP herbs, her lineup would look like this.

Rosemary: Rosemary is purported to send blood to the brain, McIntyre writes. Use liberally in cooking, or make a rosemary tea, which she says is great for chasing away headaches.

Lavender: Nature’s relaxant. McIntyre says lavender can help balance emotions. It often is used to encourage sleep and has long been known for its anti-inflammatory properties.

Rose: Pure contentment for the heart. Great for folks who are angry, irritated or depressed, McIntyre says. Scatter rose petals on your salads, or make rose petal teas to aid digestion.

She notes that aromatic roses are the only ones that are effective. And never ingest any flower that has been treated with chemicals.

Marigold: Nature’s first-aid kit. “The best of the best” for germ fighting, says McIntyre, who rubs it on bee stings or insect bites.

Chamomile: Known as the children’s herb, this is the one for helping soothe tummy aches, McIntyre says. Peter Rabbit’s mama knew what she was doing when she gave her belly-aching bunny that cup of chamomile tea.

A pleasant way to enjoy herbs is using them in a hot bath, where their essential oils are carried on the steam to create a relaxing aroma.

Place 3 1/2 ounces fresh, or 2 ounces dried, of favorite herbs in a piece of muslin or cotton; tie a long string around the top to close the opening, then tie the pouch to the hot bath tap (the string needs to be long enough so the pouch is submerged in the water). Soak 15 to 30 minutes, or until you feel soothed.