Jewels on the Hill

 

(Echinacea purpurea) 

Jewels on the Hill

If you were to ask the average person on the street, who’d had no prior knowledge about medicinal plants, about Echinacea, they would most likely have heard about this plant and its immune-boosting properties. Echinacea purpurea, more commonly known as purple coneflower, is that well known. In fact, the successful use of Echinacea, in no small part, helped to inspire the renaissance of interest in herbal medicine, which is currently occurring in our country. While, during the approach of the 1960’s, folk medicine wisdom was being lost at an alarming rate, it was during that decade that a resurgence of interest occurred. This was largely related to the natural birth movement, initiated by the ‘back-to-nature’ philosophy of that time, and a lot of nearly forgotten crucial medicinal wisdom was unearthed. Through the efforts of many deeply inspired individuals, a movement was born. The pouring over of antiquated texts, diaries, and the seeking out of elderly herbalists (still practicing in small, isolated rural pockets across the country) brought long-forgotten medicinal wisdom back into public access.

Once, it was common for each rural family to have an herb garden, in which they grew plants to meet their common ailment needs: boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) regarded as a virtual cure-all, but especially as strong medicine against fever; Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum) used for urinary tract infections, and for kidney stones; dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) used as a detoxifying agent, and a diuretic, as well as a bitter for digestive problems; Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) a stauncher of bleeding; and Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) was greatly relied upon for the healing of bruises, sprains, and fractures – hence its other common name: Knitbone - were but a few of the plants commonly relied upon by families of the day. Many of these settlers had brought their own seeds from plants long-trusted in Europe, and so, naturalized many plants we have come to think of as our own, including the ubiquitous dandelion.

In addition, plants native to the United States, were introduced to these immigrants by Native Americans. Plants like Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) a plant long-used for women’s ailments; and other now-common plants such as corn, sunflower, and cayenne were all used medicinally by Native Americans, and this knowledge was generously shared with our founding peoples.

Since the resurgence of this knowledge in the 1960’s, interest in the field has grown significantly, with herbalist schools growing in number every year. As such, knowledge about the benefits and uses of medicinal plants has become more commonplace. Along with it  (no doubt as a result of the information age) is the growing fascination with, and, an acceptance of, alternate types of medicine. This offers alternatives to many who, for many reasons, traditional medicine has failed to work, giving them broader opportunities for a more gentle and often safer, route to healing.

Though conventional medicine is often referred to as ‘traditional’ medicine, this is truly a misnomer, for herbal medicine is the true traditional method. With its rich, thousand-year history (well-documented by historians, archeologists and anthropologists) herbal medicine is here to stay!

 Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

 Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

Aloe Vera: Healing Wonder

Aloe Vera (Aloe vera)

 

Aloe vera is amazing! Though it is native to Africa, it is grown as a houseplant in colder climes, and is one of the most commonly used medicinal herbs. It is known as the “first aid plant”, for the clear gel within its leaves heals wounds, is an anti-inflammatory, stimulates the repair of damaged tissue, and reduces the risk of infection and scarring. It’s also commonly referred to as the “burn plant” and this is due to the fact that it is particularly effective in the healing of minor burns. It does this partially due to the protective coat it places on the wound, thereby speeding up the healing. Aloe is also very helpful with other skin conditions, such as acne, psoriasis, and dermatitis. It is also an astringent and toner, and is therefore commonly used as a beauty aid. In addition, aloe is very healing with conditions in the mouth, such as gingivitis, sores, aching teeth, or receding gums.

 The yellow liquid, or, ‘bitter aloes’, found at the base of the leaf, is used internally as a healer of gastro-intestinal ills, such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, and other stomach disorders. The bitter aloes are also used as a laxative.

For external use, slice open a leaf and take the clear gel, excluding the yellow liquid at the sides of the leaves, and use on skin, or use the gel as a rinse, dabbing gel onto troubling sore spots. Commercial aloe juice is produced for internal use.

Cautions – Do not use internally while pregnant or while breastfeeding. Do not take internally if suffering from hemorrhoids or kidney disease.

Taken from Andrew Chevallier’s, Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, and Herbal Remedies.

Coltsfoot

While yet the dew is on the ground,

Gather those flowers

Shakespeare

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

Color – Yellow

Height – 3-18 inches high

Blooms – March – June

Habitat – Damp ground, stream banks, and waste places

Properties – Medicinal

Non-Native

This charming plant, a member of the Aster family, is a naturalized immigrant from Europe. It is highly unusual in that its flowers appear before the leaves. As a result, many casual observers have been likely to mistake the leaves and blossoms as two separate plants. In fact, this plant has fooled even experts, for ancient botanists classified the flower as a leafless plant.

But leafless, it is not; and though tardy, the leaves are particularly lovely. They are large (5 -8 inches long, 3 -7 inches wide) stand erect, and are angularly lobed, resembling the shape of a colt hoof, hence its common name.  They are smooth and green, with prominent veins, and have a white, cottony underside. Often they appear just as the flower goes to seed: a white puffball, not unlike that of a dandelion.

Indeed, its yellow, composite flower has been likened to the dandelion, to which it is related. But unlike the dandelion, which is composed of only strap-shaped flowers, its flowers are composed of both ray and disk flowers. The leafless stems of the flower wear a downy fuzz and resemble asparagus, in that they bear red-tipped bracts.

The leaves grow from separate shoots on the underground rhizome. This rhizome, or rootstock, as well as the leaves, have traditionally been used for medicinal purposes.

The botanical name, Tussilago, means literally, cough dispeller, revealing the plant’s long history as a medicinal herb. In fact, early apothecaries used to display a picture of the leaf on their shop door, in order to alert the mostly non-reading public that they carried healing herbs, for its curative powers were widely known.

Coltsfoot contains flavonoids, which are anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory. The plant acts as an expectorant (helping to bring up phlegm) and as a demulcent (working to coat and soothe tissue) in fact, in Europe, it is one of the most widely used herbs for chest problems. While Europeans use mostly the leaf, the Chinese prefer the flower. However, the flower is much higher in pyrrolizidine alkaloids (one of the plant’s constituents) which may be toxic to the liver. In both countries the preferred plant part is made into a decoction ( where the plant is gently boiled to reduce the liquid, intensifying its potency.)

It is used as both a syrup for coughs, and as a cigarette for asthma. Also, research has shown that extracts of the whole plant increase the immune system.

Cautions: Do not use the flower, and do not take the leaves for over 3-4 weeks. Do not use if pregnant or nursing. Use for adults only. There are legal restrictions on the use of this plant in some countries.

Hieroglyphics of the Angels

-->

Hieroglyphics of the Angels

Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)

“Flowers have spoken to me

More than I can tell in written words,

They are the hieroglyphics of angels…”

Lydia M. Child

Color: Greenish white

Height: Up to 2 feet

Blooms: May- July

Habitat: Dry, open woods

Properties: Aromatic

Native

To encounter this plant in the woods is a delight! Its three, usually greenish-white flower clusters nod gracefully below a long, umbrella-like leaf, which is divided into three parts. Each leaf part is then divided into 3-5 finely toothed leaflets. The leaflets are a pale, yellow-green on top, and whitish-green below.

The three umbels are made up of tiny (1/4 inch wide) individual flowers, which consist of five white, folded back petals, and five green stamens. The flowers mature into black, or dark purple berries. The flowers and leaves are on separate stalks, but they actually are from the same stem, which branches close to the ground. The leaves are divided into 3-5 leaflets, 8-15 inches long. Sometimes there are as many as seven branches, with flower clusters on each stem, but most often, the flower stems and clusters appear in threes.

The plant has long, fibrous and fleshy roots that have been traditionally used as a substitute for genuine sarsaparilla (tropical Smilax) to make beverages.

The name sarsaparilla comes from the Spanish: zara, meaning “shrub”, and parilla, meaning, “little vine”.

Folk History

During the 1800s the roots of this plant were widely used as a blood purifier, and as a general tonic. In addition, it was also used as a poultice for sores, boils, burns, and itching.

An account written in 1785 by Rev. Manasseh Cutler, in a book about plants and their uses, describes Native Americans subsisting on the roots of this plant when on long hunting expeditions.

The Cherokee, Shawnee, and Menominee tribes all used the plant medicinally; it was used as a tea for back pain, for gas and flatulence, and for coughs and asthma, respectively. The Menominee tribe also used it as a remedy for blood poisoning.

Current Use

Many of its current uses were inspired by the wisdom passed on to early settlers by Native Americans, and almost all of its original uses are still employed today. The plant is a diaphoretic, which means that it encourages sweating, thereby being useful in treating fever. It is also detoxifying, and is used as a general tonic. It is an effective treatment for asthma, and coughs. In addition, it is typically used to treat rheumatism. Also, the plant’s historical use as a treatment for problems with the skin, such as eczema, continues today.
Caution: Do not take if pregnant.

Hasty Helpful Weeds - Joe Pye Weed

 

‘Hasty’ Helpful Weeds – Joe Pye Weed

“Because sweet flowers are slow

And weeds make haste…”

Shakespeare

Joe Pye Weed -   (Eupatorium purpurea)

Description

Joe Pye weed, with its fuzzy purple flowers, and twisting leaves, is a striking vision in late summer. This native plant can grow to a majestic height of 6 ft., or more, often dominating wet, marshy landscapes in meadows and waste places. The lance-shaped, toothed leaves have a single main vein, and grow in whorls of 3-6. They are 3-8 inches long, with a fine downy hair on their undersides.

E. purpurea is a member of the composite family, which means that each “flower” is made up from 9 to 22 distinct individual flowers per head. The colorful flower buds can remain unopened for weeks before giving way to the feathery mature flowers, which are also long blooming. The flower cluster grows on a stout stem, which is purple, or purple spotted.

Part Used - Root

Folk Wisdom – According to legend, Joe Pye was the name of a Native American who is said to have cured typhoid fever using this plant. In fact there is a long history of the use of this plant as a medicinal, and early Americans are said to have used it extensively. It was used as a diuretic, hence its effectiveness in treating fevers (it causes copious sweating) and to treat urinary tract infections. A poultice was also made of the leaves to treat burns.

Medicinal Uses – An alternate common name is gravel root, which refers to the plant’s ability to help dissolve bladder and kidney stones, as well as possibly preventing them in the first place. The plant is also used to treat urinary tract infections, obstructions, and prostate enlargement, as well as rheumatism and gout. It is believed that the plant helps to remove waste from the kidneys, hence its effectiveness in treating these last two conditions.

Lovely "Weeds" ; Boneset

 

“   So he uprooted, one by one,

The free things that had loved the sun,

The happy, eager, fruitful seeds

That had not known that they were weeds “

                  Edith Nesbith

Boneset – (Eupatorium perfoliatum)

Color - Dull White

Height -2-5 ft. high

Blooms – July – September

Habitat – Marshes and Swamps

Native

This common plant is a member of the composite family, which means that the “flower” is actually a cluster of many tiny tubular structures, or disk flowers. There may be as many as 25 of these flowers in one cluster, each one approximately a ¼ of an inch high. It stands on a rigid hairy stem with many branches at the top of the plant. Each branch bears a cluster of flowers.

The distinctive leaves of this plant help to easily identify it. The opposite leaves grasp the stem in such a way that it appears the stem pierces the leaves. (This is called a perfoliate leaf, in which leaves or bracts, clasp a stem in such a way that they appear to be pierced by it.) The leaves are lance-shaped, toothed, and about 4-8 inches by 1-½ inches. They are rough and ornately veined.

Folk Wisdom

At one time, this humble plant was one of the most highly prized medicinal in America. Through wisdom passed on to them by Native Americans, early settlers kept these dried plants on hand as a remedy for any number of common maladies; in fact, it was even looked upon as a cure-all. Well into the 19^th century, most country homes had these plants drying amongst the barn rafters, so that they would be close at hand, when needed.

One of the plant’s common names, ague-weed, gives an indication of one of its uses: (‘ague’ being an on-set of fever, a chill, or shivering.) The name boneset was conceived due to the plant’s ability to treat ‘break bone fever’, also known as dengue fever. It was also used as an emetic (to induce vomiting) and to treat influenza, pneumonia, and as a substitute for quinine (a cure for malaria) in the treatment of typhoid.

Native Americans used an infusion of the plant to treat fevers, cold and flu, as well as to treat rheumatic and arthritic pain.

Current Research

Boneset contains sesquiterpene lactones (chemical compounds) and polysaccharides  (carbohydrates) which make the plant a strong immune stimulant. It stimulates resistance to bacterial and viral infections, and it also helps to reduce fever by inducing sweating. In addition, it also loosens phlegm, and promotes coughing, for its removal. It is helpful with sinusitis, and in particular, when there is a great deal of runny mucus.

It has also been taken for skin conditions and for worms.

Wild horehound (Eupatorium leucrifolium) and Joe Pye weed (E. purpureum) are related species, and are both used as substitutes for the plant. In addition, the Zuni tribe of southwestern U.S. used E. occidentale, another related species, for the treatment of rheumatism.

Remedy Recipes (Taken from Andrew Chevallier’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine)

For Colds, Flu, and Fevers

Herbs: Boneset (E. perfolium) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Make an infusion using ½ a teaspoon of each herb with 1 cup of hot water. Cover and let infuse for 10 minutes. Drink 3 to 4 cups per day.

High Fever

Herbs: Yarrow (Achillea millifolium) Boneset (E. perfolium) and Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens)

Remedy: Make an infusion of 1 tsp each of yarrow and boneset, with a pinch of cayenne in a cup of hot water. Brew for 5 minutes and drink hot. Take up to 4 cups per day.

Caution: Boneset can be toxic of taken in excessive doses.