Spring Herbs, Foods & Internship Excerpts~

Spring Herbs, Foods & Internship Excerpts~

            One of my favorite ‘classes’ with Paul Strauss and 7Song in my fall internship, in 2011, at United Plant Savers ‘Goldenseal Sanctuary’, was the evening 7Song was asking about us, and somehow we got Paul Strauss to tell a story about “one of his most significant moments in his life”. He was in the South West, forgot which state he said, and he heard while in a small town about a mule race, where if you won you would get a large sum of prize money, AND the mules from the race. Many people didn’t believe he could do it, he had never worked with mules, let alone wild ones, and as he stated, he looked like a hippie, with long blond hair, sneakers and tye-dye. He had the recent knowledge of working with a Native American herbalist, and three herbs from that dessert excursion including: Peyote, Pinyo nuts, and Chaparral. First to get the mules to listen he tried to feed them Chaparral, with no luck being a strong herb. He later tried to get the wild mules to trust him, and follow him around the track to win, by feeding them Pinyo nuts and Peyote, and low-and-behold—it worked! He won the race, mules AND prize money, and was able to live in the wilderness by himself, learn about living close to nature, plants and more.

***Positive energy is as strong as gravity*** ~ Paul Strauss

Also that evening, Paul talked about one of his favorite, and now favorites of my herbs as well—Stinging Nettle!

“Can’t live without Nettles”, Paul stated. He uses them everyday, because they deal with connective tissues, are rich in Iron, treats allergies, and sinusitis. You can harvest Nettles throughout the year, since it is a perennial herb. Paul also said the are better tasting than spinach and healthier, I agree, though I tend to mix frozen-cooked nettles with a lot of Basil pesto with rice pasta, it tastes a bit strong for me, but still love the health benefits. The young shoots are best for medicine and food!!

“A plant that makes you pay attention is a wonderful thing”~ Paul Strauss

            Thorns puts in formic acid in Nettle medication…whip self with nettles which brings blood to the area and speeds healing and reduces inflammation. Used to curdle milk, making fabrics, and is a compost bio-activator, cut back and activates nutrients in soil, and only compost it when not in seed or else it’ll become a Nettle bed! (my nettle blog link) Yarrow energizes the soil as well.

Urtica dioica , Stinging Nettle

The primary way Paul mentioned he loves to take his medicine is every morning, he makes what he calls “Smangi” tea, being an acronym.

            S- Slipper Elm powder

            M- Mint, Peppermint or Spearmint, to energize you

            A- Alfalfa for healing joints and overall healing as well

            N-Nettle

            G- Ginger, for digestion, respiration and joint health 

            **Extra: Lemon Balm & Red Raspberry leaves**

Nettle root is good for the treatment of UTI’s, and urinary tract related-problems, and Red Raspberry leaf is high in iron and calcium, so it is excellent for pregnant and menstruating women. Lastly, he mentioned Cayenne peppers, being one of the highest sources of vitamins A and C, Rose Hips are very high in vitamin C also, being a major digestive, stimulating herb, it helps promote blood clothing when in powered form (so do boiled nettles), and directs pathogens away from the G.I. tract. Paul also mentioned someone who made Cayenne a bit famous, Dr. John Christopher—who made salve with Cayenne, and alsowould use Cayenne on himself to show its herbal powers for arthritis and other ailments. 90,000 BTU Cayenne, along with Burdock and Ginger, among other herbs, is a very cleansing tincture. The sting of pepperspray is from Cayenne’s capsacin compound, which internally is pain relieving. Cayenne with Garlic, and soap, becomes an insecticide and pest, bug or animal, deterrent. Tiger Balm, to stimulate circulation and healing; hemorrhoids.

            Also in this blog, I will focus on Yarrow, which I never wrote about, let alone knew much about, until recently. I first learned about Yarrow during my research on herbs to make my “Thymes Ancient Remedies” Allergy-Tea (above and on etsy). Other than that, I did not learn extensively of how useful yarrow is until taking Lise Wolff’s “3 Season’s of Herbal Medicine” course this winter. Some of the major things I took from her lecture on yarrow include: it is a powerful sunburn healer and preventer, fire-break say around houses, is excellent in preventing mosquito bites, and for colds, coughs, fevers, fever and flus. I thought it would be appropriate to talk about because, though it is not hot enough to have lots of bugs and possibly sun-burn, it is prime time to buy some from a store and make, until you can wild-craft and make some at home, for yarrow salve and oil. Currently, I have been getting great use of yarrow salve to treat my scrapes, bumps, bruises and achy muscles from garden-prepping.

“Yarrow is somewhat warm and dry and it has discreet and subtle powers for wounds.

 If a person has been wounded by a blow, let the wound be washed with wine….

[and] gently tie warm yarrow… over the wound. It will draw out the infection

…and the wound will heal” ~ Hildegard of Bingen  

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, has an interesting history behind the name. It is thought to originally from the Greek warrior Achilles using in during Homer’s Illiad.  Achilles taught his warrior’s the medicinal importance of this herb in healing wounds, though in several sources it was suggested that the Centuaur Chiron originally taught him what he know of this herb. Some other name’s it went by in history can include: thousand leaf, nosebleed, old man’s pepper, stanchgrass, knight’s milfoil Herba militaris, Garbe (German), yerw (Dutch), gearwe (Anglo-Saxon).

          The Nitinaht Native American tribe used yarrow as a “medicine for everything” and would chew and swallow the herb straight (Moerman, 40). Though, don’t worry, you don’t have to go to that extreme to get this herb’s medicinal benefits. Yarrow was also historically used for: gonorrhea, listlessness, rheumatic pain, divination in China’s I Ching, and to keep high-way robbers and evil away, when worn as a talisman by the Anglo-Saxons. This bitter herb also was deemed gentle yet powerful enough to successfully treat “bruises caused by a severe fall”, from trees (Seymour, 128), and similar to Plantain, was able to draw out any “plint, iron, thorne or stub”, in the 17^th century when mixed with cumin, southernwood, fenugreek and dittany (Jones, 4). Lastly, Nicholas Culpeper stated its poultice: “lessens bleeding, eases pain and induces sleep, cures wounds, inflammation, hemorrhaging and bleeding piles” (Jones, 7).

            Yarrow is not short of medicinal properties and what they treat, including being antiseptic and anti-catarrhal, it is excellent at treating respiratory ailments such as hay fever, colds, and flus, tuberculosis and pneumonia, to name a few. As a diaphoretic, it will help you sweat out a flu’s fever, and keep you cool on hot days. Yarrow is also hemostatic in action, it stops AND starts bleeding, so if you have a bloody nose, or a wound that is gushing blood it is perfect, but if you also have excessive menstrual flow, it’ll slowly reduce that.

            As an aromatic and digestive bitter, this herb is excellent at helping the liver and gallbladder digest whatever you just ate, especially it if is very fatty! Also, helps with diarrhea, kidney and liver problems. Lastly, Yarrow is the best bug-repellant and sunburn preventer ever! Also treats skin ailments including: sores, eczema, rashes, sunburn and burns; pain such as sprains, swelling, ear aches and headaches; lastly concussions, balance and memory problems (Moerman, 37-41) (Levy, 178-180) (Jones 2-11).

                     Wild Foods Foraging and Cooking with Rebecca Wood~~

 I sadly didn’t remember everything that happened because I wrote in my journal a little late, but here are some recipes that we made from our foraging adventure  with Rebecca Wood, a local teacher who takes people, like us on wild foods walks and than teaches you how to make food with it—how awesome! We made delicious wild foods health crackers: Kale, Nettles, Peppers, Lambs Quarters, Sesame & Flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, whole grain flower, olive oil. Being a bit chilly this day, we also made an excellent Wild Mushroom & Greens Soup: Oyster, Chanterrel, Morrel mushrooms (and some local, organically grown “14 Mushroom Mix”), Purslane, Kale, Onions and Garlic, and Lambs Quarters. Below is the recipe for our ‘wild greens’ pesto we whipped up.

Wild Greens Pesto~ 

This recipe was created at the United Plant Savers ‘Goldeseal Sanctuary’ in Rutland, Ohio, when I was an intern there the fall of 2011. We created this Pesto up with a local wild food/forager, teacher, Rebecca Wood! This is a very unique-twist to a popular favorite!

Ingredients:

3 cps of Basil (Sweet, Italain, Thai, and Lemon)

1 handful of Kale                  3-4 handfuls of Wood Sorrel

1-2 handfuls of Purslane       1 small handful of Amaranth

2/3-3/4 cp Walnuts                3-5 cloves of Garlic

½-3/4 cp Olive oil                  ½ cp or Parmesan to taste                 

Directions:

1)      Lightly brown the walnuts in the oven, at 325 for 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and chop on a cutting board.

2)      Combine Basil, Kale, and Sorrel, with the Garlic, Walnuts and some Olive Oil. Blend till smooth. Scrape contents from the sides of the blender, add the Purslane and Amaranth, and slowly more oil when it looks like it needs to be more wet.

3)      Add the rest of the Olive Oil, parmesean and salt (you can add more or use less of any greens based on your taste buds). Best Enjoyed on Spinach and Whole Wheat pasta with local chicken, or as Tomato sauce substitute for a Pesto Pizza!  **Side Note—you can freeze the final product in ice cube trays, and take out what you need the a few days before using, and thaw in the fridge**

Recipes of the Month:

            Minnesota has recently felt like spring—for me this means wearing t-shirts, skirts, sandals, and of course—eating spring greens! My favorite spring greens include: purslane, stinging nettle and dandelion, which can be used in many ways The following is my favorite wild-greens recipe, though there are many more where that came from!

Quiet Creek Wild Greens Salad~

This recipe was put together after a wild food & foraging walk, at the Quiet Creek Herbal farm in Pennsylvania, when I was an intern. This was my first time hearing of, let alone tasting, Purslane— since it has a special place in my ‘wild foods’ part of my heart. 

Ingredients:

-4 handfuls Romaine Lettuce     -3 handfuls Kale

-2 handfuls Lamb’s Quarters      -1 handful Purslane

-2 handfuls “Deer Tooth”           -Watercress to taste

-1 handful Dandelions                -Chevre or other cheese topping

-Raspberry balsamic vinaigrette OR olive oil with Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

1) Freshly and wash all greens immediately in cold water, than dry

2) Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or with raspberry balsamic vinegar and fresh Chevre – ENJOY

Purslane & Sorrel Summer Soup~

Serves 2 people 

This recipe is featured in Pamela Jones’s “Just Weeds” Purslane, or Portulaca oleracea section. She states it is one of her favorite simple, creamy Purslane-soup recipes, and I am definitely adding it to my ‘herb recipes to cook’ list! 

Ingredients:

-1 cup Purslane

-1 cup Sorrel tops

-Chicken or Beef broth, 1-2 cups (or to taste)

-Butter

Directions:

        1)  In a medium-sized soup pot, heat 1-2 Tbsp butter over medium-high heat; add the Sorrel tops and Purslane. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

       2)  Pour into soup bowls, and add heated broth! Enjoy hot or cold

**SIDE NOTE—for a creamier winter soup, sauté onion with butter, use ½ lb Purslane and Sorrel tops each, 2 Tbsp flour and 2 cps Chicken broth; puree. Add 2 more cups broth-OR 1 cp broth and 1 cp milk/cream). **

Works Cited:

-Bairacli-Levy, Juliette de. Common Herbs for Natural Health. Woodstock, NY: Ash Tree Publishing. 178-180. Print.

-Jones, Pamela. Just Weeds: history, myths and uses. New York, New Work. Prentice Hall Press. 1991. 2-11. Print.

-Moerman, Daniel E. Native American Medicinal Plants: an ethnobotanical dictionary. The medicinal uses of more than 3000 plants by 218 Native American tribes. Portland, Oregon. 2009. 37-41. Print.

-Seymour, Miranda. A Brief History of Thyme and Other Herbs. London: John Murray, 2002. 127-128. Print.

Garlic: Nature's Best Anti-Bacterial, fungal, and infection Herb...with a Kick

 “Garlic…powerful blood cleanser, digestive stimulant,  systemic cleanser, and diuretic”(1)

Garlic—the very name itself sounds as pungent and strong as its biting taste, and strong onion-like odor. It might seem strange, to some, that garlic is considered such an important herb, since one of its nick-names is the ‘stinking rose’. Nearly all of this plant is useful, such as the cloves of the bulb in the fall, and its garlic scapes, in the summer.

http://midihideaways.files.wordpress.com/
2012/08/img_0753.jpg

Garlic is an amazing herb, and as such has been one of the most important simples known to herbalists. Overall, this biting-herb’s use has been recorded since 3000 B.C. (3), and specifically in Egypt since 1000 B.C. (4), where it was primarily believed and used to “repel snakes, [and] to discourage tapeworms”, (5). In the Middle East garlic was also taken to promote endurance, speed and strength (3), and especially to prevent infections, along with the use of onions, during the construction of the Pyramid of Giza (5). In 450 A.D. in China, manuscripts were written praising this allium’s medicinal properties, and in nearby India it was referred to as the ‘wonder food (6). The Ayurvedic medicine system traditionally used garlic for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, as “a blood cleanser, and for nervous disorders, such as headaches and hysteria…for the lung[s] as an expectorant and powerful decongestant”(6), no wonder why it is a main ingredient in chutneys, and curries!

http://www.garlicisforlovers.com/Imagery/
Tacuinum_sanitatis-garlic.jpg

In the Mediterranean, garlic has become a staple ingredient in Italian and Greek cuisine. Also in the same area, in Greece, Hippocrates found garlic to be quite useful as a  “cure for boils…and a dubious cure for baldness” (7), and was carried by Romans during their Empire expansion for circulation and high blood pressure. Moving north to England, the British herbalist Maude Grieve’s book the Modern Herbal states that garlic syrup “is an invaluable medicine for asthma, hoarseness, coughs…and most other disorders of the lungs…[including] chronic bronchitis on account of its powers of promoting expectoration” (8). Also around Grieve’s time, this herb was highly valued throughout WWII as a natural antiseptic for soldiers who spent lots of time in the trenches(7).

Garlic’s current-day use is parallel to this pugent herb’s traditional uses, though with constant improvement of technology and scientific studies, even more amazing medicinal uses are being discovered! This herb is still used to purify blood, cholesterol and blood pressure, and very successfully reduces clotting because garlic “breaks down fibrin—[being] the substance that blood clots are made of” (9). Garlic also seems to greatly benefit atherosclerosis by “block[ing] the biosynthesis of cholesterol”, due to the presence of the compound allicin (10). Several other herbs, also know as spices, have excellent anti-clotting, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which include: onion, cayenne pepper, turmeric, ginger and lemon grass. Additionally, a study was done using patients diagnosed with hypercholesterolemic who were given “a water extract of garlic…for two months during which time the patients experienced a 28.5% reduction in cholesterol”, and the dose was about 10 grams of garlic/day (11).

Besides cholesterol and heart-ailments, garlic also benefits the lympathic system by being a strong ‘cleaner’ “of the mucous membranes” (1), and is one of the “most popular…antibiotics…[which] fights the microorganisms responsible for many types of infections” (12). Both of the above medicinal benefits help to treat and prevent bronchitis, colds, whopping cough and tuberculosis. Garlic contains the compounds alliin and allicin, being “sulfur-containing compounds that act against a range of bacteria and fungi…Allicin is an antibiotic against bacteria such as Staphylococcus and Salmonella”(13), as well as “candida, cholera, …dysentery and typhus” (14), thus being helpful in yeast infections and urinary tract infections, and athlete’s foot.  If you plan to use garlic for these medicinal purposes make sure you don’t cook it, because than the allicin becomes destroyed.

http://www.vegetablegardener.com/assets/
uploads/posts/5048/garlic_VG.jpg

Beyond athlete’s food, staph and salmonella, garlic is also amazing at treating wound-infections, from rusty nails. An interesting story I found from Kathi Keville’s book Herbs for Health and Healing, is a story of a man who was mowing the lawn when a rusty nail punctured his leg. Even after he was administered a tetanus shot from the doctor, “the area around the hole had become swollen, red and painful, and the entire leg felt very hot” (15). Having recently learned about the infection-treating properties of garlic, he applied poultices of crushed garlic cloves every hour. After doing so for several hours, he fell asleep and woke up later to an infection-free wound, with no sign of there being a puncture! Lastly, Garlic has even been shown in studies to fight off more serious diseases, including stomach cancer. A study done in Washington D.C. in 1990 showed that if you ate at least “25 to 50 pounds of garlic over 20 years—[you] have fewer cases of stomach cancer” (16). Other helpful alliums for ones diet, include: onions, chives, and leeks.

Here are three recipes for fun, easy and delicious ways to take raw garlic!

Wicked Garlic Dip:

-3 medium sized red potatoes, peeled and diced

-3 medium cloves of garlic, peeled *I ususally use 8-12 *

-up to 1/3^rd cp mayonnaise

-1/2 tsp salt

1) Boil the potatoes until cooked well, drain and put into a food processor.

2) While the potatoes are still warm, add mayonnaise, garlic cloves

     and salt. Blend until smooth, keep refrigerated

*this recipe is adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook*

  For another Garlic Recipe, see previous blog:

http://thymesancientremedies.blogspot.com/2013/03/herbal-butter-oils-salad-dressings-my.html

Garlic honey

This is such a simple recipe! All you do is take peeled raw garlic cloves, and infuse it in honey for 1-6 weeks. A loose ratio I have learned is to add 3-6 garlic cloves per 4 ounces of honey. You don’t even have to take out the garlic, you can eat them because they will almost become candied. Yumm!

Resources:

-The Healing Power of Garlic: the Enlightened Person’s Guide to Nature’s

       most Versatile Medicinal Plant, by Paul Bergner

-The Garden of Life By: Naveen Patniak Ayurvedic book sharing traditional uses

Works Cited

Bauman, Edward. The Holistic Health Handbook: a Tool for Attaining Wholeness of Body, Mind, and Spirit. Berkeley, CA: And/Or, 1978. Print.

Bremness, Lesley. Herbs. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2002. Print.

Brown, Kathleen, and Jeanine Pollak. Herbal Teas: 101 Nourishing Blends for Daily Health and Vitality. Pownal, VT: Storey, 1999. Print.

Coon, Nelson. Using Plants for Healing, an American Herbal. [New York]: Hearthside, 1963. Print.

 "Herbalism." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbalism>.

Huson, Paul. Mastering Herbalism: a Practical Guide. New York: Stein and Day, 1975. Print.

Katzen, Mollie. The Moosewood Cookbook. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed, 1992. 102. Print.

Keville, Kathi, and Peter Korn. Herbs for Health and Healing. Emmaus, Penn.: Rodale, 1996. Print.

Mowrey, Daniel B. The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine. New Canaan, CT: Keats Pub., 1986. 10. Print.

Patnaik, Naveen. The Garden of Life: an Introduction to the Healing Plants of India. New York: Doubleday, 1993. Print.

Seymour, Miranda. A Brief History of Thyme and Other Herbs. London: John Murray, 2002. Print.

Sumner, Judith. The Natural History of Medicinal Plants. Portland, Or.: Timber, 2008. Print.

Number Citations:

1) Bauman, 124      2) Huson, 53   3) Brown, 122   4) Wikipedia, Herbalism 5) Sumner, 17  

 6) Patnaik, 112  7) Seymour, 56    8) Coon, 70    9) Keville, 67      10) Mowrey, 11  11) Mowrey, 10 

12) Keville, 219-220   13) Sumner, 173  14) Bremness, 142  15) Keville, 258  16) Keville, 109

Part 2 to Further 'Goldenseal Sanctuary' Adventures & Classes

“I suggest finding, and buying, a piece of land you can fall in love with”

~ Paul Strauss

Swamp White Oak Quercus bicolor

            An interestingly popular food among the native, and non-native, Appalachian folk is Poke, Phytolacca americana, being a very large rooted perennial has toxic berries, that are very bright red-purple, and the stalks are bright pink in the winter. Traditionally has been used by Native Americans for: dysentery, arthritis and rheumatism, and in the form of a poultice for sore breasts; all other ailments it was taken in the form of a berry tea. This tea was also used by them for washing sprains and swollen areas; root poultice for bruises and neuralgic pains; and lastly, folk uses are along the same lines. Paul Strauss taught us that it is a very popular plant as a medicine and food in the Appalachian area, WHEN UNDER ½ foot!! The way in which Paul ingeniously kept Poke year-round, and at the safe ‘size’, was by putting a large cutting in his root cellar, which produced fresh Poke greens and shoots, which being under ½ foot he was able to safely consume. Poke’s first ‘greens’ are in the spring, like many other wild herbs, if you dig up the root you can have this give you continuous shoots. Paul told us that the root is effective for glandular infections, as well as mastitis and other breast infections. He also informed us that a poultice of the fresh leaf can be applied to the breast for treating these infections, of the breast and glands, as well, if you do not want to ingest the root, or apply it topically.

I don’t separate organic gardening from herbalism…cause you can only get to people in some way…if you can get someone to respect herbs from an organic gardening standpoint…than you have your strategy ~ Paul Strauss

            Next we have White Oak, Quercus alba, being a strong, sturdy tree, herb and wood as well. Possesses horizontal branches, with light colored whitish bark, and possess evenly-rounded leaves…the inner bark is used to make medicine, though the outer bark can also make medicine; inner bark Paul Strauss and 7Song both believe to be ‘purer’ medicine. Best harvested in the spring; and is commonly found in dry woods.

            “I’ve been stewarded by the earth—I’ve had good teachers in human forms BUT this life and earth”…

are your best teachers ~ Paul Strauss

             Was used tribes including the Cherokee, Delaware, Menominee and Ojibwa, to name a few. They used white oak for many ailments, the most common including: sore chapped skin, mouth sores, as an antiseptic, emetic, diarrhea, laryngitis, coughs and sore throats, and rheumatism. Paul told us that white oak was once of the most commonly used woods for making baseball bats, which makes sense considering. It’s inner bark of the new growth is best harvested in the spring; you can add white oak to oatmeal Paul taught us for treating poison ivy. White oak is one of many astringent herbs, meaning it pulls proteins together, and thus tightens loose things, including: gums, skin, treating wounds and diarrhea.

“You need to believe long enough in your own idea to make it happen”

~ Paul Strauss

White Oak tree that looks sickly -Quercus alba

            Later that evening, our combined class with Paul Strauss and 7Song, they primarily covered the medicinal properties and uses of white oak. 7Song stated that the bark of white oak, fresh or dried, can be put between the gums and lips, as you would with chewing tobacco, to set your teeth, and tightens lips and gums. Similar to all other astringent, besides Oak we have many in the Rose family (Ex’s: raspberry, rose, blackberry), as well as White Willow (ie-nature’s ‘original’ aspirin). Astringent herbs also possess an anti-inflammatory action, so besides for treating diarrhea, it helps with wounds, which could be seen as an inflammatory problem, especially if it is hot. An interesting way Paul or 7Song mentioned using white oak for loose gums, is to decoct for 10-15 minutes in water, at a medium simmer, and use as a mouth wash, or drink as a tea, though be wary—you’ll be smacking your lips because your mouth will feel bone dry. They also stated that this is a very safe plan, though if you give white oak to someone with a very high metabolism it might mess up their food absorption, and their absorption of nutrients, vitamins and such.

“I view money as concentrated energy, but we need to use it to do what you need to 

do to help the earth” ~ Paul Strauss

I know I am including many quotes from Paul Strauss but he always had someone so wise, meaningful and amazing to say…ALL the time…enjoy! Paul mentioned that he knew a Hopi elder and this elder said that god gave the herb chaparral for everything.

Resources:

-Peterson Field Guides Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants and Herbs by Steven Foster & James A. Duke

-Native American Medicinal Plants by Daniel E. Moreman

Further 'Goldenseal Sanctuary' Adventures & Herbal Classes

Golden leafs of American Ginseng
in the fall

            Been dreaming about my internship at the non-profit United Plant Savers’ “Goldenseal Sanctuary”, especially recently because it’s the only place that has really “felt like home to me”. Being appropriately named after one of the most prolific herbs at the site, personally I didn’t learn a TON about it, I had already read loads of information regarding it’s powerful antibacterial, antimicrobial actions, especially in the form of Kloss’s liniment. This being said I’ll briefly tell you some of what I learned about American Ginseng while in the field. American Ginseng or Ginseng quinquefolium, appropriately named and translated to English as ‘five-leaved’, because it has groupings of five leaves on each stem. Also, This Ginseng’s leaves have five points each. Each stem, or part with this leaflet is known as a prong. 

Wild Ginger on a hike at the sanctuary

On a prong having five of these ‘leaves’ means it is around 2 years of age. Besides ‘five-leaved’, another Appalachian folk-name for this herb is sang, which helped to determine if a location had rich soil. Another plant which helped people find sang, is called sang-pointer, which is Rattlesnake fern which was believed to “point” to Ginseng to help find more! This fern along with Ginseng, Goldenseal and Spicebush, when prevalent actually does ‘show’ that you have found a moist, healthy and mineral rich area. *NOTE Virginia Creeper is often misidentified as American Ginseng, be sure of identification!!*

Virginia Creeper

        Another G-herb, being Wild Ginger, is an interesting one! It flowers early in the spring and pollinates with the assistance of beetles, which I had never heard of before. Wild Ginger is closely related to the Appalachian native Virginia Snakeroot, Aristolochia serpentaria, though they look nothing alike. *WARNING: irritating and potentially toxic in high amounts*. Though used similarly to Ginger’s use, for promoting sweating, the menses, indigestion and other stomach ailments, and fevers, this is a very rare and as warned, pretty toxic herb. Now, back to Wild Ginger, you may think because it has ginger in it’s common name that you can use it for all of the same ailments, and in cooking, as you would cultivated ginger, but I am sorry to disappoint you—you can’t, or shouldn’t at least. No really, too much can cause what cultivated ginger can treat—vomiting. Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense, is a creeping perennial, with heart-shaped leaves (see picture), was used historically for colds, coughs, ‘female’ troubles, relieving gas, and indigestion, and to promote sweating, and help with fevers and sore throats.

Though you must be careful IF you do ingest this wild herb, since too much of it’s acid can be toxic to the kidneys and liver. WARNING: Aristolochic acid, being prevalent in this plant, is considered highly toxic!!*

Self Heal, Prunella vulgaris

            Another plant that I came to know well throughout this internship was Lobelia. Lobelia, or Lobelia inflanta, is also commonly known as Indian Tobacco, THOUGH it wasn’t what native Americans traditionally used for tobacco at all, this is where botanical names come in handy. It’s folk-name is a good hint at Lobelia’s traditional use, was and currently is still used by some herbalists, for respiratory ailments, and has been said to help prevent and stop asthma attacks. Along the same line of one of my favorite colors, when it comes to flowers, is Self Heal, also known as ‘all-heal’ and ‘heal-all’, though other herbs are as well. Botanically known as Prunella vulgaris, it has been traditionally used throughout China for treating: kidnet ailments, scrofula, conjuncitivitis, boils, bruises, bad circulation and ‘heat in the liver’. Also was traditionally used for treating: diarrhea, fevers, sore throats and mouth sores, ulcers, wounds and bruises. Self-Heal is currently used for healing major wounds, especially due to its astringent properties, is excellent in cream, and is even a flower essence.

        Two other interesting herbs I had also never seen, but had read about previously, include: Vitex, and Wild Yam. The former, is also commonly referred to as Chaste Tree, is a major leading female-hormone regulating herb, and helps balance what may be out of balance in your menses. The latter, Wild Yam, Dioscorea villosa, is now a very rare endangered herb. Was historically used by the eclectics, but I am not sure for what. Commonly used by a handful of herbalists I know, as a GI antispasmodic, but not when you are vomiting though, and also to treat menstrual problems (only pre-menopausal), and regulates hormones, and ulcerative colotics, or chrons disease. **Harvest a plant just before flower, or just as flowering and after the morning dew has left (for aerial parts specifically).

One of our Intern-coordinators with a botanically inclined
intern, teacher her how to tell the age of  American Ginseng

Herbal Actions 101: Useful words in the Herbal World

            While recently thinking of what herbal blog to put up next, I remembered all the past typed-up herbal adventures from my internship in Ohio, along with my copious amounts of written notes from my recently completed herbalism program, so I thought I would share with you some excerpts about herbal actions!

            Even if you are a pro-herbalist and know all the ins and outs of herbal actions, hopefully this blog can still be informative and interesting, otherwise you may wonder what are “herbal actions” anyways?

            The most simple definition I can think of is this. An herbal action is essentially: how the herb acts upon the body; and thus by taking it what changes occur after using it?

An example may be: you are constipated, and you took an herb such as peppermint or ginger, though you find yourself not being immediately relieved and passing lots of gas, and think that didn’t work at all! Well, maybe not. Gas is a symptom of constipation, and thus at the passing of it, means those herbs probably helped your body to gently “move it through”. As I have learned many times from many wise herbal teachers “Symptoms are the body healing itself, not the disease”, or from your body being OUT of balance, so if you support the body in helping it to do what it does best, than you’ll get a healthy outcome! 

            The following, in alphabetical order, are the major herbal actions I have learned over time, their definition, how it affects the body, examples of herbs with this action, recipes and a break-down of several herbs!

Witch Hazel  at Goldenseal Sanctuary
Rutland, Ohio

            An herb that is Astringent means it tightens the bodies’ tissues, which is why when drinking something astringent you can feel yourself having a dry mouth. Astringency can also be due to eating something with tannins in it, such as chokecherry, oak leaves, or even white willow tincture/tea. The tannins bind to proteins, so if you drink it they bind to your salivary proteins essentially and they dissipate, causing the ‘tight/dry mouth’ feeling. This can be prevented when drinking black tea by adding milk, being a common practice in Britain. Also, astringent herbs are usually found in beauty products, such as toner, to tighten your faces’ skin, and also have a gentle cleaning effect. Some times in which using an astringent herb is helpful is whenever something is overly “oozy” or needs to be tightened so: loose gums, diarrhea,. Astrigent herbs include: Blackberry, Raspberry (anything else in Rose family), Witch Hazel, White Willow bark, to name a few.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Adaptogen, anti-catarrhal & Tonic
Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland

            An herb that is an Adaptogen is a gentle- tonic that builds one’s health over time, but can also help with acute ailments, this action can also be called a tonic, common herbs of this category include Holy Basil (Tulsi), Stinging Nettle, Burdock, Dandelion and Red Clover. This herb you may want to use to slowly heal chronic-health conditions over time. Next is the action of Anodyne, which really just means to externally relieve pain. This is a loose definition to be sure, but there are many useful pain-relieving herbs, depending on the situation at hand. An common example including a sun-burn, so some herbs that would help are burn herbs, St John’s Wort, Yarrow and Lavender come to mind, and a burn is usually hot so a cooling herb also; another excellent herb could be Plantain because it pulls out whatever there is excess of, and is generally cooling in nature. An Antispasmodic herb is one that helps minimize/treat involuntary muscle movements, generally of the uterus or stomach area. I have no personal experience in dealing with this, though from books and past teachers I have learned several of these herbs to be Black Haw, Black Cohosh.

The herbal action Analgesic is really a synonym to Anodyne. Next is an interesting one, Anti-catarrhal. You may wonder what on earth catarrhal refers to—inflammed mucous membranes. So an herb that treats anti-catarrhal, would also likely help with allergies (to mold, dust, pollen and animals; as well as food allergies), asthma, and other bronchial ailments when inflamed mucous membranes are at hand. Some anti-catarrhal herbs include Stinging Nettle, and Echinacea. My personal favorite way to treat allergies though is with a neti-pot and Allergy Tea!

            Thymes Ancient Remedies’

                        Allergy Tea~              For one pot of tea I put in the following…

            -3/4 tsp Yarrow  *NOTE don’t take Yarrow if pregnant*

            -1 tsp Mullein leaf or flower

            -3/4 tsp Sage

            -1/2 tsp Stinging Nettle (dried)

            - ¼ tsp Thyme

            Brew…Pour boiling water over the herbs, steep for 10-25 minutes and Enjoy!

            Next comes Alterative, which is an action that changes the ‘nature’ of the disease you have, to improve it’s nature, or get rid of it all together. It works by stimulating the liver, cleaning blood and metabolism; eliminates waste through kidneys, bowels and other organs, so overall has detoxifying nature and balances long-standing imbalances. Some of these herbs can include Burdock, Cleavers, Dandelion, Echinacea, and Stinging Nettle.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Alterative, Tonic, Adaptogen & Cholagogue

            A Carminative herb, relaxes your bodies’ muscles to help stimulate secretions to get your digestion doing, helps you pass gas to move constipation through. Usually rich in volatile oils many common carminative herbs include Fennel, Spearmint, Peppermint, Catnip, Cinnamon and Ginger. My favorite way to enjoy the health benefits of these warming herbs is in the form of Chai tea!

                     Thymes Ancient Remedies’

                                      Chai Tea~       

    simmer in a pot with 4 cups of water for 25-35 minutes.

            -1 cinnamon stock

            -1 tsp cloves

            -1 tsp cardamom

            -2-3 tsp fennel seed

            -1 tsp black tea

            -2 tsp licorice root

            -1/4 tsp burdock, dandelion and yellowdock root

            -1/8^th tsp cumin

            -dash of nutmeg

           

            A Cholagogue herb is one that acts upon bile, liver and gallbladder to name a few. Includes herbs such as Dandelion, Burdock, Yellowdock. These are just a few of them, though the ones I have more experience using. These cholagogue herbs are earthy, very root based (lower region of our body is where the major digestive and filter organs are), and when you find Burdock and Yellowdock, I’ve learned their properties solely from taking a leaf, rubbing it and than chewing it, see how it tastes, what is stimulated…and we found lots of bile and saliva! So it must get your bile in lower organs going, why I like adding these herbs to my chai, to get lots of digestion going smoothly and secreting the bile that helps to do it!

Coltsfoot in Rutland, Ohio
Demulcent Expectorant (cooling)

            An herb that is Demulcent (external version of Emollient), meaning it soothes tissue internally. An example where this would be useful is if you have a dry, hacking cough and sore throat, so taking an internally soothing of the tissue, cooling moist herb is a very good idea. Demulcent –cooling herbs include Marshmallow root, Plantain, Coltsfoot…and other general Demulcent herbs include: Comfrey, and Echinacea. Diaphoretic goes hand-in-hand with Anti-catarrhal a lot of times because if you have inflamed mucous membranes, not due to allergies, so you have a cold or flu, you’ll most likely need to sweat it out, and that is a diaphoretic herb; one that stimulates your body to make you sweat out a disease. Very common herbs for this include Boneset, Yarrow and Elderberry/flower. My favorite way of taking this is as an Elderberry honey, or syrup (recipe here). Next is Diuretic, this action is commonly thought to “make you pee”, which is a common misconception. An herb that is Diuretic actually stimulates the kidneys, which makes you have to urinate more, by increasing the rate at which the kidneys filters blood. Examples include: Cleavers, Mullein, Dandelion, Horsetail, Linden and Stinging Nettle.  

            An Emetic, is an herb that makes you vomit, I never work with these, but knowing if an herb does this is helpful…to know what to stay away from (common one is Elder BARK)! The action of Emmenagogue means this herb brings on the menses (period), so you should AVOID WHEN PREGNANT! These herbs can include Yarrow, Black Cohosh and Motherwort are the main ones I know of. Motherwort is excellent at bringing the period of, as well as helping with cramps, and comforts the emotional rollercoaster (so helps the heart)*NOTE Stinging Nettle is excellent in not bring on the menses but lessening blood flow if you have a heavy ‘flow’, because it diverts blood away from the pelvis*

Boneset at Northland College in Ashland, WI

            An herb that is an Expectorant helps you cough up excess phlegm, by loosening it, and adding more mucus (say if a dry hacking cough) to help alleviate these symptoms. So if you had a cold, phelgmy cough, it could be good to take a warming expectorant to help balance this cold, wet tissue state, so ginger would be a good choice, along with licorice, anise or even cayenne. Though, if you had a dry hot cough with little phlegm, a cooling moistening expectorant, such as Marshmallow root would be good. Other herbs are: Boneset, Yarrow, Mullein, Elderberry/flower. Febrifuge is an herb that helps to cool the body, so not exactly sweating a fever out, because you could just have heat-exhaustion or heat-stroke. Peppermint, Yarrow, Elderberry/flower, Hibiscus and Boneset are good for this. A Galactagogue herb increases the secretion of milk, so it’s obviously helpful for nursing mothers, and includes: Fennel, Milkweed, and Stinging Nettle; though if you want to dry up your milk Sage and Parsley are good.

            A Hemostatic herb—stops bleeding. Includes the herbs Yarrow and Cayenne, which are the best two I know from learning, and hearing excellent success stories of using Yarrow especially.

            Next are laxative herbs, (also see below Purgative). A Laxative herb overall works by cleaning you out via the gallbladder. Some more gentle and bulk-forming laxatives includes psyllium seed and husk, these aren’t as hard on the body, and still shouldn’t be used more than needed. The next level of laxatives includes the herb Senna; after that the third level is a very strong laxative including Castor oil (internally), Rhubarb Root and Cascara sagrada. Lastly is purgative, the strongest (see below). **NOTE Do NOT use laxatives without doctors approval/assistance** Some herbs that can prevent the need for using laxatives include Burdock, (any of the carminatives, and cholagogue).

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Emmenagogue, Febrifuge, Hemostatic & Vulnerary

            An herb that has the action of Mucilage, really is how it sounds, it coats and soothes the membranes, and thus calms inflamed areas. Oats is an excellent example, as are Marshmallow, Slippery Elm and Plantain. These herbs also commonly replenish one’s electrolyes, some of these hers also include: lemon, honey, maple syrup, and dandelion.A Purgative being the MOST powerful of the laxatives majorly irritates the bowels, and can include Cascada sagrada, senna. **DON’T use a LAXATIVE without DOCTORS APPROVAL/supervision!!!**

 An herb that is Rubafacient in nature brings blood to area of wound to heal, helps improve poor circulation also to cold hands and feet. Some of these herbs include: Yarrow, Cayenne, Mullein, and Ginger. A herb that is Tonic in nature helps to build the body of nutrition, thus slowly healing chronic ailments, also can be an Adaptogen (see above). Herbs include: Red Clover, Stinging Nettle, Dandelion and Burdock. I have had a lot of personal success with Stinging Nettle, and for more information see a previously published article (http://www.motherearthliving.com/natural-health/stinging-nettle-plant-underappreciated-green-of-the-wild.aspx). A Vermifuge is an herb that specifically kills worms and parasites, Black Walnut is an excellent example, Myrrh and Goldenseal also are helpful for this. Lastly, Vulnerary, is an herbal action of healing wounds, and one might think if you have a good one why not use it for all situations. The fact of the matter is it depends. For example, if you had a very clean wound, but it needed to be healed quickly, a good herb could be Comfrey; BUT if it is not clean you wouldn’t want to use an herb that makes your body regenerate it’s cells which could lead to a nasty infection. If you have a dirty wound, Yarrow is excellent at cleaning it out but slowly healing. Other good herbs include Calendula, Echinacea and Goldenseal; and herbs that heal wounds and relieve pain includes: White Willow bark, Yucca, Silk Tassel, Passionflower and Birch (Also see above Anodyne).

Examples:

            Peppermint is a cooling carminative…also being a

                                    Diaphoretic

                                    Nervine

                                    Carminative

                                    Anti-spasmodic

                                    ---helps the nervous system, digestive system (stomach, bowels)

            Prickly Ash happens to be a nerve stimulant

                 So also a…

                        Alterative

                        Stimulant (secretion, circulation)

                        Stimulates saliva

                        Mild laxative

                        Pancreatic and biliuary actions (gets secretions going)

                        Cardiac activity

                                    --stimulates heart, lymph, circulation, kidneys

                        Diaphoretic

                        Strengthen one’s “vital force”

                        Bowel spasms (constipation; gas is a symptom)—thus a carminative

                        Dysentery (loose bowels)

                        Neuralgic dysmenorrhia (nerv cramps in menstruation)

Resources:

-Therapeutic Herb Manual by Ed Smith. An excellent informational book many major herbs and their medicinal actions the author found when taken as a tincture

-Native American Medicinal Plants by Daniel E. Moerman. An excellent book about traditional uses of native North American plants, includes herbal actions under each tribe and loosely how it was taken

-101 Herbal teas…by Kathleen Brown is a good basic herbal-book about common herbs, their medicinal uses and fun tea recipes to make with them!