Herbs #3

Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria) Infusion of the dried flowers and leaves useful for bruises and injuries to internal organs.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Fresh alfalfa leaves steeped in hot water to help the blood clot.

Arnica (Arnica montana) In fresh water, make an infusion of arnica flowers, then made a wet compress for the swelling. Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) Though sour and rather astringent, they taste fine when they were cooked with other food, the juice of the berry is good for relieving the burning sensation that could occur when passing water, especially if it is pinkish with blood. Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) You use it to reduce fever, but it has to be boiled down to a thick syrup, which takes time. It brings on a profuse sweat. Burdock (Arcticum lappa) strip the leaves from the heavy middle vein, tear them in shreds into a bowl, add cool water, and pound them to a mash with a rock. It helps sunburn, (plant results in soothing cool mash) Cattail (Typha angustifolia) Cattails provide more than an old-growth woody stalk for a fire drill. The long leaves woven around an alder-wood frame made a lean-to which helps contain the heat from the fire. The green tops and young roots, baked in coals can be eaten. Ceanothus (Ceanothus griseus horizontalis) Rub the saponin-rich flowers between wet hands until foam develops; then you rub it into your hair. The foam from Ceanothus isn’t as rich as soap root lather, but the pale blue petalsleave a pleasant mild scent. Also known as Red Root.

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) Chamomile aids digestion and a mild wash for wounds. Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) Coltsfoot leaves, which resembled their name, spread out on woven drying racks, were asthma relief when smoke from the burning dried leaves was breathed, and a cough remedy with other ingredients in tea, and a pleasant seasoning for food. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) "As she peeled the dark brown skin off the comfrey roots...glutinous mucilage oozed out. ... She chopped the white comfrey root and applied the gummy substance directly to the wound - it stopped the bleeding and would help heal the bone..." Cranesbill (Geranium maculatum) " The dried and powdered leaves help to stop bleeding and heal wounds; made into a tea it heals mouth sores and rashes; and the roots are good for runny stools and other stomach problems." Datura or Thorn-Apple (Datura stramonium) This medicine will both dull the pain and make you sleep, but it is very powerful, and it is dangerous. NOTE: All different types of Datura are VERY DANGEROUS! Elecampane (Inula helenium) It’s the root that's used. It brings up phlegm and is especially good for the lung disease of spitting blood. It also helps to bring on sweating and to pass water. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) Makes heart push. NOTE: Foxglove can be dangerous if used in too large quantities, keep away from children and animals and only use under qualified supervision Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) It can be dangerously poisonous if used as food. The different parts are used for different things, but all of them are good for pain. It can be made into a tea and drunk - it's very strong, doesn't take much - or into a wash and applied on the skin. It stops muscle spasms, calms and relaxes, brings sleep.

Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) Hollyhocks are good for soothing irritations, sore throats, scrapes, scratches. The flowers make a drink that can ease pain, but it makes a person sleepy. The root is good for wounds. Hops (Humulus lupulus) "Powdered hops, the mature cones with the fine hairs, calms and makes a person sleep restfully. Horseradish (Cochlearia Armorica) The horseradish plant has small white flowers clustered in a bunch on stems with small narrow leaves, and lowers down, long pointed, shiny dark green leaves, growing up from the ground. It has an interesting flavor with meats, and it is used as a stimulant for the stomach, and for passing water, and as an application for sore and swollen joints. Horsetail Fern (Equisetum hyemale) Massage liquid extract from the horsetail fern into the scalp to kill lice. Horsetail ferncan also be used as a kind of sandpaper Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) Hyssop has bluish purple flowers, about a foot high. The tea is good for coughs when you have a cold, and it adds a nice spicy flavor to any tea. It also clears the chest and helps breathing." Iris (Iris laevigata) "She washed the iris roots, chewed them to a pulp, and spit them into the boiling water. ... Pointing to the antiseptic iris-root solution. "A poultice of the root draws out poisons and helps the wound heal." NOTE: May not be Iris laevigata Juniper (Juniperus communis) "I know there's a medicinal reference in there somewhere - I mismarked my notes! - Diane" Marigold (Calendula officinalis) "...she washed the wound using the cured skin of a rabbit...dipped in the warm infusion of marigold petals. The liquid was astringent as well as antiseptic..." VoH "She was quite pleased to find...marigolds for their

antiseptic and quick-healing virtues, to take the sting out of bites, and because they were so effective in keeping insects away when a strong solution was splashed on." Pasque Flowers (Anenome pulsatilla) "She saw blue-purple pasqueflowers, erect and beautiful, each rising from expanding leaves covered with fine hairs...the dried plant was helpful for headaches and women's cramps - but she enjoyed it as much for its beauty as for its usefulness." PoP Pigweed (Portulaca oleracea) "Iza crushed the pigweed root together with its leaves and lathered it into her hair." CCB "Pulling up a stalk of pigweed, she crushed the leaves and roots in her hand, wet the mixture, and added a bit of sand. Then she scoured her hands, cleaned the travel grime off her face, and went back up." Plantain (Plantago major) "She rinsed the wild carrots...and wrapped them in plantain leaves. The large fibrous leaves were edible, but she couldn't help thinking of their other use as sturdy, healing bandages for cuts or bruises." "...the large leaves...were excellent for healing anything from bites to boils, even severe ulcers and wounds." Note: Look in your yard for these - they're everywhere! Crush leaves & apply to bee stings works great! Pokeweed (Phytolacca decandra) "The pokeweeds are coming up where they grew last year. Didn't you tell me the roots were good for Creb's rheumatism, too?" "Yes, but you steep the root and apply it as a wash to relieve the pain. The berries are made into a tea. Juice from squeezed berries is good for growths and lumps, too..." Soap root (Saponaria officinalis) "Finding a round stone she could hold easily in her hand, Iza pounded the soap root with water in a saucer like depression of a large flattish rock near the stream. The root sudsed into a rich, saponinfilled lather. ...after a thorough wetting, the woman picked her up, sat her on the rock, and lathered her from head to foot, including her stringy, matted hair."

Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) "When the flower of the plant dried, it left an elongated egg-shaped spiny brush. She snapped one from its stem, and with it gently scratched the spot on Whinney's flank. ...before she stopped, she had brushed and curried Whinney's entire shaggy coat." VoH "...she let the sun dry her while she used a twig to pull tangles out of her hair then brushed it with a teasel." Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) also known as Queen Anne's Lace! "She noticed the leaves and the dried umbeled flower stalk that pointed to wild carrots a few inches below the ground..." Note: Queen Anne's lace has many medicinal uses, but has several poisonous lookalikes. Domestic carrots can be used in the same ways. Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) "...growing at the sunny edge of the woods, she found wild marjoram, which was not only a good insect repellent when made into an infusion for an external wash, but drinking it as a tea gave a person's sweat a spicy odor that gnats, fleas, and most flies found distasteful." Willow (Salix alba) "She always thanked the spirits for willow. ... She couldn't remember how many times she had peeled willow bark for a tea to relieve aches and pains. She knew of stronger painkillers, but they also dulled the senses. The analgesic properties of willow just dulled the pain and reduced fever." Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) "...she gathered wormwood flowers to add as a general antidote for poisons and toxic reactions." Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) "...yarrow tea she had made for her morning headache." MH "She also added pulverized yarrow, for its external painkilling and quick-healing properties." Infusion

Made by pouring boiling water on the leaves, petals or other soft parts of herbs and letting it stand or steep for a given amount of time.

Ointment Made with a combination of ground herbs and

Poultice

Wash

heated beeswax, oil or fat to be directly applied to the skin after it is strained and cooled. A thick mixture of herbs applied externally for an extended period of time. Usually made with just enough boiling water to cover or dampen the herbs, then applied between two thin layers of material to hold it in place and keep the heat in. The results of an infusion or decoction used externally - gently wiped on with a soft cloth A compress is when you hold the dampened cloth on, changing it when it cools.

Made by boiling the hard parts of plants in water to Decoction extract the active ingredients. Used on tough roots, wood, bark and nuts.