My readers will all likely be very familiar with my fondness for any and all Rosa species, and most especially for my local wild Rosa woodsii. There’s no doubt that Rose is a popular plant among herbalists across the globe. Often though, I notice that it tends to be primarily known for emotional issues. While I would be the last person to debate its applicability in those situations (which are of course inherently tied into the individual’s overall physiology rather than being a separate domain), I do sometimes perceive a lack of serious consideration of Rose’s more down and dirty healing attributes. This post is my attempt at showing why and how Rosa can be utilized in first aid, and specifically in wound care. I will provide a brief overview of the herb’s basic actions and energetics within the context of wound care, standard preparations, therapeutics and a few relevant case studies.

In my rural and wilderness practice I find myself doing a significant amount of first aid type care. This is some of my favorite work, as it helps me to hone my ability to respond both appropriately and quickly and also allows me to see in a fairly rapid way what works and what doesn’t.

I keep a number of tried and true formulae for specific situations on hand, but I also tend to carry a variety of simples that I know intimately and can rapidly combine (or not) as is called for. Rose is one of those plants that I always have on hand. I keep Rose infused vinegar, Rose salve, Rose tincture/elixir and dried Rose petals/leaves nearby at all times.

Energetics

Cool, drying/contracting

Rose leaves, flowers, bark and roots are generally considered to be cooling in Western herbalism, with authors as varied as Avicenna, Dioscorides, Bauhin and Hildegarde specifically mentioning plant’s place on the colder end of the thermal spectrum although Galen seemed to feel that it had some warming properties. The fruits are closer to neutral in temperature.

Rose is considered drying in most cases, however, it would be more appropriate to call it contracting rather than strictly drying. It certainly doesn’t contribute or create fluids but nor does it actually cause the loss of them, it just holds them in the tissues.

A Tangent on Rose and Astringents: Due to its action as an astringent, which causes the tissues it comes in contact with to contract, Rose can cause the body to hold in fluids, especially if there’s an excessive loss (a lá diarrhea, excessive sweating, bleeding, vomiting, urination etc.) Think about how a tea bag on your tongue (or green fruit) makes your tongue feel like it’s withering up in your both as the tissue pulls more tightly together. Excessive loss of fluids is drying in and of itself, so if an astringent helps to prevent the tissues from losing fluid in such situations it would obviously not be considered overtly drying.

Vital Actions

Astringent, Relaxant, Nervine

Clinical Effects

Anti-inflammatory

Topically or internally, Rose is an effective anti-inflammatory and I regularly employ it in my infusion blends for those recovering from gut inflammation due to food intolerance (concurrent with removing the offending foods) or similar. Topically, it acts in the same way and is great for reducing redness, swelling and pain from any number of sources, including insect stings/bites, abrasions, blunt trauma and even puncture wounds.

Anti-Infective

While not popularly known for its anti-infective properties, it can indeed by a helpful herb in combatting bacterial/viral/fungal infections. Being a mild plant, it doesn’t have the immediate kick of something like Echinacea or Alder but nonetheless is an effective and useful herb for treating many infections topically.

Hemostatic/Styptic

Rose is mildly to moderately astringent (depending on species and part used), not astringent enough to tie your guts up in knots but strong enough to help stem the flow of blood when used topically and tighten tissues to help prevent the loss of further blood or the wound from becoming boggy and oozy. This in turn promotes quicker wound healing and less scarring.

Therapeutic Uses

Insect Stings/Bites

Rose, like many of the Rosaceae, has a distinct effect on histamine responses (see resources below for some research based validation of that traditional knowledge), moderating and sometimes preventing allergic type reactions. My experience does not indicate that it is as strong as, say, Prunus persica (Peach) or Prunus serotina (Black Cherry and allied species.) However, it’s plenty effective enough to be very helpful in the treatment of many insect stings/bites that trigger small histamine type responses. Rose petal poultices are great for reducing the pain, swelling and redness of bee/wasp stings and similar, even better with Plantain or Alder leaves.

Additionally, plain old Rose tincture or elixir is also a quick and effective treatment for mosquito bites and many other itchy afflictions.

Ear/Body Piercing Aftercare

Yes, not normally found in your average list of herbal uses, but something I have a fair amount of experience with nonetheless. Different piercing studios will recommend a wide variety of aftercare regimens, from tossing a bag full of alcohol wipes at you to giving you a five page handout on saline soaks and various aftercare products. Rose, with its tissue contracting and cooling properties is an excellent treatment for these purposeful puncture wounds.

Preparation somewhat depends on the personal preference. Many studios will insist that you should use alcohol on any piercing and if you wish to follow this, Rose petals and/or leaves tinctured in vodka work very well. Yep, it burns like hell.

I’ve successfully used Rose petal infused vinegar as a compress for infected or inflamed fresh piercings with good results, usually with pain, swelling and discharge notably reduced within the first couple of applications. Saline soaks made with a strong Rose petal tea can also be soothing and greatly speed healing while lessening discomfort and complication.

Abrasions & Minor Wounds

Compresses (of strong tea or diluted infuse vinegar), petal/leaf poultices, crushed dried petals/leaves and a number of other preparations can be very useful in reducing pain and bleeding and speeding healing of minor wounds and abrasions. Children are often very fond of this remedy, being intrigued by the scent and color of the petals and often the very idea of such a well known flower being used as medicine. Adults are more likely to scoff at you, probably for the same reason the children are impressed.

Rashes

Itchy, red, hot rashes often respond very well to the application of crushed Rose petals/leaves, compress (with strong tea or diluted infused vinegar) or simple soak/bath. This is an old and widespread remedy that remains applicable today.

Note that if your rash is from poison ivy or some other contact dermatitis that it’s imperative that you remove the irritant (this includes washing with soap in the case of poison ivy) before treating.

Burns

Rose infused vinegar is my favorite treatment for general sunburn treatment, just dilute the Rose petal and/or leaf infused vinegar to about 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water and apply as compress or soak to affected area.

Similarly, Rose tincture or vinegar works very well for minor burns where the skin has not been broken. For more serious burns, where the skin has broken and especially where there is any potential for infection, I prefer to use Rose infused honey as a dressing. Rose formulates very well with other appropriate herbs such Alnus, Monarda, Oenothera or similar.

Cellulitis and Other Bacterial Infections

First off, serious bacterial infections, including cellulitis, should generally always be treated internally as well as externally whenever possible. That said, topical treatments via compress, soak, poultice and similar can be very helpful and initiate the healing process quickly. Where there is any chance of serious infection or cellulitis, I strongly suggest that you do NOT use an oil/fat based topical treatment, as I have seen this actually spread the infection on multiple occasions. Trapping moisture and encouraging bacterial proliferation is probably not your therapeutic goal so stick with with water or vinegar based preparations in these situations.

Rose’s ability to firm boggy or damaged tissues, reduce inflammation and lessen bacterial proliferation while encouraging the growth of healthy tissue makes it ideal in the treatment of many microbial infections. I tend to use it in formulae with Monarda spp. leaves, Plantago spp leaves/flowers and Alnus spp., leaves for cellulitis or serious infections with heat signs along with addressing the issue internally.

Case Studies

Puncture Wound/Piercing Aftercare

11 year old girl had both ears pierced (with a 16 gauge needle, not a gun) and a simple cleaning regimen using Monarda tincture was followed three times a day. Four weeks past the initial piercing, and while cleaning regimen was still being followed, the girl swam in a dirty river a mild infection ensued resulting in pain, swelling, discharge and the area was hot to the touch.

A compress of diluted (1:3) Rose infused vinegar was applied to each ear for ten minutes twice a day. Infection and symptoms receded within 6 hours and was gone completely within 24 hours.

Burn

A woman in her early 20’s was badly burned by boiling water spilling on her forearm, primarily on the inside of the arm. She went to the local clinic and they diagnosed it as a primarily second degree burn with patches of first and third degree burns. Skin was blistered and broken with bleeding. She refused treatment (including pain medication and antibiotics) beyond initial cleaning and diagnosis.

Client came to me the next morning in a considerable pain. I gave her a formula for pain consisting of 3 parts Eschscholzia mexicana, 1 part Corydalis aurea and 1/2 part Piscidia, to be taken 1/2 ml as needed, tritating if necessary. Additionally, I gave her Rosa woodsii petal infused honey to apply as a dressing twice a day along with gauze to wrap the area with, and instructions to not try to remove dead skin and not to break any of the blisters.

Area healed without complications within a month, although some scarring did occur. Pain formula was only needed for the first 24 hours.

Cellulitis

A woman in her mid-50’s with Type II Diabetes presented with diagnosed cellulitis in her left thigh. The infection had been treated with several rounds of progressively strong antibiotics which resulted in temporary lessening of symptoms and then worsening beyond the original state each time the antibiotics were ceased. Infection was painful, hot to the touch and spreading rapidly at time of consultation.

Treatment was a tincture of 4 parts Alnus oblongifolia to 1 part Monarda fistulosa var. menthifolia, 1 ml 4x/day plus a dried herb formula of 3 parts Rosa rugosa petals, 1 Part Monarda fistulosa var. menthifolia leaves/flower and 1/2 Part Achillea millefolium flowers and leaves to be used as a soak in water as hot as she could bear three times a day until water cooled to be followed by immersion in cold water and then very warm water again.

Pain was alleviated by 50% and infection stopped spreading within two days. In a week, infection was receding. I saw the client again at two weeks to refill tincture and dried herb mix and the infection was no longer visible. Herbs were continued one month past the time when no symptoms were apparent. Saw client three months after original appointment and the infection had not returned.

Previous Posts and Articles about Rose by Kiva

Rose Elixir Recipe Photo Essay - http://www.learningherbs.com/news_issue_35.html

Monograph – Sweet Medicine: Healing with the Wild Heart of Rose – http://animacenter.org/rosa.html

Sweetbriar by the River: A Romance in Pictures – http://bearmedicineherbals.com/sweetbriar-by-the-river-a-romance-in-pictures-and-rose-elixir-recipe.html

Rose Infused Vinegar for Sunburns - http://bearmedicineherbals.com/rose-vinegar-my-favorite-sunburn-soother.html

The Wildest Rose: On Thorns, Tangles, Tenacity and Sweetness - http://bearmedicineherbals.com/wildestrose.html

Other Resources and References

The Western Herbal Tradition by Graeme Tobyn, Alison Denham and Margaret Whitelegg

Studies/Research

Effects of Rosa rugosa Petals on Intestinal Bacteria – http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/bbb/72/3/72_773/_article

In vivo anti-inflammatory effect of Rosa canina L. extract. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21771653

Oxidative DNA damage preventive activity and antioxidant potential of plants used in Unani system of medicine. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21159207

Anti-allergic effects of white rose petal extract and anti-atopic properties of its hexane fraction. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19557358

Investigations of anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of Piper cubeba, Physalis angulata and Rosahybrida. – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14522451

Rose hips (Rosa canina) have significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity independent of vitamin C content. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18707854

~~~~Photos and Text ©2011 Kiva Rose~~~~

A freeze damaged Opuntia pad

The drought withered leaf of Lonicera albiflora

With the current drought here in southwestern New Mexico only getting worse right now, I have never been so grateful for widely available, locally abundant, feral as all hell weeds. So much of the land in every direction is eerily brown and dormant despite the warm weather. There are very few birds or insects compared to a normal May in the canyon. And from photographs, you’d be likely to think it’s Winter right now. The quickest way to get a fix of lush green is to find a perennial waterway like our lovely San Francisco River running just below the mesa our cabins are situation on and…. checking out the weeds in people’s yards, in vacant lots and other disturbed areas. Some of these species are native, some are not, but what unites them is a particular tenacity and insistence. While many other plants have pulled back into dormancy to await the next rains, this particular botanical cadre is fiercely green in the face of unquenched thirst and scorching sun.

Indecorous Plants

Lemon Balm bursting back after being chewed down to nothing by hungry critters.

One of the primary indications that a plant will be called a weed is that it is common and thus giving the implication of being vulgar. And in fact, the word vulgar has its roots in the Latin vulgus, which appropriately enough means “folk” or “common people” but has the common definition of something (or someone) that is unrefined, ordinary, coarse… and even indecorous (lord protect us from indecorous plants) to the point of being obnoxious. Low class in other words, usually relegated to that status primarily by their commonness, their ability to thrive. This is not a matter of competition between plants within a particular habitat but rather a troubling projection of human origin. Wherever we are, modern humans have a tendency to most highly value what is hard to come by, that which is rare, exotic and comes at a great price.

It seems to me that if we’re going to place value judgments on plants as medicine and food, it makes a hell of a lot more sense to greatly value (getting past ingrained ideas about economics) what we have access to, what is sustainable and what we are able to cultivate intimacy with. The herbal community often excels at this, and I am eternally heartened by the excitement that a patch of Chickweed or stand of Wild Roses can evoke in any number of plant people. The exuberant pointing, shrieking and jumping up and down of otherwise dignified adults at the sight of Stinging Nettles on a riverbank is certainly one of the reasons I adore what I do.

The Why of Weeds

Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) in our garden struggling to grow back after very hungry packrats have stripped much of its bark.

Personally, as much as I love and work to preserve rare or endangered plants, it is the common weeds that I am most likely to get excited about as an herbalist. Why? Because there’s lots of them and lots of potential for working with them and helping people without endangering the species. Think about it, a tiny stand of delicate and slow growing plants may have good medicine but the capacity for real life use is small. On the other hand, a yard full of Dandelions, Chickweed  and Mallow that just seems to multiply like rodents in Spring no matter how much you pick, pull, chop and run over them has HUGE capacity for treating and feeding people in a way that doesn’t harm the plant community. This seems especially important if we recognize that plants have intrinsic value in and of themselves outside of human use and deserve to thrive and live their own lives regardless of their value to us.

I also appreciate the feral nature of plants that survive where and when they can, digging in with roots and tendrils and running wild across the face of buildings, fences, lawns and whatever else will sit still long enough for them grow in, over or through. For me, the plants serve as role models and teachers, friends and confidantes. I’ve always found this especially true of unruly wildflowers and rebellious weeds that give the finger to herbicides and lawn regulations, busily growing and blooming from every crevice and empty patch of dirt.

Especially during dry times like these, I’m incredibly grateful for the soothing mucilage of Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila) and Mallow (Malva spp.) that somehow still manage to leaf out and spread along sidewalks and doorsteps. Last week, I was struck by the sight of a young Elm tree sawed down about four feet from the ground and all its branches stripped off with its remaining trunk a strange black color. It was positioned in the middle of a gravel pile at the center of the village in a place where everything near it was dead from lack of water and soil. And yet, the Elm tree had dozens new leaves emerging from its ragged stump. Not just growing back from the roots, but shooting out from where it was broken. I keep its image in my mind as an emblem of hope right now as the leaves on the Oaks hang shriveled and black and the absence of the Canyon Wrens’ song renders the mesa scarily silent. Life is insistent, it will find a way.

Rhiannon with a green handful of River Mint in an otherwise barren field.

Weed Tending

What qualifies as weeds surely differs from place to place. Herbs like Plantain often known as weeds in moister climes are actually fairly difficult to track down here in southwestern New Mexico. And this year, with scarcity and fragility of many otherwise moderately common plants has me carefully considering what’s really ethical and sustainable to harvest and use as medicine. My goal is to adapt my current practice to what the land can easily bear and what the people need. I aim to be flexible enough to provide effective treatment while not presenting a burden to already stressed land. Some elements in this approach include:

1. Only harvesting from plants and plant communities that appear to be healthy and able to reproduce. This means staying away from plants that have only partially leafed out, are dropping leaves, have brown or black leaves or are unable to flower. Another reason for this, besides consideration for the plant, is that stressed plants can have somewhat different balances constituents than what we’re accustomed to and the medicine may not behave as we expected.
2. Going out of my way even more than normal to help plants reproduce by dividing roots and replanting rather than taking the whole root system when harvesting, waiting until a plant is in seed before harvesting roots and being sure to spread the seeds, making cuttings of plants easily spread that way as with Salix species and even being extra careful where I walk on wild land. This may seem somewhat ridiculous in lush habitats, but here in the dry SW, compressing the soil and squashing barely surviving plants can have a very noticeable effect.
3. Sorting through my existing stock of herbal preparations and preserved foraged foods and being sure to carefully note what I have and what I really need more of. Then making a point of using what I have abundant stores of rather than impulsively going after whatever new creature catches my fancy. It’s likely that even the weeds are under stress this season and I prefer not to add to that if possible. I’ll also go out of my way not to recommend larger doses than necessary and more likely to admonish people not to lose, ruin (kindly don’t leave your tincture bottles and tea mixes on the dash of your sealed car in an Albuquerque parking lot, people) or otherwise waste existing medicines.
4. And for my own sake, I’ll spend a great deal of time with both the thriving and hurting plants, noticing how they respond to the current conditions and appreciating even the ones I know are dying, thanking them for their beauty even as they lose their life to this painfully dry season.

Village Weeds

The very persistant Periwinkle (Vinca major)

As I mentioned above, here in the SW we don’t always have the same weeds as other places, but here are a few of our most persistent and multi-purpose weedy plants at the middle elevations along with a selection of their primary qualities and uses.

• Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila) – Basically interchangeable with Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra), making it an exceedingly useful constitutional tonic for those who tend in the direction of dry as well as a remarkably effective gut healer, useful even in extreme digestive debility where there is inflammation and pronounced irritability of the gastric mucosa. Also useful externally as a drawing agent or soothing abraded areas.
• Sweet Clover (Melilotus spp.) – This fragrant and abundant roadside weed is not only an excellent wild food (especially in pesto) and tasty beverage tea but also a useful medicine. A notable aromatic, its carminative properties work well on their own to resolve bloating and discomfort or blend well with more obvious choices such as Chamomile. Sweet Clover is also a very useful anti-inflammatory, especially for soft tissue and the vascular system. Topically, it makes an excellent first aid salve  and a poultice, soak, salve for vascular weakness.
• Periwinkle (Vinca major) – The astringent flowers and leaves of vining, groundcover-like Periwinkle are an effective vascular tonic, serving to tighten up the tissue of the vascular system wherever there is laxity. Based on this same systemic tonifying action, I frequently utilize Vinca as a vasoconstrictor for certain kinds of migraines.
• Evening Primrose (Oenothera spp.) – Despite its delicate appearance, I’ve seen Evening Primrose bloom from the cracks in rocks, in parking lots and even sprout of the crevices of old building foundations. The aromatic species are relaxant nervines and very effective antispasmodics, especially useful in the treatment of mild to severe uterine/ovarian cramping with accompanying tension and irritability. All species seem to act as mucus membrane tonics, reducing inflammation, tightening lax tissues and preventing further degradation. This is especially useful in formulas for gut, reproductive or respiratory inflammation.

A Feral Heart

Fragrant Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa)

Yes, I love and identify with the common and vulgar, the feral and fierce. I’m as likely to call myself a weedwife or plant lover as clinical herbalist, although I would consider all of these term to be true to my work. I value the common, the ordinary even, for its vitality and profusion. For its resilience and flexibility in the face of droughts and floods, habitat change and ever shifting interactions with the humans they share land with.

This applies to herbalists as well. Sure, there’s lots of us at the level of herbwife, kitchen herbalist, practitioner and village herbalist. There are no rock star requirements for what we do and in fact, such a status can keep us from being maximally approachable and accessible to others. There’s an ancient lineage for our work, for mothers and wildcrafters and weedwives, of the common people working together with common plants to bring a bit more healing and beauty  to the world with our work. Our resilience and adaptability is part of why we survive and revive time after time, despite periodic suppression and stifling regulation.

Digging In

In this vein, I’m offering a free webinar on May 18th called Root to Fruit: Folk Herbalism From the Ground Up where I’ll be discussing one of my favorite weedy plants, how to both deepen and broaden your materia medica and elements for a balanced approach to practicing herbalism.

And oh yes, during the webinar (sponsored/produced by Learningherbs.com), we’ll be giving away a free ticket to the Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference, a free copy of the sold out Culinary Herbalism online course and all sorts of other lovely things.

To listen in, you have to register ahead of time, so just click on the link below and sign up to participate.

Root To Fruit: Folk Herbalism From the Ground Up

Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis var. diffusus)

]]> http://bearmedicineherbals.com/weedwifery.html/feed 9 http://bearmedicineherbals.com/ceanothus.html http://bearmedicineherbals.com/ceanothus.html#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:39:31 +0000 Kiva Rose http://bearmedicineherbals.com/?p=1418
Redroot: Blood Medicine by Kiva Rose Botanical Name: Ceanothus spp. Botanical Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn) Common Names: Redroot, Redshank, Buckbrush, Mountain Lilac, Desert Buckthorn, New Jersey Tea Taste & Impression: Sweet, Aromatic (some species), Astringent Energetics: Neutral-Warm, Dry Vital Actions: Lymphatic Alterative, Astringent, Expectorant, Relaxant, Nervine Used As: Antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antispasmodic Indications: Fibrocystic breast disease, mastitis, lymphadenitis, tonsillitis, mononucleosis, splenitis, hepatitis, bronchitis, asthma, sinusitis Tissue State [...]]]>

Redroot: Blood Medicine

by Kiva Rose

Redroot (Ceanothus greggii) inflorescence

Botanical Name: Ceanothus spp.

Botanical Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn)

Common Names: Redroot, Redshank, Buckbrush, Mountain Lilac, Desert Buckthorn, New Jersey Tea

Taste & Impression: Sweet, Aromatic (some species), Astringent

Energetics: Neutral-Warm, Dry

Vital Actions: Lymphatic Alterative, Astringent, Expectorant, Relaxant, Nervine

Used As: Antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antispasmodic

Indications: Fibrocystic breast disease, mastitis, lymphadenitis, tonsillitis, mononucleosis, splenitis, hepatitis, bronchitis, asthma, sinusitis

Tissue State Indication: Laxity

Parts Used: The red to pink roots. Some herbalists also use the bark of the upper plant but the taste is very different and I haven’t done enough experimenting to vouch for identical qualities in the root and the bark.

Collecting: I usually collect the root in early Spring before flowering or late in the year after the first frost. In the Southwest, Ceanothus tends to grow in rocky, dry areas that are extremely difficult to dig roots from during the dry seasons. I recommend a rock bar and a lot of patience, or alternatively, walking along arroyos and washes looking for plants with roots already partially exposed due to erosion and likely to be taken out by a flood in the near future anyway.

Saw or cut the trunk and upper plant off, then process the root immediately or in the very near future. Once they start to dry out, they’re almost impossible to process without some sort of heavy machinery. When fresh, use strong, sharp loppers and pruners to chop and chip into smaller pieces. Be careful when grinding if you wish to percolate the dried root, as it is very hard and rather famous for destroying normal grinders.

Preparations: Cold infusion, decoction, fresh plant tincture (1:2 95%), dry plant tincture (1:5 50%)

Dosage: I find small to moderate doses of this herb to be most effective and appropriate, larger doses can emphasize the astringent qualities and create digestive problems. I also prefer this plant in formula, rather than as a simple for the most part. Tincture dosage for an average sized adult is usually 15-30 drops TID for chronic conditions. Michael Moore recommended a much higher dose, often measuring the tincture dosage by the teaspoon.

Medicine:

“Red Root is one of our great unsung plant medicines.” – Michael Moore

Redroot is a remarkable remedy with its spicy scented and crimson colored roots that tangle deep into rocky ground. More easily seen, its showy and fragrant flowers range in color from bright white to cream to pinks and purples have given the plant many of its common names that are variations on Mountain Lilac and Desert Lilac.

While I sometimes use the C. americanus most likely to be found in commerce, I usually choose to work with our local C. greggii, which is plentiful in the arroyos and rocky mountainsides of my home in southwest New Mexico. This species has small and softly pubescent opposite leaves and blooms in early spring, covering the foothills and middle elevation mountains of the Gila with their sweet smelling white sprays of abundant yet tiny white blossoms.

My local Ceanothus roots have a spicy wintergreen scent to them and are usually scarlet to crimson in color and even the inner pith is likely to be pink to red. In conversation with other herbalists, especially those who wildcraft in a wide array of bioregions, I have heard that not all Ceanothus species are notably aromatic but consensus seems to be that they all seem to work similarly regardless of scent. It is my observation that more aromatic species of Redroot seem to have somewhat stronger relaxant nervine, anti-spasmodic and lymphatic properties.

This common and widespread plant is perhaps best known as a powerful lymphatic in modern American herbal medicine. Michael Moore speaks specifically to Redroot’s impact on the blood and lymph:

“As a tonic, you need to understand that Red Root, particularly the tincture, helps to diminish the tendency for red blood cells to clump together in blood that is either high in fat chylomicrons (after a heavy meal, as an example) or with elevated inflammatory compounds (from allergic, sensitizing or other immunologic responses), a condition called rouleau. Another way to describe it is having sticky or viscous blood, with adhering constituents and diminished surface tension or charge. Red Root kicks up the charge, helps blood cells and inner vessel linings repel each other better, the blood, while not changing chemistry, changes its osmolality and flows better. This aids the transport across capillary walls of diffuse substances and the non-protein fractions of blood that becomes interstitial fluid and lymph.”

I tend to prefer Ceanothus in formula when addressing lymphatic stagnation or symptoms of hypoimmunity and find that it is less likely to cause feelings of “toxicity” with hangover like symptoms and possible hepatic pain from rapid stimulation of lymphatic circulation when combined with other herbs specific to the situation. Note that Redroot differs from many of our most frequently used alteratives in being neutral to warming in thermal energetics and sweet in taste in contrast to the more common cold and bitter herbs such as Dandelion, Cleavers and Oregon Grape Root. This difference can be used to great advantage when matched to people with cold, chronic conditions and lax tissues where an alterative is needed.

I see Ceanothus as best suited to clearing up lingering afflictions that have gone chronic, particularly those affecting the immune and hepatic systems, manifesting as swollen glands, slow healing wounds and other hypoimmune indications, chronic hepatitis, mononucleosis and bronchitis with cold signs. Used inappropriately during acute inflammation or aggravation, Redroot can be ineffective or, worse, cause aggravation of the existing condition. Its strong (more or less depending on species) astringency can also have a suppressive effect on glandular swellings which, if treated in this manner, will reappear and potentially worsen when the herbal treatment is stopped.

However, when used where there are signs of coldness and laxity in the tissues, accompanied by symptoms of chronic swelling, digestive malabsorption, long-term infections, lymphatic tenderness or swelling, Redroot can be an excellent and widely applicable remedy.

Look for a pale tongue, subjective feelings of fatigue, heaviness and coldness in conjunction with a tendency to catch every cold or flu that comes around with slow recovery time and that feeling that they’re always about to get sick. Often digestion will be sluggish and the person will have some level of “bad skin” manifesting as acne outbreaks or even just a flat, vaguely yellowed complexion. Other symptoms include ongoing dull, achy headaches (especially after eating a fatty meal), hemorrhoids and varicose veins. It’s not uncommon to see some variation of this pattern in people with chronic viral hepatitis (or those recovering from acute hepatitis), Lyme disease (particularly with Bartonella co-infection), lupus and other autoimmune conditions as well as mononucleosis.

Where the above pattern is present, Redroot can be effective in reducing inflammation and clearing boggy tissues in any number of situations, from old bronchitis to drippy sinusitis to hepatitis with portal congestion and all sorts of nagging pelvic pain with sensations of heaviness, dragging and swelling. Ceanothus is a supporting/tonic herb and generally works in a slow, supportive manner when use appropriately. What is important here, as with most other herbs, is the overall tissue state rather than the disease name or even the specific organ system. Looking at the constitution and tissue state and working from there with inevitably result in better results and an easier match between person and plant.

Redroot is also an effective astringent and many of its most well known traditional uses are directly related to this action, including reducing blood flow in cases of uterine hemorrhage and nosebleeds. I have seen Ceanothus be very useful with the bleeding, pain, tenderness and swelling of ovarian cysts and its mild antispasmodic action can be useful here as well. It does not necessarily address the underlying issues but can serve as a constitutional tonic as well as helping to lessen uncomfortable symptoms while foundational causes are being addressed.

Considerations: Caution should be used when used alongside anti-coagulants. Otherwise, used according to indications for cold, chronic conditions rather than hot, acute conditions, Redroot is a safe and well tolerated herb that can be used over a long period of time.

References & Resources:
7Song – Personal correspondence and conversation

Bergner, Paul – Conversation

Mercier, Debbie – Redroot Profile

Moore, Michael – Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West

Wood, Matthew – The Earthwise Herbal vol. 2

Yes, it is January here in the mountains of New Mexico.

Yes, it does get to less than -10F out there some nights.

And why yes, that is a lovely new vivid green leaf from a picture I took just yesterday.

Specifically, it is the leaf of a Wax Currant (Ribes cereum) growing down by the river among the Canyon Walnuts and Grape vines. While it will still be quite some time before they flower and fruit, they are well known for their persistence in leafing out even during some of our coldest weather. I greatly appreciate this tenacity, especially as we get to the part of Winter where I feel an increasing longing for green growing plants.

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Another persistent plant that manages to grow throughout the Winter, and sometimes even flower, is one of our native vervains. Dakota Vervain (Glandularia bipinnatifida) is a sprawling, colorful plant that grows in gravel, creeps from rock crevices and sometimes flowers in great cheerful clumps by the river. There’s no telling where it will pop up from year to year, but it is consistently abundant and beautiful. This particular plant is growing from a pile of rocks where the arroyo runs into the San Francisco River. I find its vibrantly pink and purple tinted leaves especially uplifting and frequently go sit near it during my recent afternoon walks. This Vervain is also one of my favorite medicinal plant and has relaxant nervine properties similar to other Verbena species. However, Glandularia bipinnatifida lacks the bitterness typical of most Vervain and seems to specifically excel as a nervous system tonic or trophorestorative.

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Pointleaf Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pungens) is a common evergreen shrub at middle elevations in the Gila bioregion. It reddish stems and brilliant green leaves are always a welcome haven even in our snowiest, coldest months. And of course, it’s another favorite medicine. For those of you less familiar with Southwestern herbs, Manzanita has very similar properties to a more widely known medicinal plant usually known as Uva Ursi or Bearberry (Arctstaphylos uva ursi) and is particularly useful where there is atony of the uterus and urinary tract. It’s often just known as a plant for UTIs but this is a vast oversimplification of the far wider usefulness of this herb. I am especially inclined to work with Manzanita (or Uva Ursi) when there are chronic reproductive or urinary tract infection, often accompanied by discharge, a dragging sensation in the pelvic region and overall tissue atonicity.

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The Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) leaves tend to be mostly died back this time of year, but some of the yellow and green leaves still persist, usually in great floppy masses that make for rather cuddly looking Mullein piles. Those of you who’ve been reading my blog for a while and have read my previous ode (otherwise known as a monograph) to Mullein, know how fond I am of this common and valuable medicine, whether roots, leaves or flowers.

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American Speedwell (Veronica americana) thrives in our river, usually on sandbars, where the bank meets the water or in this case, in rock crevices where small boulders jut from the river surface. The petiolate leaves are especially sweet and juicy tasting this time of year, perfect for adding the zest of wild greens to any meal. They combine well with Watercress and Dandelion greens, both of which are sometimes found this time of year but seem to be in short supply this particular time around. Speedwell is also a traditional medicine, although not much used in US herbalism as far as I can tell except by those either well versed in traditional European herbalism or indigenous medicine. It’s a favorite alterative of mine for where there is lymphatic stagnation, “bad skin” (including eczema in many cases) and frontal, nauseating headaches. It combines well (once again) with Watercress for all sorts of hepatitis (meaning any kind of liver inflammation), especially where the urine is dark and scant.

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And of course, we mustn’t forget the Nettles! Our local species, the annual Mountain Nettle (Urtica gracilenta) is a common and vibrant presence throughout our Canyon winters. No matter how many times it freezes back, it reemerges in brilliant shades of green as soon as we have a few warm days in a row. I have worked with (and written about) Nettles at length, but continue to be yet more amazed by them as each year goes by. My favorite medicine are almost always also foods, and this goes triple for Nettles, which end up in so many teas, infusions, soups, dips, tincture formulas and other recipes that it’s hard to keep track of. Whether root, fruit or leaf, this plant is a medicine powerhouse and one recognize the world over for its healing and nutritive powers. And in the middle of Winter, with snow and dead leaves all around, its glittering greeness is a medicine all its own. One that never fails to put a smile on my face, even on the chilliest, darkest days.

As the light grows longer and stronger, and humans grow restless in their cozy dens, the plants begin to reemerge, to spring in small but decisive bursts from sun-warmed and snow-wet ground. I know that for most of us, there are still several long months to wait before the season begins to truly shift. In the meantime, there is still time to rest and to watch the quiet persistence of green medicine through evergreens, seedlings and the tenacious leaves that grow back, time after time, from the roots.

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Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus) leaves in the riverbank sand.

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All photos ©2011 Kiva Rose

Pantry Medicine: Onion Poultices, Syrups & Tinctures

by Kiva Rose

Botanical Name: Allium cepa
Botanical Family: Alliaceae
Taste: Spicy, sweet, acrid, diffusive
Energetics: Warm, dry
Vital Actions: Diaphoretic, diuretic, rubefacient, expectorant, circulatory stimulant, smooth muscle relaxant
Therapeutic Effects:  Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cough suppressant (not a true suppressant, but does usually reduce frequency and intensity of spasmodic and insistent lingering coughs)

As a little girl growing up in both urban and rural areas, I was fascinated by the wild onions that grew in my family’s yard and all in surrounding fields and riversides. I grew up with gardens, but the very idea that a familiar food in the form of a much more smelly feral relative was right there in there in the grass, growing without assistance or permission, seemed like a profound miracle to me. In fact, I liked them so much I gave myself a bellyache more than once by eating an excess of them during my regular foraging forays where I would wander through the woods and fields eating bits of whatever wild plants I had been told were safe to eat, not limited to wild onions but also including crabapples, apples, dandelion greens, elderberries, gooseberries, wild strawberries, yellow dock leaves and even some bites of the unpleasantly textured burdock leaves.

I was also intrigued by the stories I heard from our oldtimer neighbors about how their mothers or grandmothers had cured pneumonia or the croup with onion poultices. This also seemed miraculous to my mind, that a common kitchen food could somehow serve a similar purpose to codeine or other strong prescription medications.

Usually, I stick to talking about local plants or common weeds, but Onion is such a ubiquitous pantry item and easily grown garden plant, that I figure it qualifies just fine. Keep in mind that, in general, the stronger the taste and smell of the Onion, the stronger the medicine. The milder it is, the weaker it is. However, the milder varieties can actually be desirable in small children or those with some sensitivity to the volatile oils or other components that comprise the Onion.

Strangely enough, some of these well known “home remedies” like onion poultices get more flack and criticism than more fancy herbal treatments like standardized Echinacea extracts. Perhaps it’s that the latter sounds like something officially medical or maybe it’s just that anything old fashioned must be wrong. Either way, onions remain a very effective herb in a variety of circumstances. Some think of it as just a milder form of Garlic (Allium sativum) but in my opinion, it seems like a distinctive medicine with its own characteristics and subtleties. Many hot-natured people (Pitta, as it were), including myself, DO find Garlic entirely too irritating to their skin and mucosa and more prone to cause aggravation of a problem than soothe it. While Onion is not just a wussier form of Garlic, there is enough overlap in uses to make a useful substitute in some cases, especially for respiratory issues.

Onion is specific to damp, cold conditions, but also works well where there’s spasmodic coughing and copious phlegm even when there are also some heat signs. I use Onion poultices (recipe/instructions below) with roasted or sauteed Onions for spasmodic coughing, an insistent hacking cough and/or lower respiratory congestion with difficulty breathing. There have been times when even after large doses of other relaxant or even cough suppressing herbs the cough has continued on unabated, usually with the person unable to sleep or rest well. In many of these cases Onion poultices and syrup (often accompanied by frequent small doses of Lobelia) were the only things to soothe the cough enough to let them breathe and sleep long enough to recover. This is the herb to use when you or your child can’t sleep because they’re having difficulty breathing or can’t stop coughing, especially if they’re listless, pale and exhausted from coughing or struggling to breathe.

Onion poultices are one of those nearly fool-proof, widely applicable remedies that everyone should know. I have many times showed up on a house call and no doubt initially alarmed parents when I explained what I’m going to do as I pull out some Onions and start chopping, but they often catch on and start using this simple medicine of their own volition. Some of my most rural clients, and especially the Hispanic families, already know this particular bit of herbalism and will immediately go get some cloth to wrap the poultice in and then tell me stories about how their grandmother taught them to do this same thing when they were young.

Not all children are very excited about the idea of someone wrapping them up with a sack of warm, oily onions but often the results of the first time are enough to have them coming back for more, especially if the cough has become painful because of inflammation and/or sore muscles. In fact, even adults often take some convincing that this actually constitutes medicine rather than some sort of bad joke. But again, the results are usually obvious and significant enough to overcome their initial hesitation.

“Onion is stimulant, expectorant, and diuretic. A syrup of onion, prepared by drawing the juice with sugar, is a very effectual expectorant cough medicine for infants, young children, and old persons. If given in moderate quantities it is very soothing; if too freely administered it may cause nausea and disorder digestion. It, together with the onion poultice, are among the good things inherited from domestic medication, and might well be considered in preference to less safe and less depressing pulmonic medication.” - Harvey Wickes Felter, Eclectic Physician

This same entry by Felter inspired me to make a tincture of fresh Onion (yes, I said a tincture) for use in chronic urinary tract infections. Despite the dubious taste, it can work quite well in UTIs where there are signs of dampness and coldness, usually not in acute, quick onset infections but in long-term or reoccurring infections accompanied by achiness, mucusy discharge and lethargy. I usually combine it with Beebalm (Monarda spp.) and a tiny bit of Juniper berry or Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica)  for such cases.

Raw onion poultices are also an old and effective treatment for insect stings and bites, as well as bruises, sprains, strains and so on (but not black eyes please, too much chance of getting the stuff in your eye). I usually chop the onions roughly and then smash them good and proper until juicy and either apply directly or wrapped in muslin (depending on sensitivity of skin and how long I expect to leave it on). Onion juice directly in the ear is also an oldtime remedy for all sort of ear infections, but not something I’ve ever used as Alder and Elderberry tincture in the ear and internally work so well. And remember, don’t EVER be putting anything in the ear if you suspect there’s any chance of a ruptured eardrum.

Onions seem to have similar benefits for the cardiovascular system as its close relative, Garlic. There is a traditional basis for this as well as modern medical research backing it up. However, I have not worked with Onion specifically for this (although I certainly have with Garlic) and can’t report anything from personal experience.

Raw vs. Cooked

Research(1) indicates that the phenolic compounds in Onion (and many other aromatic plants) responsible for at least part of the antimicrobial properties of the plant are destroyed by heat. So, while I do use a cooked Onion poultice for spasmodic coughing and earaches (uses obviously having little to do with any anti-bacterial properties), I prefer the raw Onion poultices for stings, bites and for the Onion syrup.

Dosage: Syrup dosage is about 1 tsp ever 3-4 hours for a medium sized child of about 7-11 years of age or 1 tbs every 3-4 hours for a medium sized adult with normal Onion tolerance. Less for smaller people or those with delicate digestion, more for larger people. Tincture dosage depends on specific use but about 10-30 drops for most things in an adult.

Considerations: Onion is less appropriate where there’s signs of overt heat (especially in childhood eruptive diseases) and large doses internally can cause digestive upset. Better to use small frequent doses than large, sporadic doses both for level of effectiveness and for one’s belly health.

Recipes

Basic Onion Poultice

• 2-3 medium sized onions (this is for an entire chest or back poultice on a medium sized human), finely diced. If you choose to roast or steam your Onions rather than saute them, you may prefer to leave them whole.
• 1/4 C Flour or corn meal (optional, helps to more evenly distribute the poultice)
• Muslin or similar cloth large enough to fold over poultice and cover chest or upper back
• Hot water bottle
• Medium sized towel

1. You can either steam, roast or sauté your onions, depending on your preference. I’ve used all three methods but usually end up just sautéing them in some olive or coconut oil in cast iron frying pan on my woodstove. Cook until tender and somewhat transparent (we’re not going for caramelized here).
2. Stir in flour or corn meal until a gooey paste is achieved.
3. Spread onto muslin and fold over to hold poultice and heat in.
4. Place on chest, upper back or wherever needed. Use as hot as can be tolerated, but not hot enough to cause pain.
5. Cover with hot water bottle. Again, as hot as is not painful.
6. Cover area with towel.
7. Let sit for 15-30 minutes before removing.
8. When using because of coughs or congestion, it’s great to follow this with a thorough application of some kind of chest rub. I like a salve made with a blend of Pine, Fir and Cottonwood infused oils.

Simple Onion Syrup

• 1 Cup roughly chopped fresh onion
• Small handful of fresh or dried Sage or Thyme or Monarda (or equal amount of fresh chopped White Fir, Abies concolor, needles). (Optional)
• Juice of half a lemon (Optional)
• 1 tsp freshly grated Ginger root (Optional)
• Enough honey to cover herbs

Just place the onion and other herbs in a jar, cover with honey, stir to remove air bubbles and cover. Let sit overnight. The honey will very effectively suck all the juice out of the Onion.  Use by the teaspoonful beginning the next morning. Some people like to eat the onion bits with the honey and some people prefer to strain the solids out. It’s up to you.

Footnotes and References:

http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijtm/vol3n2/coli.xml

Felter, H.W. and J.U. Lloyd. 1985. King’s American Dispensatory, Vols. 12. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications [reprint of 1898 original]. 146.

Eavesdropping on conversations by old rural folks in Missouri

Personal conversation with Hispanic, Indigenous and Anglo folks in New Mexico and Arizona

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All Photos ©2011 Kiva Rose

Common Name: Virgin’s Bower, Traveler’s Joy, Love Vine, Lady’s Bower, Sugar Bowls, Devil’s Darning Needles, Pepper Vine, Leather Flower, Vasevine

Botanical Name: C. neomexican, C. chinensis, C. virginiana  and other related species.

Botanical Family: Ranunculaceae

Botanical Description: Generally semi-woody climbing vines with opposite leaves, trifoliate. Dioecious flowers with four sepals, no petals and numerous stamen. Achene fruits that look like long, narrow feathers.

Parts Used: Leaf, vine, root bark

Flavor: Spicy/pungent, salty

Impression: Acrid

Energetics: Hot, dry

Actions: Vascular tonic (vasodilator), relaxant nervine, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory

Specific indications: Arthritis worsened by cold, damp conditions or weather. Migraines from vascular atony. Anxiety, fear and weepiness with concurrent feelings of ungroundedness and a sense of disconnection from reality. Uterine and overian cramping pain with a sense of coldness.

The sprawling, tangly lianas of Wild Clematis climbing Juniper, Oak and even Alder trees are a familiar and sweet sight here in the Gila. Their vibrant light green foliage wraps itself around tree and stone. I’m always amazed by how its long, winding roots can manage to grow a tight grip into even narrow rock crevices and hard, dry soil. With ivory to bright white flowers, they stand out against the blue-green shade of the Oak woodlands, and their feather-tailed seeds are a distinctive mark of this prolific and abundant vine of the mountain Southwest and beyond. Sometimes given innocent and romantic sounding names such as Virgin’s Bower or The Lady’s Vine, Clematis has also been known as Devil’s Darning Needles. While I surely don’t care for the value judgement imposed upon the plant by such a title, I do agree that this powerful herb can do an excellent job of mending the pain and discomfort of a wide variety of ailments.

Clematis was at one time a very large genus, containing about 300 species. It has recently been broken down into several smaller subgenera, but Clematis itself is retained and the species most typical of it botanically are still included under that name. I have listed some of the species above I know to be medicinally active, but to my understanding and experience, any species that demonstrates a significantly acrid (as in, it burns the shit out of your mouth) taste will work just fine. I have no idea if this extends to any of the hybridized or domesticated cultivars as I’ve worked exclusively with wild Clematis at this point.

Strongly active Clematis will be acrid and burn your mouth quite noticeably. Young leaves are by far the best and I try to harvest it when the leaves are not quite grown and at least a month before flowering. Not to say it won’t work later, but it will be stronger and have more relaxant (both nervine and anti-spasmodic) effects if it is harvested while still very acrid.

In Western herbal practice, the arial parts of leaf and stem are most often used, while in Chinese medicine the root bark is often utilized as well. If you’ve ever tasted the spicy bite of Clematis leaves, you still haven’t tasted anything until you’ve taken a nibble of the root bark. This innocuous looking root is acrid enough to make your eyes water and burn when you chop the root bark and certainly more than strong enough to make most of us spit the offending piece of burning matter right back out of our mouths. This is fairly typical of many members of the Ranunculaceae, most of whom certainly tends toward the acrid taste in general. This is exactly why so many of them make excellent anti-spasmodics, a quality directly associated with the acrid taste by many systems of traditional medicine.

Clematis has some overlap in actions and effect with the famed Pulsatilla (now Anemone). This is not surprising considering they share some important constituents. I first learned from Southwestern herbalist Mimi Kamp that Clematis can act as a nervine in ways similar to Anemone. It’s certainly not exactly the same medicine, but close enough to be very useful.

As with its cousin Anemone, this herb is most indicated for those who experiencing cold signs, with or without symptoms of dampness as well. These individuals will likely have a pale tongue, a middling to slow pulse, pale skin, an overall sense of tiredness and an aversion to cold weather. These people are often easily upset or disoriented, and may be referred to as “spacey”. They often have difficulty remaining ungrounded, especially when feeling strongly emotional.

Also similar to Anemone, Clematis has a marked affinity for the reproductive system. I especially like it wherever there is a tendency to spasmodic uterine or ovarian pain of a cold nature, typified by dull but insistent aching and often accompanied by sadness, despondency and joint pain. From King’s American Dispensatory:

“Clematis virginiana has been highly spoken of as a nervine in uterine diseases.… Clematis recta, being particularly useful in nervous insomnia, neuralgic and rheumatic headache, toothache, reflex neuroses of women from ovarian or urinary irritation, neuroses of men with pain in testicles and bladder, cystitis, urethritis, gonorrhoea, orchitis, and swellings of the inguinal glands.”

Clematis has a history in traditional medicine in the treatment of cold, sometimes damp, arthritis, muscle spasms (including leg cramps) and similar afflictions. I find it most effective when formulated with other appropriate herbs which may include Black Cohosh, Ginger or Turmeric. I have even found it to have some significant use in the treatment of joint pain in fibromyalgia, especially when combined with Ashwagandha.

This plant is almost always recommended for migraines by herbalists in the US. Clematis is indeed an excellent and effective vasodilator that can be extremely helpful for those experiencing migraines, especially when other typical treatments have failed to have an effect. I learned from Michael Moore that Clematis is:

“…a useful treatment for headaches in general and migraine and cluster headaches specifically… Most effective in classic migraines where there are head flushes or visual disturbances in advance of the actual headache and most effective then, when drunk at the first sign of these presymptoms. Some folks find the tea works better, some find the tincture more effective. Try both.”

I have mostly worked with the fresh plant tincture, but the tea is indeed effective as well and I usually keep a bit on hand to try for folks not responding to the alcoholic extract. While I find a fresh plant tincture made with significantly acrid leaves and root bark and high proof alcohol to be the strongest and most active preparation, I’ve also seen a 5 year old tincture made with brandy and wilted flowers and leaves that had little acrid taste be effective in the treatment of migraines and arthritis when used in somewhat larger than usual doses.

Considerations & Contra-indications: Not generally an appropriate herb for those with heat signs. Caution should be used when using over a long period of time, especially as a simple and not for people with dominant deficiency in anything more than acute situations. I tend to think it’s best as a short term approach or buffered by an well thought out formula. Nevertheless, I find reports of the plant’s toxicity to be somewhat overstated, as long as it is used appropriately and with due respect for its strength. Strongly acrid species can be moderated by always using the dried plant and by briefly frying it in a hot pan, especially the root bark.

Dosage: 5-60 drops of fresh plant tincture, depending on the intensity of the plant and the constitution of the individual. Otherwise, a tsp of dried plant in 1 cup of just boiled water.

References & Resources

King’s American Dispensatory

Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West by Michael Moore

Recorded Lecture by Mimi Kamp

Recorded Lectures & Written Notes by David Winston

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All Photos © 2010 Jesse Wolf Hardin

There’s nothing quite like the sound of a warm spring wind rustling through a vibrantly green patch of Oats. Bowed with the weight of their ripening fruit, they nod and toss their heads with each breeze. Their sweet smell and long smooth leaves certainly invite us to sit down and get acquainted with them. In case you can’t tell, Avena is a favorite plant of mine, both as a beautiful living plant and as a primary medicine in my materia medica.

Many people think of gruel or porridge when they hear the word Oats. For some, this is a pleasant association of home-cooked food and for others, not so much. Most don’t necessarily connect Oats to medicine or even to a live plant but rather to that flaky brown stuff in the round cardboard container many of us grew up with.

And yet, Avena has its origins in a wild plant that has spread so well and so widely that even experts are unclear on exactly where it first began. Feral and cultivated Oats are one of our best nervines, nerve tonics and overall supplementing tonics. As weeds and wild things, they require little from human hands to make themselves at home and proliferate at will. There’s a lesson to be had in their tenacious vibrancy and in the particular medicine they provide us. In their capacity to restore frayed nerves and tired minds, they also give us the gift of returning to our original wild selves with renewed energy and vigor.

While I have previously written at some length about the use of the fresh plant tincture of milky tops of Avena, this particular post is about the dried aerial parts of the plant, including either just the dried milky tops or the entire above ground green plant, harvested during the milky stage.

Avena is one of those mild herbs that I was at first rather skeptical of. I found myself wondering if it actually ~did~ much of anything, outside of providing vitamins and minerals. Yes, yes, I know what the books say, but I’ll admit that I’m rarely convinced of anything just by reading about it. In my world, experience will prove something out, or not. That the fresh tincture of the milky tops worked as an effective nervous system trophorestorative I had little doubt of after many case studies where the plant did indeed make a significant difference. But it’s taken me much longer to make what I feel is a fair and accurate assessment of the dried plant used as an infusion. This monograph is a summary of just that – my experiences working with Oatstraw with family, friends, clients and myself.

Avena is a consistent, safe and effective nutritive tonic for those suffering from exhaustion from overwork or emotional trauma. Often there will be symptoms of irritability, chronic fatigue, inability to focus, loss of libido and sometimes heart palpitations. The loss of libido is often directly related to the other symptoms, as it can be difficult to be fully present and physically engaged when dealing with anxiety and bone-deep tiredness. However, it does appear that Avena has a more specific effect on the endocrine system as well, promoting balanced menstrual cycles and sexual health. And proving the old saying about sowing one’s oats. This is even more true when the Avena is combined with an adaptogenic/tonic herb such as Withania.

Avena is most indicated when there is a combination of anxiety and restlessness (often accompanied by insomnia) with some level of depression, mental fatigue and inability to focus. It’s great for that “tired but wired” feeling so many of experience after long periods of overwork (or child rearing), especially if there is a history of  lack of adequate sleep. It’s also an excellent tonic for those whose nervous systems are worn down or fried from substance abuse of any kind. Additionally, I have seen it significantly reduce the occurrence of chronic tension headaches brought on by anxiety, overwork, menstrual cycle and/or exhaustion.

The herb can be very helpful where there are palpitations triggered by tiredness and endocrine imbalance. Avena has a long reputation as a mild cardiotonic, and while I’m not sure if the mode of action is simply through its effect on the nervous system or if there is a more direct impact on the heart itself but I have definitely seen it reduce the frequency and severity of heart palpitations clearly brought on by stress, although I prefer the dried plant combined with the use of the fresh plant tincture of the milky tops in such cases. From King’s American Dispensatory:

This plant is a nerve-tonic, stimulant, and antispasmodic. It ranks among the most important restoratives for conditions depending upon nervous prostration, and for the nervous exhaustion consequent upon typhoid and other low fevers, and the accidental disorders arising from these complaints, as weak heart, spermatorrhoea, insomnia, etc. In enfeebled states of the heart muscle it acts as a good tonic to improve the energy of the organ, and is recommended by Prof Webster to prevent relapsing cardiac rheumatism. In this condition it is not thought to be specially antirheumatic, but rather to strengthen that debility upon which the rheumatic diathesis depends, so that the patient is less subject to atmospheric and other impressions.

Avena has neither overt relaxant or stimulating actions, but instead seems to heal and nourish the nervous system so that the body can respond appropriately to stimulus rather than overreacting with either depression or anxiety. Its soothing character and neutral energetic profile makes it appropriate for nearly anyone, including children and those weak from deficiency or long illness. Herbalist Thomas Avery Garran specifically says that:

Oat is a gentle supplementing medicinal. Its action of supplementing both yin and qi is somewhat unique and makes it appropriate for many patterns affecting an extraordinary number of patients in the West. Coupled with its [ability] to nourish the heart and calm the spirit, these supplementing properties make oat extremely important in modern practice…

Keep in mind that Avena is a nutritive, gentle herb and can take time to have a noticeable effect. While some people, especially those with extreme exhaustion, can feel the soothing touch of the plant right away, many only notice the effects after 4-6 weeks of consistent use. If symptoms are severe and a more rapid resolution is needed, consider using the tincture of the fresh milky heads in addition to the Oatstraw. The tincture doesn’t replace the mineral-rich water-based preparations of Oatstraw, but it usually has a quicker action and they work very well when used in tandem.

Some herbalists are of the opinion that only the fresh plant tincture of the milky tops is the only part of the plant worth using, but I have found in my practice that the dried green herb also has great value. This is in part due to its impressive mineral profile, but also because of its gentle nervine effect. I consider the tincture and the dried plant to be somewhat different medicines, and often use them concurrently.

Oatstraw is the foundation of many of my nourishing infusion blends for clients with nervous system depletion, endocrine deficiency and general lack of energy and mental clarity. The infusion is quite pleasant tasting, light, slightly nutty, grassy and sweet and with a bit of honey, even most children can be convinced to indulge in a cup of Oatstraw. It’s hard to go wrong with Avena, and it will often help and almost never harm or cause complications. It is a core restorative, and very much a tonic in the sense that it replenishes and supplements at a deep level rather than simply stimulating surface function. I can’t emphasize how needed and vital these sorts of medicines are in an age and culture where burnout is the norm and exhaustion is expected. Do keep in mind though, that depletion needs to be addressed on every level, from lifestyle and sleep habits to nutrition and herbs. There is no one quick fix, the key is supporting the whole person.

Oats are common feral and wild plants throughout most of the US and beyond. They’re also are very easy to grow seed, even indoors or by children. Wildlife are very fond of it though, so keep it protected if you have hungry neighborhood critters. It’s ready to harvest when the immature green fruits pop when you squeeze them and emit a milky white fluid. You can harvest the whole plant or just the milky tops. If you harvest the tops and cut them back by about half, they tend to come back with a second round of fruit to harvest.

Common Names: Wild Oats, Oatstraw, Oatgrass, Catgrass,

Botanical Name: Avena sativa, A. fatua

Botanical Family: Poaceae

Taste: Sweet, bland

Energetics: Neutral, moist

Actions:Nutritive, nervine, nervous system trophorestorative

Parts Used: Dried aerial parts or tops harvested during milky phase.

Preparations: Usually taken as an infusion, and sometimes a decoction (if primarily interested in extracting minerals).

Dosage: From 1-4 Cups of the infusion per day usually, preferably spread out through the day rather than all at once.

Considerations & Contraindications: None except that a very few people wit Celiac disease or gluten intolerance have problems with Oats in any form, sometimes because of cross-contamination with other grains during processing. Additionally, some individuals have a rare reaction specifically to Oats. Otherwise Avena is a very safe and basically a food-like herb.

Recipe: A favorite spring tonic of mine that I find very beneficial in increasing energy without overt stimulation and while simultaneously providing a sense of centered calm is a sweet and spicy blend of Oatstraw, Raspberry, Sassafras, Roses and Cinnamon. This alterative mix is both nourishing and energizing, and with a bit of honey or maple (or birch) syrup, enjoyed by both children and adults served either cold or hot.

• 1/2 C Oatstraw or Oat tops
• 1/4 Cup Raspberry (Rubus) Leaves or 1/8 C Sassafras Leaves
• 2 Tsp Sassafras root
• 2-3 large pinches of Rose (Rosa) petals
• small pinch of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) powder

Add ingredients to a quart jar. Cover with just boiled water and cover with airtight lid. Allow to infuse for 2 hours to overnight. Strain and enjoy.

Variation: For a stronger relaxant nervine effect, try substituting Peach (Prunus persica) leaves or Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) leaves.

Resources & References:

King’s American Dispensatory (Felter-Lloyd)

Medical Herbalism (Hoffmann)

Western Herbs According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (Garran)

Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest (Kane)

The Earthwise Herbal: Old World (Wood)

Botanical Name: Salvia subincisa

Botanical Family: Lamiaceae

Common Name: Sawtooth Sage

Energetics: Cool, dry

Taste: bitter, aromatic (skunky)

Actions: Relaxant nervine, nervous system trophorestorative

Parts Used: Flowering tops

Come August and our annual summer rains, a lush abundance of flowering plant will grow in the cool shade of Alder trees. Among these will be a diminutive and graceful plant with tiny blue flowers and sharply toothed leaves. At first glance, it is barely noticeable among many larger and more brightly colored plants. Closer up, its classically Lamiaceae type blossoms draw the eye and rich green foliage invite touch. Rubbing a leaf between the fingers releases a savory and pleasant, yet somewhat skunky aroma. This lovely little herb, a native of the American Southwest, has been a longtime helper in my own healing, and has become an important ally in my practice as an herbalist.

While I have written about the genus Salvia previously at some length, I would like to bring special attention to this specific species. Salvia subincisa is endemic to New Mexico, Arizona and parts of Mexico (and perhaps parts of western Texas) and primarily grows in rocky or arroyo type areas that are usually dry but experience seasonal moisture. It is a monsoon dependent annual, delicate in stature and easily overlooked except when in flower. Its blooms are a vivid dark to indigo blue that, while small, are distinctive and beautiful. The whole aerial plant, when rubbed or crushed, has a moderately strong skunky smell. It has a slightly diffusive impression and bitter and aromatic taste on the tongue. As a note, I have never seen or heard reference to this plant being used medicinally, even among local indigenous people as of yet.

While this plant shares many medicinal characteristics with other members of its genus, it’s particularly strong affinity for the nervous system makes it of special note to herbalists. I consider most bitter and aromatic Salvias to be nervines and nerve tonics to some degree, and use many native and imported species in my practice. However, none quite compare to Salvia subincisa’s specific relevance in this area.

Sawtooth Sage is specifically indicated where there is nervous exhaustion and hypersensitivity, which causes generally innocuous things such as sunlight and whispers to seem similar to a good slap in the face. It is doubly indicated if there is muscular tension in the shoulders and neck, mild to moderate trembling or shaking (often most obvious in the hands), irregular heartbeat and a tendency to insomnia and intense anxiety with occasional panic attacks. Its indications have significant overlap with Scutellaria, and combines well with it in formula.

This herb does not have a strong general sedative effect, but rather a specific impact upon a particular type of person and set of symptoms. This makes its usage somewhat limited, but seems very important therapeutically in the reparation of worn out, over-stimulated nervous systems. It may be especially applicable for those who have a history of methamphetamine or other stimulant use and have reached the burnout stage. It is also helpful for those who have suffered from chronic malnutrition (usually due to a deficient diet, including some vegan and related dietary choices), with concurrent anxiety and nervous exhaustion. Salvia subincisa cannot, of course, correct the underlying deficiency, but may be of symptomatic help during a process of healing and nourishment.

It is safe and usually effective even for those individuals (usually with a vata dominant disposition) with such sensitive or frayed nervous systems as to cause most relaxant nervines to feel somewhat stimulating. These people usually have very active, wordy mental activity that is exacerbated by stress. Sawtooth Sage tends to quiet the mind and soothe general anxiety. It can be a useful daily calming agent, but is also of special service when a normally anxiety producing activity such as a dental appointment, work deadlines or traveling trigger acute stress or even panic. If it is found to be of some use in panic attacks but is not quite strong enough to stop a panic attack once triggered, it can be well combined with Anemone or Scutellaria, depending on the person. It also has a place in treating anxiety induced (rather than those of an organic origin) tremors, especially with Corydalis aurea. Over time, it has a tendency to reduce the frequency or eliminate the onset of panic attacks in many people. It will also lessen overall nervous system hypersensitivity and irritation, and I have certainly seen it prove restorative in the long term for many clients.

Salvia subincisa’s bitter and cooling nature also make it of use in the recovery from irritable bowel syndrome with accompanying symptoms anxiety, nervous irritation and general nervous system hypersensitivity. This is a fairly common pattern, especially in those healing from chronic food intolerances, leaky gut and long-term stress. It is best combined with gut healing herbs such as Oenothera, Epilobium, Matricaria, Pectis angustafolia etc., for optimal tissues healing and reduction of inflammation.

Harvesting: From July to September with adequate rainfall. Most frequently found in rocky areas with seasonal moisture, often growing beside it’s close relative, Salvia reflexa. The latter is a more weedy and widespread species of Southwestern acequias, arroyos and rivers. Salvia subincisa is less common and more diminutive in stature.

Preparations: A tea or tincture of the fresh plant (1:2, 95%) is my preferred preparation. Because the plant is only available for a short time, and not every year, I tend to prefer the tincture. The freshly dried leaf and flower can also be smoked to good effect.

Dosage: 2-5 drops.

Considerations and Contraindications: Large doses may cause feelings of giddiness, confusion and nervousness. Start small and work up slowly to an appropriate dosage.

Note: The photograph above is not the best, and the flowers are actually a darker shade of blue than shown, see this link for better pictures of this species.

From the Lion’s Mouth: Dancing A Weedy Revolution

by Kiva Rose Hardin  http://animacenter.org

Common Name: Dandelion

Botanical Name: Taraxacum spp.

Taste: Bitter, sweet

Energetics: Cool, dry

“It gives one a sudden start in going down a barren, stony street, to see upon a narrow strip of grass, just within the iron fence, the radiant dandelion, shining in the grass, like a spark dropped from the sun”

- Henry Ward Beeche

“Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them”

-   A. A. Milne,  Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh

If there’s a single personal symbol of hope for me, it’s that golden-faced flower that peeks out from under trash-strewn vacant lots, takes over carefully controlled lawns, bursts from sidewalk cracks and blooms even on land damaged by nuclear radiation and other environmental degradation. Yeah, you know, that weed people are always pulling up and cursing and dumping poison on. Yep, Dandelion. This much maligned wildflower when looked at honestly embodies profound possibility for change and incredible capacity for the regeneration of life in the most hostile of situations.

In many ways, Dandelion is the very definition of insistent wildness, of life that survives and thrives anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Perpetually persecuted, it still adapts to nearly any climate, seeds itself in concrete, rock crevices, chemical-laden yards, vacant lots, and even in a sprinkle of earth and rock tossed atop a slab of metal. Dandelion is persistence, joy in the face of adversity and bliss even while broken-hearted. Dandelion is also sunshine with teeth, for her very name is from the French Dent de lion, meaning teeth of the lion. The name refers to the typically jagged leaves as well as the  tenacious nature of the plant itself. This once revered medicine and food is now looked upon as a trouble-making misfit, a smiling badge of resistance that defies all attempts to shut down insistent life and nature’s bountiful diversity.

Not one to be swept aside by convention, Dandelion is a cheerful outlaw as she slowly but surely busts down walls and breaks up sidewalks. She reminds us of the wildness of the earth beneath our feet wherever she goes. Regardless of zoning laws, landscaping plans and subdivision “weed-free” regulations, this vibrant plant is likely to dance in on wish-blown seeds and settle right down, enriching the soil and offering you medicine, whether you asked for any or not. Dandelion is the activists’ emblem, a brilliant spokesperson for necessary action and groundbreaking revolution, no matter the consequences or cost. And like the best revolutionaries, she also shows us how to live fully and encourages us to indulge in a tango or two. The happiness inherent in her nature is imparted by her very presence as well as through nutritional and medicinal means.

The freshly picked flowers of Dandelion infused in olive oil, make a very effective rub for all sorts of aches and pains, from knotted muscles to injured joints. It’s especially helpful for those who feel saddened or depressed by the pain and need a little extra sunshine in their lives. The flowers also make a fabulous wine, and every Spring I’m sure to gather enough to make at least a few quarts of the wine and mead. I specially reserve one of those quarts for my special Southwest Sunset Melomel made with Dandelion flowers, Prickly Pear fruit juice and desert wildflower honey. The wine and mead are a wonderful cheering tonic for the long Winter days and the blues that often accompany them. Small doses of the flower tincture can also serve the same purpose.

A nomad with deep roots, this plant travels far on the white wings of her seeds but also sends her taproot down far wherever she settles, fully engaging with the land wherever she is and provides us with an excellent example of presence, focus and a life fully lived. The bittersweet roots are grounding in nature, restoring the proper circulation of fluids in the body and nourishing the kidneys and heart in the process. Dandelion leaves and roots are very effective diuretics and especially helpful for those with a constitutional tendency towards high blood pressure, gout, bloating, feelings of excessive heat, a sense of too-tight skin, water retention and scanty urination.

The roots tend to be more bitter and diuretic in the spring and more sweet and starchy come autumn frost, teaching us the value of living by the seasons and that a plant’s medicine changes through the year. The bitter taste of both root and leaf  can initially turn many people off, but this same unpleasant experience is part of Dandelion’s most important medicine. It increases the release of gastric juices throughout the digestive tract and improve digestion, especially if there’s symptoms of heat and acidic imbalances. The leaves make an excellent food-based digestive bitter and can be added to all manner of salads and cooked greens for their bitter bite and their high mineral content. They’re a great addition to pestos (as are the flowers), soups, pickled greens and even kraut! The roasted roots make a bittersweet but pleasant and hearty brew, well accompanied by cinnamon, nutmeg and a splash of cream.

Dandelion is also a primary medicine for almost anyone with hepatitis. The cooling, heat-draining nature of the herb is wonderful for relaxing and cooling an overworked, irritated and liver and accompanying hepatic functions. For the same reason, it can be very helpful in clearing up red, itchy rashes as well as many chronic skin issues such as eczema and acne that are rooted in an inflamed or stuck liver function. The bitter taste promotes the movement bile and prevents sludge and stones from from forming. However, care should be taken if there are already existent stones, as moving the bile in such a case could actually lodge a stone in a duct and cause further problems as well as pain.

The medicine of this wild and rampant weed is pervasive and wide-ranging, and lifetimes could be spent delving into her generosity. Children are naturally drawn to the bright spark of her flower and share the blossoming exuberance that accompanies her presence.  Every time I see a Dandelion, I smile, and am filled with the reminder of what a powerful teacher this plant is. Her courageous insistence to not only survive, but thrive in the face of hurt and hostility, has repeatedly given me renewed hope. I take her fierceness and fervent joy to heart, and close my eyes and make a wish every time I spread her seeds with my breath. We healers and earth people are all dandelions shattering concrete with delicate, yet infinitely strong roots. Every wild food, plant medicine & healing choice that takes us closer to wholeness is a revolutionary act and a step towards radical wellness on a planetary level.

Cautions & Contradictions: A generally very safe and food-like herb, Dandelion is still a strong diuretic and those with low blood pressure or already excessive urination should avoid its use. Additionally, avoid if you have active gallstones.

~~~

Pic (c) 2009 Kiva Rose Hardin

Common Names: Mullein, Punchón, Gordolobo, Wild Ice Leaf, Our Lady’s Flannel, Hag’s (or Hedge) Taper, Torches, Candelaria, Quaker’s Rouge,

Botanical Name: Verbascum spp.

Parts used: root, leaf, flower, flower stalk resin

Energetics – Root: neutral, sl. drying. Leaf: cool, sl. moistening. Flower: cool, neutral

Taste: salty, bland, vanilla

This velvet leafed plant with its brightly bloomed flowerstalk is one of the most easily recognized and well known of almost any wild or domestic medicinal herb. Around here, the old-timers refer to it as Indian Tobacco and even the most botanically impaired individuals tend to know at least one of its names, although it often comes out as a slightly mangled “Mew-lin” or “Mully-in” from those who’ve only read about the oddly titled herb on paper. It is believed that the name Mullein comes either from the French word moleine of Celtic origins, meaning “yellow” or from the Latin mollis, meaning “soft”.

Although not native to North America, this now ubiquitous weed was quickly and widely accepted into the materia medica of this continent’s indigenous peoples, which itself is a clear indication of its broad applicability and benevolent nature. I view Mullein as an important guardian plant, emphasized in how it followed European immigrants to the Americas, and served to create an herbal bridge between old world and new world healing traditions, to the point that very few herbalists or folk healers could imagine a practice without this beloved and widespread remedy.

Mullein makes a very appropriate first herbal ally for many children or beginners in herbcraft. Its safe, wise and grounding presence helps take us deeper into not just this its own medicine, but into all herbal medicines. This plant provides itself as a guiding light and guardian for all healers who live within its range. Simultaneously a towering torch herb and fluffy comforter once called Our Lady’s Flannel, it has a long history as a benevolent and nurturing sentinel to healers, children and all those who ask for its assistance.  Maude Grieve said that:

“Both in Europe and Asia the power of driving away evil spirits was ascribed to the Mullein. In India it has the reputation among the natives that the St. John’s Wort once had here, being considered a sure safeguard against evil spirits and magic, and from the ancient classics we learn that it was this plant which Ulysses took to protect himself against the wiles of Circe.“

I have also seen Mullein flower tincture work very well in guiding and providing focus and grounding to those who feel they have lost their way or can’t see their path. They often feel in the dark and disjointed, and the confusion leaves them tense and with a deep sense of abandonment. Consider it the perfect plant for those “hiding their light under a bushel”, instead of letting it shine, usually from fear of rejection or out of confusion of how to shine. Mullein will help provide the internal sense of safety and confidence needed for them to grow into their glory.

Some view this large plant with its tall phallic flower stalk and dermatitis-causing hairs as quintessentially masculine in nature, but my experience with its velvet soft leaves, first year basal rosette and sensual flowers is that this is truly an herb that teaches balance through wholeness and by embracing seeming contradictions, for it is both rigid and flexible, soft and hard, cuddly and prickly, weedy and elegant.

Medicinally, this is an infinitely multi-purpose plant and Tommie Bass himself said

“Mullein is an old-timer. I don’t think there is any ailment that Mullein wouldn’t give some relief. Everyone should have dried mullein leaves or roots in their medicine cabinet at all times.”

Additionally,  it has essentially no toxicity and is both powerful and gentle in action, making it an ideal herb for children to work with.

Because of the multi-faceted nature of Mullein, I’ve divided this monograph into sections applicable to the various body systems for easier reference and comprehension.

Respiratory System

Many people think of Mullein as primarily a respiratory, and while its use is really much wider than that, it certainly does excel in its healing and protection of this part of the body. For respiratory issues I primarily use the leaf, and consider it to be indicated wherever there’s a tight yet wheezy hacking cough, especially where the cough tends to come and go, indicating constriction beginning to go chronic. It is doubly indicated where there is respiratory dryness leading to difficulty with productive expectoration, and I often combine it with Mallow root for this particular difficulty. Jim McDonald elaborates a bit on Mullein’s usefulness in dry coughs:

“The leaves are the most commonly used part of the plant, and among the first remedies to be thought of in treating congestion and dry coughs, as they are an excellent expectorant. An expectorant aids the lungs in expelling mucous and phlegm by loosening it from the walls of the lungs and allowing it to be coughed up; thus, Mullein will stimulate coughing, even though that’s the symptom being treated. What Mullein is really doing is assisting the body’s natural response to congestion – coughing – to be more effective.”

Not only soothing and expectorant, it also helps prevent infections from settling into the delicate respiratory tissue. This makes it suitable in a great array of respiratory distress, wherever there is dryness or constriction, including many cases of asthma and other chronic respiratory disease or distress. Matthew Wood notes that in many cases where this remedy is appropriate, there will be concurrent lung and kidney weakness.

For acute episodes of respiratory constriction, utilizing Mullein leaf as a smoke inhalation can be very useful and provide near immediate results. For many people, the most practical way to do this is to take a couple of medium sized dried leaves and rub them between the hands until they’re broken down and fluffy. Then set the leaves into a brazier or incense holder, light on fire and then allow to smolder. Breathing in the distributed smoke often helps to calm respiratory spasms without requiring direct inhalation from a pipe or herbal cigarette, and is preferable for children and those with delicate lungs.

I include Mullein leaf and root in most of my lung tonic formulas and have made especial use of it in this year’s batch of Elderberry Elixir for added respiratory tonification and protection. It’s gentle and neutral enough in nature that its presence will never do harm and will most often help a great deal.

The leaves and flowers are also useful in many chest salves, and while it doesn’t have the penetrating volatile oils of the typically used mint, eucalyptus and so on, the aromatics of those herbs combine well with Mullein and seem to carry its lung healing effect much further into the body.

If there’s one thing Mullein is famous for, it’s as an oil for ear infections. The warm oil is useful where wax is causing a blockage and/or pooling of moisture but in general, I prefer the flower tincture for most infections, as it adds the drying action that helps to speed healing form most bacterial infections. Additionally, I find Mullein flower to be much more effective in the treatment of chronic ear infections when combined with Elderberry tincture. Be aware that if there is any chance of a ruptured ear drum, nothing at all should be placed in the ear and immediate medical attention should be sought. Also, if chronic ear infections persist with herbal treatment, a dairy intolerance should be considered and/or probiotic therapy in the form of fermented foods or supplementation.

Lymphatic and Immune System

Mullein (any part) can be used internally or externally as a poultice for lymphatic stagnation, especially where there are hard, impacted feeling glands or a sense of having rocks rather than glands. The leaves can be simply dipped in boiling water and, when cool enough, placed upon the afflicted area. Or the fresh leaf can be pounded and applied to the area as needed.

For acute cases, or sudden onset of severe lymphatic backup, I like to combine Mullein with Alder and something diffusive such as Beebalm or Ginger to get it moving quickly. In more longterm or chronic situations, I am more likely to pair with a less cooling lymphatic such as Redroot.

Along the same lines, Mullein can be very useful in the correction of long term sore throat caused by hypoimmunity and lymphatic stagnation, especially as an infusion with a small amount of Sage. Rose should be added where there is a specific sense of rawness or burning.

Musco-Skeletal System

While ethnobotany and old herbals make it clear that Mullein is a very traditional remedy for troubles of this body system, it is only recently that Midwestern herbalists Matt Wood and Jim McDonald have brought it back to a well deserved popularity for these uses. Both Jim and Matt are both well known for their experiences with Mullein as an assistant to structural alignment of all kinds, from unset bones to slipped discs, and particularly where there is notable swelling. This use has been proven over and over by many herbalists including myself, in both animals and in humans. For a good understanding of where it might be appropriate, think about the odd structural deformities that can occur in the Verbascum’s flower stalk, the way it can look kinked and bent radically out of shape. If your spine feels like that, this is probably the remedy you need, and if the problem is neck specific, consider combining it with a bit of Vervain for addition alignment assistance.

It is also indicated where there is significant pain in the hips, especially upon rotating the hips inwards or outwards, and it feels like you have a corkscrew rather than a lower back. This sort of issue is often especially painful at night when attempting to sleep. Flower or root tincture before bed, and sleeping with a firm pillow between you legs will often great lessen or altogether resolve the issue.

Mullein reduces inflammation and pain, making it a perfect herb for use where delicate, complex bones such as in the hand or feet have been broken and cannot be set, or where there are complicated alignment issues in the spine (even in the lower spine and hips). I have noticed that it is often doubly effective in difficult slow healing injuries when combined with Horsetail tincture.

In addition to these specific indications, Mullein leaf, root or flower is an appropriate and gentle herb for almost any ailment related to the alignment of joint, bone or tissue. I use the salve, poultice, infusion or tincture in any case of broken bones, sprained joints, arthritis, and chronic joint pain. While Mullein itself may not always be able to fundamentally correct such difficult issues as chronic pain, it can often offer great healing, pain relief and ongoing assistance in the re-alignment process.

I have many times over now seen very small doses (3-5 drops) of Mullein root tincture greatly lessen chronic, achy arthritis of the hands, hips and other achy areas. I also find that a salve or liniment made of the same is very helpful symptomatically.

Nervous System

I find the flower best for acute pain from a recent injury or a severe flareup of a chronic injury. It’s often most appropriate where there’s overwhelming, usually sharp or burning pain, especially in the joints, spine (including neck) and locations of old breaks in the bone. The flower provides a sense of calm, peaceful well-being and is particularly indicated where severe pain is causing a sense of darkness, depression or hopelessness.

The root seems better for chronic pain, especially in relation to joint problems, old injuries and arthritis that feels achy and bone deep. Hard swellings with pain in either acute or chronic cases are a specific indication for Mullein. It also provides grounding where the pain threatens to unglue us or send us spiraling out of our bodies to retreat from the incessant pressure of constant pain.

Both flower and root can be useful in the treatment of nerve damage or pain that directly stem from or relate to a broken bone or misaligned joint, such as many cases of sciatica. I usually combine it with a more directly nerve associated herb like Skullcap or Vervain for such an application.

The flower is the strongest relaxant nervine, but both the root and leaf also have noticeable relaxant qualities, although they effect different people to varying degrees. For some, the leaf infusion, with it’s slightly odd but nutty flavor, is quite enough to send them for a long nap, while others feel only a vague calming impression from the draft.

I learned from Michael Moore to use Mullein flower tea and/or tincture as a treatment for the Herpes Simplex virus, especially for women where triggered by hormonal fluctuations combined with stress. I usually combine it with Elderberry Elixir, Linden infusion, topical Mugwort application and the appropriate supplements and dietary measures, and have had great success with this particular regimen as long as stress levels are kept under control.

Urinary System

Verbascum root will be found useful for incontinence due to chronic cystitis, especially when combined with an appropriate mucus membrane tonic. It is very specific to cases adult incontinence childhood bedwetting as a result of a weak trigone muscle. In fact, I consider it worth trying in any bedwetting situation not clearly related to emotional trauma and/or sexual abuse. Michael Moore says that:

“The root is also a diuretic and urinary tract astringent. One-half teaspoon in one-fourth cup of water drunk before retiring will increase the tone of the triangular base of the bladder (the trigone) and aid in preventing bed-wetting or incontinence, and is frequently useful for prostate inflammation or simple urethral irrititation in both sexes following sexual calisthenics.”

I have not yet had the chance to utilize it in a case of prostate inflammation but I can certainly vouch for the fact that it works very well for bedwetting in children as well as general urethral irritation from infection or irritation.

Additionally, it should be thought of wherever there are both kidney and lung weakness together especially with water retention, and if there is great fatigue and difficulty urinating, Goldenrod should also be thought of. However, kidney disease can be a very serious thing, so please be careful and see a health care practitioner if there is any chance of infection or organic disease.

External Applications

Mullein is an ancient wound herb and soothes inflammation and pain while preventing infection, reducing swelling and aligning tissue for the best possible healing. It is specifically indicated where is a hard swelling of some kind and/or where there is a jagged wound unlikely to knit back together without significant scarring. Salve can be made from just leaves, just flower or some combination of root, flower or leaf depending on the need.

Tinctured plant can also be included in liniments for chronic or acute pain related to muscular stress or damage in addition to its use as a liniment for broken bones, misalignment or joint damage and pain. For use on slipped or bulging discs where there is sharp pain or burning, consider combining Mullein flower tincture with Chokecherry and Rose tincture for a more effective blend.

The Resin

The black resin exuded by the scored flower stalk, is somewhat more strongly vanilla like in flavor than the rest of the plant. It is also mildly mind altering, and when collected and concentrated into a tincture, can definitely provide some perspective shifting experiences, and can be a worthy psychotropic ally for some individuals. More about this in future posts.

In Conclusion

To whatever system and in whatever way Mullein is applied, it brings illumination and guidance and alignment to those who ally with it. Hold a leaf up to the sun and look at the light is refracted liked stain glass. Spend some time with the dew-kissed flowers and notice the intense golden mood they invoke. Dig the root, brush away the sand and dirt and run your fingers over its earthy firmness. Whenever all your other herbal allies allude your understanding and the subtleties of your craft escape your understanding, come back to the Mullein. Sit with the plant, drink the tea, carry the root in your pocket, do whatever you need to do to get up close and personal with this plant, and most likely, you’ll find your way lit by one of our species most persistent, gentle and dependable guardians and guiding lights.

Preparations & Dosage: Tincture, oil or infusion of all or any parts is useful depending on the situation. Mullein tends to be a fairly low dose herb, it is safe in nearly any quantity, but is strong enough that most adults only require a dose of 3-7 drops a few times a day of the tincture.

Cautions & Contradictions: None, except the chance of contact dermatitis caused by those fuzzy little hairs. The name Quaker’s Rouge is an allusion to the use of the leaves by young girls to make their cheeks rosy, which worked because of the irritating hairs. This is also why I don’t recommend using Mullein leaf as toilet paper, because for some sensitive individuals, a rash and certain discomfort can result.

References and Further Resources

A Modern Herbal by Maude Grieve

Personal correspondence with and Mullein monograph by jim mcdonald.

Personal correspondence with Susan Hess

Mullein Monograph by Ryan Drum

The Book of Herbal Wisdom, The Earthwise Herbal: Old World and unpublished writings by Matthew Wood

Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West Michael Moore

Herbal Medicine: Trends and Traditions by Charles Kane

Mountain Medicine by Darryl Patton

I don’t find the idea of magic bullets to be very effective in healing, and find that the most successful therapy always originates in tailoring the treatment to the individual person and situation. For this reason, you’ll rarely see/hear me recommending a set formula or list of herbs for any given diagnosis. In fact, my answer is almost always, “it depends” to any question asking about herbs to treat a disease or disorder. This is because I work with people, and with the unique ways a virus or pattern may manifest in each person.

For an overall tonic approach to modulating and enhancing the body’s native immune system though, I’ve seen Elderberry really shine, even in people with excess inflammation and/or autoimmune disorders. This elixir is one of only a few herbal preparations I would never want to be without. Although most people use it primarily to ward off or quicken healing from acute viral issues (influenza, primarily), I have found it useful in a variety of situations, especially chronic hyper or hypo immunity, extended illness and other depletion syndromes. The elixir is generally safe for children, pregnant women and nursing mothers taken in the moderate amounts suggested here.

Gentle, safe and very effective, Elderberry is one of our most important immune tonics, and is especially notable for its viability for children. Not only does it work extremely well, it also tastes good, which is certainly a plus when trying to convince your four year old to take her medicine. Elder Mother Elixir is safe even for small children, a food-like medicine appropriate for all ages. It’s also easy to create, making it a fun project for the whole family.

Elderberry does not simply stimulate the immune system, instead, it modulates the immune system to more appropriately respond to environs and circumstance. It also disarms the some cold and flu viruses and helps them flush through body quicker, while strengthening the mucus membranes, supporting the body’s natural fever mechanism without overheating, improves energy and stress handling AND last but certainly not least, it tastes great too.

Ingredients

For your elixir, it’s helpful to have on hand:

▪    A pint canning jar (or other glass jar that seals well)

▪    Fresh elderberries (dried can be used as well, simply use about a third of the amount, or about 2.5 oz to follow the 1:5 proportion method for dried plants).

▪    Several large pinches to a handful of dried Elder flowers (or a few ounces of Elderflower tincture added to the mix), this is optional, but my experience indicates that it makes the elixir more effective.

▪    About a pint of high quality brandy (the better the brandy, the better your elixir will taste), depending on whether you’re using fresh or dried berries.

▪    Appr. 1/3 pint of raw honey (or to taste, as you prefer)

▪    A good stirring spoon

Step by Step Instructions

•    First, fill your jar all the way to the top with fresh elderberries.

•    Now, pour the honey in slowly, stirring as necessary, until the berries are well coated.

•    Next, fill jar with brandy, stirring as you go, until all air bubbles are released.

•    Now cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake carefully to finish the mixing process.

•    Let macerate in a cool, dark place for four to six weeks (or as long as you can stand to wait.

•    Strain, reserving liquid. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Take 1/4 – 1/2 dropperfull of Elixir every two to three hours at the first sign of illness. You MUST take the Elixir frequently rather than having a bigger dose further apart, it just won’t work that way. Use the same dosage if you are actively ill. For a general preventative dose, I suggest 1/3 dropperfull every four hours or so.

Be sure to rest extra as well, the Elderberry has a much harder time with your immune system if you’re really worn down. A little extra sleep will increase its benefits tenfold. Likewise, staying well hydrated will assist Elder in its work.

Optional Additions

▪    Warming spices such as fresh Ginger, Osha, Calamus, Orange peel, Cinnamon powder/sticks or Cardamom pods can add flavor and zing to the elixir.

▪    Rosehips make a very helpful addition, I usually add a small handful or more of fresh Rosehips per pint of elixir.

▪   Soothing lung herbs such a Licorice root, Peony root or Mullein can be extra helpful for people with a propensity towards lung weakness.

Common Names: Goldenrod, Blue Mountain Tea, Liberty Tea

Botanical Name: Solidago spp.

Taste & Impression: Bitter, Aromatic, Astringent, sl. diffusive

Energetics: Warm, Dry

Parts Used: Flowers & Flower Buds, Leaves, Roots

Actions: digestive bitter, alterative, stimulant and relaxant nervine, diaphoretic, astringent, digestive aromatic (and carminative), diuretic, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, bacteria-balancing (often termed anti-infective)

Specific Indications: Red, inflamed eyes, “bad skin” related to suppressed urine or underactive kidneys, atonicity of mucus membranes accompanied by copious dripping and fluid loss and possible low-grade infection, cat dander allergies

Every year, I anticipate the golden glory of late summer and early autumn in the Gila. The hills blaze with a thousand shades of yellow, from buttery layers of lemon to brilliant displays of bronze. From Snakeweed to Senecio to Verbasina to Lemonscent to Gumweed, the Canyon is bathed in a breath-taking display of sun-colored beauty. Of all of these, one of the blooms I most anticipate is the ubiquitous yet precious Solidago in all her many manifestations and subspecies!

Here in New Mexico, Goldenrod is especially fond of growing on shady hillsides and in rocky yet moist arroyos in the middle mountain range. It will often be found intermixed with the by now dried stalks of Beebalm and the last ragged blooms of the Evening Primrose. It is likely to be surrounded by the wild rays of aromatic Purple Sticky Aster, white flowered Fleabane and the ever prolific autumn blooming Senecio.

I love creating Goldenrod flower oil, tincture, honey, elixir and even dry a bit for tea as well if the harvest is plentiful enough. This gorgeous wildflower is both common and incredibly multipurpose. Before I begin my exploration of Goldenrod’s medicinal talents, let me assure you that it is not responsible for the massive pollen allergies it’s accused of. In fact, it’s not even wind pollinated, but rather insect pollinated and as such, its pollen is heavy and sticky rather than buoyant enough to float on the late summer winds right into your nose. You’ll have to get down on your hands and knees and snort some Solidago pollen straight from the flower to get a reaction in most cases. Usually, it’s actually Ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) that’s causing the allergic affliction, which frequently grows alongside Goldenrod.

Perhaps one of this wildflower’s best known medicinal uses is as an astringent and anti-inflammatory, specifically for copious discharges of the mucus membranes. The tincture is great for drying up sinus drippiness and allergy induced nose running and also addressing sinus headaches and general congestion, especially if there’s overall coldness.

David Hoffmann says:

“Golden Rod is perhaps the first plant to think of for upper respiratory catarrh, whether acute or chronic, It may be used in combination with other herbs in the treatment of influenza.”

It is useful for achy, sore throats later in the later stages of many influenza type viruses, and a teaspoon of the flower infused honey soothes a raw throat as well as calming congestion and insistent drippiness.

Matthew Wood has greatly popularized Solidago in the treatment of allergies, especially animal dander related allergies and says:

“I know of no better remedy for cat allergy.  Boericke describes the characteristic eye symptoms: ‘red, injected, watery, stinging, burning.’  The eyes of the Solidago patient look like a person who has just gotten out of a swimming pool.  There is a generalized redness of the conjunctiva.  There are not the bright red blotches of Euphrasia, or the bloodshot appearance of Ambrosia.  With this there is congestion, sneezing and running of the nose, redness and irritation of the skin.  Solidago often has welts from allergy, a fact not mentioned in the literature I have seen.”

Additionally, Goldenrod flower tincture or tea makes an excellent primary or secondary therapeutic approach to thrush or vaginal yeast infections triggered by pollen, dander or other allergies, especially when combined with Beebalm (Monarda spp.). For non-allergy related chronic yeast infections I have found it of moderate use, and its effect is greatly enhanced by Beebalm and/or Alder (Alnus spp.). It also has a long history by indigenous North American people as a douche or vaginal soak in the treatment of infections, for general discomfort and preventative hygiene. While I am not a proponent of douches, I do think that herbal sitz baths can be extremely helpful in persistent, low-grade yeast infections.

It’s also a fabulous kidney medicine, and is specific where urine is scant, dark and strong-smelling from kidney sluggishness in nearly anyone, from children to the elderly. It is also known to prevent the formation of kidney stones where there is a long history of such, and I like to combine it with Chamomile in many preventative blends. It also has a long history of use in the treatment of current stones and/or infection, but kidney infections can be very dangerous and in most cases, should be handled by a health care practitioner. If used in the breaking down or passing of stones, and there is any duct pain it should probably be combined with a smooth muscle relaxant such as Silk Tassel (Garrya) or something similar.

Goldenrod is very useful in many cases of chronic urine suppression and general exhaustion of the kidneys. This is especially true where there is a tendency towards symptoms we usually associate with liver stress, such as “bad skin”, acne, inflamed yet deep pimples, dry and bloodshot eyes, which Matthew Wood indicates is due to the buildup of uric acid and the added stress placed on the liver by the long-term sub-functioning of the kidneys. It is so multi-purpose within this organ system that the late herbalist Maria Treben recommended it in all cases of kidney and bladder issues.

I also like Goldenrod in a variety of UTI type situations in which there’s a chronic, boggy and usually low-grade infection that won’t clear up, usually combined with an appropriate mucus membrane tonic. I tend to think Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica) and Goldenrod tend to make an excellent pair in such cases, and because of Goldenrod’s beneficial diuretic action I prefer it as a tea with tincture of Yerba Mansa added to it or taken on the side.

Ananda Wilson, Medicine Woman student and fabulous herbalist, first told me of her discovery that Goldenrod elixir is really wonderful for SAD and general cold, gloomy blues. In the couple of years since then, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Goldenrod many times in this capacity, and it never fails to work small but significant miracles where clearly indicated.  It works very well in many cases of mild to moderate depression, especially where there is seasonal sensitivity and general feelings of coldness, frustration and a feeling of being paralyzed by cold weather or more specifically, lack of sunlight (and don’t forget the Vit D too in such cases). I am also very fond of it in where digestive stagnation is causing feelings of sadness, stuckness and potential despair, and in such situations often team it up with Rose and Ginger.

The leaf tea has long been utilized among Appalachian grannywomen as a tonic for chronic fatigue and nervous exhaustion. I have noticed that it works best in this capacity if the individual is exhausted in part because they are so eager to please others and are constantly running on nervous energy and the desire to not “rock the boat”. These people often are at least partially aware of what they are doing and deeply dislike it, which causes them further anxiety and exhaustion, but they feel powerless to change their patters for fear of the interpersonal repercussions.

In a more general  nervine sense, Maria Treben said that:

“Golden Rod proves its worth as a medicinal plant which influences the human emotions most favourably. It should therefore be drunk without delay in cases of disappointments and emotional stress. We feel the soothing effect of this plant almost like a calming and caressing hand in severe emotional stress. Even the sight of the Golden Rod in nature has a quieting effect on us. We should be thankful that there grows a plant around us which can bring us such comfort.”

Indeed, Goldenrod brings cheery and comfort both from its simple beauty and presence in the fields and meadows, and also as a profoundly effective medicine and essential remedy.

Goldenrod is certainly a wonderful aromatic digestive bitter and carminative, and works very nicely to free stuck energy from the gut and strengthen overall digestion and absorption. Bitterness varies a great deal from species to species, so if you’re very interested in this aspect of the plant you’d be well advised to take the time taste the different spp. of Solidago that live near you, as there are almost certain to be many varieties with a multitude of taste balances between astringent, aromatic and bitter. I am especially prone to use Goldenrod for those who consistently feel cold and have gut stagnation where food just wants to sit in the belly like a lump, and where there is concurrent feelings of sadness and the blues that accompanies digestive upset and chilly weather. In acute flu and cold situations, Goldenrod tea or the elixir or tincture added to a hot diffusive tea of some kind, especially Ginger, is wonderful for nausea, stomach cramping and general malaise of the digestive tract. Being diaphoretic in action, it can also increase peripheral circulation, open the pores and help to equalize temperature in cases of fever.

If you have a very astringent spp on hand, it can also be quite helpful in general diarrhea, both in drying up secretions (if it becomes chronic or dangerously acute, it’s not necessarily a good idea to stop diarrhea right away, since the body is likely trying to get rid of something, better to just stay hydrated and deal with the underlying problem) as well as calming the inevitable belly turbulence that accompanies the primary complaint.

The oil or liniment makes a fabulous and very effective topical treatment for any sort of hurt, strained or damaged muscles. It works better than Arnica in many cases for this specific application and I always keep it on hand and include it in my pain liniments. I have even used it externally in many cases of severe uterine or ovarian cramping and it works very well, especially when the pain and cramping is exacerbated by cold and exhaustion, and feels better with pressure and warmth. I love combining it with Evening Primrose and Cottonwood for this application. Barbara Hall over at Lady Barbara’s Garden has also popularized it for all sorts of achy pains, including arthritis in the hands and many people swear by the oil for their painful, stiff fingers come winter.

Additionally, any part of the plant is a wonderful wound remedy, particularly on old, slow-healing wounds that ooze and refuse to heal completely. It’s also useful in the treatment of sore, sensitive bruises and contusions.

Special consideration should be given to the variability of the flavors and scents within the great many spp. of Solidago. If you have multiple species near you (and you probably do) take the time to taste the leaf and flower of each kind, and get to know the subtle differences. The most aromatic tend to be more helpful for mood elevation, kidney problems and external use, while the more bitter or bitter/aromatic spp. are especially nice for digestive issues and the astringent/aromatic types are great for upper respiratory issues and general mucus membrane over-secretion. These type of subtleties apply to all herbs, but Goldenrod tends to be a great example of it because of the many spp. and sensory variances even within a single species or subspecies.

Preferred Preparations:
Fresh flower or flowering tops tincture, flower infused honey, root tincture, infusion or strong tea of dried leaves or flowering tops, flower or flowering tops infused oil, flower elixir

Cautions & Contradictions:
Almost none known, although Aster family plant sensitivity is possible. Some sources recommend avoiding during pregnancy, but I don’t know of a specific reason why. And please, do not use Goldenrod as a substitute for medical care in cases of serious kidney disease or infection.

Resources & References:
The Book of Herbal Wisdom and other writings by Matthew Wood
Herbs for the Urinary Tract by Michael Moore
Medical Herbalism by David Hoffmann
Healing Herbs of the Upper Rio Grande by L.S.M. Curtin
King’s American Dispensatory
http://www.mariatrebenherbs.com

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All Photos (c)2009 Kiva Rose

This is for the October blogparty on Bioregional Cold/Flu Herbs, hosted by Rosalee of Methow Valley Herbs.

As the colder weather begins to move into the northerly reaches and higher eleveations of the Western hemisphere, there’s been much talk of the dreaded H1N1 as well as other virulent strains of cold and flu. The most important action you can take this is preventative in nature, including ingesting plenty of fermented foods and bone broth, getting your Vitamin D, being sure to make time for rest and keeping a good stock of immune tonic herbs on hand.

For this post though, I’ll be speaking specifically of bioregional herbs that can be allied with in the actual treatment of already present cold or flu. I have striven to create a simple, accessible, energetics-based materia medica based in your backyard rather than an expensive herb catalog. I’ll be dividing up my selections by action, to help give you an idea of not only what specific herbs to keep on hand, but what ~type~ of herbs to be on the lookout for in your bioregion. There’s some overlap, and that’s to be expected considering how multi-faceted most herbs are, and it means you’ll have less herbs to find and gather that way.

Keep in mind I’m not talking about all herbs available in commerce, I’m specifically speaking of SW bioregional herbs. However, I have primarily chosen weedy species common to most of N. America and even much of Europe. In fact, many of these herbs are so ubiquitous as to be nearly forgettable upon sight, but there are several here you can’t buy from any large herb manufacturer, so if you want them you’ll need to gather your own or buy from a small independent wildcrafter or grower who can cater to you weird taste in plants.

Demulcent Herbs

Demulcents are incredibly useful in cases where there is copious mucus, but instead of flowing freely, it cakes up into a hard crust inside the resp. tract causing congestion and feelings of constriction and can’t be expectorated regardless of how much effort is put into the task, often resulting in feelings of heat, oppression and exhaustion. They are also invaluable in situations in which there is little to no mucus but systemic dryness, resulting in withered and/or inflamed tissues. Feelings of heat, and a particular kind of “dustyness” in the lungs along with tongue with no tongue coating, are common symptoms of this.

• Mallow (Malva and allied spp.). – Mallow is cooling and very moistening. It soothes a raw, abraded throat with amazing speed, even as a tincture (yes, I know that’s not supposed to work, but it does) and especially as a mucilaginous tea or gooey pastille. Taken as a tea or as a powder added to food, it excels at moistening dry, inflamed resp. tract tissue. Not only does it greatly reduce the discomfort and pain of such a situation, it all contributes enough moisture to allow dry, hardened mucus to loosen and then helps to efficiently expectorate it out of the body. I have seen many seemingly intractable, spasmodic coughs accompanied by feelings of heat and dryness almost immediately cured by a simple spoonful of mallow honey, a cup of slippery tea or a small bowl of mallow root gruel. It also works great preventatively if you’re prone to this sort of affliction and can help keep any infection from settling into the lungs. If you don’t like that much goo on a regular basis, using the leaves and flowers of the plant provides a good dose of mucilage but isn’t quite as intense as the roots.
• Elm (Ulmus pumila and allied spp.) – Elm is also very moistening but more neutral in temperature, making it more appropriate for dry, oppressive coughs accompanied by a sense of cold. In addition, it shares Mallow’s gentle expectorating abilities, although if the person is very cold or has overall tissue depression, a warming, stimulating diaphoretic like Ginger or a Hot Pepper (Chile Piquen or Cayenne will work)  may be needed to get the mucus moving enough to be fully expectorated. It can be prepared exactly as Mallow, the dried bark can be cut in strips and made into infusion/tea, powdered and turned into pastilles or infused into a good honey.

Immune Tonic or Modulating Herbs

• Elderberry (Sambucus spp.) – Yes, yes, you’ve all heard me go on and on about Elderberry. You’re probably nearly sick of it by now, but I can’t possibly leave it out of this post, now can I? First, Elderberry is a fabulous immunomodulator, that means it doesn’t just stimulate the immune system into overdrive, it actually assists the body in adjusting to whatever level of immunity is needed. It has also been shown to be anti-viral in some cases, effectively disarming the virus and then flushing it out of the system before it can continue replicating itself in your body. I prefer to use it to prevent the actual onset of a virus, but it is also quite wonderful for lessening the severity and decreasing the length of the illness, once you actually contract it. I like to make my Elder Mother Elixir with both berries and flowers, but good berry tincture, honey, tea or homemade wine all work well. Elder’s applicability is very broad, useful in nearly every case of viral illness, and its copious bioflavonoids only add to that. Some people warn against its use in the treatment of H1N1, but in the dozen or so cases I have advised in, Elder seems to be of great benefit, even in people with autoimmune disease, where you might think the chance of cytokine storm would be larger. Also, I have yet to see any cytokine storm with H1N1 and have not heard from other practitioners that it is a common occurrence with this strain of flu. I won’t dictate how to treat H1N1 one way or the other, but I do know I would certainly be very likely to use it if my own family was dealing with this flu.
• Vit D – Well yeah, Vit D isn’t an herb but I can’t stress it’s importance in the prevention and treatment of flu and cold enough. Most suggested doses on the bottle are very low, 5,000-7,000 IU/day of D3 seems to work very well. Keep in mind that MOST people in North America are at least moderately Vit D deficient, including babies and children.

Lymphatic Herbs

Lymphatics are essential components of any herbal medicine chest, especially those aimed at treating the viral onslaught that is Winter in many places. These herbs are usually alteratives, with a specific emphasis on the lymphatic system. They increase and initiate movement of the lymph and specifically called with there is immune depression, swollen or painful glands or a history of lymphatic stagnation.

• Alder (Alnus spp.) – Alder is my all-purpose lymphatic of choice in nearly any situation. Cooling and drying, it has a profound affinity with liver, skin and lymph. It is most specific in cases where there are swollen, sensitive glands, especially at the onset of a virus but equally applicable if the glands and immune depression persists even after the virus itself is gone, resulting in a chronic sore throat, feelings of fatigue, lethargy and sometimes unexpected or intermittent flushes of heat or fever. If there is any sign of secondary infection during illness, it is doubly indicated, and is incredibly useful in almost any bacterial involvement in any part of the body (more about this in the heat clearing herbs section). Although, I’ve worked with a large number of well known lymphatics in my practice, it is Alder that has proved most consistent and dependable up to this point. I prefer a tincture of the freshly dried bark, cones and catkins.
• Redroot (Ceanothus spp.) – The wintergreen scented, scarlet red root of this aptly named herb is an excellent and classic remedy (revived with much thanks due to Michael Moore) for nearly any sort of glandular ailment. More warming in nature than Alder, it tends to be more suited for many chronic disorders or where Alder’s heat-clearing skills are not needed. I tend to think of Alder for acute conditions (even if longstanding) that involve heat, whereas Redroot is better for chronic, boggy or cool situations. It is xcellent for longstanding sore throats (especially with Sage), lymphatic stagnation as well as any spleen enlargement or non-fibrous cysts, inflamed tonsils and similar maladies. Decoction or tincture are both quite useful.
• Mullein (Verbascum spp.) – This fuzzy leafed weed is one of the most multi-purpose herbs I know, and to top most known generalists, it excels at everything it does. Specific to our purposes as a cold/flu herb, Mullein is a wonderful yet gentle lymphatic, especially useful in cases where the glands seem especially nodular and hard. The plant can be taken internally as well as a leaf (smushed up to get rid of those irritating hairs, thank you) poultice placed externally over area. Root, leaf and flower will all work but I prefer flower for acute, painful situations and the root for the most chronic with leaf usually working best for glandular stasis specifically related to respiratory distress or infection. It is especially effective for hot, dry conditions but is very broadly active. If there is notable coldness in the individual, then stick to the leaves or roots.

Diaphoretic Herbs

These are herbs that can increase diaphoresis by increasing peripheral circulation. The real key here though, is not in the sweating (although that can be very useful) but in the improved circulation that allows the body to properly modulate temperature and humidity. This may sound less than exciting in words, but really, it’s extremely vital to the treatment of almost any virus, especially if there is fever or signs of restricted circulation. Fever itself is a healthy response by the anima (the vital force) and the body can often eliminate unwanted viral activity simply by raising it’s own temperature. The problem comes when the circulation is impeded by overly constricted or overly lax tissues that prevent the body from properly responding and adapting to the raised temperature, potentially resulting in prolonged and unnecessary fever or in a low-grade but ineffective fever. Diaphoretics need to be taken as hot teas or infusion, and the person needs to be kept warm and bundled up so that the circulation can focus on its healing work rather than just working as a thermostat. Note that diaphoretics, while often initially seeming to increase fluids in the body by moistening the skin, are actually drying in nature.

Relaxant Diaphoretic Herbs - These are called for in situations where there is great tension causing circulatory constriction. The person will often be tense, with little to no sweating, and a hard, hot fever that won’t let go. There is often obvious inflammation as can be seen through a crimson red tongue, a flushed face and a feeling of being very oppressed, irritated and restless.

• Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)- A very consistent and powerful relaxant diaphoretic, indicated by flushed, red skin with racing heartbeat, feelings of oppression in the chest and a high, dry fever. It’s action is longstanding and very thorough but being of a fairly permanent nature (vs diffusive, read my terms of the trade posts if you don’t know what I”m talking about) and can take a while to kick in to an effective degree. For this reason, if I need quick action, I will combine Butterfly Weed with a more diffusive herbs, depending on the person, Beebalm or Ginger or Rosemary could all work well to speed action and deliver it more fully to all parts of the body.
• Elderflower (Sambucus spp.) – One of the most accessible and easy to use relaxant diaphoretics in North America. Especially valuable in in the treatment childhood fevers, including those with febrile seizures. Susun Weed has discussed Elderflower’s ability to “reset” the fever mechanism when it is no longer functioning properly, and the body is habitually holding onto fevers rather than the fever following the healthy pattern of rising and then breaking. Even the tincture will work well for this, especially if there is fear that even the hot tea will raise the temperature of the child’s body temperature. However, in most cases, the tea is most appropriate and will also aid in bodyaches and sinus congestion as well as assist in modulating the immune system and help to prevent infection in the mucus membranes. Similar to Butterfly Weed, it is most called for where there is tension, lack of circulation due to tissue constriction, a red tongue and red, hot to the touch skin.
• Vervain (Verbena and Glandularia spp.) – This bitter herb is one of the most broadly useful cold/flu remedies I know of. It sure doesn’t taste good, but  it does excel at treating constriction throughout the tissues, especially in the typically acute conditions of cold and flu. It predictably relaxes tension to allow for increased peripheral circulation while simultaneously acting as a wonderful calming nervine to promote much needed rest and relaxation. It does double duty where there’s an upset belly or any liver tension happening. It is indicated where there is plenty of surface heat, possibly accompanied by deep chills, and bone-deep aches. This discomfort tends to trigger a kind of restless irritability that manifests as very grouchy people who refuse to rest and can’t settle in to being sick long enough to recover. Vervain will help with all this and probably put them to sleep too. Very appropriate for many sick children, mothers, take note! However, very large doses will cause nausea and potential vomiting, so stick to standard tea doses.

Stimulant Diaphoretic Herbs - These are called for when the tissues are too lax to allow for proper circulation. There is often significant coldness, a feeling of weakness or lethargy, a pale tongue, and a cold, even clammy quality to the skin. There may be a lowgrade fever happening but it is usually non-productive and intermittent. Dampness and overall congestions may also be present. Be careful with these when it’s cold out, because while they can initially make you feel very warm indeed, they actually lower body temperature through opening their ventilations of the body (which is part of why they work well for fevers, eh?) and are traditionally used in hot weather in hot climates to cool the body down, not warm it up. So, even if you feel all full of warm, tingly goodness, guard your body heat well. In addition to my two examples (both of which are common in gardens in the SW), many kitchen spices and tea herbs are stimulating diaphoretics. Most are generally warming, but some like Sassafras, are much more cooling in nature and those should be used where there are signs of both tissue laxity and heat.

• Hot Peppers (Capsicum spp.) – Specifically helpful in cases where weakness or longterm debility is preventing the body from completing the fever cycle. The fever usually stays low and dry, and there are feelings of exhaustion and being slowly drained by the process. There is also typically impaired digestion, achy joints and an overall sense of structural weakness, especially in the muscles. There may be inflammation but it will be of the low-grade, consumptive sort. I don’t recommend its use in excess or active inflammation, especially that related to excitement or constriction, as it can sometimes exacerbate these conditions.
• Mustard (Brassica spp.) – Traditionally, the ground seeds are used but the fresh or tinctured greens made into a hot, strong tea can also serve as a very useful stimulant diaphoretic. This herb is felt strongly in the respiratory and digestive tracts, creating a feeling of central heat and moving outwards in a feeling very much like a mild hot flash. It has similar indications to Capsicum but is more broadly applicable and can be used in cases where there may be some active inflammation, but still, the most common indications are cold, lax tissues without productive fever.

Mixed Relaxant/Stimulant Diaphoretic Herbs – As the name indicates, these are herbs with noticeably mixed stimulating and relaxing properties. This is true of most diaphoretics to some degree, but is more notable and usable in some. The most adaptable of these herbs tend also be variable in temperature, working as warm or cool as needed. These are called for when there is a clear mix of tissue states involved, which can happen because of a blockage in the body, that causes the tissues to behave in a fragmented way, because the virus has a certain constitutional effect that contrasts with the individual’s native temperament or various reasons. Many mint family plants fall under this heading.

• Beebalm (Monarda spp.) – This herb is generally experienced as relaxing, especially to the nervous system and muscles, but it’s diffusive nature contributes in revealing that it also has stimulating properties. It is useful in almost any diaphoretic blend, and I much prefer it Mint in most situations. It relaxes any constriction that prohibits free movement of the circulation while also strengthening the heartbeat and speeding the effects other other herbs through the body. It’s significant volatile oil content contributes to its strength as an infection allaying remedy, especially those that settle in the respiratory tract, multiplying its usefulness in the treatment of influenza. In addition, it soothes muscular spasms, allows for deepened breath and will comfort an upset belly of nearly any sort and is useful in relieving nausea. It is widely applicable and can be used where there are signs of either heat or cold, laxity or excitement. I consider the most specific indication for its use to be the presence of “stuckness”, whether resulting in active inflammation or in cold dampness. The flowers are the most strongly diaphoretic part of the plant, but the leaves are also very useful.
• Yarrow (Achillea spp.) – Bitter and aromatic, Yarrow is a well known herb and deserves its reputation as a heal-all in most cases. Like Beebalm, it excels at removing barriers to free circulation in the body, although its skills tends to be more focused, and work best where there is heat running rampant through the blood but a cool, blue-toned feel and look to the skin (M. Wood), which will usually be dry. The tongue tends towards red to carmine, and may be dry without coating or have slick trails of moisture across it. These are specific indications but Yarrow does very well at addressing general fever symptoms of almost any kind and I wouldn’t hesitate to add it to almost any diaphoretic blend. It’s also wonderful preventing infections and can be used as a gargle or spray (B. Hall) at the first signs of viral onset.

Heat-Clearing and Anti-Infective Herbs

This class of herbs are useful where there are signs of acute heat and possible secondary infection, especially in the respiratory tract. These are usually cooling and drying, and work quickly to lessen inflammation, ease discomfort and restore equilibrium to the body’s bacterial population.

• Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) – A classic part of many Traditional Chinese Medicine cold/flu formulas along with Forsythia. Cool and dry, this sweet-smelling herb is wonderful for bringing down hot, high fevers in children or adults, especially if the fever is unnaturally aggravated due to secondary infection. Perfect for any kind of hot, damn infection in the lungs. Honeysuckle is also relaxing and very calming, and will help restless children settle down long enough for them to recover. I often make an elixir or honey with the flower specifically for children with sore, hot, raw throats, and heat and pain that extends down into the chest, especially if they have a tendency to hot, tense bronchitis.
• Usnea (Usnea spp.) – This gorgeous green lichen is cooling and drying, and has a special affinity for dealing with all sorts of respiratory infections, even boggy, seemingly intractable pneumonia (although, I’d recommend combining with something more aromatic and diffusive in cold, swampy cases) or chronic bronchitis. If it is chronic though, be sure to combine it with a lymphatic herb for quicker results.
• Alder (Alnus spp,) – Spoken of in the lymphatics section in more detail, Alder excels at clearing heat and infection from anywhere in the body. From acute ear infections to bronchitis, I have seen it clear severe, antibiotic-resistant respiratory infections in less than 48 hours. I have recently begun adding dried Alder bark to my Elder Mother Elixir because of its strong lymphatic and heat-clearing actions (not to mention it actually adds really nice flavor to the Elixir and deepens the color, contributing a very aesthetically pleasing deep red to the mix).

Expectorant Herbs

These remedies help move move mucus when it is stuck, overly copious or dried out. Mucus is actually a very beneficial substance, and a vital part of our immune response to bacterial or viral proliferation. As such, it’s not necessarily a good idea to pop those allergy pills and dry it all up before it has a chance to properly do its job. Suppressing fever or mucus has the inevitable result of reducing the efficiency and effect of our immune systems. Use expectorants to move mucus rather than prematurely drying it up. Expectorants come in two primary flavors, relaxant and stimulant, just like the diaphoretics, depending on whether you need to relax constriction to move the mucus or to compensate for laxity or depression in the tissues. They can, like any other type of herb, be either moistening or drying, warming or cooling.

Relaxant Expectorant Herbs – These herbs help relax constriction and tension in the chest and nervous system enough for the mucus to move. If there is also significant dryness, moistening herbs should be used, if there’s too much moisture, drying herbs should be selected. It is quite common for this kind of constriction or tension to cause spasms, even to the point of making expectoration impossible because the constriction is so extensive that coughing only results in gagging rather than anything productive. In such cases, it is often useful to combine a relaxant expectorant such as Chokecherry with a strong relaxant such as Lobelia to allow the lungs enough freedom to properly remove the buildup of mucus. Lonstanding or chronic buildup will usually either result in dried, up crusty walls of mucus or a gurgly swamp, both are breeding grounds for infections. The former should be addressed with moistening expectorants such as Mallow or Elm, the latter with drying, usually aromatic expectorants such as Cottonwood or Pine. Many, if not most, aromatic, diffusive herbs are by their very nature expectorant, so the choices are very broad.

• Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana spp.) – The famous cough syrup herb is actually a much broader tonic herb of wide applicability by the herbalist, but does indeed succeed admirably at fulfilling its reputation as a cough remedy. Chokecherry is variable in temperature and may be either cool or warm, it is drying and has a pronounced relaxant action. It’s one of my favorite and first herbs for treating HOT, tight coughs where the mucus is dried up and crusty, often with a green or yellow tinge to it. There is usually significant tension and constriction, resulting in an inability to breathe deeply. Oftentimes, we will see red, flushed skin that is almost cherry red (M. Wood) in color and hot to the touch. There may well be dryness, and in this case, Chokecherry should be combined with Mallow or something similar. The individual will have a general hyperimmune response, probably some history of allergic reactions and a tendency to acute infections with active inflammation.
• Mallow (Malva and allied spp.) – This gentle, gooey herbs can provide seeming miracles for those who tend towards the dry and hot. While the plant never actually comes in contact with the lungs, its moistening reflex action provides soothing, slippery relief to bronchial and lung tissue when eaten or taken as a tea, and to some degree, even from a tincture of the roots. It is clearly indicated where there is systemic dryness and heat, with hardened, condensed mucus that refuses to budge. If the person has less heat, it can be helpful to use a warming diffusive such as Ginger to get things moving more quickly.

Stimulating Expectorant Herbs - These are called for where there are boggy, lax or depressed tissues. This is especially common where a condition has become chronic or the individual has suffered for asthma or related lung weakness for much of their life. In these cases, there will often be coldness, even there is also a tendency to infection and low-grade inflammation. These situations can become dangerous, as a boggy lung ecosystem can easily turn into pneumonia or become a very welcoming habitat for virulent bacteria. In these cases, I will often recommend the use of an appropriate mucus membrane tonic for a period of time to help restore tone and flexibility to the tissue, which will lessen the chances for future infections or issues.

• Cottonwood (resinous Populus spp.) – Sticky, aromatic and spicy, this common tree bears amber resin coated buds in later winter to early spring. These buds make an excellent medicine for boggy, copious mucus that just won’t go away. Instead, it sits in the lungs and seems to procreate, and you can often actually hear the bog growing when the person breathes. These people are usually cold, with signs of excessive dampness clear in overly lax skin and water-logged membranes. The tongue will often be pale unless there’s underlying infection, often with a thick white coating (yellow if there’s infection). The tincture, chewed resin (it will stick to your teeth and burn your tongue by the way) or even tea, will efficiently dry out and MOVE the wetlands trying to take over the respiratory system.
• Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) – An incredibly bitter, stinky little invasive alien and persistent weed that has completely invaded the Southwest. Despite all this, I really like Horehound. A powerful and dependable expectorant, it is especially useful where is a great sense of heaviness upon attempting to breath, as if your lungs were straining under a great puddle of stagnant water. There is sometimes slowed heartbeat and weakened pulse accompanied by general deficiency, a pale tongue and a look of listless weariness about the person. It is also of great use in the treatment child-onset asthma.

Common Names: Silktassel, Bear Brush, Quinine Bush, Fever Bush

Botanical Name: Garrya spp.

Energetics: Cold, dry

Taste: Bitter, bitter, bitter

Actions: Very Strong Relaxant (anti-spasmodic), uterine stimulant, febrifuge, anodyne

Parts Used: Twigs & Leaves

Preparations: Tincture for the most part, as I’ve yet to meet a person, including myself, who can get the tea or infusion down. Fresh plant 1:2 95% Dried plant 1:5 50%

Dosage: 10-30 drops for a medium sized person (less if you’re very sensitive), taken as needed every 45 minutes or so until pain and cramping is reduced or eliminated for up to several hours at a time. For larger people, start with a dose of 30-60 drops for the first two doses then drop down to 30 drop doses. If feelings of disorientation, listlessness or tissue depression occurs, back off the dose.

Our native Silktassels are plants of the Mountain and Coastal West of North America from Texas to Washington. Here in the middle mountain forests with their dark leathery oval leaves and non-descript form, they are easily mistaken for Evergreen Oaks. They are most easily recognized by their new growth, which shoots straight up on leggy stems in a way that is completely different from Oak growth, or by their very distinctive tassel-formed white flowers or dark fruits.

For the longest time I thought the Canyon was home to only a half a dozen or so plants and was thus concerned for their continuance and rarely harvested even the leaf for medicine. In the last couple of years though, I’ve come to realize there’s no shortage of Garrya here, they’re just very well camouflaged our mixed Oak/Juniper/Pine woodlands. In fact, we have dozens upon dozens of glorious Silktassel bushes, often growing among volcanic outcrops and near Wolfberry (Lycium) and the aforementioned Oak.

Up close, Garrya’s leaves are finely and ornately veined in silvery white, and their dark blue-green color has a black undertone that results in one of the most unusual yet subtle leaf patterns I have ever happened upon. There’s something about Silktassel that can cause your eye to skip past it on first glance, dismissing it as green noise and nothing to be concerned with. Up close though, it draws you into its sometimes disquieting but always compelling presence. The flowers can seem to simply be a bland ivory white, but are actually many shades of green, violet, blue, grey and other colors, that are noticeable only upon closer examination. The very essence of the plant is very much like that, hidden beneath the surface, multi-faceted and shining only in the shadows. No doubt we still have much to learn from this secretive yet generous herbs.

The first time I made a tincture of mostly leaves with a few twigs, I was a bit dismayed by the black/gray/blue color of the tincture, the odd smell and the truly frightening taste. Bitter, biting and dull all at once in flavor, I was concerned that there might be something wrong with the tincture. So I made some more with the same result. This assured me it was the intended result, but I still found the resultant medicine to be less than inviting and actually avoided its use for several months before giving in to my own endless curiosity. I retain my respect for this strong medicine and use it only when it is specifically called for, usually be acute pain and cramping.

Silktassel has a long history of being used in intermittent fevers, probably mostly due to it intense bitterness and has also been know as Quinine Bush and was used as a substitute at times for Quinine in the treatment of maleria and other “periodic” diseases. Indigenous peoples were also known to utilize its powers as an antispasmodic in the treatment of gastro-intestinal cramping. In addition, it has a reputation for its ability to “bring on a woman’s courses” and to sometimes cause abortion, and has thus been known as a uterine stimulant.

In current times, it is best known as a smooth muscle relaxant. With its special affinity for the pelvic area, it can be extremely useful in menstrual cramps (especially the stagnant, clotty, dull pounding sort), bile duct cramping of all kinds, gut cramps from food poisoning or similar woes as well as the aching caused by interstitial cystitis, bladder and urinary tract infections.

I have several times now been witness to Garrya almost miraculously stopping excruciating duct pain of various sorts, from kidney stones, to liver related bile duct cramping, to gallbladder attacks. It can cause the duct to relax sufficiently to allow the stone, gravel or whatever else to pass with less resistance and pain.

Michael Moore summed it up quite nicely with:

Our Silk Tassels are strong and reliable smooth-muscle relaxers, of the type generally classed as parasympathetic inhibitors or anticholinergics…. they are useful pain relievers and antispasmodics for the cramps or tenesmus from diarrhea, dysentery, gallbladder pain, urethral or bladder cramps and menstrual cramps.

While it works perfectly well all on its own, I often prefer it in simple 3-herb formulas in order to moderate the anti-cholinergic effects, dilute the bad taste a bit and to help guide its often general action into something more specific. For kidney stones, I am apt to mix it with Chamomile and Crampbark, and for Liver tension with duct spasming that feels like a band tightening across the entire middle of the torso underneath the ribs I very much like a combination of Garrya, Wild Yam and Moonwort (Artemisia ludoviciana and allied spp.), while for the intense but dull ache of a slow to come on menstrual period, it often goes well with Hedeoma (American Pennyroyal) and Motherwort.

It’s not the type of herb that will solve whatever underlying problem is causing your pain, it is powerful but specific to addressing the symptoms. With that in mind, care should be taken to always address the root problem in addition to simply stopping the pain.

Silktassel is also effective externally for wounds, cuts, painful swellings and other minor abrasions and contusions. It has a knack for reducing or eliminating pain from these minor accidents when used as a poultice or when applying the tincture to unbroken skin.

This largely unknown herb has proven to be a very important and powerful ally in my healing practice, and has provided ease for many. As I mentioned earlier, I feel strongly that this somewhat elusive plant still has many facets that modern herbalists have yet to uncover, and that we that those of us that share a bioregion with it should be listening carefully for any further wisdom and healing it has to offer.

Contradictions & Contra-indications: Let me note that this is not a tonic or nourishing herb in any sense, it is very strong and can be drug-like in its action. It is therefore best used in acute cases, or acute stages of a chronic disorder (gallbladder attacks, kidney stones, menstrual cramps etc). It should not be used over a long period of time or in large doses, and never by pregnant or lactating women or small children. Also, avoid taking with any other medication at all, too many interactions are possible. K? K.

~All pics (c) 2009 Kiva Rose Hardin~

References:

Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West by Michael Moore

Herbs for the Urinary Tract by Michael Moore

This is for the September blogparty, hosted by Henriette, with the theme of Herbs Don’t Read Books!

Open the herbal book nearest to you, pretty much ANY herb book. Find the section on wild cherry or chokecherry, if there is one. Now check out the contradictions or warnings. It will almost certainly command you in very authoritative tones to NEVER EVER, NOT EVER consume cherry leaves or YOU WILL SURELY DIE. Poisonous, toxic, and perhaps outright evil, we are forbidden to ever partake in any communion with the leaves of any cherry species at all.

I’ve always thought this particular herbal rule was pretty strange, considering we use the bark of the cherry to good effect and in general, bark tends to be more toxic and stronger than leaves. So every time I gathered chokecherry bark in late summer, I would sadly discard the leaves from all my branches, inwardly mourning all that loss of perfectly yummy smelling plant matter.

So a few years ago a I started tincturing and making elixir from the flowering tips of Chokecherry branches, including flower, leaf and twig. This makes for an amazing medicine, that works wonderfully as a relaxant, cooling nervine as well as being overall cooling digestive tonic and anti-spasmodic, among other things.

More recently, when gathering Chokecherry twigs, I decided I just couldn’t throw away those leaves anymore. So I took three fresh, medium sized glossy green leaves and tossed them into a small teacup of hot water. I let them steep for about five minutes and then took a sniff. Wow, heavenly! Aromatic and sweet smelling and very almondy/cherry. I added a bit of honey and a splash of cream before taking a tentative taste. My thought was that if it was bitter and cyanide like I would immediately discard it, since cyanide does have a very distinctive and unpleasant taste. However, much to my very pleasant surprise, the tea was incredibly sweet, aromatic and all around heavenly. I proceeded to drink the whole cup with great relish. I then sat on the floor of our cabin and tried to feel how the plant was effecting my body. Hmm, slightly slowed but strengthened heart rate, definitely calming, muscular relaxation, digestive stimulation. Nice. Totally typical of Chokecherry bark.

It was so yummy I dried a bunch of leaves and started drinking it every night. Pretty soon Loba was drinking it too, we especially like it combined with Peach leaf and Rose petal. Next, Rhiannon, our resident nine year old Cherry fanatic, started drinking it too. Still, no problem, except that it was so relaxing as to deter me from my normal hyperactive work pace, which, upon considerations, might not actually be problem after all.

So I asked around on some herbal forums, most notably the Herbwifery forum, to see if anyone else drank Cherry leaf tea or used the leaves medicinally. Turns out at least one other very dependable herbalist (the Appalachian Herbwife herself,  Rebecca Hartman) who not only drinks the tea but uses cherry leaves in pickle making.

Since then, a whole slew of friends (off and online) have tried out this tasty experiment and found it to be incredibly tasty and wonderful. You can use just the leaves, or perhaps more efficiently, a combo of leaves and twigs. Flowers are lovely as well, but of course only available fresh for a short time. If you have a plethora of trees though, you could always dry a nice amount of the flower. I tend to use all mine up for my Chokecherry Elixir.

Medicinally, it has pretty much the same properties as Chokecherry bark, except that it is a more pronounced nervine and has slightly less affinity for the lungs, and slightly more for the GI/Liver. It makes a nice wash for many inflammatory skin condition, especially where the skin looks “cherry red” (thanks to Matt Wood for that indication) or scarlet and very hot and irritated.

The only real danger seems to be ingesting wilted or rotten leaves that can indeed cause all sorts of problems. In short, don’t eat rotten leaves! It’s a bad idea in any plant and in some plants it can be a serious danger (Melilotus, Rubus, Prunus, Rose etc) so be sure to only use herbs that look healthy and if dried, are very similar to how they would appear in their fresh state. I also wouldn’t recommend drinking a gallon of the tea at a time, but it’s likely you’d pass out from sleepiness by then anyway.

Note: Many domestic Cherry trees don’t seem to have any aromatics and thus no taste (besides a sense of bland to slightly bitter astringency) as tea. It’s easy to check and see if your tree will make tasty tea or good medicine by scratching the bark of branch with your fingernail and sniffing. The stronger it smells the more strongly it will act and taste. 

Here’s a few ideas on how to make up some tasty beverage teas with Chokecherry leaves, although they’re quite lovely all on their own as well.

Cherry Deluxe 

• 1 Part Chokecherry Leaves
• 1 Part Rose Petals
• 2 Parts Peach Leaves
• Honey and Cream to taste.

Spiced Cherry

• 1 Part Chokecherry Leaves
• 2 Parts Tulsi
• 5 Cardamom Pods
• Honey and Cream to taste.

Mountain Bark  Brew

• 1 Part Chokecherry Leaves & Twigs
• 1 Part Sassafras Root
• 1 Part Black/Yellow Birch Bark
• Honey and Cream to taste. Also great iced.