Tutorial - How to make Herbal Remedies

How to Make Herbal Oil
To make a herbal oil, harvest the fresh plant material. Chop coarsly and lightly stuff in a jar until full.
Dried herbs can also be used if fresh is not available.

Cover with extra virgin olive oil ( organic if possible). Using a chopstick, poke the herb/oil mixture to get rid of any air bubbles and to push all the herb down so it is completely covered by the oil. It is important that none of the herb is exposed to the air as it can rot and grow mold.

Cover the jar top with a piece of paper towel and using a sealing ring or an elastic band to hold the paper towel on. Every day for a week or so, uncover the jar and stir and poke down the herb.

Leave to soak in the oil for another five weeks, keeping it out of direct sunlight.

After the six weeks of soaking , strain the herb through cheesecloth to decant the oil and store in a sealed jar. If the smell of the olive oil is too strong for you, you can store the oil with paper towel as a lid until the smell disapates, then cover it with a lid.

How to Make a Herbal Salve
It is very easy to make your own salves. Start with 8 ounces of an herbal oil and place in a non-metal pan. I use a glass double boiler. Add about 1/4 cup of beeswax. Heat over a very low heat until the beeswax is melted. ( do not boil!! Use a very low heat) To check the firmness of your salve, place a few drops on a plate and place in the freezer. After a minute or two, check the consistency. If it is too soft, add more beeswax; if too hard, add more oil. When you have achieved the desired consistency, pour into clean, glass jars and cool completely. Stored in a cool, dark place, your salves should keep for a couple of years but is best replaced the following year with a fresh batch from your new crop.
How to make a Poultice
Harvest the fresh herb you will be using and chop coarsly. Fill a blender 3/4's full and cover the plant material with water. Blend until it's completely mushy. Put the mixture into a bowl and add flour a handful at a time until the mixture has thickened enough to stay in place when put on the material.

Using an old sheet or cloth, put about one cup of the mixture into the middle of a piece of sheet. Fold over the sides, then fold over the ends to completely contain the poltice. Pat down until the poultice starts to seep through the material, then place on the body part needing attention.

You can make more poultices with the leftovers and place them in a sealed baggy with wax paper between each one and place them in the freezer for future use. You can use them cold for burns ect. or add a bit of water to one on a plate and reheat in the microwave.

How to Make Herbal Tinctures
You should plan to start your tinctures on the day of the new moon and let them sit at least 2 weeks until the full moon - this adds a natural drawing power.

THE ITEMS YOU WILL NEED:
Dried or fresh herbs in powdered or finely chopped form.
80 -100 proof vodka or rum (NEVER use rubbing, isopropyl or wood alcohol).
Wide-mouthed glass jars with lids (mason jar or equivalent).
Unbleached cheesecloth or muslin.
Labels and markers.

Method
Pour the amount of herb you desire into the glass jar and slowly pour the alcohol until the herbs are entirely covered. Then add an inch or two of additional liquid.

Seal the jar tightly so that the liquid cannot leak or evaporate. Put the jar in a dark area or inside a paper bag.

Shake the jar every day.

When ready to bottle, pour the tincture through a cheesecloth into another jar or dark colored tincture bottle. Squeeze the saturated herbs, extracting the remaining liquid until no more drips appear.

Close the storage container with a stopper or cap and label.

ADDITIONAL TIPS ON TINCTURES
200 grams dried or 300 grams of fresh herbs (chopped) to one liter of liquid is needed.

Rum helps hide the taste of bitter herbs.

Vinegar or Kosher glycerol can be used to make nonalcoholic tinctures.

Standard dosage is 1 teaspoon, 1-3 times daily, diluted in tea, juice or water. Typically tinctures are taken by the drop (10-20 drops) with an eyedropper and placed under the tongue. Hold the liquid under your tongue for as long as is comfortable, a minute or two is good, then swallow. The medicinal properties of the herb are easily absorbed into the bloodstream sublingually.
Tinctures can last up to two years when stored in a tightly closed container.

A wine press or juicer may be used to extract liquid from the herbs.

Several herbs can be combined into a tincture formula.

Experiment and have fun!

Book Resources:

The Herbal Home Remedy Book: Simple Recipes for Tinctures, Teas, Salves, Tonics, and Syrups (Herbal Body)
The Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy: An Herbalist's Guide to Preparing Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs

May good health bless you and your family,

Herb of the Week - Echinacea

There are nine known species of echinacea, all of which are native to the United States and southern Canada. The most commonly used, Echinacea purpurea, is believed to be the most potent.

Common Names—echinacea, purple coneflower, coneflower, American coneflower
Latin Names—Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea pallida


Physical characteristics
This perennial flowering plant is 1.2 m tall and 0.5 m wide at maturity. Depending on the climate, it begins to bloom in late May or early July. Its individual flowers (florets) within the flower head are hermaphroditic, having both male and female organs on each flower. It is pollinated by butterflies and bees. Its habitats include dry open woods, prairies and barrens, as well as cultivated beds. Although the plant prefers loamy or sandy, well-drained soils, it is little affected by the soil's pH. Unable to grow in the shade, E. purpurea thrives in either dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought, once established.
Slugs like to eat it.

How to Grow Echinacea
Coneflowers enjoy a sunny location with fertile soil. If your soil isn't particularly fertile, work in a little compost and supplement with a good organic fertilizer. Well-drained soil is a must. In moist areas, you might need to plant in a raised bed. New plants and seedlings will need to be watered until they are established. Once they are growing well, they will thrive on the available moisture from rain except in extremely dry areas.

Echinacea plants are available in most nurseries and garden centers, but they tend to be overpriced. Luckily, they are easy to grow from seeds. Plant echinacea seeds in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked, and when you still expect another frost or two. Sow the seeds 1/4" deep and 2" apart. When the seedlings are an inch tall, thin to 18" apart. Rabbits and hedgehogs think new echinacea shoots are a tasty treat, so protect your seedlings if these animals are known to visit your garden.

Alternatively, you can plant your seeds about 2 months before your first fall frost. This gives the plants enough time to become established, and although they won't come to bloom the first year when you plant them this late, they will give you a much better bloom period next year.

Regular weeding is a must because echinacea doesn't compete well with weeds, but other that that, plants require very little care. Expect blooms from June to October in most areas. Echinacea will be one of the last plants in your garden to go dormant.

Propagating Echinacea

Echinacea plants are good about self sowing as long as you leave a few of the last flowers to dry up naturally. When weeding the garden in spring, watch for tiny coneflower seedlings. They can be nurtured where they are, but since Mother Nature doesn't always plant her seeds exactly where we want them, you will probably want to move them to a better location.

You can also harvest the seeds to use next year. Choose a few fully mature and ripened flower heads, and cut them, leaving a nice long stem. Hang the flowers upside down with the flower heads enclosed in paper bags. This will allow them to release their seeds into the bag when they are ready. Once the seeds have fallen, remove the chaff (plant debris) and spread the seeds out on a newspaper for 10-12 days to finish drying. They will keep in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid for up to a year.

This is an easy way to keep a ready supply of seeds for yourself and to exchange with other gardeners. The only trick is to make sure you have a fully mature flower head so that you will harvest mature, viable seeds.

Older, established plants can be divided. In cold climates plants should be divided in late summer or spring. In warm climates, divide your plants in fall or spring. Here are four easy steps to dividing Echinacea plants.

1. Start by loosening the soil around the perimeter of a mature plant's root system, then insert your spade under the plant and lift it up. Shake the plant gently to remove excess soil.

2. Pull the root clump apart or cut it apart with a sharp knife. Each division should have its own roots and stems.

3. Plant each clump in soil that has been amended with compost and a balanced fertilizer.
4. Water regularly to keep the soil moist but not soggy until you see signs of new growth.


Harvesting Echinacea
For medicinal purposes, you'll want to harvest some roots and some flower tops. For best quality, wait until your plants are 3 years old. Roots are harvested in the fall when the tops have gone to seed and the plants have experienced a couple of hard frosts. Tops are harvested just as the flowers start to open. Whether harvesting tops or roots, the dried herb will be good for one year. Be sure to date the jars containing the herb so you won't use them past their potency date.

Harvesting Roots
1. Using a sharp knife cut off a portion of the root, leaving plenty for the plant to grow on.
2. Cut any pieces larger than 1 inch into smaller pieces to avoid mold growth during the drying process.
3. Wash thoroughly and pat dry.
4. Hang the root pieces or lay them out on screens in a well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight. If the pieces are large it may take several weeks for them to dry.
5. When completely dry, store in a tightly covered glass jar in cool, dark place.


Harvesting Flower Tops
1. Using a sharp knife, cut the plant at the point where the first healthy leaves are growing.
2. Lay the tops on a screen or hang them upside down in bundles out of direct sunlight. Make sure they aren't crowded so that air can't circulate around them.
3. When completely dry, the leaves will crumble when touched. Store them in glass jars with tight fitting lids in a cool, dry place.


Uses
Echinacea has traditionally been used to treat or prevent colds, flu, and other infections.
Echinacea is believed to stimulate the immune system to help fight infections.
Less commonly, echinacea has been used for wounds and skin problems, such as acne or boils.

When choosing an Echinacea product there are a number of factors which should be considered. Firstly, the most active part of this plant is the root. The best Echinacea products therefore contain either roots only or no more than 10% leaves, seeds and/or flowers.

Fresh roots are far more effective than dry roots. The form of choice is the fresh plant tincture, especially the alcohol-based tincture. Glycerin does not produce a complete extract, nor is it an effective preservative. However, some of the components of Echinacea are complex carbohydrates which can break down in the presence of high alcohol concentrations. An Echinacea tincture should therefore not contain more than 35% alcohol. The effectiveness of Echinacea can be enhanced by combining more than one species and/or by combining it with other herbs which are synergistic in their actions. Finally, Echinacea and other herbs with which it is combined should be certified organic or wildcrafted.

When being used for preventative purposes, it is taken 3 times per day for periods of 1 to 2 weeks and then stopped for a period of time. The weaker the person's immune system, the shorter the break. During the cold and flu season, a typical individual who is relatively healthy might take it one week per month. Although Echinacea is non-toxic even when taken continuously over a period of months, it will lose it's effectiveness if taken for prolonged periods without a break. When being used in the treatment of chronic immune imbalances, Echinacea is taken as above except more often (usually 3 to 4 times per day for 1 week out of 2 or 2 weeks out of 3). In the case of acute infections such as colds and flu, begin by taking Echinacea or an Echinacea combination every 1 to 2 hours until the worst of the symptoms break, then slowly reduce the frequency of the dose as the symptoms improve. Do not take it less than 3 times per day until several days after the condition has completely cleared up. It is also a good idea to take it for another week after taking a 1 to 2 week break.

 Most herbs including Echinacea are best taken on an empty stomach (at least 20 minutes before a meal or 2 hours after). It is important to remember that the most common mistake made when using this herb is waiting for a day or two after the onset of an infection before heading off to the local health food store to pick some up. Be prepared! Keep some Echinacea or an Echinacea combination or two in your house at all times. The more specific the combination and the sooner you start taking it, the faster it will work. It is usually possible to detect a cold or flu coming on several hours to a day before the symptoms begin. Listen to your body. If taken every hour or two at this point Echinacea will often prevent the infection from developing at all!

 
Side Effects and Cautions
When taken by mouth, echinacea usually does not cause side effects. However, some people experience allergic reactions, including rashes, increased asthma, and anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction). In clinical trials, gastrointestinal side effects were most common.

People are more likely to experience allergic reactions to echinacea if they are allergic to related plants in the daisy family, which includes ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and daisies. Also, people with asthma or atopy (a genetic tendency toward allergic reactions) may be more likely to have an allergic reaction when taking echinacea.

General Safety Advisory
The information in these documents do not replace medical advice.
Before taking an herb or a botanical, consult a doctor or other health care provider -- especially if you have a disease or medical condition, take any medications, are pregnant or nursing, or are planning to have an operation.
Before treating a child with an herb or a botanical, consult with a doctor or other health care provider.
Like drugs, herbal or botanical preparations have chemical and biological activity. They may have side effects. They may interact with certain medications. These interactions can cause problems and can even be dangerous.
If you have any unexpected reactions to an herbal or a botanical preparation, inform your doctor or other health care provider.

Using Trees as Medicine

Using Trees As Medicine
by Ellen Ever Hopman

Many common North American trees can be used as medicine. Their advantage over medicinal herbs is that tree medicines can be used year round. In fact, trees make amoung the most versatile medicine you will find.

In early spring and summer the leaves of trees are useful healing agents. In fall and winter, the bark and twigs or of the roots may be used to treat common ailments. Some simple rules must be learned, however, and followed for tree medicines to work.

Preparing Tree Medicines for Use

Here are several rules to ensure you are mindful in gathering tree medicines. First never cut the bark off of the trunk of a living tree. Especially avoid girdling the tree by removing the bark as this will kill the tree. To gather bark use that found on a twig or a root of felled tree. In these cases, it is a simple matter of striping the bark off the twig or root with a sharpe knife. Medicinal agents are found in the cambium-the living green or greenish yellow layer just under the outer bark.

Once you have gathered the bark of a tree you can use it immediately or dry it for later use. To dry the bark, carefully lay it to dry in the shade, making sure that the strips do not overlap. Leaves can be tied together and hung in bunches from a string or rope in a dry, shady area.

To use the bark, simmer two teaspoons of bark per cup of water for twenty minutes in a nonaluminum pot with a tight lid. Strain and drink. The dose is one-quarter cup, taken four times a day with meals. This assumes a 150-pound adult. A child weighing 75-pounds should take half as much, and a child weighing 40-pounds should take half as much again. The tea may be stored in a glass jar with a tight lid, in the refrigerator, for up to week.


When using the leaves they should be picked in the early spring no later than Summer Solsitice. Steep two teaspoons of fresh or dried leaves per cup of freshly boiled water for about twenty minutes, in a nonaluminum pot with a tight lid. The dose is the same as above. Add lemon and honey to the medicines as desired.
If you are making a tea to use as a wound wash or to add to the bath it may be much stronger. Use more of the tree parts and less water, and simmer or steep for longer periods.
To make a tree leaf poultice, use fresh leaves, or dry ones that have been soaked in enough boiling water to make them soft. Place the leaves in a blender with just enough water to make a mush. Pour into a glass or ceramic bowl and then add powdered slippery elm bark, a little at a time, until a pie dough consistency is acheived. Spread the poultice onto a cotton cloth and apply to the affected area. Leave on for one hour, and then discard the poultice material. Repeat daily.

A fomentation may be made of the bark or leaf tea by soaking clean cotton cloth in the tea and then applying it to an affected area. Tree leaves, bark, and nuts may also be used in healing salves. To make a salve simply place the plant material in a large nonaluminum pot, and just barely cover with cold-pressed virgin olive oil. Simmer with a lid for about twenty minutes.

In a seperate pot melt beeswax, and bring to a simmer. After oil mixture has simmered for twenty minutes add three tablespoons of melted beeswax for everycup of olive oil used. Stir and then strain into very clean glass jars. Allow to cool and harden before putting on the lid.

Some tree parts are used to make massage oils or oils for other purposes. Take the fresh tree parts, and put them in a shallow nonaluminum baking dish. Cover with a light oil such as almond, cover, and bake in a slow oven at 110 degrees for several hours until the plant material wilts.

To tinture buds, barks, or roots, place the chopped plant material in a clean glass jar. Cover with vodka or other alcohol {80 proof or higher}, cover tightly, and allow the tinture to sit for eight days. Shake occasionally. Add 10% spring water and a teaspoon of vegetable glycerine. Strain and bottle for later use. Store in cool, dark place. For leaves and flowers; pack the plant material into a clean glass jar, barely cover with alcohol, and allow the tinture to extract until the plant material begins to wilt. Add spring water and vegetable glycerine, and strain and bottle as above. The dose is about 10 drops, three times a day, taken with water.


Green Etiquette

It is only polite to thank a tree when you have used its parts for medicine. Make a habit of giving back to the trees. A meal of fertilizer, a drink during a hot spell, or offering of herbs such as sage or tobacco are always correct. In ancinet European tradition, vervain, honey, or apple cider were often given. Or a simple prayer was spoken, that the tree and its relations always have abundant sunshine, pure water to drink, healthy winds, and the companionship of birds and other friendly spirits. In this time of global warming it is wise to plant trees wherever possible and to nurture living ones. Trees are cooling. They prevent evaporation of rainwater, hold back water to prevent floods and erosion, purify stagnant and polluted water, and maintain the balance of oxygen and carbon in a world increasingly polluted by greenhouse gases. Ancient trees especially should be honored and protected.




 Tree Medicine

Alder:




 Is a small tree that thrives in damp areas such as wetlands and river banks. It usually has several grayish trunks, and its female catkins develop into what look like tiny brown pine cones. Alder bark is simmered in water to make a healing wash for deep wounds. It is astringent and will help to pull the edges of a wound together. The leaves and bark can be made into a tea that will benefit tonsillitis and fever. The leaves are also used in poultices to dry up breast milk. Alder bark tea can be used as a douche or for hemorrhoids. Fresh alder sap can be applied to any area to relieve itching.



Apple:

 The bark of the root of apple trees is used for fevers. Apples are rich in magnesium, iron, potassium, and Vitamins C, B and B2. When peeled, they relieve diarrhea. Stewed unpeeled apples are a laxative. Eating apples regularly promotes restful sleep. Baked apples can be applied warm as a poultice for sore throats and fevers. Apple cider is important in this time of antibotics, which destroy the intestinal flora. Raw, unpasteurized apple cider will restore the correct bacteria to the bowels after a course of antibotics. Apples reduce acidity in the stomach and help to clean the liver. Add garlic and horseradish to apple cider to clear the skin. Use the mixture as a wash externally and take it internally as a drink.


Ash:

 Ash is a tall tree whose compound leaves are composed of five to nine, or seven to eleven leaflets. Its bark is very tightly and regularly furrowed, and its winged, canoe-paddle-shaped seeds, called keys, hang in clusters until they are brown and drop off in the fall. The tender new spring growth of the twig tips and leaves can be simmered to make a laxative tea that will benefit gout, jaundice, and rheumatism.

Beech:

 Beech trees have a distinctive, smooth gray bark that resembles the skin of an elephant. The bark is used as a tea for lung problems, including tuberculosis. It is also cleansing to the blood, through pregnant women should avoid it. Beech bark tea make a good wash for poison ivy. Beech leaves are used in poultices for burns and for frostbite.

Birch:

 Birch trees have thin papery bark that peels easily -- so easily that birds actually use it to build their nests. It can range in color from chalky white and reddish brown to golden gray and yellow. The sweet birch {black birch} and yellow birch both have a nice wintergreen flavor in their twigs and bark. Birch leaf or twig tea is a laxative, and healing to mouth sores, kidney and bladder sediments, and gout. The tea also help rheumatic pains. Make a strong decoction of the twigs, bark and leaves and add it to the bath for relief of eczema, psoriasis, and other moist skin eruptions. Modern medicine has recently confirmed that betulinic acid, formed in birch sap, has anti-tumor properties that help fight cancer.

Cedar:

 The northern white cedar is an evergreen with a branched trunk, conical shape, and flat scalelike leaves. It has reddish brown bark that hangs in hairy shreds. Another name for the tree is Arborvitae, or "tree of life," a name given to it by the French explorer Jacques Cartier after it saved his crew from scurvy. A tea is made from the leaves and twigs, and is very high in Vitamin C. Among the Algonquin it is considered a sacred tree, and they will not perform a ceremony without it. Its branches are used on the floor of sweat lodges, and it is dried and burned as an incense because it harmonizes the emotions and put one in the proper state of mind for prayer. The tea of the twigs and branches is simmered until the water in the pot begins to turn brown. It is then used for fevers, rheumatic complaints, chest colds and flu.

Elder:

 Elder trees are quite small. They have clusters of white flowers in spring and black or deep purple berries in fall. They thrive in damp, moist areas. Elderberries are used to make preserves, pies, and wine. Taken as a tea, either fresh or dried, the berries benefit the lungs and nourish the blook. The young leaves of elder are used in salves and poultices for skin healing. A root bark tea clears conjestion, eases headaches, and is used in poultices for mastitis. A tinture of the flowers lowers fever by promoting perspiration. Elderflowers water is a traditional remedy for skin blemishes and sunburn. Cold elderflower tea is placed on the eyes as a soothing compress for inflammation. Elderflower oil makes a soothing balm for sore nipples of nursing mothers.



Elm:

 Slippery elm is a medium-sized tree with grayish bark, usually found near streams. Unlike the American elm its crown does not droop. It leaves are also larger than the American elm's with coarsely toothed margins. The inner bark of the slippery elm, which is sticky and fragrant when fresh, is used medicinally. Slippery Elm bark is available in dried and powdered forms from herbalists. It is made into paste with water and then applied as a poultice to injuries of flesh and bone, on gunshot wounds, ulcers, tumors, swellings, chilblains, and on the adomen to draw fever out. Slippery elm is very high in calcium, and a pudding or tea of the bark can be ingested to help speed bone healing. The powdered bark in water makes a jelly that soothes bowel and urinary problems, sore throats, and diarrhea. It makes a perfect substitute milk for babies who are allergic to cow's milk. Try adding a little lemon and honey for flavor.



Hawthorn:

 Hawthorne is a small, broad, round, and dense tree with thorns and edible red fruits. The fall berries and spring new leaves and flowers make a cardiac tonic that benefits virtually all heart conditions. Be aware, however: Prolonged used does cause the blood pressure to drop. Use it for a few weeks and then take a week off to prevent a precipitious decrease in blood pressure. Use caution when combining this herb with other heart medications to prevent a sudden drop in blood pressure. For maxiumum benefit eat fresh raw garlic as you undergo a hawthorn regime. {Garlic provides extra cleansing of plaque in the blood vessels}.



Hazel:

 Is a small tree with small rounded nuts that grow tow to four in a cluster. Hazel twigs are traditionally used by dowers to find hidden sources of water. Hazel nuts are said to benefit the kidneys. Huron herbalists used the bark in poultices for tumors and ulcers. The Iroquois mixed the nut oil with bear's grease to make mosquito repellent. The Chippewa used a decoction of hazel root, white oak root, chokecherry bark, and the heartwood of ironwood for bleeding from the lungs.



Holly:

 Mountain Holly is a small tree with ovarte, fine saw-toothed leaves and large orange berrie. The buds were twigs that were used by Native Amercian herbalists in decoctions and as an external wash for ulcers, herpetic eruptions, jaundice, fever and diarrhea. The leaves alone were used as beverage tea. English holly of European holly is a familiar evergreen usually seen as decoration at Yuletide. It has spiny, elliptical leaves and shiny red berries. The leaves can be used as a tea substitute and in infusions for coughs, colds and flu. Be aware: The berries of all holly varieties are strongly purgative.



Linden and Basswood:

 Linden is a large tree found in moist, rich soils near other hardwoods. It has a heart-shaped leaves with toothed margins. The bark is dark gray, and its fruit is nutlike, downy, and peasized. It has clusters of yellowish-white fragrant flowers in the spring. Basswood, or American linden, is a close relative. Linden flower tea is a popular beverage in Europe for nervous headaches and upset digestion, hysteria, nervous vomiting, and heart pappitations. Linden flower tea can also be added to baths to calm the nerves. Linden flower honey is prized for medicinal use. Native Amercian herbalists used the roots and bark of basswood for burns and the flower tea for epilepsy, headache, spasm, spasmodic cough, and general pain. The buds were eaten as famine food, and the bark was pounded and added to soups.



Maple:

 Maples are large trees with deeply lobed, toothed leaves. The bark of the younger tress is gray and smooth, on older trees it breaks into ridges and fissures. Maples have winged seeds that hang in cluster of two. The Ojibwa and the Cherokee made a decoration of the inner bark or red maple to use as a wash for sore eyes. The leaves of striped maple, or moosehead, were used to poultice sour breasts. A decoration of inner bark of sugar maple was used for diarrhea. The Penobscot used striped maple bark in poultices for swollen limbs, and as a tea for kidney infections, coughs, colds, and bronchitis. Young maple leaves can be made into massage oil that will be soothing to sore muscles.



Oak:

 Oaks are large trees with lobed leaves and acorns topped by bowl-shaped caps. The best oak for internal use is white oak, though all oaks are valuable as external washes. The tannins in oak bark and leaves are helpful in pulling the edges of a wound together and is antiseptic and antiviral. White oak bark tea is used for chronic diarrhea, cronic mucus discharges, and piles. It makes a nice gargle for sore throats and wash for skin problems such as poison ivy, burn and wounds. The tea of the leaf of the bark may be used by women as a douche for vaginitis. Use caution: Prolonged ingestion of oak is potentially harmful.



Pine:

 All pines are evergreens, with needles that grow in soft, flexable clusters. Pine trees are revered worldwide as healing agents. Any pine, or other evergreen such as spruce, larch, and ceder, will have antiseptic properties useful as a wound wash. The most palatable pine for internal use is the white pine. Its needles and twigs are simmered into a tea that is rich in Vitamin C. The tea is used for sore throats, coughs, and colds. Chinese herbalists boil the knot of the wood because of the concentrated resins found there. Pine baths aid kidney ailments, improve circulation, and are relaxing to sore muscles. The aroma of pine is soothing to the nerves and lungs. Pine tea make a wonderful foot bath.



Poplar:

 Poplars are distinguished by their drooping catkins and rounded leaves with pointed tips. Balsam poplar was used by Native American herbalists who scored the bark and applied the resinous gum to toothaches and swellings. The sticky spring buds were gathered in May and used in salves for skin problems, sprains, sore muscles, wounds, headaches, tumores, eczemia, bruises, gout, and on the chest for lung ailments and coughs. The buds were decorated and used internally for phlegm, kidney and bladder ailments, coughs, scurvy, and rheumatic pains. The root was combined with the root of white poplar in a decoction to stop premature bleeding in pregnancy. The warmed juice of white poplar was dropped into sore ears. Poplar barks are high in salicin, making them useful in treating deep wounds, gangrene, eczema, cancer, burns, and strong body odor. The inner bark of a young poplar tree is edible in the spring and can be simmered into a tea for liver and kidney ailments.



Rowan, or Mountain Ash:

 The American mountain ash and the European mountain ash have identical uses. The former has bunches of orange berries that look like tiny apples, and the latter one has red ones. Both are small, sturdy trees with compound leaves of nine to seventeen leaflets. Their clusters of white flowers, composed of five petals each, appear in spring. Rowan berries are bitter, astringent, and very high in Vitaman C. They should be picked just after the first frost when their color has deepened . The fresh juice of the berries is added to sore throut gargles, and jelly is made from the berries will treat diarrhea in adults and children. Rowan berries are added to ales and cordials. In ancient Scotland, a syrup for coughs and colds was made from rowan berries, apples, and honey.



Walnut:

 Walnut trees are tall and have compound, alternative leaflets. Their spring flowers are drooping green catkins that mature into large, round nuts covered in green, spongy husks that stain the hands brown when cut open with a knife. Walnut husks are medicinally active. They are antifungal and rich in manganese, a skin-healing agent. Gather them when fresh, and rub directly onto ringworm. The tea of the hull may be used as a douche for vaginitis. For stubborn old ulcers apply the dried , powdered leaf, and then poultice with fresh green leaves. Do this for about twenty days, daily. The leaf tea increases circulation, digestion, and energy. The fresh bark may be applied to the temples for headache or to teeth to relieve pain. The dried and powdered bark, or pounded fresh bark, can be applied to wounds to stop swelling and to hasten healing.



Willow:

There are more than forty varieties of willow growing in the US. They are water-loving trees, a good indicator species if your looking for a regular water source, either above or below ground. Willows have slender flexable twigs and long, narrow, simple leaves. In early spring, willows bloom with golden catkins that mature into small seed capsules in late summer. All willow barks have salicylic acid, which is a natural form of aspirin. Willow bark tea treats muscle pain and inflammation, diarrhea, fever, arthritc pain, and headache. Used externally it makes a wash for cuts, ulcers, and poison ivy. Willow bark in teas and capsules is sedative and eases insomina. It reduces the risd of heart disease and may delay cataract formation.

Enjoy!!!!

Herb of the Week - Dandelion

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) 5-30 cm (2-12 ins).

Dandelion is a common weed that grows widely throughout the northern hemisphere in pastures, meadows and lawns, mostly in temperate climates. The name "dandelion" means "lion’s tooth"—a reference to the jagged, tooth-like edges of the plant's leaves.

Dandelion flowers are sensitive to light, so they open with the sun in the morning and close in the evening or during gloomy weather. The dark brown roots are fleshy and brittle and are filled with a white milky substance that is bitter and slightly odorous.

Although dandelion is considered a weed, its roots and tops are often used for medicinal purposes. It's also consumed as a food. Different parts of the plant can be eaten as a vegetable (leaves); used to make a coffee-substitute (roots) or fermented into wine (blossoms).

Dandelion has been used to improve gallbladder function, to stimulate digestion glands, and to combat rheumatism and gout.
Among other things, dandelion root and other parts of the dandelion have been used as a gentle laxative, a digestive aid, to treat liver and kidney problems and to relieve inflammation, boils, fever and diarrhea. Dandelion root is known to stimulate the appetite and promote digestion. While the dandelion is still regarded as a noxious weed here in America, in Europe dandelion greens are often added to salads and used in the same way as lettuce and other greens, and dandelion root is believed to help regulate blood sugar levels.

What Dandelion Root Does:
Dandelion root provides vitamin A ( even more than spinach!), vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin B complex, as well as zinc, iron and potassium. Because of its iron content, it is widely used as a remedy for liver ailments, and has a diuretic effect that can help rid the liver of toxins. Potassium is also necessary for proper kidney function, and can help lower blood pressure. Vitamins A, C and B complex are all important for heart health, and there is some suggestion that dandelion root may help lower cholesterol.

Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin A and the B complex vitamins, also have antioxidant properties. For this reason, a number of ongoing studies are examining its effectiveness in fighting tumors and preventing cancer. The early results are mixed, but promising.

- Because of its high iron and zinc content, dandelion root is often used as a treatment for anemia.
- Dandelion root has mild laxative properties and is often used to help maintain regularity.
- Dandelion root is also a mild appetite stimulant, and teas made from dandelion root and leaves are often used to help relieve digestive problems like flatulence, fullness and constipation.
- The B vitamin family in particular helps stabilize moods and is often recommended to those suffering from depression. Dandelion root is a high source of B complex vitamins.
- Because of its positive effects on the liver and digestion, dandelion root may help boost the effectiveness of other vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

Parts Used:
Dandelion leaves produce a diuretic effect while the roots act as an antiviral agent, appetite stimulant, digestive aid, and may help promote gastrointestinal health. Dandelion flower has antioxidant properties. Dandelion may also help improve the immune system.

Health care providers clinically use dandelion root to promote liver detoxification and dandelion leaves to support kidney function.

Available Forms:
Dandelion herbs and roots are available fresh or dried in a variety of forms, including tinctures, liquid extract, teas, tablets, and capsules. Dandelion can be found alone or in combination dietary supplements.
Dandelion root is available as a freeze-dried herb, in capsules, in liquid extracts/tinctures or teas. Dandelion leaves can also be consumed in supplement form, or else eaten raw (typically as a salad green).

Here is an article that explains how to harvest and roast the root to make your own coffee substitute:
How to Roast Dandelion Root- Coffee Substitute

(use this link for the following recipes)
Dandelion Recipes to Obtain its Health Benefits

-Dandelion Root Tea or Dandelion Tea Recipe
-Dandelion Flower Tea Recipe
-Dandelion Salad Recipe
-Dandelion Root Coffee Recipe
-Dandelion Wine Recipe
I bet you never knew that common weed could be so good for you.... and tasty too!

Dandelion side effects

Though dandelion is generally safe and gentle, some people may have an allergic reaction to the milky latex in the stem and leaves. Dandelion root should not be taken with pharmaceutical diuretics or drugs that have a diuretic action. People who are taking medications for diabetes should use dandelion with caution, as it may intensify the blood sugar lowering effects of those drugs.

General Safety Advisory
The information in these documents do not replace medical advice.
Before taking an herb or a botanical, consult a doctor or other health care provider -- especially if you have a disease or medical condition, take any medications, are pregnant or nursing, or are planning to have an operation.
Before treating a child with an herb or a botanical, consult with a doctor or other health care provider.
Like drugs, herbal or botanical preparations have chemical and biological activity. They may have side effects. They may interact with certain medications. These interactions can cause problems and can even be dangerous.
If you have any unexpected reactions to an herbal or a botanical preparation, inform your doctor or other health care provider