GARDENPlants and seeds

Herbal Medicine Chest In Your Backyard

What could be a lot easier than growing an herb garden with no effort? Of course, you’ll have to harvest your weeds, but you would do that anyhow: it’s referred to as weeding.

Spring is an especially fertile time for harvesting your weeds – roots and all – and turning them into medicines. Here then are some recommendations on how to acquire, harvest, prepare, and use a baker’s dozen (13) of widespread weeds that possibly already develop around you.

To make your medicines you will need glass jars of numerous sizes with tight-fitting lids. And at least a pint each and every of apple cider vinegar (pasteurized), vodka (100 proof is most effective, but 80 proof will do), and pure olive oil (not extra virgin) or excellent top quality animal fat such as lanolin, lard, or belly fat from a lamb or kid. You will also want a knife, a cutting board, and some rags to mop up spills.

In general, you will fill a jar (of any size) with coarsely-chopped fresh, but dry, plant material. (Do not wash any part of the plant except roots, if you are making use of them, and be sure to dry those properly with a towel just before putting them in your jar.) Then you will fill the jar with your menstruum, that is the vinegar, the oil, or the alcohol. Label nicely and enable to stand at room temperature, out of the sunlight for at least six weeks before decanting and making use of. (See my book Healing Wise for far more particular data on generating preparations.)

A field guide is beneficial for positively identifying your weeds. The one I like most effective is: A Guide to the Identification of New Zealand Prevalent Weeds in Colour, complied by E. A. Upritchard. (Accessible from the New Zealand Weed And Pest Control Society, P.O. Box 1654, Palmerston North) This book even shows you how the weeds look when they are emerging.

Ready? OK! Let’s go outside with a plant id guide or experienced herbalist and see what we can come across.

Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa pastoris) is an annual in the mustard household. Cut the top half of the plant when it has formed its little heart-shaped “purses” (seed pods) and make a tincture (with alcohol), which you can use to quit bleeding. Midwives and girls who bleed heavily in the course of their period praise its prompt effectiveness. Gypsies claim it works on the stomach and lungs as properly. A dose is 1 dropperful (1ml); which may be repeated up to four instances a day.

Cleavers (Gallium aparine) is a persistent, sticky plant which grows profusely in abandoned lots and the edges of cultivated land. The whole plant is utilised to strengthen lymphatic activity. I cut the top two-thirds of each plant though it is in flower (or setting seeds) and use alcohol to make a tincture which relieves tender, swollen breasts, PMS symptoms, and allergic reactions. A dose is 15-25 drops (.5 – 1 ml); repeated as needed.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) has several makes use of, like delicious salad greens. I cut the entire top of the plant and eat it or use alcohol to make a tincture, which dissolves cysts, tonifies the thyroid, and aids in weight loss. A dose is a dropperful (1 ml), up to three times a day.

Daisy (Bellis perennis) is a prevalent perennial weed of lawns and open areas. Really different from the native daisy (Lagenifera petiolata), the little English daisy is related to feverfew and has comparable abilities. I use the leaves and flowers to make a tincture (with alcohol) or a medicinal vinegar which relieves headaches, muscle discomfort, and allergy symptoms. A dose is a dropperful of the tincture (1 ml), up to twice a day; or a tablespoon of the vinegar in the morning.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) is a persistent perennial of lawns and gardens and one of the best recognized medicinal herbs in the world. (The native dandelion of New Zealand – Taraxacum magellanicum – is medicinal too.) Those who really like a pure green lawn curse the sunny yellow flowers of well-known dandelion. But those who are prepared to see beauty anyplace (such as young children and herbalists) treasure this weed. You can use any component of the dandelion – the root, the leaves, the flowers, even the flower stalk – to make a tincture or medicinal vinegar which strengthens the liver. A dose of 10-20 drops of the tincture (.5-1 ml) relieves gas, heartburn, and indigestion, as nicely as promoting healthy bowel movements. A tablespoon of the vinegar works properly, too. More importantly, taken before meals, dandelion increases the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, thus growing bio-availability of quite a few nutrients, especially calcium. The fresh or cooked green leaves are loaded with carotenes, those anti-cancer, anti-heart illness helpers. And the oil of the flowers is an essential massage balm for maintaining healthy breasts. (There’s lots extra info on dandelions in Healing Wise.)

Dock, also known as yellow dock, curly dock, and broad dock is a perennial plant, which my Native American grandmothers use for “all women’s difficulties.” The Maori call it paewhenua or runa. It is an additional plant that disagrees with sheep, specifically when the land is overgrazed. I dig the yellow roots of Rumex crispus or R. obtusifolius and tincture them in alcohol to use as an ally when the immune system or the liver requirements support. A dose is 15-25 drops (.five-1 ml). I also harvest the leaves and/or seeds all through the growing season and make a medicinal vinegar, taken a tablespoon at a time, which is used to enhance blood-levels of iron, decrease menstrual flooding and cramping, and balance hormone levels. If the chopped roots are soaked in oil for six weeks, the resulting ointment is beneficial for keeping the breasts wholesome.

Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) and Ragwort (Senecio jacobea) are hardy perennials that have a reputation for poisoning livestock, like their cousin tansy. Although not excellent for sheep, these two Senecios are some of the world’s most ancient healing plants, having been found in a grave 60,000 years old. You can use the flowering tops and leaves with your alcohol to make a tincture which acts slowly to tonify the reproductive organs, ease PMS, and cease severe menstrual pain. A dose is five-10 drops (.2-.five ml) per day, employed only as soon as a day, but for at least 3 months. (A bigger dose is put to use to speed up labor.)

Mallows (Malva neglecta, M. parviflora, M. sylvestres) grow nicely in neglected gardens and are surprisingly deep-rooted. The flowers, leaves, stalks, seeds, and roots are rich in sticky mucilage which is finest extracted by soaking the fresh plant in cold water overnight or longer or by generating a medicinal vinegar. The starch is extraordinarily soothing internally (easing sore throats, upset tummies, heart burn, irritable bowel, colic, constipation, and food poisoning) and externally (relieving bug bites, burns, sprains, and sore eyes). The leaves, flowers, and bark (in particular) of the native Hohere (Hoheria populnea) are employed in specifically the same way by Maori herbalists.

Plantain, also called ribwort, pig’s ear, and the bandaid plant is a prevalent weed of lawns, driveways, parks, and playgrounds. Identify it by the five parallel veins running the length of each and every leaf. You might acquire broad leaf plantain (Plantago key) with wide leaves, or narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata) with lance-thin leaves. Either can be applied to make a healing poultice or a soothing oil widely regarded as 1 of the most beneficial wound healers about. Not only does plantain boost the speed of healing, it also relieves pain, stops bleeding, draws out foreign matter, stops itching, prevents and stops allergic reactions from bee stings, kills bacteria, and reduces swelling.

Attempt a poultice or a generous application of plantain oil or ointment (produced by thickening the oil with beeswax) on sprains, cuts, insect bites, rashes, chafed skin, boils, bruises, chapped and cracked lips, rough or sore hands, baby’s diaper location, and burns.

To make a fresh plantain poultice: Pick a leaf, chew it nicely and put it on the boo-boo. “Like magic” the pain, itching, and swelling disappear, rapidly! (Yes, you can dry plantain leaves and carry them in your very first aid kit. Chew like you would fresh leaves.)

To make plantain ointment: Pick large fresh plantain leaves. Chop coarsely. Fill a clean, dry, glass jar with the chopped leaves. Pour pure olive oil into the leaves, poking about with a chopstick till the jar is entirely full of oil and all air bubbles are released. Cap nicely. Spot jar in a tiny bowl to collect any overflow. Wait six weeks. Then strain oil out of the plant material, squeezing nicely. Measure the oil. Heat it gently, adding one tablespoon of grated beeswax for each liquid ounce of oil. Pour into jars and enable to cool.

St. Joan’s/John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) This beautiful perennial wildflower may be hated by sheep farmers but herbalists adore it. The flowering tops are harvested right after they start to bloom (traditionally on Solstice, June 21) and ready with alcohol, and with oil, to make two of the most valuable remedies in my initial aid kit. Tincture of St. Joan’s wort not only lends 1 a sunny disposition, it reliably relieves muscle aches, is a effective anti-viral, and is my very first-option treatment for those with shingles, sciatica, backpain, neuralgia, and headaches which includes migraines. The usual dose is 1 dropperful (1 ml) as often as required. In extreme pain from a muscle spasm in my thigh, I applied a dropperful every twenty minutes for two hours, or until the pain entirely subsided. St. Joan’s wort oil stops cold sores in their tracks and can even relieve genital herpes symptoms. I use it as a sunscreen. Contrary to favorite belief, St. Joan’s wort does not cause sun sensitivity; it prevents it. It even prevents burns from radiation therapy. Eases sore muscles, too.

Self heal (Prunella vulgaris) This scentless perennial mint is 1 of the fantastic unsung healers of the world. The leaves and flowers include extra antioxidants – which avoid cancer and heart disease, among other wholesome traits – than any other plant tested. And as portion of the mint family, self heal is imbued with lots of minerals, specifically calcium, generating it an particularly significant ally for pregnant, nursing, menopausal, and post-menopausal women. I place self heal leaves in salads in the spring and fall, make a medicinal vinegar with the flowers throughout the summer time, and cook the flowering tops (fresh or dried) in winter soups.

Usnea (Usnea barbata) is that many-stranded grey lichen hanging out of the branches of your apple trees or the Monterey pines planted in the plantation over there or in pretty much any native tree in locations of the South Island Alps, where it is identified as angiangi to the Maori. If in doubt of your identification: Pull a strand gently apart with your hands, searching for a white fiber inside the fuzzy grey-green outer coat. To prepare usnea, harvest at any time of the year, being careful not to take too substantially. Usnea grows slowly. Place your harvest in a cooking pan and just cover it with cold water. Boil for about 15-25 minutes, or until the water is orange and reduced by at least half. Pour usnea and water into a jar, filling it to the top with plant material. (Water really should be no extra than half of the jar.) Add the highest proof alcohol you can obtain. After 6 weeks this tincture is ready to work for you as a excellent antibacterial, countering infection anywhere in the physique. A dose is a dropperful (1 ml) as frequently as each and every two hours in acute circumstances.

Yarrow (Achellia millefolium) This beautiful perennial weed is grown in lots of herb gardens for it has a multitude of makes use of. Cut the flowering tops (use only white-flowering yarrow) and use your alcohol to make a strongly-scented tincture that you can take internally to prevent colds and the flu. (A dose is 10-20 drops, or up to 1 ml). I carry a little spray bottle of yarrow tincture with me when I’m outside and wet my skin every single hour or so. A United States Army study showed yarrow tincture to be much more useful than DEET at repelling ticks, mosquitoes, and sand flies. You can also make a healing ointment with yarrow flower tops and your oil or fat. Yarrow oil is antibacterial, discomfort-relieving, and incredibly beneficial in healing all varieties of wounds.

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