Description:
An introduced perennial herb growing 2-3 ft. Stems erect,
flowers violet blue to mixed
yellow, borne in loose clusters at ends of branches. Seed
pods contain many small kidney-shaped
seeds. Leaves trifoliate, toothed two thirds down from tip.
Cultivated for hay, planted for forage on
foothill ranges throughout the world.
Uses:
Edible, Medicinal. Fresh green leaves have 8 essential enzymes,
a source of 10 different
vitamins, especially high in A,C,D,B2,B6, K , iron, calcium.
Sprouted seeds for salads or
health drinks. Actions: Appetizer, diuretic, tonic. A tea
of the leaves taken every day is
known to relieve urinary and bowel problems, eliminate retained
water, help with peptic ulcers
and improve appetite.
ALOE
(Aloe
vulgaris)
Description:
Not a cactus. Perennial plant, stiff, erect spikes with
clusters of flowers from 2-30 ft.
high. Leaves, long, thick, spiny and fleshy, crowded in
rosettes at base of stem, ending in sharp
point. Leafless stalks bear dense clusters of tube shaped
yellow and red flowers which contain
jelly-like pulp.
Uses:
Medicinal. The gelatinous substance inside stalks are: Emollient,
cell proliferant, purgative, vulnerary. A treatment for
burns, scalds, internal and external ulcers, boils, arthritis,
kidney ailments, psoriasis, bad complexion, skin. Used for
wounds, ringworm, insect bites. Note: When piece of leaf
stalk is broken off, for healing, the part not used will
seal off and keep for several weeks. Use a sandy loam soil,
indoors, keep repotting it to allow growth. Water when transplanted,
wait 3-4 weeks, then once a week. Do not fertilize or over
water.
AMARANTH (Amaranthus
retroflexus)
green amaranth, redroot, pigweed
Description:
Coarse, annual weed with stout stems. Numerous species.
Taproot,
red with stout, hairy stem, 2-5 ft. tall. Leaves, dull,
long-pointed wavy edges,
rough to the touch. Greenish flowers grow in clusters on
tall bristly stalks. Black
seeds mature in the fall. A common weed found in wastes
ground, fields, roadsides,
rich cultivated areas from coast to coast below 9000 ft.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Leaves, stems, seeds. Young plants make
a mild pot-herb,
boiled about 15 min, or raw in salads. Abundant, shiny seeds
make a nutritious flour. Parch
for an hour, then grind. Taken internally as an astringent
it helps in diarrhea, excessive
menstruation, a wash for skin problems, a gargle for mouth
and throat irritations. Take a tea,
cold, 1-2 cups a day or 1/2 to 1 tsp. tincture.
ANGELICA
(Angelica atropurpurea)
wild archangel, high angelica, purple angelica
Description:
A shrub, 8 ft. high. Stem, purplish with 3 toothed leaflets
at tip of each stem. White or greenish flowers occur in
clusters at end of stalk. Has a strong and peculiar, not
unpleasant odor. Found in rich, low ground near streams
and swamps and in gardens throughout the U.S.
Uses:
Edible, Medicinal. Sharp flavored leaves are cooked with
acidic fruit, shoots in salads, stems and roots as vegetables,
seeds in pastry dishes. Rootstock, in the fall of 2nd year.
The whole plant is: Aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic,
diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant. Roots, 2nd
yr., and seeds when mature used to treat stomach gas, induce
vomiting, perspiration, bronchitis, rheumatism, gout and
fever. Stimulates menstrual flow, helps with heart burn,
colic, general tonic, colds, spleen, liver and in epidemics.
The extracted oil used as a pleasant aromatic and tonic.
Take 3/4 cup of decoction (1 tsp. root with 3/4 cup water)
in 2 equal parts during day.
BARBERRY
(Berberis vulgaris)
Stems, from 3-8 ft. high, reddish when young, a dirty gray
when older.
pipperidge bush, jaundice berry, European barberry, sowberry
Description:
Deciduous shrub. Roots, yellow on outside, bark, bitter.
Leaves, obovate. Bright red, oblong berries grow along spiny,
grooved branches,
have an acid but agreeable taste, should only be eaten when
ripe. Found in
Northeastern U.S. in hard, gravely soil, in rich soils in
the western states.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Berries have acid but agreeable taste,
should only be eaten when ripe, can be preserved, pickled.
Actions: Hepatic, laxative, refrigerant. Bark of root is
hepatic, berries are laxative and refrigerant for reducing
fevers. The fresh juice is used to strengthen gums. A decoction
of either the berries or bark makes a good mouthwash or
gargle for mouth and throat irritations. Stem, bark and
root are antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, used to improve
liver action, liver problems including alcohol abuse. Bark
from the stem dilates blood vessels, which lowers blood
pressure. Avoid barberry when pregnant.
BETONY
(Stachys officinalis)
wood betony, lousewort, purple betony
Description:
Perennial, with a hairy, unbranched or slightly branched,
square stem, 6-24 in. The pungent, scalloped leaves are
opposite, more or less hairy on both sides. Lower leaves
are oblong-cordate, upper, are more lanceolate. Pale magenta
flowers are in spike-like whorls…………..
in gardens, damp or dry meadows, on sunny slopes, forest
paths.
Use:
Medicinal. Anthelmintic, astringent, calmative, diuretic,
expectorant, vulnerary. The flowering herb is helpful for
asthma, bronchitis, heartburn, bladder, kidney problems,
spitting blood, excessive sweating, varicose veins, worms,
migraine, anxiety, indigestion, drunkenness, difficult labor.
Juice of the plant or a poultice used externally for cuts,
external ulcers, old sores. Steep 1-2 tsp. in 1 cup water,
5-8 min. Slowly drink 1-2 cups through the day. Roots stimulate
the liver, but may cause vomiting and diarrhea.
BLACK
COHOSH (Cimicifuga racemosa)
bugbane, rattle root, black snake root, squaw root
Description:
Perennial shrub, 9 ft. or more. Creeping, underground stem
is gnarled and twisted. Topped with slender spike of small
white or yellowish flowers in feathery racemes 1-3 ft. long,
slender and drooping. Leaves vary from ternate to pinnate,
at times even further divided. Found in eastern, southern
part of U.S. in rich open woods.
Use:
Medicinal. Antispasmodic, astringent, diuretic, emmenagogue,
expectorant, hormonal, sedative. Rhizomes and roots used
by Native Americans to ease childbirth and as an antidote
for rattlesnake bite. Colonists used it for yellow fever,
bronchitis, coughs, asthma, itching, nervous diseases, uterine
disorders, diarrhea, menstrual cramp, rheumatism, childbirth,
headaches, coughs and asthma. Take 2-3 tbsp. of decoction,
6 times a day, cold, or 10-60 drops tincture. CAUTION: Large
doses can cause symptoms of poisoning, nausea and vomiting.
BLACK
WALNUT
(Juglans nigra)
Description:
Deciduous hardwood, 100 ft. tall, with rough furrowed bark.
Alternate, pinnately, compounded leaves have a distinctive
odor when bruised. Male and female flowers grow in separate
catkins. Nut, covered with a green pulp coating while on
the tree, turning black when on ground and stored. Found
in moist well-drained soil throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Use:
Medicinal. Anti-fungal, tonic, vermifuge. Inner bark of
tree is a mild laxative. Peel of fruit, useful for treating
parasites, worms in the body, ulcers and syphilis. Juice
of fruit, useful for treating tapeworm, a laxative and as
a gargle. Leaf infusion, used against bedbugs, and decoction
for sores, herpes, eczema, syphilis and worms. Decoction
of the bark, for skin diseases. Oil is effective for tapeworm,
a dressing for leprosy type skin diseases (must be fresh,
rancid oil is detrimental).
BLESSED
THISTLE (Cnicus benedictus)
holy thistle, St. Benedict's thistle
Description:
Herbaceous, 2 ft. high, reddish, slender, much branched
and unable to keep upright with weight of its leaves and
flower heads. Long, narrow leaves have prominent pale veins,
irregular teeth ending in spines that clasp the dull green
stem. Flowers, pale yellow. Subtending the flower heads
are green scales tipped with a long, brown bristle. The
whole plant, including leaves, stalks, flower heads are
covered with a thin down. Cultivated in the U.S., occurring
in waste places when escaped.
Use:
Medicinal. Diaphoretic, emetic, emmenagogue, galactogogue,
stimulant, tonic. The whole herb is used. When taken in
large doses it acts as a strong emetic producing vomiting
and should be used cautiously. Cold infusions of the plant
(2 tsp.to 1 cup water) in small doses are helpful in weak
conditions of the stomach and for producing an appetite.
A warm infusion is very helpful in fevers of all kinds.
Poultice or tea of the plant, externally for chilblains,
wounds, sores.
BLUE
COHOSH (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
beechdrops, blue ginseng, yellow ginseng, blue berry, squaw
root, papoose root
Description: Round, simple, erect, 3 ft. high stem grows
from a knotty rootstock and half way up it bears a large
sessile, tri-pinnate leaf, leaflets, oval, petioled, irregularly
lobed. The 6-petaled yellow-green flowers are borne in a
raceme or panicle. Fruit, a pea-sized, dark blue berry borne
on a fleshy stalk. Eastern and central U.S. in rich woods.
Use:
Medicinal. Anthelmintic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, oxytocic,
parturient. Rootstock used to regulate menstrual flow, to
relieve cramps, to induce labor, children's colic. Should
be given with other herbs and used with medical supervision.
CAUTION: Can be irritating to mucous surfaces and cause
dermatitis on contact. Children have been poisoned by the
fruits.
BLUE VERVAIN (Verbena
officinalis)
verbain, American vervain, false vervain, Indian hyssop
Description:
A bristly perennial, with quadrangular stems reaching 2-5
ft. tall. Deeply cut lover leaves, smooth upper leaves oblong-lanceolate,
gradually acuminate, serrate. Dense spikes of small, pale
lilac-pink flowers, arranged in a panicle. Fruit is 4 nutlets.
Eastern, central US in fields and thickets.
Use:
Medicinal. Diaphoretic, emetic, expectorant, nervine, tonic,
vermifuge, vulnerary. A warm tea of leaves or flowering
heads, taken often, for a natural tranquilizer, nervous
headaches, depression, colds, coughs, fevers, congestion
in the throat and chest, insomnia, stomach, bowel cramps,
urinary problems, jaunice, menstrual cramps, intestinal
worms, bowel complaints, dysentery. A cold tea acts as a
tonic. Taken externally for healing sores. Root considered
more active than the leaves. Decoction of the leaf for a
hair tonic, eyewash. Tests, also shown, it has heart-strengthening
and antitumor helps.
BRIGHAM
TEA (Ephedra viridis)
desert tea, squaw tea, joint fir, Mormon tea
Description:
Shrub, broom-like, resembling horsetail grass. The jointed
green stems and branches of some species reach the height
of 7 ft. although most are smaller. Two or three scale-like
leaves grow at joints in stem and branches. Male and female
cones appear on different plants, male cones, having yellow
pollen sacs. Found in arid areas of the Northern Hemisphere,
especially deserts of the southwest.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Most commonly used as a pleasant beverage
by steeping 5 min.
The whole herb is used as a decongestant, and stimulant
to the sympathetic nervous system. Frequent use of the tea
may result in nervousness and restlessness. It should only
be used with medical supervision, particularly if suffering
from high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes or thyroid
trouble.
BUCKTHORN (Rhamnus
Frangula)
alder buckthorn, Frangula bark, black dogwood.
Description:
Slender, tree-like shrub. Leaves, entire, not toothed, feather
veined arranged alternately on the stem, not opposite to
one another. Flowers, produced from wood of the preceding
year and also on shoots of current year. Spreading, thornless
branches have green bark when young, turning to brownish-gray
when older. Blue and gray berry has
2-3 roundish angular seeds. Bees, very attracted to it.
Grows in woods, mostly free from lime in northern and eastern
US
Use:
Medicinal. Cathartic, laxative, tonic. Only the dried seasoned,1-2
yr. old, bark should be used. The fluid extract is used
as a gentle purgative in cases of chronic constipation.
Liquid from the bark, boiled in ale, can be used for jaundice.
It is more agreeable than the more popular R.purshianus
(cascara sagrada). Wood of this shrub is used in making
charcoal for gun powder makers, thus "black dogwood".
Freshly stripped bark acts as an irritant poison on the
gastrointestinal canal.
BURDOCK (Arctium lappa)
burr seed, thorny burr, hareburr,
Description:
Large, biennial plant. Leaves, on long stalks, many veined,
wavy-edged, resembling rhubarb, growing from a thick tap
toot. Stout stalks, the second year, grow
4-6 ft. tall. Small, magenta pink and white, solitary or
clustered flowers, followed by spherical burrs. Found along
fences, roadsides, waste places walls, populated areas throughout
the US
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Peel roots of young small plants, cut
and cook like carrots. When flower heads start to form,
the rough bloom stalk can be peeled and core eaten raw,
or cooked. Change first cooking water to remove bitter taste.
Actions: Aperient, blood purifier, cholagogue, diaphoretic,
diuretic. Root, in its 2nd yr. is an excellent blood cleanser
which helps in skin diseases, burns, wounds, swellings,
hemorrhoids, canker sores. 1 cup of decoction a day (1 tsp.
root with 1 cup cold water, let stand 5 hrs, bring to boil)
or 10-25 drops in water
3-4 times a day. Fresh bruised leaves, a remedy for poison
ivy, oak. Seeds to be used only with medical supervision.
CAMOMILE
(Anthemis nobilis)
common camomile, chamomile, Roman chamomile, ground apple,
whig plant
Description:
Low growing creeping or trailing plant with tufts of leaves
and flowers, 1 ft. high. Root, perennial, jointed and fibrous.
Stems, hairy, freely branching, covered with leaves, alternate,
bipinate, finely dissected, downy to glabrous with sweet
apple-scent. Solitary terminal daisy-like flower heads have
a yellow conical center with 18 outer silver-white ray flowers
drooping when in bud. Found throughout US as a common weed
in dry fields, around gardens, cultivated grounds.
Use:
Medicinal. Anodyne, antispasmodic, carminative, sedative,
aromatic, tonic, stimulant. Helpful for gas, colic, fevers
and restlessness in children, urinary infections and diaper
rash. Use 2 tbsp. flowers to 2 cups water, heat to just
short of boiling. Soothes toothache, earache, sore nipples
and neuralgia, suppresses nausea, reduces inflammation and
dark shadows under the eyes. As a poultice, to treat eczema
and wounds. An oil, made of the flowers, for swellings,
calluses and painful joints.
CATNIP
(Nepeta cataria)
catmint, field balm, cat's wort
Description:
Erect perennial, 3-5 ft. tall. Erect square branching stem
is hairy and soft. Leaves, pointed, opposite, oblong or
cordate with scalloped edges. Has a long leaf stalk with
top being green and grayish green, whitish hairs underneath.
Flowers, in whorled spikes of two-lipped, white or blue,
spotted with lavender clusters. A native of Europe, now
found throughout the US in fields, on dry banks waste places
and chalky or gravely soil.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Tender leaves are added to salads, to
flavor meat. Actions: Anodyne, antispasmodic, aromatic,
calmative, carminative, diaphoretic. Root and mint scent
leaf intoxicates cats and repels rats and flea beetles.
A tea from the leaves and flowering tops, 2 cups a day (2
tsp. herb to 1/2 cup boi1ing water, steeped 10 min.) are
used to treat colds, calm upset stomachs, for scalp problems,
to reduce fevers and soothe headaches. Their mild sedative
action soothes babies with colic. Fresh leaves are used
in making a poultice for bruises and are put into cat toys.
CAYENNE (Capsicum frutescens)
American or African pepper, chili pepper red pepper, bird
pepper
Description:
Perennial in its native tropical America, but annual when
cultivated outside tropical zones, 3 ft. tall or more. Glabrous
stem is woody at the bottom, branched near the top. Leaves
are ovate to lanceolate, entire, and petioled. Drooping
white to yellow flowers grow alone, in pairs or in threes.
Ripe fruit or pepper is a many seeded pod with a leathery
outside in various shades of red or yellow and 2 or 3 fruits
per leaf joint.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. The small chilies are used to help preserve
food in hot countries.
Crushed chilies make cayenne pepper to flavor foods. Actions:
Appetizer, digestive, irritant, sialogogue, stimulant, tonic.
Stimulates the circulation and gives immediate action to
the heart, without increased pulsation. Helps in sore throat,
headaches, hemorrhaging, indigestion, alcoholism, colic,
low fever, hemorrhoids, eases shingles, swallowing disorders,
cramps and pains in the stomach and bowels.(Use 1/2 to 1
tsp. pepper per cup, boiling water), take warm, 1 tbsp.
at a time. Infused oil for massage to relieve rheumatism,
cold limbs and neuralgia. Put on cuts to stop bleeding,
eliminates scarring.
CHAPARRAL
(Larrea divaricata)
creosote bush, greasewood, chaparro, dwarf evergreen oak.
Description:
Perennial bush, 4-8 ft. Dark green stems, leaves can be
yellowish-green in dry seasons. Strong scented leaves are
opposite, divided into 2 leaflets. Flowers, yellow with
5 petals, only 1/2 inch across appearing in spring and winter.
Fruit, rounded, up to 1/4 inch long, covered with white
hairs. Found in desert areas, alkali soil in south western
part of US Leaves and stems contain gums, resins, protein,
esters, acids, alcohol, small amounts of sterols, sucrose
and volatile oils. No alkaloids are detected and is non-toxic.
Use:
Medicinal. Antiseptic, blood purifier, diuretic, expectorant,
tonic. Leaves, stems used to help in acne, styes, skin conditions
of warts and blotches, arthritis, cancer, chronic backache,
hair growth, better eyesight, increases bowel elimination
(not laxative), kidney infection, prostate gland trouble,
throat, bronchial, pulmonary conditions and weight reducing.
Taken in capsules according to directions. American Indians
sharpened the young branches, placed in fire till hot and
inserted into tooth cavities to relieve pain.
CHICKWEED (Stellaria
media)
adder's mouth, stitchwort, scarwort, satin flower, starweed
Description:
Annual or short-lived perennial with creeping or ascending,
succulent stems with a conspicuous line of hairs on one
side. Small leaves are paired, broadly oval, pointed. Numerous,
tiny white flowers, 1/4 in. across, have petals shorter
than the sepals. Found in lawns, gardens and around dwellings
all over the world.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Raw tender leaves, stems added to salads.
Better when boiled 5 min. and served as greens. Note: debating,
now, on its safety because of the saponin content. The whole
Herb is astringent, carminative, demulcent, emollient, expectorant,
laxative. A decoction is used for a cleansing tonic that
relieves serious constipation, eases pain in hemorrhoids,
cramps and aids in losing weight. 1/2 -1 cup a day (1 tbsp.
herb to 1/2 cup water, steeped). A poultice or ointment
soothes itching skin, eczema, psoriasis and surface veins,
rheumatic joints, draws out splinters and heals wounds.
COMFREY
(Symphytum officinale)
bruisewort, knitbone, slippery root, gum plant, healing
herb
Description:
Perennial with a deep taproot. Plant contains a glutinous
juice. The 3-5 ft. stem is angular and hairy bearing bristly,
oblong, lanceolate leaves, some petioled, some sessile.
White to blue-mauve flowers grow in forked scorpiod racemes
and have a tubular corolla resembling a glove finger. Cultivated
throughout Europe, US, occasionally escaped, thrives in
almost any soil, doing well in moist areas or in shade.
Use:
Edible and Medicinal. Young leaves make good greens. Roasted
roots, together with chicory and dandelion roots makes a
coffee substitute. Actions: Anodyne, astringent, cell proliferant,
demulcent, emollient, expectorant, hemostatic, refrigerant,
vulnerary. Contains calcium, potassium, phosphorus and allantoin
which speeds up cell renewal in damaged muscles and broken
bones. Leaf tea helps inflamed, ulcerated digestive tracts
and coughs. Leaf poultices reduces swelling and bruising
around sprains, arthritic joints, speeds healing of cuts,
burns, open sores, eczema. Internal use of large amounts
of roots and leaves should be avoided. Latest research indicates
the whole plant may have anti-cancer properties. Leaves
make excellent manure and fertilizer.
CRAMP BARK (Viburnum
opulus)
guelder rose, high cranberry, rose elder, snowball tree,
dog rowan tree, black haw
Description:
Deciduous, thicket-forming shrub, 12 ft. tall, with smooth
gray branches. Winter buds are scaly. Leaves, maple-like,
pubescent beneath with 3-5 acuminate lobes, coarsely, irregularly
toothed, turns burgundy in autumn.
In early summer, conspicuous, large, nearly flat-topped
heads of snow-white flowers appear. Berries are bright red.
Cultivated and wild throughout US
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Fruit, used as substitute for cranberries,
makes a tart jelly or distilled spirit. Toxic and bitter
if eaten fresh. Bark from the stem is a nerve-sedative,
uterine antispasmodic which reduces muscle cramps in intestinal
spasms. Use 1 tsp. to 1 cup of bark decoction in tablespoon
doses. Native Americans used it to treat mumps. Note:Viburnum
prunifolium bark is used similarly.V.trilobum was used by
the Alberta Cree tribe for many illnesses, especially high
fever and pain relief.
DESERT SAGE (Artemisia
tridentata)
western sagebrush, tall wormwood, basin sagebrush
Description: A shrub, 12 feet tall, much branched, dark
stem. Foliage, aromatic. Flowers, yellow or whitish, in
densely packed heads. Leaves, lanceolate with 3 rounded
dentates
(teeth) on the tip of each leaf. Eastern U. S., in New England
on ranges, hillsides, in dry and sandy soil.
Use:
Medicinal. Blood purifier, resolvent, tonic. A tea of the
leaves for headaches, stomachaches, vomiting, diarrhea,
sore throat, antidote for poisoning When making a tea, steep
3 times using the same sage but new water each time. Allergic
reaction may result from use. Use with professional supervision.
A hot poultice of steamed herbs used externally for bruises,
rheumatic pains. A wash made for bathing wounds, new born
babies, an excellent hair rinse.
ECHINACEA (Echinacea
angustifolia)
Purple cone flower, black sampson
Description:
Perennial plant with stout, bristly stem bearing hairy,
alternate, linear-lanceolate leaves which taper at both
ends. At times, base of leaf is winged; leaf margins are
toothed and the top leaves lack petioles. Distinctive flower
features 12-30 large spreading, dull-purple rays and conical
disk made up of numerous purple, tubular florets. Native
to central US in dry open woods, on prairies, road banks,
widely cultivated.
Use:
Medicinal. Antiseptic, depurative, digestive. The rhizome
is a very effective
immune system stimulant, without toxicity, stimulating the
body's defenses against disease; also antibiotic, antiviral,
restores inflamed connective tissue. Treats fevers, infections,
fevers, promotes digestion and is a blood-purifier which
helps in skin conditions such as eczema, acne and boils
and may reduce allergies. Take 1tbsp, 3-6 times a day of
decoction (1 tsp. granulated root in 2 cup boiling water
for 1/2 hr.) Used externally , combined with myrrh said
to help in typhoid fever. Note: Do not use the rootstock
once it has lost its odor. E.purpurea used similarly.
ELDER (Sambucus caeruleus)
elder berry, blue-berried elder
Description:
Large clustered shrub or tree. Opposite leaves, divided
into 5-9 lanceolate leaflets, sharply serrate. Large flat-topped
umbels of small, cream to white flowers. Berry-like fruit
nearly black, with powdery coating gives blue cast. Found
in damp places, woods, valleys throughout North America.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Flower heads, containing rutin, vitamins,
minerals, oils, can be dipped in batter and fried. Berries,
a rich source of vitamin A, C. Actions: Cathartic, diaphoretic,
diuretic, febrifuge, purgative, stimulant. Juice from green
leaves, used externally alleviates effects of poison oak.
Tea from flowers, for colds, flu, fevers, appendicitis,
sore eyes, skin diseases, internal ulcers. Used with peppermint,
even better. Root bark tea for headache, mucous congestion,
labor in childbirth. Seeds of the red berry elder (S. racemosa)
are toxic. Use only seedless berries in any Elder species,
cook berries before eating.
EVENING PRIMROSE
(Oenothera biennis)
common evening primrose, fever plant, field primrose, King's
cureall
Description:
Coarse biennial or annual, with stout, soft and hairy erect
stem.
Leaves, alternate, rough-hairy, lanceolate, taper-pointed,
about 3-6 in. long. Yellow, lemon-scented flowers, 1-2 in.
across, open at dusk and grow in spikes. Fruit is an oblong,
hairy capsule. Found in dry meadows, waste places and along
roadsides throughout the US
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. The entire plant is edible. Seeds of
different species are gathered in the fall, parched and
ground into flour. Roots, dug in the spring and cooked,
make a good source of food. Actions: Astringent, mucilaginous.
Root tea, used for mental depression, stimulates the liver,
spleen and digestive system. Can be made into an ointment
for rashes and other skin irritations. Roots or tops, boiled
in honey, make a soothing cough syrup. Seed oil is helpful
for the skin, menstrual problems, hyperactivity, schizophrenia,
Parkinson's disease, arthritis, alcoholism, anorexia, nervosa,
lowers blood pressure.
EYEBRIGHT (Euphrasia
officinalis)
euphrasia
Description:
Small annual, 2-8 in. tall, varying in size. Purple or green
stem is erect, wiry. Tiny leaves are oval with scalloped
edges. Flowers are white or purplish with yellow spots and
red veins. Found throughout Europe, North America. Will
not grow readily in a garden if transplanted, unless protected
by grass, because it is semi-parasitic, it relies on part
of its nourishment from the roots of certain grasses found
in poor meadowland.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Bitter leaves, used in salads. Actions:
Astringent. An infusion of the whole plant or strained juice
from the fresh, crushed stems is a general eye tonic. Useful
as an eye wash for strain, infections and gives a sparkle
to the eye. Bath eyes in warm infusion 3-4 times a day (2
tbsp. fresh herb to 2 cups boiling water). Recommended in
diseases of the sight, weakness of the eyes, eye irritation
and runny nose due to hay fever and sinusitis.
FENNEL
(Foeniculum officinale)
sweet fennel, wild fennel
Description:
Biennial or perennial with finely cut feathery foliage.
Finely grooved stems are upright, hollow. Up to 5 ft. tall,
with thin, straight, finely-cut leaves. Flat clusters of
compound umbels of yellow flowers grow at end of the stems
above the foliage. Fruit consists of 2 joined carpels, taking
an oblong form with ribs. Looks like dill but more coarse,
taller. Both leaves, seeds have a licorice flavor. Found
on dry banks, vacant lots, fields or cultivated. Commonly
cultivated.
Use: Edible, Medicinal. Seeds used for flavoring drinks,
breads, fish, pies, sauces and sprouted for salads. Actions:
Antiflatulant, antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diuretic,
expectorant, stimulant. Seeds are chewed to ease indigestion,
to relieve hunger. A steeped tea used for, constipation,
increased breast milk and to regulate menstruation. Take
every half hour in small doses till relieved. Root extract
is detoxifying, diuretic. Helps repair liver after alcohol
damage. Fennel oil should not be used by epileptics or young
children.
FENUGREEK
(Trigonella foenum-graecum)
Description:
An annual long taproot sends up a round stem with few branches.
Leaves are trifoliate, on hairy petioles with obovate leaflets.
Flowers are axillary, yellowish-white. Fruit is a 16 seeded
compressed, malodorous legume. Widely cultivated for culinary
and medicinal uses.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Ground, roasted seeds used in seasoning
foods, a maple flavor for sweets. Green leaves from sprouted
seeds, rich in iron, added to salads. Mature, larger leaves,
chopped and served fresh or curried. Soaked seeds used in
skin-softening lotions, powdered, added to oil, for a lip
salve or scalp tonic. Actions: Expectorant, mucilaginous,
restorative. Seeds used to strengthen recovery from an illness,
bronchitis, fevers, gargle for sore throat, increases breast
milk, oral contraceptive, restores hair growth, aphrodisiac,
reduces cholesterol and urine sugar in late-onset diabetes.
Add 2 tsp. seed to 1 cup water, let stand 5 hrs, boil 1
min. Take 2-3 cups a day. Poultice of ground seeds for arthritis,
gout, sciatica, swollen glands, tumors, sores, skin irritations
FLAX
(Linum usitatissimum)
common flax, flax seed, linseed, lint bells, winterlien
Description:
Annual. The erect, slender, glabrous stem has few branches,
bears alternate, sessile, simple, entire, lanceolate to
oblong leaves. Each branch has 1-2 blue or violet-blue,
flat, 5 petaled flowers. Fruit is a 10 seeded capsule, seeds
are smooth, flattened, shiny, oily and brown. Cultivated
in the US, mostly northwestern states, found wild along
roadsides, railroad lines, waste places.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Seeds, mineral-rich, yield cold-pressed
oil for cooking, an essential fatty acid. Hot pressed linseed
oil for artists, industrial uses. Actions: Demulcent, emollient,
purgative. Seeds contain a soothing mucilage. Oil contains
essential fatty acids that help remove heavy metals from
the body, reducing risk of thrombosis. Used for treating
nutritional deficiencies. A decoction of the seeds, used
for coughs, lung and chest problems, digestive, urinary
disorders and to eliminate gall stones. Internal overdoses
may cause poisoning as can the immature seed pods. Use only
ripe seeds.
GARLIC (Allium sativum)
clove garlic
Description:
Perennial, has a clustered bulb made up of several bulblets
(cloves) enclosed in a papery tunic. Single stem, smooth,
round, surrounded at the bottom by tubular leaf sheaths
from which grow the long, flat, linear leaves. Stem, topped
by a rounded umbel of small, white flowers. The entire umbel
is at first enclosed in a teardrop-shaped leaf, which eventually
falls off. Widely cultivated.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. A versatile seasoning which can be used
in just about every dish. Actions: Anthelmintic, antispasmodic,
carminative, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, expectorant,
febrifuge, antifungal. Bulb contains, iron, vitamins and
mildly antibiotic. Taken raw, 2-3 cloves, relieves various
problems with poor digestion, purifies the blood, helps
control acne, reduces blood pressure, cholesterol and clotting.
Helps in candida, cholera, salmonella, dysentery. It clears
phlegm, helps in colds, bronchitis, tuberculosis and whooping
cough. A cold extract used as an enema for intestinal worms,
especially pin worms.
GENTIAN (Gentiana andrewsii)
closed gentian
Description:
Perennial with several smooth ascending stems, 3-4 ft. or
more in height.
Lance-shaped leaves are opposite to one another at each
joint. A cluster of crowded, tubular greenish-white to purplish-green
flowers grow at the top of the plant……
Eastern , central U. S. in wet areas.
Use:
Medicinal actions: Anthelmintic, antiseptic, emmenagogue,
febrifuge, stomachic, tonic. Rhizome and roots collected
in autumn and dried is one of the most useful of the bitter
vegetable tonics. Helps in exhaustion from chronic disease,
to strengthen the human system, female weaknesses, jaundice,
appetite. For dyspeptic complaints it is more effective
than Peruvian Bark.
GINGER
(Zingiber officinale)
black ginger, white ginger, African ginger, race ginger
Description:
Perennial root which creeps and increases under-ground in
tubular joints. In the spring, sends up, from its roots,
a green reed-like stalk with narrow lanceolate leaves about
2 ft. high, which die down annually. The flowering stalk
rises directly from the root, ending in an oblong scallop
spike. From each spike a white or yellow blossom grows.
Indigenous to tropical Asia and cultivated in tropical areas.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Rhizome, used fresh, dried, pickled,
preserved. Used in
desserts, drinks, other dishes. Shoots, leaves, flowers,
eaten raw or cooked. Actions: Adjuvant, appetizer, carminative,
diaphoretic, sialogogue, stimulant. Crystallized or infused
ginger suppresses nausea. Steam inhalation treats colds,
lung infections. Ginger tea aids circulation, eases indigestion
and flatulence, reduces fever, cleanses system through perspiration.
Chopped fresh pieces or powdered root added to bath helps
relieve sore muscles or pain from a fall etc. Add oil to
massage blend to relieve muscular pain, rheumatism and fatigue.
GINKGO
(Ginkgo biloba)
maidenhair tree
Description:
Glabrous, sparsely branched tree, 120 ft. tall. Leaves,
alternate or in clusters and fan-shaped with parallel veines,
on long slender petioles. Flowers, catkin-like. Fruit, drupe-like,
about 1 in. long, yellowish, with ill-smelling pulp surrounding
the thjn-shelled, creamy-white nut which contains an edible
sweet kernel.
Native of east China and now cultivated throughout the U.S.
as a street or ornamental tree.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Kernel (seeds),gathered in the fall,
edible. Actions: Antibiodic, pulmonary, vesicant. Leaves,
seeds have vascular integrity, used in Chinese medicine
for lung problems. Extract from yellow fall leaves strengthens
blood vessels, reduces production of tissue-damaging free
radicals, which reduce clump-forming blood platelets.(remove
toxic flesh from seeds and cook) Said to improve brain efficiency,
cellular energy. Use with medical supervision.
GINSENG (Panax quinquefolium)
American ginseng, five fingers, five-leafed ginseng, redberry
Description:
Perennial, a fleshy root, sometimes resembling human form.
Leaves, palmate, divided into 4-5 sharp-toothed, oblong-lance-shaped
leaflets. Whitish flowers are in round umbels. Plant, topped
by a solitary simple umbel of greenish-yellow flowers. Fruit
a small, red, edible, drupe-like berry. Only use roots 5
yrs.old, or older. Found growing wild in eastern North America,
now, mainly under cultivation.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Red berry is edible. Actions: Demulcent,
panacea, stimulant, stomachic. American and Asiatic ginseng
root have essentially the same constituents. Useful in fevers,
inflammatory illnesses, hemorrhaging and blood diseases.
Helps promote mental and physical vigor, promotes appetite
and digestive problems. Used by women for normalizing menstruation
and easing childbirth. Use root, collected after flowering
and dried. Make into tea to your taste, and as needed.
GOLDEN
SEAL (Hydrastis canadensis)
Yellow root, eye balm, ground raspberry, tumeric root, Indian
paint
Description:
Small perennial, with a thick knotty, bright yellow rootstock,
sending up a hairy stem, 1 ft. high. Two palmately 5-lobed,
serrate leaves grow near the top
and one solitary radical leaf on a long footstalk about
9 in. across. Stem, topped by a small, solitary, flower,
greenish-white sepals that fall away when flower opens.
Fruit resembles a raspberry, consists of fused, 2-seeded
drupes. Grows in shady woods of eastern U.S., is scarce
today, cultivated for its medicinal purposes throughout
the U.S.
Use:
Medicinal. Antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, laxative, tonic.
Prepared root, used for mouth, skin disorders, stomach ailments,
nausea and in combination with capsicum as a remedy for
chronic alcoholism. A strong tonic for mucus membranes,
liver, uterus and venous circulation, mouth wash, eye wash,
vaginal douche, for external skin diseases, to relieve stomach
ailments, nausea during pregnancy and a laxative. Steep
1 tsp. pwd. root to 2 cups boiling water, let stand till
cool . Take 1-2 tsp. 3-6 times a day.
HAWTHORN
(Crataegus oxyacantha) or species?
Description:
Deciduous, thorn shrub or tree, 30 ft. high. Trunk or stems
have hard wood, smooth, ash-gray bark, thorny branches.
Small, shiny, serrated, 3-irregular toothed lobed leaves
are dark green on top, light bluish-green underneath. White
flowers with round petals grow in terminal corymbs. The
fruit or haw, a 2-3 seeded, fleshy pome, scarlet on the
outside, yellowish and pulpy on the inside. Various species
found throughout the world. Note: The 1-5 in. straight or
curved single thorns of the haw are not found on any of
the outer native shrubs or trees on this continent which
makes this genus easy to differentiate.
Use:
Medicinal. Astringent, cardiac, diuretic, sedative, tonic,
vasodilator. Leaves, flowers, haws are helpful in treating
heart weakness caused by kidney disease, for irregular heart
beat and artery spasms. It dilates the heart's blood vessels
which controls both high and low blood pressure and nervous
heart. A tea is also good for nervous conditions, particularly
insomnia. Steep 1 tsp. flowers in 1/2 cup water. Take 1-1
1/2 cups a day, mouthful at a time. Use concentrated preparation
under medical direction.
HOPS (Humulus lupulus)
common hops
Description:
Perennial climbing vine. Stems are rough, generously armed
with small curved prickles. Leaves are rough, opposite,
cordate, serrate, 3-5-lobed. Flowers, yellowish-green, male
flowers arranged in hanging panicles, female in catkins
which develop into scaly, cone-like fruit in pairs with
leafy, imbricated bracts and distinct scent of beer. Pacific
west U.S., in rich, moist land, widely cultivated, mainly
for the brewing industry.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. The young shoots are eaten as a vegetable
and the leaves blanched for soups. The ripe, female flower
cluster, called "strobiles" are added to beer
to flavor, clarify and preserve it. Actions: Anodyne, diuretic,
febrifuge, hypnotic, sedative, tonic. Hop tea is a nerve
tonic, a mild sedative and a muscle relaxant. Pillows made
of muslin and stuffed with dried hops and lavender seemed
to induce sleep, calm the nerves and prevent nightmares.
The estrogen content increases lactation and is an aphrodisiac
for men. The essential oil, used in perfumes and lotions.
It can cause skin allergies.
HOREHOUND
(Marubium vulgare)
White horehound, marrubium, hoarhound
Description:
Perennial, with a fibrous, spindle-shaped rootstock that
sends up numerous bushy, square, downy stems. Leaves are
opposite, petioled, usually wrinkled, roundish-ovate, rough
on top, wooly underneath. Small, white, two-lipped flowers
have a spiny calyx and grow in axillary whorls. U.S., Canada,
Mexico, Europe in waste places, fields, pastures.
Use:
Medicinal. Diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant,
tonic. The prepared herb is an excellent remedy for coughing
and bronchial problems, used for fevers, nervous heart conditions,
to calm heart action, for expelling worms, a liver tonic,
laxative, jaundice, hysteria and externally for earaches.
Known as a soothing syrup and tonic candy, which at one
time could be found in most grocer shops and a favorite
with children. Use 1 tsp. herb in 1/2 cup water. Take 1-1
1/2 cups a day, mouthful at a time.
HORSERADISH
( Cochlearia Armoracia) or (Armoracia rusticana)?
mountain radish, great raifort, red cole
Description:
Perennial, with a long, white, cylindrical or tapering root.
Produces a 2-3 ft. high stem in the second year. Large basal
leaves, lanceolate with scalloped edges. A panicle of numerous,
small, white 4-petaled flowers appear during June, July.
Throughout U.S., usually cultivated.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Only the fresh root is effective. Can
be preserved in fridge, packed in damp sand for months or
pickled, made into a cream sauce for a condiment. Young
leaves, added to salads. Fresh, grated root clears sinuses.
Has antibiotic properties, a decongestant, stimulates digestion,
circulation, eliminates mucus and waste fluids. For lung
and urinary infections and used in a poultice for bronchitis,
arthritis.
HORSETAIL GRASS
(Equisetum arvense)
scouring rush, Joint grass, shave grass, bottle brush, pewterwort
Description:
Stems spring from a creeping rhizome or root-stock which
produces, at its joints, a number of roots. Two kinds of
stems are produced, fertile and barren. They are erect,
jointed, brittle, grooved, hollow except at the joints.
There are no leaves. Barren horsetail has a single thin
stem which resembles the trunk of a tiny pine with the green
shoots that branch out from it in a series of levels. Fertile
horsetail grows upward in one bare stalk bearing a terminal
cone-like catkin. Canada, northern U.S. to California.
Use:
Edible, Medicinal. Young heads are eaten boiled or pickled,
eating the older heads raw can be poisonous. The gritty,
silica-coated surfaces of the older plants were used for
scrubbing pans after an outdoor m
