Natural Herbal Beauty

Hemp agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum

Description: A tall, sturdy plant with narrow leaves longer at the base and arranged in opposite pairs. The flowers form in dull pink clusters in late summer and early autumn.

Parts used: aerial parts, collected when flowering; roots collected in autumn

Actions: anti-scorbutic, bile stimulant, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, laxative, purgative and emetic in high doses, possible immune stimulant (more…)

Marsh woundwort Stachys palustris

Description: hardy perennial with tuberous roots and hairy, lanceolate leaves. It has dark red or purple flowers in summer borne on tall spikes flowering from the base. It has an unpleasant smell when crushed. Parts used: aerial parts, collected while flowering Actions: antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, styptic, tissue healer

Country names often provide a clue to a plant’s healing action and marsh woundwort is no exception. Gerard called it “clown’s woundwort” with the “clown” suggesting that the herb was widely used by the common people. (more…)

Description: a robust, erect (up to 120 cm) perennial with thick, mucilaginous roots and large, ovate leaves.

The funnel-shaped flowers appear in clusters in summer and can be white to purple.

Parts used: root, collected in autumn, or leaves, collected during early flowering

Actions: astringent, demulcent, expectorant, tissue healer, cell proliferant

Although comfrey has been used for centuries as a wound healer and restorer of broken bones — its country name is “knitbone” and the botanical name is derived from the Greek sympho meaning to unite — it has had a more chequered history in recent years, veering from panacea to health hazard. (more…)

Plaster

If you think of grandmother’s famous mustard plaster, you’ll see why a plaster is a “sandwich.” Plasters are typically made with strong rubefacient materials that have the potential to redden andirritate the skin.

Prepare the herb parts as for either a steamed or pulpedpoultice, but place the warm mass of pulverized herbs between two layers of cloth before applying to the desired area. Depending on the herbs used, plasters can be left in place for an extended period of time, even overnight. (more…)

There are many ways to use nature’s medicinals. No matter what method is employed, the idea is to release, extract, and activate all the useful properties of the plant. For the most part, that’s accomplished with liquid. In other words, even poultices, plasters, and ointments start as teas.

A word of caution. Never use tap water. There are just too many chemicals in tap water that can interact with and alter the working properties of healing teas. Always use bottled water when preparing home remedies. (more…)

Healing teas have been used with great benefit for millennia. Without the experiences passed down by the master physicians of ages past who both compounded and brewed their own medicinal teas, our knowledge of healing plants would be meager indeed.

Please keep in mind that the physicians of antiquity formulated their healing teas with great care. They were very particular about the apothecary shop they patronized, too. To ensure that the healing brews the doctors personally compounded and dispensed to their patients were biologically active, insisted on herbs that were organically pure, recently dried, and fully potent. That’s what you must do, too. (more…)

Please be as considerate when field-gathering as you are when harvesting in your own garden. Don’t pull plants out by their roots and don’t leave a mess behind you. Always leave several plants of a given species to insure sufficient growth for future harvests. When gathering leaves and blossoms only, snip them off between your fingernails to minimize damage to the plant. Pinching is preferable to cutting because the pinch acts to close the broken stem and helps seal in the plant’s vital juices. You may, when necessary, scissor tough stems when gathering the entire herb, but leave at least one strong growing stem so the plant can heal itself. If you are gathering roots, please dig them out carefully. When possible, divide the root clump and replant a portion of it to insure future growth. (more…)

This medicinal herb of India, known as Brahmi in the Ayurvedic tradition, stimulates the central nervous system, rebuilds energy reserves, relieves high blood pressure, and helps the body defend against various toxins. Gotu kola is used to treat rheumatism, blood diseases, congestive heart failure, urinary tract infections, venereal diseases, hepatitis, and high blood pressure. It is a mild diuretic that can help shrink swollen membranes and aid in the elimination of excess fluids. It is particularly useful for hastening the healing of wounds.

In addition, gotu kola is considered “food for the brain.” As such, it is said to combat stress and depression, energize flagging mental powers, fight senility, ward off t nervous breakdown, and improve reflexes. (more…)