herbology

[t3gah]

Wild Strawberry

Uses - The Native American used the Wild Strawberry to cool the liver, blood, and a "hot choleric stomach". A tea made from the plant was used as a gargle for sore throats and the fresh fruit was eaten as a laxative.

Researchers have found that the Wild Strawberry is a hematinic or agent that stimulates red blood cell formation and increases hemoglobin in the blood. It is a proven aid to digestion, and also stimulates the appetite.
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Basil

The Native American has long used a tea made from Basil leaves to relieve nausea, gas pains, and dysentery. A tea made from peppercorns and basil is a remedy to reduce fever. Basil is also cherished by the Native Americans as a herb used to protect against evil spells, and witchcraft, and as a symbol of "love."
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(Excerpts from the book: "Indian Herbs and Plants")

 

[t3gah]

Peppermint

Uses: Peppermints menthol is added to many medications for its therapeutic effects, particularly to ease the discomfort of intestinal gas. The Native Americans used the leaves from the Peppermint to soothe sore muscles, and to aid in digestion. It is often used as a refreshing tea and is used in conjunction with other herbs to make concoctions taste better.
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Onion

Uses: The Native Americans have used the Onion as a diuretic, to reduce high blood pressure, and as a spring tonic. The juice has been used to prevent infection, to remove warts, and prevent acne. It was also a favorite food in the Springtime of many tribes.

Studies have shown that the Onion is helpful in relieving gas pains, reducing hypertension, reducing high blood sugar. The Onion also reduced cholesterol and fat content in the blood. It is rich in vitamins, including B1, B2, and C. Onion aids in relieving pain and inflammation and may be eaten raw or cooked. All parts of the onion are edible.
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[t3gah]

Blackberry

Blackberries originally grew wild in North America, but when the land was cleared for crops, they began to multiply rapidly. By 1850, they had become a popular fruit, and are now cultivated in almost every part of the United States. Texas and Oregon have the largest yeilds, with the summer months being prime for blackberry gathering. A good berry is solid an plump, appears bright and fresh, and is bull black or blue in color. Do not choose berries that are partly green. They taste bitter.

Blackberries are high in iron, but can cause constipation. They have been used for years to control diarrhea. If the blackberry is mixed with cherry or prune juice, the constipating effect will be removed. It is one of the finest builders of the blood.
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[t3gah]

Sunflowers have a rich story to tell among the southwestern Indians. The Hopi traditions say that if the sunflowers are abundant, there will be good harvests. The women use the petals along with ground corn to make a paint for their faces for the Basket Dance.

Zuni dancers dressed up as "rainmakers" would have the symbol of the sunflower attached to the forelock. One of the Pueblo songs, the scalp song, says that sunflower's are watered by tears shed by Navajo girls.

Sunflower seeds were the Southwest's only domesticated food before the introduction of beans, squash and corn from Mexico. They grew rapidly in spite of weeds. The meat was eaten both raw and roasted and ground into meal (atole). In the fall, the sunflowers were broken off and dried or beaten to release the seeds. They are extremely nutritious, and very high in assimilated proteins.

The seeds were also boiled to release the oils since they are about 50% oil. What oil wasn't used for cooking was used in grooming the hair.

A Yavapai tribal leader told how her people roasted the seeds on hot coals, shelled them, ground them and shaped them into cakes right on the spot to make a sort of peanut butter.

Marigold (Sunflowers) is also the only flower allowed to be used on an alter in the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead. It has traditionally been known to be part of many "love potions" too.

*Marigold leaves are one of the ingredients in "Essential Blessings" Teas.

Sunflower Bread

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup softened butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups ground sunflower seeds, shell and meats (or meats only)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup whole or coarsely chopped sunflower meats

Beat together honey and butter. Beat in eggs. Combine in flour, baking powder and salt and ground seeds. Add to honey/butter mixture alternatively with milk. Fold in whole sunflower meats. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees. Cool on rack. The bread slices better when cool.
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*from American Indian Food and Lore by Carol Niethammer ISBN 0-02-010000-0

 

[t3gah]

Red Clover

Description: Often three leaflets showing pale chevron, round flower head, rose purple flower pedals that may be eaten raw in salads or batter fried.

Pharmaceutical uses: Skilled herbalists used this plant to treat cuts, burns and treat liver aliments.

This is also one of the ingredients in the Dream Pillow herbal mixture. The spirit of the plant has the ability to sift or filter out images during the dream state just as the plants assists the liver in its function within the physical body. Many of the Medicines used within the tribes that were used in the treatment of illness were seemingly selected for their symbolic nature. James Mooney, author of "Cherokee Myths and Legends" says that possibly as much as 80% of the known uses of plants in medicine is symbolic and not tied to any pharmaceutical aspect that we have been able to find today.
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Spiderwort

Description: Flower violet, 3 round pedals, long golden stamens, long lanced leaves, common along roadsides. Young shoots and leaves may be eaten raw, but are somewhat slimy.

That can be added to salads but can be strong tasting.

Pharmaceutical uses: Poultice root rubbed on skin cancer. Tea for stomach ache.
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Peppermint

Description: It has a square stem, like most members of the mint family with opposite sharply serrated leaves.

Flowers in salads, leaves in teas.

Pharmaceutical uses: Oil used to treat colic. Tea used to treat colds, fevers and headaches.
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Note: If you decide to harvest any of these plants, remember to move back at least 20 feet from a roadway to avoid the toxins left by the passing automobiles! I would suggest going along with someone who knows what they look like as opposed to trying to match them up with pictures from a field guide as well.

(from The Basic Essentials of Edible Wild Plants by Jim Meuninck ISBN 0-934802-41-6)

 

[t3gah]

Elder flowers: A cleanser, emollient, lightener, and promotes sweating

Wild Violet: Cleanser and emollient

Comfrey: Emollient (no internal consumption)

Marigold: Cleansing, astringent, promotes healing, toning, anti fungal

Horsetail: Astringent, encourages hair growth

Thyme: Toning, refreshing, disinfectant

Yarrow: Cleansing, toning, promotes sweating

Chamomile: Cleansing, lightening, anti-inflammatory

Burdock Root: Prevents dandruff

Catnip: Encourages hair growth

Sage: Stops perspiration

Aloe Vera: A natural cosmetic, mimics the skin's own functions, promotes healing

Goldenseal Ointment: Anti-bacterial, natural anti-biotic, promotes healing

 

[t3gah]

Passionflower is known by the names, Apricot Vine, Maypop, Passion Vine, Purple Passionflower or Wild Passionflower. The botanical name for this plant is Passiflora incarnata L. Passionflower is a native plant of the United States and grows from Maryland and south to Florida then west to Texas and Oklahoma, mainly growing in the southeastern part of the United States.

Passionflower is a woody vine whose stems can trail as much as thirty feet in length. This vine can even climb to the tops of trees to capture the full sun. The leaves are divided into three sharp lobes and the flowers are white to pale lavender and are about two inches in diameter. The flowers bloom from June until September. A yellow berry is produced from the flower which is about two inches long and are edible. The parts of the plant that are mainly used are the flowers and the vine. This lets the root stay intact to produce more “green medicine.”

During the 16th century the Spanish explorers praised the beauty of this exotic vine and found that it was a source of medicine for the Native Americans. Many of the southern tribes used Passionflower to treat bruises and other injuries. This was accomplished by using the Passionflower leaves in the form of a poultice and the fruit was used as a tea to bathe sore eyes.

Passionflower is an amazing medicinal plant, it contains non-addictive sedative properties which acts as a depressant on the central nervous system. This “tranquilizer effect” is useful in treating insomnia, nervousness and assists the body in lowering high blood pressure. The plant also contains anti-inflammatory properties which was used to treat arthritis and pain. It has been used by many herbalists to treat dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation), and is found to be most effective. The dried fruits and flowertops are ingredients in many of todays sedatives.

The flower, fruit and vine of the Passionflower are used by many herbalists because Passionflower contains alkaloids such as harmane, harmol, harmaline, harmine and harmalol, and flavanoids such as sugars, sterols, and gum. The chief use of this plant is in the form of a tranquilizer. Passionflower can be taken in the form of a tea, extract, or capsules.

The Passionflower is a very unique plant which contains numerous medicinal qualities. It is a wild plant, native to the United States, and costs nothing to grow.

Passionflower is recognized as “safe for use” in the United States. But due to a number of government regulations there is little public knowledge of the medicinal qualities of this plant.

The uses of the Passionflower have been documented as far back as the 1600’s. Physicians and herbalists have used this plants medicine to treat many conditions. In countries other than the United States Passionflower is used daily and the knowledge of its properties is widespread. In the United Kingdom it is on the General Medical Sales List, Canada it is approved as an over-the-counter drug and in Germany it has been approved by the Commission E (comparable to our FDA) as an over-the-counter drug. Passionflower is just one more of the many “green medicines” given to us - free of charge - from the Good Earth.

 

[t3gah]

Source for all posts on this thread are from an old newsletter I subscribed to years ago, 1995/96. The files are text files and I've compiled these posts from multiple text files. This is the link if you want to look through the files.

The list says 105.txt as the last one but the archive is corrupt and is missing a few newsletters. The actual number of articles in only 100.

http://www.powersource.com/talkingleaf/