Rosa
canina
Wild
Rose or Dog Rose
The subtle flower petals can be added to teas,salads and baths although
you have to wait for the hips in september to get the greatest offering
of medicianl value.
The petals do have a calming and cooling effect on the moods. The leaves
can be dried and drunk as a tea. Pick less than half the petals available
on a suny day and leave the rest to attract the insects.
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Galeopsis
tetrahit - Hemp Nettle
The
leaves are very astringent and I have discovered, really soothing for
sunburn and itchy rashes like eczema. I make it into a summer cream to use for sunburn.
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Rest
Harrow - Ononis repens
The plant is obnoxious to snakes. The habit of the plant is similar
to that of Broom or Gorse and indeed it may be equally hardy. The roots
grow long and thickly matted and will arrest the progress of the harrow
(hence the name). It may be that it could be planted to prevent erosion
in coastal areas, it seems to like the sea cliffs and fields. Medicinally
the shoots are eaten or drunk as an infusion to treat stones of the
bladder.
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Galium
verum - Ladies Bedstraw
As the name suggests quantities of this herb were used to stuff mattresses.
It smells nice but it tastes really bitter. It as insect deterrant properties.
nfortunately I have rarely seen it growing in such profusion so as to
be able to fill a Lady's mattress but in some areas of Scotland and
Wales I have seen enough for a cot mattress. It is very much a diuretic
so it is useful for lymphatic congestion, renal congestion, cystitis
or Oedema. Take as a tea for these conditions.
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Wood
Betony - Stachys betonica
Pick the flowers in July, but only when they are dry in the sun. Make
a tea from fresh flowers or dry them on the stalks upside down in a
dark airy place.
It is used primarily for nervous debility and as such eases stress,
anxiety and tension.
For headaches it combines well with Skullcap,it is also a sedative.
Needles to say if you buy a poor example of this herb you might think
it is over-rated, however, picked fresh it is quite powerful. Also use
as tea or tincture for vertigo.
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Heather - Calluna vulgaris
Heath and heather refer interchangably both to the plant and it's community.
The plant contains Phenolic acids and glycosides. It has long been an
abundant staple of domestic medicine as well as providing; thatch, rope,
dye, food for sheep and goats, and an important source of honey. It has
a pleasant and cleansing taste which makes it useful as an astringent
and antiseptic for the urinary tract. It combines well with Buchu for
cystitis.
Harvest July - October.
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Burdock
- Arctium lappa
This is the time of year when Burdock is most noticeable. It is now
that the 'sticky willies' will cling to your clothes in the hope that
you will transport them to another place to germinate, notice where
the plants are most abundant, and mark the spot to return to in November
to dig up the roots. The best plants to take roots from are second year
plants with no flower heads although flowering plants are a close second
best.
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Yarrow
- Achillea millefolium
Yarrow is common throughout except on poor, acid or waterlogged soils.
It gives off a warm aroma when rubbed. The flowers sit tightly on the
top of the plant like a brooch, they may be white, creamy white or pink.
The cure-all reputation of Yarrow owes in great part to a very complex
set of ingredients that give it strength but also safety. It operates
on blood vessels, especially smaller arteries and veins and also has an
effect on the constitiuents of the blood. It is very good as a tea for
colds, fevers and flu, especially for children. For raised blood pressure
it combines well with Hawthorn and Lime Blossom.
It is a diuretic, styptic, vulnerary, astringent, tonic and stimulant.
Therefore if you have some space in your garden keep a bit for Yarrow
or pick a little if you see it away from the road.
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Woundwort
- Stachys sylvatica
A coarse, hairy, malodorous plant common in woods and hedges.The plant
is very much upright in character with pairs of heart-shaped and boldly
saw-toothed leaves on long footstalks. The flowers grow in whorls upon
the stem each ring having narrow leafy bracts beneath it.The flowers
are wine-red with a little white variegation.
An old authority tells us that this herb 'Stamped with vinegar and applied
in manner of a pultis, taketh away wens and hard swellings, and inflammation
of the kernels under the eares and jawes' and also that the distllled
water of the flowers ' is used to make the heart merry, to make a good
colour in the face, and to make the vitall spirits more fresh and lively'
Use it for First-Aid in the field if you have to for wounds.
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Rosebay
Willow Herb
Epilobium angustifolium
A weed of waysides, waste places, and fond of railways. Also woodland
clearings and margins, gardens and other disturbed habitats. May also
be seen in hills and mountains amongst rocks or scree.
The leaves are high in tannin and also contain mucilage and much pectin.
They are thus, both astringent and demulcent and can also be used on
the skin for cuts, grazes or sores.The upper leaves are used in various
parts of Europe and Russia as a tea substitute. The young shoots can
also be used as asparagus.(Poor people take note - no need to go to
Tescos to get the nutritional benefits of Asparagus!!)
The tender young leaves may be collected and used for stomach upsets
with diarrhoea; they also have the reputation for being mildly sedative
and useful for tension headaches
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Restharrow
Ononis arvensis
(Wild Licquorice, Stinking Tommy,Cammock, Ground Furze, Land Whin)
The plant is used as a diuretic though has become less popular in recent years. It also has an anti-infalmmmatory action. It can be used for oedema and bladder stones. A good kidney and bladder tea can be made from the infusion of the root and flowering parts. It is fairly rare now.
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Honeysuckle
Lonicera periclymenum
The flowers are strongly antiseptic and expectorant. There are high levels of salicylic acid in the plant which indicates a use for inflammatory joint diseases.
I use the flowers dried as a tea for asthma sufferers.
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nipic067.jpg = 1259
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nipic068.jpg = 1239
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nipic069.jpg = 1232
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nipic070.jpg = 1227
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nipic071.jpg = 1219
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