Month: July 2018

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Medicinal Herb – Red Clover

Red Clover 2

Medicinal Herb Post #4 written May 30, 2018

Medicinal Herb post #4

Red Clover (Trifoleum pratense)
This hardy perennial is easy to grow and is part of the legume family that sends roots deep into the earth. The pollinators love it for the abundant nectar it provides. Harvest the flowers as soon as they open.

It’s a wonderful alterative (blood purifier and nutrient dense). It gently supports and restores normal functions to the immune system and is deeply nourishing as it contains many vitamins and minerals. What’s great about nourishing herbs is that they give the body an opportunity to resolve other issues going on because we give it what it needs to do its job. It’s often included in skin problem formulas for eczema and psoriasis as well as respiratory infection formulas and lymphatic cleansers. Included in this group of alterative, nourishing herbs are, alfalfa, burdock, yellow dock, nettles, plantain, garlic, Oregon grape, cleavers, echinacea, comfrey and marshmallow.

Both the flower and leaf contain phytoestrogens and isoflavones that can have a beneficial effect for women with menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings and night sweats. There is also some recent evidence that shows it can help with maintaining bone density.

Red clover shouldn’t be taken by those who are on heart medication or have any blood thinning problems. Don’t take 2 weeks before and after surgery.

Here are a few formulas you can use with red clover:

Children’s Cold/Flu Glycerite (our family’s favorite)
Equal parts elder flower, mullein leaf, red clover flowers, peppermint or spearmint and yarrow. Cover herbs in a mason jar with 1 cup glycerine and 2 cups water. (You can make more if you need, just remember the 1:2 ratio) Cover with lid and shake once a day. Strain and keep in a jar in the fridge. Give 1 tablespoon in water or juice 3x a day.

Lymphatic Congestion Tea or Syrup
Equal parts calendula flower, red clover flower and cleavers. For the tea, infuse and steep the dry herbs in water that has just been boiled for 15 minutes. For the syrup cover the herbs with water and simmer on very low heat until the liquid is half the original volume. Strain and pour back into the pot. Add equal amounts of raw honey, maple syrup or glycerine to the herb liquid. Pour into jar and keep refrigerated. Take 1 tablespoon 3x a day.

Vitamin Tonic/Tea (also good for menopause support)
3 parts red clover flower, 2 parts milky oat tops (just ripening), 2 parts peppermint or spearmint, 1 part nettles, 1 part raspberry leaf. You can also add alfalfa, burdock, yellow dock or other alterative herbs listed above. Steep herbs for 15-20 minutes and drink 2-3 cups a day.

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Medicinal Herb – Calendula

Calendula 2

Medicinal Herb Post #3 written May 28, 2018

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) other names it’s known for are pot marigold or English marigold.

I love this bright, happy little flower. It’s name in Latin means “calender”, which references its ability to bloom every day of the year (weather permitting). My calendula blooms from March through November until it gets too cold. Another cool thing I learned about the name officinalis is that it means that any particular plant with it in its name came from the officina or traditional storeroom of the old monasteries where medicine was kept. They have been tried and true herbs used specifically for their medicine for hundreds of years. Calendula is an annual (short lived perennial in warm climates) that reseeds itself easily and can be invasive. However it is not difficult to manage.

Calendula is a fabulous anti-biotic, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary (accelerates healing), astringent and anti-fungal herb. It’s great for sore throats, mouth sores, dental infections, stomach and intestinal ulcers (when used with comfrey), skin wounds and fungal infections. Calendula can be used as an eye wash for conjunctivitis. It has also been known to help stop bleeding, clear the lymphatic system when used with cleavers and echinacea and helps to cleanse the liver by increasing production of bile. It can also be useful when used topically and taken internally for breast cysts. It can be soothing to women who have undergone mastectomies. Gynologically it can be used for reducing fibroids and ovarian cysts. It is very useful in a sitz bath after child birth. It’s a serious super star herb!

I like to harvest the flowers when they are open but not drooping, leave those to go to seed so you have more next year. Some of the things I do with it are:

Herbal tea for stomach/intestinal sores/ulcers and candida overgrowth (also good for mouth sores) equal parts calendula, marshmallow, comfrey and licorice. 2 tsp 2x a day.

I make a skin salve that accelerates healing like nothing else. You’ll want to use equal parts of at least the first 5 herbs: calendula, comfrey leaf and root, plantain, yarrow, marshmallow, mullien, chickweed, lobelia, St. John’s Wort. I place them in a jar and cover with olive oil and a lid or you can place them in a pot over the stove top. If you’re solar infusing put the jars in a sunny place for 4 weeks and shake daily ( I prefer this method). If using the stove top method heat the oil and herbs on the lowest heat for an hour. Be careful not to burn the herbs. Strain and place oil in pot. For every cup of infused oil you have you’ll want to add 1/4 cup beeswax until melted. Test it to make sure it is the consistancy you want. More wax will make it harder. Pour into jars and add vitamin e to help the salve penetrate through all the dermis layers. Add essential oils (I like lavender and tea tree) to help preserve the salve. Store in fridge.

Calendula is very safe with no contraindications, although there are some herbalist that think it’s a good idea to stay away from using it internally during pregnancy because it can help normalize menstrual cycles and relieve cramps.

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Medicinal Herb – Elder

Elder plant

Medicinal Herb Post #2 written May 22, 2018Elder (Sambucus spp.)
You might be wondering why I’m posting about Elder today seeing how there aren’t any berries, let alone blossoms yet. There are more medicinal parts to the plant (like the leaf) than just the berries and parts that should be avoided like the mildly toxic bark and roots and red berries (Sambucus racemosa). Elder is one of the best antiviral herbs one can grow. It’s leaves are the strongest medicinally and should be harvested before the energy of the plant moves into blossom and berry production. It’s the number one herb for the onset of a cold/flu.However, Elder should be avoided during cytokine storms. Cytokine storms are when the body produces too many disease fighting cells like macrophages and T-cells, essentially attacking the whole body instead of just the virus. This is more likely to happen to those with strong immune systems. A good example of this is the Spanish influenza and the reason for so many deaths. Other herbs that can increase cytokines are Echinacea, Honey, Ginseng and Chocolate (sad I know).So when is it beneficial to take Elder? At the very first signs of cold/flu/influenza! A great combo to take is Elder leaf, yarrow and peppermint. Echinacea is also another good herb to add as well. If the virus has moved from the head down into the throat and lungs you would want to use expectorant herbs like gumweed, wild cherry, and elecampane and anti-cytokine herbs like tumeric, garlic, grape leaves, ginger, skullcap and St. John’s Wort.

Elder flower is a known diaphoretic, or herb that helps one sweat out a fever making it more productive. Use it with yarrow, catmint and spearmint or peppermint for best results. The flower is good for upper respiratory infections like sinus infections, congestion and blocked Eustachian tubes. Elder flower is very soothing with it’s emollient properties for the skin. It is soothing for allergic reactions, redness and inflammation of the skin. Use in a cream or as a poultice.

The berry can be used for deeper coughs. It is especially beneficial for stopping the replication of the influenza virus. The virus looks like it has tiny little thorns on it that puncture the cell walls then replicates. Elderberry disarms the replication of the virus and therefore shortens the duration of illness. Use at the onset of illness every 2 hours in syrup or tincture form. It can be used with echinacea and willow or boneset to help with achiness, mullein leaf and flower for deep congestion as well as dry hacking coughs and coltsfoot, mullein or licorice to soothe a sore throat, gumweed or elecampane as a good expectorant. The berries are very high in antioxidants and strengthen veins and capillaries. Other berries that do the same are currants, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

The leaves should only be used for adults, flowers for children and berries for everyone. Here are some ideas to use Elder:

Cold/flu tea – Elder leaf, yarrow, peppermint. 1 tsp of each in a cup of hot water that was just boiled. Cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Drink a cup 3x a day for a couple of days. For children use Elder flower, yarrow and spearmint. I haven’t been sick in years using this simple recipe.

Check out my recipe for the best elderberry syrup!https://rootedemily.com/?p=651

Elder is considered safe for everyone including pregnancy. Use the berry and flower for children and pregnant women.
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Medicinal Herb – Chamomile

chamomile 1 chamomile 2

Medicinal Herb Post #1 written May 21, 2018

Busy harvesting lots of medicinal herbs today. I’d like to start a daily (or maybe realistically, weekly) post on simple herbs to grow and their uses. One of my favorites is chamomile. It is incredibly versatile! German (Matricaria recutita) is the annual variety and self seeds very well. Roman (Chamaemelum nobile) is a perennial that comes back every year. Don’t confuse it with feverfew (they don’t bloom at the same time anyway). You can tell the difference by the shape of leaves. Chamomile has a fern like shape and feverfew has a broader shaped leaf. They also smell very different. Chamomile has a sweet apple like smell and feverfew is more musty. Feverfew is fantastic for headaches, including migraines and stimulating menstrual flow (so feverfew should not be taken during pregnancy). The chamomile herb is very safe, but should be avoided if one is taking sleep aids or allergic to ragweed.

You’ll want to gather the flowers in the late morning or early afternoon when they are open and the petals are a nice disc shape. Once the petals droop let them go to seed. I planted a seed packet years and years ago and have never had to buy since. They grow in my pathways around my garden boxes. I just pull out the ones that I don’t want and get plenty yearly.

Chamomile is a great anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, nervine (pain), antispasmodic and includes many other qualities. It’s great for sore throats, teething babies, intestinal issues including ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome, great for digestion, supports the liver and urinary system and is very good for anxiety/insomnia. Wow! It is definitely one to have in the garden!

So what am I going to do with my chamomile? I’ll harvest, dry and use with other herbs. Here’s a few ideas and recipes:

Sore throat tea: equal parts chamomile, calendula, marshmallow and licorice. 2 tsp per dose, 3x a day.

Stomachache/gastritis: equal parts chamomile, peppermint, marshmallow. 2 tsp as needed. For ulcers add calendula and comfrey.
For colic and gas: equal parts catnip, chamomile, fennel and licorice. Same dosage as above.
For diarrhea: 2 parts bentonite clay, 2 parts marshmallow, 1 part angelica seed and 1 part sage. 4 tsp 2x a day.

Liver cleanse: equal parts chamomile, burdock root, Oregon grape and dandelion root. 2 tsp 2x a day for 2 weeks. Liver Restorative (used after a cleanse): equal parts chamomile, yellow dock root, cleavers and milk thistle. Same dosage as above.

Menstrual cramps: equal parts chamomile, cramp bark, ginger and fennel. 1 tsp as needed.

Insomnia: equal parts chamomile, valerian, skullcap. (2 tsp just before bed). Add lobelia and black cohosh for nerve pain 2 tsp 2x a day.
Anxiety: chamomile, St. Johns Wort, lemon balm, oat straw. 2 tsp 2x a day.

Bladder infection: equal parts chamomile, 2 corn silk, juniper berry, 2 marshmallow, cranberry. 2 tsp 2x a day.

What do you do with your chamomile?