Lemon Balm

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Lemon balm is an uplifting and relaxing nervine and one of several herbs that is a physical embodiment of sunshine. This is why I am choosing to feature Melissa this time of year, because it helps to bring sunny energy into the cold, dark places

BOTANICAL NAME: Melissa officinalis

FAMILY: Lamiaceae 

PARTS USED: Leaf

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION: Perennial mint family plant with bright green, crinkled leaves that have a fragrant lemon-like scent. It grows about two feet tall, with branching stems, oval or heart-shaped slightly toothed leaves held tightly in pairs at each stem joint. The inconspicuous white flowers, sometimes with a yellowish or pinkish tinge, bloom in the leaf axils throughout the summer and its rich nectar is attractive to bees. 

GROWING/HARVESTING/PROCESSING: Lemon balm loves full sun and well-drained soil and can be started from seed sown indoors about 4-6 weeks before last frost, although seeds may be slow to germinate if not stratified. Plants can be placed 16-18” apart when they reach 2-3” tall and grow quickly to form large clumps. They spread somewhat aggressively in optimal growing conditions (as with most mints) and self-seed. Cutting back hard after flowering will produce a fresh flush of leaves. It has few insect or disease problems and is rarely eaten by deer or rabbits. To harvest, cut several inches off top growth of the plats at flowering during the first year. On established plants, 2 or 3 cuttings may be made in a season. The leaves may be used fresh or dried, although dried leaves lose much of their aroma. Spread cuttings on screens in a dark, airy space to dry. 

ENERGETICS AND TASTE: Sour, cool, aromatic 

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS: Volatile oils (0.1-0.2%: neral, geranial, caryophyllene oxide and a broad range of terpenes), flavonoids (glucoside and rhamnazin), polyphenolics (protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, and tannins), triterpenic acids 

ACTIONS AND PROPERTIES: Carminative, relaxing nervine, antispasmodic, antidepressant, anxiolytic, diaphoretic, antimicrobial, antiviral, hepatic 

INDICATIONS: Melissa has been in use throughout European history. It was used as an herb for longevity, memory, fertility, rheumatism, as a sedative and spasmolytic, and to create happiness. Lemon balm is mildly sedating, cheerful & uplifting. It brings joy to the heart and calms without sedating. Its sunny energy relieves S.A.D. and it can improve mood as well as cognition with as little as one dose in 1 hour. Consider lemon balm for mild mood dips, anxiety, insomnia, nervous indigestion, restlessness, inattention, mental decline, hyperactivity, heart palpitations, atrial fibrillation, and high blood pressure associated with nervousness/stress and viral infections.

Hot water extracts have antiviral properties, providing relief for colds/viral respiratory infections and topically counters herpes virus/cold sore lesions, with antiviral activity confirmed in both laboratory and clinical trials. It is a cooling diaphoretic which can help reduce fevers. And the phenolic compounds bind with the viral receptors, blocking the virus from attaching to host cells and replicating. For herpes simplex type 1 and type 2, lemon balm oil can be applied topically in addition to consuming the tea or tincture internally.

Lemon balm’s hormone-regulating effects have been well-documented in the laboratory. Freeze-dried water-based extracts have been shown to inhibit many of the effects of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) on the thyroid gland. In laboratory studies, it interfered with thyroid stimulating hormone binding to plasma membranes and inhibited iodothyronine deiodinase in vitro. It also inhibits the receptor-binding and other biological activity of immunoglobulins in the blood of patients w/ Graves’ disease, a condition that causes hyperthyroidism. So, lemon balm is helpful for hyperactive thyroids, but it is not recommended for hypothyroid conditions, at least not in regular therapeutic doses (note that many of the indications described in the above paragraph such as restlessness, anxiety, hyperactivity and heart palpitations are symptoms of hyperthyroidism).

Find Lemon Balm in our Happy Hour Tea, Lavender-Lemon Tea, Sparkling Mind Tea, Women’s Tonic Tea, and Wise Woman Tea

As a carminative, lemon balm relieves dyspepsia, fluctuance, bloating and intestinal cramping.  The volatile oils act on the interface between the digestive tract and the nervous system and it has been described by some herbalists as a trophorestorative for the nervous system similar in some ways to milky oats. It is effective for the cramping and spasm of irritable bowel, and gentle enough for gastritis and colicky infants. 

CONTRAINDICATIONS: use caution with hypothyroidism due to its antithyrotropic effects (in vitro). This doesn’t mean that people with an underactive thyroid can never consume lemon balm, they just don’t want to consume regular therapeutic doses of it. Some sources say that lemon balm is an emmenagogue and should be avoided by pregnant women, but occasional use of lemon balm in normal amounts is not likely to cause a miscarriage. Nevertheless, it is wise to use caution since we have no human trials to know for sure. Other contraindications include benign prostatic hyperplasia (animal studies show that one of the volatile oil constituents stimulate stromal growth and stimulate estrogen receptors- is this the concentrated monoterpene or the whole plant preparation that was used in these trials?) And lastly, some sources say to avoid during breast feeding because it can have an antiprolactin effect. (13)

PREPARATION & DOSAGE: Soluble in water, alcohol (with glycerin), and oil. In general, long-term therapy is well tolerated. 

  • Tincture: Fresh leaf (1:2 85% alcohol, 10% glycerin); Dried leaf (1:5 65% alcohol, 10% glycerin); 2-5 ml 3x/ day (fresh plant tincture is best as it quickly loses its potency)
  • Infusion: 1 TBSP dried herb to 1 cup of boiling water. Infuse, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Infusion can be taken several times a day. 
  • Makes a lovely elixir when infused into brandy and honey.
  • Topical preparations work well for burns, blisters, and herpes outbreaks including cold sores. Infused oil of fresh plant can be turned into salve. A few drops of essential oil can be added to the salve/infused oil for added benefit.
  • Lemon balm also makes a lovely hydrosol. Despite the plant being strongly aromatic, there is not much oil in it, so large amounts of plant material are required to produce essential oil. This is why melissa essential oil is so expensive. 

DRUG INTERACTIONS: Barbiturates: increases the hypnotic effect of pentobarbital and the narcotic effect hexobarbital (animal studies).12

ETHNOBOTANY/HISTORY/FOLKLORE: In Greek mythology, the goddess of magic Hecate gave lemon balm to her daughters. The plant’s genus name, Melissa, comes from the Greek word mélissa or mélitta, which means “bee”. The Greeks also believed that lemon balm, or melissa, could promote long life.In ancient Rome, lemon balm was considered sacred in the temple of the Roman goddess Diana and was associated with the feminine, the moon, and water. In Ephesian culture, which worshiped goddesses and modeled its ceremonial life after the honeybee hive, lemon balm was a sacred herb in the Temple of Artemis because bees favored it. In Medieval times, lemon balm was used as a strewing herb and to reduce stress and anxiety, promote sleep, and improve appetite. It was also used to “transmit messages between lovers” because it represented sympathy, possibly due to its use in relaxing medicines. Elizabethan and London citizens included lemon balm in their tussy musy bouquets to help mask the smells of the street. 

REFERENCES:

  1. Parke DV, Rahman H. The Effects of Some Terpenoids and other Dietary Nutrients on Hepatic Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes. Biochem J. 113: 12P, 1969.
  2. Litvinenko, LI, et al., Planta Medica, 1975;27:372.
  3. Aschoff S, Angew Z, Phytotherap., 1981;2:219.
  4. Chalbicz J, Galasinski W. The Components of Melissa officinalis that Influence Protein Biosynthesis In Vitro. J of Pharm and Pharmac 1986; 38(11): 791-4.
  5. Sourgens H, et al., Planta Medica, 1982;45:78.
  6. Soulimani R, et al., Planta Medica, 1991;57:105
  7. Reiter M, Brandt W. Relaxant Effects on Tracheal and lleal Smooth Muscles of the Guinea Pig. Arzneimittel-Forschung 1985; 35 (1A): 408-14.
  8. Mills S, Bone K. Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy: Modem Herbal Medicine. Churchill Livingstone, 2000. p. 172
  9. Woelbling RH and Leonhardt K, Phytomedicine, 1994;1:25.
  10. Mills S, Bone K. Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy: Modern Herbal Medicine.Churchill Livingstone,2000p.172
  11. Brinker, F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 3rd ed. Eclectic Medical Publications, Sandy, OR 2001. p 130, 278
  12. Brinker, F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions, 3rd ed. Eclectic Medical Publications, Sandy, OR 2001. p.130
  13. Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension, Melissa officinalis https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/lemon-balm-melissa-officinalis/
  14. Medical Herbalism, David Hoffman, 2003.
  15. The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, Thomas Easley & Steven Thorne, 2016. 
  16. Body Into Balance, Maria Noel Groves, 2016.

***These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any disease.***

Oats

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Oats, oat straw or milky stage oat tops, are one of the best restorative tonics for the nervous system and bones. It is highly nourishing, tastes delicious, and has no contraindications. I can’t think of a single person who doesn’t need both deep nourishment and nervous system support right now, so let me introduce you to the soothing, sensational, milky white medicine of Oats…

BOTANICAL NAME: Avena Sativa

COMMON NAME: Common oats, Milky oats, Grouts

FAMILY: Poaceae

PARTS USED: Straw (leaf & stalk; best for teas), milky-stage buds (fresh-plant tincture), mature seed (the part we eat)

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION: An annual grass grain that can grow 14-40” tall that has unbranching, hollow, round stems that can be tufted or solitary. Has alternate, 2-ranked, linear and parallel-veined leaves growing upwards from the upper part of the stem and tapering to a point. It has wedge-shaped spikelets that grow on the plant all year round, containing small flowers or seeds depending on the time of year. Its flowers are androgynous, minute, and bisexual, with 3 stamens and 2 stigmas. The grain is the fruit and starts green, emits a milky ‘sap’ early in maturation (lasts only about a week – for the strongest, most medicinally active preparation, the seeds should be used fresh when they are in the milky stage), and if allowed to mature, hardens the milky sap into grain and eventually dries to yellowish tan when grains are harvested. 

GROWING/HARVESTING/PROCESSING: Oat seeds are planted in spring and/or late summer, after vegetable harvest, or under mature crops before mid-September. In colder zones, seeds can be planted in late summer or early fall for a winterkilled cover. They grow in many soil types, including loam and heavy soils, and are more tolerant of wet soil than barley. Broadcast seeds by hand and lightly rake them into soil at a depth of ½-1” in a weed-free planting area. Oats are typically rain-fed but may need to be irrigated if insufficient rain falls during the growing season (typically 3-4”). Timely sowing can help increase fertility, regulate water and air, and promote root development. 

Milky oats should be harvested when the milky sap can be extracted by squeezing the seed. This occurs at the very beginning of seed maturation, just before grain development and only lasts about a week so crop should be closely monitored to ensure successful harvest. Oat straw can be harvested after milky stage oats are harvested but before the plant fully develops grain and turns yellowish tan. Fully mature oats may be harvested when the field turns uniformly yellow, which is usually about 12 weeks after planting. To harvest, cut grass just above the soil with a sharp knife or scissors. To save dried seeds, cut or pull the seed heads from the plant and let them fully dry for a couple of days before storing in a dry container. 

ENERGETICS AND TASTE: Sweet, bland, neutral-cool, moist

ACTIONS AND PROPERTIES: Nutritive tonic, nervous system tonic (trophorestorative), demulcent, vulnerary, antidepressant, anxiolytic, emollient, one of the best herbal supports for nervous system under stress

INDICATIONS: Oats are a gentle tonic herb that support the nervous system without stimulating or sedating. Can help reduce fatigue and support nerve functioning over time. Great for anyone who is overworked or relies on caffeine to get through the day, for people who are frazzled, emotionally labile, and those who “burn the candle at both ends.” A classic milky oats symptom picture is someone who is anxious, exhausted, emotionally volatile, and looking a little dried out (dry skin, dry hair & nails) 

Oats may be helpful for exhaustion (physical and mental), chronic stress, heat and inflammation, dryness and itchiness (think itchy, dry, scaly skin eruptions), depression and anxiety, osteoporosis, undernourishment, sympathetic excess, adrenal burnout, weakness, convalescence from prolonged illness, insomnia, dry, brittle nails, skin, and hair, and even low libido (especially if this is due to exhaustion, dryness, depletion and stress).  Externally soothing for inflamed skin (oatmeal bath). High in silicon so it is excellent for tendons, skin, mucosa, and nerves. The silica in oat straw is excellent for connective tissue, tendons, skin, mucosa, and nerves.

As a nervous system trophorestorative (a revitalizing tonic to the nervous system), oats are helpful for a wide range of nerve disorders including neuralgia, herpes infections, depression, insomnia, and neurasthenia, but it is especially indicated for nerves that are frayed from stress or nervous exhaustion due to overwork or chronic stress. Oats can help us feel grounded and calm amidst the continuous daily stress that we face from work, family, poor diet, alcohol, drugs, environmental toxins, etc. They are food for the nervous system- calming, but not sedating. Oats repairs damage to the myelin sheath, which covers the nerve fibers.

Susan weed describes Avena as “upping the amperage of the nervous system so you can carry more voltage.” By strengthening the nervous system, oats improve sensitivity to touch, which is why they have a reputation as an aphrodisiac. For sexual neurasthenia; for people who work hard, are tired at night, have low libido, and who tire easily during sex.

Avena is both a trophorestorative and tonic. Tonic herbs are generally indicated in convalescence, debilitating conditions with or without anorexia and chronic fatigue syndrome. Taken over time, Avena will increase stamina and strength. Over time, Avena lifts the spirits and is a nourishing tonic that is often combined with Skullcap. Avena is theorized to stimulate the limbic system and motor ganglia thereby increasing energy level and one’s sense of wellbeing.

Oats can also help with ADHD and OCD behaviors and can help to reduce withdrawal symptoms from various drugs/addictive substances including nicotine, caffeine and anxiety medications (combines well with skullcap for this as well). They help to keep the nervous system on a steady keel. Fresh plant tincture is best for this.  Oats are also a cardiac tonic and nourish the heart and blood vessels. The mature seed has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels. 

  • Key indications: Exhaustion, tired but wired, nervous debility and depression from chronic stress
  • Keywords: soothing, nourishing, balancing, building, restorative

CONTRAINDICATIONS:  Normally extremely safe for people of any age. Food Grade Herb- no toxicity. Suitable for pregnancy and nursing. Oat straw and milky oat tops are naturally gluten-free. The only concern regarding gluten is for oat grain that has been processed in a facility that also processes wheat.

PREPARATIONS AND DOSAGE: Soluble in water, alcohol; minerals soluble in vinegar; alkaloids in fresh buds are best extracted in alcohol. Long-term therapy is the norm.

  • Tincture of fresh milky stage oat flower (1:5 in 25% alcohol); Take 3-5 ml three times a day (David Hoffman)
  • Infusion of dried leaf or flower, use 1-2 TBSP per cup of water; infused for 4-8 hours. Drink 2-3 cups a day.
  • Bath soak: add oat straw infusion directly to bathwater
  • Makes a great base for a tea and combines well with other nervines

COMBINATIONS: 

  • For depression, may combine with skullcap, damiana and lavender 
  • Oat straw blends well with other nervines as a base for teas  
  • For withdrawal from nicotine, use fresh oat tincture with skullcap and lobelia.

HOMEOPATHY USE: Has a selective action on the brain and nervous system, favorably influencing their nutritive function. Nervous exhaustion, sexual debility and the morphine habit call for this remedy in rather material dosage. Best tonic for debility after exhausting diseases. Nervous tremors in the aged; chorea, paralysis agitans, epilepsy. Post-diphtheritic paralysis. Rheumatism of heart. Colds. Acute coryza (20 drop doses in hot water, hourly for a few doses). Alcoholism. Sleeplessness, especially in alcoholics. Bad effects of morphine habit. Nervous states in many female problems. 

FLOWER ESSENCE USE: Oat flower essence “is the remedy for people who feel they want to do something worthwhile with their lives but don’t know which direction to go. They tend to drift from one thing to another without finding a true path. They become frustrated and downcast as a result.” (The Bach Center)

ETHNOBOTANY/FOLKLORE/HISTORY:  Oats are the archetype of fertility, the symbol of Demeter. Ancient legend says that Gaia herself was weaned on the milk of this flowering plant. We’ve all heard the phrase “to sow your wild oats”, which means to spread your seed. It’s a symbol of virility. 

REFERENCES:

  1. The Herbal Handbook, A User’s Guide to Medical Herbalism, David Hoffman, 1998.
  2. The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism, Matthew Wood, 2004.
  3. https://thenaturopathicherbalist.com/2015/09/13/avena-sativa/
  4. New Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica with Repertory, William Boericke, 2011.

*** This article is for educational purposes only. This information is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. ***

Burdock

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As we transition into Autumn our herbal allies can help assist our body and minds and allow us to stay grounded during times of change. Our ally, Burdock, is nurturing and moistening and a great ally to help us move from the summer season into fall.

BOTANICAL NAME: Burdock (Arctium lappa)

COMMON NAMES: Lappa, Gobo, Fox’s Clote, Thorny Burr, Beggar’s Buttons, Love Leaves, Philanthropinum, Personata, Happy Major, Clot-Bur.

FAMILY: Asteraceae

PARTS USED: Root, stalk, leaves, seeds

DESCRIPTION: Burdock is native to Europe and Asia but has now naturalized in North America and Australia.  It has large wavy leaves and round heads of purple flowers. It is enclosed in a globular involucre (a series of bracts beneath or around a flower or flower cluster) of long stiff scales with hooked tips, the scales being often interwoven with a white, cottony substance. The whole plant is a dull, pale green, the stem about 3 to 4 feet and branched, rising from a biennial root. The lower leaves are very large, on long, solid footstalks, furrowed above, frequently more than a foot long heart-shaped and of a gray color on them under surfaces from the mass of fine down with which they are covered. The upper leaves are much smaller, more egg-shaped in form and not so densely clothed beneath with the gray down.

The plant varies considerably in appearance, and by some botanists, various subspecies or even separate species have been described, the variations being according to the size of the flowerheads and of the whole plant, the abundance of the whitish cotton-like substance that is sometimes found on the involucres, or the absence of it, the length of the flower stalks, etc. The flowerheads are found expanded during the latter part of the summer and well into the autumn: all the florets are tubular, the stamens dark purple and the styles whitish. The plant owes its dissemination greatly to the little hooked prickles of its involucre, or burrs, which adhere to everything with which they come in contact and attach themselves to coats of animals which can carry them to a distance.  

Burdock is a biennial herb which means that it grows roots and leaves the first year and the second year sends up its flowering stocks and flowers and sets seed, after which the plant dies.

HABITAT/HARVESTING/ PROPAGATION: Burdock is currently cultivated in many countries around the world. Arctium is often found growing along roadsides, in open fields, and abandoned lots. In the first year of growth the leaves can be harvested and used as a food plant or in herbal preparations. In the Autumn of the first year the root is dug and also used as a food or in herbal preparations. Burdock root can be very hard to dig up as the root can grow down to 3 ft in depth! Burdock also tends to position itself in rocky areas with the roots twisting around rocks in the soil making it extra hard to dig up the whole root. In the second year the stalks and flowers/seeds can be harvested and used in food or herbal preparations. Sometimes the root is also harvested in the early spring of the second year before the plant begins to set flowers.

 The seeds of A. lappa are used in TCM, under the name Niupangzi and are harvested at maturity in the fall of the second year’s growth. The seeds need to be stored in a dry and cool place.

ENERGETICS AND TASTE: Cooling, moistening, nourishing, bitter, sweet, oily (root); seed is warm, sweet, bitter, pungent, and diffusive.

TISSUE STATE: Dry/atrophy, Stagnation/torpor 

CONSTITUENTS: Inulin (45-50%), mucilage, sugars, Lappin-a, fixed and volatile oils, tannic acid, protein, minerals, vitamins, lignans (arctigenin, arctiin, matairesinol), carbohydrates, pectin, caffeic acid derivatives chlorogenic acid, isochlorogenic acid1

SOLUBILITY: Water, alcohol, oil, glycerin

ACTIONS AND PROPERTIES: Alterative, diuretic, diaphoretic, demulcent, anti-scorbutic, hepatic, anti-mutagenic, aperient, immunostimulant, anti-inflammatory

USES AND INDICATIONS: The root is one of the best blood purifiers. Burdock cools and calms skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, rashes, boils and burns. It is also effective at easing joint conditions such as rheumatism, arthritis and gout. Burdock aids liver, gastrointestinal and kidney function, all of which are important for skin health and blood purification. It is also a superior strengthener of the immune system, and useful for chronic fatigue or suppressed immune systems. It is said to inhibit tumor growth and the formation of cancerous cells and protects the lungs and DNA from radiation damage. Overall, burdock binds and removes heavy metals and chemicals. In addition, it aids in replenishing intestinal flora after a round of antibiotics or Candida/yeast overgrowth.

Burdock root contains high amounts of inulin and mucilage. This may explain its soothing effects on the gastrointestinal tract. Bitter constituents in the root may also explain the traditional use of burdock to improve digestion. Additionally, burdock has been shown to reduce liver damage in animal studies.4 This has not been confirmed in human studies, however.

The high inulin content makes Burdock a suitable food or nutritive medicine for persons with sugar problems. Burdock root oil extract, also called Bur oil, is popular in Europe as a scalp treatment applied to improve hair strength, shine and body, help reverse scalp conditions such as dandruff, and combat hair loss.  

An infusion of the leaves is useful to impart strength and tone to the stomach, for some forms of long-standing indigestion. When applied externally as a poultice, the leaves provide relief to bruises and inflamed surfaces generally. Burdock leaves are used by some burn care workers for pain management and to speed healing time in natural burn treatment. Burn care workers hold that it eases dressing changes and appears to impede bacterial growth on the wound site and that it also provides a great moisture barrier. 

From the seeds, both a medicinal tincture and a fluid extract are prepared, of benefit in chronic skin diseases. The infusion or decoction of the seeds is employed in edema, especially in cases where there is co-existing derangement of the nervous system and is considered by many to be specific for all affections of the kidneys. The seeds are also antibacterial and used in TCM to expel wind heat, remedy sore throats, irritating coughs, tonsillitis, colds and influenza.

Because of Arctium’s moistening, cooling, and alterative effects on the body, it is a great herb to work with as we transition from the hot months of summer into the cooler and dryer days of Autumn. Burdock can help move trapped heat from the summer season out of the body. Autumn months can often be windy and dry and Arctium can help keep us grounded and moisturized as we move through this season. Burdock will help keep our immune systems strong as we begin to face more viruses and bacteria in the upcoming colder months.

Five main uses:

  • Blood purification
  • Aids digestion, improving liver, kidney and gastrointestinal function
  • Stimulates bile production
  • Poultice to remedy trauma impact: bruising, inflammation, impede bacteria growth
  • All affections of kidney function

CONTRAINDICATIONS: None has been reported, although a gentle approach with this herb is advisable since it can be a powerful detoxifier in some individuals.

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE: Soluble in water, alcohol, and glycerin
Infusion: 2 tsp dried seed: 10 fl oz hot water, decoct 15 minutes, steep 30 minutes. Drink 1-3 cups/day
Tincture: Fresh root or seed (1:2, 95% alcohol; Dried root or seed (1:5, 50% alcohol) 1-5 mL 3x/day
Glycerite: Dried root (1:5) 2-10 mL 2x/day.
Capsule: 1,000-3,000 mg, 1-2x/day

HOMEOPATHIC/FLOWER ESSENCE USE: In homeopthay, Burdock is very important in skin therapeutics. Eruptions on the head, face, and neck; pimples; acne. Styes and ulcerations on the edge of the eyelids. Profuse and frequent micturition. Crops of boils and styes. Energetically in a flower essence can be helpful when you are caught up in deep old anger, especially if the anger is directed at someone, usually an authority figure. Although the anger may be triggered by a current person or situation, the origin for this quality of anger is from a wound earlier in this life or a past life. This anger may also be related to an experience of grief or loss.

ETHNOBOTANY/HISTORY/FOLKLORE: The name of the genus, Arctium, is derived from the Greek arktos, a bear, in allusion to the roughness of the burs, lappa, the specific name, being derived from a word meaning ‘to seize.’ Another source derives the word lappa from the Celtic llap, a hand, on account of its prehensile properties. The plant gets its name of ‘Dock’ from its large leaves; the ‘Bur’ is supposed to be a contraction of the French bourre, from the Latin burra, a lock of wool, such is often found entangled with it when sheep have passed by the growing plants. Burdock was written about by Shakespeare and Tolstoy. After taking his dog for a walk one day in the early 1940s, George de Mestral, a Swiss inventor, became curious about the seeds of the burdock plant that had attached themselves to his clothes and to the dog’s fur. Under a microscope, he looked closely at the hook-and-loop system that the seeds use to hitchhike on passing animals aiding seed dispersal, and he realized that the same approach could be used to join other things together. The result was Velcro.

REFERENCES:

  • A Modern Herbal: http://www.botanical.com.  
  • Making Plant Medicine, Richo Cech.  
  • The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism, Matthew Wood.  
  • Witches Heal, Billie Potts.  
  • Herbal Rituals, Judith Berger. 
  • Tree Frog Farm 
  • New Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica with Repertory, William Boericke.
  • Herbal PDR, Medical Economics Company Inc., Montvale, NJ. 2001.
  • Cook, WM. The Physio-Medical Dispensatory: a Treatise on Therapeutics, Materia Medica and Pharmacy. Eclectic Medical Publications, Sandy, OR 1985 p.
  • Felter HW, Lloyd JU. King’s American Dispensatory, 18th ed. Eclectic Medical Publications, Sandy, OR 1983 p.
  • Mills, S. and Bone, K. Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. Churchhill Livingstone, New York, NY. 2000
  • Lininger et al: Healthnotes, Clinical Essentials, Prima Publishing, Rocklin, CA. 2001.
  • Planta Medica 1990; 56:659
  • Brinker, Francis ND. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions, 2nd ed. Eclectic Medical Publications, Sandy Oregon 1998. p. 45

***This article is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.***

Black Cohosh

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Meet Black Cohosh, a native woodland perennial and one of my top ten favorite herbs. You may have heard of this plant as a “menopause herb” and it is a great ally for hormonal transitions, but it has many other virtues including relieving arthritis and rheumatic pain, lower back pain, whiplash, and menstrual cramps!

Black Cohosh – Actaea racemosa - United Plant Savers

BOTANICAL NAME: Cimicifuga racemosa, Actaea racemosa

COMMON NAME(S): Black Snake Root, Rattle Root, Squaw Root, Bugbane

FAMILY: Ranunculaceae

PARTS USED: Root and rhizome

DESCRIPTION: Native perennial; non-aggressive, non-invasive. 3-8ft. Leaves thrice-divided; sharply toothed; terminal leaflet 3-lobed, middle lobe largest. Flowers white, in very long spikes; May – Sept. Tufts of stamens are conspicuous

HABITAT/HARVESTING/PROPAGATION: Black Cohosh grows in rich woods. Southern Ontario to Georgia.; West to Arkansas, Missouri and Wisconsin. The roots are unearthed with the rhizome in the Fall after the fruits have ripened. They should be cut lengthwise and dried carefully. Black cohosh is most easily propagated by dividing the rhizomes in spring or fall. Plants can also be started indoors from seed or seed can be directly sown into the ground, but rhizome divisions provide a more uniform plant stand and allow for a faster harvestable root. Black Cohosh is on the endangered species list and is heavily encouraged to propagate!

ENERGETICS AND TASTE: Cool, Sweet, Acrid, Bitter

TISSUE STATE: Wind/Tension, Damp Stagnation

CONSTITUENTS: Triterpene glycosides (actein, cimicifugoside, cimifugine, racemoside, cimiracemosides), isoferulic aice, salicylic acid, volatile oils, tannins (Hoffman)

SOLUBILITY:  Water, alcohol (best), glycerine

ACTIONS AND PROPERTIES: Emmenagogue, antispasmodic, anti inflammatory, antirheumatic, alterative, nervine, hypotensive 

USES & INDICATIONS: Black Cohosh is a valuable remedy for many systems of the body. A fantastic relaxant and normalizer of the female reproductive system by lowering painful or inducing delayed menstruation, relieves cramping pain during pregnancy or associated with menstruation. It is very effective against rheumatic pain including that of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, muscle pain, neurological pain, sciatica, and neuralgia. It is antispasmoic and anti-inflammatory, which make a wonderful combination for rheumatic complaints. It is also alterative, meaning that it supports the channels of elimination and can keep the body’s detoxification mechanisms working optimally. Alteratives used to be called “blood purifiers” because they can keep the blood from becoming too thick or congested. 

Black Cohosh helps to ease both physical and mental changes associated with menopause and perimenopause such as hot flashes, headaches, vertigo, irritability, sleep disturbances and depressive moods. The phytoestrogens that black cohosh contains act as estrogen modulators and can be helpful for both estrogen deficiency and excess. Black Cohosh has also been successfully administered in women younger than 40 for treatment of hormonal deficits associated with ovariectomy and hysterectomy (3).

Black Cohosh may lower blood pressure and enhance circulation. It relaxes the smooth muscles of the uterus, digestive tract and blood vessels. It also relaxes It helps to improve dark, gloomy depression and relieves dark, twisted emotional congestion (2). It increases the flow and circulation of Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). That combined with its antispasmodic effect on the muscles makes black cohosh a specific remedy for whiplash.

Five main uses:

  1. Relieving menopausal symptoms
  2. Antispasmodic, especially of uterus 
  3. Stagnant menstruation
  4. Dark, gloomy depression
  5. Rheumatic pain

CONTRAINDICATIONS: Pregnancy and lactation, use cautiously. In large doses, it can cause headaches, vomiting, and dizziness. Reports of black cohosh toxicity are due to adulteration of black cohosh with bugbane and other look-alikes. There is also bad information on the internet that warns against using phytoestrogenic herbs like black cohosh in cases of estrogen-dependent cancers because they can increase their growth. This is not true. It has been well-established for decades that phytoestrogens work as both estrogen agonists and antagonists and have a modulating effect on estrogen receptors. In fact, phytoestrogens can help to block the binding of the stronger estrogens like estradiol or xenoestrogens and be very helpful as part of a treatment protocol for breast cancer and other estrogen-dependent cancers. 

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE:
Decoction : 1 tsp : 8 fl oz water, decoct 20 minutes, steep 40 minutes. 2-4 oz, 3x a day
Tincture : Fresh root (1:2 80% alcohol), Dried root (1:5 80% alcohol),  1 mL 3x a day
(Fresh root is far superior to dried root)
Glycerite : Dried root (1:5) 0.5-1 mL 3x a day
Capsule : 250-500 mg, 2-3x a day

HOMEOPATHIC/FLOWER ESSENCE: The Homeopathic remedy has an effect on cerebrospinal, muscular system, uterus and ovaries. Indicated in pains associated with rheumatism, uterine cramps and migraine. It helps in treating menstrual disorders accompanied with severe pain in the ovarian region. It is also useful in relieving soreness of the muscles and limbs and helps in reducing involuntary jerking.
The flower essence : Knowing and trusting in one’s inner strength and resources. Helps to promote the honesty and courage to deal with and heal past experiences of abuse and oppression. Releasing entanglements. Bright strong sense of self-emerging.

ETHNOBOTANY/HISTORY/FOLKLORE/
The American Indians have given us ten times as many female remedies as any other culture. Black cohosh was used for menstrual problems and as a parturient in the late stages of labor. The name “cohosh” seems to come from the Algonquin word associated with pregnancy. Rafinesque introduced it to medical literature and it was adopted by the early physio-medical and eclectic physicians. Dr. C.J. Hemple gave it a proving in 1856 and it was adopted into homeopathy.(5) Black Snake Root refers to its past use in North America to treat snake bites, including that of the rattlesnake. Also known as bugbane (in Latin cimicifuga means “to chase insects away”) (4 )

COMBINATIONS:

Black Cohosh, Chaste Tree, Sage, Licorice and Motherwort for relieving hot flashes and night sweats (1)
Black Cohosh and Night Blooming Cereus for “doom and gloom depression”(Our great Eclectics)
Yucca root, Devil’s claw, Black Cohosh root, Prickly Ash Bark, Ginger root, Licorice Root for Good General Arthritis Formula (4)

REFERENCES:

  1. Herbal Therapeutics, David Winston
  2. The Modern Herbal Dispensary, Thomas Easley
  3. Medical Herbalism, David Hoffman
  4. Planetary Herbalism, Michael Tierra
  5. The Book of Herbal Wisdom, Matthew

*** This article is for educational purposes only. These statements have not been reviewed by the FDA and this information is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease. ***

Plantain

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250+ Organic Broadleaf Plantain Seeds ~ Plantago major *Free US shipping* | eBayPlantain is plentifully growing everywhere in nature here in West Virginia.  You can see it flourishing in yards, roadsides, fields; wherever humans create soil compaction.  It’s a very easy plant to identify, its leaves have vertical striations reminding me of the rind of a watermelon.  The leaves grow close to the ground in a wheel like formation and its flower heads are long, narrow, and green.  This plant is my personal favorite go to first aid remedy.  You can chew a few of the leaves to create an herbal poultice and apply to your skin to draw out infection and debris from the surface of a wound.

BOTANICAL NAME: Plantago major. P. laceolata

COMMON NAME(S):  Narrow leaf plantain (P.lanceolata), ribwort plantain (P.lanceolata), greater plantain (P. major), psyllium (P.ovara) all 34 species of Plantago genus are edible & medicinal, white man’s foot, white man’s footsteps, English man’s foot, waybread, snakeweed, soldiers, kemps, fireleaves, ripple grass, broadleaf, cuckoo’s beard, rat tail. (Planta means ‘foot’ in Latin)

FAMILY: Plantaginaceae

PARTS USED:  Primarily leaf, but also seed and root.

ENERGETICS AND TASTES: Bland, bitter, astringent, demulcent, cooling

ACTIONS AND PROPERTIES:  Alterative, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antivenom, astringent, demulcent, diuretic, moistening, expectorant, hemostatic, vulnerary.

CONSTITUENTS:  Leaf: Iridoid glycosides (2.5% including aucubin, catalpol); tannins (6.5%); polysaccharides, (galactose, xylose, arabnose, and rhamnose (E mucilage), mucilage (2%); alkaloids (plantagonine, asperuloside); flavonoids (baicalein, apigenin, scutellarin, nepetin, hispidulin, luteolin, plantagoside) (8).

Mark Pederson, author of Nutritional Herbology, writes that plantain seed is high in calcium, fiber, protein (amino acids) and fat (fatty acids, including Omega-3s) as well as silicon, sodium and zinc (4). The seed oat is made up of 30% mucilage, which absorbs toxins in the digestive tract and supports elimination by lubricating the colon (5).

DESCRIPTION:  Both plantago major and lanceolata have a rosette of smooth-edged green leaves ribbed with long, parallel veins that are more prominent on the underside.  Ribwort plantain (P.lanceolata) has longer, hairy, narrow leaves that taper gradually to their narrow bases and very short stalks.  They have short, dense, blackish flower heads (with creaming stamens) on leafless stems.  In comparison, Greater Plantain (P.major) has broader leaves which are hairless or with short hair and taper more abruptly into distinct leaf stalks which can be as long as the leaves themselves.  The flower head is long, narrow and green (brown when dead).  Plantago major’s flower spike extends down almost the entire length of its stem (1).

HABITAT & PROPAGATION:  Plantain is native to Europe and Asia, but is naturalized throughout North America & Australia.  Plantain grows in dry, disturbed and depleted soils, in short, grazed grasslands, along hedgerows and roadsides, and on waste grounds (1).  Plantain is an excellent cover drop for soils harmed by extractive agriculture or repeated trampling.  It is an early succession crop that thrives wherever humans create soil compaction, helping to prevent erosion, break up compaction and replenish the top soil until others can arrive.

Propagates easily by seed.  Harvest the young leaves anytime of year, buy ideally in the late spring before the flower.  The seed heads may be gathered when ripe.

SOLUBILITY:  water, alcohol, oil

USES & INDICATIONS:  Most people first come to know plantain as a first aid herb to alleviate itching and pain from bee stings or mosquito bites.  It is indeed a wonderful ally for first aid including bites, cuts, scrapes, stings, rashes and puncture wounds.  It soothes, cools, disinfects, staunches bleeding and speeds tissue healing.  Plantain also has an extra special action of drawing infections or debris to the surface of a wound.  It can help draw out splinters, stingers, venom and other poisons (think spider bites, bee stings, even snake bites-all of which contain venom).  It is effective as a spit poultice, and can also be added to salves, medicated clays, or used as a wash or compress.

As a vulnerary it can help to heal tissues internally as well.  I love plantain leaf as a tea/infusion for leaky guy syndrome.  Its astringency and vulnerary actions help to heal the gut lining, reduce inflammation, soothe the irritated tissues through its demulcent action, and help keep the “bad” microbes in check if they are out of balance.  It also makes a good tea for gastric ulcers (along with chamomile).

The demulcent action can also be helpful for constipation.  Here the seed is best as it contains much more mucilage than the leaf, but the leaf can also be used in combination with other bulk laxatives or tonics for the colon.  It can have a supportive role in a formula for any kind of -‘itis’, including colitis, diverticulitis, gastritis, bronchitis, cystitis, or gingivitis.

For bronchitis, it is most effective for the dry, irritated types of coughs.  For cystitis, it is effective as a tea (teas are best for treating gut or kidneys), especially if it prepared as a cold infusion to extract more mucilage.  This will make it more soothing to the mucosal membranes of the urinary tract.  Its drawing action will exert an effect here, and it will cool, soothe, and moisten at the same time as it treats the infection.  The diuretic action combined with its aucubin content supports the kidney’s production and elimination of uric acid (7).

PREPARATION & DOSAGE:  For internal use, plantain can be prepared as a tea or a tincture.  Hot tea is preferable when treating ailments of the digestive or respiratory tracts.  Cold infusions will be more specific for kidneys and cystitis.

A wide range of dosage exists and depends on the type of ailment you are trying to treat.  In acute situations, 1-2 ml of tincture or 4-6 cups of infusion per day would not be too much.  To make an infusion, use 1 TBSP of dried leaves and steep at least 15 minutes, up to 10 hours.

For topical use, you can use plantain as a fresh plant poultice, infused into oil, infused in rubbing alcohol as a liniment, or prepared as a strong infusion for use as a wash or compress.

The seeds can be stirred into water or blended into smoothies as a bulk laxative.

COMBINATIONS: 

  • For minor cuts/scrapes/burns: plantain leaf with comfrey leaf and calendula flower infused oils.
  • To stop bleeding and treat puncture wounds: plantain leaf and yarrow prepared as a wash or compress.
  • For poison ivy or contact dermatitis: plantain leaf and jewelweed.
  • For infections: combine with goldenseal, yarrow, and echinacea.
  • For diarrhea: use seed, possibly alongside yellow dock or triphala.
  • For cystitis: plantain leaf with uva ursi, marshmallow root and juniper berry.
  • For bronchitis/dry coughs: use with elecampane, licorice and thyme.
  • For ulcers: combine with chamomile, and/or slippery elm, marshmallow root or licorice.

REFERENCES:

  1. Plants and Habitats, Ben Averis
  2. Zevin, Igor Vilevich. A Russian Herbal: Traditional Remedies for Health and Healing.  Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press, 1997. Pgs.].
  3. “Plants in the Saxon World.” PSU Medieval Garden. Web.  Accessed 10 Feb. 2017.
  4. Nutritional Herbology, Mark Pedersen.
  5. The Wild Wisdom of Weeds, Katrina Blair.
  6. Meteria Medica.  Tehran:  Tehran University of Medical Sciences; 2005. Dioscorides’s
  7. Tierra, Michael.  The Way of Herbs. New York: Pocket Books, 1980.  Pgs 179-180.
  8. Plantain monograph, Materia Medica Monthly produced by the Sajah Popham at the School of Evolutionary Herbalism.

This article is for educational purposes only. This information has not been reviewed by the FDA and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

Skullcap

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In honor of Mother’s Day, May’s Herb of the Month is Skullcap.  Skullcap is known by many names, including ‘Mother’s Little Helper’ and ‘Blisswort’ for its ability to soothe nervous tension, irritability (common symptoms of motherhood) and put some distance between you and your stressors.

Skullcap feels like it’s gently coating your skull with a protective layer that drowns out the background noise and quiets down the stimuli that can cause us to feel overwhelmed.

Another name for skullcap is ‘Mad Dog Weed’ because it used to be used as a remedy for rabies, which is an extreme example of cerebral excitation (symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, confusion, agitation & hallucinations). Read on to learn more about the benefits of skullcap:

Botanical Name: Scutellaria lateriflora

Common Names: Skullcap, European Skullcap, Blisswort, Mad Dog Weed, Mother’s Little Helper

Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)

Parts used: Aerial portions

Energetics and Tastes: bitter, cooling, drying.

Actions and Properties: Neurotrophorestorative (restores function to the nervous system), anxiolytic (reduces anxiety), nerve tonic, bitter tonic, antispasmodic, sedative, slightly astringent, analgesic, anticonvulsive, anti-seizure.

Meridians/Organs/Tissue States: Nerves, Small Intestines, Stomach

Constituents:  Flavonoid glycosides (including scutellarin, baicalin and baicalein), amino acids, iridoids, volatile oil, waxes and diterpenes.

Description: It grows from 60-80 centimeters in height and produces purple flowers that grow up the side of one stem from the leaf axils. The Skullcaps (Scutellaria spp.) have a distinctive feature making them easier to identify. There is a distinctive cap (generally called a ‘protuberance’) on the upper side of the calyx. This part has given them both their genus and common name. A ‘scute’ is a plate or scales, similar to those found on lizard, alluding to the protuberance, as is the name skullcap (7 Song). Scutella, meaning “little dish” or scutellum meaning “little shield” both describe the shape of the calyx. Lateriflora means that the flowers on the racemes are turned to one side. In the 1700s the Genus was Cassida, which meant “helmet,” referring to the upper part of the calyx.

Habitat: Native to North America and Europe, Scutellaria lateriflora is a perennial herb that likes to grow in wet places such as near marshes, streams, and other damp areas. Different species of skullcap grow across North America. While these plants aren’t explicitly endangered, they could easily be over-harvested since they don’t grow in profusion. It prefers full-part sun and moist soil.

Solubility: Soluble in alcohol and water. Dried skullcap is useful as a tea. Skullcap extract is best tinctured when fresh. When making a fresh plant tincture, it is recommended to use 95% alcohol at a 1:2 ratio.

Indications: Acute and chronic stress, panic attacks, anxiety, PMS, mood swings, irritability, menstrual cramps, pain, muscle spasms, insomnia, pain attacks, heart palpitations, seizures, twitching, teething, TMJ pain, restless legs, muscular tension, headache, fever, rabies, mania, hysteria, delirium, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, arthritis, cancer, inflammatory bowel conditions, ADHD.

Skullcap is a wonderful plant to calm anxiety, panic, worry and irritability without overly sedating you or making you overly drowsy. It helps to put some distance between you had your stressors by calming you down and nourishing your nervous system. When taken long term, it nourishes and rejuvenates the nervous system. For overstimulation, hyperactivity and re-activity, heat and irritation.

Skullcap can also be helpful for people going through withdrawal. It keeps the nervous system on a steady keep and reduces the symptoms of withdrawal and combines well with fresh milky oats tincture for this purpose.

Herbalist Kiva Rose uses skullcap “for nerves so frayed they’re about to snap, resulting in a very emotionally labile and reactive person. These people have a tendency to flip out over (seemingly) nothing. They feel as if every sound, touch and bit of light is personally attacking them. They are exhausted on a deep level and need nourishment in the form of rest, nutrient dense food and nervous system restoratives.” (Kiva Rose). Herbalist David Winston uses skullcap for ADHD and the associated irritability, repetitive movements, oversensitivity to external stimuli and outbursts of anger.

And herbalist Seven Song says “I see it most useful for people who constantly need to take charge. They make constant contingency plans and feel personally insulted when things don’t go their way. They may have insomnia and cannot initially fall asleep due to thinking about all the things they could have done differently that day. They might worry about their performance about everything (‘was the dinner okay?’) and are expert at criticizing themselves, and others.

One other place I find skullcap helpful, is for people who have an emotional attachment to their injury. This is common. When the person thinks about how they sprained their ankle or got stung, there is an upsetting emotional quality to it. With this type of person you may see them blaming themselves for the injury (‘I knew I shouldn’t have run that trail’) Skullcap may help relieve the physical pain and some of the emotional pressure.” (7 Song)

Its antispasmodic properties make it helpful for relaxing muscular tension (both smooth & skeletal muscles), and involuntary twitching, spasm and convulsions, including restless leg syndrome and menstrual cramps. It can even relieve tremors and seizures and palsies.

For sleep, it is especially helpful for sleeplessness due to excessive mental chatter, ruminating thought patterns, and muscle tension. It does not sedate you to the point of drowsiness during the day, but can be very helpful for relaxing the mind and body enough to allow the tiredness to be felt at night and override the anxiety and overstimulation that is preventing sleep.

Combinations:

  • For sleep- combines well with passionflower, lemon balm, valerian, lavender and/or hops (Skullcap & passionflower are a classic combination for sleep, especially when excessive mental chatter is preventing sleep)
  • For withdrawal- skullcap + milky oat tops for nervous system lability. Add lobelia for tobacco withdrawal, kudzu root for alcohol withdrawal.
  • For ADHD and oversensitivity- skullcap with milky oats, rose petals, sweet birch and holy basil (David Winston)
  • For Pain- consider combining it with other analgesics like Jamaican Dogwood, pedicularis, feverfew for headaches or black haw for cramping
  • We blend skullcap with lemon balm, oats, chamomile, passionflower and holy basil in our Happy Hour Tea for end-of-day relaxation and with raspberry leaf, nettle, rose petals, yarrow, lemon balm and skullcap in our Women’s Tonic Tea for menstrual ease.

Preparation and Dosage:

  • tea is strongly sedating. Use 1 TBSP of dried herb infused in 8 ounces of water for 15 minutes. This can be drank an hour before your desired bed time. Total recommended dose per day is 6-15 grams.
  • Tincture: 3-5ml three times per day is a general dose. For acute pain, use 1/2 dropper doses until you find relief. For chronic pain you may need to use 1/2-2 droppersful as often as every two hours. If you overdo it, it will just make you sleepy.
  • Can be dried and smoked. Also great as a massage oil.

As a trophorestorative/nervous system tonic for chronic stress, skullcap is best used in significant doses over long periods of time, and it can be very effective when used correctly.

Contraindications: Despite some claims that skullcap is not safe to be used during pregnancy due to its emmenagogue properties, traditional texts say that skullcap is very safe to use, even in high doses, for the young and old and in pregnancy and breastfeeding. In fact it was widely used by the Eclectic physicians of the 18th and 19th centuries for various female disorders in both pregnant and non-pregnant women.

History/Folklore/Mythology: Skullcap was very popular with the general public in the time before pharmaceutical tranquilizers. In the early 20th century when sedative drugs came on to the market the medical establishment went to lengths to discredit Skullcap by using its rather exaggerated claim to be able to cure the madness of rabies as the rope to hang it by — thus it fell from favour. In 1772 skullcap was introduced into the medical field as a prophylactic and treatment for rabies after Dr. Lawrence Van Derveer discovered its “powers” to cure mad-dog disease. The name “MadDog Skullcap” was derived from this alleged cure associated with the plant. Testimonies abound in the early 1800s confirming skullcap’s use for rabies and brought a reputation to Dr. Lawrence Van Derveer as the doctor who cured rabies.

Skullcap is an indigenous North American species and was utilized by the Cherokee and Iroquois tribes. The Cherokees made a decoction consisting of “S. lateriflora, S. elliptica, Hypericum spp. and Stylosanthes spp. [pencil flower] to promote suppressed menstruation” and as a “wash to counteract the ill effects of eating food prepared by a woman in the menstrual condition, or when such a woman by chance comes into a sick room or house under taboo”. A decoction of the root was used for diarrhea, breast pains, and the expelling of afterbirth. The Cherokee also created a root compound from the herb to aid the kidney. The Iroquois made an infusion from powdering the roots for the prevention of smallpox and for cleaning the throat.

References:

 

 

VIOLET

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(Viola odorata)

A common herb found in backyards, gardens, fields and forests, this lowly plant is often overlooked as medicinal, but don’t let its small stature or quiet disposition deceive you. It’s full of nutrients and makes a lovely spring potherb, tea, and is a soothing, anti-inflammatory & detoxifying tonic.

Family: Violaceae

Actions: vulnerary, lymphatic, alterative, emollient, expectorant, mild diuretic & mild laxative

Parts Used: Leaf & Flower

Energetics: cooling, moistening

Description: The sweet-scented Violet appears at the end of March and has finished blooming by the end of May. The familiar heart-shaped leaves are slightly downy, especially beneath, and grow from stalks that rise from a creeping rhizome. The young leaves are curled up on the edges, rolled up from each side into the middle of the leaf into two tight coils. The flower-stalks arise from the axils of the leaves and bear single flowers. The dark purple flowers bear five sepals extended at their bases, and five unequal petals. 

There is a remarkable botanical curiosity in the structure of the Violet: it produces flowers both in the spring and in autumn, but the flowers are different. In spring they are fully formed, as described, and sweet-scented, but they are mostly barren and produce no seed, while in autumn, they are very small and insignificant, hidden away amongst the leaves, with no petals and no scent, and produce abundance of seed. 

The Violet also propagates itself, also, in another way by throwing out scions, or runners, from the main plant each summer after flowering, and these in turn send out roots and become new plants, a process that renders it independent of seed. (Grieve)

Uses: Violet flowers are rich in vitamin C and the leaves are packed with Vitamin A (carotene). The leaves affect the nerves, lungs, immune & reproductive systems, with a special affinity for the breasts. Violet supports lymphatic circulation and mildly enhances bowel, liver & kidney function. Violet has a long history of being used in cancer treatment, in combination with other therapies. On its own, violet has been known to help dissolve tumors, cysts and some cancers, especially in the breasts. It essentially dissolves hard masses while relieving congestion of the lymphatic glands.

Indications: Breast congestion, cystic breasts, lymphatic congestion, dry or spasmodic cough, red, itchy & inflamed skin conditions. Hippocrates recommended violet for headaches, hangovers, bad eyesight, and excess of bile. Pliny said they induced sleep, strengthened the heart muscle & calmed anger. They have been used in Arabic medicine for constipation, tonsillitis and insomnia.

Cautions: no side effects or drug interactions found.

Preparations: eat the leaves and flowers in a spring salad, use as an infused oil for breast massage, as a salve or poultice for topical relief of irritations to the skin, as an infusion for a nourishing & detoxifying tonic, as a tincture for its alterative action, or as a syrup for coughs.

Dose: Tincture: 1-2 ml 3 x a day; as an infusion, use 1 cup of dried herb to 1 quart water. Steep 4-8 hours, then strain. Drink 1-3 cups a day.

Homeopathic Use: for breathlessness & spasmodic coughs, whooping cough and breathing problems associated with anxiety. It is also for headaches with burning of the forehead & pain above the eyebrows and vertigo. A Violet person easily gets tense & over-excited. It particularly suits thin, nervous girls.

Flower Essence: for profound shyness; suited for people who are delicate, sensitive and timid. Violet engenders a sense of warmth & openness.

Folklore: Violet has been grown commercially since Greek times. The blooms were sold in Athenian street markets. The Romans adored the flowers and used them to adorn the heads of poets, civic leaders and other officials. Both cultures wore garlands of violet to prevent drunkenness. It was also used in love potions.

References:

  • Cech, Richo.  Making Plant Medicine
  • Elpel, Thomas J.  Botany in a Day
  • Garrett, J.T.  The Cherokee Herbal
  • Grieve, Maude.  A Modern Herbal
  • Kear, Katherine.  Flower Wisdom
  • McIntyre, Anne.  Flower Power
  • Tierra, Michael.  Planetary Herbology
  • Wood, Matthew.  The Book of Herbal Wisdom

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.

Linden

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Linden (Tilia cordata) is the herb of the month. It is a plant that everyone who knows it comes to adore because it’s so lovely, sweet, juicy, fragrant, and relaxing. And it’s good for our hearts, both physically and metaphysically (as you can infer from its heart-shaped leaves and Latin name).  With American Heart month and Valentines Day coming up in February, I can’t think of a more appropriate herb to highlight.

SmellyBlog – "Linden Blossom" – Ayala Moriel ParfumsBOTANICAL NAMES: Tilia europaea, T. cordata, T. platyphyllos, T. americana

COMMON NAME(S): Linden flower, Lime blossom, Basswood, Linn Flowers, Spoonwood, Tilden Flower, Bee tree, Whitewood, Lime tree.

FAMILY: Tiliaceae

DESCRIPTION: a large deciduous tree, growing up to 130 feet tall with a trunk diameter usually of 2 to 3 feet, and a rounded crown. The flowers are intensely sweet and fragrant and beloved by bees. When in bloom, bees forsake most other flowers. The honey that bees make from linden nectar is regarded as some of the best honey in the world.

The leaves are heart-shaped and shiny. The bark is furrowed, and the wood is soft and light in color. It is easily carved and was used historically to make ship’s figureheads, broom handles, beehives and to make parts of instruments.

HISTORY/FOLKLORE:

  • The Green Dryads or tree spirits were said to be wedded to Linden trees
  • In Roman mythology the Linden was a symbol of conjugal love and fidelity
  • Hildegard of Bingen used a talisman made of a green stone and lime flowers wrapped in a spider web to ward off the plague.
  • In “the old days” in Germany, nearly every village had a green with linden trees where people gathered to decide business (possibly due to Linden’s calming effects)
  • In the Pyrenees Linden is used to soothe spasms and excitement. The Ancients knew of Linden’s antispasmodic effects and used it for convulsion and epilepsy, as well as for all “nervous distempers” , fever and hyperactivity in children (Matthew Wood)

PARTS USED:  Flowers and leaves primarily.

ACTIONS AND PROPERTIES: Nervine, antispasmodic, hypotensive, diaphoretic, diuretic, antioxidant, demulcent, anti-inflammatory, emmenagogue, astringent, nutritive

CONSTITUENTS: volatile oils, flavonoids (antioxidants) including quercetin, coumarin, mucilage, minerals, tannins, sugars, steroidal saponins, terpenes, vitamin C, amino acids, resins

ENERGETICS AND TASTE:  Sweet, moist, cool, slightly sour and astringent

TISSUE STATES: Linden is balancing to heat, dryness and tension

USES:

Historical uses for Linden include: Appetite loss, Arrhythmia, arteriosclerosis, beverage, bladder problems, bleeding, burns (minor), cancer, colds, cough, diarrhea, dietary supplements, ear infection, epilepsy, fever, flavoring agent, gallstones, gargle/mouth rinse, gastrointestinal problems, gout, halitosis (bad breath), headache, hyperactivity, hypertension (mild/moderate), hysteria, indigestion, influenza, insomnia, irritability, kidney stones, laryngitis, menstrual problems, migraine, mucus, nervous conditions, night sweats, pain respiratory conditions, scurvy, skin problems, sore throat, sores, spasmodic conditions, tumors, vomiting, and wounds (minor).Linden Tilia cordata leaves buds and flowers - Lizzie Harper

Linden is primarily a relaxing remedy, used for nervous tension. Its relaxing effect on the nerves combined with its vasodilating effect on the blood vessels makes it a valuable ally in lowering blood pressure. It is considered a specific remedy in cases of raised blood pressure associated with arteriosclerosis and nervous tension and can be used to prevent arteriosclerosis and hypertension. Animal studies indicate that linden has anti-stress, sedative, and hypotensive (blood pressure lowering) effects. (American Botanical Council).

Its general relaxing action combined with an effect upon the circulatory system give Linden a role in treating some forms of migraine.  It also protects the stomach against stress-induced ulcers. It has been shown to decrease adrenal enlargement and possess corticosteroid-sparing effects in rats under stressful conditions. As a diaphoretic, it induces a sweat and helps to resolve a fever. (Hoffman)

Herbalist Matthew Wood writes “It is suited to symptoms of kidney heat and irritation, including increased blood volume, essential hypertension, orthostatic hypertension, moist, warm skin, congestion of the kidneys, scanty, dark urine, and edema.  It is cooling enough to work on herpes. The tongue calling for Linden flower is usually red, sometimes flame-shaped and usually somewhat moist.” (Wood)

Larger doses are used to promote restful sleep. The soothing mucilage provides an anti-inflammatory effect on mucus membranes in the digestive, respiratory and urinary systems.

Other Uses per Matthew Wood:

  • Restlessness, hyperactivity, insomnia
  • Nervousness, panic attacks and anxiety
  • Nervous headache, migraine and dizziness, neuralgia
  • Convulsions in children
  • Influenza, fever, colds, coughs, mucus in the trachea and lungs
  • Indigestion, nervous vomiting, painful digestion, colic, diarrhea.
  • Heart palpitation, cramp
  • Arteriosclerosis and hypertension associated with nervous tension
  • Dark, scanty urine, edema
  • Pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine pain, bearing down sensations, inflammation of the genatalia
  • Fever with profuse sweat that does not relieve.
  • Fever, chills, shivering, profuse sweat with no relief from fever
  • Pain associated with heat, irritation and spasm.
  • Itching, burning, eruptions, sores, herpes, shingles (external, the bark is beaten to soft fiber, simmered in cream, milk or milk and water, to make a soothing poultice)

CONTRAINDICATIONS / CAUTIONS: 

Elisabeth Brooke gave this warning: Lime flowers act as a powerful sedative which when kept for over a year, has a narcotic effect. Therefore, strong doses of lime flower should be treated with respect and [one] should not operate heavy machinery or drive a car after taking them. Even so, if you take doses greater than those suggested, they are not dangerous.  You will just fall asleep.

I have definitely used linden that I found stashed in the back of the cabinet that was over a year old and did not notice a strong hypnotic effect myself. There are also warnings about pregnant women avoiding linden due to its emmenagogue effect, but this is also a theoretical contraindication.  Linden was not listed for any contraindications/concerns in Michael Moore’s book “Herbal/Medical Contraindications.”

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE:

  • Tincture dosage is 2.5 to 5 ml three times a day (1:5 in 40%).
  • Infusion preparation, pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 teaspoon of blossom and infuse in a covered container for 10 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day.
  • For a diaphoretic effect in fever, use 2 to 3 teaspoons of blossoms per cup of water. (Hoffman)

PLANT SPIRIT/FLOWER ESSENCE AND / OR HOMEOPATHIC INFORMATION:

Calming emotional turmoil (Woodland Essences)Tilia cordata - Small Leafed Lime - Future Forests

Linden from Delta gardens flower essences:

  • Provides angelic relief to deep worry and anxiety.
  • Steadies the “high-strung” or overexcited psyche.
  • Helps balance cycles of work, play and rest.

COMBINATIONS:

  • For atherosclerosis, combine linden with hawthorn and/or garlic (Hoffman)
  • For hypertension, combine with cramp bark and skullcap (Hoffman)
  • For nervous tension and insomnia, combine with hops
  • For fever, combine with elderflower

REFERENCES:

This Article is for education purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. They are not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. 

Ginger

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A favorite herb for the colder months. Ginger is invigorating, energizing and delicious. We add it to many of our concoctions, including all of our Fire Cider, our Seasonal Chai blends, our Elderberry-Ginger Syrup blend, our Energy Tonic tea, our Achy Joints tea, our Kava-Ginger Muscle balm, and our Kava-Ginger Bath blend.  A hot cup of ginger tea will drive the chill from your body, and adding a concentrated tea to your bath water is an incredible way to relax tight and achy muscles.

BOTANICAL NAME:  Zingiber officinale

COMMON NAME(S): Jamaican ginger, African ginger, Calcutta ginger, Green ginger (fresh ginger)

FAMILY: Zingiberaceae

PARTS USED: Rhizome, incorrectly called root

DESCRIPTION: Ginger has a perennial rhizome or stem which creeps and increases in size underground. Roots grow from the bottom of the rhizome and shoots from the upper surface.

In the spring it sends up from its rhizome a green reed-like stalk about 2 feet high, with narrow lanceolate leaves. These leaves die back after the growing season. The flowering stalk rises directly from the rhizome with the leaves and consists of an oblong spike with scalloped green bracts. From each bract one or more white or yellowish-green flowers is produced, blooming for several days. The underground rhizome is the source of commercial “ginger root”. (Grieve, M. 1931. A Modern Herbal.)

HABITAT: tropical climates; can be grown in temperate regions if brought indoors during the cold months. Z. officinale is thought to originally be native to southeast Asia, although no one knows for sure exactly where. It has become so widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of the world that it is rarely found growing wild. Ginger prefers warm, humid, sunny and low altitude locations with well-drained, fertile soil.

HARVESTING/PROPAGATION: harvest the rhizome after 1 year of growth. Cultivated propagation has been done by root cuttings for so long many cultivars no longer produce seeds. You can plant the rhizome about two inches deep in pots and keep them well-watered until it begins to sprout. Start indoors in the early spring and then move the pots outside when the weather warms up.

ENERGETICS AND TASTE: pungent, sweet, bitter, very warming, drying 

CONSTITUENTS: Volatile(essential) oil (1-3%) containing sesquiterpenes zingiberene and B-bisabolene, B-sesquiphellandrene,  oleoresin and ar-curcumene; some monoterpenes such as geranial and neral; (4-10%) Pungent compounds (non-volatile phenols, arylalkanes) including gingerols (strong anti-inflammatory), shogaols, gingerdiols, gingerdiones; Vitamins: B6, niacin, panthothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin, Vitamin C, beta carotenes, choline; Minerals: copper, magnesium, magnanese, potassium, phosphorous, iron, zinc, calcium, sodium, selenium; Other: lecithin, resins, carbohydrates (40-60%), protein, lipids, phosphatidic acid

SOLUBILITY: water, alcohol, glycerin, honey, vinegar, oil

ACTIONS: diffusive, diaphoretic, circulatory stimulant, carminative, antispasmodic, rubefacient (local irritant), anti-inflammatory, emmenagogue, sialagogue, antimicrobial, expectorant, anti-cancer

PROPERTIES:  Ginger increases the circulation of blood and qi (the vital energy of the body). It improves digestion, stimulates blood flow to the stomach, eases nausea and motion sickness (lots of clinical trials show it is more effective than Dramamine), and relaxes the smooth muscles of the GI tract. The sharp, pungent compounds of this spicy rhizome cut through mucus and support expectoration from the lungs. Its warming, circulatory supporting properties make it helpful for cold/damp types of arthritis (those kinds that are worse from cold and inactivity, and better with warmth & movement).

Ginger brings blood flow to the joints and to the skin. As a diaphoretic, it helps bring blood to the capillaries on the surface of the body and brings on a sweat. This can be very helpful for fevers, especially when someone has a low-grade fever or fever with pronounced chills and cool, clammy skin. Ginger will help the fever mechanism work more effectively and clear the illness more quickly.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, fresh ginger promotes sweating and releases exterior cold. Fresh ginger is used for vomiting, cough, intolerance to cold, runny nose, nasal congestion and general aches and pains. Dried ginger is considered to be more heating to the interior and can be more irritating to the mucus membranes. Dried ginger is used to strengthen circulation, appetite and digestion, and to thin mucus that has become thick and difficult to expectorate.

INDICATIONS:

  • anorexia, loss of appetite
  • nausea, vomiting, motion sickness
  • flatulence
  • borborygmus
  • gastric & intestinal spasms
  • painful menses, cramping
  • amenorrhea due to poor circulation
  • cold extremities
  • acute colds & flu
  • sore, achy muscles
  • cough with copious amounts of clear or white mucus
  • sinus congestion

CONTRAINDICATIONS: 

  • According to Comm E, use of ginger is contraindicated in patients with gallstones.
  • Some sources say ginger should not be administered during pregnancy, however, several traditions have used small quantities for morning sickness. A daily dose of 2gm dried ginger is okay.
  • Careful with peptic ulceration; ginger can aggravate existing ulcers, though regular use may be helpful in preventing future ulcers
  • The irritating pungent qualities of ginger can also aggravate heartburn/GERD. Use smaller amounts in between meals.
  • Drug interactions – care with blood thinning agents

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE: Hot decoction of rhizome is best for colds/flus. Fresh ginger decoction is incredible added to hot bath water, to aid with diaphoresis and to relax achy, tense muscles. Can also be used topically as a poultice, salve or liniment to bring blood flow and/or relax spasm in certain areas.  Can also be made into syrups, infused into honey, vinegar, vegetable glycerin, or used fresh or powdered in food. 

Dried root, powder – 500mg 2-4 x/day or 2-4 total grams a day

Dried root water infusion = .25- 1.0 g in 150 ml water 3X a day

Fresh root as food – up t0 100 grams a day

Fresh root water infusion = 1-2 g in 8 oz water, simmered

Tablets 500 mg 1 tab 2-4x day

Tincture: 1.7 – 5 ml /day (assuming 1:5 potency)

COMBINATIONS: Ginger makes a great addition to a formula as a “driving herb” or an herb that can help with the assimilation and circulation of the other herbs. It can make up 10-20% of a tea or tincture formula. Try it with feverfew and ginkgo for a migraine, elderflower and yarrow for fever, onion and garlic for a chronic cough or acute congestion, and dandelion and chamomile for digestion.

HISTORY/FOLKLORE/MYTHOLOGY: Ginger was introduced into the Americas after the discovery of that country by the Spaniards. Francisco de Mendosa transplanted it from the East Indies into Spain, where Spanish-Americans cultivated it vigorously, so that in 1547 they exported 22,053 cwt (1 cwt = 112 lbs) to Europe. (Grieve, M. 1931. A Modern Herbal.)

There is a native variety of ginger that grows in the shady woodlands of North America. Its botanical name is Asarum canadense. It is not as pungent as Asian ginger, but it does have carminative, expectorant and stimulating properties. Wild ginger was used by Native Americans for fever, coughs and pain and to stimulate appetite, much like Asian ginger. It is a low-growing plant with heart-shaped leaves. Please be sure to use a reputable identification guide if you want to look for this in the wild. And practice ethical wild-crafting techniques, taking no more than 30% of a healthy, large population, and leaving smaller stands untouched.

REFERENCES:

  1. Bone, Kerry. A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs: Herbal Formulations for the Individual Patient. St. Louis, MO: Churchill Livingstone, 2003. pgs. 227-231 Print.
  2. “Ginger” American Botanical Council Clinical Guide. Web 15 Sept 2020 http://cms.herbalgram.org/ABCGuide/Monographs/GingerGuideMonograph.html
  3. Grieve, M. 1931. A Modern Herbal
  4. Kress, Henriette.  “Zingiber (U.S.P.) – Ginger, King’s American Dispensatory, 1898) Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. n.d. Web. 15 Sept 2020 https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/kings/zingiber.html
  5. Tilgner, Dr. Sharol Marie. Herbal Medicine From the Heart of the Earth. 2nd ed. Pleasant Hill, OR: Wise Acres LLC, 2009. pgs. 91-93  Print
  6. Vermeulen, N. 1999. Encyclopaedia of Herbs.
  7. Wood, Matthew. The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants. Berkeley, CA.: North Atlantic Books, 2009. Pgs. 533-537 Print.
*This article is for educatinal purposes only. The information contained in this has not been reviewed by the FDA and is not intended to treat, prevent, cure or diagnose any disease*

Astragalus

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BOTANICAL NAME: Astragalus membranaceus

COMMON NAME(S): Huang Qi (Chinese), Milkvetch, Yellow Leader

FAMILY: Fabaceae

PARTS USED: Root

ENERGETICS AND TASTE: Warming, sweet

ACTIONS AND PROPERTIES: Adaptogen, antibacterial, antiviral, diuretic, immune-stimulant, vasodilator, nutritive, Qi tonic (5)

USES & INDICATIONS:
Tonifying and stimulating, astragalus is often affectionately called the “young person’s ginseng.” Like ginseng, it strengthens the qi, or the vital energy of the body. It specifically strengthens the wei qi, or the defensive energies of the body that protect us from pathogens. It works best as a preventative. Taken daily it will strengthen one’s resistance to respiratory infections, viral infections such as shingles, and even Lyme disease. When I lived in Vermont, everyone was using astragalus as a preventative measure to reduce their chances of contracting Lyme.

The polysaccharides in astragalus intensify white blood cell activity, stimulate pituitary adrenal-cortical activity, and restore depleted red blood cell formation in bone marrow (7). In other words, astragalus increases the bone marrow reserve, supporting the deepest layers of the immune system in its fight against pathogens by stimulating the production of immune cells (2).

Another mechanism of action is its ability to increase interferon, a chemical messenger that helps a cell that’s been affected by a pathogen communicate what is is experiencing to other nearby cells so that they can better protect themselves. Although it does have antiviral activity, astragalus should not be used during a fever or acute infection because it closes the pores and doesn’t allow you to break a sweat. When you have a fever that oftentimes will accompany a flu, your body is trying to sweat it out, but Astragalus will not let you sweat it out. In Chinese medicine they say that astragalus can actually drive an infection it deeper into the body, which we don’t want. So Astragalus is a really great plant to take as a preventative medicine, but not in an acute illness.

Though it is a relatively new focus in eclectic American herbalism, astragalus is getting some serious clout as of late for being an adaptogen, an herb that has some normalizing activity, particularly on the immune, nervous, and hormonal systems. It is classified as a “superior tonic” in Chinese medicine and is used in China for treating cancer. Astragalus is part of Fu Zheng therapy, which is often used concurrently with more conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation to treat cancer (3). 

Chinese medicine also considers astragalus as lung tonic and is classically used to improve respiratory health and strengthen the vital energy of the lungs in cases of chronic asthma, emphysema or respiratory weakness. Again, it is best used as a daily tonic to support the lungs before or after an illness, but not during the acute phase of an illness. 

Five main uses:

  1. Adaptogen
  2. Strengthens and rebuilds depleted immune activity
  3. Chronic lung deficiency
  4. Antiviral
  5. Allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma

CONTRAINDICATIONS: Astragalus is contraindicated for those with acute infections. Those with autoimmune conditions should speak with their healthcare provider before using astragalus, as it may stimulate immune function. May also interfere with drugs that are meant to suppress the immune system.

PREPARATION AND DOSAGE:
Decoction : 10 g : 16 fl oz water, decoct 35 minutes, steep 1 hour. 1-2 cups per day
Tincture : Dried root (1:5 40% alcohol), 2-4 mL 3x a day
Glycerite : Dried root (1:8) 10-20 mL 3x a day
Capsule : 1,000 to 3,000 mg 3x a day

ETHNOBOTANY/HISTORY/FOLKLORE/
Astragalus membranaceus is known in China as Huang Qi, meaning “yellow leader.” This name refers to both the colored interior of the root and the plant’s position of prestige among Chinese medicine practitioners. Astragalus is thought to have been used medicinally in China for at least 2,000 years, with its first text appearance in the TCM classic Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica Classic). This text is the foundation of TCM, and within it herbs were arranged by type of material (herb, tree, etc), and then graded into categories of potency: upper, middle, and lower. Astragalus was listed in the highest class (3).

REFERENCES:

  1. Herbal Therapeutics, David Winston
  2. Foundations of Herbalism, Christopher Hobbs
  3. Herbrally, Krystal Thompson
  4. The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism, Matthew Wood
  5. History of the Use of Astragalus.  http://www.mdidea.com/products/herbextract/astragalus/data04.html
  6. Medical Herbalism, David Hoffman