Curly Gypsy

Herbal Medicine Chest In Your Backyard

What could be simpler than growing an herb garden with no effort? Of course, you’ll have to harvest your weeds, but you would do that anyhow: it’s known as weeding.

Spring is an specifically fertile time for harvesting your weeds – roots and all – and turning them into medicines. Here then are some tips on how to come across, harvest, prepare, and use a baker’s dozen (13) of popular weeds that almost certainly already develop about you.

To make your medicines you will want glass jars of a variety of sizes with tight-fitting lids. And at least a pint every of apple cider vinegar (pasteurized), vodka (100 proof is very best, but 80 proof will do), and pure olive oil (not extra virgin) or very good high quality animal fat such as lanolin, lard, or belly fat from a lamb or kid. You will also want a knife, a cutting board, and some rags to mop up spills.

In common, you will fill a jar (of any size) with coarsely-chopped fresh, but dry, plant material. (Do not wash any aspect of the plant except roots, if you are using them, and be sure to dry those properly with a towel prior to putting them in your jar.) Then you will fill the jar with your menstruum, that is the vinegar, the oil, or the alcohol. Label well and enable to stand at room temperature, out of the sunlight for at least six weeks just before decanting and making use of. (See my book Healing Wise for even more particular facts on generating preparations.)

A field guide is useful for positively identifying your weeds. The one I like very best is: A Guide to the Identification of New Zealand Prevalent Weeds in Colour, complied by E. A. Upritchard. (Accessible from the New Zealand Weed And Pest Control Society, P.O. Box 1654, Palmerston North) This book even shows you how the weeds look when they are emerging.

Ready? OK! Let’s go outside with a plant id guide or skilled herbalist and see what we can obtain.

Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa pastoris) is an annual in the mustard family members. Cut the top half of the plant when it has formed its small heart-shaped “purses” (seed pods) and make a tincture (with alcohol), which you can use to stop bleeding. Midwives and girls who bleed heavily during their period praise its prompt effectiveness. Gypsies claim it works on the stomach and lungs as nicely. A dose is 1 dropperful (1ml); which may perhaps be repeated up to four instances a day.

Cleavers (Gallium aparine) is a persistent, sticky plant which grows profusely in abandoned lots and the edges of cultivated land. The total plant is applied to strengthen lymphatic activity. I cut the top two-thirds of each and every plant when it is in flower (or setting seeds) and use alcohol to make a tincture which relieves tender, swollen breasts, PMS symptoms, and allergic reactions. A dose is 15-25 drops (.five – 1 ml); repeated as required.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) has quite a few makes use of, like delicious salad greens. I cut the entire top of the plant and eat it or use alcohol to make a tincture, which dissolves cysts, tonifies the thyroid, and aids in weight loss. A dose is a dropperful (1 ml), up to three occasions a day.

Daisy (Bellis perennis) is a prevalent perennial weed of lawns and open locations. Really distinct from the native daisy (Lagenifera petiolata), the small English daisy is associated to feverfew and has comparable abilities. I use the leaves and flowers to make a tincture (with alcohol) or a medicinal vinegar which relieves headaches, muscle discomfort, and allergy symptoms. A dose is a dropperful of the tincture (1 ml), up to twice a day; or a tablespoon of the vinegar in the morning.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) is a persistent perennial of lawns and gardens and one of the most effective recognized medicinal herbs in the world. (The native dandelion of New Zealand – Taraxacum magellanicum – is medicinal too.) Those who like a pure green lawn curse the sunny yellow flowers of widespread dandelion. But those who are prepared to see beauty anyplace (such as young children and herbalists) treasure this weed. You can use any portion of the dandelion – the root, the leaves, the flowers, even the flower stalk – to make a tincture or medicinal vinegar which strengthens the liver. A dose of 10-20 drops of the tincture (.5-1 ml) relieves gas, heartburn, and indigestion, as properly as promoting wholesome bowel movements. A tablespoon of the vinegar works nicely, too. Extra importantly, taken just before meals, dandelion increases the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, thus increasing bio-availability of a number of nutrients, in particular calcium. The fresh or cooked green leaves are loaded with carotenes, those anti-cancer, anti-heart disease helpers. And the oil of the flowers is an vital massage balm for keeping healthy breasts. (There’s lots more information and facts on dandelions in Healing Wise.)

Dock, also referred to as yellow dock, curly dock, and broad dock is a perennial plant, which my Native American grandmothers use for “all women’s complications.” The Maori call it paewhenua or runa. It is one more plant that disagrees with sheep, especially when the land is overgrazed. I dig the yellow roots of Rumex crispus or R. obtusifolius and tincture them in alcohol to use as an ally when the immune method or the liver wants assist. A dose is 15-25 drops (.five-1 ml). I also harvest the leaves and/or seeds throughout the growing season and make a medicinal vinegar, taken a tablespoon at a time, which is employed to enhance blood-levels of iron, reduce menstrual flooding and cramping, and balance hormone levels. If the chopped roots are soaked in oil for six weeks, the resulting ointment is beneficial for keeping the breasts wholesome.

Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) and Ragwort (Senecio jacobea) are hardy perennials that have a reputation for poisoning livestock, like their cousin tansy. Although not good for sheep, these two Senecios are some of the world’s most ancient healing plants, having been identified in a grave 60,000 years old. You can use the flowering tops and leaves with your alcohol to make a tincture which acts slowly to tonify the reproductive organs, ease PMS, and stop severe menstrual pain. A dose is 5-10 drops (.2-.5 ml) per day, put to use only once a day, but for at least 3 months. (A bigger dose is put to use to speed up labor.)

Mallows (Malva neglecta, M. parviflora, M. sylvestres) develop properly in neglected gardens and are surprisingly deep-rooted. The flowers, leaves, stalks, seeds, and roots are rich in sticky mucilage which is ideal extracted by soaking the fresh plant in cold water overnight or longer or by making a medicinal vinegar. The starch is extraordinarily soothing internally (easing sore throats, upset tummies, heart burn, irritable bowel, colic, constipation, and food poisoning) and externally (relieving bug bites, burns, sprains, and sore eyes). The leaves, flowers, and bark (specifically) of the native Hohere (Hoheria populnea) are employed in precisely the same way by Maori herbalists.

Plantain, also called ribwort, pig’s ear, and the bandaid plant is a popular weed of lawns, driveways, parks, and playgrounds. Identify it by the 5 parallel veins running the length of each and every leaf. You could find broad leaf plantain (Plantago main) with wide leaves, or narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata) with lance-thin leaves. Either can be employed to make a healing poultice or a soothing oil widely regarded as one of the most beneficial wound healers about. Not only does plantain raise the speed of healing, it also relieves pain, stops bleeding, draws out foreign matter, stops itching, prevents and stops allergic reactions from bee stings, kills bacteria, and reduces swelling.

Try a poultice or a generous application of plantain oil or ointment (produced by thickening the oil with beeswax) on sprains, cuts, insect bites, rashes, chafed skin, boils, bruises, chapped and cracked lips, rough or sore hands, baby’s diaper area, and burns.

To make a fresh plantain poultice: Choose a leaf, chew it nicely and put it on the boo-boo. “Like magic” the discomfort, itching, and swelling disappear, fast! (Yes, you can dry plantain leaves and carry them in your 1st aid kit. Chew like you would fresh leaves.)

To make plantain ointment: Pick substantial fresh plantain leaves. Chop coarsely. Fill a clean, dry, glass jar with the chopped leaves. Pour pure olive oil into the leaves, poking about with a chopstick until the jar is totally full of oil and all air bubbles are released. Cap well. Place jar in a modest bowl to collect any overflow. Wait six weeks. Then strain oil out of the plant material, squeezing well. Measure the oil. Heat it gently, adding one tablespoon of grated beeswax for each liquid ounce of oil. Pour into jars and allow to cool.

St. Joan’s/John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) This attractive perennial wildflower may be hated by sheep farmers but herbalists adore it. The flowering tops are harvested after they commence to bloom (traditionally on Solstice, June 21) and ready with alcohol, and with oil, to make two of the most useful remedies in my 1st aid kit. Tincture of St. Joan’s wort not only lends 1 a sunny disposition, it reliably relieves muscle aches, is a effective anti-viral, and is my first-option treatment for those with shingles, sciatica, backpain, neuralgia, and headaches like migraines. The usual dose is 1 dropperful (1 ml) as regularly as needed. In extreme discomfort from a muscle spasm in my thigh, I applied a dropperful just about every twenty minutes for two hours, or until the discomfort completely subsided. St. Joan’s wort oil stops cold sores in their tracks and can even relieve genital herpes symptoms. I use it as a sunscreen. Contrary to well-liked belief, St. Joan’s wort does not trigger sun sensitivity; it prevents it. It even prevents burns from radiation therapy. Eases sore muscles, too.

Self heal (Prunella vulgaris) This scentless perennial mint is 1 of the fantastic unsung healers of the world. The leaves and flowers include additional antioxidants – which prevent cancer and heart disease, amongst other wholesome traits – than any other plant tested. And as aspect of the mint family members, self heal is imbued with lots of minerals, particularly calcium, creating it an particularly important ally for pregnant, nursing, menopausal, and post-menopausal ladies. I put self heal leaves in salads in the spring and fall, make a medicinal vinegar with the flowers throughout the summer, and cook the flowering tops (fresh or dried) in winter soups.

Usnea (Usnea barbata) is that a lot of-stranded grey lichen hanging out of the branches of your apple trees or the Monterey pines planted in the plantation over there or in virtually any native tree in locations of the South Island Alps, where it is recognized as angiangi to the Maori. If in doubt of your identification: Pull a strand gently apart with your hands, looking for a white fiber inside the fuzzy grey-green outer coat. To prepare usnea, harvest at any time of the year, being cautious not to take too significantly. Usnea grows slowly. Put your harvest in a cooking pan and just cover it with cold water. Boil for about 15-25 minutes, or till the water is orange and decreased by at least half. Pour usnea and water into a jar, filling it to the top with plant material. (Water really should be no a lot more than half of the jar.) Add the highest proof alcohol you can buy. After 6 weeks this tincture is prepared to work for you as a excellent antibacterial, countering infection anywhere in the physique. A dose is a dropperful (1 ml) as frequently as every two hours in acute circumstances.

Yarrow (Achellia millefolium) This lovely perennial weed is grown in a lot of herb gardens for it has a multitude of uses. Cut the flowering tops (use only white-flowering yarrow) and use your alcohol to make a strongly-scented tincture that you can take internally to stop colds and the flu. (A dose is 10-20 drops, or up to 1 ml). I carry a little spray bottle of yarrow tincture with me when I’m outside and wet my skin just about every hour or so. A United States Army study showed yarrow tincture to be extra efficient than DEET at repelling ticks, mosquitoes, and sand flies. You can also make a healing ointment with yarrow flower tops and your oil or fat. Yarrow oil is antibacterial, discomfort-relieving, and extremely useful in healing all forms of wounds.

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