Herbs-the other medicine

Herbs is a plant without woody tissue which withers, and dies after flowering.

Latin word "herba" means, grass, herbage. (CAUTION- don't take certain herbs with medicine that we take. It's a dangerous mix. Please ask your doctor before using them)

Herbs is also any speed plant whose stem withers away to the ground after each season's growth, as distinguished from a tree or shrub whose woody stem lives from year to year. Any plant used as a medicine, seasoning, or flavoring. Mint, Thyme, Basil, and Sage are herbs.

Family-Lilaceae

Species- Aloe Vera

Local name- Barbados Aloe

Habitat- Warm, arid conditions; Mediterranean, Africa

Parts used-leaves

Two parts are used: clear, gel-like central leaf pulp, and yellow green juice from the part of the leaf.

The gel is used in creams, to soothe, heal and moisturize the skin, and in shampoos for dry, itchy scalps. It cools that skin, protects it from airbourne infections and fungi, and it reduces scarring. It speeds cell regeneration, and treats radiation burns, coral wounds, and dermatitis. It can be scraped from leaves for first aid treatment of small burns, cuts, chapped skin, sunburn, eczema and poison ivy rash. Compounds in the leaf juice are added to sun screens for protection against UV rays and have shown anticancer activity.

Aloe perry : was famed for its rich violet dye.

Aloe Littoralis- 10 ft (3m) species from southern Africa has long leaves with similar properties to Aloe Vera.

Family- Ranunculaceae

Species- cimicifuga racemosa

Local name- Black Snakeroot

Woodland- North America

Parts used- roots.

Used by Native Americans to ease childbirth and as an antidote for rattlesnake bite, its antispasmodic, sedative, and antiflammatory properties treat menstrual cramp, rheuatism, childbirth, headaches, coughs, and asthma.

Cimicifuga foetida is used in China to detoxify the blood and clear fevers.

family- Compositae

Species- Silybum marianum

Local name- Blessed thistle

Habitat- Sun, well-drained habitats, S.W. Europe.

Parts used- leaf, stem, root and seeds.

Used- whole plant is edible and aids digestion. the seeds and leaves have been given for low milk flow, coughs, and depression and for digestive, liver, gallbladder, and spleen problems. Silymarin in the seeds was discovered to protect the liver from many toxins, including deathcap mushrooms, extracts have been used to reduce damage from alcohol and drugs, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and cadium poisoning. It is taken to prevent travel sickness and heart disease. The seed should used only by qualified practioners.

family- Labiatae

Species- Nepeta cataria

Local name- catnep

Habitat- Hedges, roadsides S.W. and C. Asia, Europe

Parts used- flower, leaf, stem and root.

Used- root and leaf scent, minty with cat pheromone overtones, intoxicates cats and repels rats and flea beetles. Tender leaves are added to salad and flavor meat. They can also be brewed as tea and were used before China tea was imported. Leaves and flowering tops treat colds, calm upset stomachs, reduce fevers, and soothe headaches and scalp irritations. Mild, sedative action soothes babies with colic. The leaves are used in a poultice for bruises and are put into cat toys.

Nepeta Racemosa (syn. N. mussinii) catmint flowers throughout summer. It is a popular edging plant for roses and flower borders.

Family- Solanaceae

Species- Capsicum annuum

Local name- capscium or capsciam

Habitat- Cultivated land; tropical America

Parts used- leaf, pepper.

Capscium annuum is an annual or short- lived perennial with one flower in each leaf axil and includes sweet and hot peppers. C. frutescens is a perennial with chilies. Both have branching stems with oval, pointed leaves and fruits in a variety of shapes, colors, and tasted.

Used- Sweet peppers(chilies) rich in vitamin C and a digestive stimulant, are chopped in salads, cooked, and pickled.

Hot peppers enliven bland foods and give heat to curries. The pungent capsaicin of chilies, stimulates circulation and sensory nerves, "disinfects" food, and eases sore throats. The infused oil gives a warming massage for rheumatism, cold limbs.

Capsaicin eases shingles and may prevent a fatal swallowing disorder for the elder.

Capsicum Frutescens-(syn. Capsicum minimum) the small chilies of this perennial help preserve food in hot countries.

Crushed chilies make cayenne pepper and flavor Tabasco sauce.

Family- compositae

species- matricaria recutitan

Local name- German chamomile

Habitat- well-drained soil, sun' Europe, W. Asia to India.

Part used- leaves, oil.

Uses-flowers share the cosmetic and medicinal properties of the flowers of perennial chamomile. Extracts soothe nervous stress, digestive problems, and ulcerated or inflamed bowels. Excess intake can weaken stomach muslces. Essential oils of both chamomiles share some compounds but in differing amounts, and perennial chamomile's oil may cause skin irritation. blue azulenes, the oil's most valued compounds are former under acid conditions, during distillation, and when flowers are dried.

Both oils prevent allergic seizures, and inhibit inflammation, bacteria, ulcers, virsuses, and fungi. On wounds, herpes, eczema, and infections, the diluted, cooling, analgesic oils aid cell renewal. They also help irriadiated skin. The oil of annual chamomile aids liver regeneration.

Family- Compositae

Species- Taraxacum sect. Ruderalia species

Local name- clock (fairy)

Habitat- Most conditions. Northern hemisphere (USA)

Part Used- leaf, flower, stem, root.

Uses- The flowers are made into wine. The buds are pickled, and leaves, rich in vitamin A and C and minerals, are eaten in salads. Leaves are a powerful diuretic, treating urinary disorders and fluid retention without depleting body potassium. They detoxify the blood, so are given for acne and eczema. The white sap treats warts and corns. The root reduces inflammation and is an important liver stimulant used, for jaundice, gallstones, and rheumatic joints. Root yield a magenta dye.

Family- Scrophulariaceae

Species- euphrasia rostboviana

Local name- Casse Lunette

Habitat- Poor meadows, heaths, woodland; Europe

Parts used- flower, leaf, stem.

Uses- bitter (slightly) leaves have beenused in salads. A whole plant infusion or strained juice from crushed, fresh stems is a general eye tonic, treating strain and infection and is a popular cosmetic wash, giving sparkle to eyes. Its antiseptic, mildly astringent, inflammation and phlegm reducing properties ease the irritated eyes and runny nose of hay fever and sinusitis.

Family- Liliaceae

species- Allium sativum

Local name- Various

Habitat- well-drained soils, temperate zones, Central Asia.

Part used- flower, root.

Uses- cloves add flavor to savory dishes, especially in hot countries where the plants develop the best flavor. Garlic purifies the blood, helps controls acne, and reduces blood pressure, cholesterol, and clotting. Tests, confirm antibiotic activity against samples of candida, cholera, staphylococcus, salmonella, dysentery, and typhus; and a mild antifungal action. Garlic clears phlegm, thus providing treatment for colds, biochitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and whooping cough. New tests suggests it has a role in treating lead poisoning, some carcinomes, and diabetes. Allium species form one of most popular and widely used flavoring groups.

All Alliums contain iron and vitamins and are mildly antibiotic. Allium Tuberoum- Chinese chives have a rhizome and starry white flowers. The seeds uaed in China as a tonic. Allium Fistulosium- Welsh Onion has edible leaf bases and strong-flavored leaves, popular in China and Japan.

Family- Zingiberaceae

Species- Zingiber officinale

Local name- Jiang

Habitat- Lowland rain forest; tropical Asia

Part Used- flower, leaves, stem, root, and oil.

Uses- rhizomes is used fresh dried, pickled and preserved. Crystallized or infused Ginger supresses nausea. Steam inhalation treats colds and lung infections. Ginger tea eases indigestion and flatulence, and reduces fever. one drop of the root essential oil in a massage blend helps relieve muscular pain, rheuatism, lumbago, and fatigue. Use only in small doses to prevent morning sickness.

Family- Leguminosae

Species- Glycyrrhiza glabra

Local name- Sweet wood

Habitat- sandy soils; Mediterranean

Parts used- Root

Uses- Licorice flavors food, tobacco, drinks, medicine, and sweets. Treats bronchitis. Reduces inflammation, allergies, asthma gastritis, peptic ulcers, rheumatism, and sore throats. It helps the liver detoxify drugs and given for liver disease. Licorice strengthens the immune system stimulates adrenal gland, and is diurretic and laxative. Roots contain glyeyrrhizin, which is 50 times sweeter than sugar. Avoid Licorice in cases of high blood pressure.

Pau d' arco also known as lapacho is the bark of a tree native to Brazil. It has proven to be one of nature's best fungus fighters, an effective treatment for annoying ailments such as athlete's foot and vaginal yeast infections. Pau d' arco is also reputed to lower blood sugar levels and aid digestive process. Pau d' arco contains active constituent laprachol, have anticancer potential. Laprachol may help kill parasites.

Dong Quai is known as archetypal herbal remedy for women, female ginseng. Dong Quai is also good tonic for womens reproductive system.

Part used- root.

Dong Quai- may help prevent anemia.

Dong Quai:

1. used to lower high blood pressure

2. used to treat insomnia

3. may relieve constipation

I wrote this article as a part of my newsletter, Sisters in the Faith, years ago.

I couldn't find a picture for Dong Quai. When I do I will place it here.

I found one video that is descent. It's about growing your herbs at home. I grew some herbs but they didn't come out right because I didn't know what to buy.

True mints are perennial herbs in the family Lamiaceae.

Used to flavor food, candy, tea, breath fresheners, antiseptic mouth rinses, and toothpaste. All of them are included in Genus Mentha. There are thousands of varies of mint but only fifteen are common. Seven of these varieties are from Australia, the others are Eurasian. Most common and popular mints are peppermint and spearmint. Catnip is a mint plant. Mint is used as a medicinal herb and viewed as a cure for stomach and chest pains. Mint was brought to North America by early settlers and was used for flavoring food.

Mint is used as a flavoring in drinks, gum and candies.

Aslo called Wild Thyme.

Family- Thymus serpyllum

Species- native to most of Eupore. grows to 2cm tall with creeping stems up to 10cm with oval evergreen leaves 3-8mm long.

Flowers are pink-purple, scented, 4-6 mm long, produced in clusters of several together. It's a source of oil of Serpolet by distillation and is used in herbal medicine. Dried leaves are used for tea.

It is an important nectar source plant for honeybees. Wild Thyme covers large areas of droughty rocky soils in southern Europe and naturalized in North America and New Zealand, such as Berkshire Mountains and Catskill Mountains of the northeastern U.S.

In Europe and Asia, dill has a long been a staple herb.

Known as Anethum graveolens, dill weed is a member of the parsely family. It's native to eastern Mediterranean region and western Asia. The word dill comes from the old Norse word dylla, meaning soothe or lull. It dates back about 3000 B.C., it was mentioned in Egyptian medical texts.

Leaves, flowers, and oval flat seeds of the dill plant are all edible. Plant has a thin, feathery green leaves, only about top eight inches are used. It is easy to grow at home in the garden or in containers. (mature seeds are toxic to birds.)

Dill weed has a flavor likened to mild caraway or fennel leaves.

(Dill weed is my favorite herb. It has a pickled flavor when added to food especially meat.)

Sometimes called Bush Basil.

Parts used-leafy tops

Family-Ocymum minumum

Bush Basil is a low, bushy plant, seldom above 6 inches in height, much smaller than sweet basil. Leaves are ovate, white flowers in whorls towards the top of the branches, again smaller than those of sweet basil and seldom suceeded by ripe seeds in England.

Two varieties-one with black-purple leaves and the other with variable leaves. Both bush and garden basil are natives of India, and was introduced in 1573.

Bush basil live through winter in this country, sweet basil never does. Both varieties flower in July and August. Leaves of O. viride, a native of Western Africa, possess febrifugal properties and at Sierra Leone, it bears the name 'fever plant' a decoction of them, drunk as tea. Leaves of O. canum, and O. gratissimum is India and of O. crispum in Japan, all sweet-scented varieties, are presecribed as remedy for colds.

O. teniflorum is an aromatic stimulant in Java, and O. guineense is employed by blacks in Africa as medicine in cases of bilious fever. Basil dies down every year in this country, the seeds must be sown annually. In a warm sheltered spot, seeds are sown openly, in the last week of April but they take a long time coming up and it is preferable to sown in a hot bed, at the end of March and remove to a warm border in May, planting 10 inches to a foot apart.

Basil flourishes best in a rich soil. Part used medicinally- whole herb, both fresh and dried, it is gathered in July.

Medicinal action and uses-aromatic and carminative. flavoring in cooking, basil is used for mild nervous disorders and for allevation of wandering rheumatic pains-dried leaves in the form of snuff are said to cure nervous headaches. Infusion of green herb in boiling water is good for all obstructions of the internal organs, arrests vomiting and allays nausea. seeds have been reckoned efficacious against the poison of serpents, both taken internally and laid upon the wound. also said to cure warts. (research further before using as an antidote for snake bites!)

O. Americanum- first recorded in 1789 as found in the West Indies. the name 'Ocymum' is by Mathiolus to be derived from the Greek word 'to smell', because pf the powerful aromatic and pungent scent. Decoctions made from O. Americanum are used in cases of chest trouble and dysentery and an essential oil is extracted from this plant. O. canum is used as a tincture made from the leaves in homoeopathy.

Read-'Prescription of Nutritional Health' 4th ed. A practical guide A to Z Reference to Drug Free Remedies Using Vitamins Mineral, Herbs and Food Supplements.

This book is authored by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC.

Ginseng does gives you energy. Since, I have high blood pressure I can't it anymore. Then I had to have that energy while going to college and my son was in grammar school at the time. Men can use ginseng too. Go to your doctor first before you use this one.