LOCAL HERBS TO HEAL YOUR COMMUNITY
Things to think about:
- If you were on an island, and you could only use one herb, what would it be? What about 4 herbs? 10 herbs?
- Think about your community that you are involved with. Put all your people from the different groups you are in into one community. Now think about their health, their needs, and their health issues. Examples: Chronic respiratory issues, constipation, allergies, acute first aid, digestion issues, diabetes, high blood pressure etc.
- Are there any common ones among your community? Put those in groups
- What are the shared physical and emotional issues? Examples: seniors, female problems, depression, chronic pain…
- Have you identified the wild wonderful weeds that are growing around your home? What trees, shrubs, vines, wild herbaceous plants, wild roots, cultivated roots, cultivated herbaceous plants, mushrooms (like artist conk red belted conk and turkey tails), sea weed, and lichens.
- Books on plant identification, tree and shrub identification, herbal medicine books and mushroom identification books.
Medical disclaimer: always check with a physician before consuming wild plants, and make positive identification in the field using a good source on Medicinal Plants. There are many great herb books on identifying plants, such as Michael Moore and in his books there is a glossary of medical terms in his books, and maps in later editions.
Tree Medicine:
Douglas fir/Pine/Sitka Spruce/Western Hemlock Parts
Used: bark, needles, pitch, pollen, young green cones
Has the ability to warm or cool, depending on the situation
Medicinally: analgesic, antibacterial, anticatarrhal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, rubefacient, stimulant and tonic
Pine, along with the spruces and firs, has traditionally been used for food, medicine and shelter.
Nutritionally pine needles contain super high vitamin C. They also have calcium, beta carotene, iron, potassium thiamine (B1) riboflavin (B2) niacin (B3), sodium, phosphorus, protein, carbohydrates and fat.
Oak: Part used is the leaves, stems and bark. Collect the young bark carefully from the branches or trunk. PLEASE keep in mind that if you ring the tree you will kill it. The bark is collected in mid-spring or late spring and make sure it is free of blemishes. Oaks actions are astringent, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. Use a decoction of the bark for a gargle for tonsillitis, pharyngitis and laryngitis. Use as a mouth rinse for inflamed or receding gums. For diarrhea, drink bark tea. A powder or decoction of the bark will help heal cuts and abrasions. Can be used as a treatment for hemorrhoids and a douche for leucorrhea (yeast) and as a wound healer and a hemostatic ( herbs that stop minor bleeding). Can be used as an external wash for first to third degree burns.
Cottonwood: The buds, twigs and bark are used . Sometimes the leaves. Cottonwood resin is cooling and drying. The major constituent of the resin is a group of aspirin-like compounds, or salicylates, that relieve pain and inflammation (inflammation of all kinds). Antiseptic, expectorant, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, antibacterial, stimulant, pectoral, analgesic and anodyne, anti-galactagogue, antipyretic, cholagogue, antioxidant and tonic
More On Cottonwood:
http://mcminnvillehealthdefense.ning.com/profiles/blogs/black-cottonwood
Western Red Cedar: DO NOT EVER INGEST THE ESSENTIAL OIL. Parts used leaves and make a tea or tincture for treatments. Cedar’s action is antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral and stimulates the immune cells. Helps with athlete’s foot, ring worm, jock itch, nail fungus, chronic vaginitis, respiratory issues and the urinary tract. Use the tea or tincture to speed the healing of acute respiratory or urinary tract infections. Use the tea as a steam to aid the lungs and upper respiratory tract. A tea wash or an infused oil can be applied to skin conditions like poison oak rashes or weeping eczema. A salve can be applied to fungal infections of the skin. For warts apply the tincture several times a day.
Red Alder: Parts used are bark, twigs, leaf buds, leaves and catkins. Fresh alder bark will cause vomiting. It’s actions are alterative, vulnerary, astringent, anodyne, hemostatic, lymphatic, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulant, anti-infective, lymphatic, bitter tonic and mucilaginous. A decoction of the bark makes a good gargle for sore throat and pharyngitis. The powdered bark and the leaves have been used as a tonic. Boiling the inner bark in vinegar produces an external wash for lice, psoriasis, rheumatism, inflammations, shingles, impetigo, poultice for swellings including enlarged glands. You can use the liquid (strong tea) to clean your teeth and tighten gums and for toothache.
Black Walnut: Parts used are nuts, green hulls, bark and leaf. Its actions are antiseptic, antifungal, antimicrobial, anti-tumor, anti-parasitic. Taken internally as a tincture (green hulls) it can help with gastrointestinal problems, like diarrhea, constipation, caused by intestinal parasites, including giardia and candida. Externally it is used for athlete’s foot and other fungal infections. Bark and leaves can be used of skin troubles, like herpes, eczema etc.
Elderberry: Parts used are flowers, berries, bark and leaves. The actions of the flowers are diaphoretic, anticatarrhal and pectoral. The actions of the berries are diaphoretic, diuretic and laxative. The actions of the bark are purgative, emetic, diuretic. The Actions of the leaves are externally emollient and vulnerary, internally as purgative, expectorant, diuretic and diaphoretic. Use the leaves for external issues such as bruises, sprains, wounds, chilblains (an inflammatory swelling or sore caused by exposure as of the feet or hands to cold) and possible antitumor. Elder flowers are great for colds, flu and fevers. Elder berries are high in flavonoids, high vitamin C, strongly antiviral and can be used like the flowers.
Hawthorn: Parts used are leaves, flowers and berries. Hawthorns actions are cardiac tonic, hypotensive antioxidant, tonic and diuretic. It is one of the best tonic remedies for the heart and circulatory system. As a tonic for the heart it dilates arteries and veins, allowing blood to flow more freely and releasing cardiovascular constrictions and blockages. It lowers blood pressure and can help maintain a healthy cholesterol levels. It can be used for preventing heart problems and for treating heart disease, edema, angina, and heart arrhythmia. It is used to fight free radicals in the system. Hawthorn works beautifully for broken hearts, for depression and anxiety.
Willow: Parts used are bark. Its actions are anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, analgesic, antiseptic, astringent and vulnerary. Collect the bark in the spring when the new growth starts. Willow is a safe natural source of aspirin like chemicals. It may be used for connective tissue inflammation anywhere in the body. It is especially useful in rheumatoid arthritis. It is useful for reducing fevers, such as with the flu. Willows provide bitter bark that is used for relieving pain and inflammation and can clear urinary tract infections. Gargle the tea or tincture in water for mouth sores. The tea used externally soothes eczema or other red itchy skin conditions.
Herbal Actions:
Alterative- traditionally been considered blood purifiers, they improve the function of the liver, kidneys, skin, bowels, and/or lymphatic system to help the body better excrete metabolic waste products and improve the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
Analgesic – pain reducer
Anodyne - pain killing
Anticatarrhal- reduces inflamed mucous membranes of head and throat
Antifungal- destroying or inhibiting the growth of fungus
Anti-infective- counteracting infection
Anti-inflammatory- controlling inflammation, a reaction to injury or infection
Antimicrobial – Kills pathogenic microbes, usually refers to virus and bacteria
Anti-parasitic- anti parasites
Anti-pyretic – preventing fevers
Antiseptic- agent used to produce asepsis and to remove pus, blood, etc.
Anti-tumor- inhibiting the growth of tumors
Astringent – tightens tissues and assists with bleeding and diarrhea
Bitter Tonic- acts chiefly by stimulating the appetite and improving digestion.
Diaphoretic – promotes sweating
Diuretic – opens urinary elimination and promotes urination.
Emetic- produces vomiting
Emollient - Similar to demulcents, these herbs are also mucilaginous, but used as topical applications to help soothe, condition, and protect the skin.
Expectorant – promotes phlegm expulsion, breaks up mucus in the lungs and expelling it more effectively.
Immunostimulant- increases the activity of the immune system
Hemostatic – reduces or stops bleeding
Mucilaginous- soothes and coats
Pectoral- relating to the breast or chest
Purgative- laxative, causes the evacuation of intestinal contents
Vulnerary – protecting tissue and promotes tissue healing
