The Home Herbalist » Medicinal Herbs

Herbal Remedies in the Pantry

Belle — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:57:01 +0000

Saffron

If you enjoy cooking then you’re bound to have a well stocked pantry containing ingredients that are also herbal remedies.

Take dill for instance, the seed improves appetite and digestion and sweetens the breath while the oil kills bacteria and relieves flatulence. In Ethiopia dill and fennel leaves are chewed to treat headaches, and in Ayurvedic medicine dill is used to treat indigestion, fevers, ulcers, kidney and eye problems, and uterine pains. It’s also one of the ingredients in the popular colic medicine for babies, Gripe Water.

In the Orient chives are used to treat the common cold, flu, and lung congestion while coriander tea is used to treat measles and dysentery. In other parts of the world coriander seeds aid digestion, improve the appetite and reduce gas, and in East India an eyewash is made from the seeds to help prevent blindness in smallpox patients.

Powdered caraway seeds have been used as a poultice for bruises and a once common indigestion remedy was a cordial made by infusing 28 gram seeds in cold water for 6 hours. After it was strained up to 15 ml was given every hour to infants suffering from colic.

Saffron, although quite expensive, is still used by the Chinese to treat depression, shock, menstrual and menopause problems. They also believe it has actions that are related to the heart, spleen, and liver.

Fennel seeds aid digestion, relax smooth muscle, and are said to be very helpful in digesting fat, and it promotes milk in nursing mothers. Eating the inside of a stalk is said to promote a restful state. It improves eyesight and is reputed to reduce the effects of alcohol on the body; Culpeper, a seventeenth century herbalist, used fennel seeds to help the liver neutralize poisons.

There are many more herbs and spices that are usually found in the kitchen such as basil, garlic and ginger and I will be writing about them in the near future. Until then take a look and see what herbal remedy is lurking in your pantry.

Belle Gibbons

Medical Herbalist,

The Home Herbalist Courses Proprietor, Author, and Tutor

About Soapwort

Belle — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:57:47 +0000

Soapwort is used as an expectorant, a mild diuretic, and to help eliminate toxins from the liver, however, it is toxic and can cause stomach upsets and have a powerful laxative effect when taken in higher doses. It’s a very effective herb when applied externally for skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, and skin irritations. The herb is also very useful for poison ivy, especially when combined with mugwort.

It has a delightful history – Romans used it as a water softener and during the Middle Ages soapwort (Saponaria officinalis) was known as herba fullonis because fullers (a person who cleaned and thickened freshly woven cloth to remove impurities) used the leaves as a soap to clean cloth). It was probably first mentioned as soapwort in William Turners book The Names of Herbs in 1548 and today it’s also known as bouncing bet and sweet william.

Precious antique fabrics are revitalized with suds made from soapwort leaves and in the Middle East it’s still used to clean fragile tapestries. It’s also the main ingredient in some home-made shampoos.

While some herbal references suggest it’s safe to use internally at the recommended dose others state there have been reports of it being fatal to both human and animals. I have never heard of reports of ill effects, however, it’s best not to take the herb internally.

To make a decoction for external use soak 4 tablespoons of dried root (2 tablespoons for fresh) in 1¾ pint/1 litre of cold water for 5 hours then bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. When cool apply to the affected area as a wash or compress.

Belle Gibbons

Medical Herbalist and

The Home Herbalist Courses Author/Tutor

Holy Basil Increases Immune Response

Belle — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:02:06 +0000

Recent studies have found the extract of holy basil significantly increases immune response and was beneficial in treating recurrent respiratory tract infection. In an uncontrolled trial holy basil extract relieved breathlessness and helped vital capacity in TPE (tropical pulmonary eosinophilia).

Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum also known as Ocimum sanctum), is an aromatic herb containing a characteristic essential oil.

In Hindu culture it’s regarded as a sacred plant and belongs to the same family as sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). There are several species of basil that are regarded as the most sacred of plants in the Hindu religion but Ocimum tenuiflorum is probably considered the most sacred, which has given rise to its English common names, holy basil and sacred basil.

Australian Aboriginals use the herb as a mild tonic and to treat colds while in Ayurvedic traditional medicine the highly regarded aerial parts of the plant are used dried or fresh to treat bronchitis, chronic fever, liver and gastric problems, catarrh, malaria, blood impurities, haemorrhage, and skin diseases. In Vietnam the herb has been used traditionally to treat headache, influenza, the common cold and many other conditions. Traditional Fijian and Thai medicine also uses holy basil to improve circulation and to treat peptic ulcer, and stress.

A good expectorant is made by combining holy basil fresh leaves with honey and ginger juice. It’s very beneficial for childhood fever, bronchitis, and coughs. Various cultures often eat fresh leaves daily to help maintain good health.

Warning: Not to be taken during pregnancy

What’s So Good About Tea?

Belle — Tue, 04 May 2010 02:02:24 +0000

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is one of the highest sources of antioxidants, in fact it contains more of these health giving constituents than any vegetable or fruit. The antioxidants in tea appear to protect the body against heart disease by slowing the break down of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, improving blood vessel function and preventing blood clots. They also appear to have protective functions against strokes, cancer, and the type of DNA damage that causes cells to turn cancerous.

Drinking only one or two cups of tea a day may reduce the risk of artery blockage by forty-six percent. Antioxidants in tea belong to a group called flavonoids that are rich in catechins and these are responsible for giving the herb most of its health giving properties. Cell studies showed that one of the most important catechins, epigallocatechin gallate, blocked an enzyme that is needed for cancer cells to grow.

Black tea is made by crushing the leaves and allowing them to ‘ferment’ in the tea’s enzymes while green tea isn’t fermented; both come from the same plant. The most popular non-alcoholic beverage, tea can be purchased in various forms but the finest and most expensive is made from unopened leaf buds and leaves picked from the youngest shoots .

To gain maximum health benefits from tea allow it to brew for at least five minutes to extract the maximum amount of catechins. Tea can prevent the absorption of iron so try to drink it between meals rather than with them but if you enjoy a ‘cuppa’ with a meal eat a few apricots every day to keep your iron levels up. Drink two to five cups daily and keep tea leaves in airtight dark glass containers in a dry cool place; green tea has less caffeine than black tea.

Tansy, a Garden Favourite

Belle — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:34:24 +0000

Other names for Tansy, Stinking Willie and Scented Fern, describe its strong aroma, which I think is rather pleasant in an antiseptic sort of way. I have the herb growing in my garden for its value as a delightful garden plant, its medicinal properties and its action as an insect repellent.

Tansy has fern-like leaves and pretty yellow flower heads that are long-lasting and look pretty in the garden or in vases either freshly cut or dried.

It may come as a surprise to some of you that in the past, Tansy leaves were used to flavour small cakes eaten during Lent because Christ’s suffering was symbolized by their bitter taste.

Because of Tansy’s insect repellent properties it’s an ingredient in commercially produced insecticide and has been used to repel moths and deter fleas from the home. However, Tansy’s insect repelling properties have been known for centuries; in the Middle Ages it was hung from rafters, rubbed on meat to deter flies and other vermin, and packed between bedsheets and mattresses.

Herbalists believe that the name, Tansy, comes from athanasia, the Greek word for immortality. Historically, a tea made from the leaves of the herb was commonly taken for intestinal worms, stomach ache, and colds. The leaves were also used to make poultices to treat cuts and bruises. Today the herb is still used as an emmenagogue (brings on menstruation), a vermifuge (expels worms), and as an antispasmodic.

Tansy is quite a tough herb resisting cold and frost – patches of it can survive for decades in the same spot. Although it’s a native of Europe and northern Asia it’s now widely cultivated and naturalized in other temperate regions of the world.

Amaranthus Species

Belle — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:48:26 +0000

Green Amaranth (A. Viridus)

Food and medicine can be found right under our noses in our gardens if we only take the time to identify some weeds.

Recently I had to relocate my vegetable and herb garden to make room to build our house. It was a huge task but thanks to my husband’s help everything was transplanted beautifully apart from several small rhubarb plants.

They failed to grow but in their place a very healthy crop of green amaranth (A. viridus) sprang up. My husband almost pulled them out because he thought they were weeds. Thankfully he checked with me first (as he has learned to do over the years!).

We may not have all of the rhubarb plants from the original garden but in their place we have a plentiful supply of a green pot herb that is also a medicinal herb.

Other edible amaranths include A. caudatus, a. cruentus, a. lividus, and A. powelli. The young stems of these amaranths can be boiled or steamed as a vegetable and while tender they lack fibre. Green amaranth leaves are an excellent substitute for spinach and can successfully replace it in most dishes. They can also be added to salads, stews, soups, and casseroles. Apart from the plant’s use as a vegetable or pot herb, the clusters of nutty edible seeds are certainly worth eating as a raw snack or added to biscuits to give them a mild flavour and crunch. The seeds can be easily harvested by scraping the ripe (reddish-brown) spikes and boiled in a little water to make a simple but healthy porridge.

As for green amaranth’s medicinal properties, the leaves are emollient and have traditionally been used to treat scorpion sting and snake bite, tumours, and to help rid the body of intestinal worms. Many cultures have different uses for the plant but they are not well documented. However, the leaves can be used as a poultice to treat bruises, boils, and wounds.

Weeds can be a nuisance but those I’ve identified have mostly been beneficial to man and animals and well worth allowing to grow in my garden, which isn’t difficult to do if they are kept in control.

A Rose and an Amaranth blossomed side by side in a garden,

and the Amaranth said to her neighbour,

“How I envy you your beauty and your sweet scent!

No wonder you are such a universal favourite.”

But the Rose replied with a shade of sadness in her voice,

“Ah, my dear friend, I bloom but for a time:

my petals soon wither and fall, and then I die.

But your flowers never fade, even if they are cut;

for they are everlasting.”

Aesop’s Fables

Sage for Memory

Belle — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:40:42 +0000

Sage and rosemary have much in common; they are often combined for their compatible culinary uses and even appear together in the famous Simon and Garfunkel song, Scarborough Fair – ‘parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme’.

Now, after research conducted by a team of United Kingdom scientists throughout the last decade, the herbs have even more in common. This team that included Professor Keith Wesnes, and Professor Andrew Scholey who were based at the Brain Sciences Institute at the Swinbourne University, Melbourne at the time, researched the possibility that sage (Salvia officinalis), just like rosemary, enhances memory and the outcome is very positive.

Sage with Blue Flowers

The team’s publication some months ago showed that an extract of sage improved attention and memory in volunteers who were both older and healthy. According to the team, this is the first time that the herb has shown it can improve cognitive function in healthy older adults.

This research confirms the long standing reputation sage has had for memory enhancement in traditional European herbalism.

Ref: Scholey AB, Tildesley NTJ, Ballard CG et al. Psychopharmacology
2008; 198(1): 127-139