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PLANT MAGIC
BY We don’t often think about those plants around us as the source of the pills in the cupboard. For many years witch doctors, herbalists, pharmacists, and researchers have been looking at plants to make new medications. As far back as we know this was going on. Some things worked and we find them mentioned in
many places. The Nebraska
Weed Book (“Weeds of the
“The Healing Herbs” by M Castelman is 406 pages long. Its first
chapter is “from Magic to Medicine” but I notice the 2nd is “Tempest in
a Teapot-Are Healing Herbs Safe?” Starting with Alfalfa and going to
Yarrow it lists 100 plants that we know and use or have used.
“Coltsfoot” (Tusselago farfara) is called the worlds oldest cough
remedy, (2,000 years) recommended by Greeks and Romans, Chinese and
“Garlic” has been touted in the
One of the “ Another small book “Medicinal Plants” by three pharmacists, 174 pages, has a list of plants in the month they can be harvested for medical use. Of the 200 plants in the book, among them is our Juniper tree with its blue berries. After it is at least three years of age, the wood and leafy shoots contain some lower amounts of a diuretic. 3-6 berries are chewed per day or a drink can be made. The berry juice can also be used as a liniment for rheumatism. Berries can be collected by beating the bushes over a container to collect them. The bark of the Willow Tree has been chewed for years to treat pain or as an anti-diarrhea. You may recognize its “Solicin” (aspirin). It became so popular that the pills were developed to control the dosage.
The book “The Truth Lion” by The books author spends the pages praising the efficiency of the Dandelion to explain why they are always present. A rat chopped in half is a dead rat. A Dandelion chopped in half is two Dandelions. When sailors used to travel on the sea and ate salted food, many of them got scurvy which could be fatal. Some of the Captains found if they could reach land, even in the Spring, and find dandelions just coming up in the snow, their crews could be saved. The little book is full of stories about Dandelions and what we have gotten from them. One can purchase Dandelion greens now for a salad (most likely in a health food store) but at a price of about $6.00 a pound. When I was about ten I collected Dandelion flowers for a wine maker.
“The Green Pharmacy” by
Some of these books I have had for years so may be hard to find
now. There is a fun one, “Wicked Plants” by Copyright 2013 |