Botanical Name

• Family Labiatae
• Hyssopus officinalis

Common Names

• Garden hyssop

Cautions

 It is contraindicated during pregnancy.

The essential oil contains the ketone pinocamphone which, in high doses, can cause convulsions. Take only the recommended dose.

Description

 Native to southern Europe, hyssop grows freely in the Mediterranean countries, especially the Balkans and Turkey. Hyssop is a semievergreen shrub that grows to about two feet in height, producing narrow leaves and clusters of double-lipped flowers. Depending on the species, the flowers range in colour from white to purple, pink, blue, or bluish-purple. The plant prefers sunny, dry sites and is a popular garden herb. The flowering tops are harvested when the plant is in full flower during the summer.

History

 The Greek word, hyssopos, may have derived from the Hebrew, ezob, or holy herb , as it was used to purify temples and for the ritual cleansing of lepers (Psalm 51:7). This may not have been the common hyssop, however, but rather a form of oregano or savory or a local variety of marjoram.

Pliny mentions a wine called hyssopites, which may have influenced the Benedictine monks who, in the 10th century, brought the herb into central Europe to flavour their wines and their foods.

Hippocrates prescribed it for pleurisy.

Dioscorides recommended a recipe that included a mixture of hyssop, figs, rue, honey, and water to treat a variety of conditions, including pleurisy, tightchestedness, respiratory congestion, asthma, and chronic coughs.

Hyssop is one of the most important of the 130 herbs flavouring the liqueur Chartreuse.

Key Actions

• antiviral (mainly against Herpes simplex)
• antispasmodic
• carminative
• diaphoretic
• expectorant
• relaxes peripheral blood vessels
• reduces phlegm
• topical anti-inflammatory

Key Components

• volatile oil (mainly camphor, pinocamphone, and beta-pinene)
• flavonoids (including hesperidin and diosmetin)
• tannins
• bitter terpenes (including marrubin)
• glycosides (mainly hyssopin)
• resin

Medicinal Parts

• Aerial parts, essential oil
• Pinene is also used as a natural insecticide.
• Marrubin is a strong expectorant helping to thin phlegm and making it easier to cough up.
• Pinocamphone is toxic and can cause epiletic seizures.
• Research has shown that the mold that produces penicillin can grow on the leaf of hyssop.

Remedies

 Infusions are used to treat throat and lung complaints, bronchial catarrh, and poor digestion and appetite.

Essential oil is used in aromatherapy for bruises, in perfumes, and as a food and beverage flavouring.

Poultices from the leaves are used to heal wounds and bruises.

Tinctures are used in combination with other expectorant herbs, including mullein flowers, licorice, elecampane, and anise for bronchitis and stubborn coughs.

Syrups for coughs and for stubborn coughs or lung weakness are made from the aerial parts or the flowers.

Chest rub is made from diluted hyssop oil and used for bronchitis and chesty colds. It combines well with thyme and eucalyptus for these conditions.

Infused oil can be added to the bath water for nervous exhaustion, melancholy, or grief.

Gargles are used to soothe sore throats.

Traditional Uses

 Hyssop is used mainly to relieve coughs and airway congestion, cold and flu symptoms, to promote sweat during a fever, and to repel moths and other insects. The odor of hyssop is reminiscent of camphor.

The herb encourages mucous production while, at the same time, stimulates expectoration, making it invaluable in upper respiratory congestions that requires clearing the airway of congested phlegm. However, since it can irritate the mucous membranes, it is best to use it after the infection has peaked when the herb's tonic action encourages a general recovery.

It is an effective sedative and is useful in treating asthma in children, as well as in adults, especially when the condition is exacerbated by mucous congestion.

Young hyssop leaves have a minty flavour used in tea, salads, fruit soups, and as a substitute for sage in some dishes. Its strong volatile oils are effective for indigestion, gas, bloating, and colic.

Hyssop can be used to help heal minor burns, bruises, and skin sores. By moistening the leaves and flowers, they can be placed directly on the skin or between layers of cheesecloth to make a poultice. Infusions can also be used topically, as a wash, on these conditions. To make: Place two teaspoons of dried hyssop inTO boiling water and steep for fifteen to twenty minutes. When cool, strain. Soak a clean cotton cloth in the solution and then place on the affected area as needed.

Botanical Name

• Family Hydrangeaceae
• Hydrangea arborescens

Common Names

• Wild Hydrangea, Seven Barks

Cautions

• None listed.

Description

 Indigenous to the eastern US as far south as Florida, the hydrangea is a woody-stemmed deciduous shrub, growing to a height of about ten feet, producing oval leaves and clusters of small creamy-white flowers, thriving in woodlands and on riverbanks. The root is unearthed in autumn.

History

 The Cherokee used the plant as a remedy for kidney and bladder stones.

The 19th century Physiomedicalist herbal movement used a formula comprising of hydrangea, couch grass, and hollyhock to treat serious kidney disorders, including nephritis.

Key Actions

• diuretic

Key Components

• saponins
• flavonoids
• volatile oil
• a cyanogenic glycoside (hydrangein)

Medicinal Parts

• Roots, rhizomes

Traditional Uses

 It is used mainly in the treatment of urinary tract conditions, particulary kidney and bladder stones. It is thought to encourage the expulsion of the stones and to help dissolve those that remain.

The herb is also given for other conditions affecting the genitourinary system, including cystitis, urethritis, enlarged prostate, and prostatitis.

Botanical Names

• Family Equisetaceae
• Equisetum arvense
• Equisetum hyemale

Common Names

• Bottle-brush, Corn Horsetail, Dutch Rushes, Hollander Rush Grass, Field Horsetail, Horse Willow, Horsetail Grass, Horsetail Rush, Paddock-pipes, Pewterwort, Scouring Rush, Shave Grass, Toadpipe
• Spanish: Cola de Caballo, Ca utillo del Llano, Carricillo

Cautions

 It is contraindicated in those who have edema because of an impaired heart or kidney function.

It should not to be used for more than six weeks at a time unless under the care of a professional since the herb may cause irritation of the digestive tract.

It should not be confused with marsh horsetail (E. palustre), which is similar, but larger. This contains toxic alkaloids.

The herb is banned in Canada, except where the thiaminase-like compounds have been removed.

Description

 Native to Europe, North Africa, northern Asia, and the Americas, horsetail now grows as far south as Turkey and Iran. The plant is also found in the Himalayas, central and north China, and Japan where E. hyemale (mu zei) is the species used.

The Equisetum genus is the only group of the Sphenophytina, an order of vascular plants. There are sixteen known species and eighteen hybrids. Botanically speaking, they fall between the ferns and the clubmosses. Of the sixteen known species, eleven can be found in England and the lowland areas of Scotland.

It is perennial plant with a yellowish fruiting stem, growing to about fourteen inches in height, followed by a sterile segmented and toothed stem growing to about two feet in height having whirls of long, needle-shaped leaves. It does not flower, but produces spore-like sacs which are visible from spring to fall. Commonly found in damp soil, the sterile stems are harvested in summer and carefully dried and all discoloured parts discarded.

History

 Horsetail is a primitive plant which descended from huge trees that lived in the Paleozoic era (600-375 million years ago) and were the product of the Carboniferous period (270 million years ago). They are now our source of coal seams.

Its high silica content makes it an abrasive, as well as a medicinal, and has long been used by many cultures to polish metal and wood. This use is indicated in its nicknames and when it was tied to the tails of livestock to help them ward off flies.

Horsetail was long used as a wound healer as indicated by the English herbalist John Gerard in 1597 who quoted uses by Dioscorides and Pliny.

The ancient Greeks used the plant to heal wounds, but it is now considered, by many, to be an invasive weed.

In rural Mexico, the plant's leafless stalks are tied together to make scouring brushes used to clean pots, as well as by cabinet-makers to sand wood finely. Children make whistles out of the hollow stems.

It was once considered a remedy for gonorrhea because it relieved the burning urination that accompanies the disease.

Older herbals recommend its use as a styptic for arresting the flow of blood from external wounds.

Growing wild all over North America, horsetail was an effective diuretic used by many Native American tribes, including the Blackfoot and Okanagan. The Okanagans used a solution made by boiling horsetail stems to wash skin sores. They also treated poison ivy by washing the affected areas with a mixture of pounded horsetail and water.

Key Actions

• astringent
• anti-inflammatory
• mildly diuretic
• stops bleeding
• tissue healer

Key Components

• large amounts of silicic acid and silicates (about 15%)
• flavonoids
• phenolic acids
• alkaloids (including nicotine)
• sterols and phytosterols
• saponins
• bitter principle
• minerals (potassium, manganese, magnesium, calcium, chromium, iron, phosphorus, and selenium)
• tannins

Medicinal Parts

 The sterile shoots

Silicic acid and silicates supports the regeneration of connective tissue.

Although not well researched, horsetail does contain a poisonous substance called thiaminase, which produces symptoms of toxicity in animals and humans, including causing a deficiency of vitamin B1 and permanent liver damage.

Horsetail is a common source of supplemental silica which promotes bone growth and collagen formation. This is commonly known as the "glue" that holds connective tissue together.

Remedies

 Decoctions added to a bath benefits slow-healing sprains and fractures and certain skin conditions, including eczema. They can also be taken internally for heavy menstruation and skin conditions such as acne and eczema, stomach ulcers, urinary tract inflammations, and prostate and lung disorders. Horsetail should never be consumed whole or in its raw state, not only because the body cannot assimilate it in this form, but because it can destroy vitamin B1 in the body. Instead, steep horsetail in hot water, for at least three hours to extract the main constituents before drinking. This solution can be taken throughout the day for no longer than three days at a time.

Capsules of the powder are used for convenience.

Poultices are made from the powder by forming a paste, then applied to leg ulcers, wounds, sores, and chilblains.

Mouthwash and gargles are made from diluted decoctions and used for mouth and gum infections or throat inflammations.

Juice from liquidized stems is the best form for urinary disorders. For nosebleeds, some can be placed on a cotton swab and inserted into the nostril. It is also used for long-standing lung damage.

Traditional Uses

 Its traditional medicinal use was as a clotting agent to help staunch blood flow in wounds and nosebleeds, but it also reduces the coughing up of blood.

Its astringent property has an effect on the genitourinary system, proving especially valuable if there is blood in the urine, as well as in the cases of cystitis, urethritis, and prostate disease.

The herb speeds the repair of damaged connective tissue, improving its strength and elasticity.

It is also used to treat rheumatic and arthritic conditions; such chest ailments as emphysema, deep-seated lung disease; and for chronic edema of the legs.

In China, the dried stems are used to cool fevers and as a remedy for such eye inflammations as conjunctivitis and corneal disorders.

Since the plant is high in silica, it makes an effective diuretic, and is one of the more popular Mexican home remedy plants.

Botanical Names

• Family Cruciferae
• Armoracia rusticana syn. Cochlearia armoracia
• Armoracia lapathifolia

Common Names

• Mountain Radish, Red Cole, Great Raifort

Cautions

 Overconsumption can irritate the mucous membranes rather than heal them as happens when smaller amounts are taken.

It should be avoided by those with low thyroid function.

A horseradish poultice can cause blistering. Therefore, great care should be taken before attempting this form.

It should not be given to children under four years of age.

Description

 Native to Europe, particularly the Volga-Don region, horseradish long ago spread to western Asia and is now cultivated in many parts of the world. A member of the mustard and cabbage family, the plant is a perennial, growing to twenty inches, having deep roots, large leaves, and clusters of four-petaled white flowers. The huge leaves can sometimes be two feet long and six inches wide. The herb is widely cultivated for its root, which is dug up in the fall.

History

 It has been suggested that Pliny (23-79 CE) had horseradish in mind when he described a plant that warded off scorpions. However, for most of its history, the herb has been used mainly as a diuretic and remains a popular condiment throughout many parts of the world.

It is best known for its pungent taste and is one of the five bitter herbs consumed at Passover seder.

The Cherokee used the plant to treat asthma, coughs, and bronchitis. Many tribes, including the Ontario, Delaware, and Mohegan, have applied poultices of the leaves to treat neuralgia and toothache.

Key Actions

• antimicrobial
• antibiotic (against both Gram+ and Gram-)
• anti-cancer
• anti-inflammatory
• diuretic
• expectorant
• promotes perspiration
• strong digestive stimulant

Key Components

• glucosilinates (mainly sinigrin)
• asparagine
• resin
• vitamins and minerals (especially chromium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, vitamins A and C, calcium, manganese, niacin, and zinc)

Medicinal Parts

 Roots, leaves

The glycosides are responsible for its reddening effect on the skin, an indication, along with a sensation of warmth, of increased circulation to the area.

Volatile oils and isothiocyanates in the root may have mild antibiotic properties.

Traditional Uses

 Today, horseradish is a much undervalued herbal medicine having many healing properties. It has the ability to stimulate the digestion, promote sweating thereby lowering fevers, loosen phlegm and move it out of the system, and rid the body of many harmful organisms. It is especially effective for colds and bronchitis, and urinary or gastrointestinal infections. Ground fresh horseradish mixed with a little honey and added to a cup of hot water is a time-honoured cough remedy.

It is also effective in strengthening the stomach, but it does contain certain oils that can irritate stomach ulcers.

When horseradish is crushed, a component called sinigrin produces allyl isothiocyanate, an antibiotic substance, making it a good remedy for respiratory and urinary tract infections.

A sandwich with freshly grated root is a home remedy for hay fever. The large leaves are often used as an addition to salads.

Externally, a poultice can be used to soothe chilblains. The herb is a good rubefacient, stimulating blood flow and bringing it to the surface of the skin and turning it red, necessary in healing. However, care must be taken not to do more damage to the flesh as it can cause blistering if not handled properly. This gentle action is beneficial for relieving joint and muscle pain by creating warmth and stimulating circulation in the area. It acts as a counterirritant, which interferes with the transmission of pain messages from peripheral nerves to the brain.

A tea can be made from the solution remaining after grated horseradish has steeped in vinegar for a week. This can also be used as a condiment.

Horseradish is also used as a water purifier.

Botanical and Common Names

• Family Labiatae
• Marrubium vulgare (Horehound/Hoarhound, White Horehound, Common Horehound, Houndsbane, Marrubium; Spanish: Marrubio, Manrubio, Mastranso)
• Ballota Nigra (Black Horehound, Black Stinking Horehound)

Cautions

• None listed.

Description

 Indigenous from the Mediterranean region to central Asia, horehound has since become established in central Europe and introduced into America, South Africa, and Australia, flourishing in dry, bare, or open areas. A member of the mint family, it is a square-stemmed perennial, growing to about twenty inches and having toothed, downy grayish leaves and a long woody stem that bears rings of double-lipped, white flowers that evolve into a burr containing a few brown or black seeds. Horehound is gathered in the spring.

Black horehound is considered a weed in Europe, thriving in open areas, pavement cracks, by roadsides, and mostly near human habitation. It was intentionally introduced to the US, but it also grows in Asia. Black horehound is a straggling, strong-smelling perennial, growing to about three feet and having oval, toothed leaves and pinkish-purple flowers in whorls at the base of the upper leaves. It is harvested when in flower in the summer.

History

 Its Latin name is thought to have come from the Romans who named it after an ancient town, but it may also have derived from the Hebrew marrob, meaning bitter herb, as it is still eaten during Passover.

The Romans and other ancient civilizations relied on horehound to treat numerous ailments, including whooping cough, tuberculosis, jaundice, menstrual cramps, and constipation.

The Egyptians used it to repel flies, among other things.

Horehound has been a remedy for chest problems since ancient times and taken mainly in the form of a syrup. The Greek physician, Dioscorides (40-90 CE), recommended a decoction to treat tuberculosis, asthma, and coughs. He also recommended a plaster of Black Horehound leaves and salt for dog bites. He said that a balm made from dried leaves and honey would help purify infected wounds and ulcers.

In 1597, the herbalist John Gerard praised horehound as the "most singular remedy against the cough and wheezing."

It apparently was brought to the New World by Spanish friars; and, having escaped from many a mission garden, it now grows wild throughout the temperate zones of Mexico and the southern US.

Horehound is most familiar as a flavouring for candies and some beverages.

Although it has a very long history of medicinal uses and approved by European health authorities, the US FDA removed it from the approved list in 1989, saying there was not enough evidence that it had any medicinal use. However, naturopaths, herbalists, and other practitioners continue to use it, based on its extensive history as a botanical medicine.

Key Actions

(a) Horehound

• antiseptic
• expectorant
• heals wounds
• stimulates bile flow
• stabilizes heart rhythm

(b) Black Horehound

• antispasmodic
• antiemetic (relieves vomiting)
• stimulates bile flow

Key Components

• diterpenes (up to 1% marrubiin)
• marrubenol
• flavonoids
• alkaloids (including betonicine and stachydrine)
• volatile oil (up to 0.6%)

Medicinal Parts

• Aerial parts
• Marrubiin is a strong expectorant and bitter. As an expectorant, it is believed to be responsible for thinning and loosening airway mucus making it easier to cough up.

Traditional Uses

 Horehound has long been used to treat respiratory infections, including colds and asthma, and to help heal the membranes. Because of the bitterness of the herb, it is used mainly in the form of a syrup.

As a bitter tonic, horehound can be made into decoctions, infusions, and tinctures to increase the appetite and support the function of the stomach. It is most beneficial in influenza cases where the patient has lost the desire to eat.

It is used to treat liver and gallbladder complaints, dyspepsia, appetite loss, and intestinal worms.

It is also used to normalize heart rhythm and improve regularity.

Externally, infusions and decoctions help heal skin conditions.

Horehound has also been used in the fields of gynecology and obstetrics as it as an alternative effect on the menstrual cycle, as well as expelling the placenta after birth. This is achieved by taking a strong infusion or decoction immediately after the birth.

Black horehound is not used as much today as its medicinal effect is inferior to horehound, butit can still be substituted for horehound when nothing else is available. It is perhaps the most useful when nausea stems from disorders of the inner ear as opposed to those of the digestive system.

Botanical and Common Names

• Family Caprifoliaceae
• Lonicera caprifolium (Honeysuckle/Honey Suckle, Common honeysuckle, Dutch Honeysuckle, Goat s Leaf, Woodbine, Wood-Bind)
• Lonicera periclymenum (European Honeysuckle, Woodbine)
• Lonicera japonica (Chinese honeysuckle, Jin yin hua)
• Lonicera villosa (American honeysuckle)
• Family Acanthaceae
• Justicia spicigera syn. Jacobinia spicigera (Mexican Honeysuckle, Firecracker Plant, Desert Honeysuckle)
• Spanish: Muicle, Muitle, Chuparrosa, Trompetilla, Mayotl, Mozote, Yerbe de A il
• Nahuatl: Mohuitl
• Maya: Yich-kaan

Cautions

• Do not eat the berries of the red honeysuckle as they are toxic.

Description

 The honeysuckle plant is deciduous and native to southern Europe and the Caucasus. L. japonica is semievergreen and native to China and Japan. A perennial climber, the honeysuckle is commonly found growing along walls or forming hedges which, if given suitable support, can reach heights of twenty feet. The shrub has light green oval leaves, which sometimes merge across the stem rather than growing in pairs one on each side. The pink-tinged creamy-white flowers grow in pairs and are basically tubular with diverging lips. The colour of the flowers can vary, but some species produce yellow-orange or yellow-white colours. Poisonous small berries appear after the flowers. The flowers and leaves are gathered in summer just before the flowers open.

The Mexican Honeysuckle is native to the Americas and is a showy plant, producing orange or red flowers that bloom all summer and attract hummingbirds. This bush is favoured in gardens throughout the southwestern US, but it should not be confused with a another plant (J. californica syn.Beloperone californica) which has similar flowers, but very few leaves.

History The Latin name caprifolium means goat's leaf, reflecting the belief that the leaves were once a favourite food of goats. It may also reflect the shape of the leaves, which resemble goat's ears.

In Europe, it was traditionally used as a treatment for asthma and other chest conditions.

Pliny recommended it be taken in wine for spleen disorders.

First listed in the Tang Ben Cao, written in 659 CE, it remains one of the most important Chinese herbs for clearing heat and poisons from the body.

Honeysuckle was one of the many medicinal herbs that John Gerard grew in his private garden.

The Aztecs used their species to cure dysentery and scabies and to reduce menstrual flow.

Key Actions

(a) Honeysuckle

• antispasmodic
• diuretic
• diaphoretic
• expectorant
• laxative
• promotes vomiting

(b) Chinese Honeysuckle

• antibacterial
• anti-inflammatory
• antispasmodic
• hypotensive
• mild diuretic

Key Components

(a) Honeysuckle

• saponin
• tannin
• flavonoids
• mucilage
• sugars
• salicylic acid
• volatile oil

(b) Chinese Honeysuckle

• volatile oil (mainly linalool and jasmone)
• tannins
• luteolin
• inositol

Medicinal Parts

 Flowers, leaves, bark

The main active principals are saponin and luteolin.

Chinese research indicates that jin yin hua inhibits the tuberculosis bacillus and counters infection. Because it is from the same genus as honeysuckle, that plant could prove to have similar effects.

Traditional Uses

 Honeysuckle is one of the Bach Flower Remedies used to counter feelings of nostalgia and homesickness.

Infusions, made from the flowers, are used for coughs and mild asthma. They are especially helpful for these conditions when combined with such other expectorant herbs as cowslip, elecampane, or mulberry.

Syrups can be made from the flowers and used for coughs or combined with such other expectorant flowers as mullein or marshmallow for more effectiveness.

An oil expressed from the flowers, and gently heated, is used to restore circulation to the extremeties that have been numbed by cold. The plant has vasodilative properties that can increase blood flow to the surface of the skin. These active principals are readily absorbed by the skin with the oil.

Honeysuckle has long been used in Chinese medicine to clear heat and to relieve toxicity, especially that of such inflammatory diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, abscesses, sores, inflammation of the breast, and dysentery. Decoctions made from the Chinese honeysuckle flowers are taken in the early stages of a feverish cold characterized by headache, thirst, and sore throat. Tinctures are used for diarrhea or gastroenteritis related to food poisoning. Decoctions made from the stems are used like the flower bud decoctions and are especially effective if there is joint pain that accompanies such conditions as influenza.

Although rarely used in Western herbal medicine today, its traditional usage indicates that various parts of the plant had different therapeutic benefits. For instance, the bark has diuretic properties and taken to relieve gout, kidney stones, and liver problems. The leaves are astringent and make a good mouthwash and gargle for sore throats or canker sores. The flowers relieve coughs and act as an antispasmodic used in the treatment of asthma.

Apart from its medicinal value, the Mexican Honeysuckle has been used to make a natural bluing agent for laundry rinses or as a blue dye. However, its most common medicinal use is that of a tonic to "purify the blood".

Botanical Name

• Family Crassulaceae
• Sempervivum tectorum

Common Names

• Houseleek, Jupiter's Eye, Jupiter's Beard, Thor's Beard, Bullock's Eye, Sengreen, Ayron, Ayegreen, Aaron's Rod, Hens and Chickens, Liveforever, Thunder Plant

Cautions

• No cautions are listed as long as the prescribed doses are followed.

Description

 Native to central and southern Europe, the plant now grows wild in northern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. It is a succulent perennial, growing to four inches and producing round rosettes of leaves and flowering stems which bear clusters of bell-shaped red flowers. A widely cultivated ornamental garden plant, it spreads easily and prefers sandy, dry soil.

History

 The Frankish King Charlemagne (742-814 CE) told his subjects to plant the herb on their roofs since it reputedly warded off lightning and fire.

The botanical name of Sempervivum means "forever living," referring to its hardiness — but not enough to ward off lightning and fire.

Key Actions

• antiseptic
• antidiarrheal
• antiparasitic
• anti-inflammatory
• diuretic
• soothing astringent

Key Components

• tannins
• mucilage
• malic and formic acids

Medicinal Parts

• Leaves, leaf juice

Traditional Uses

 Freshly pressed leaves and their juice are used externally to soothe skin conditions, including burns, wounds, ulcers, insect bites, sore nipples, corns, inflammations, hemorrhoids, eczema, stomatitis, fungal infections, as well as itchy and burning parts of the skin.

Infusions are used internally to treat inflammations of the mucous membranes and has long been used to treat dysentery, diarrhea, worm infestations, and for heavy menstrual bleeding.

Gargles of the juice may be used to treat throat inflammations, including tonsillitis and stomatitis (inflammations of the oral cavity).

Traditionally, the leaves were chewed to relieve toothache and the juice sniffed to stop nosebleeds.

Botanical and Common Names

• Family Ericaceae
• Calluna vulgaris (Heather, Ling)
• Family Lythraceae
• Cuphea spp. (Mexican Heather)
• Spanish: (Cancerina, Yerba del Cáncer, Alcancér, Calavera, Chanclana, Yerba del Coyote)
• Nahuatl: (Ayauhtona)

Cautions

• None listed.

Description

 With the exception of a few Mediterranean islands, heather is distributed throughout most of Europe, Russia, and Asia Minor as well as on the Atlantic coast of North America. It is a small, branched shrub growing to about two feet with tiny leaves and white or pink to pale purple flowers that grow on spikes. It can be found on heaths, moors, bogs, and in open woods. The herb is gathered when in flower in late summer.

There are more than 200 species of Cuphea in the Americas and about 90 of them are found growing wild in central and southern Mexico from Durango to Chiapas. Like its English counterpart, Mexican heather grows profusely on hillsides and in fields. The small, bushy plants are covered with tiny orangy-red to purple flowers.

History

 If the "erica" referred to by Dioscorides is heather, then the flowering tips were used in classical times for snake bites.

Galen (131-200 CE) wrote of the plant's ability to induce sweating.

The rootstalk of the plant was used to make musical pipes. The foliage was used for mattress stuffing and the flowers eventually gave a delicate honey.

The Spanish name (Cancerina) comes from the plant's traditional use for treating tumors.

Key Actions

(a) Heather

• antiseptic
• antimicrobial
• antirheumatic
• cleansing and detoxifying
• diuretic
• heals wounds

(b) Mexican Heather

• anti-inflammatory
• astringent
• promotes healing

Key Components

• flavonoids
• arbutin
• tannin
• alkaloid (ericodin)

Medicinal Parts

• Flowering tips, shoots (Heather); stem, leaf, flowers (Mexican Heather)
• Ericodin is strongly disinfectant, especially within the bladder and urinary tubules.

Traditional Uses

 Heather is used mainly as a urinary antiseptic and diuretic, disinfecting the urinary tract while increasing urine production. It was long used to treat cystitis and inflammatory bladder conditions, as well as for kidney and bladder stones.

A decoction can be added to a bath or used internally. A cleansing herb, it is helpful for such conditions as rheumatism, arthritis, and gout. The macerated flowering tips produce a liniment to be rubbed on affected joints.

A hot poultice made with heather tips is a traditional remedy for chilblains.

Heather is also used for enlargement of the prostate; for gastrointestinal disorders and colic; for liver and gallbladder disease; and for respiratory complaints, insomnia, agitation, and wounds.

Mexican Heather is used to treat indigestion, dysentery, wounds, bruises, and muscle pain.