Common Name – Sundew
Botanical Name – Drosera Rotundifolia
Parts Used – Aerial Parts
Active Constituents – glycosides, flavonoids, resins, carotins, tannins, organic acids
So what is Sundew good for?
Therapeutic Properties – Anti-spasmodic, demulcent, anti-microbial, aphrodisiac, expectorant
Sundew can helpful in the treatment of tracheitis, bronchitis and asthma.
Sundew can be helpful in the treatment of gastritis and peptic ulcers.
Sundew can be used topically for minor skin irritations.
Dosage
Tincture – 10-20 drops three time a day
Dry herb in tea form – 1-2 grams per cup three cups per day
How do you make sundew tea?
Add one tea spoon of dry Catnip herb to one cup of boiling water, cover and let steep for five minutes, strain out used herb and enjoy.
Contraindications
Should not be used during pregnancy and nursing
Research articles with links
Antimicrobial activity of aerial parts of Drosera peltata Smith on oral bacteria
Sundew – A plant that really garbs you (if you are an ant)
Sundew is a beautiful plant with glistening tentacles on its colorful leaves. Now the glistening tentacles of sundew are attractive to more than just our human eye but insect senses as well. The glistening is a sweet and very sticky secretion that attracts and then traps insects. Sundew is a carnivorous plant, that's right sundew is a plant that eats insects. The tentacles on the leaf of all Drosera or sundew plants are so sensitive that they even cause the leaf to bend in toward its middle when they detect an insect in order to get a better bite. After the insect is trapped the plant secrets digestive enzymes which break down the insect so that it can be absorbed into the plant to supplement its diet.
Common Name – Catnip
Botanical Name – Nepeta Cararia
Parts Used – Leaves and Flowers
Active Constituents – volatile oils, Thymol, camphor, citieonellal, geranio, caryophyllene, rosemarinic acid and others
So what is Catnip good for?
Therapeutic Properties – Lowers fever, carminative, improves apatite, strengthens sleep, helps with stress, helps to prevent diarrhea.
Catnip can be good to help treat coughs, colds, flu and to help to bring down temperature in the case of a fever.
Catnip is suggested by many herbalists for treatment of chronic bronchitis and diarrhea.
Catnip can be used to treat flatulence's, poor apatite, poor digestion and diarrhea.
Catnip is a great herb to help with stress and difficulty falling asleep.
Dosage
Tincture – 30-60 drops three times a day
Tea – three cups a day
How do you make catnip tea?
Add one heaping tea spoon of dry Catnip herb to one cup of boiling water, cover and let steep for five minutes, strain out used herb and enjoy.
Contraindications
Should not be taken with sedatives or sleeping pills
Research articles with links
Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the essential oil and methanol extract of Nepeta cataria
Grandmother Twigleaf meditates over a cup of Catnip tea
As winter starts to spread its frosty fingers through the forest and the earth is already thick with the fall leaves. Life begins to slow down after the summer months which always seem to be so abundant with activity. Grandmother Twigleaf is always happy to see her exited grandchildren. But when they leave she needs to have her cup of catnip tea to help her relax. Normally she only drinks catnip tea when she has trouble falling asleep. But during the summer months full of family and excitement she has her catnip tea every afternoon to help her relax. Now as winter starts to seep in through the smallest openings around the door and windows, grandmother Twigleaf sits down to a hot cup of catnip tea to help her deal with some slight anxiety she is having about the coming cold months of the winter. As she sips on the warm catnip tea she feels more relaxed. She begins to feel calm and at ease. She pictures in her head all of her grandchildren and how nice it is to see them grow. She remembers the same feelings she had when her own children were young and these thoughts warm her heart while the catnip tea warms her stomach. As she finishes her catnip tea she fully reclines her chair and decides to take a short nap.
CTS is what happens when the median nerve, which runs through the wrist gets compressed or damaged. This seems to be brought upon by repeated hand motions over many years. Today we see that anyone who spends many hours a day working on a computer has an increased chance of developing CTS.
Here are three easy exercises that can help to prevent CTS
- Rest one forearm on a table palm down. Now with the other hand lift the fingers of the hand resting on the table to stretch the muscles of the wrist, hand and forearm. Hold the stretch for five minutes and then repeat with the other hand.
- Stand at the edge of a table and place you hands palm down on the table. Now lean forward slowly to stretch the hands and forearms.
- Place a rube band around you finger to create resistance and the open and close your fingers.
Common Name – Linden or Lime Flower
Botanical Name – Tilia(platyphyllos)
Parts Used – Flowers and leaves
Active Constituents – Saponins, aromatic materials, flavonoids (quercitin, hesperidin, astragalin) and tannins.
So what is Linden good for?
Therapeutic Properties – peripheral vasodilator, helps to restore blood vessel walls, sedative, diaphoretic, diuretic, demulcent.
Linden can be good for kids who have trouble falling asleep.
Linden can be used to help with runny nose, stomachache and to help lower a fever.
Linden can be used to help with colds and flu.
Linden can be used to help with stress and any stress related physical symptoms.
Linden can be helpful in the treatment of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and varicose veins.
Dosage
Tincture – 30-60 drops three times a day
Dry herb – 1-4 grams three times a day
How do you make Linden tea?
Add one heaping teaspoon of the dry herb to one cup of boiling water, cover and let steep for five minutes and then stain out the used herb.
Contraindications
None
Research articles with links
Common Name – Yarrow
Botanical Name – Achilea Millefolum
Parts Used – Leaves and flowers
Active Constituents – Coumarins, tannins, flavonoids, volatile oils, bitter materials, resins, alkaloids and aspergin
So what is Yarrow good for?
Therapeutic Properties – Diaphoretic, carminative, anti-spasmodic, hypotensive, astringent, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, anti-microbial, bitter, hepatic, tonic, alterative, vulnerary.
Yarrow can be used with young children to help treat fever, colds, runny nose, diarrhea and bed wetting.
Yarrow can be used to help treat women who suffer from menstrual pains, heavy menstruation, delayed menstruation and bleeding in-between menstruation.
Yarrow can be used to help with stomach aches, gastritis, lack of appetite and diarrhea.
Yarrow can help with hematuria and kidney infections.
Yarrow can be useful in the treatment of high blood pressure and all problems of the veins (hemorrhoids and varicose veins).
Dosage
Tincture – 25-50 drops three times a day
Dry herb – 2-4 grams three time's day
How do you make Yarrow tea?
Add one heaping teaspoon of dry herb to one cup of boiling water, cover, let steep for five minutes and strain out the used herb.
Contraindications
May cause photosensitivity
Some people are allergic to yarrow
Research articles with links
Chemical Composition and in-vitro Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oils
of Three Greek Achillea Species
http://znaturforsch.com/ac/v57c/s57c0287.pdf
Isolation of the anti-inflammatory principles from Achillea millefolium
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jps.2600580805/abstract?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+2+July+from+10-12+BST+for+monthly+maintenance
Common Name – Plantain
Botanical Name – Plantago major, PLantago ovate, Plantago psyllium
Parts Used – leaves and the shell of the seeds
Active Constituents – Acids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, polysaccharides and others
So what is Plantain good for?
Leaves
Therapeutic Properties – expectorant, eases cough, strengthens and balances mucus layer, anti-inflammatory, stops bleeding.
Seeds – sooths skin irritations
Plantain can be used to help with cough both dry and productive, excess mucus, allergies, bronchitis, colds and soar throat.
Plantago psyllium can be used to treat inflammation of the digestive tract, ulcers and also constipation.
Plantian can also help to heal wounds.
Dosage
Dry herb – 2-4 grams 3 times a day
Tincture – 40-80 drops three times a day
Contraindications
Should not be used during pregnancy
There are people who have a allergic reaction to this herb so for use with caution with first time users.
Research articles with links
Randomized clinical trial of Plantago ovata seeds (dietary fiber) as compared with mesalamine in maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis
http://www.nature.com/ajg/journal/v94/n2/pubmed/ajg199982a.html
Common Name – Licorice
Botanical Name – Glycyzrrhiza glabra
Parts Used – Root
Active Constituents – Triterpenes, flavonoids, coumarins, chalcones, polysaccharides and volatile oil.
So what is Licorice good for?
Therapeutic Properties – anti-inflammatory, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-spasmodic, demulcent, emetic, expectorant, laxative, rejuvenative, anti-allergenic, anti-viral and phytoestrogenic.
Licorice helps to support proper function of the adrenalin gland.
Respiratory tract – bronchitis, asthma and cough (both dry and productive).
Digestive tract – mouth ulcers, heartburn and stomach ulcers.
Licorice can also be taken for all forms of inflammation problems.
Licorice can be used to treat herpes can be used as part of treatment of aids and hepatitis C.
Licorice may be helpful in lowering high sugar levels.
In Chinese medicine licorice is believed to have a balancing effect on a herbal formula.
Licorice can be helpful in sweetening herbal formulas for kids.
Dosage
Tincture – 20-40 drops two or three times a day.
Dry root – 1-4 grams three times a day.
How do you make licorice tea?
Boil 1-4 grams of the dry root in 1 cup of water for ten minutes and strain out the dry herb.
Contraindications
Licorice should not be taken by pregnant women. Licorice should not be taken in case of edema. Licorice should not be taken by people who suffer from high blood pressure.
Licorice should not be taken with medications for high blood pressure or steroids.
Licorice should not be taken for more than a two month period. Chronic ingestion of licorice root in any form can cause serious health issues.
Research articles with links
A Drug over the Millennia : Pharmacognosy, Chemistry, and Pharmacology of Licorice
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/els/110003648869.pdf?id=ART0004170950&type=pdf&lang=en&host=cinii&order_no=&ppv_type=0&lang_sw=&no=1309258438&cp=
Anti-Helicobacter pylori flavonoids from licorice extract
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320502018647
