Showing posts with label herb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label herb. Show all posts
Teaching Tuesday-Five Flavor Berries
The five flavor plant and berry, botanically known as Schisandra chinensis, is so named because the berries possess all five of the basic flavors used in traditional Chinese medicine, sweet, salty, spicey, bitter and sour. In fact, this plant is considered to be one of the "50 fundamental herbs" necessary to Chinese medicine.
While it is native to the forests of Northern China and Eastern Russia, it is an ornamental plant that can be found in gardens throughout the world. In the USA it is hardy to (USDA) zone 4. You may be more familiar with the more common name, "Magnolia Vine". So called because of its ability to grow upwards, in a creeping fashion, it is a woody vine with oval, pink leaves and bright red berries. It is rather hardy, thriving in most any soil type, although it prefers moist, well drained soil. It also prefers to climb on a wall that has some shade. While the natural plant only bears fruit when the female plant is fetilized with pollen from a male plant, there is a hybrid, named "Eastern Prince", that has beautiful and perfect flowers, and is self-fertile.
The berries are most often used in dried form, where they are used to make a medicinal tea. Chinese folklore says that Schisandra can "calm the heart and quiet the spirit", and it has a long history in Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are over 19 species of the genus that are said to be used in Chinese medicine, largely for its (mild) sedative qualities and for tonic agents as well. Traditional Chinese Medicine has also used it as a lung astringent, coughs, and asthma, as well as using the vines and roots to make remedies for painful joints and rheumatism. It is also said to help with "wei chi", the defense energy of the body, helping to build resistance to infection. On the non-medicinal side, they also use teh berries to make a wine. The Japanese use the plant as a remedy for sea-sickness and colds. Russian hunters, on the other hand, have consumed tea made from it for centuries, to help with fatigue.
Most research having to do with this plant has been conducted in China, where double blind studies suggest that it has the ability to help those that suffer from Hepatitis. The lignans contained in the berry appear to protect the liver by stimulating cells which produce antioxidants. Also, because it has adaptogenic properties, it has been comapared to herbal medicines, such as Ginseng, that stimulating the central nervous system, increase brain efficiency, improve reflexes, and accelerate endurance. The powder made from dried berries can be used in capsules or can be reconstituted to drink as a tea or mixed in juice. Fresh berries can be eaten, mixed in foods/drinks, or allowed to steep in glycerin, which can then be drank or encapsulated.
Precautions: Botanical safety research (in China, Russia, and the U.S.A) has showed that Schisandra may, in rare instances, cause gastrointestinal upset. It should not be used by pregnant women, as it is a uterine stimulant. Since this plant possesses sedative qualities it may enhance the actions of prescription medications. Therefore, care should be taken, and the possibility of decreasing a prescription dosage should be discussed with your physician.
Teaching Tuesday- Forgotten Herbs; Agrimony
I hope that your New Year celebration was safe and enjoyable! While I may have ushered in the new year rather unceremoniously, it was quite enjoyable, none the less. A great meal, a wonderful glass of wine, a good book and some game playing....Oh what fun! But now that the celebration is over, the work continues on.
Every year at this time I pull out ALL my supplier records and compare them with the current prices being offered at all the various suppliers. In researching though, I often get distracted by the suppliers website, looking through all of their products, not just what I need and usually things that I don't currently use. While I have always maintained a wish list right along side of my shopping list (and my shopping list is a real doosie. It is divided into "must have asap", "need soon but at good price", "need soon, any price" and "can wait for sale") whenever I begin looking at suppliers, I inevitably find more things to add to both lists! And occasionally I will find something that I have either, not seen for a long time, or, albeit rarely, something that I have not seen or heard of before. Whenever this happens I like to spend time researching, formulating recipe ideas, and making price comparisons. Sometimes these new ingredients end up being part of a new product, sometimes they are incorporated into my personal life, and sometimes they remain of the wish list for a year or more.
Why am I admitting all this to you? Well, as I was going through this process this weekend, I found some older herbs that I had not thought about for many years. They are good herbs, with great qualities, and ones that our Grandmas knew well. So this week we are beginning a new series on Herbs, concentrating on ones that not everyone is familiar with these days.
Today we will kick of this Herbal Series with the herb, Agrimony. Agrimony is botanically known as Agrimonia eupatoria and/or agrimonia procera, and is a perennial herb. Also called/known as church steeples, cocklebur, sticklewort, and philantopos, this flowering herb is in the rose family. It bears yellow flowers with egg shaped petal on spikes, extending from hairy stems. They have a pleasant and distinctive scent, often compared to apricots, but said to be not as sweet.
Agrimony dates back thousands of years. Anglo-Saxon's used it for charm making and to induce deep sleep, while witches proclaimed it a cure for bad energy. During the Elizabethan period, these flowers, found near fences and hedges throughout England, began being called philanthropos due to all its beneficial medicinal properties. Its use in Chinese medicine (they call it Xian He Cao), dates back extensively, yet remains currently prevalent. They primarily taught it as an ingredient to stop unwanted bleeding, and as a blood purifying agent.
History shows that agrimony has been, and still can be, used as a remedy for a broad spectrum of health issues. While agrimony teas are a traditional diuretic, they are also a traditional treatment for diarrhea. The oil in agrimony has antibacterial and antiviral properties. When an agrimony tea is sipped slowly, the tannins in the agrimony cross link with proteins in the throat to form a barrier against irritation and more importantly, infection. This explains why this herb is reported to be used as an immunity booster, especially for bolstering the body in fighting off colds and the flu, and (as a tonic) for aiding in recovery from winter colds and fevers. It is also reported to be a great mouthwash, and is used as a gargle to treat sore throats and to heal mouth sores. It cleans wounds and fights bacteria and viruses, as well as relieving the pain caused by such infections.
In skin care, it is an excellent astringent. As a decoction (made with a strong concentration of agrimony), it is a wonderful acne treatment, or it can be applied directly to irritated skin. Its bactericidal properties protect against infection and make this herb a great ingredient for lotions and balms intended to treat sores, ulcers and other skin irritations. Generally speaking, the use of agrimony in these types of preparations, will help to speed up the healing process.
Typically, when you get agrimony the herb will be powdered in a slurry or decoction, made into an essential oil, or used as an herbal tea. As for contraindications, many sites said that there really weren't any for anyone using under 3 grams per day. They report that using more than this amount [for treating sore throats] aggravates/increases constipation when the condition is already present. However, some more current research suggests that this herb can cause photo dermatitis (a type of skin rash aggravated by sun exposure) in susceptible people. Additionally, these studies also report that remedies made with agrimony can lower blood pressure. Therefore, anyone undergoing anticoagulant therapy, or taking medication for, either high or low blood pressure, should not use remedies made from this herb. Pregnant or nursing mothers should also avoid the use of remedies made with this herb until more is known about its affects on the menstrual cycle. Additionally, tea consumption should be in moderation, as it is very high in tannin. Adding milk to the tea will help to blunt the ingested tannins though, and moderate amounts are not deemed harmful. These reccomendations are fairly new, and not all sites are reporting these warnings.
Now for the positives that current research is showing. It appears that agrimony extracts protect against viral infections in general, and hepatitis B in particular, but only when the tea is made with boiling water, rather than hot water. Research also shows that agrimony, prepared at any temperature, supports liver functions. It would seem that, whether used as a tea, a decoction for topical skin applications, or as an ingredient in a lotions and balms, this old fashioned herb still has many modern day applications!
Every year at this time I pull out ALL my supplier records and compare them with the current prices being offered at all the various suppliers. In researching though, I often get distracted by the suppliers website, looking through all of their products, not just what I need and usually things that I don't currently use. While I have always maintained a wish list right along side of my shopping list (and my shopping list is a real doosie. It is divided into "must have asap", "need soon but at good price", "need soon, any price" and "can wait for sale") whenever I begin looking at suppliers, I inevitably find more things to add to both lists! And occasionally I will find something that I have either, not seen for a long time, or, albeit rarely, something that I have not seen or heard of before. Whenever this happens I like to spend time researching, formulating recipe ideas, and making price comparisons. Sometimes these new ingredients end up being part of a new product, sometimes they are incorporated into my personal life, and sometimes they remain of the wish list for a year or more.
Why am I admitting all this to you? Well, as I was going through this process this weekend, I found some older herbs that I had not thought about for many years. They are good herbs, with great qualities, and ones that our Grandmas knew well. So this week we are beginning a new series on Herbs, concentrating on ones that not everyone is familiar with these days.
Today we will kick of this Herbal Series with the herb, Agrimony. Agrimony is botanically known as Agrimonia eupatoria and/or agrimonia procera, and is a perennial herb. Also called/known as church steeples, cocklebur, sticklewort, and philantopos, this flowering herb is in the rose family. It bears yellow flowers with egg shaped petal on spikes, extending from hairy stems. They have a pleasant and distinctive scent, often compared to apricots, but said to be not as sweet.
Agrimony dates back thousands of years. Anglo-Saxon's used it for charm making and to induce deep sleep, while witches proclaimed it a cure for bad energy. During the Elizabethan period, these flowers, found near fences and hedges throughout England, began being called philanthropos due to all its beneficial medicinal properties. Its use in Chinese medicine (they call it Xian He Cao), dates back extensively, yet remains currently prevalent. They primarily taught it as an ingredient to stop unwanted bleeding, and as a blood purifying agent.
History shows that agrimony has been, and still can be, used as a remedy for a broad spectrum of health issues. While agrimony teas are a traditional diuretic, they are also a traditional treatment for diarrhea. The oil in agrimony has antibacterial and antiviral properties. When an agrimony tea is sipped slowly, the tannins in the agrimony cross link with proteins in the throat to form a barrier against irritation and more importantly, infection. This explains why this herb is reported to be used as an immunity booster, especially for bolstering the body in fighting off colds and the flu, and (as a tonic) for aiding in recovery from winter colds and fevers. It is also reported to be a great mouthwash, and is used as a gargle to treat sore throats and to heal mouth sores. It cleans wounds and fights bacteria and viruses, as well as relieving the pain caused by such infections.
In skin care, it is an excellent astringent. As a decoction (made with a strong concentration of agrimony), it is a wonderful acne treatment, or it can be applied directly to irritated skin. Its bactericidal properties protect against infection and make this herb a great ingredient for lotions and balms intended to treat sores, ulcers and other skin irritations. Generally speaking, the use of agrimony in these types of preparations, will help to speed up the healing process.
Typically, when you get agrimony the herb will be powdered in a slurry or decoction, made into an essential oil, or used as an herbal tea. As for contraindications, many sites said that there really weren't any for anyone using under 3 grams per day. They report that using more than this amount [for treating sore throats] aggravates/increases constipation when the condition is already present. However, some more current research suggests that this herb can cause photo dermatitis (a type of skin rash aggravated by sun exposure) in susceptible people. Additionally, these studies also report that remedies made with agrimony can lower blood pressure. Therefore, anyone undergoing anticoagulant therapy, or taking medication for, either high or low blood pressure, should not use remedies made from this herb. Pregnant or nursing mothers should also avoid the use of remedies made with this herb until more is known about its affects on the menstrual cycle. Additionally, tea consumption should be in moderation, as it is very high in tannin. Adding milk to the tea will help to blunt the ingested tannins though, and moderate amounts are not deemed harmful. These reccomendations are fairly new, and not all sites are reporting these warnings.
Teaching Tuesdays - Anice, Getting the Most From this Licorice Scented Herb
A new acquittance and I were speaking in a soap forum the other day, about the benefits of herbal treatments and essential oils. Since most of you know that is a favorite topic of mine, I decided that I would delve into this subject again, trying to describe some that I neglected in the past.
Anise (Seed), a licorice flavored (and scented) spice is used for a great many things, perhaps, predominately liquors, from Greek the ouzo to the French pastis, however, aside from its use as a flavoring agent, it, like most herbs and spices, has several [other] applications. Aniseed has been used medicinally since the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans. They frequently prescribed it for an assortment of issues, including relieving gassiness and bad breath, stimulating milk production in lactating Mothers, and helping to release excess phlegm.
Today, herb experts believe that some of the ancient uses were spot on in regards to their claims, predominately, the ability of anise to benefit the digestive system. Anise is known to relieve gas, calm upset stomaches, and even relieve colic in infants. It is very safe for anyone to try, and, in fact, it has the same properties that dill and fennel have, which is what makes it effective for colic relief. To make a tea for an infant, dilute 1/2 cup of an anise seed tea with 1/2 cup of water, making sure that it is cool before offering it. For an adult who has stomach issues, or needs to have gas relieved, crush one teaspoon of aniseed and mix it into one cup of boiling water. Allow it to steep for 10-20 minutes and drink when cool enough. You can drink up to three cups per day, however, Dr. A. Duke, botanist, and author of The CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, recommends adding peppermint leaf (either fresh or dried) for to enhance the digestive relief.
The essential oil, pimpinella anisum, is steam distilled from the seeds of the anise herb. This is not the same as star anise, and they are not related. Anise, generally produced in China, India and Spain, produces a warm, spicy, sweet, licorice aroma. Because of its scent, it is frequently used in the making of pipe tobacco, as well as the liquors previously mentioned. It has some antiseptic qualities, along with antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, and emmenagogue ones. (See definitions of underlined words on the Reference page, link at top of blog) Emmenagogue means a drug or agent that induces or hastens menstrual flow, which is one reason that this EO should never be used by a pregnant woman.
Because of the properties noted, this EO is often used in preparations/ medications/ treatments to relieve symptoms of colds, bronchitis, coughs, and asthma, as well as, colic, gassiness, muscular aches, cramps, indigestion, and even rheumatism. Many people have nicknamed this EO scent "the Fishermans Friend". Supposedly fish are attracted to the scent, and the human scent is masked by its fragrance, which allows the fisherman to bait his pole without worry about off-putting his potential catch. When taken internally it helps with dry, irritating coughs, whooping cough and bronchitis. A drop can be taken with water to help with digestion, or the oil can be added to honey when taken for coughs or digestive ailments. Although this EO's use can be quite beneficial in several regards, it must be used in moderation because it acts as a narcotic, slowing down circulation, when it's present in large quantities. In fact, misuse can even lead to brain disorders. As with all EO's knowledge, care and careful use is necessary, but with these, we can benefit from the plants and their oils.
*See the reference page, link at the top of this page, for definitions and bibliography.
Anise (Seed), a licorice flavored (and scented) spice is used for a great many things, perhaps, predominately liquors, from Greek the ouzo to the French pastis, however, aside from its use as a flavoring agent, it, like most herbs and spices, has several [other] applications. Aniseed has been used medicinally since the days of the ancient Greeks and Romans. They frequently prescribed it for an assortment of issues, including relieving gassiness and bad breath, stimulating milk production in lactating Mothers, and helping to release excess phlegm. Today, herb experts believe that some of the ancient uses were spot on in regards to their claims, predominately, the ability of anise to benefit the digestive system. Anise is known to relieve gas, calm upset stomaches, and even relieve colic in infants. It is very safe for anyone to try, and, in fact, it has the same properties that dill and fennel have, which is what makes it effective for colic relief. To make a tea for an infant, dilute 1/2 cup of an anise seed tea with 1/2 cup of water, making sure that it is cool before offering it. For an adult who has stomach issues, or needs to have gas relieved, crush one teaspoon of aniseed and mix it into one cup of boiling water. Allow it to steep for 10-20 minutes and drink when cool enough. You can drink up to three cups per day, however, Dr. A. Duke, botanist, and author of The CRC Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, recommends adding peppermint leaf (either fresh or dried) for to enhance the digestive relief.
The essential oil, pimpinella anisum, is steam distilled from the seeds of the anise herb. This is not the same as star anise, and they are not related. Anise, generally produced in China, India and Spain, produces a warm, spicy, sweet, licorice aroma. Because of its scent, it is frequently used in the making of pipe tobacco, as well as the liquors previously mentioned. It has some antiseptic qualities, along with antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, and emmenagogue ones. (See definitions of underlined words on the Reference page, link at top of blog) Emmenagogue means a drug or agent that induces or hastens menstrual flow, which is one reason that this EO should never be used by a pregnant woman.
Because of the properties noted, this EO is often used in preparations/ medications/ treatments to relieve symptoms of colds, bronchitis, coughs, and asthma, as well as, colic, gassiness, muscular aches, cramps, indigestion, and even rheumatism. Many people have nicknamed this EO scent "the Fishermans Friend". Supposedly fish are attracted to the scent, and the human scent is masked by its fragrance, which allows the fisherman to bait his pole without worry about off-putting his potential catch. When taken internally it helps with dry, irritating coughs, whooping cough and bronchitis. A drop can be taken with water to help with digestion, or the oil can be added to honey when taken for coughs or digestive ailments. Although this EO's use can be quite beneficial in several regards, it must be used in moderation because it acts as a narcotic, slowing down circulation, when it's present in large quantities. In fact, misuse can even lead to brain disorders. As with all EO's knowledge, care and careful use is necessary, but with these, we can benefit from the plants and their oils.
*See the reference page, link at the top of this page, for definitions and bibliography.
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