MONKEY HAND TREE - ONCE UNIQUE - STILL A RARITY: MEDICINAL USES OF MONKEY HAND TREE

THE MONKEY HAND TREE, CHIRANTHODENDRON PENTADACTYLON

The Monkey Hand Tree is also called the Mexican Hand Tree and Devil’s Hand Tree, because the five stamens of the flower protrude from the petals, which form a cup shape, or a cuff shape, and look like a hand with five fingers. Its botanical name Chiranthodendron means “hand flower tree” in Greek and pentadactylon, also Greek, means five-fingered. Its botanical synonym is Cheirostemon platnoides.

  It has an interesting history as it was believed by the Mexican Aztecs that the single tree growing in the Toluca Valley was the only one, and that this unique tree had been a present from the gods. To prevent it reproducing they would pick every flower from the tree, and these would have been dried for use by the shamans, and for medicine. It was highly revered as a spiritual and medicinal tree. It was not found by “outsiders” until the 18^th century, and in the 19^th a forest of such trees was discovered along the Mexico-Guatemala border. It is now known that these trees grow in mixed oak and pine forests.

  Despite the fact that the Indians picked all the blossoms from the tree, some were cultivated in gardens, and some given as regal gifts. This tree is the only one in the Chiroanthodendron genus, although it is closely related to Fremontodendron, a hybrid with yellow flowers with a smaller claw. It is a member of the Sterculiaceae family (cacao family) of plants.

  The Mexican Hand Tree was documented botanically by José Dionisia Larreátegui in his “Description Botanique du Chiroanthodendron” published in 1805 in French and Spanish. In Spanish the tree is called árbol de las manitas, or tree of the little hands. It was first seen by Professor Cervantes in 1795 and it was he who first described it to fellow botanists, and a student of his who found the forest of Monkey Hand Trees on the Mexican –Guatemalan border in 1801.

  The natives used this tree to sure a variety of ailments, including epilepsy, for eye problems, and as a cardiac tonic. The flowers are said to cure heart disease and are sold in Mexican markets and some in south west USA. The Aztecs usually used the flowers for medicines, and these bloom from late spring to early summer. They used the bark and leaves for swelling and pain in the genitals, and believed the tree and its parts were beneficial not only to the heart but also to the nervous system.

  The parts of the tree were believed to have sedative, analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Modern medical research has shown that the use of this tree in gastrointestinal disorders is sound as the flavonoid epicatechin found in it is most effective against such amoebae that cause dysentery and diarrhoea. The catechin and isoquercetin it contains are also effective for the same problems, but to a lesser degree. Victor R Preedy in “Botanical medicine in clinical procedures” states that the Monkey Hand Tree is the “most effective herb against amoebic infections” that he tested.

  These trees can grow to heights of 40 feet and are quite fast-growing, with large leaves which are covered with brown wooly hairs on their undersides. When the flowers die back they are followed by woody pods containing several seeds, and these pods can stay on the trees for several months. Like the Cannonball tree and the citron fruit, this tree is something of a curiosity.

NIPPLE FRUIT - ONE OF NATURE'S JOKES? MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF NIPPLE FRUIT

NIPPLE FRUIT OR TITTY FRUIT, SOLANUM MAMMOSUM

The Nipple fruit is so-called because the waxy yellow fruit this member of the nightshade produces looks like a human breast. It is also called “Titty fruit” for the same reason, and Cow’s Udder, also understandable and The Apple of Sodom. It is a member of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family so it’s a close relative of the aubergine, as well as the tomato and potato. Like other members of the Solanaceae family it is poisonous, although the unripe fruit is cooked and eaten as a vegetable. It has a waxy yellow skin and large velvety leaves with purple veins, and fuzzy hairs. Its flowers are white through to pink-purple, and the seeds inside the fruit are red-brown. The fruit is actually a berry. It’s a native of South America, but has become naturalized in the Caribbean and Central America. The juice of the fruit has detergent properties and is used instead of washing powder to wash clothes, so it is a little like reetha, the soap nut in this respect. You have to beware of the thorns on this plant, which run along the branches and stems.

  The green leaves which are poisonous apparently contain vitamin C, and the fruit has the minerals calcium phosphorous and iron, as well as some of the B-complex vitamins, bioflavonoids and amino acids.

However, it is the glycoalkaloid solamargine and a furoshanol glycoside, indioside D as well as solasonine which have all been shown to have inhibitory effects on human cancer cell lines, especially as regards lung, breast and liver cancer cells. It contains two glycoalkaloids which can kill molluscs, and the snails which serve as an intermediate host for schistosome, which are responsible for schistosomiosis (bilharzia) which affects more than 200 million people throughout the Far East, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean. According to a WHO 2004 report, as many as 200,000 die annually from the disease, so a compound which can kill the hosts, can help reduce the spread of the disease.

  The leaves are reputed to have pain-killing properties and slightly narcotic ones. The fruit is a purgative and phlegmatic, and a decoction of the roots is given for asthma and as a general tonic. The leaves are made into poultices for piles. The juice from the leaves is used in some traditional medicine systems for skin problems and a decoction of the leaves is given for gastrointestinal problems. It is said that the roots, boiled with sour milk and grain porridge is used for syphilis.

  Solanum mammosum has much the same properties as other plants in the Solanaceae family, and more research is being carried out to see how they can benefit us.

CHEESE TREE ( BUTTONWOOD ) - INFORMATION - POSSIBLE ANTI-CANCER TREATMENT

CHEESE TREE, BUTTONWOOD, GLOCHIDION FERDINANDI VAR. FERDINANDI

 The Cheese tree gets its name from its seed capsules which look like small cheeses-of the miniature kind, with a manufactured red rind. Actually they look more like little pumpkins or squashes. The Cheese tree is native to Australia and New South Wales in particular. It is an evergreen rainforest tree with a spreading crown. It usually grows to around 10 metres tall, although it can reach 30 metres, and live for more than 60 years. It can resprout after bush fires, and flowers at any time of year, with the seed pods ripening between November and February.

  The name Glochidion comes from the Greek glochis meaning protruding point or the barb of an arrow. It got the name Ferdinandi as it was named in honour of Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von Mueller (1825-96) who was the first government botanist of Victoria. There are around 200 species of Glochidion and these were classed as Euphorbiceae, although they have now been moved to the Phyllanthaceae family, the plants of which typically have seed capsules which explode, ejecting the two flattened seeds in each of the capsules segments. This species is spread through the tropical regions of the world and occur in tropical Asia, the Pacific Islands and Malaysia with a few in tropical Africa and America. They typically have triterpenoid saponins, sesquiterpenoids, glycosides and alkaloids which vary from one plant to another.

  The Cheese Tree had a surprise for scientists though as they found two new xanthones in it and in the outer bark there is a “new” fungal metabolite Trichodermamide C which seems to have cytotoxicity actions on colorectal carcinomas and human lung carcinoma. The bark is flaky and grey-brown, and the tree is fast-growing, with the cheeses starting off green then turning white-pink, changing to deep red when fully ripe. These are a favourite of birds, including the Australian King Parrot, which cracks open the seeds capsule to get at the seeds inside. Some other birds eat the whole pod. The tree attracts butterflies and other insects including ladybirds which feed on the aphids it hosts.

CALLA LILY ( ARUM LILY ) - SYMBOL OF MAGNIFICENT BEAUTY: USES AND BENEFITS OF CALLA LILY

CALLA LILY, ARUM LILY, EASTER LILY, ZANTEDESCHIA AETHIOPICA

The name lily still stays with this beautiful flower, despite the fact that it is not, in fact a true lily. It was first classified botanically by Linnaeus the Swedish botanist in 1753, as Calla aethiopica in the lily family, but the error was corrected in 1826 by Sprengel who renamed it Zantedeschia and placed it in a genus of its own. It is believed that he named it in honour of the Italian botanist of that name, Giovanni Zantedeschia, who lived during the early 19^th century. It was named aethiopica because it was native to southern Africa. It is in the Araceae family of plants. They come in a wide range of colours and include the yellow Calla or Arum lily, a purple-black variety and even the one named the Green Goddess. It is a relative of the Flame Lily, gloriosa superba.

Green Goddess

  As a child I was fascinated by this plant which grew in a neighbour’s garden, but I thought then that it was simply a garden variety of the wild cuckoo pint.

   Its parts are toxic and will cause burning to the mouth, tongue and lips if ingested as it contains calcium oxalic crystals. It can also cause vomiting and can make it difficult to swallow.Young children should be kept away from it, although they are fascinated, as I was, by the flowers. Cats also like to play with it and it is toxic to them too. The only edible part is the rhizome.
  Despite this, the old Physicians of Myddfai found a use for it; to treat burns and scalds; here is their remedy: -
"Put the leaves of the lily, in boiling milk, and apply to the part till it is well."  

  In southern Africa, where it is indigenous and grows wild, the leaves and rhizomes are used in traditional medicine in dressing for sores and wounds, and in oral preparations for a variety of ailments.

   In Afrikaans this plant is called Varkoor which means pig’s ear. It thrives in the humidity of Madagascar, and can bloom all year if it has enough nutrients and water. It likes to live in shallow water or in moist soil, but failing that, needs rich soil and shade. The British Royal Horticultural Society has given it their Award of Garden Merit, which means that they recommend it to gardeners. It has become naturalized in all parts of the world and is considered invasive in Western Australia.

  The Romans believed that this plant was a symbol of lust and sexuality, no doubt due to its phallic stalks and the yellow spadix in the centre of the flower. They used it in the winter solstice and forced its growth indoors so that it would bloom at this time. In contrast, for early Christians the flower was a symbol of purity and chastity, and although it used to be associated with funerals (so in Wales it was considered bad luck to grow it in gardens, which was why I had only seen the one plant) it is now associated with weddings and can frequently be seen in bridal bouquets and in churches etc. It is also associated with the sixth wedding anniversary for some reason (the one before the seven-year-itch) perhaps because the husband may still think of his spouse as a magnificent beauty, which is what it symbolizes in the language of flowers.

  It is also a symbol of rebirth and resurrection, perhaps because in the Northern hemisphere at least it usually blooms around Easter time, and this is also why it is known as the Easter Lily. It was also planted on the graves of young people and children who had died an untimely death.

  This elegant flower is usually put into a single tall stem vase as its simplicity is its beauty. It needs no foliage to set it off. It has been painted by artists throughout history because it really is a magnificent beauty.

SNAKE FRUIT TREE ( SALAK) - INFORMATION AND BENEFITS

THE SNAKE FRUIT TREE, SALAK, SALACCA ZALACCA

The Snake Fruit tree is native to the Indonesian island of Java and Sumatra where it grows wild. It is given this name because its fruit has skin which looks scaly like a snake’s skin. It is a palm tree in the Arecaceae family and is related to the date palm. However it has a shallow root system and although it loves humidity and rain, it is not tolerant of floods. Salak means tree bark, and the dark brown scaly skin of the snake fruit or salak is similar to the colour of bark.

  Snake Fruit is cultivated in Thailand, Malaysia and has been introduced to Queensland, Australia, New Guinea, the Philippines, and Ponope Island in the Caroline Archipelago. It is reported as growing in the pacific Island of Fiji. Now it is grown throughout Indonesia and two of the most famous cultivars are those of Bali (Salak Bali) and Salak Pondah from Java. Salak Pondah is dry and crumbly in texture, while that of Salak Bali is moist and crunchy. They are said to taste like a combination of apple, pineapple and banana. Most of the fruit is consumed in the countries where it grows, as it needs to be eaten within a week of picking to be at its best. A very small fraction of the fruit is exported to Singapore, from whence it may go further afield. It can be found in pickles “asinan salak” as these are called in Indonesia, and candied, known as “manisan salak.” The fruit is also canned and juice is also sold.

   Even where it is cultivated this fruit is not common, and in November 2010 the production of the Salak Pondah was hit when Mount Merapi erupted and volcanic ash destroyed the fruit trees in Yogyakarta province where there are around thirty cultivars of Snake Fruit trees. There is an area of 20 kilometres in diameter around Mount Merapi where crops have bee decimated by the ash from the volcano, and as these trees take three or four years to bear fruit, the farmers are in the region have been hard hit.

   The Snake Fruit trees need to be grown under shade trees and are often interspersed with banana and mango trees. The fruit grows in clusters at the base of the tree and they weigh on average about 90 grams each. The fruit is pointed at each end, and has seeds in it. The seeds of the unripe Salak Pondah fruit are edible, but those of other cultivars are not. The fruit is rich in vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid, and contains flavonoids and phenolic compounds.  Little research has been done on this tree and its fruit, although what has been done suggests that it has potent antioxidant properties. This is perhaps that the palm is a relatively recent discovery to the world, as it was only found in the 1980s. Unlike tropical fruits like the mangosteen, rambutan and lychee, the snake fruit is not soft and succulent, but on the contrary is generally firm and crisp. Unripe snake fruit is pickled and also used in a salad called rujak.

WATER AVENS ( INDIAN CHOCOLATE) - AN ANCIENT HERB: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF WATER AVENS HERB

WATER AVENS, INDIAN CHOCOLATE, GEUM RIVALE

Water Avens is native to northern Europe, including the UK, Siberia and North America. It’s a member of the rose family of plants and is also known as Indian Chocolate in the States as the Native Americans used to make a chocolate type drink out of it, which was adopted by colonists as a substitute for chocolate. They also used the powdered root to treat malaria and the colonists also adopted this use, mixing it with either water or brandy. The roots were also used to cure a sore throat, giving rise to another of its names, Throat Root. This was the Physicians of Myddfai’s remedy for a sore throat:

  “For hoarseness. Take the water avens, and St. John's wort, boil in pure milk, mixing butter therewith when boiling. Boil a portion thereof briskly every morning and drink.”

 You can make a cold infusion of this by soaking the powdered root in cold water for 24 hours, and drinking ½ a cupful. For a tisane, take 1 tsp of the chopped root and pour a cup of boiling water over it. Let it steep for 30 minutes and take half a cup at night, or a tablespoon 3 times a day.  An infusion of the whole plant can be made by chopping it and pouring boiling water over it, and then allowing it to steep for 30 minutes. This is said to be good for respiratory complaints and to stop feelings of nausea. However you should not take more than ½ a cupful at a time, as it may have some bad side effects.

   In the past water avens was used to treat diarrhoea, and this probably worked as it has tannins which have astringent properties. It was also used during fevers and given for intestinal problems.

   The physicians of Myddfai used it in remedies for patients recovering from the worst effects of pneumonia,

 

  “Afterwards let a medicine be prepared, by digesting the following herbs in wheat ale or red wine: madder, sharp dock, anise, agrimony, daisy, round birthwort, meadow sweet, yellow goat's beard, heath, water avens, woodruff, crake berry, the corn cockle, caraway, and such other herbs as will seem good to the physician. Thus is the blessed confection prepared.”

  They also used it to cure profuse menstruation when it was used with the herb “stinking goose foot”; the physicians did not use a decaying goose’s foot. This was their remedy:

 “A woman who is subject to profuse menstruation, should take the reddish bastard balm, small burdock, orpine, stinking goose foot, pimpernel, water avens, with the ashes of a hart's horns, that has been killed with his antlers on, boiling them, as well as possible in red wine, straining the liquor carefully, and drinking it daily, till it is finished, abstaining (the while) from stimulating food. Being restrained by the above means, the blood will be habitually diverted to the thighs and ankles.”

Water avens and Seeds

   The seeds of the plant are like burrs and stick on the fur or wool of passing animals, and are thus dispersed. They prefer to live in moist places, and inhabit woodland, ditches and canal banks. The avens and water avens have much the same properties, although in 2002 a new compound was found in the water avens. The Latin name Geum means giving off a fragrance and this is thought to refer to the smell of the freshly dug up root which is like cloves. Geum urbanum is the avens, and there are other varieties too. Water avens has been found to have antimicrobial and antifungal properties in vitro, but more research is needed into its properties. It also contains Eugenol in its volatile oil and gein or humin is one of its phenolic glycosides. Eugenol is also found in cloves, allspice and bay oil.

 Water avens is said to have been used against the plague in the Middle Ages, and it is also believed to be put into casks of Augsburg Ale to give it its distinctive flavour.

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MEADOWSWEET PLANT OF WELSH LEGENDS: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF MEADOWSWEET HERB

MEADOWSWEET, FILIPENDULA ULMARIA

Meadowsweet has been used for centuries in the UK and is mentioned in the Welsh Mabinogion. Remains of the flowers have been found in burial mounds or cairns of cremated human remains dating from the Bronze Age in Fan Foel, Carmarthenshire in West Wales and in beakers from Fife in Scotland, so the flowers may have been in mead the honey-based drink that meadowsweet was often put into to give it an almond flavour. They may also have been planted on graves for their fragrance. In the Mabinogion, Math and Gwydion made a woman out of oak blossom, broom and meadowsweet and called her Blodeuwedd (Flower Face). The Druids held meadowsweet in high regards as it was one of their three most sacred herbs along with vervain and water-mint.

  It is a member of the rose family and native to Europe, where it prefers to grow in moist places. It has red-purple stems and fern-like leaves with cream-white flowers blooming between June and the beginning of September. The whole plant is best harvested in July when in flower, and dried for future use either in cooking or for medicinal purposes. The dried flowers can be put into pot pourri or used to make a tisane. The leaves smell good too and the whole upper parts of the plant were strewn on floors in Mediaeval times to give rooms a pleasant smell. Gerard writing in his Herball in the 16^th century says “the smell thereof maketh the heart merrie and joyful and delighteth the senses.” In this way it seems to be rather like borage, which was also put in drinks and was also one of the ingredients of the drink “Save” along with meadowsweet and 48 others mentioned by Geoffrey Chaucer in his 14^th century “Canterbury Tales” in “The Knight’s Tale”. It is believed that Queen Elizabeth I had meadowsweet strewn in her chambers, and country people used to put the flowers in cupboards and wardrobes to make them smell good. Meadowsweet has been an additive to wine and beers for centuries in Europe and it’s worth trying white or red wine with a meadowsweet leaf in it.

  The plant was called Bridewort because it was strewn in churches for weddings and in bridal chambers. Other names for it are Queen or Lady of the Meadows, because it is a beautiful, fragrant plant which can grow up to 4 feet tall so is easily seen above other meadow plants. It used to be called Spiraea ulmaria, ulmaria meaning elm-like and it has been suggested that this is either because the upper side of its leaves look a little like those of the elm tree, as they are wrinkled, or because the plant has similar properties to Slippery Elm Bark, i.e. salicylic acid. This is the basis for aspirin and it is thought that Bayer who began selling aspirin in 1899 made the name from the botanical name of the meadowsweet. The Italian, Rafaele Piria had first extracted this acid from the meadowsweet and willow bark (Salix alba) earlier in the 19^th century. The tisane made from the flowers will cure headaches, it is said. Its newer Latin name, Filipendula means hanging from a thread.

  The English herbalists John Gerard (16^th century) and Nicholas Culpeper (17^th century) believed that the distilled water from the flowers was good to relieve the eyes from burning and itching sensations and that it clears the sight.

   Throughout the centuries the herb has been employed as a remedy for numerous ailments, and is used in Germany for colds- it contains vitamin C and flu. With lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) it is good for stomach problems. It contains tannins, flavonoids including the flavonoid glycosides rutin, hyperin and spiracoside, found in the flowers, and phenolic glycosides which include spiraein, monotropin and gaultherin. It has been used to treat diarrhoea and contains tannins, to purify the blood, to help promote sweat in fevers, as an infusion of the fresh flowering tops is a diaphoretic. (Take a handful of flowers and pour a cup of boiling water over them and steep for 15 minutes then strain and drink.) You can also boil an ounce of the fresh chopped root in white wine to reduce the symptoms of fever. You can make a tisane with 1 ounce of the dried herb to 1 pint of boiling water and steep for 15 minutes before straining. This can also be used externally for skin problems. This is supposedly good for peptic ulcers, acid indigestion, joint problems, respiratory problems such as wheezing and coughs, and for diarrhoea. However, if you are allergic to aspirin, or salicylate or sulphate or are pregnant or breast-feeding then you should not take meadowsweet. A decoction of the roots is preferred for respiratory problems and diarrhoea, use boiling water instead of the white wine in the remedy above. In mice it has been found that extracts of meadowsweet can decrease cervix and vaginal cancers and act as a sedative. Meadowsweet has a narcotic effect on animals in the lab it would seem. The recommended daily dose for meadowsweet is 2½ - 3½ gr. of the dried flower and 4-5 gr of the whole herb. The tisane of flowers only is a mild diuretic.

  It has recognized anti-inflammatory properties and has been used for aches and arthritis. In the Middle Ages women used to collect rainwater and mix it with the meadowsweet flowers to use as a skin cleanser and toner. You can use the fresh leaves in sorbets and fruit salads and in other desserts as sweeteners. The flowers can be added to jams and compotes for a subtle almond flavour.

 The following medicinal preparations were used by the Welsh Physicians of Myddfai:-

To dispel stones form the internal organs-

If the disease be gravel, make a medicine of the following herbs, mascerated in strong clear wheat ale, viz. water pimpernel, tutsan, meadow sweet, St. John's wort, ground ivy, agrimony, milfoil, birch, common burnet, columbine, motherwort, laurel, gromwel, betony, borage, dandelion, little field madder, amphibious persicaria, liverwort.

To restrain an active haemorrhage: take meadowsweet, digest in cold water, and drink thereof, and this will stop it by the help of God.

For lung diseases:-

Let (the patient) take, for three successive days, of the following herbs; hemlock, agrimony, herb Robert, and asarabacca, then let him undergo a three day's course of aperients. When the disease is thus removed from the bronchial tubes, an emetic should be given him (daily) to the end of nine days. Afterwards let a medicine be prepared, by digesting the following herbs in wheat ale or red wine: madder, sharp dock, anise, agrimony, daisy, round birthwort, meadow sweet, yellow goat's beard, heath, water avens, woodruff, crake berry, the corn cockle, caraway, and such other herbs as will seem good to the physician.

BUTCHER'S BROOM - HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES: HOW TO MAKE BUTCHER'S BROOM TISANE

BUTCHER’S BROOM, BOX HOLLY, RUSCUS ACULEATUS

Butcher’s Broom gets this name because butchers would tie the twigs together and clean their chopping boards with it. It was also used for cleaning chimneys and for repelling rats and mice especially from meat which was hanging to preserve it according to John Parkinson a British botanist (1567-1650). The names Box Holly and Knee Holly come probably from the facts that it grows to a man’s knee height and it has red berries which grow from the centre of its leaves like those of Ruscus hypophyllum and these resemble holly berries, although they can grow to the size of cherries. The flowers that precede the berries are green–white and small. It is a dioecious shrub, as are holly and European Mistletoe, meaning that the stamens and pistils are on different plants. It has prickly leaves like holly too, so you should be careful when handling it. It is a pretty room decoration and is often used in flower arrangements. Despite the name it is not related to either broom (Cytisus scoparius), or Spanish broom (Spartum junceus) as Butcher’s Broom is a member of the Liliaceae family.

  It grows wild in the UK and Europe and spreads from the Mediterranean to Iran. In the 17^th century in Britain, people dug it up from its natural habitat to plant in ornamental gardens, and it has remained a popular plant in these until now. The young shoots of this plant are edible and look a little like asparagus. However the plant has been employed for its medicinal properties for more than 2,000 years. It is an aperient or mild laxative, and has diuretic properties so has been traditionally used for edema (swelling of the legs due to water retention) and was a treatment for piles as it was considered good for the veins. In the 1950s researchers found that it might indeed be useful for the veins as it constricts them and is a blood thinner, so it improves blood circulation and heightens low blood pressure. (If you have high blood pressure then you shouldn’t use it.)

  It contains some coumarins which appear to act as anti-coagulants (blood thinners) and also the saponins ruscogenin and neoruscogenin and has been approved for oral internal use by Germany’s Commission E for chronic venous insufficiency and haemorrhoids. Studies are still underway on Butcher’s Broom and its extracts, but it is thought that it might be helpful for orthostatic hypertension and as a cytotoxic agent.

  Sparteine is also one of the constituents of Butcher’s Broom and this is an effective anti-arrhythmic substance and one which appears to contract the smooth uterine muscle. In other words it expands the heart’s cavities so they fill up with blood and so increases the diastolic blood pressure. Ruscogenin release noradrenalin in the blood vessel walls and improves the tone of both the venous and lymphatic walls so having an anti-edema effect. Ruscin is a ruscoside (steroidal saponins) in the plant which promotes sweating (a diaphoretic) and has a mildly laxative effect. It has also been found to have anti-inflammatory properties. The bioflavonoids give it antioxidant properties too, so it is a very beneficial herb.

   Combined with Witch Hazel it is used to relieve the pain of piles and with black or green tea is used to relieve asthma as it is believed to improve respiration. Researchers think that sparteine may inhibit the toxicity of some snake venoms, and it is also thought to be beneficial for jaundice and to remove kidney stones.

   The parts of the plant used in medicine are the whole plant including the roots. Nicholas Culpeper writing in the 17^th century, wrote the Butcher’s Broom has a

  “gallant cleansing and opening quality. The decoction of the root drank, and a poultice made of the berries and leaves applied, are effectual in knitting and consolidating broken bones or parts out of joint.”

  He said that the root was commonly boiled with fennel and parsley and “smallage” and boiled in white wine, then drunk but he recommended grass roots to be added to this decoction. Interestingly glycolic acid is found in parsley, juniper berries and Butcher’s Broom.

  Dioscorides writing in 1 AD and other ancient physicians believed that this plant was good as a diuretic, laxative, the urinary tract and for the kidneys. Later the Welsh physicians of Myddfai used it in their medications, along with scarlet pimpernel and other herbs for intermittent fevers, and in this remedy for summer fevers:-

  “The mugwort, madder, meadow sweet, milfoil, hemp, red cabbage, and the tutsan, all these seven herbs enter into the composition of the medicine required. Whosoever obtains them all, will not languish long from a wounded lung, or need fear for his life. Any of the following herbs may be added thereto, butcher's broom, agrimony, tutsan, dwarf elder, amphibious persicaria, centaury, round birth wort, field scabious, pepper mint, daisy, knap weed, roots of the red nettle, crake berry, St. John's wort, privet, wood betony, the roots of the yellow goat's beard, heath, water avens, woodruff, leaves of the earth nut, agrimony, wormwood, the bastard balm, small burdock, and the orpine.”

  The tisane below is for veins, blood circulation and other ailments mentioned above, though not for the ones mentioned by the old physicians. It’s a pleasant drink mixed with honey.

BUTCHER’S BROOM TISANE

Ingredients

1 pint boiling water

1 oz twigs and leaves of Butcher’s Broom

OR

½ oz bruised fresh root

Method

Pour the boiling water over the twigs or root and leave to steep for 15 minutes. Alternatively boil all together for 15 minutes.

Strain and drink up to 4 cups a day.

With honey it is good for respiratory problems including as an expectorant.

This has Taste and is a Treat(ment).

SCARLET PIMPERNEL ( ANAGALLIS ARVENSIS) - USEFUL HERBAL PLANT: INFORMATION, USES AND BENEFITS OF SCARLET PIMPERNEL HERB

SCARLET PIMPERNEL, ANAGALLIS ARVENSIS

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a common weed in Britain, the rest of Europe and temperate zones around the world. It is a member of the Primulaceae family of plants so is related to the primrose and the cowslip. Like the Tickle Me plant it closes at night, or actually in this case its flowers open around 8 or 9 am and close by 3 pm, and sooner than that if rain threatens. It is more shrinking in this respect than the violet. When the flowers close they are not visible amongst the leaves as they are only red-orange on the upper side of the petals. Because it closes when rain threatens it is called the Shepherd’s Barometer or the Poor Man’s Weatherglass. In Old English it was known as Bipinella. Perhaps because of its ability to blend in unnoticed with the leaves when closed, the Scarlet Pimpernel was the name given to Charles Dickens’ hero who rescued members of the French aristocracy from the guillotine in “A Tale of Two Cities.”

  Its leaves are toxic and dangerous to animals, although birds love the seeds. These are produced after the flowers have died and the stem, which was erect during flowering time, bends backwards when the seed pods form. The flowers do not contain honey but attract insects for pollination purposes with the violet hairs on the stamens.

  The little flower has been used for centuries as a cure-all with Pliny writing that it was good for liver complaints and Dioscorides (1AD) called it anagallis, from the Greek, anagelao meaning to laugh, as it dispelled the depression that followed liver complaints. The Greeks used its juice to cure eye problems including cataracts, and Gerard and Culpeper agreed that it was good for the eyes mixed with honey and dropped into them. There is an old rhyme which says,

   “No heart can think, no tongue can tell,

    The virtues of the pimpernel.”

It was thought that it could get rid of melancholia and make people happy. Culpeper believed that it would cure the bites from poisonous creatures and rabid dogs, and Gerard used it as one of the ingredients in a preparation called “Diacorallion” as a treatment for gout. Interestingly it is used to treat gout in parts of India in traditional medicine today. Gerard thought that the scarlet Pimpernel was the male flower with the rarer blue variety being the female flower. (Of course they are different genuses.) In his British Herbal of 1756 John Hill wrote that the whole plant could cure epilepsy and elsewhere there is written assertions that the flowers alone could cure this disease. Culpeper writing in the 17^th century said that it was useful as a strong infusion to promote sweating during fevers, and the Physicians of Myddfai used it as an ingredient for bath water during intermittent fevers. Their remedy was to “Take the mugwort, dwarf elder, tutsan, amphibious persicaria, pimpernel, butcher’s broom, elder bark and the mallow, and boiling them as well as possible in a pot or cauldron. Then take the water and the herbs and add them to the bath.”

  They used it in other preparations including one which included Common Speedwell for abdominal pains, and this rather bizarre cure for infertility. It is included for its curiosity value only!

  “A sterile woman may have a potion prepared for her by means of the following herbs, viz:- St John’s Wort, yew, agrimony, amphibious persicaria, creeping cinque foil, mountain club moss, orpine and pimpernel, taking an emetic in addition.”

Another rather strange one is for profuse menstruation, and it shows how little these old physicians knew about the workings of the body. The prescribed ingredients were

 “the reddish bastard balm, small burdock, orpine, stinking goose foot, pimpernel, water avens, with the ashes of a hart’s horns that has been killed with his antlers on, boiling them as well as possible in red wine, straining the liquor carefully and drinking it daily till it is finished, abstaining (the while) from stimulating food. Being restrained by the above means, the blood will be habitually diverted to the thighs and ancles.”

   The whole plant can be gathered in June when the leaves are in peak condition, and dried, although it is believed that the fresh plant is more effective. Apart from its uses in medicine, it has been used to deflect evil charms including he evil eye. It is said that the leaves of the plant were eaten as salad in Europe, but as they are toxic, this is doubtful. It has however been used for rheumatism in the USA in the early 20^th century, and the expressed juice is allegedly good for the liver and spleen.

  Clinical trials have shown that this plant has antioxidant and antifungal and antiviral (against herpes simplex) properties. It is also thought to be good for gastro-intestinal complaints, acne, eczema and wounds, for the liver and kidneys and the respiratory tract. However, much more research needs to be done on this shy little plant.

TUTSAN - THE ORIGINAL SCENTED BOOK MARK: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF TUTSAN

TUTSAN, DAIL Y BEIBLAU, SWEET AMBER, HYPERICUM ANDROSAEMUM

Tutsan is now a common sight in most parts of the world as it has beautiful yellow gold flowers, (hence the name Sweet Amber) and red berries which turn glossy black in autumn. It is native to Western Asia, parts of North Africa and Europe and is common in the UK where it can be found in hedgerows and woodland. It is a shrub which grows to about 3 feet tall with semi-evergreen leaves that turn green-purple in autumn, matching the berries. It is often used in flower arrangements, but has medicinal properties too, although the berries are toxic. These begin red and when mature they are black. In France they were made into a compote for a diuretic.

  In Welsh it is called Dail y Beiblau, or Bible leaves as the sweet smelling leaves were used as bookmarks and the most common book in Wales was the Bible. The name Tutsan comes from the Norman French, toute saine meaning all healthy. Although it was not thought of as a cure-all like its relative, St. John’s Wort, it was used as a wound cleanser and healer, as an antiseptic, a diuretic and stomachic, with the leaves being used for all such treatments.

  It was introduced into Australia in 1865 in Hobart as an ornamental and has since become a noxious weed both there and in New Zealand, where it was not a native species. It doesn’t have any nectar so relies on insects and beetles to pollinate it. It is resilient and attempts to eradicate it often fail.

  The Physicians of Myddfai used it along with other herbs in their medicinal preparations, such as the one below: -

 

 “The mugwort, madder, meadow sweet, milfoil, hemp, red cabbage, and the tutsan, all these seven herbs enter into the composition of the medicine required. Whosoever obtains them all, will not languish long from a wounded lung, or need fear for his life.”

“If the disease be gravel, make a medicine of the following herbs, mascerated in strong clear wheat ale, viz. water pimpernel, tutsan, meadow sweet, St. John's wort, ground ivy, agrimony, milfoil, birch, common burnet, columbine, motherwort, laurel, gromwel, betony, borage, dandelion, little field madder, amphibious persicaria, liverwort.”

They also used it for fever medications and as seen here to get rid of stones in the organs. The Portuguese use it to protect the liver and for jaundice, as well as a diuretic.

   Culpeper, the British 17^th century herbalist believed that it was good for sciatica, gout and “to heal burnings by fire.”

    The leaves are good in poultices and healing ointments as they are antiseptic and clean wounds. If you have a cut you can bruise a fresh leaf and rub it on the wound to keep it clean and to heal it.

   Not as much research has been carries out on this plant as on the more famous Hypericum, St. John’s Wort, but what has been done shows that it contains xanthones which are used as insect repellant, and a precursor to the bioflavonoid, quercetin. It also contains hyperin (a bioflavonoid) and nonacosane is in the berries. Hyperforin and adhyperforin are found in the young shoots but not in the mature plant. Research is needed to ascertain what medicinal value this plant has given its uses throughout history. The invasive weed may have some benefits for us all.

SPEEDWELL ( VERONICA OFFICINALIS) - INFORMATION: USES AND BENEFITS OF SPEEDWELL HERB : COMMON SPEEDWELL TISANE RECIPE

SPEEDWELL, VERONICA OFFICINALIS and GERMANDER SPEEDWELL, VERONICA CHAMAEDRYS

There are many varieties of Speedwell or Veronica but they have different medicinal properties, with officinalis being the one used in herbal remedies (hence the ‘official’ title). The Common Speedwell (V. officinalis) is native to Europe, including the British Isles, and to temperate parts of Asia, but it now grows abundantly in North America and other parts of the world. It is believed that it got its name Veronica because the flowers have streaky marks on them resembling the ones which were left on the cloth Veronica, the woman who wiped the face of Jesus while he was carrying the cross to his crucifixion at Calvary or Golgotha.

  It was used by the Physicians of Myddfai (Wales) along with other native plants in a number of remedies. This is an old remedy for abdominal complaints and the following herbs were used to make a medicine: - “sweet gale, bay leaves, pimpernel, male speedwell, river star tip, borage, moss, liverwort, the young leaves of the earth nut, and the mallow.” Another remedy was for carbuncles although it was a third alternative: - “…take the roots of the purple dead nettle, the roots of mugwort, and the speedwell, boiling all together in goat’s whey, adding butter to the scum thereof, and drinking it day and night.”

  Speedwell means to thrive, and it has been used as a general cure-all and modern medical trials have found that the V. officinalis contains more potent properties than the Germander speedwell. John Gerard, writing in the 16^th century, thought rather highly of the Germander Speedwell, and believed that “given in good broth of a hen” it was useful for cancer treatment. He also thought that it got its name “from the form of the leaves like unto small oak leaves” and so he claims it was given the name “chamaedrys which signifieth a dwarf oak.” This is rather stretching one’s imagination as the leaves do not appear to resemble those of any kind of oak. However the old writers extolled the virtue of this Speedwell and wrote that it was a good wound healer, blood purifier, as well as being useful in the treatment of small pox and measles. A decoction of the whole plant was used to stimulate the kidneys and the leaves were thought to be good for coughs. The juice from the fresh plant was boiled with honey to make a syrup for asthma and catarrh.  It is best to harvest the whole plant in summer (May-July) and dry it for future use.

   An infusion of the Common Speedwell (V. officinalis) has been given through the centuries for gout, to promote sweating in fevers, as a diuretic, expectorant, tonic, for heart and liver complaints, haemorrhages skin problems and wounds. Today the infusion or tisane is used externally for skin complaints and for coughs and catarrh.

  In clinical trials it has been discovered that the Common Speedwell enhances the regeneration of the gastric mucous and is useful in the treatment of old ulcers.  The plant contains β-sisterol, and is rich in vitamins including E (phytol) and K as well as vitamin C. The polyphenols in this plant have potent antioxidant activities and it also contains the omega-3 fatty acids. Trials have shown that it can reduce the cholesterol levels in the blood of lab animals and it contains the glycoside, aucuboside which is thought to have anti-inflammatory properties. The astringency of the plant is due to the tannins it contains. It is an ingredient of some skin whitening creams along with Lemon Balm and yarrow, although whether or not these work is open to question.

COMMON SPEEDWELL TISANE

Ingredients

2 tsps fresh flowering herb

½ cup boiling water

Method

Chop the herb and pour the boiling water over it. Allow to steep for 15 mins then strain and drink.

This has Taste and is a Treat(ment).