SANICLE OR WOOD SANICLE, A WOUND HEALING HERB:HISTORY AND MEDICINAL USES OF SANICLE

SANICLE OR WOOD SANICLE, SANICULA EUROPAEA

Sanicle or Wood Sanicle is also known as Wood March, Self-Heal Sanicle and by other names. It is a member of the Umbelliferae or Apiceae family of plants so is related to carrots, lovage, fennel and dill (among others). It is not related to Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris), although it is a herb that is reputed to heal wounds just as that is.

  Sanicle is native to Europe including the British Isles and to Asia. In Britain it grows in moist places in woods or copses on hills, along with wood anemones,bluebells, wood sorrel and primroses. It flowers in June and July and can grow to heights of 20 inches. Traditionally it has been used to treat bronchitis, to check internal bleeding and to heal external wounds. It has been used in the Indian subcontinent to treat high blood pressure, and is believed to have similar effects in this regard to gotu kola or Indian Pennywort, (Centella asiatica), broom (Cytisus scoparius) and black cohosh.

  In the Middle Ages there was a rhyme: -

     Celui qui sanicle a

     De mire affaire il n’a.”

Which loosely translated means that if a person has sanicle, there is no need for a doctor.

  Certainly Nicholas Culpeper the 17^th century English herbalist believed this as he wrote:-

     “It heals green wounds speedily, or any ulcers, imposthumes, or bleedings inward, also tumours in any part of the body; for the decoction or powder in drink taken, and the juice used outwardly, dissipates the humours: and there is not found any herb that can give such present help either to man or beast, when the disease falleth upon the lungs or throat, and to heal up putrid malignant ulcers in the mouth, throat, and privities, by gargling or washing with the decoction of the leaves and roots made in water, and a little honey put thereto. It helps to stay women's courses, and all other fluxes of blood, either by the mouth, urine, or stool, and lasks of the belly; the ulcerations of the kidneys also, and the pains in the bowels, and gonorrhea, being boiled in wine or water, and drank. The same also is no less powerful to help any ruptures or burstings, used both inwardly and outwardly. And briefly, it is as effectual in binding, restraining, consolidating, heating, drying and healing, as comfrey, bugle, self-heal, or any other of the vulnerary herbs whatsoever.”

  This herb has not been subjected to much research, but at the World Congress on Engineering in London in 2010, June 30^th – July 2^nd, a paper was presented by C.B.Beggs et al which concluded: -

   “… the sanicle extract …seemed to promote cell death along the wound margin. These results indicate that sanicle may be used in the care of wounds, but not as a growth promoter, but because it acts as an antibiotic agent, possibly because it aids wound debridement.”

  Sanicle is indeed a wound healer according to this research, but does not act in the way that other wound-healing herbs do.

  A tisane may be made from 1 ounce of the dried leaves, best gathered in early summer, to purify the blood and to promote internal healing and if taken internally it is said to help clear skin problems. The leaves and tender shoots are edible if cooked, but should be eaten in small amounts as the leaves contain saponins which are toxic. It is believed that the herb taken over a period of time can improve one’s health and help the blood. However pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers should avoid it and it should not be taken if you have stomach problems such as ulcerative colitis or IBS. Large doses can result in vomiting, nausea and stomach upsets. Traditionally it was given for bronchitis and it seems to act as an expectorant.

  The decoction of both the roots (harvested in mid-summer and dried) can be applied externally for wounds and skin problems.

  More research is needed on this herb if we are to know how it works.

  

HOLY THISTLE - " LAY IT TO YOUR HEART": HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF HOLY THISTLE

HOLY THISTLE, BLESSED THISTLE, SPOTTED THISTLE, CENTAUREA BENEDICTA

The Holy thistle is also known as the Blessed thistle, Saint Benedict’s thistle and the Spotted thistle, and has many other names. In Shakespeare’s time it was Carduus Benedictus and is mentioned as such in Act III scene iv of “Much Ado About Nothing”:-

“Marg:  Get you some of this distilled Carduus Benedictus, and lay it to your heart: it is the only thing for a qualm.”

  It has recently been renamed as it was formerly the only plant in the Cnicus genus, and was known as Cnicus benedictus. It is sometimes confused with the milk thistle (Silybium marianum) which is also called Our Lady’s Thistle, but it has different medicinal properties.

  The plant is native to the Mediterranean region and spreads through to Iran in the east. It has yellow flowers surrounded by tiny spines and the leaves have spines along their edges. It flowers in June or July depending on where it is, and is best harvested when it first flowers, and after the dew has gone from it, so that it is easy to dry.

  The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that it could lift curses and so it was used to protect from witches and evil spirits as well as feelings of restlessness which were thought to be caused by the devil.

  In the Middle Ages it was used as a cure-all and it was believed that it was effective against the bubonic plague which swept through Europe during that era. Monks grew it in their monastery gardens and used it as a general health tonic. It was mentioned by Turner, a 16^th century British herbalist who had this to say about the plant in 1568:-

 “It is very good for the headache and the megram, for the use of the juice or powder of the leaves, preserveth and keepeth a man from the headache, and healeth it being present. It is good for any ache in the body and strengtheneth the members of the whole body, and fasteneth loose sinews and weak. It is also good for the dropsy. It helpeth the memory and amendeth thick hearing. The leaves provoke sweat. There is nothing better for the canker and old rotten and festering sores than the leaves, juice, broth, powder and water of Carduus benedictus.”

 Nicholas Culpeper writing in his Herball a century later says this:-

 “It is an excellent remedy against yellow jaundice and other infirmities of the gall because Mars governs choller. It strengthens the attractive faculty in man, and clarifies the blood, because the one is ruled by Mars. The continual drinking the decoction of it helps red faeces, tetters and ringworm, because Mars causeth them. It helps plague- sores, boils and itch, the bitings of mad dogs and venomous beasts, all which infirmities are under Mars. Thus you see what it doth by sympathy…It cures Quarten Agues and other diseases of Melancholy … Also it provokes Urine, the stopping of which is usually caused by Mars or the Moon.”

 The German “Father of Botany, Jacobus Theodorus Tabernaemontanus (1525-90) wrote this about the Holy Thistle in his Neuwe Kreuterbuch (New Herb book) which was published in 1588:-

 “This herb is especially good against the pestilence and all other poisonous weaknesses.”

 Today in Canada it is recommended by the Canadian Breastfeeding Foundation, along with fenugreek, to promote the milk flow in breastfeeding mothers.

  It has been used in making alcoholic drinks and bitters along with angelica (the root of the Holy Ghost) which are aimed at aiding digestion. However, if you are allergic to other members of the Asteraceae (daisy) family of plants such as marigolds, ragweed and chrysanthemums, among others, you should avoid this plant.

  The plant can produce diarrhoea and vomiting if taken in too large doses, so if you are using it as a tisane you should take only 5 gr of the dried herb to 1 cup of boiling water. An ounce of the herb can be used to 1 pint of boiling water and this can be put on wounds and sores and used externally to help with skin problems, wounds and ulcers. The powdered leaves of the Holy thistle are said to get rid of internal worms, but perhaps that is because of its purgative qualities.

  Holy thistle can be used for coughs, colds, intermittent fevers such as malaria as it has diaphoretic properties and promotes sweat. It is also said to have diuretic qualities. The infusion or tisane is used for flatulence, digestive problems and to stimulate the appetite in anorexics and those suffering from depression as it causes secretion of gastric juices and production of saliva. It is said to be able to relieve the pains associated with gout, rheumatism and arthritis, and is an expectorant, so useful in removing excess mucous from the lungs.

  In Bavaria in the Black Forest, Germany it has been used traditionally for liver disorders.

 Research has shown that in vitro it is effective against Candida, and can kill some cancer cells, but more research is needed on this plant. It is antibacterial and possibly anti-inflammatory and has anti-cancer possibilities, but why this is so is not yet known.

  You should not take this plant if you are pregnant or allergic to the daisy family of plants.

BUGLE - SELF-HEAL SUBSTITUTE: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF BUGLE

BUGLE, AJUGA REPTANS

Bugle is closely related to Self-Heal, (Prunella vulgaris), and has similar healing properties. They are both used for healing wounds and are both in the mint or Labiatae or Lamiaceae family of plants. Bugle flowers between April and the end of June and is indigenous to Europe, including the British Isles, North Africa and parts of Asia. Having been brought from Europe to America by the early European colonists, it is now naturalized there. Its natural habitat is damp woodlands and mountains, and if you want to harvest it, the best time is when it is in full bloom.

  The old herbalists had a very high opinion of bugle and held it in as much esteem as Self-Heal, with John Gerard, the 16^th century herbalist having this to say about it:-

   “There is not a better Wound herb in the world than that of Self-Heal…for this very herbe, without the mixture of any other ingredient, being onely bruised and wrought with the point of a knife… will be brought into the form of a salve, which will heal any green wounde…The decoction of Prunell made with wine and water doth join together and make whole and sound all wounds, both inward and outward, even as Bugle doth. To be short, it serveth for the same that the Bugle serveth and in the world there are not two better wound herbs as hath been often proved.”

  Culpeper writing in the 17^th century has this to say about it:-

   '…if the virtues of it make you fall in love with it (as they will if you be wise) keep a syrup of it to take inwardly, and an ointment and plaster of it to use outwardly, always by you. The decoction of the leaves and flowers in wine dissolveth the congealed blood in those that are bruised inwardly by a fall or otherwise and is very effectual for any inward wounds, thrusts or stabs in the body or bowels; and is an especial help in wound drinks and for those that are liver-grown, as they call it. It is wonderful in curing all ulcers and sores, gangrenes and fistulas, if the leaves, bruised and applied or their juice be used to wash and bathe the place and the same made into lotion and some honey and gum added, cureth the worse sores. Being also taken inwardly or outwardly applied, it helpeth those that have broken any bone or have any member out of joint. An ointment made with the leaves of Bugle, Scabious and Sanicle bruised and boiled in hog's lard until the herbs be dry and then strained into a pot for such occasions as shall require, it is so efficacious for all sorts of hurts in the body that none should be without it.'

(Sanicle mentioned above is Sanicula Europea (LINN).)

  Bugle has been used in traditional medicine for coughs, the treatment of tuberculosis, a heart tonic, and to help wean babies from their mother’s breast milk by reducing the flow of milk. In some countries it has been used in intermittent fevers such as malaria, as a diuretic and to relieve nausea and bilious attacks. It has been used to combat hallucinations caused by excessive ingestion of alcohol as it reportedly has mildly narcotic sedative effects.

  It contains flavonoids, glycosides, volatile oil and tannins and several other substances including a phenylpropanoid, teupoliside which has been investigated by a team led by Dr. Salvatore Cuzzocrea of the University of Messina. In 2009 in the Journal of Biochemical Pharmacology it was reported that teupoliside has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and tissue repairing properties, and could be of help in inflammatory bowel disease. It also contains the glycoside harpagide which is found in Devil’s Claw (Harpogophytum procumbens).

  A tisane can be made with 1 ounce of the dried (whole) herb to one pint of boiling water, steeped for 15 minutes before straining. This is for internal haemorrhaging and to stop the coughing up of blood, traditionally. It is supposed to be a hangover cure too, but the herb lowers the pulse rate and has similar properties to digitalis which is extracted from foxglove.

  Bugle has been substituted for Self-Heal in traditional medicine, but very little research has been conducted on this herb. The traditional uses for it have not been verified or refuted by clinical trials.

SEA BUCKTHORN - ENJOYED BY PEGASUS : HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF SEA BUCKTHORN

SEA BUCKTHORN, HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES

As its name suggests sea buckthorn likes to live in coastal regions and is native to Europe, including the British Isles, and Asia through to the Himalayas and Japan. It has been used in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine for centuries, although the Chinese variety is not this one.

  In Greek legends it is said that the winged horse Pegasus liked to feed on sea buckthorn berries and these gave him power to fly. Ancient Greeks fed their racehorses on sea buckthorn berries to keep their coats sleek and the horses healthy. The botanical name for sea buckthorn means “shiny horse” and it is thought that this might refer to the underside of the leaves of the sea buckthorn tree.

  These trees can grow to heights of 20 feet and have spreads of up to 8 feet (2.5 metres) and are found on sand dunes and cliffs in Britain. They are members of the Elaeagnaceae family and are not related to the buckthorn. The orange berries of this tree are very astringent, but taste much better when they have been bletted (when they have been subject to frost). The branches and leaves contain different bio-active substances and oil to those of the berries, and this is curious, and currently the subject of research. There is a new Omega-7 fatty acid which has been found in the sea buckthorn. The berries are a very rich source of vitamins A and C and also contain vitamins E, some of the B-complex ones vitamin K and P. Their flavonoids are also the subject of research, as for minerals they contain boron, silica, phosphorous manganese, iron and calcium, among others.

  The berries therefore have antioxidant properties and are good for the vision (as are bilberries and blueberries) and are said to help with male problems such as premature ejaculation and impotence. They may also protect the liver, and lower blood cholesterol levels, as well as having anti-inflammatory properties.

 The twigs and leaves are used in decoctions for the skin and the berries are said to protect the skin from ageing - so you can make a face mask from the pulverized berries and leave it on for 20 minutes before rinsing off with tepid water. The oil obtained from the berries can be applied directly to the skin for any irritation or problems such as sores or eczema, and to the gums for oral health problems.

  Their medicinal value was known to Dioscorides writing in the first century AD as well as to Theophrastus, writing several centuries earlier. The berries were made into decoctions or infusions and used externally for skin problems and internally they were used for digestion problems. They have a bitter taste but can be juiced and added to sweeter fruit juices, such as orange or peach juice, or perhaps grape or strawberry juice. They can be made into compotes or conserves, pies, jams and jellies, and are tasty when combined with blackberries and apples.

  The berries were used for the foods of Russian cosmonauts to prevent “cosmic radiation” sickness. The Chinese athletes in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 used sea buckthorn berries in their team’s energy drink. The berries are used in cosmetics, in creams and toothpastes, and would very likely make good moisturizers.

  Sea buckthorn is also a soil nitrogen fixer and can help prevent soil erosion. It can be introduced as a pioneer species to devastated woodland area and is useful for its wood and charcoal as well as its hard, durable wood which can be used in carpentry and turning.

  Research is still ongoing into the properties of this plant, but hopefully in the near future it will be of immense benefit to us.

MARSH SAMPHIRE - SALTY SUCCULENT: HEALTH BENEFITS, USES AND HOW TO COOK MARSH SAMPHIRE

MARSH SAMPHIRE, SALICORNIA EUROPAEA

Marsh samphire abounds along the Welsh coastline and Welsh lambs fed on this plant are highly sought-after and sold by “high-class” butchers. In previous times fish and chip shops offered special customers marsh samphire to go with their fish, and not surprisingly it goes well with this. Marsh samphire grows on muddy sea flats and coastal areas and in estuaries and small creek beds. It is indigenous to northern Europe including the British Isles and to North America.

  In the past it was known as glasswort and glasswede. The latter is the name given to it by the 16^th century herbalist William Turner who described the plant but then had to name it. Nicholas Culpeper, writing his Complete Herbal in the following century calls it Saltwort too and says:- “All sorts of saltwort, or glasswort, are under the dominion of Mars, and are of a cleansing quality, without any great or manifest heat; the powder of any of them, or the juice, which is much better, taken in drink, purges downwards phlegmatic, waterish,

 melancholy, and adust humours, and is therefore very effectual for the dropsy, to

 provoke urine, and expel the dead child. It opens stoppings of the liver and spleen, and wastes the hardness thereof; but it must be used with discretion, as a great quantity is hurtful and dangerous.”

He continues to comment on the ashes, which, when mixed with sand produced glass, hence the name glasswort or glasswede for the plant.

“The ashes are very sharp and biting, like a caustic, and the lye that is made thereof is so strong that it will fetch off the skin from the hands, or any part of the body; but ay be mixed with other more moderate medicines, to take any scabs, leprosy, and to cleanse the skin.”

 Sir Thomas More, who wrote during the Renaissance, listed the useful native plants that would improve “many a poor knave's pottage” if he were skilled in their properties, says that “Glasswort might afford him a pickle for his mouthful of salt meat.”

 John Parkinson, (1567-1650) relates a theory in connection with Glasswort in his days:

“If the soap that is made of the lye of the ashes be spread upon a piece of thicke coarse brown paper cut into the forme of their shoe sole that are casually taken speechless and bound to the soles of their feete, it will bring again the speech and that within a little time after the applying thereof if there be any hope of being restored while they live: this hath been tried to be effectuall upon diverse persons.”

 So apart from being recognized by gourmets, in the past this modest plant, which looks a little like a sea coral, and on its first appearance like asparagus, has been used medicinally. It grows between June and September, but if you harvest it, please don’t uproot the whole plant, just snip off the tops and leaves the roots so that it can grow the folloing year. It is a protected species in the UK, so it is illegal to uproot it.

 Like other sea plants such as laver bread, it is rich in iodine and is full of phytochemicals that protect the liver, heart and cellular DNA. It is also rich in vitamins A, C, and some B-complex ones, and the minerals, iron, calcium and magnesium phosphorus, calcium, silica, zinc, manganese and vitamin D. Because of this nutritional value it was used by sailors on long ocean voyages to combat scurvy. We now know that it also has a good balance of amino acids and the levels of linoleic acid in the plant are similar to those found in safflower oil. Its flavonoids include quercetin and isorhamnetin as well as certain glycosides which may have anti-cancer effects, but studies are still in an early stage. It is a healthy plant to eat although it does contain sodium, but 100gr of marsh samphire contain 100 calories and no cholesterol.

  Despite the name marsh samphire is not related to rock samphire (pronounced ‘samfire’) as it is a member of the goosefoot family as is stinking goosefoot and fat hen or Chenopodium album. There are several types of Marsh samphire (pronounced ‘samfur’) in Britain and Salicornia bigelovii which grows around the coasts of the Americas has been the subject of a trial in Saudi Arabia as the marsh samphire is so rich in oil and after extracting the oil from the plant the resulting ‘cake’ can be used as livestock feed (Arthur Clark, Nov-Dec 1994, in Saudi Aramco World magazine). There are high hopes in Saudi Arabia that the plant can be a commercial success and the basis for new cities around the Saudi coastal desert areas.

  You can cook marsh samphire easily once it has been thoroughly cleaned and washed then rinsed to remove any grit or sand that clings to it. It looks a little like chong (Caralluma fimbriata), but it is a succulent without any spines. You can eat the young shoots raw, but the saponins make the plant a little bitter so it is best to cook them for about eight minutes in boiling salted water. Try this recipe and add the marsh samphire to a creamy pasta dish with smoked salmon for a delicious dish.

BOILED MARSH SAMPHIRE

Ingredients

200 gr marsh samphire, cleaned and washed as above and in 3 inch pieces

freshly ground black pepper

tsp butter

olive oil

lemon wedges to serve

Method

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and drop the marsh samphire in.

Cook for about 4 minutes for a crunchy texture, longer if you need to.

Drain, and toss in olive oil and the butter.

Serve with grilled fish and garnish with lemon wedges or pieces.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

 

HOPS FOR BEER - HERBS FOR ALE: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF HOPS HERB

HOPS, HUMULUS LUPULUS

Today hops are synonymous with the brewing of beer, but that has not always been the case. They are members of the Cannabinaceae family and so are distant relatives of Cannabis sativa, and also of stinging nettles. Wild hops are indigenous to Europe, including mainland Britain, although there is some debate as to where they originated, with some claiming they spread from Asia. The hop gardens in Kent were the biggest in Britain, although hops were also grown in Hampshire, Sussex and Surrey in southern England and in Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

   The Romans grew hops in gardens according to Pliny (61-113 AD) and their young shoots were eaten as a vegetable in the same way that we eat asparagus. This practice continued into the 20^th century in Britain when they were cooked and chopped, then covered with butter or cream, salt and black pepper.

   Hops can grow to around 18 feet and the poles in hop gardens in England were made from Spanish chestnut trees or ash. The name lupulus comes from the Latin lupus for wolf and is said to have been given to the hop plant because the vine strangles any plants it climbs around just as the Romans thought a wolf killed a sheep by embracing it.

   The Dutch used hops to brew beer in the 14^th century but the Britons were still brewing ale flavoured with traditional herbs such as chamomile, yarrow, meadowsweet, agrimony, betony and dandelion as well as malt from rye. Ale was an Anglo-Saxon drink and its brewing traditions were firmly upheld in the reign of Henry VIII when parliament described the hop as a “wicked weed that would spoil the taste of the drink and endanger the people.” As with other new things from continental Europe and the New World (the tomato and potato for example) the hop, although indigenous to Britain was looked upon as the work of the devil. It was thought to bring on melancholic thoughts and perhaps lead to suicide. Henry Vii in 1524 forbade the addition of both hops and sulphur in ale. However in the reign of Edward VI in 1536 the hop was described as “notable, healthy and temperate”- so it is quite surprising how things changed over a short period of time.

  The craft guild of brewers making beer with hops was established in Britain in 1493, separating itself from the older guild of ale makers. The Abbess Hildegarde of St. Ruprechtsberg wrote “If one intends to make beer from oats, it is prepared with hops.”  She would have known as beer and ale were brewed by members of monastic orders and hops were grown in monastery gardens in Europe.

  One of the detractors of the new-fangled hop was John Evelyn who wrote in his Pomona of 1670,

 “Hops transmuted our wholesome ale into beer, which doubtless much alters its constitution. This one ingredient, by some suspected not unworthily, preserves the drink indeed, but repays the pleasure in tormenting diseases and a shorter life.”

  The hop vine has been used to make paper and a coarse cloth, and more recently it has been suggested that it would make good pulp or biomass as do flax shives, soybean and cotton stalks. The volatile oil from hops is used in the food industry in baked products as well as in sweets, frozen desserts, mineral water and also in the tobacco and the perfume industries. The stems are used to make filler material for corrugated paper and board products. Like flax, the hop vine has a high lignan content.

  Traditionally hops have been used against insomnia and still are used to fill sleep pillows. They have a sedative action and calm hysteria and anxiety, especially when combined in a tisane with valerian and lemon balm, two other herbs with sedative properties. Half an ounce of hops to one pint of water are the usual measurements for a tisane which should be drunk for anxiety and nervous disorders, or to ease indigestion, or even, traditionally, for heart problems jaundice other liver and stomach problems. It has also been used for urinary tract problems such as cystitis and delirium tremens. Used externally it can reduce bruising and poultices of hops can reduce inflammatory swellings, although I think mallow is better for this. Hops allay pain only for a short time, being classed as anodyne rather than analgesic. A pillow stuffed with warm hops can be useful for neuralgia pains, earache and toothache. The Delaware tribe of Amerindians used sachets of hops for similar purposes. It was thought that the hop juice cleaned the blood and could remove the calculus from the joints thus easing arthritic and rheumatic pains. The infusion sometimes has poppy heads and/or chamomile added to it.

  In China and alcohol extract of hops is used for a number of diseases in their traditional medicine system, such as for leprosy, pulmonary tuberculosis and amoebic dysentery.

  In European medicine systems the hop flowers have been used in decoctions to soften a hardened uterus and to reduce swellings, while the dried hops have been used in poultices for painful tumours. Some believe that they are an aphrodisiac like cannabis.

   It is thought that the antimicrobial actions of hops are because of lupulene and humulone which are bitter acids. In Germany hops are added to sausages to preserve them from bacteria.

  In in vitro experiments it was found that xanthohumol, a constituent of hops, exerted some cancer cell killing activity, but research is still in its early stages.

  It could be that this “wicked weed” has some very beneficial properties for our future health.

 

  

INDIGO IS A HEALTH-GIVING PLANT: HISTORY AND USES OF TRUE INDIGO

INDIGO OR TRUE INDIGO, INDIGOFERA TINCTORIA

Indigo has been used as a dye for millennia as have woad (Isatis tincotria) and madder, (Rubia tinctoria). Indigo is native to Asia and was the blue dye used there, while woad was used in Europe. In India indigo has been used in Ayurveda and other traditional medicine systems to cure a number of ailments, despite the fact that the whole plant contains indican, which is a carcinogenic glucoside. The plant also contains rotenoids which are effective insecticides against mosquito larvae.

  Because of its use in traditional medicine there have been studies to attempt to support these uses. Indigotin, the substance responsible for the blue of the dye is thought to have antiseptic and astringent properties, and there are studies currently underway on indirubin, also found in woad, to discover if it has anti-cancer properties. Early studies have shown that the alcohol extracts of indigo’s stems and leaves protect the liver from damage by chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride, found in cleaning agents, refrigerants and aerosols and the leaves can help to lower blood pressure. One study reported in the International Journal of Pharmacology vol 7 (3) pages 356-63 2011 by Renukadevi, K.P. and Suhani Sultana, S. suggests that the plant’s extracts from the leaves have potent antioxidant actions and antibacterial and anti-cancer ones. However the studies were carried out on animals and in vitro, no tests have been done on human subjects in any of the research quoted here.

  In the same study the leaves were analyzed and found to contain flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroidal terpenes, phenols and anthroquinone, and were found to be effective against lung cancer cells in vitro. The report concludes with this sentence “This study suggests that ethanol extract (sic) of Indigofera tinctoria have profound antibacterial, antioxidant and cytotoxic effect. (sic)”

  In another study, “Anti-hyperglycaemic activity of ethanol extract and chloroform extract of Indigofera tinctoria leaves in streptozotocin induced diabetic mice (Family Papilionaceae)” published in the  Research Journal of Pharmaceutical. Biological and Chemical Sciences Jan-March 2011, Bangar, A.V. and Saralaya M.G. conclude “…from the present study that Indigofera tinctoria leaves alcoholic extract long-term treatment may be beneficial in the management of type-1, type-2 diabetes.”                            

Yet another study looked at the traditional use of the plant in treating epilepsy and in the Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical  Research published 2010 vol9 (2) pages 149-56, it is concluded that extracts from the whole plant were “useful in controlling lithium/pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in albino rats.”

  Indigofera tinctoria means dyer’s indigo-bearing plant (tinctoria means dyer and indigofera means indigo bearing). There are many plants in the genus; it is thought that there are around 700, which is of the Fabaceae family, making indigo a relative of the pea. Marco Polo wrote about the indigo dying industry in the 13^th century on his travels around what is now Quilon in the Indian state of Kerala in 1298. However we know that indigo was used as a dye by the people of the Indus Valley Civilization between the 4^th and 2^nd millennia BC. In the Industrial Revolution the dye was used for European military uniforms and of course has been used in the US to dye blue jeans their distinctive colour. However imported indigo was banned in many countries in Europe in the 17^th century so that it did not compete with woad, as dyers and cultivators of this native European plant protested against the importing of indigo. Later indigo and woad were used together to strengthen the colour of the dye.

  In India indigo has been used to colour paper used for writing letters as well as for ink and oil-based paints for artists. A Persian rug dating back to the 5^th century BC has been found to have indigo-dyed fibres and at Thebes Egyptian mummies were found to have indigo-dyed cloth with them. The Greek historian Herodotus (who wrote rather fancifully of the collection of cinnamon bark, claiming it was from the nest of the fabled bird, the phoenix), writing circa 450 BC described the use of indigo in the Mediterranean region at that time, and we know that ancient Greeks and Romans used indigo imported from India in “cakes”. The ancient Egyptians and Romans applied it to wounds and ulcerous sores.

  In traditional Chinese medicine indigo has been used as a pain reliever, for fever, inflammation and to purify the liver and blood. In Indian traditional medicine it has been used to promote hair growth and is used as a hair dye for black hair, just as henna is used for red hair. It has been used for centuries in Ayurveda to treat depression, for cancer, bronchitis and other respiratory problems such as asthma, hemorrhaging, as well as problems with the spleen, lungs and kidneys. Some research suggests that it has liver protective properties. In other traditional medicine systems in the Indian subcontinent it has also been used for cardio-vascular problems, urinary tract problems and the paste made with the leaves is applied to sores, ulcers and piles and a decoction of the leaves was applied to the stings and bites of venomous creatures as well as to relieve pain and aid fast healing of burns and scalds. At one time in India it was used to cure bites from rabid dogs and the resulting hydrophobia.

  Indigo is sometimes used as ground cover in tea, coffee and rubber plantations and often food crops such as potatoes are interspersed with cultivated indigo.

  It is likely that many of these treatments will be the basis for future research into Indigofera tinctoria and other related indigo bearing plants.

WOAD - NOT ONLY FOR DYING: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF WOAD

WOAD, ISATIS TINCTORIA

Woad is native to south-eastern Europe or to the grasslands of south-western Russia. In prehistory it spread throughout Europe and was used by ancient Britons as body paint used by warriors going into battle. As the woad plant has antiseptic properties this may have been why the tribes wore it – to heal battle wounds. In films the Picts are shown wearing woad- think about the film “Braveheart”- the Scots wore woad. However, the tribe of the Iceni whose one-time queen was Boudicca, used woad as body paint in East Anglia in Britain. This would explain why Julius Caesar wrote in his history books that British tribes (not Scots) used woad as body paint which he noted during his campaign of 55 BC. Woad may have been prolific in Britain then, but may have been over-harvested for use as body paint and dye by our ancestors.

Colour of woad dye

  Woad is also known as Dyer’s woad as it was used to dye textiles blue. In Asia indigo (Indigofera tinctoria) was used for this purpose (the two plants are not related). In the 16^th century Queen Elizabeth I issued a “Proclamation against the sowing of woade” (14^th October 1585) because a lot of arable land was being turned over to woad production at a time when there was a shortage of food in Britain. With the introduction of synthetic dyes woad cultivation virtually ceased in Europe. However there has been a resurgence of interest in the plant and in 2004 the European Sustainable Production of Indigo (SPINDIGO) and it is once again being cultivated in Toulouse, France and around Norfolk in East Anglia UK.

  Woad was also used as a blue ink by the monks who illuminated the Lindisfarne Gospels in the 7^th or 8^th century AD. Blue inks made with woad are also being manufactured once again.

  In Britain woad has been found in an Iron Age pit at Dragonby in South Humberside, dating back to the first century AD. Woad has been used as a shape-shifter and to investigate past lives in magic and shamanic rituals through the ages.

  The Anglo-Saxon name for this plant was wad, which shows how the word came to be woad; and wad has been incorporated into place names, presumably showing where woad was cultivated or where it grew wild in the distant past. Such names are Wadland Furlong in Warwickshire (my favourite of these names), Wadborough in Worcestershire and Wadden in Dorset and Surrey but this list is not complete by any means.

  Writing in the 16^th century the herbalist John Gerard has this to say about the plant:-  

 “Garden Woad is dry but not sharp, Wild Woad is drier and sharper and biting. The decoction made of Woad is good for hardness of the spleen, also good for wounds and ulcers to those of strong constitution and those accustomed to much physical labour and coarse fare. It is used as a dye, profitable to some, hurtful to many.”

  Culpeper, writing a century later concurs, but also says that woad is beneficial when used in ointments for ulcers, and to staunch bleeding. Because of these old herbalists it was accepted for centuries in the western world that woad should not be taken internally. However times have changed and we now know that woad leaves are edible if they have been soaked for a very long time in water to remove some of their astringency and bitterness. (It isn’t worth your while bothering – it takes too long and you may not like the taste.)

  Woad is a Brassica and so related to cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli. Research has shown that woad is rich in the compound glucobrassicin and has 20 times more of it than is found in broccoli. Foods rich in glucosinolates are known to have a beneficial effect on smoking-related lung cancers, and glucobrassicin in particular has shown itself to have anti-tumour properties being especially effective against breast cancer. This substance is released by woad when its leaves are damaged, so it is easier to obtain from this source than from broccoli. (University of Bologna research published 2006 and reported by the BBC.) This also kills pests which try to eat the leaves - it’s a good defence mechanism.

  Earlier research, published in the Alternative Medicine Review, vol. 7 (6) 2000 states that the root and leaves have anti-microbial actions although exactly what is responsible for these is still not known. Extracts from the Chinese woad plant root have anti-microbial, antiviral and antiparasitic actions. The indole compounds found in the Brassica plants have anti-cancer effects, and tryptanthrin in the European woad root has anti-inflammatory properties.

  Woad is therefore a useful plant for our health and has properties the older Western herbalists could not have dreamed about!

Woad seeds

  The first year’s leaves look like those of spinach and it is these that are harvested for their dye. The plant flowers between June and August and the black tongue-shaped seeds ripen between August and the end of September. Oil can be extracted from these and used to make soap. The seeds produce an olive-coloured dye too.

  It would appear to be a good thing that woad is making a comeback.

  

BUTTERNUT SQUASH - HEALTHY WINTER FOOD: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF BUTTERNUT SQUASH

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, CUCURBITA MOSCHATA

September marks the beginning of the butternut squash season, as well as the start of the pumpkin and other winter squashes hitting the shelves of your local market or supermarket. The butternut squash is one of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants and as such it is related to the pumpkin, cucumber, courgette, melon and watermelon, to name but a few of its many relatives.

  The butternut squash is one of my favourites with its orangey flesh promising lots of beta-carotene and lycopene, so I know it’s healthy and tastes good. It is rich in vitamins C and A; it also has vitamins E and K as well as a good number of the B-complex vitamins. It is also a source of Omega-3 fatty acid and Omega-6. As for minerals it is rich in magnesium, manganese and potassium and also contains calcium, iron, phosphorous and zinc with traces of selenium and copper. Tryptophan is one of the 18 amino acids in a butternut squash’s seeds and this helps produce GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) needed for neurotransmitters in the brain to function well.  The polysaccharides in this squash have anti-inflammatory properties and are insulin-regulating, making this a good food for diabetics. The squash is also high in dietary fibre, adding bulk to our diets, so preventing constipation and thus helping to prevent piles and colon cancer. This also helps in a weight-reducing diet.

  It is heart-healthy as it has no cholesterol and vitamin A including that converted by the body from the polyphenolic flavonoids lutein and carotene, which have potent antioxidant actions. There is more vitamin A in the butternut squash than in the pumpkin, and this helps to prevent lung and oral cavity cancers and helps our vision.

  The seeds are edible, like the pumpkin seeds and can be eaten raw and roasted, so don’t throw them away when you prepare a butternut squash for cooking.

  In fact the first butternut squashes were cultivated for their seeds, and it is believed that the early squash was much less fleshy than the varieties we have today. It is thought that the butternut squash originated in Central America, in Mexico and Guatemala, and was consumed by ancient peoples there 10,000 years ago.

  You can cook this versatile squash in many ways, baked, boiled, steamed, casseroled, made into thin game chips (crisps); puree it for use in soups or as a spicy dip, with celery and carrot sticks to scoop it up with – there are lots of things you can do with one.

  Below is a recipe for baked butternut squash, to use with other vegetables and meats as a side dish. Check out the other recipes we have such as butternut squash with pecans, or topped with macadamia nuts, or substitute it for the pumpkin in the pumpkin and stevia recipe. Bon appetite!

BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small butternut squash

olive oil

2 tbsps butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper

few sprigs of thyme stripped of leaves

few whole sprigs of thyme

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 inch piece of cinnamon

¼ tsp grated nutmeg

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4.

Cut the squash in half lengthways and remove the seeds then cut each piece into quarters.

Grease a baking tray and put the quarters onto it cut side up.

Grind the cinnamon stick and sprinkle over the pieces along with the thyme, nutmeg, cumin seeds salt and freshly ground pepper.

Drizzle well with olive oil and dot with butter.

Bake in the oven for 40 – 50 mins or until the squash is tender and some parts are golden brown.

Scoop the flesh out of the rind if you wish (it’s edible too) and puree the flesh, or leaves as they are and serve.

This has Taste and is a Treat.