SOAPWORT - SOAP PRODUCER WITH HEALTH BENEFITS TOO

SOAPWORT, SAPONARIA OFFICINALIS

Soapwort can grow to around five feet tall and has a spread of about a foot, with pinky-white flowers which bloom from July to September. These look a little like the garden flowers Sweet William which is why it is sometimes called wild Sweet William. It is a member of the Carnation family of plants; Caryophyllaceae, so is related to cloves. Like the soapnut (reetha), it produces a lather; or rather the leaves, stem and root do, when they are swished around in water. This gives rise to another name for the plant, latherwort. It is also sometimes called Fuller’s herb, and this is because it was used in the process of fulling textiles. The plant used to be used in woollen mills to gently wash newly made cloth to make it thicker, this was the fulling process. It can still be seen in Europe growing around sites of old woollen mills. It has also been used in the past  to wash sheep’s wool before shearing.

   Other names for the plant include Bouncing Bet which is a curious name with dubious origins. It has been suggested that country bar-maids in Britain were often called Bet or Betsy and they used the leaves and stems of soapwort plants to scour tankards and beer bottles to get them clean and this is how the plant got its name.

  As far back as the 8^th century BC the Assyrians were using this plant or a similar one to wash clothes and cloth, just as the ancient people of the Indian subcontinent used the soapnut.

   Soapwort is native to Europe, including the British Isles, Scandinavia and temperate North Africa. It is sometimes known as Lychnis saponana. The word ‘sapo’ comes from the Latin meaning soap and this plant contains saponins which are toxic, so it is better not to use it to make shampoo with as it irritates the eyes. You can leach the saponins from the plant by soaking it in water but this is a time-consuming process. To make soap for washing clothes you can simply boil the whole chopped plant (especially the root) to make a gentle, effective cleaner which will not harm antique fabrics or delicate ones. If you use it for delicate laundry you can add a few drops of essential oil such as lavender or rose oil to improve the smell of the clothes as soapwort is virtually odourless.

  The plant has been used in traditional medicine for a number of ailments, including for T.B., jaundice and other liver problems, as well as for syphilis. As regards the latter disease, Culpeper the 17^th century herbalist states that soapwort is especially effective when mercury treatment fails.( It was customary to use mercury to cure syphilis.) However it is unwise to take any infusion or decoction of this plant internally as it irritates the digestive system. It can also destroy red blood cells and paralyze the part of the central nervous system that controls the dilation of blood vessels. It is however useful for skin problems and itching. The juice from the leaves and/or the root can be applied to the skin for acne, eczema and any other skin problem. It is said that a decoction of the root can take away discoloration from a black eye, but you have to be careful not to get any juice in your eye. It’s better to use mallow!

  In clinical trials both in vitro and in animals it has been found that saporin –S6 extracted from the seeds has had some anti-cancer properties, but more research is needed.(June 2011 L Polito).

  The flowers are edible and can be used as garnishes and in salads, just as you can use borage, violet and marigold flowers. I haven’t eaten soapwort flowers so can’t vouch for them, but the others mentioned taste just fine!

BLACK NIGHTSHADE - TOXIC OR EDIBLE? HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF BLACK NIGHTSHADE

BLACK NIGHTSHADE, SOLANUM NIGRUM

Depending on where you live Black nightshade may be highly poisonous or edible. In Europe the varieties are poisonous, but in Africa, Asia and Indonesia, the plant is used like a leafy green vegetable, such as kale or Swiss chard. The fruit is also eaten and the plant is used as medicine. It is a member of the Solonaceae family of plants so is related to Belladonna, Spiny or Yellow-berried Nightshade, aubergines, Nipple fruit, potatoes, tomatoes, Cape gooseberries, tomatillos and red and green chillies to name but a few other plants in the family.

  In Europe and North America the black nightshade is a troublesome weed which is bad news for livestock, but in Asia and Africa it is a minor food crop and scientists are actively encouraging its growth and use as it contains the minerals calcium, iron and phosphorous as well as some of the B-complex vitamins, (B1, 2, 3), and vitamins A and C.  The unripe fruit contains the toxin solanine, but the ripe fruit is made into jams, preserves and pies; like sloes, the taste improves after a frost.

  The juice from the plant was used by the ancient Arab physicians for burns and ulcers, and the fresh, bruised leaves eased the pain of inflammation in such ailments as gout, and rheumatism. The juice has been used for ringworm, gout and with vinegar for earache.

  The plant grows to about 2 feet tall and can have a foot spread, with the flowers appearing from July to September, giving way to berries in autumn which begin green and then turn black when ripe. The whole plant is harvested in autumn and dried for later use.

  In Asia the plant has been used to treat intermittent fevers such as malaria, and to reduce inflammation. It promotes sweating too and is used as a diuretic and to moisture and soften the roughest of skin. It also has sedative and narcotic properties and is a purgative.

  The leaves, stems and roots can be applied externally as a poultice or used as a wash for skin problems. Extracts from the plant have been shown to have anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. The juice of the fruit has been used to stop the pain of toothache, and analgesic ointments are made from the plant which are applied locally. In Ayurvedic medicine it is used in combination with other herbs for heart diseases. In Iran it has been used for centuries as a diuretic, while the ancient Greeks used it to reduce inflammation, externally. It has also been used in remedies for cirrhosis of the liver as an antiseptic (juice from the leaves and fruit) and as a laxative- but don’t be tempted to use it- try senna instead! The plant IS poisonous except in Asia, parts of Africa and Indonesia where it is used as food.

CRETAN DITTANY - APHRODITE'S HERB: HISTORY,USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF CRETAN DITTANY

DITTANY OF CRETE, ORIGANUM DICTAMNUS

As the name of this herb suggests, it grows wild only in Crete, and there it grows in gorges and mountainsides. It has a reputation as being an aphrodisiac and throughout the centuries young men have risked life and limb to collect this herb. Many have reportedly died in their attempts to collect the plant as it grows in inaccessible places. In Greek mythology it is said to have been given to the island of Crete by the father of the gods, Zeus, particularly to grow on his birthplace, Mount Dikti where even today it grows abundantly. Thamnus is the Greek word for bush so we have the name diktamnus. It was used by the goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite (Venus in Roman mythology) both for beauty and as an aphrodisiac. However dittany has been known as a miracle herb since the times of Hippocrates, and Theophrastus, in ancient times and was also known to the earlier Minoans on Crete. Hippocrates used it for stomach problems, prescribing a poultice of it to be put over the painful area.

  Virgil wrote this of its healing powers in his Aeneid (book 12: lines 411-431): -

  “A branch of healing dittany she brought,

   Which in the Cretan fields with care she sought: 
   Rough is the stem, which woolly leafs surround; 
   The leafs with flow'rs, the flow'rs with purple crown'd, 

  Well known to wounded goats; a sure relief 
  To draw the pointed steel, and ease the grief. 
  This Venus brings, in clouds involv'd, and brews 
  Th' extracted liquor with ambrosian dews, 

  And od'rous panacee. Unseen she stands, 
  Temp'ring the mixture with her heav'nly hands, 
  And pours it in a bowl, already crown'd 
  With juice of med'c'nal herbs prepar'd to bathe the wound. 

Mt.Ida Crete

   The leech, unknowing of superior art 
   Which aids the cure, with this foments the part; 
   And in a moment ceas'd the raging smart. 
   Staunch'd is the blood, and in the bottom stands: 

   The steel, but scarcely touch'd with tender hands, 
   Moves up, and follows of its own accord, 
   And health and vigor are at once restor'd.” 

   The Roman author Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC) in his work De Natura (2.126) states:

        "In Crete, the wild goats, when they are wounded with poisoned arrows, seek

         for an herb called dittany, which, when they have tasted, the arrows (they say)

        drop from their bodies."

  While Pliny the Elder (c.23-79 AD), the naturalist in his Natural History wrote that stags, like the Cretan mountain goats chewed on dittany to remove arrows and sure their wounds.

   In Greek mythology Artemis, the huntress hunted with poisoned arrows, and the Cretan mountain goats (according to Aristotle) would seek out dittany, chew it and place it on their wounds. The poisoned arrow would fall to the ground and the wounds would heal.

   Previously this herb had the botanical name Amaracus dictamnus Benth and Amaracus tomentosus Moerch.

  It grows to a height of 0.3 metres, and has pink to purple flowers in summer and velvety grey –green leaves, a little like those of sage. It is a relative of oregano and marjoram as its botanical name suggests. It is a member of the Lamiaceae family of plants which include mint, thyme, basil, rosemary, lemon balm and lavender among many others. Its essential oil consists mainly of carvacrol and thymol along with p-cymene and γ-terpinene. Carvacrol is known to have antibacterial properties, and smells of oregano. Thymol is a fungicide and has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

   A tisane can be made from the flowers and leaves and this is said to relieve period pains, headaches and neuralgia. It is also thought to relieve the pains of childbirth and is said to have been used for this reason by Aphrodite when she was in labour on Mount Ida on Crete. No doubt it is still used on Crete as an aphrodisiac, and today it can be cultivated in gardens and pots.

  

WESTERN HEMLOCK TREE - WELL-USED BY NATIVE AMERICANS: BENEFITS AND USES OF WESTERN HEMLOCK TREE

WESTERN HEMLOCK TREE, TSUGA HETEROPHYLLA

The Western Hemlock tree is no relation of the poisonous plant hemlock which caused the demise of Socrates. This tree is native to the North American continent and is grown as an ornamental in Europe and other parts of the world. In the late 19^th century, Queen Victoria was impressed with the timber from the tree and asked for its botanical name to be changed to Tsuga albertiana in honour of her husband, Albert, the Prince Consort. No one could ignore her request, but it later reverted to its original botanical name by which it is still known.

   Tsu-ga comes from the Japanese words for tree and mother, and heterophylla is the Greek for having different leaves. It is a member of the Pinaceae family of trees and is related to the pines which bear pine nuts and chilgoza pine nuts. It can grow to heights of 229 feet or 70 metres with a spread of 49 feet or 15 metres. It is an evergreen coniferous tree whose wood is used in construction, for cabinets and ladders among other items. It is easily carved and Native Americans used it to make spoons and other items. In Britain it is grown in hemlock forests, but as it creates dense shade, not much can grow underneath it. In its native habitat it is not so destructive because it grows to greater heights and grows naturally alongside other trees.

  In the UK it is used for wood pulp and timber as well as being used as a hedge, while in the US one of its principle uses in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries was for its tannin, used in the American leather industry.

  Native Americans used its inner bark raw or cooked and dried and ground into powder to be mixed with cereal flour for bread, or to thicken soups and stews. The inner bark was harvested in spring and dried for winter use when food was scarce. The leaves and twigs of the Western Hemlock yield an oil known as “spruce oil” which is used commercially to flavour chewing gum, ice-cream and soft drinks.

  Pitch is obtained from crevices in the bark which is a resinous substance which can be chewed like gum. A tisane can be made from the young leaves and tips which are an ingredient of “spruce beer”. These can be eaten to survive if one is lost in the woods.

  The bark has astringent qualities as well being used in a decoction to promote sweat during fevers and as a diuretic. A decoction of the pounded bark was once used for haemorrhages, syphilis and T.B. The boiled bark and liquorice root was also used to stop haemorrhaging. An infusion of the inner bark or twigs was used for kidney and bladder problems and as a gargle and mouthwash for throat and mouth problems, as well as being applied to sores and ulcers on the skin. The powdered bark can be put inside shoes to eliminate foot odour and to help sweating feet. The gum or resin from the truck obtained by cutting it was used to prevent chapping and sunburn in severe weather conditions.

  Native Americans chewed the leaves and then used them as a poultice for burns. They obtained a red dye from the bark and used this for colouring goat wool and basket weaving materials as well as for facial decoration. The pitch obtained by distilling the young branches was rubbed onto the scalp and hair to get rid of head lice. The pitch mixed with deer tallow was also rubbed into the chest to alleviate the symptoms of colds and flu, and this was also used as an ointment to prevent sunburn.

  This tree has a number of very useful purposes, unlike the poisonous hemlock which shares its name.