TOOTHBRUSH OR SANDPAPER TREE: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE TOOTHBRUSH TREE

TOOTHBRUSH TREE, SANDPAPER TREE, STREBLUS ASPER 

The toothbrush tree or sandpaper tree is a member of the Moraceae family so is related to the banyan, peepal, mulberry, shahtoot mulberry, Punjab fig, European fig, the Tropical fig (Ficus septica) and to the Jackfruit trees. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, southern China, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

  It is a small tree growing to around 10 metres with dense branches, and has small yellow fruit which look a little like loquats. In the Philippines it is known as Kalios and in India it is the Shakhotaka. Its leaves are like sandpaper, hence one of its English names, and these have been used as toothbrushes (the other English name) and for oral hygiene.

  It has been used in traditional systems of medicine for centuries and lends itself to the art of topiary and bonsai.

  The bark of the tree can be boiled in water and the resultant liquid is used as a disinfectant for wounds and skin problems. A decoction of the bark is used for fever, diarrhoea and dysentery, while the bark itself is chewed as an antidote to snake bites. In the Philippines a tea is made from the leaves and drunk as a beverage. The powdered root is used for diarrhoea and dysentery and can be made into a poultice for ulcers on the skin. The root is used for epilepsy, inflammation and boils, and the root extract is astringent and antiseptic. The bark exudes a latex when cut which is used in India for chapped hands and feet. It is also used for swollen glands, being put on them externally. The seeds are used for nosebleeds, piles and diarrhoea too.

 An extract of the leaves has been shown to have antimicrobial properties, and one study, undertaken by Subha Rastagi et al. “Streblus asper Lour, (Shakhotaka): A Review of its Chemical, pharmacological and Ethnomedicinal Properties” in Evidenced-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Vol. 3 (2) pp 217-222, stated that the tree possesses antioxidant, anti-allergic, antimalarial, anti-cancer, cardio-tonic and insecticidal properties. The volatile oil from the leaves showed “significant anti-cancer activity” as does an extract of the root according to a further study Abstract B73: “Chemopreventive effect of Streblus asper, a bonsai plant, on osteosarcoma cells: A Preliminary Study” Azman Seeni et al. Cancer Prevention Research 3 (Meeting Abstract Supplement) B73 January 7^th  2010. This study suggests that the antioxidant compounds in the root extract such as caffeic acid may act as carcinogenic inhibitors, although further research is needed to substantiate the findings and to carry the work further.

  In Ayurvedic medicine the leaves are used to help promote the milk-flow of breast-feeding mothers, as well as being used as poultices for boils and skin ulcers. The roots are used for diarrhoea and dysentery while a decoction of the bark is also given for these ailments and for fevers. The latex from the tree is sometimes applied to the temples in cases of neuralgia and a paste made from the seeds is applied to leucoderma.

  In Bangladesh parts of the tree are used for syphilis and other STDs and for cholera, piles, wounds and as a mild pain reliever or analgesic.

  Clearly more research is needed to discover the mechanisms which cause this tree to have such beneficial effects on human diseases.

  

BULRUSH, THERE ARE BETTER HERBS TO USE: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF BULRUSHES

BULRUSH, TYPHA LATIFOLIA 

The common bulrush grows in shallow water in all temperate, tropical and sub-tropical regions in the Northern hemisphere and is a native rush in Britain. It can grow to between 5 and 10 feet high, and is edible, although if it grows in polluted water, it should not be eaten as the plant soaks up the pollutants. The bulrush is also known as cattail and reedmace.

  The roots of the bulrush may be boiled and eaten as you would a potato; and if they are macerated and then boiled they will produce and edible sweet syrup. You can dry the roots and grind them to a powder which, if added to wheat flour enriches it, as the root is not only starchy but contains protein. This mixture can be used to make bread etc.

  The young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked in spring, and can be cooked and used as a substitute for asparagus; in fact they are sometimes called “Cossack’s asparagus.” They are said to taste like cucumbers. You can actually eat the shoots when they are up to 50 centimetres in length, and the base of the stem when it is mature, can be eaten too, either raw or cooked, although it is best to remove the outer layer of the stem.

  The flower spike may also be eaten before it is ripe, either raw or in a soup, and this is said to taste like sweet corn. When ripe the seeds may be eaten either raw or roasted, although they are difficult to harvest. These have a nutty taste and may also be ground to be added to flour for baking purposes. They also produce an edible oil.

  The pollen may also be eaten as it is protein-rich and can be added to flour. To gather the pollen you can shake the flower spike over a wide shallow container and then, with a fine brush, remove the remainder.

  The whole plant has been used medicinally too, the dried pollen may be used on wounds as it will remove blood clots being an anticoagulant, although when it is roasted with charcoal it becomes haemostatic, and is used for haemorrhages, painful menstruation and kidney stones, as well as uterine bleeding, cancer of the lymphatic system, abscesses and post-partum pains.

  However bulrushes should not be used during pregnancy.

  A decoction of the stems has been used for whooping cough, and the roots have diuretic properties and promote the milk flow in breast-feeding mothers. They have been used in tonics and for their refrigerant properties. Pounded to a jelly they can be used as a poultice for wounds, cuts, burns and scalds.

  The flowers have been used for stomach pains, lack of a woman’s periods, and irregular ones, as well as for cystitis. Eating the young flower heads is supposed to stop diarrhoea. The downy material from the seeds has been used to line a baby’s nappy and for wound dressings.

  In autumn the leaves were gathered for thatching material, they can also be made into paper, and rayon has been made from their pulp. The stems were used for rush lighting, and the pollen, being highly inflammable has been used to make home-made fireworks. The stems can also be woven into mats, hats, and seats for chairs.

  Despite these uses for bulrushes, Nicholas Culpeper, the 17^th century English herbalist was very scathing about all rushes, including bulrushes, which he names particularly. He wrote this about rushes:-

“The seed of the soft rushes, saith Dioscorides and Galen (toasted saith Pliny) drunk in wine and water, stayeth the lask and women’s courses, when too abundant; but it causeth head-ache; it provoketh sleep, but must be given with caution. The root boiled in water to one-third helpeth the cough.

  What I have written here concerning rushes is to satisfy my countrymen’s question: Are our rushes good for nothing? Yes, and as good to let them alone as taken. There are remedies enough without them for disease, and therefore as the old proverb is, I care not a rush for them: or rather, they will do you as much good as if one had given you a rush.”

  Clearly he didn’t like them much or think that they were efficacious in the treatment of any illnesses. Other plants were better.

YELLOW HORNED POPPY - RESEMBLES LARGE BUTTERCUP: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE YELLOW HORNED POPPY

YELLOW HORNED POPPY, GLAUCIUM FLAVUM 

The yellow horned poppy is a member of the Papavaraceae or poppy family of plants and so is related to another British wildflower, the Greater Celandine as well as to the poppies. The 16^th century herbalist John Gerard (1545-1612), describes it very well so I have reprinted his description here:

 “The yellow horned poppy hath whitish leaves very much cut or jagged, somewhat like the leaves of garden Poppie, but rougher and more hairie. The stalks be long, round, and brittle. The floures be large and yellow, consisting of foure leaves; which being past, there come long huskes or cods, crooked like an horn or cornet, wherein is conteined small black seede. The roote is great, thicke, scalie, and rough, continuing long.”

  So now you know why it is called the horned poppy- its seed pods are swollen and pointed, sometimes with horn-like pieces coming from them.

  The yellow horned poppy is a protected species under the UK’s Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981, so please don’t pick this flower. It is believed to have the largest seed pod of any of Britain’s native plants. It can live for up to five years and only flowers in its second year of growth during the months of June to September. It lives on single banks close to the sea and has also been called the Sea poppy. Its botanical synonym is Glaucium luteum.

  It is psychoactive and there is one report from the Royal Society of 1698 of a man who mistook this plant for that of sea holly or eryngoes. He baked the root in a pie and ate it hot, whereupon he became a victim of its hallucinatory and cathartic actions and mistook the content of his chamber pot for gold!

  The plant contains a yellow latex in its stems, and the seeds are oil producing. The oil has been used for lighting purposes as it burns cleanly and has also been used in soap-making. It contains the alkaloids glaucine, protopine, chelidonine, chelerythrine and cordine as well as fumaric and chelidonic acids.

  Glaucine is known to be a good ingredient for cough medicine and it has also been investigated for its ability to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells in vitro. Studies are being carried out around the world to investigate these actions and those of the other alkaloids present in the yellow horned poppy further. It has been found to have antiviral and antibacterial properties and to be effective against coughs and to help with bronchial problems.

  Writing in the 17^th century, Nicholas Culpeper had this to say about the medicinal properties of the plant:-

“Virtues. Like its species, it is under the Sun in Leo; and is aperitive and cleansing, opening obstructions of the spleen and liver, and of great use in curing the jaundice and scurvy: some reckon it cordial, and a good antidote against the plague. Some quantity of it is put into aqua mirabilis. Outwardly it is used for sore eyes, to dry up the rheum, and take away specks and films, as also against tetters and ringworms, and scurfy breakings-out. The root dried and powdered, is a galsamic and sub-astringent. It is given against bloody-fluxes, and in other hæmorrhages, half a drachm for a dose.”

COMMON DUCKWEED - NOT ONLY FOR DUCKS:HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF COMMON DUCKWEED

COMMON DUCKWEED, LEMNA MINOR

The Common or lesser Duckweed is often found on garden ponds and is the bane of gardeners who don’t want to get rid of it by using chemicals. It can spread on the feet of aquatic birds and on their bills. However it does have some uses and may be a useful source of biomass and biofuel in the future. It also has some surprising health benefits.

  The ancient Welsh Physicians of Myddfai had these two remedies which include it: -

“For swelling or hardness of the stomach. Boil duckweed in goat's milk, and foment it therewith frequently…

If the bowels become so constipated that they cannot be moved, take duckweed, boiling it briskly in a pot, then cast it into a pan, and fry with a quantity of blood and butter, eating it hot.”

  William Turner (c.1508-1568) often called the “Father of English Botany” had this to say of it, calling “duckis meate” for fairly obvious reasons, I suppose.

 “Duckis meate hath a cooling nature, whereof it is good to be laid to imposthumes and gatherings of the humours that run to one place, to the wildfire and great burnings, to the gouty members both alone and also with the meal of parched barley. It glueth or bindeth, or maketh fast the bowels of young chider. Galen writeth that duckis meate is of a cold and moist temperature and in manner is both cold and moist in the second degree.”

  Nicholas Culpeper, writing in the 17^th century has this to say of it:-

“Government and virtues. Cancer claims the herb, and the Moon will be lady of it; a word is enough to a wise man. It is effectual to help inflammations, and St. Anthony's fire, as also the gout, either applied by itself, or in a poultice with barley-meal. The distilled water by some is highly esteemed against all inward inflammations and pestilent fevers: as also to help the redness of the eyes, and swelling of the scrotum, and of the breasts before they be grown too much. The fresh herb applied to the forehead, easeth the pains of the head-ach coming of heat.”

  It has been used as a poultice as the common mallow and marsh mallow are for inflammations and swellings.

  It has often been used as poultry food and may have some value to the food industry in the future, one Turkish study published in 2010 showed that common duckweed has antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-candidal properties ( Ilhami Gűlçin et al. Turkish Journal of Biology Vol.34 pp 175-188); this study also found flavonoids such as quercetin and phenolic compounds which have antioxidant properties.

 Kiosov P.A.(2001) in Comprehensive Catalogue of Medicinal Plants ( EKSMO-Press: Moscow), states that duckweed has been used as raw material for the production of analgesic and antipyretic remedies. It is also used in pellet form in homeopathic remedies for asthma.

 Duckweed has been classed in the Araceae family of plants, having formerly been in the Lemnaceae, so as such is the relative of Gloriosa superba or the Flame Lily, the Calla Lily, taro, the Elephant’s foot yam, cuckoo-pint and the sweet flag.