AVENS -"A WHOLESOME, HEALTHFUL HERB": HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF AVENS

AVENS, HERB BENNET, COLEWORT, GEUM URBANUM 

Avens or wood avens, Geum urbanum is a close relative of the water avens or Indian chocolate (Geum rivale) and a member of the Rosaceae or rose family, making it a relative of the dog rose. As a member of this family it is a distant relative of apricots, apples, plums, loquats, peaches and the blackthorn tree from which we get sloes. It is closely related to the Potentilla genus, so is related to silverweed and cinquefoil, which its yellow flowers resemble.

  The avens is native to Britain and mainland Europe as well as to Central Asia. Its root when freshly dug has a strong smell of cloves, and this is the reason for its genus name Geum, which basically means something with a fragrant aroma. The name urbanum means of the city, or perhaps sophisticated.

  It was believed that the root was best gathered in Britain on the 25^th of March as long as the soil was not wet. This was the time the root was believed to be at its most pungent. It has been used in medicine as well as in cooking; both in sweets and desserts, and the seeds may be substituted for cloves in an apple tart. The young leaves may be eaten raw in salads or cooked, and the root may be used to flavour soups and stews.

  The root is the part generally used in medicine: ½ ounce of root chopped to one pint of boiling water can be infused and then strained and the liquid drunk cold, or the decoction can be made by boiling the root and reducing the amount of water to ½ a pint. This can be used externally for skin problems, and for vaginal discharge, as an antiseptic and wound healer and internally for stomach problems, to soothe the mucous membranes in bronchitis and coughs, for sore throats and headaches, as a drink to reduce fevers, and as a general spring tonic, which was believed to clear obstructions in the liver and cleanse the blood and body.

  The root contains tannin and so it is useful as an astringent for diarrhoea and dysentery as well as for wound healing.

  Nicholas Culpeper the English herbalist writing in the 17^th century wrote about it in this way: -

“Government and virtues. It is governed by Jupiter, and that gives hopes of a wholesome healthful herb. It is good for the diseases of the chest or breast, for pains, and stiches in the side, and to expel crude and raw humours from the belly and stomach, by the sweet savour and warming quality. It dissolves the inward congealed blood happening by falls or bruises, and the spitting of blood, if the roots, either green or dry, be boiled in wine and drank; as also all manner of inward wounds or outward, if washed or bathed therewith. The decoction also being drank, comforts the heart, and strengtheneth the stomach and a cold brain, and therefore is good in the spring-time to open obstructions of the liver, and helps the wind cholic; it also helps those that have fluxes, or are bursten, or have a rupture; it taketh away spots or marks in the face, being washed therewith. The juice of the fresh root, or powder of the dried root, hath the same effect with the decoction. The root in the spring time steeped in wine, give it delicate savour and taste, and being drank fasting every morning, comforteth the heart, and is a good preservative against the plague, or any other poison. It helpeth digestion, and warmeth a cold stomach, and openeth obstructions of the liver and spleen.”

He concluded his description with this: “It is very safe; you need have no dose prescribed; and is very fit to be kept in every body's house.”

  It was used to flavour Augsburg Ale to impart both its flavour and its health-giving properties, with a sachet of the root being placed in each cask of ale. In the Middle Ages it used to be worn as an amulet to ward off evil spirits and venomous beasts, as it was regarded as a sacred herb, belonging to Saint Benedict, hence the name Herb Bennet (a corruption of Benedict).

  The trefoil leaf of this plant with its golden, five petalled flower was a symbol of the Holy Trinity (trefoil leaf) while the five petals symbolized the five wounds inflicted upon the crucified Jesus. By the end of the 13^th century in Britain, this was a motif used in the architecture of churches and it could be found on walls and columns.

  (Hemlock is also called Herb Bennet and should not be confused with this. Legend has it that a monk gave Saint Benedict a cup of wine poisoned by hemlock, but when Saint Benedict blessed the wine before drinking it, the poison, which was a kind of devil, fled the cup with such force that it shattered, thus exposing the cup-bearing monk’s intent to kill Saint Benedict.)

  So far there is no scientific evidence to support the traditional medicinal uses of avens, or Herb Bennet.

BEEFWOOD TREE,COAST SHE-OAK: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF BEEFWOOD

BEEFWOOD, AGOHO, CASUARINA EQUISETIFOLIA

The beefwood tree goes by a number of names in English, including the horsetail tree as its branches, with their drooping leaves resemble a horse’s tail and also the horsetail fern. It is also known as the She-oak or Coast She-oak, Ironwood, Australian beefwood or Australian pine, and the whistling pine. Its needle–like leaves resemble pine needles and it bears cone-like fruit with small, winged seeds and it looks a little like a pine tree. It is also an evergreen with a pyramid shaped crown which can grow to heights of 30 metres.

  The name Casuarina is believed to come from the Malay word kasuari from which we get the name for the bird, the cassowary, and it is called this as it resembles the bird’s plumage; equestifolia means horse-leaved. It is a member of the Casuarinaceae family of plants. The tree is actually native to Malaysia, South Asia, Australia and Oceania, although it has been planted around the world for its protection from the sea, and because it is a nitrogen fixer and helps make land more fertile.

  You can see this tree along coasts in North Africa, and Florida in the US where it is now an invasive species, having first been introduced in the 1800s when it was planted to stabilize ditches and canals and for its shade and timber. It is sometimes used as a nurse plant in coconut groves, and even for pine trees. In India lemon, orange and other citrus trees grow larger than they would usually do when they are grown under the protection of the Beefwood tree.

  The tree has a multitude of uses: in Thailand its timber is used for poles to make fish traps, and it is used for firewood around the globe, as it burns well even when freshly cut and yields high quality charcoal. It is valued in the leather industry in Madagascar for its tannin and is used for fences (with the trees coppiced, providing live fences and the cut timber also being utilized for the same purpose). It is also used for boat-building, for electricity poles, handles for implements and tools, for cart wheels and also the bark is a dye producer.

  It can be annoying as the leaf litter under trees deters wild life and so it can damage eco-systems where it has been cultivated. However it is used in folk medicine for a number of ailments, and has astringent properties (due to its tannin content), is used for menstrual irregularities, colic and stomach pains, headaches and more.

  In the Philippines a decoction of the bark is used to remedy diarrhoea and dysentery, and to promote menstruation, and in large doses it is used as a pain-killer. The liquid after boiling the bark is used as a lotion for beriberi (vitamin B1 deficiency) and the powdered bark is made into a paste with water and applied to pimples, acne and other skin eruptions. An infusion of the bark is prescribed as a general tonic. A decoction of the twigs is made into a lotion for inflammatory swellings, while an infusion of the branches is used as a diuretic. The leaves are used in decoctions and infusions for colic and other stomach upsets and to stop spasms.

  The leaf litter can be used to start and feed fires, and the wood pulp can be used to make paper and the timber being resistant to some termites makes it useful in tropical countries.

ALEXANDERS OR BLACK LOVAGE: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF ALEXANDERS

ALEXANDERS, BLACK LOVAGE, SMYRNIUM OLUSATRUS 

Alexanders looks a lot like angelica, and is related to it as it is a member of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family. As such it is related to fennel, dill, sweet Cicely, cow parsley, lovage, carrots, caraway, anise, lesser and greater burnet saxifrage, water fennel or water dropwort and Thapsia to which it bears a strong resemblance with its yellow- green flowers. It originated in Europe and Asia and has naturalized in Britain where it was grown in monastery gardens in the Middle Ages as a pot-herb and vegetable.

  It tastes a little like celery and the leaves are similar to those of this plant. The seeds are used as a condiment and all parts of the plant are edible. The flowering tops can be eaten and cooked like broccoli for which it can be a substitute. The unopened flower buds can be pickled and when this is done they look like mini-cauliflowers. The leaves and young shoots may be eaten raw in salads or cooked and added to soups or stews, which is what the Romans used them for. It is said that they introduced this plant to Britain as they enjoyed the “myrrh” taste they thought these imparted to soups.

  The stems can also be cooked like asparagus, steamed or boiled for 5 to 10 minutes, and served as a side dish. The plant grows in autumn and has leaves throughout the winter, so was a useful source of nourishment. It is said that if the root is left in a cool place over winter it becomes tender and is good in soups and stews. The stems are a little more pungent than celery and the seeds are peppery. The flower buds may be eaten raw in salads too.

  In the past Alexanders was used to treat asthma, menstrual problems and wounds, but generally it is not used today, although there would seem to be no reason not to as it is not poisonous as plants such as aconite, thornapple (datura) and aak are.

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

“Government and virtues. This plant is under Jupiter, therefore friendly to nature. The whole plant has a strong warm taste, and was more used in the kitchen than in the medicinal way, having been either eaten raw, as a sallad among other herbs, or else boiled and eaten with salt meat, or in broths in the spring season. The root pickled was deemed a good sauce, but its use in the kitchen has been entirely superseded by the cultivation of celery. It is reckoned to be of the nature of parsley or smallage, but stronger, and therefore may be serviceable in opening obstructions of the liver and spleen, provoking wind and urine, and consequently good in the dropsy or stranguary. For this purpose, half a drachm of the seeds powdered, and taken in white wine, every morning, is seldom known to fail. It is likewise good for bringing on the courses, and expelling the after-birth, notwithstanding it is seldom used in medicine.”

  It is known as black lovage because of the colour of the root and seeds, which are almost black when ripe. It flowers in Britain in April and May and the whole plant was once used in a decoction as a diuretic.

  Writing in 1640, Parkinson says that it was eaten during Lent to aid digestion and to digest “the viscous humours in the stomache.” Lenten pottage is an old Irish recipe which was eaten during Lent and which comprised nettles, watercress and Alexanders. Nowadays the seeds are crushed and added to vodka to give it some more oomph.

  It used to be called the herb of Macedonia, where Philip of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s father had ruled. It could be that this is why it was called Alexander’s herb, although some sources claim that the Alexander in question was actually Alexandria. (It is sometimes called Alexander’s parsley.)

  Alexanders is the centre of some research into the sesquiterpenoids all parts of the plant yield in their essential oil (2010 Papaioannou, F. et al).  Sesquiterpene lactones from the plant have also been investigated in a study published in 2001 for their ability in vitro and in mice to kill cancer cells. More research needs to be done on this plant to discover what medicinal benefits it has for us.

TEAK TREE IS NOT ONLY USED FOR ITS WOOD: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF TEAK TREES

TEAK TREE, TECTONA GRANDIS 

The teak tree is renowned for its durable wood which can be used for almost any purpose, including in the construction industry, for furniture, flooring, ships’ decks, and because it is resistant to the wood-boring mollusc, the shipworm, it is used for piers and jetties too. It has quinones in its sawdust which are resistant to fungi making it ideal for many purposes in tropical conditions.

  It has its origins in south and south-east Asia, but is now cultivated in many parts of the world for its timber. It is a member of the mint or Lamiaceae family and so is related to the Chaste Tree and Fragrant Premna, as well as herbs, marjoram, basil, Holy basil, oregano, savory, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, bugle, motherwort, self-heal, wall germander, cat nip, ground ivy, Jupiter’s sage and hyssop and a whole host of other plants. As one of the verbenas (some botanists classify this as a member of the Verbenaceae family) it is allied with vervain (Verbena officinalis) and lemon verbena.

  Teak trees can grow to heights of forty metres and have white through to cream flowers which are followed by pale yellow fruit which are about 1 or 2 centimetres in diameter and covered with star-shaped hairs.

  It is cultivated now throughout the tropics and has its uses in traditional systems of medicine in countries where it grows. Virtually every part of the teak tree has medicinal uses, and medical science has shown that the leaves have antibacterial, anti-ulcer and antifungal properties. In Ayurdeva the wood is considered a laxative, a sedative for the uterus, good for piles, dysentery and leucoderma. In folk medicine the roots are used for urinary tract problems, the flowers for bronchitis, nausea and urinary tract problems too. The bark has been used to treat diabetes, and an extract of the bark has been found to have insulin resistance in mice.

  In other parts of Asia a decoction of the fresh or dried leaves is used for menstrual problems and haemorrhages, as well as a gargle for sore throats. A plaster made from the powdered wood is applied to headaches which cause nausea, and too disperse swellings which are caused by inflammation, perhaps caused by rheumatism for example. The powdered wood is used internally to get rid of intestinal parasites, and, made into a paste with water, it is used on swollen eyelids and also for acute dermatitis and other skin irritation. In India the charred wood is soaked in poppy juice and made into a paste for swollen eyelids. Flowers and seeds have diuretic properties while the oil from the fruit seeds is used to stimulate hair growth and soothe irritated skin.

  Dyes are produced from the root bark and young leaves and this is used for paper products, matting and cloth. The dyes may be yellow-brown or red-brown. Dye from the leaves alone is used for dying cloth especially wool and cotton. In Java, Indonesia, the sawdust is burnt as incense.

  The leaves are edible and can be filled with jackfruit and other ingredients and steamed, and are combined with jackfruit in other ways to make desserts in southern India and in parts of Indonesia too.

  Research is ongoing to attempt to prove that there are scientific bases for the tree’s use in traditional systems of medicine.

ACONITE, POISONOUS PLANT: HISTORY OF USES OF ACONITE NAPELLUS

ACONITE, MONKSHOOD, WOLFSBANE, ACONITUM NAPELLUS 

Aconite has been used for pain relief and was in the British Pharmacopeias, but only that grown in Britain, however there is no scientific evidence to support its use as a cancer treatment, whether as a cure or for preventative purposes. Neither is there evidence for its other purported uses. Aconite is extremely poisonous as is datura or thornapple and aak. Aconitum napellus is an attractive flowering plant whose leaves, stems and roots were especially valued in medicine until the mid 1900s. However it has fallen into disuse because it is so poisonous.

  It has been used in traditional Asian medicine in China, Japan and in Ayurvedic medicine in the Indian sub-continent for centuries, but the poisonous principle is removed by processing the plant and it is used only in miniscule dosages. It is used as a pain-reliever in inflammatory problems such as gout, migraines, rheumatism and sciatica, but is used to cure the symptoms and not the disease itself.

  It is a member of the buttercup of Ranunculaceae family and as such is a relative of the Lesser Celandine, marsh marigolds, black cohosh, wood anemones and goldenseal. It grew in South Wales when I was growing up and looked to me like a delphinium (larkspur). It seems to like to grow on rocky, craggy places and aconite comes from the Greek akonos which means stone while napellus refers to the root shape which was thought to resemble a small turnip.

   It gets the name monkshood because the petals are thought to resemble a monk’s cowl.

  Aconite causes arrhythmia, heart failure and death and was Medea’s poison of choice in her potions, one of which was destined for Theseus, who did not drink it. The Greek myth says that aconite grew from the slobber of the three-headed dog, Cerberus who guarded the gate of Tartarus. Because of the association with this hell-hound it has been called Dog’s bane. Athena used its poison to turn Arachne into a spider for her impiety, and it was much feared by the ancient Romans. The Roman Emperor Claudius I was poisoned with it by his physician and the Emperor Trajan forbade its cultivation under pain of death. It was referred to as Hecate’s herb (Hecateis herba) in Mediaeval times and it was believed to have been an ingredient along with Belladonna of witches’ flying ointment.

  Aconite can be absorbed through the skin, whether broken or not so should not be used externally or internally.

  Pliny wrote that aconite could kill a mouse that was some distance away, and for this reason it was called mousebane by some. The name wolfsbane comes from the belief that it could turn people into werewolves or perhaps cure them of being wolf men. Its poison was also used to tip arrows to kill wolves.

  John Gerard, the English herbalist writing in the 16^th century wrote that it was “so forcible that the herb only thrown before the scorpion or any other venomous beast, causeth it to be without force or the strength to hurt” until the plant was removed.

  In 1603, Ben Jonson the English playwright has this to say about aconite in his play “Sejanus, his fall”

“I have heard that Aconite

Being timely taken hath a healing might

Against the scorpion’s stroke.”

Shakespeare in his play Henry IV part 2 Act 4 scene 4 mentions it in this way:-

“A hoop of gold to bind thy brothers in,

That the united vessel of their blood,

Mingled with venom of suggestion-

As perforce, the age will pour it in-

Shall never leak, though it do work as strong

As aconitum or rash gunpowder.”

  Much late in his poem Flowers, Thomas Hood (1799-1845) an English poet, mentions it in this way: -

 “The wolfsbane I should dread;

   Nor will I dreary rosemarye,

   That always mourns the dead;

   But I will woo the dainty rose,

   With her cheeks of tender red.”

It is best not to touch this plant especially if you have broken skin, and don’t be tempted to make your own poison with it –it has been too well documented in literature as a poison (Brother Cadfael books, Harry Potter and others).

FRAGRANT PREMNA TREE, WITH LOTS OF POTENTIAL BENEFITS: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF THE FRAGRANT PREMNA TREE

 FRAGRANT PREMNA, ALAGAW, PREMNA ODORATA 

The Fragrant Premna is a small tree or shrub which can flower at 3 or 4 metres high, but which can grow to heights of 8 metres. It is a member of the mint or Lamiaceae family, or the Verbenaceae family. This being so it is related to marjoram, basil, Holy basil, oregano, savory, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, bugle, motherwort, self-heal, wall germander, cat nip, the Chaste tree, ground ivy, Jupiter’s sage and hyssop and a whole host of other plants. As one of the verbenas it is allied with vervain (Verbena officinalis) and lemon verbena.

  This tree or shrub is native to the Philippines, where it is used for a number of ailments in folk medicine. It has aromatic leaves which are fragrant when crushed, thus giving rise to the Latin name odorata, meaning fragrant. Its flowers, which are a green-white, grow in clusters as do those of the elder tree and its dark purple berries are also reminiscent of those of the elder.

  A decoction of the leaves mixed with sugar or honey and lemon juice is drunk for coughs, while a decoction of the fresh leaves is used for vaginal irritation. The fresh leaves, applied over the bladder area promote urination it is believed. An infusion of these is given for flatulence, and when children have tympanites (a swollen abdomen due to gas or air in the abdomen or the peritoneal cavities) the leaves are mixed with coconut or sesame oil and this lotion is applied to the swollen area. A decoction of the leaves and flowers is given to remedy fever, stomach pains and dysentery, while a decoction of the roots, leaves, flowers and fruit is given for chest complaints such as coughs and bronchitis.

  When the leaves are boiled in water, the liquid is used to bathe babies, and the boiled leaves are also applied externally for beriberi which is a deficiency of thiamin (vitamin B1). A decoction of the young shoots kills parasites too, and it is believed that if you chew the root and then swallow the resulting saliva, this is good for heart problems.

  Clinical trials have shown that extracts from the plant have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties (Lunesa C.Pinzon et al. “Isolation and characterization of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive flavones of Premna odorata Blanco” Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, Vol.5 (13) pp2729-2735, 4^th July 2011). It has potential in cancer treatment too but the study concludes with the sentiment that more research is needed to ascertain how the tree and its extracts can be used for the benefit of patients.

WALL OR COMMON GERMANDER, NO LONGER RECOMMENDED FOR INTERNAL USE: HISTORY OF USES OF WALL GERMANDER

WALL OR COMMON GERMANDER, TEUCRIUM CHAMAEDRYS 

Wall Germander is native to Europe and the Mediterranean region. It grows to about a foot high and wide, and is an evergreen shrub, naturalized in Britain because it was widely cultivated for medicinal purposes. It is a member of the mint family, (Labiatae or Lamiaceae family) and as such is related to marjoram, basil, Holy basil, oregano, savory, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, bugle, motherwort, self-heal, cat nip, the chaste tree, ground ivy, Jupiter’s sage and hyssop, among many other plants.

  It was used in Elizabethan and Jacobean knot gardens and planted as an ornamental. Bees love this plant and will ignore others and go to it in a herb garden. It usually has pink through to pale purple flowers, although these can be white, but this is rare.

  It has been found to cause hepatitis and jaundice so its use is not recommended. However in the past it was used as a diuretic for gout and as a diaphoretic (promoter of sweat in fevers); it was also used in tonic wines and as a stimulant, with the leaves generally being used, although the whole herb can be collected in July when the flowers are still blooming, and dried for later use.

  Germander is believed to be a corruption of chamaedrys, which means ground oak- so named because the leaves look like those of an oak tree. (Chamai means ground and drys oak in Greek.) The genus name, Teucrium is thought to refer to King Teucer of Troy, who was famed as an archer. One of the uses of the leaves is in an infusion to heal wounds as these have astringent qualities. This infusion can also be used as a mouth wash for bleeding gums, and was once used as an antidote to snake bites.

  The leaves have been used to flavour vermouths, and bitters, as well as liqueurs, and it has also been used in much the same ways medicinally as the bitter herb, horehound.

  It is said that King Charles V the Holy Roman Emperor was cured of gout after taking a treatment involving germander for 60 days. Today the plant is mixed with wild celery (Apium graveolens) and meadowsweet and Guaiacum officinale to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

  In one trial it exhibited analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-inflammatory properties (“Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Teucrium chamaedrys Leaves Aqueous Extract in Male Rats” Ali Pourmatabbed et al. Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences Vol.13 (3) pp119-125, summer 2010.)

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

  “Government and virtues. It is a most prevalent herb of Mercury, and strengthens the brain and apprehension exceedingly when weak, and relieves them when drooping. This taken with honey (saith Dioscorides) is a remedy for coughs, hardness of the spleen and difficulty of urine, and helps those that are fallen into a dropsy, especially at the beginning of the disease, a decoction being made thereof when it is green, and drank. It also brings down women's courses, and expels the dead child. It is most effectual against the poison of all serpents, being drank in wine, and the bruised herb outwardly applied; used with honey, it cleanses old and foul ulcers; and made into an oil, and the eyes anointed therewith, takes away the dimness and moistness. It is likewise good for the pains in the sides and cramps. The decoction thereof taken for four days together, drives away and cures both tertain and quartan agues. It is also good against all diseases of the brain, as continual head-ache, falling-sickness, melancholy, drowsiness and dullness of the spirits, convulsions and palsies. A dram of the seed taken in powder purges by urine, and is good against the yellow jaundice. The juice of the leaves dropped into the ears kills the worms in them. The tops thereof, when they are in flowers, steeped twenty-four hours in a drought of white wine, and drank, kills the worms in the belly.”