YELLOW IRIS - RARE NOW IN UK BUT INVASIVE IN USA: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF THE YELLOW IRIS

YELLOW IRIS, YELLOW FLAG, IRIS PESUDOACORUS 

The Yellow water iris or flag as it is known is no longer a resident of the reens ( a water channel flowing in this case to the sea; rhewyn or rhewin in Welsh) I used to visit when I was a child, but they can still be found growing wild in some parts of Britain. They are native to western Europe, north-west Africa and western Asia and live on river banks, close to ponds, lakes, in ditches and other wet places.

  The flowers don’t actually have a scent, although the roots when dried do, causing John Parkinson (1567-1650) to write that they were good powdered and used to wash “hand-gloves” and other items of clothing as well as the powder being good in clothes and cloth that was stored, to make them smell sweet.

  The roots are fairly acrid to taste but on drying lose this property and become astringent, so they were used dried for diarrhoea among other things.

  The flowers are symbols of the old French kings and appeared on their shields as fleur de Luce (light) or Lys and as such they are also symbols of the Prince of Wales.

  The name Pseudacorus was given to this plant because the sword-like leaves are similar to those of the sweet flag, Acorus calamus, although they are not related and when the flowers bloom, they actually don’t look at all alike. As members of the Iridaceae family of plants they are actually related to the crocus from which we get saffron, Crocus sativa.

  In Chaucer’s time they were known as “Gladyne” probably because they made the eyes happy when they saw them, with their bright yellow colour which is similar to that of daffodils. In some British dialects they are called “segg(s)” which was the Anglo-Saxon name for a small sword, because of the shape of their leaves. For the same reason in other parts of the British Isles they are called Jacob’s sword.

  John Gerard, the 16^th century English herbalist recommended their use as a cosmetic thus:-

“The root, boiled soft, with a few drops of rosewater upon it, laid plaisterwise upon the face of man or woman, doth in two daies at the most take away the blacknesse and blewnesse of any stroke or bruise…”

However he goes on to add a note of caution to anyone who uses them, writing that if the skin is sensitive:-

“…it shall be needful that ye lay a piece of silke, sindall or a piece of fine lawne betweene the plaister and the skinne for otherwise in such tender bodies it often causeth heat and inflammation.”

 He also recommends it for the following medicinal purpose:-

“an oil made of the roots and flowers of the Iris, made in the same way as oil of roses and lilies. It is used to rub in the sinews and joints to strengthen them, and is good for cramp.”

  Nicholas Culpeper writing his “Complete Herball” a century later has this to say of the medicinal uses of this beautiful flower:-

“Government and virtues. It is under the dominion of the Moon. The root of this Water-flag is very astringent, cooling, and drying; and thereby helps all lasks and fluxes, whether of blood or humours, as bleeding at the mouth, nose, or other parts, bloody flux, and the immoderate flux of women's courses. The distilled water of the whole herb, flowers and roots, is a sovereign good remedy for watering eyes, both to be dropped into them, and to have cloths or sponges wetted therein, and applied to the forehead. It also helps the spots and blemishes that happen in and about the eyes, or in any other parts. The said water fomented on swellings and hot inflammations of women's breasts, upon cancers also, and those spreading ulcers called Noli me tangere, do much good. It helps also foul ulcers in the privities of man or woman; but an ointment made of the flowers is better for those external applications.” (N.B “noli me tangere” in Latin means “don’t touch me”)

  Unfortunately, while the yellow iris is becoming rare in the UK, its native habitat, it is classed as an invasive species in many states in the USA where it was introduced. It is another example of a plant that damages an eco-system in which it is not native.

SOURSOP - VICTIM OF ITS ENGLISH NAME? HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF SOURSOP

SOURSOP, GUANABANA, GRAVIOLA, ANNONA MURICATA

The soursop fruit has perhaps been a victim of its name in English, as it was mooted by Nestle the food giant way back in 1964 that it could be one of the South American fruits along with the passion fruit and guava to make it big in the European market. The other two have since become accepted in Europe, but the soursop needed the boost that one study seemingly gave it when it was reported that fruit or leaf extracts could kill cancer cells in the lab. This study has not been supported by other research.

  Apparently Europeans can’t get their tongues around the Spanish word for the fruit, guanábana, but the Portuguese word is easier to pronounce, graviola, so perhaps it will lose its sour name in favour of this one. It is said to taste a little like its relative, the custard-apple (Annona squamosa reticula) or shareefa in Urdu, and rather like a cross between a strawberry and a pineapple with a banana-like texture, or possibly like coconut flesh.

  Unlike the other fruit in its genus the soursop (the largest of it genus) can be preserved and used for ice-creams, sorbets and juice. Soursop is a popular drink in the countries where it grows, although a study in the West Indies has linked excessive consumption of this fruit to “atypical” Parkinson’s disease. Once again it is a case for consuming food in moderation. The annonacin present in the fruit seems to have adverse effects on cognitive faculties.

  Soursop can grow large like the jackfruit and durian. Unlike the custard apple it is spiny giving rise to the Malay name for the fruit “mullaatha” meaning just that, thorny custard apple. Hindu legend has it that Lord Ram and Hanuman (the monkey god) consumed soursops on their way to Sri Lanka.

  In traditional medicine systems all pats of the tree and fruit are used, although you should discard the seeds if you eat the raw fruit as they are indigestible. A tisane made from the leaves, bark and roots of the tree is given to relieve stress and anxiety as well as to lift depression, balance blood sugar levels and to lower high blood pressure. The juice from the fruit is said to get rid of internal parasites and increase the milk flow in lactating mothers. The tisane and the fruit are not recommended for use during pregnancy however as they stimulate the uterus.

  A decoction of the seeds is used to get rid of head lice, and the pulverized unripe fruit has astringent properties so is useful in a decoction to treat diarrhoea and dysentery. The roots are also used to get rid of intestinal worms, and the root bark is said to be an antidote to poisoning. The flowers are used in an infusion or decoction for catarrhal problems. The mashed leaves can be made into a poultice to alleviate eczema and other skin problems, and to relive the pains of rheumatism. The sap from the young leaves is used on skin eruptions such as acne and pimples. The chewed leaves mixed with saliva are put on incisions made during surgery in the belief that this will prevent the formation of scar tissue. A decoction of the leaves can be used as a foot bath for swollen feet as well as applied to painful rheumatic joints.

  The ripe fruit has diuretic qualities and it is thought in some countries that if eaten during fasting it will help relieve leprosy and liver problems such as hepatitis. In the West Indies the leaves are said to have soporific qualities (like lettuce in the “Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies” by Beatrix Potter) and sedative properties. The tisane of the leaves, drunk before going to bed is believed to cure insomnia. In other parts of the world a leaf or the soursop tree place in a pillow case is also said to cure insomnia.

  A decoction of the young leaves is used for gall bladder problems and coughs and catarrh. The seed oil as well as the decoction mentioned above is also said to get rid of head lice. The flesh of an unripe acidic soursop (they come in three categories, sweet, semi- acidic and acidic) when pulverized can be made into a poultice which has to be left on unchanged for three days to heal wounds and ulcers.

  It is also said that if the leaves are steeped in water with a little fresh lime juice and a drunk person washes his or her head in it and drinks a little of that water, they will become sober very quickly.

  There have been few studies done on soursop but it appears that the extracts have antiviral effects against the Herpes virus, really do have an adverse effect on intestinal worms and parasites, are anti-rheumatic, astringent and emetic. Whether or not they kill cancerous cells has yet to be tested on humans; and eaten in excess the fruit may damage the cognitive functions of the brain.

LIMES - HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF LIMES: RECIPE - NO-COOKING NECESSARY- CEVICHE

LIMES, CITRUS ACIDA  

The lime fruit comes from Citrus acida not the lime or linden tree which we use as a tisane, lime flower tea. It is a member of the Rutaceae family and so is related to all the other citrus fruits, the lemon, grapefruit, Seville orange, sweet orange, bergamot orange, pommelo, kinnow mandarin and so on.

   It is a small tree growing to about 8 feet tall with spines, so you have to be careful when picking limes. It is native to Asia but is cultivated in the West Indies and Italy, although in Italy the lime produced comes from Citrus limetta. The tree has small white flowers as do some other Citrus trees and the fruit skin is a green-yellow, resembling a small lemon or the Pakistani kagzi nimboo. It is from the skin that the valuable oil is produced, and that of the Italian lime resembles oil of bergamot, although it does not have the same properties as this or the oil from the bee balm, of the Monarda species.

  Lime juice is used in South America along with that of the lemon to marinade fish so that it is ‘cooked’ with he juices rather than through heating. Because of its vitamin C content it was formerly used as an anti-scurvy fruit and sailors took it with them on long voyages. Now it is used in cookery and in the Indian subcontinent and West Indies, as well as other countries, for medicinal purposes.

  In the Indian subcontinent lime oil is used for skin problems, including for removing dandruff from the scalp, and it is believed to be the most beneficial of fruits with sour juices. The juice or fruit is used to promote appetite and to aid digestion as well as to ease constipation, help the liver to function and to stop vomiting. (That, I know works.) It is also thought to be a blood purifier, so is good for skin eruptions, and for the heart.

  If you are bitten by a mosquito and have a lime to hand, the juice will stop the irritation, although you shouldn’t use too much lime juice (everything in moderation) as it can induce photosensitivity. The juice mixed with gur (rock candy or jaggery) is said to be good if you have an enlarged spleen.

  In Ayurvedic medicine the fruit is used to boost mental faculties, so used to help prevent the loss of memory as people age, and to strengthen the body tissues. It is also given as a tonic for the heart as well as for skin problems and gout.

  In other medicine systems it is used for cancerous tumours, skin problems, such as to smooth the skin after the scabs of chicken pox and so on have fallen off, and to alleviate itching, as well as for sore throats as a gargle with or without honey.

  It is an antidote to castor oil and croton oil poisoning (for example too much jamalgota, Croton tiglium) and has antioxidant and anti microbial properties as does the lemon.

  As for the history of the lime in Western literature, Sir Thomas Herbert mentions it in his book “Travels” as he found it growing close to Mozambique in the mid-1600s along with “oranges and lemons” and William Bartram in his travel book published in 1773 states that Henry Laurens of Charleston, South Carolina, introduced “olives, limes, ginger, ever-bearing strawberry, red raspberry and blue grapes” into the American colonies after 1755.

  You can use the lime instead of lemon juice in most recipes but it does impart a different flavour to dishes. Of course it’s good in cocktails too especially mojitas.

SOUTH AMERICAN CEVICHE

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. (½ kilo) white fish fillets, cut into one or two inch pieces

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

juice of 3 fresh limes

juice of 3 fresh lemons

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ tsp cayenne pepper (or according to taste)

1 or 2 hot green or red chilli peppers, thinly sliced

2 tbsps. fresh parsley, shredded finely

2 tbsps. fresh coriander, shredded finely

Method

Put the pieces of fish into a shallow dish in one layer.

Place the onion on top of the fish pieces.

Add all the other ingredients except the juices, scattered evenly over the fish.

Pour the juices over the fish and put the dish in the fridge for at least 4 hours. (You can marinate it overnight if you like.)

Serve on a bed of lettuce with sweet potatoes and corn on the cob to accompany it.

This has Taste and is a Treat.

PELLITORY-OF-THE-WALL - UPRIGHT PELLITORY: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF PELLITORY-OF-THE-WALL

PELLITORY-OF-THE-WALL, PARIETARIA OFFICINALIS LINN. 

This herb, pellitory-of-the-wall is a member of the Urticaceae family of plants and so is related to nettles and hops but not pellitory. It is the only member of its genus (Parietaria) that is native to the British Isles, and is native to Western Europe through to western Asia and the Caucasus. In Britain it is also known as lichwort, and is called upright pellitory in North America.

  It has been used for more than 2,000 years in traditional medicine throughout its native range, but most research done on this plant is because it is an allergen. You should avoid using it if you have hay fever.

  It gets its name Parietaria because the Latin word paries means wall and this is where the plant is frequently found. It will also grow in stony places and on wasteland. It can grow up to two feet high and its flowers bloom all summer. If you touch the stamens which bear pollen they will spring into action and release their pollen even if the flower has not yet fully bloomed.

  John Gerard, the 16^th century English herbalist and Nicholas Culpeper writing a century later, concur that a decoction of the plant could get rid of a stubborn cough, and if mixed with a little honey would soothe a sore throat if used as a gargle. Culpeper thought it was good for back pains, or pains in the sides or bowels caused by flatulence or urinary retention and stones and gravel in the organs. He said that it was a wonderful diuretic and believed it was good for gout and any problems aggravated by the retention of urine. He wrote that a decoction of the herb when drunk “eases the pains of the mother and brings down women’s courses: It also eases those griefs that arise from obstructions of the liver, spleen and reins (kidneys)…The juice held a while in the mouth, eases the pains in the teeth…”

  He goes on to say that the distilled water of the herb with sugar has the same effect on teeth, but also says that the distilled water “cleanseth the skin from spots, freckles, pimples, wheals, sunburn, morphew &c....” He goes on to explain that the “juice dropped into the ears easeth the noise in them and taketh away the pricking and shooting pains therein.”

  He wrote that a liniment made with the herb and “ceruss and oil of roses” was good for cleaning “foul, rotten ulcers” as well as for “running sore and scabs” on children’s heads and also commented that it would stop their hair falling out. The ointment was also recommended for piles and “mixed with goat’s tallow, helps the gout.” He also suggested using the whole herb and a little salt to clean and heal sores and wounds.

  Culpeper clearly though that this was a beneficial herb as he also mentions that the leaves could be made into a poultice with mallows (common and marsh mallow), with the herbs boiled in wine along with wheat bran and bean flour, and a little oil then applied warm “to bruised sinews, tendon or muscles” and they would be strong again in a short time and the bruising would be gone.

  The leaves and young shoots are edible and can be added to a mixed salad while the leaves have cooling properties (remember Culpeper and Gerard both recommended it for sunburn) and can relieve the pain of minor burns and scalds. The herb can be picked when in full bloom and used either fresh or dried. Apart from its medicinal properties, it can also be used, fresh, to clean windows and mirrors and copper pots and containers.

  The plant is rich in the mineral potassium and along with the flavonoids it contains which include quercetin and kaempferol, may explain its potent diuretic action.