Red Clover

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

Member of the legume family this plant contains the full chain of amino acids, making it a perfect protein easily absorbed by the human body. In addition to protein, red clover also contains calcium, vitamin B complex, thiamine, niacin, vitamin C, chromium, magnesium, nickel, potassium, and phosporus.

Besides being an abundant wild edible red clover possesses the ability to send its medicine into many areas of the body at once, providing deep and lasting change in chronically stubborn conditions. In addition to restoring smooth function of various organ systems, this herb helps the body assimilate nutrients and eliminate metabolic wastes. In general, it is helpful in working with infections, blood toxicity, and skin eruptions. Red clover's strengths are most directly experienced in the lungs, the nervous system, the lymphatic system, and the hormonal system.

In the female body, red clover & red raspberry work together to enhance fertility. The strengthening of the uterine muscle in enhanced by the red raspberry; red clover balances the acid and alkaline levels, making the vaginal atmosphere conductive for successful fertilization of the ovum by the sperm. Red clover strengthens the womb in preparation for childbearing years.

The plant's diuretic qualities are helpful in keeping fluids moving through the lymphatic channels. An expectorant and antispasmodic, red clover is specifically indicated as a tea and syrup for easing dry, hacking coughs. Its affinity for the lymphatic system makes the plant a suitable building herb for those dealing with lymph-related cancers or conditions which require a strengthening of the immune system, such as AIDS, cancer and a variety of autoimmune disease.

Red clover is also a blood "purifier", which means it helps keeps the liver in healthy condition so that the blood is well filtered. Infusions of red clover are soothing to the nervous system and can be beneficial in times of stress and traumatic experiences.

An infusion of the flowers is effective in relieving the pain of arthritis and is useful in providing relief of the intense pain related to rheumatoid arthritis. The calcium is easily absorbed and supports the body in releasing calcifications caused by synthetic calcium, which tend to create pain around the joint area.

Common Lousewort

Herb: Common Lousewort
Latin name: Pedicularis canadensis
Other Names: Betony, Canadian Lousewort, Lousewort, Wood Betony, American Lousewort
Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family)

Habitat:Perennial herb, native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to northern Mexico and east to Florida. Growing in moist open woods, thickets, along roadsides and clearings. Cultivation: Wood Betony is a member of the figwort family (Scrophulariaceae), difficult to cultivate, some reports say that it is a semi- parisic plant. It requires a moist well-drained soil and a partially shaded to sunny area. A low growing hairy plant 5 to 14 inches tall with up to five erect unbranched stems in a clump. A broad whorl of tubular, hooded flowers tops each stem, 10-20 flowers form a cluster. Flowers are about an inch long, may be pale yellow, yellow, red, or even a mixture of the two. Leaves are soft and hairy, alternate, mostly basal, and from 3 to 5 inches long. Leaf blades are fern-like and pinnately dissected, often tinted red. Upper leaves are about an inch long. Gather entire plant, as flowers bloom, dry for later herb use.


Medicinal Use:It is an astringent herb known for its abilities as a nervine, sedative, hypnotic and skeletal muscle anti-spasmodic. The active constituents in the plant are betaine, betulinic-acid, caffeic-acid, chlorogenic-acid, harpagide, rosmarinic-acid, and tannin. As an alternative medicine it is an emmenagogue , anodyne, anti-tumor, aphrodisiac, blood tonic, cardiac, poultice, stomachic. The roots are blood tonic, cardiac and stomachic. Infusion used to treat headaches, dizziness, urinary, bladder and kidney pain. Also used in the treatment of stomach aches, ulcers, diarrhea, anaemia and heart troubles. A poultice of the root is applied to swellings, sore muscles, varicous veins, and tumors. The finely grated roots can be added to food as an aphrodisiac. An infusion of the leaves has been used to procure an abortion. An infusion of the fresh or dried leaves has been used to treat a sore throat. As a tincture it is used for a muscle relaxant for the upper shoulders and neck. A mild calming sedative. A skeletal muscle relaxant formula of Pedicularis in combination with Skullcap and Black Cohosh will relieve muscle tension specific to the upper and lower back, but will not relieve any pain associated with tension. A wash or dip in a strong decoction is used to rid animals and people of lice and scabies.


Historical Lore:Native Americans ate the leaves collected early in the season in soup or as a green like spinach and put the chopped root into the food they gave to their pony to fatten it and make it vicious to all but it's owner. They considered the root a love charm. Sometimes young men would carry the root when they intended to make advances on a potential lover. It was secretly, perhaps maliciously, put in the food of an intended as a aphrodisiac. Another, less evil use was to bring estranged couples back together by placing it in a dish they were going to eat in common.

Purple Dead Nettle

Scientific name:
Lamium purpureum

Description:Purple Dead Nettle is a member of the mint family it has a square stem, no basal leaves and the lower leaves are dark green and have short petioles, all leaves are hairy, and are circular in outline with 'scalloped' margins, becoming more purple-red and smaller in the upper leaves. The flowers grow in whorls of 3-6 in the upper leaves. Purple-red in color the flowers are tubular blooming year round. Purple Dead Nettle is a favorite for bees and butterflies, who find abundance of honey in its blossoms. When poulitced it smells like freshly husked corn.

Habitat:
An annual herb believed to be a native of Europe, now found world-wide and growing in most any situation or soil, mainly in the temperate regions.

Medicinal/Edible:The leaves and flowers can be cooked or added raw to salads & smoothies. The plant is very nutritious, high in iron, vitamins and fiber. The whole plant is medicinal, used as an astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, and tonic.

The entire plant is astringent, and a decoction of the plant is useful for stopping & checking of any type of hemorrage. The fresh bruised leaves can be poulticed to any external cut or wound. The dried plant, made into a tea with honey, encourages perspiration & acts on the kidneys, being useful in cases of chill.

Common Milkweed

Common Milkweed, Asclepias syrica

Milkweed is a very common plant in eastern MA who uses are often overlooked.

The buds, flowers, pods, and young shoots of Milkweed are all edible. I have read about people cooking the young spring shoots and pods and eating them like vegetables. Tea, wine, and fritters can also be made with the purple flowers. If you get a chance just smell the flowers...they are wonderfully sweet!

This website is great resource for wild foods: http://www.wildfoods.info/wildfoods/milkweed.html

The milky white sap from this plant has been used topically to treat boils, warts, and ringworms. Milkweed is a detoxifying herb. It supports the removal of toxins and stagnation from the body through its action on the blood and lymphatic circulation, the kidneys, digestive tract, and, to a lesser extent, the liver.

Cautions:

The Peterson's Guide has multiple edible uses for Milkweed. The milky juice and the leaves are "bitter and mildly toxic," but boiling can rid the plant of both of those problems. The boiled young shoots, leaves, unopened flowerbuds, flowers, and young pods are said to be good as asparagus, cooked greens, cooked vegetables, and fritters.
The only way to eat Milkweed is as a young shoot (under 15 cm), but the young shoot could be confused with dogbanes and Butterfly-weed, which are both poisonous! TO DIFFERENTIATE: (a) Young Milkweed Shoots are fuzzy and the broken stems have a milky substance. (b) Dogbanes are hairless. (c) Butterfly-weed has no milky sap.

 

Cranberry

Name: Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), American Cranberry, Bogberry, and Bog Cranberry.

Family: Ericaceae

Parts Used: Berries

Uses: Cystitis and other urinary tract infections (helps neutralize acids and dissolve sediment), clearing kidney stones, the prevention of asthma attacks (dilating bronchial passages during an attack), reducing ammonia urinary odors in the elderly, acne prevention, cancer and heart disease prevention, cold and flu prevention (high antioxidant and vitamin C content)

Constituents: Arbutin, colorful anthocyanins and their colorless precursors the oligomeric proanthocyanidins, and natural sugars

High in phosphorus, potassium, and calcium; contains significant amounts of iron, magnesium, manganese, sodium and B-complex vitamins. Antibacterial compounds in cranberries inhibit urinary infecting bacteria from adhering to tract walls so that they are flushed from the system. It is a good source of bioflavonoids and vitamin C for tissue tone. Has anti-cancer, blood purifying and immuno-stimulant effects.

Preparations: For medicinal use, the powder is best. May be encapsulated or added to sugar-free teas. Most dried and powdered products on the market are freeze-dried and usually contain and anti-caking agent to prevent it from solidifying.

Harvest: Ranging from damp bogs to mountain forests. Many species are cultivated in natural or artificial bogs throughout the United States, but especially in Massachusetts and Washington. Other plants of the Vaccinium species include blueberry, bilberry and lingonberry.

Precautions: Adding sugar to cranberry powder cancels out the antibacterial effects of the herb.

By: Jacqueline Ryan








Cranberry
By Kami McBride

This tangy red fruit that makes it to the thanksgiving table is the perfect food for this time of year. Cranberries are loaded with vitamin C and help to ward off colds and flu. They help boost the immune system and can help keep the body strong during the cold months. They are of course a very bitter fruit, so find a way that you like to prepare them and eat them as part of your winter health program. Cranberries make a great chutney or relish that tastes good on more than just turkey! We mix cranberry chutney into rice and put it on sandwiches. Cranberries contain high amounts of antioxidants that help protect against heart disease and cancer. Cranberries are one of the fruits with the highest known anti- oxidant content. Anti-oxidant foods have been shown to protect the body against cardiovascular disease. More Americans die of heart disease than anything else. Think of your cranberries as food for the heart. Anybody that suffers from Urinary tract infections or cystitis knows that cranberries are their ally. Cranberries also reduce other infections by blocking different bacteria from sticking in other areas of the body as well. Bacteria in the urinary tract, stomach and mouth have been shown to be inhibited by the presence of cranberries. They are also a general tonic to the kidneys and urinary tract. Cranberry tea is also a good remedy for mild nausea. If for some odd reason you don’t eat your cranberries fresh or would like to save them for tea to drink through the winter, they store well frozen. Just put them in a zip lock freezer bag or a mason jar in the freezer. They last for about 8 months this way.

Cranberry Tea
1 cup water
1 cup crushed cranberries
Bring water and cranberries to a boil; turn off the heat and let sit for one half
hour. Add honey to sweeten and enjoy this health enhancing beverage. Add 1
cup of lemonade to make this into a holiday beverage or just enjoy the tea and its
antibacterial properties as a general tonic promoting winter wellness.

Herbal Cranberry Chutney
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 orange
Handful of chopped dates
1/2 cup agave nectar or sugar source of choice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 small finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped sage leaf
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped savory
If your thanksgiving cranberry dish still comes from a can….try this instead!!

Cranberry Jalapeno dip
4 cups fresh finely chopped cranberries
3/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup agave nectar or other sugar source of choice
1/4 cup minced green onions
3 tablespoons lime juice
2-3 tablespoons finely minced jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Mix everything together, let it sit for several hours before serving. Pour over a
block of cream cheese and serve with crackers
This is an unusual favorite that you will find at our table every year during the
holidays

Kami McBride has taught herbal medicine since 1988. Through her herb classes
and personal wellness consultations she provides people with the tools to create
a sustainable approach to their health care. Kami has helped thousands of
people learn to use herbs in their daily lives in ways that are healthy, safe and
fun and she teaches classes in herbal medicine and women’s health at her
school and herb gardens in Vacaville, California.