Arnica is a member of the Sunflower (Asteraceae) Plant Family. This beautiful plant is so popular, it's being over-harvested and is on the protected plant list in many places. What makes this herb so valuable?
The value of Arnica montana lies in its ability to help soothe and heal injuries and to help reduce inflammation and pain in chronic conditions like arthritis. A cream, oil, or salve made with infused Arnica can be used topically on injuries (i.e. bruises or sprains) to improve circulation to the affected area which helps the body heal the injury more quickly. An infusion in water can be used for soaking sore feet, or as a hair rinse to encourage hair growth. A cream or salve can be used to assuage dry skin, and skin conditions like eczema and acne. Arnica should be used topically only as it is toxic if ingested. (My sources all say 'do not ingest except in homeopathic remedies'. I would caution that such remedies should be used only in the care of highly trained herbal/medical professionals.) It should not be used by women who are pregnant. My herbal PDR also states that Arnica should not be used on mucous membranes or if the person is taking blood-thinners. You can learn more about this marvelous herb in my herbal datasheets.
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Comfrey is one of those plants I like to keep in stock at all times, but especially in the summer, because of its powerful healing properties. We'll briefly investigate these properties and the usage cautions for this phenomenal herb in today's blog.
First the cautions (and this part has some controversy): Comfrey has a constituent called Pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA). This alkaloid is known to be toxic to the liver when taken internally. In the leaves of Symphytum officinale, the PA content is 0.2% - 0.18%. In the roots, its 0.25% - 0.29%. For many hundreds of years, people traditionally used Comfrey both internally (in tea and salads) and externally (as salves and poultices). In more recent years, the discovery of the PA content has brought recommended cautions to avoid internal use and for women who are pregnant or nursing to avoid using it. At this time, I prefer to err on the side of caution and will focus on using Comfrey topically only, and avoid using it if pregnant or breastfeeding. The other caution I would give is to not use it on a puncture or infected wound until you are sure the infection is gone or the puncture is totally cleaned out. The leaves and/or root of the plant can be made into poultices or infused into teas or salves for topical use to help with burns, scrapes, scratches, minor cuts, bites, stings, bruising, skin irritations, broken bones, backaches, arthritis, varicose veins, hernias, and soft tissue injuries like sprains and strained ligaments. It does this by knitting tissue together through granulation. I have made several salves using Comfrey and can tell you that it heals wounds very quickly. When my grandson got a large scratch on his arm last year, I put a homemade salve containing Comfrey on it (after cleaning it.) Less than 24 hours later, the skin had completely sealed! (This is why it's best to not use it if there's an infection - you don't want to seal in the infection.) My favorite way to use Comfrey is to infuse dried Comfrey in a fixed oil like Castor or Jojoba (for improved absorption and shelf life). Once infused, I can then add the oil to a variety of products like salves, essential oil blends, and soaps. This is an herb well worth researching. Check out its datasheet in the membership portion of this website! A person with a hot, dry constitution might just love Mullein! This cooling, demulcent (moistening) herb is especially beneficial for the lungs. Let's explore its benefits.
I mentioned above Mullein's affinity for the lungs. Your lungs may feel irritated, dry, and tight when air quality is poor or when you have a cold with a dry cough that makes your chest sore. Mullein can help reduce the inflammation that's causing the soreness and relax and moisten the lungs. Paired with reducing the irritation, Mullein can be used to help you quit smoking. Other benefits of Mullein include: relieving an earache, helping reduce back and muscle pain, helping calm cold sores, reducing hemorrhoids, and making the bladder muscles stronger. To learn more about this delicious herb, check out its datasheet in the membership section. It's hard to imagine that a plant that can be so irritating to our skin would make a delicious and nutritious tea! Stinging Nettle has a slightly salty taste and is a cooling, drying, adaptogenic herb. The aerial part of the plant is most commonly used, but the roots and seeds also have benefits. Today's blog will focus on the therapeutic properties of Nettle leaves.
In Texas, I see a lot of folks dealing with seasonal allergies right now. Nettle Leaf contains histamine in the stingers of the fresh leaf. Combine that with it's anti-inflammatory and astringent properties, and you have a combination that may help reduce those allergy tendencies and symptoms. Nettle can also help with reducing swelling and pain from arthritis by lowering certain inflammatory markers. Interestingly, using fresh leaves to sting the arthritic joint(s) has been proven to work in this area. If you're loathe to deliberately sting yourself with the plant, you can consume it as a vegetable, tea, powdered capsule, or tincture. As a nutritive herb, Nettle contains significant levels of fiber, Vitamins A, B complex, C, D, and K, calcium, Flavonoids, Tannins, Magnesium, Histamine, Serotonin, Carotenoids, Quercetin, Potassium, Manganese, Iron, Phosphorus, and even 2% protein. These, and many more, nutrients may help provide energy, improve metabolism, and strengthen bones, teeth, nails, and hair. Nettle is also used to help with Type 2 Diabetes, to protect/restore health to the kidneys, the urinary tract, and adrenals It has diuretic properties that can help eliminate excess fluids. Nettle can be used as food, tea, tincture, or infusion in vinegar or vegetable oil. To prepare Nettle as a food, you need to blanch the leaves before cooking to stop the sting. You can then drink the tea made from blanching the herb. An oil infusion can be used topically to calm minor skin irritations. For more detailed information on Stinging Nettle, watch for the membership section of this site to open up. |
DisclaimerThe information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Archives
March 2021
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