In collaboration with Kim Gaffet of The Nature Conservancy, Taylor Gendron will be co leading a walk at the Turnip Farm focusing on wild medicinal and edible plants and bird habitats.
Plants we may cover
St. John's Wort Hypericum perforatum
Parts Used: Above ground parts, Leaves and Flowering tops
Collection: When the plant is in full flower, typically mid-July.
Habit: A European Native. A herbaceous perennial that grows freely in the wild to a height of 1-3ft. Can be found throughout the U.S. Grows in open woodlands, hedges, meadows and frequently along the roadside. Best to harvest wild plants as they are rarely happy in the garden. The small, ovate pale green leaves, show a pattern of perforations when held up to the sun, which are oil glands. Small bright, yellow flowers top the plant when in bloom, calyx and corolla are marked with black dots and lines.
Actions: antidepressant, antimicrobial, vulnerary, sedative, anti-inflammatory
Saint John’s Wort is typically in full flower around June 24th or Saint John the Baptists Birthday, hence the naming of the plant after the patron saint. This plant is a wonderful nerve tonic, particularly useful in cases of anxiety, depression and unrest. It also has valuable use as a diuretic when taken internally. The infused oil of Saint John's Wort relieves inflammation and promotes healing in cases of both muscle and nerve damage. Various xanthones and flavonoids in Saint John's wort act as monoamine inhibitors and work along with tannins and the reddish pigment hypericin, which turns both the tincture and oil a vibrant red and bleeds out from the plant when crushed.
Apply the infused oil liberally to sooth skin that is exposed to sun or to radiation to prevent burns. Wonderful to use on sunburned skin, skin in pain from viral infections like herpes, shingles and chickenpox and where damaged nerves and sore muscles are present. The infused oil can also be used as a sun protectant oil when used within one's home region.
The tincture of fresh St. John's Wort is a wonderful ally when dealing with depression, especially that which is brought on by seasonal changes in weather and light. The tincture is also used to counter sore muscles after over exertion and to counter the effects of jet lag when taken throughout the flight. As an antiviral it is particularly useful in treatment of herpes, varicella viruses, HIV and HPV.
Preparations:
Fresh Aerial Parts-alcohol tincture, vinegar tincture, infused oil
Elder Sambucus nigra
Parts used: Leaves, Flowers, Berries, Bark
Collection: Flowers at the peak of their bloom in early July. The berries as they ripen in mid-August to mid-September. Leaves and Bark anytime.
Habit: A deciduous woodland and hedgerow plant native to Northern Europe and North America. Can grow in either in an upright or more shrub like form. Fragrant umbrella like clusters of creamy white flowers in mid summer followed by clusters of small, almost black berries. Once you identify the flower clusters in bloom you will see these trees everywhere along the roadsides in early July.
Actions: Diaphoretic,febrifuge,anti-catarrhal,anti-viral, immune supportive, expectorant, astringent, anti-inflammatory
A Sacred and a magical tree in many cultures throughout the world the Elder has long held strong feminine associations and great reputation for healing. It is said that if you sleep under an elder tree on the night of the summer solstice that she will open communication with you to the faerie world. Find an Elder tree near you, they are abundant and come to know her intimately. Watch her through the seasons.
The flowers are sweetly aromatic, astringent and anti-inflammatory for the complexion. Elder flower water was present on the dressing table of all women in victorian times.
Well strained, the tea of Elder flowers also makes a cooling eyewash. As a bath herb they are useful in cases of irritability of the skin and nerves.
Elder flowers are high in Vitamin C and have a particular affinity for infections that want to reside in the throat and upper respiratory tract. As a tea, infusion or tincture they can be used can help to alleviate sore throats, bronchitis and pneumonia. The infusion also calms restless children and can help relieve muscle tension and conditions associated with tension throughout the body such as headaches, menstrual pains, colic and cramping.
At the first sign of flu, a hot infusion of Elderflower and Peppermint in equal parts can be taken as hot as bearable before bed to bring on sweating and promote sleep.
Elderberries are rich in vitamins A and C and the syrup can be taken as a daily strengthening tonic and excellent preventative medicine against colds, flu and asthma attacks.
Elderberries help to prevent the virus from invading the respiratory cells and have an age old reputation for being particularly effective against viral infections. Many cultures use Elderberry juice to treat tonsillitis .Elderberry tincture, wine and cordial are also useful when dealing with rheumatic pains such as sciatica.
A favorite way of mine to use Elderberry, especially for children, is in the form of Elderberry gummies*.
When Elder is used as a preventative tonic and a first course of action in acute infections reduction in the duration and severity of colds and flu is remarkable.
The leaves have an almost fetid odor when bruised and work as an effective insecticide when an infusion is applied to the skin.
Preparations:
Fresh Flowers- Infused vinegar, Elderflower "Champagne"*, alcohol tincture
Dried Flowers-Tea, infusion, bath herb
Berries-Fresh and Dried- Wine, alcohol tincture, syrup*, elixir
Mullein Verbascum thapsus
Parts Used: Leaves, Flowers
Collection: Leaves anytime, flowers on second year plants.
Habit: Native to Eurasia but naturalized throughout most of the U.S. Abundant in New England in sandy soil and disturbed areas. Especially common by the seashore. A biennial herb with a basal rosette of fuzzy leaves the first year and a tall central stalk the second year covered in small yellow flowers at the top.
Actions: expectorant, demulcent, vulnerary, anodyne, antispasmodic, mild sedative, emollient
Mullein leaves have long history of use for every kind of lung issue. Primarily used as a cough remedy, the leaves are an expectorant for upper respiratory congestion and bronchitis. They also exhibit some antispasmodic effects and are a wonderful overall tonic for the lungs as they work to tone the mucous membranes. Especially good for cold dry coughs which are not productive.
An infusion of the dried leaves turns a rich mahogany in color with a deep, nutty flavor. Strain well as the small hairy fibers can be irritating. My favorite way to serve Mullein infusion is warmed in a one to one ratio with raw milk and sweetened with local honey. This delicious drink is soothing for inflamed lungs and bronchial passages, helps to ease coughs and release mucus from the lungs. The warm milk and honey help to promote restful sleep when taken in the evening. Useful in cases of acute lung infection and cough but also in chronic conditions such as asthma and allergies.
The dried leaves are also smoked alone or in combination with other herbs, traditionally tobacco is added, to provide the same benefits to the lungs internally.
The flowers are a famous and effective remedy for middle ear infections. The freshly opened flowers are infused in olive oil in a sunny location. The strained oil has anodyne and antibacterial properties and works beautifully lightly warmed and placed by the dropful into aching ears.
Preparation:
Tincture of Fresh Leaves for Lung Congestion
Tincture of Fresh Flowers for Headaches
Dried Leaves for Infusions and Sacred Smoke Blends
Fresh Flowers infused in Olive oil for Earaches
Plantain Plantago magus
Parts Used: Entire Plant
Collection: Anytime, seeds when they mature in Fall.
Habit: A Eurasian native, Plantain can be found most everywhere throughout the U.S. It grows in lawns, open fields, abandoned places, the smallest cracks in pavement, sunny and shady places. Native peoples of the U.S called Plantain 'White Man's Footprint" in reference to how quickly and widely it spread following European colonization.
I have seen fully formed plants the size of a quarter in poor growing conditions and plants with leaves up to a foot in size in lush forest. The plant makes a basal rosette of leaves with fibrous ribs and puts up a single flower stalk.
Actions: Expectorant, demulcent, astringent,diuretic, antiseptic, vulnerary, alterative
It is said that the plants grow where their medicine is needed and Plantains habit of growing literally anywhere is certainly a testament to that. Plantain is a wonderful wound healing herb and very effective first aid plant. A spit poultice of the fresh plant calms the sting of insect bites and poison ivy and will help stop blood flow and relieve pain from minor scrapes and bruises.
Plantain poultices can be used to draw out a splinter or draw out pus and poisons through the skin. A salve made from olive oil infused with fresh Plantain leafs will work in the same manner but as the plants themselves are usually so readily available, it is often easy and convenient to use fresh plant material. Plantain helps to soothe mucus membranes throughout the body. Tannins in Plantain help it to reduce swelling and inflammation making it useful in cases of diarrhea and topically as a remedy for hemorrhoids. Helpful to reduce spasm in asthma and clear phlegm in the respiratory system. A favorite herb in cough syrups in France, especially for children.
The flower stalk blooms from May-October and the flowers turn into fiber rich seeds known as psyllium. The are a gentle bulking laxative and can easily be incorporated into many food preparations.
The young leaves can be added fresh to salads.
Preparations:
Fresh Leaf- Tincture, poultice, food
Dried Seed- nutritive food, bulking laxative
Mugwort Artemisia vulgaris
Habit : A tall herbaceous perennial of European and Asian ancestry. Prefers full sun locations, often on disturbed soil, waste areas, forest edges and roadsides. Could have been introduced as early as the 16th century to Canada by Jesuit missionaries.
The latin name, Artemisia is that of the Greek goddess of the hunt, fertility, and the forests and hills.
Actions: Anthelmintic: expels parasitic worms and other internal parasites without harming the host. Diaphoretic: induces perspiration. Diuretic: promotes urine production. Emmenagogue: stimulates blood flow in the pelvic area and uterus; some stimulate menstruation. Nervine: benefits the nervous system, in this case as both a stimulant and tonic nervine. Oneirogen: enhances dreaming. Stomachic: promotes the appetite or aids digestion.
Mugwort is used to stimulate gastric juice and bile secretion. It is also used as a liver tonic; to promote circulation; and as a nervine sedative. People with uteruses can take Mugwort for irregular periods or delayed periods and to slow excessive bleeding. Mugwort can also be used as a poultice against skin eruptions such as poison ivy.
Also used extensively in dream work, to produce lucid dreaming and dream recollection.
Multiflora Rose Rosa multiflora
Multiflora rose is a dense, thorny shrub, reaching up to 15 feet in height. It has the ability to climb trees and fences and is suited to a wide variety of growing conditions and soils.
Multiflora rose was introduced into the United States as ornamental rootstock from Japan in 1866. In the 1930s, the U.S. Soil Conservation Service promoted it for use in erosion control and livestock fencing, as well as a barrier planting along highways. It is now considered a noxious weed.
Medicinal Action and Uses Roses are antidepressant,
hormone balancing and tonic to the nervous, circulatory and
reproductive systems, Mineral rich, immune enhancing and bone strengthening.
Multiflora rose can be used in herbal medicines with similar results as other varieties and is readily available. The hips are incredibly rich in Vitamin C, carotene and essential fatty acids.
While roses nourish and encourage both sexuality and fertility they are also extreme allies
when dealing with deep loss, despair depression and anxiety.
Oriental bittersweet Celastrus orbiculatus
Native to East Asia this woody vine was introduced in the 1800’s as an ornamental. Used also as a plant in highway landscaping and to provide animal food and cover. Distinguishable from North American Bittersweet Celastrus scandens by the location of the berries along the stem, rather than clustered on the end.
Medicinal Action and Uses Antitumor-impedes tumor growth, antiinflammatory- reduces inflammation in the body , Antioxidant- prevents cell damage from free radicals, antibacterial-active against bacteria, and insecticidal- repels insects
Bittersweet is used Asian folk medicine used for treating rheumatoid arthritis and bacterial infections.
Oriental bittersweet bark is processed and used as a fine fiber in China . Enzymes in Oriental bittersweet leaves clot milk, much like nettles. These leaf extracts may provide an alternative to calf rennet enzymes used in making cheese.
Autumn Olive Elaegnus umbellata
Originally from Eastern Asia, introduced as a plant for cultivation in the 1800’s. A large deciduous, rapidly growing shrub that can reach 20 feet. Mature leaves have a dense covering of lustrous silvery scales on the lower surfaceThe abundant fruits look like small pink berries, also with silvery scales. Can be distinguished from Russian Olive when not in fruit by the stiff peg like thorns and silvery scales. The nitrogen fixing capabilities can disturb the nitrogen cycles of neighboring plants.
Medicinal Action and Uses The flowers are Astringent-tones or constricts body tissues, Cardiac-tonyifying to the heart and Stimulant-increases body or organ function.
The fruit is a very rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, C and E. Rich in minerals; phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron. The berries are also a fairly good source of essential fatty acids, which is fairly unusual for a fruit. Autumn Olives also have a lycopene content up 17 times higher than tomatoes.
The fruit and seeds are edible and can be used in jam, jellies and preserves as well as eaten raw. Or made into a vinegar and honey shrub. The seeds are said to be good for coughs, and the oil from the seeds is used to treat afflictions of the lungs.