You are here: Home / 2011 / Archives for August 2011

Tormentil (Potentilla Tormentilla)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Tormentil forms a carpet wherever it is growing and has yellow flowers that look a bit like a buttercup but smaller. Its main active ingredient is tannin which has astringent properties.

Astringent herbs tone up any mucous membrane lining such as the gut and the respiratory system. They can therefore help heal damaged linings and stop bleeding.

Tormentil

That has given you a pretty good clue as to how I use it.

It is invaluable, in small amounts, as a tincture in mixes for irritable bowel conditions.

We can never use any herbs containing tannins in large amounts as all medicinal treatments are a juggling act between achieving optimum healing without affecting any other normal body functions. In this case, if tannins were consumed in large amounts then they would bind with the protein available in food ingested and make it unavailable for absorption in to the body. This is also true for people who drink a large amount of ordinary tea and coffee both of which are high in tannins.

We also saw Tormentil on the Pevensey castle walk.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The whole herb is used which is humming with volatile oil, giving it its gorgeous smell. It also contains tannins

Thyme is strongly antiseptic and antibacterial; it soothes coughs and helps the lungs to cough up mucous.

Not surprising then that it is used for coughs, colds, sore throats and as a mouthwash for gum infections.

Thyme

An excellent property of volatile oils is that once they hit the warmth of the stomach they start to, in effect, evaporate and fill up all the spaces in the respiratory system, disinfecting them on the way through.

The reason we add it to foods is because apart from tasting nice, it has good digestive aid actions.

Wild thyme growing on the downs is very small but you know when you are walking on it due to the heavenly smell.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The flower heads are used which contain, isoflavones, flavonoids, resins, coumarins, minerals and vitamins

Red Clover

Do you remember walking through the fields as a child surrounded by red clover? I do, but it is fairly rare to see extensive patches of red clover in fields now, due to intensive farming methods and weed killers. So I am always pleased to see it growing in large amounts anywhere.

As a result of the fairly recent approach to managing public land, such as the Downs, by rotating cattle on them to crop the pasture and let plants seed naturally, there is a lot of it growing on the South Downs.

Red clover is another herb which has alterative properties, meaning it helps the organs and systems in the body to balance themselves and function properly. It has anti inflammatory actions and is a wonderful Lymphatic system cleanser. It is also said to have anti neoplastic properties (anti cancer).

I used to go through buckets loads of red clover tincture when we lived in Slough in Berkshire, as the incidence of childhood Eczema in Slough is very high and along with Heartsease it is always an essential ingredient in  any mixture I make up to help clear Eczema.

Eastbourne, where we currently live, has an older population and I have not treated as much Eczema. I still use the tincture in all mixtures for conditions requiring any lymphatic cleansing or skin cleansing action.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum Perforatum)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It is the leaves and flowers of St. John’s wort that are used.

The active ingredients are hypericin, flavonoids and essential oils.

St John's Wort

St. John’s wort has a pretty small yellow flower and if you pick the leaf and hold it up to the light you will be able to see tiny perforations in the leaf, hence its Latin name perforatum.

It has anti viral properties and is an “alterative” which means it has the ability to restore to normal, the way an organ or system in the body works.

It also has a long tradition of being used as a nervous system supporting and repairing herb and has liver tonic properties.

At college we were told and all the literature says that St. John’s wort must not be used where the patient is showing symptoms of clinical depression.

In Germany it has long been used as an antidepressant and a liver cleansing herb.

When we were doing the shingle beach walk, my husband, (and cameraman) Mike said to me jokingly, “is there anything to treat shingles?” well Ha Ha yes there is, one of the things I do with the plant is pick the flowers and put them in a jar with oil (any oil will do) for about six weeks in full sun light.  This will produce the beautiful Hypericum oil which is about the only thing I know to relieve the pain of shingles when rubbed on externally to them, at the same time as working against the herpes zoster virus which causes shingles.

I use the tincture in my clinic to put in to mixes to support the nervous system and the immune system. If I think there is a need for a direct anti viral in a mixture, then St. John’s wort and elderflower tinctures are top of my list.

Word of warning…….St John’s wort has a photosensitising action both if used externally and internally so if you are taking it, cover up in bright sunlight.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/herbal health information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Eyebright (Euphrasia Officianalis)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The whole herb is gathered while in bloom which contains tannins and iridoid glycosides and a volatile oil.

Eyebright

By now you should be getting the idea that if an herb contains tannins it is astringent and therefore toning to the mucous membranes and if it contains a volatile oil it has anti bacterial actions

Pat yourself on the back you got it right!

Eyebright is just about the herb of choice for anything going on in the eyes and sinuses.

It tones the mucous membranes and will clear an infection in both the sinuses and the eyes. . It also has anti histamine actions.

So it is in all my mixtures for sinusitis, eye conditions, hay fever and colds, coughs and allergies.

Internally I use it as a tincture but the fresh herb can be picked, made into a weak tea and used as eyewash for tired and sore eyes.

To make a tea:-

Pick about a dessertspoonful of the herb

Wash it and put it in to a cup.

Fill the cup with boiling water.

Leave to stand for 5 minutes and then strain it through a clean muslin cloth into another clean cup.

This will be a bit strong for eyewash so transfer two tablespoons into another cup and add two tablespoons of boiled water.

Leave this to stand until it is cold.

That’s your eyewash which you can soak into a clean cloth and place over your eyes or use it in an eye bath to wash the eyes out.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Burdock (Arctium Lappa)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The root is used which contains tannin, mucilage and inulin as well as iron, sulphur and B Vitamins.

This is another one of those weeds that robs the earth of all the minerals and so is a nutritive, blood tonic as well as having digestive system and liver cleansing properties. As it is a bitter herb, it stimulates digestion preventing the build up of toxins in the gut which may then get absorbed and cause problems in other areas of the body.

Burdock

In clinic I use it as my number one digestion and liver supporting herb for all conditions requiring a cleansing action, such as arthritis, rheumatism, eczema, psoriasis and acne.

It is gentle, reliable and effective.

And yes it is that annoying plant with burrs as seed heads that stick to your clothes and the dog if you brush against them………we can’t all be perfect!

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tansy (Tanacetum Vulgare)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The parts used are the leaves and flowers which contain the active ingredients sesquiterpene lactones, volatile oil and flavonoids.

Tansy

I was in two minds whether to write about Tansy from a safety point of view as I do not advise self medication with it as it is such a strong herb. But as we had been looking at it on the shingle beach and it is so pretty and very interesting I thought I would.

It is used as an “Emmenagogue” meaning it is used in the absence of menstruation to bring on and help regulate periods and to expel worms from the gut.

If you ever see an herb has the ability to expel worms you will know that it is a very strong herb and must not be experimented with.

The same action which helps expel worms from the body may also cause abortion so it absolutely must not be taken in pregnancy.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Evening Primrose Oil, extracted from the seeds, contains Gamma linolenic acid, more commonly known to us as the essential fatty acid Omega 6. Essential fatty acids cannot be made in the body so must be acquired from a food source. They are necessary for the growth or repair of any body cells and for the production of hormones.

Evening Primrose

I am actually not an evening primrose oil fan as I think there are better sources of Omega 6 oils, but am amazed to read that it has a wide history of use from improving blood circulation in the arteries to arresting moderate arthritic conditions.

There is plenty written on the internet on the virtues of Evening primrose oil, so, as I do not use it medicinally, I am going to take the cowards way out and say have a look on Google if you want to know more.

The big thing Evening primrose has going for it, are the very showy yellow bell like flowers circling tall stems, stunning when you come across them in the wild and making excellent cultivated garden plants.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Agrimony (Agrimonia Eupatoria)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The leaves and flowers are used which contain coumarins and tannin

Due to the tannin content of Agrimony it is an astringent plant and tones up all mucous membranes to improve their strength.

Agrimony

Gypsies picked, dried and stored the leaves and used as it as a refreshing tea in the same way you drink PG tips, but without the milk added to it.

It aids food digestion as it has bitter properties so is a good herb for indigestion. It is also liver cleansing and just like ordinary tea has a diuretic action.

In clinic I use it in small amounts in many digestive mixtures to tone the gut lining. I believe many digestive problems including irritable bowel syndrome may be caused by a “leaky gut” where the lining of the gut is in poor condition ( think broken skin) and Agrimony can help tone the gut lining up, preventing only partially digested foods crossing the gut barrier in to the blood stream and then causing problems in other parts of the body.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Centaury (Centaurium Erythraea)

August 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

This is a cute little plant that is easily missed if it is not in flower. The flower is either pink or white and close together on a squarish branching stem. It seems to love the chalk downlands so grows quite profusely on the South Downs as well as on the shingle beach.

Centaury

The whole herb is used which has Bitter properties.

All herbs with Bitter properties are excellent digestive system aids as they stimulate digestive juices to help breakdown the food entering the gut. This is why so many Aperitifs have bitter properties!

I use it in small amounts, as a tincture, to improve digestive function and to tone the gut up.

Linda Bostock
Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Filed Under: Herbs and Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,
«Previous Page