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An Interesting Herb Fact
The Skin Healing Properties of the Pot Marigold Plant
The lovely golden flowers of the pot marigold plant are not just nice to look at-they also contain many healing properties. These golden flowers have long been a favorite of many traditional herbalists. One herbal diary dating back to the 12th century recommends that simply gazing upon the beautiful pot marigold flowers can help clear the head, improve one's eyesight, and encourage one's soul to feel cheerful again. It was once also highly prized as a treatment of smallpox and measles. These...
First Aid Remedies with the Yarrow Plant
The Yarrow plant, Latin name Achillea millefolium, is one of the most highly valued plants for treating the common cold and influenza. The plant's Latin name is derived from the famous Greek hero Achilles. It is believed that the plant was used during the Trojan wars, where it was used to treat war wounds. Yarrow also has a curious folk name: "nosebleed." This folk nickname is a testimony to its traditional use as a first aid herb. Yarrow has been used in the past as an emergency styptic to stop bleeding. These days, Yarrow is mostly used to treat colds and flu's, but it is also used to treat problems with the circulatory, digestive and urinary system. You can usually find Yarrow growing in meadows.
Most traditional herbalists describe Yarrow as alternately dry, sweet, cook, astringent and sometimes slightly bitter in taste. The constituents of the Yarrow plant included salicylic acid, volatile oils (including proazulenes), isovalerianic acid, flavonoids, sterols, tannins, bitters, asparagin, and coumarins. The action of the plant is described astringent, relaxing, a promoter of sweat, a blood vessel relaxant, febrifuge, and restorative for the menstrual system. The essential oil of Yarrow is described as anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and antiallergenic.
Several parts of the Yarrow plant are used to create herbal remedies. These include the plants aerial parts, its leaves, its essential oil, and its flowers. The leaves of the plant are believed to contain properties that encourage clotting. The leaves are also used fresh as an herbal remedy to combat nose bleeding. However, if Yarrow leaves are used to treat nosebleeds, they must not be inserted into the nostril directly as this can cause a nosebleed. The leaves of the Yarrow plant can be harvested throughout the growing season.
The essential oils of the Yarrow plant are also used to make herbal remedies. The oils are extracted from the Yarrow plant by steam distillation of the flowers. The essential oils of the plant are generally used as an anti-inflammatory or in chest rubs that can be applied when a person is suffering from a cold or influenza. Extracts from the Yarrow plant have also been used to make an effective mosquito repellent.
The flowers of the Yarrow plant can also be used to make herbal remedies. For instance, the flowers have been shown to be rich in chemicals that can be converted by steam into antiallergenic compounds. These chemicals can be used to treat various allergic problems, including mucus problems and hay fever. Traditional herbalists harvest the flower during the summer and fall.
There are many applications for the Yarrow plant. Its flowers can be used to infuse and drink as a hot tea that helps treat common ailments of the upper respiratory system, including excessive phlegm. The aerial parts of the Yarrow plant can also be used to reduce fevers when it is prepared in a hot tea. You can also use Yarrow in a chest rub to treat chest colds, influenza, or to relieve severe congestion. |
08/09/2010
What’s the Frequency, Kevin? Infomercial King Recycles ‘The Secret’
Infomercial king Kevin Trudeau returns to the airwaves selling a New Age idea recycled from the hit book "The Secret."
What’s the Frequency, Kevin? Infomercial King Recycles ‘The Secret’
08/13/2010
Innovative Ideas, Improvements from Local Minds in This Week's Scene
This week's cover is our second annual Innovations Issue , where we spotlight ideas that Middle Tennesseans are devising or implementing to improve their respective… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
Innovative Ideas, Improvements from Local Minds in This Week's Scene
08/28/2010
WITH VIDEO: 16 arraigned from medical marijuana raids
Sixteen people were arraigned Friday in connection with medical marijuana raids around Oakland County.
WITH VIDEO: 16 arraigned from medical marijuana raids
08/13/2010
Innovative Ideas, Improvements from Local Minds in This Week's Scene
This week's cover is our second annual Innovations Issue , where we spotlight ideas that Middle Tennesseans are devising or implementing to improve their respective… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
Innovative Ideas, Improvements from Local Minds in This Week's Scene
08/08/2010
Experts: Improved access to standard health care could erode use of folk medicine
McALLEN — People visit Margarita Calvo every day seeking cures for myriad maladies. Talismans, candles and statuettes clutter her modest south Alamo home. The smell of incense wafts through the air, and hand-painted, wooden boards outside advertise the woman’s "miraculous gift."
Experts: Improved access to standard health care could erode use of folk medicine
08/13/2010
Alternative Treatments for Insomnia Are Replacing Drugs
If you are among the 20-30 percent of the population who suffers from insomnia there is a host of natural remedies that can help you. Missing out on some shut eye can put your health at risk. Sleep deprivation can lead to anxiety, depression, concentration problems and a lack of energy. You may also be at increased risk for lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and ...
Alternative Treatments for Insomnia Are Replacing Drugs
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