Anti bacterial.........there's a *huge* list. The thing is though, that they don't all grow native to the UK, and even when they are, they might well not grow where you are.
Learn your area and what grows in it is a very sound idea.
However, in mine, quickly obtainable, and easily used to wash hands, etc.,
Birch leaves,
Bog myrtle leaves,
Bouncing Bet (soapwort)
Comfrey (now not advised for oral use and not prolonged skin use either
)
Coltsfoot (again, not advised anymore........)
Chamomile
Chickweed
Chestnut leaves
Dockens / sorrel
Plantain,
Meadowsweet
Mallow
Yarrow.........(again not advised
)
Do you ever think that maybe we are becoming such a 'blame someone else' culture that we'll totally inhibit any interaction with the natural world for fear that we'll get a buggit or a rash ??
Plants I've used all my life are suddenly proscribed
I googled the ones I've written above and it's kind of scary it one believes all the contra indications.
I've never had a bad reaction yet to any plant except liquorice and kiwi fruit, yet modern handwashes bring me out in dermatitis so severe I have to remove my wedding rings and leave them off for over a week until the skin heals. How come they're *safe* ???
Sorry, rant over.
I suggest that you try for yourself. Try one plant at a time and see how you get on with it.
cheers,
Toddy..........who's eating her breakfast having been out in the garden and hasn't washed her hands first
Sorry Toddy, but I just had to comment on this one. Great list by the way. As a medical herbalist as well as having a science background I REALLY caution folks against googling information especially on the toxicity of plants and the big scare that goes along with it.
The 3 big ones you have laid out as being unadvisable I have to disagree as a scientist and as a herbalist. I have written many papers on these subjects and I could go on forever, but I think I'd get pretty boring with my rant .
I could add a ton of detail to why I disagree with the written works, but I will keep it as brief as I can in terms of the misunderstanding of these so called proofs offered from the bio medical model.
Comfrey: it has been banned here in Canada as well because of some studies done that indicated in a study on Rats in which 33% of the diet was comfrey over long term which resulted in liver cancer of some animals. To date only 4 "suspected" cases of human poisoning by comfrey have been reported (and all of them had current liver conditions). There are 2 insupportable assumptions about this
1. The naturally occuring complex in the plant is a physical dilution of alkaloids and
2. the human metabolism is identical with that of the rat which is susceptible to these alkaloids and not with the sheep that is resistant to them.
Neither 1 or 2 is true! If we test tea, almonds, apples, mustard etc etc with the same conditions which the comfrey was tested (ie 33% of a diet!!) we would find them all to contain dangerous substances that would kill us as well! But in small amounts and with the other chemicals along with them, make them not a bioavailable substance that humans would imbibe. So long winded answer, all other indicators of using comfrey (tons of studies done on humans btw) have shown it to be not only a safe herb, but a very important medicine.
Coltsfoot: The researchers failed to point out the hepatotoxicity of these plants is #1 insignificant in comparison to many of our current medications for other diseases with the premise that it is for the greater good of the patient to tolerate these minor toxins to save a life and #2 Coltsfoot like all plants will change their toxicity level during the varying stages of growth. Coltsfoot is best collected at the root or leaf before it flowers, second best is the root again or leaf, after the flower has dispersed. As for the alleged hepatotoxic reports (liver poisoning), there is a lot that has not been revealed in that paper either. The assumption was in the mother drinking the tea causing liver disease in an infant, however this has been recanted as the actual cause was investigated further. I will see if I can dig out my papers on this and give you more data. The only problem with taking coltsfoot is to avoid it if you have lung edema and avoid it if you are taking medications that interfere with liver enzyme action.
Yarrow: Considered one of the safer herbs to use and I have come across no REAL research to support it as being toxic or dangerous except those who have a severe allergy to the aster family.
My apologies, for my rant, but it is the one big issue I find myself fighting against in the Canadian health care system who think it is a crime to have comfrey, but the addition of MSG (aka hydrolized yeast and many other monikers... google that one) is perfectly ok, even though it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that it causes and exacerbates estrogen sensitive cancers and many many other dangerous conditions in humans. Go figure...
Again, sorry for my rant, but I really wanted to get the point across that you will not get accurate information by googling. I mean really, the studies done on comfrey and coltsfoot included a fruit fly!! Yup, we are exactly the same and our physiology responds the same way to.... not
sorry... I did go on there... but my people (Cree Indians) have been using these plants for over 10,000 years, and we are still around to talk about it.
Mahikan
one annoyed-at-the-health-system Native
