Top Ten Medicinal Plants

[Rumi]

Has anyone got Culpepers guide? How do you rate it?

It is used by the professionals. BTW medical herbalists aren't hippies, though some might be. They are trained to very high medical standards and do the the same level of training as GPs and in some cases more. The difference between a herbalist and a GP is that the herbalist will trea the whole person not just the symptoms.

I will post a list of books later..

 

[Rumi]

I will break this down into books which are medicine heavy and books which are botany heavy and then ad a section on pocket field guides. I hope this helps..

Herbal Medicine Books (to name but a few of the more accessible ones)

Herbal Medicine Rudolf Fritz Weiss MD
ISBN0-906584-19-1

Bartrams Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine Thomas Bartram
ISBN 1-85487-586-8

Culpepers Medicine A Practice of Western Holistic Medicine
ISBN 1-85230-943-1

The Complete Floral Healer Annie McIntyre
ISBN 1-85675-067-1

The Holistic Herbal David Hoffman
ISBN 1-85230-193-7

The Complete New Herbal
Richard MAbey, Michael McIntyre, Pamela Michael, Gail Duff, John Stevens
ISBN0-14-012682-1

Plant books (Botanical)

The Complete New Herbal
Richard MAbey, Michael McIntyre, Pamela Michael, Gail Duff, John Stevens
ISBN0-14-012682-1
Lots of color photos as well as medical information

Flora Britanica Richard Mabey
ISBN 1-85619-377-2

Pocket Guides

Collins Nature Guides
Herbs and Healing Plants of Britain and Europe
ISBN 0-00-220055-4
A pocket field guide with photos, habitat, season, plant dimensions, uses, active constituents, uses other than medicine and geographical distribution.

Field Guide to Wild Flowers of Britain and Europe
ISBN 1-85223-784-8

Collins Nature Guides
Trees of Britain and Europe
ISBN 0-00-219993-9

It is really important to remember that herbs are powerful medicine, that you can poison yourself if you are not careful. If you are not medically trained you should not be trying to diagnose other peoples illnesses let alone your self. Self medication by untrained people should only be for minor ailments if minor ailments worsen or persist contact a Doctor.

First aiders should be remain aware of the fact that unless trained to do so they are not allowed to prescribe any medications even antiseptic creams. The same applies to herbs.

 

[locum76]

What does the BMA make of herbal medicine then?

I did some digging and the MBA refer to these sites, slightly off topic but useful none the less:

public assessment of herbal remedies

Rob

 

[BOD]

...

Garlic- Ear infections (put a clove in your ear and what ever is causing your ear grief will walk)...

I believe you as it is an antiseptic but .. crushed or whole?

 

[Rumi]

The BMA and NICE have pretty mixed feelings about herbalism.. bear in mind though that the big pharmaceutical companies and desperately patenting the DNA of large numbers of traditional herbal remedies all over the globe so they can claim ownership and monopolize their use in isolated form. Look at my blog about Chamomile and note the bit about using the whole plant. The big pharmaceutical companies like to isolate and synthesize active agents from plants and then give them odd names.. Example Prozac is the synthesized active ingredient in Perforate St. John Wort (a herb which should only be used under the guidance of a qualified herbalist). The side effects of the 2 are markedly different.

Remember that the BMA and NICE receive large amounts of money from the drug companies.

 

[Rumi]

Really good way to get garlic into the body is by crushing it and rubbing it on the soles of the feet. You can also rub garlic oil on the feet, use a pin to get it out of the capsules. We used the oil method on bothe the kids when they were babies.

 

[British Red]

Please do BR , objectiveness is what I'm after

Here we go then - some pictures of part of my dried herbary


Herbarium by British Red, on Flickr


Tinctures in process


Infusions by British Red, on Flickr


the finished product of some barley related work


Beer by British Red, on Flickr


Theres loads more on other shelves, but you get the idea.

I find that, after a while, useful ingredients "repeat" in their uses. Essential oils used in herbal remedies are used in soap. Citric acid used in brewing rocks up in sweet making. The hops nice members from here have given me are used in brewing, tinctures and pillows.

...and so on

For the record, I don't buy into all the tinfoil hat nonsense, and I do not believe that complementary products are a replacement for real medicine. Neither do I believe that herbalists are trained as well as doctors. There is however proper, peer reviewed science in willow bark, valerian and elderberry

 

[Man of Tanith]

Red
that first photo looks like an apothecary's(sp?) work place
most impressive did it take you a long while to learn the skills or did you pick them up as you went along?

 

[British Red]

I'm not particularly skilled Sam, I just like to know. I keep a lot of culinary herbs since I make vast amounts of home made curries, chutneys, sauces, mustards etc. This led to learning to grow and dry what I could. Paying money for peppermint tea in bags is nuts. I grow it in half barrels and its stupidly rampant. Made fresh in the season and some big bunches dried for winter. I keep a lot more fresh stuff for soap making and that led me to understanding insect repelling properties of some herbs. Brewing and making sloe gin teaches about tinctures. The interest in self sustaining life then led me to want to be able to produce basic stuff for aches and pains.

Thats about it for me - I don't see myself as a herbalist - just doing what every 1800s householder did

Red

 

[TeeDee]

Thats fantastic stuff BR , Looks very organized and apothercary-esque.
Suitably Impressed.

 

[Man of Tanith]

Fair do's Red the 1800s householder had a vast amount of knowledge that folks now don't have nor want unfortunately.
Its very inspirational to see a collection like that.
I have plans to grow my own bits and bobs but at the moment i suspect Lisa would veto a lot of my plans due to space issues. All in good time i hope.

 

[British Red]

Slide by if you are passing - I'll give you the guided tour (and Lisa too)

Hopefully some home made soap, a glass of raspberry beer, some home made bread, cheese (bought now - home made next year) and caramalised onion chutney will convince her!

 

[Man of Tanith]

caramalised onion chutney will convince her!

That woudl defiantely work Red she loves that. I'll keep it in mind mate.

 

[British Red]

I made a batch last week - its so sticky its like road tar

 

[Man of Tanith]

now you are just making me hungry
and jealous

 

[Rumi]

I have just posted this on another thread about Birch polypore as tinder - which it isn't very good for primary, but getting back to the point this should really be here..

Birch Polypore is an important medicinal plant, and for bushcrafters on extended periods in the wilderness it could be lifesaving.

The medicinal properties are many but in the main its uses for bushcrafters are its antibacterial, antibiotic, antimicrobial, anti parasitic and anti-inflammatory properties. One aspect which makes it particularly relevant to bushcrafters is its anti parasitic properties, it is particularly effective against intestinal parasites which spread through a mix of poor hygiene and the consumption of poorly cooked game or badly sterilized water. Another use which bushcrafters would also find invaluable is styptic effect which means that strips of the polypore fungi could be used as a wound dressing which has all the above effects as well as stopping bleeding.

It has also been found to have an effect in blocking the reproduction of HIV in the body, Betulinic Acid is a constituent of the fungi is effective against malignant melanomas and actively attacks these cells while ignoring healthy cells.

One of the most interesting and intriguing aspects of this fungus is that a number of small pieces were found threaded onto pieces of hide attached to the clothing of Ötzi, the ice man, it is also known that he suffered from intestinal parasites. I'm not conjecturing anything, but knowing how advanced the medical knowledge is of some hunter gatherers it is possible that our ancestors had a greater understanding of the plants around them than we can even begin to grasp.

 

[JonathanD]

Going on from Rumi's post. This is a post I put up a couple of years back re: teh use of birch polypores as a plaster..

A couple of nights ago a cut myself whilst whittling and watching badgers when I slipped and cut my thumb quite deeply. Usually if not always, I have my FAK on me, but in this case (isn't it always so), I only had one Compeed pad on me. The Compeed stuck the flap OK but bending the thumb would rip it open immediately, so I applied a Birch polypore plaster. I secured it for half an hour with nettle cordage I had on me. I usually hold the plaster closed for 20 minutes or so, as it dries and conforms to shape easily, giving it a semi rigid and firm plaster, in which most tasks can be carried out as normal. Plasters you buy never offer the perfect conformation, non-restriction, hardiness and comfort that these simple natural remedies offer. They fall off naturally within a couple of days and the wound is all healed. If only Elastoplast could mimic the properties of this natural item, it would surely be a winner.

The bottom two pictures show it 24 hours after. The top picture doesn't do the cut justice, the flap was from the top of the nail down to the base, and about 8mm wide at the base with initially alot of free flowing red stuff. The picture was taken after 20 minutes of pressure and Compeed application. The Birch polypore is a hard wearing little beast and feels like thin leather that hat been formed to the thumb. It feels great and unlike plasters, you don't notice it is there as much and lets you carry on pretty much as normal with less restriction and better holding all the way around. Modern alternatives do not come close.

 

[Miyagi]

JD, I'm stunned by the effectiveness of that.

I've never seen anyone actually use polypore in this way (although I've heard of it), excellent post there fellah.

Cheers,

Liam

 

[JonathanD]

It's a cracking method Liam. The plaster once cut off the main polypore body is like a piece of rubber and it stretches and conforms to the shape of the thumb, unlike a plaster which still wants to retain it's flat rectangular shape. Once the polypore dries, it creates a hard rubber breathable cast, which still retains flexibility and doesn't come off in use. It's one of the greatest bushcrafting tips I've learned and I've use it many times. Pity the polypore is only around in that useable condition for a few weeks of the year.

 

[Miyagi]

It's a cracking method Liam. The plaster once cut off the main polypore body is like a piece of rubber and it stretches and conforms to the shape of the thumb, unlike a plaster which still wants to retain it's flat rectangular shape. Once the polypore dries, it creates a hard rubber breathable cast, which still retains flexibility and doesn't come off in use. It's one of the greatest bushcrafting tips I've learned and I've use it many times. Pity the polypore is only around in that useable condition for a few weeks of the year.

I've collected a fair few bits as an extender etc, with varying (poorish results) but never had to use it for first aid.

When is it at it's most usable as a plaster?