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3 Quick Herbal Remedies
In recent years the issue of Alternative Healing has skyrocketed to the forefront of the medical field. A 2004 government survey concluded that more than one third of adults use alternative medicine and healing. One facet of this burgeoning...
A Guide to Herbal Sleep Aids
Difficulty sleeping can affect many aspects of life. People who don't get the recommended amount of sleep for their age groups can have a myriad of negative affects.
Daytime crankiness, difficulty concentrating, frequent illness,...
Homeostasis and complementary therapies
The word 'homeostasis' is made up of two Greek words: homeo; meaning the same or similar, and stasis; meaning stable, or standing in the same place. The body's systems participate in maintaining homeostasis, keeping the body's internal environment...
Lynda's triumph Over Epilepsy
Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your web site. If you use this article, please send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: mail to: janes-store@telus.net Thank you. This article may be reprinted in...
What is Herbal Medicine? Is it safe?
Herbal medicine is the use of plant and herb extracts for their therapeutic value. Most plants contain and produce chemical substances that aid in healing and other physical treatments. Herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare and...
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YARROW TEA (Achillea Millefolium)
Yarrow has an ancient history. The generic name comes from Achilles who saved the lives of his warriors by healing their wounds with yarrow leaves. Crushed and rolled in the hands the plant provides a temporary styptic to check blood flow. Millefolium means 'thousand leaves' which were reputed to help with binding a wound and helping a scab to form. One of this astringent herb's ancient names is 'Soldier's Woundwort', along with 'Carpenter's Weed', 'Staunchweed' and others that show its popularity and prolonged use over many centuries.
The herb tea has also been used in the past for stimulating appetite, helping stomach cramps, flatulence, gastritis, enteritis, gallbladder and liver problems and internal hemorrhage - particularly of the lungs. It's effect is described as 'diaphoretic', causing the dilation of surface capillaries and helping poor circulation. The promotion of sweating can be useful for fevers and colds. Yarrow mixed with Elderflower and Peppermint (sometimes Boneset) is an old remedy for colds.
The decoction has been used for all sort of external wounds and sores such as chapped skin or sore nipples. In China Yarrow is still considered to have sacred properties, readers of the I Ching will often use Yarrow stalks in their studies.
DANGERS: Prolonged use of this tea may render the skin
sensitive to exposure to light. It is this 'side effect' that shows that Yarrow tea has some mild psychotropic effect. A couple of cups of this tea and you may notice a shift in the colour and intensity of light around you. For artists or photographers this photosensitiser can sometimes provide a useful shift in perception. However, another name attributed to Yarrow is 'Devil's Plaything' - one suspects that this name was given to several herbs used by the witches or 'Wise Women' who were systematically exterminated in the middle-ages.
Yarrow leaves have also been used in tobacco or snuff mixtures and a decoction rubbed into the head is said to delay balding. To make Yarrow tea add two or three fresh or dried leaves per person to boiling water and leave to infuse for 5 minutes or so. Sweeten this with honey if you like. Some people like it with a slice of lemon to give this 'tisane' a clean edge.
About the Author
A FIRST WILD HERBAL by Simon Mitchell
Just through recognising nature you gain a whole larder of useful things. All for FREE !
This ebook collection gives you details of
the most common useful wild plants and herbs, spices and foodstuffs for
your ongoing health. Preview it at:
http://www.simonthescribe.co.uk/wildflower.html
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