A Few Herbal Extracts for Winter Health:
Astragalus is
called an immune tonic herb. The root is
the part used of this Asian plant that is seldom grown in Vermont. Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests using
it as a preventive rather than in the throes of illness. Popularity among alternative practitioners
has led some VT herbalists to grow it here.
Black Cherry a
native tree has a traditional and current use as a cough suppressant. The inner bark, a very thin green layer called
the cambium is the part used. Usually
herbalists get this when a branch breaks or a tree is limbed. This is one of my personal favorites for a
nagging cough that tickles, itches and keeps you from sleeping well. We think that a compound in the cambium numbs
the itchiness in ones throat temporarily allowing you to go longer without
coughing. This helps with sleep and
healing.
Boneset is a
common wild perennial plant. There are
many folk uses. The one that is still
well accepted among herbalists is as a comforting herb for someone experiencing
a fever. Herbal wisdom is that it makes
a fever come to completion faster. This
is not a medical claim but it has a long history of use.
Chaga is a hard
bodied mushroom that grows predominantly on birch trees. Herbalists have used
this as a medicinal for ages and it has been gaining more mainstream popularity
over the last 5-10 years. Generally we
call it an immune tonic with an affinity for the lungs. There has been recent research on compounds
in Chaga with good results. Some local individuals have reported positive
outcomes of serious health conditions after using Chaga as part of a health
improvement regimen.
Remember, these are just a few of the many herbs, in this
case just the beginning of my alphabetical list.
Please stop by the Giving Tree Botanicals
table if you are in Montpelier VT on a market day or contact me at:
heatherirvine@gmail.com.
