Common Name: Yarrow Latin name: Achillea millefolium Family: Asteraceae Parts used: leaves, flowers Tissue or system affinity: skin, uterus, urinary tract, throat, mucous membranes Taste: bitter, astringent Energetics: cooling & drying Actions: anti-inflammatory, astringent, vulnerary, antiviral, diaphoretic, styptic, hemostatic, febrifuge, antibacterial, aromatic Uses: One of the best first aid herbs I know of. You can … Continue reading
Agrimony: uncurling fists since the beginning of time
Common Name: AgrimonyLatin name: Agrimonia eupatoria (pictured above); we also have two natives species, one I find often along trails…however, I haven’t worked with them medicinally yet as I cultivate A. eupatoria in my garden (the two wild species are A. parviflora and A. rostellata)Family: Rosaceae Parts used: leaves (collected before flowering), flowers (flower essence)Tissue … Continue reading
Black Walnut: the fungal fighter
Common Name: Black walnut Latin Name: Juglans nigra Family: Juglandaceae (Walnut family) Parts used: green hulls, nuts, leaves, bark Tissue or system affinity: skin, intestines Taste: bitter, astringent Energetics: cooling, drying Actions: vermifuge, astringent, anti-fungal, mild laxative Uses: all references here to use are associated with the green hulls => topically as tincture, salve or … Continue reading
Holy Basil: clear mind & heart
Common Name: Holy Basil (Tulsi) Latin Name: Ocimum sanctum Family: Lamiaceae (Mint family) Parts used: all above ground Tissue or system affinity: heart, brain, circulatory system Taste: sweet, slightly bitter, aromatic Energetics: cooling, drying Actions: adaptogen, antibacterial, antiviral, carminative, hypotensive Uses: internally as a tincture or tea; a very tasty and delightful Ayurvedic herb from … Continue reading
Sweet Gum Tree: the warm protector
Common Name: Sweet gum Latin Name: Liquidambar styraciflua Family: Hamamelidaceae (Witch hazel family) Parts used: green balls, leaves, bark, resin Tissue or system affinity: lungs, throat, joints, immune system Taste: aromatic, slightly bitter Energetics: warming, slightly drying Actions: anti-viral, expectorant, astringent, drawing Uses: topically, the resin can be used to draw out infection; topically, the … Continue reading
Insomnia or Natural Biorhythms?
This is a post for all of the folks that inquire about sleep and insomnia… I suspect, that a decent amount of you actually have nothing wrong with you. And, more importantly, the 8 hours of *uninterrupted* sleep a night thing is a myth! What I view as sleep problems are the following: can’t fall … Continue reading
Mimosa: If Happiness Was a Tree
I knew this was going to be my last article in the wonderful, local Mississippi magazine, Catfish Alley. I’ve moved to Tennessee, so we knew we had to part ways… However, I didn’t know that this was going to be Catfish Alley’s last issue. I’ve loved getting to know the publisher, Birney Imes and the … Continue reading
Poke: a Deep South Herb for Deep Work
The Spring 2017 issue of Catfish Alley is now available! And, as usual, I submitted an article on a local plant that I like to use as medicine. As you can already tell by now, the article was on poke or Phytolacca americana. A fun twist this quarter, is that my article on poke was … Continue reading
Rose Medicine: Cooling and Comforting
Here’s an article I just wrote for the Catfish Alley Magazine, my favorite local Mississippi magazine which covers soulful things here in the state. They, of course, tightened up and edited the article. Here is the unedited version (smile). ENJOY! “Where, you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.” ~ Frances Hodgson Burnett, … Continue reading
Goldenrod: A Plant That Makes us Whole
The Fall Catfish Alley magazine is hot off the press and with that, my recent article on goldenrod. And, perfect timing, because she will be blooming soon! In this post, I’ve shared the original article that I submitted to the magazine. Of course, they had to edit it a bit and tighten up the language … Continue reading
Lindsay Kolasa 