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Herb Uses -O, P, Q Herbs
infection. If taken to excess, however, its acid content
can exacerbate arthritis. In Chinese herbal medicine,
the unripe fruit, known as zhi shi, is thought to
“regulate the qi” helping to relieve flatulence and
abdominal bloating, and to open the bowels. The
distilled flower water is antispasmodic and sedative.
Nettles (Urtica dioica): Nettle leaves are a blood builder often used as a spring tonic and to treat anemia and poor circulation.
They contain both iron and vitamin C, which aids iron absorption. In the past, nettle was eaten or sipped to reduce uric acid and to
treat gout and arthritis. It encouraged mother’s milk, lowers blood sugar and decreases profuse menstruation. It acts as a light
laxative and diuretic (possibly due to its flavonoids and high potassium content). Both a tea and a poultice of cooked nettles are
used to treat eczema and other skin conditions (combines well with figwort and burdock). An astringent that stops bleeding, the
powder is snuffed to stop nosebleeds. Curled dock leaves provide a remedy for the nettle’s sting and the fresh juice of nettles
themselves relieves the sting as well. Nettle is used by asthmatics-mix the juice of the leaves or roots with honey, take to relieve
bronchial or asthmatic troubles. The seeds were once thought to allay consumption, the infusion being taken in wine glass doses.
They were also given in wine as a cure for ague, in powder form they were used for goiter, also important in reducing diets. It was
thought that a fever could be cured by pulling a nettle up by the roots, reciting the names of the sick man and his parents. Nettle
tea was once used for dropsy and as a diuretic. Tincture of nettle is made of 2 oz of the green herb to one pint of proof spirit;
Infusions are made by adding 1 oz of the herb to a pint of boiling water.
New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) The bark of the red roots was used as a sedative, stimulant, and antispasmodic and for
treating respiratory diseases, high blood pressure, and enlarged spleens. The plant has been used to treat gonorrhea, dysentery,
and eye disease in children. The root is reported to be a stimulant, a sedative, and a means of loosening phlegm. Much later, a
commercial preparation of the bark was used to prevent hemorrhaging after surgery. New Jersey tea root-bark has been
recommended for various chest problems, including chronic bronchitis, nervous asthma, whooping cough, and consumption. It has
also been used as a gargle for inflammations and irritations in the mouth and throat, particularly for swollen tonsils. American
Indians used a tea made from the whole plant for skin problems (including skin cancer and venereal sores). Ceanothus is one of the
few remedies which has a direct affinity for the malfunction of the spleen, and is of special help in all ailments where there is
despondency and melancholy. It is an indirect herbal agent for diabetes. Especially useful in nervousness when mentally
disturbed, bilious sick headache, acute indigestion and nausea due to inactivity of the liver. The astringent action of a strong tea
for hemorrhoids will decrease the tissue if used often. Red Root is a lymphatic remedy, stimulating lymph and interstitial-fluid
circulation. It prevents the buildup of congested fluids in lymphatic tissue as well as clearning out isolated fluid cysts that may
form in some soft tissues. It will help reabsorption of some ovarian cysts and testicular hydroceles when combined with Dong
Quai or Blue Cohosh and Helonias Roots. For breast cysts that enlarge and shrink with the estrous cycle and have been diagnosed
medically as such, combine the Red Root with Cotton Root, Inmortal, or 3-5 drop doses of Phytolacca tincture.
It is an excellent treatment for tonsil inflammations, sore throats, enlarged lymph nodes, and chronic adenoid enlargements.
Nigella, (Nigella sativa): Nigella is considered
carminative, a stimulant, and diuretic. A paste of the
seeds is applied for skin eruptions and is sure to
relieve scorpion stings. The seeds are antiseptic and
used to treat intestinal worms, especially in children.
The seeds are much used in India to increase breast
milk. The seeds are often scattered between folds of
clothes as an effective insect repellent. Alcoholic
extracts of the seeds are used as stabilizing agents for
some edible fats. In India, the seeds are also
considered as stimulant, diaphoretic and
emmenagogue. Some of the conditions nigella has
been used for include: eruption fever, puerperium
(Iraq); liver disease (Lebanon); cancer (Malaya); joints,
bronchial asthma, eczema, rheumatis (Middle East);
with butter for cough and colic (North Africa); excitant
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