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Herb Uses U-Z Herbs
Lactucarium, 5 to 20 grains. Of fluid extract leaves, ¼ to 1 drachm. Of syrup, U.S.P., 2 drachms. Tincture,
U.S.P., 30 drops.
Wild Lettuce helps to calm restlessness and reduce anxiety; it also helps to induce sleep for those
experiencing insomnia. It has a sedative effect on the respiratory system, beneficial for whooping cough and
nervous/dry/irritating coughs. It may also help to relieve birth pains, headaches, and muscle/joint pains. Calms
overactivity or overstimulation and excitability in children. It is also taken to treat coughs, often combined with
herbs such as licorice. Wild lettuce is thought to lower the libido and may also be used to relieve pain.
Combines well with Prunus in irritable coughs: with Humulus, Scutellaria, Cypripedium and Passiflora
in insomnia and with Dioscorea and Cimcifuga for rheumatic pains. The tea is cooling and diaphoretic. People
use the infusion for gastric spasms, fevers, and insomnia, and apply the sap to rashes, warts and acne.
Lactucarium is not easily powdered, and is only slightly soluble in boiling water, though it softens and becomes
plastic.
Wild Onion (Allium cernuum) The whole plant has mild medicinal activity similar to the action of
garlic. The bulbs have been used as a stimulant, to increase perspiration and urine flow, to expel
intestinal worms, and as a cough remedy. It is used specifically as a poultice on the chest for the
treatment of respiratory ailments and the juice has been used in the treatment of kidney stones. The
juice of the plant is used in treating colds, croup, sore throats etc. A poultice of the plant is applied
externally to various infections such as sore throats, sores, swellings, chest and pleurisy pains.
Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis (syn A. medicaulis) ) Wild sarsaparilla is a sweet pungent tonic
herb that acts as an alterative. It had a wide range of traditional uses amongst the North American Indians and was at
one time widely used as a substitute for the tropical medicinal herb sarsaparilla. The herb encourages sweating, is
stimulating and detoxifying and so is used internally in the treatment of pulmonary diseases, asthma, rheumatism,
stomach aches etc. Externally it is used as a poultice in treating rheumatism, sores, burns, itchy skin, ulcers and skin
problems such as eczema. A drink made from the pulverized roots is used as a cough treatment. A poultice made
from the roots and/or the fruit is applied to sores, burns, itchy skin, ulcers, swellings etc.
Homeopathy: A homeopathic remedy made from the roots is important in the treatment of cystitis.
Wild Senna (Cassia marilandica (syn Senna marilandica, Cassia marylandica, Cassia medsgeri) ) Indians used
the bruised roots as a poultice for sores, a decoction of the roots for treating fever, and the leaves as a mild laxative.
The leaves are a safe and effective cathartic. They are best used with Foeniculum vulgare seeds in order to counteract
a tendency to cause gripe. The seedpods can also be used and are milder but slower in their action. The seeds have
been soaked in water until they are mucilaginous and then swallowed as a treatment for sore throats. The root is
cardiac and febrifuge. An infusion has been used in the treatment of fevers and heart problems.
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca (F virginiana) ) The leaves are mainly used, though the fruits are an excellent
food to take when feverish and are also effective in treating rheumatic gout. The leaves can be made into a tea that is
a diuretic and astringent. It is a blood tonic and has been used as a treatment for diarrhea in adults and children. It is
used in the treatment of chilblains and also as an external wash on sunburn. A poultice can be made from the
powdered leaves mixed in oil, it is used to treat open sores. In the form of an enema it is used to relieve hemorrhoids
and constipation. Young leaves combined with thyme make an excellent tea.
The berries, drunk with wine or milk, act similarly. The leaves were also used as a gargle for sore throats,
and in a lotion for minor burns and scrapes. In Europe, the fruit is considered to have cooling and diuretic properties,
and has been prescribed as part of a diet in cases of tuberculosis, gout, arthritis and rheumatism. It is also eaten as
an iron supplement and mild laxative. A poultice made from crushed fresh berries is used to cure skin blemishes and
acne. The water extract from boiled roots is an effective vermifuge. A slice of strawberry is excellent when applied
externally to sunburned skin. The fruits contain salicylic acid and are beneficial in the treatment of liver and kidney
complaints. The roots are astringent and diuretic. A decoction is used internally in the treatment of diarrhea and
chronic dysentery. Externally it is used to treat chilblains and as a throat gargle.
Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum (syn Thymus angustifolius) ) Like its close relative thyme (T. vulgaris), wild
thyme is strongly antiseptic and antifungal though to a lesser degree. It may be taken as an infusion or syrup to treat
flu and colds, sore throats, coughs, whooping cough, chest infections, and bronchitis. Wild thyme has decongestant
properties and helps clear a stuffy nose, sinusitis, ear congestion, and related complaints. It has been used to expel
threadworms and roundworms in children, and is used to settle gas and colic and help with hangovers. It is said to be
effective in treating alcoholism. Wild thyme’s antispasmodic action makes it useful in relieving menstrual pain.
Externally, it may be applied as a poultice to treat mastitis and an infusion may be used as a wash to help heal
wounds, ulcers, throat and gum infections. Externally, it is applied to minor injuries, mastitis, mouth, throat and gum
infections etc. Wild thyme is also used in herbal baths and pillows. The seeds are used as a vermifuge.
Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) The plant is also known as colic root and rheumatism root in North America,
indicating its use by European settlers for these conditions. Diosgenin, a breakdown product of dioscin, was
first identified by Japanese scientists in 1936. This discovery paved the way for the synthesis of progesterone
and of corticosteroid hormones such as cortisone. For this reason it is sometimes expensive, because
pharmaceutical firms buy up large crops on the global market. This use of the root, coupled with its traditional
use as an antispasmodic and antirheumatic gave rise to the saying that wild yam is a natural steroid. Indeed, it
contains compounds that are similar in chemical structure to steroids, but these compounds must be digested,
absorbed and processed by one’s body before becoming steroids or hormones. Eating foods such as wild yam
thus provides the building blocks for many complex glandular manufacturing processes. The herb’s
combination of anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic actions makes it extremely useful in treatments for
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