Herbs and Herbal Supplements

[Racoon]

Dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale )

I don't think anyone has a hard time growing this herb.. and in fact most people struggle to get rid of it

Its very easily distinguished with its yellow flower top, and the lawn looks so much better after you mow them down. As such I was thinking today, and after uprooting several dozen.

But, Dandelion is good for you as a mild stimulant and for the liver, kidneys, and urinary tract.

In former days, Dandelion Juice was the favourite preparation both in official and domestic medicine. Provincial druggists sent their collectors for the roots and expressed the juice while these were quite fresh. Many country druggists prided themselves on their Dandelion Juice. The most active preparations of Dandelion, the Juice (Succus Taraxaci) and the Extract (Extractum Taraxaci), are made from the bruised fresh root. The Extract prepared from the fresh root is sometimes almost devoid of bitterness. The dried root alone was official in the United States Pharmacopoeia.

The chief constituents of Dandelion root are Taraxacin, acrystalline, bitter substance, of which the yield varies in roots collected at different seasons, and Taraxacerin, an acrid resin, with Inulin (a sort of sugar which replaces starch in many of the Dandelion family, Compositae)

botanical.com - A Modern Herbal | Dandelion - Herb Profile and Information

While the dandelion is considered a weed by many gardeners and lawn owners, the plant does have several culinary and medicinal uses. Dandelions are grown commercially at a small scale as a leaf vegetable.

The plant can be eaten cooked or raw in various forms, such as in soup or salad. They are probably closest in character to mustard greens. Usually the young leaves and unopened buds are eaten raw in salads, while older leaves are cooked. Raw leaves have a slightly bitter taste. Dandelion salad is often accompanied with hard boiled eggs. The leaves are high in vitamin A, vitamin C and iron, carrying more iron and calcium than spinach.[3]

Dandelion flowers can be used to make dandelion wine. The recipe usually contains citrus fruit.

Dandelion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[freeztar]

Dandelion was notoriously used everywhere it grew.
A nature school I attended was taught by a man who traveled the Utah desert (Escalante) for several days carrying nothing but a knife and small fire provisions. He said he was camped out on a cliff one night and had the instinct to dig into the ground at a certain spot. He dug up an ancient basket that was preserved and within it was a completely dried up, whole, dandelion plant. It's a testament to the power of the plant imo.

It's ironic how most plants we consider weeds nowadays were once sacred divinities that helped us along.

[Monomer]

Rosehip and Hibiscus

These technically aren't herbs, but they're used to make herbal tea which my Mum rather likes and gave it to me when I was a kid.

The rose hip, also called the rose haw, is the pomaceous fruit of the rose plant. It is typically red to orange but may be dark purple to black in some species.

Health benefits:
Particularly high in Vitamin C, with about 1700–2000 mg per 100 g in the dried product, one of the richest plant sources.
Rose hips contain vitamins A, D and E, and antioxidant flavonoids.
As a herbal remedy, rose hips are attributed with the ability to prevent urinary bladder infections, and assist in treating dizziness and headaches. Rose hips are also commonly used externally in oil form to restore firmness to skin by nourishing and astringing tissue.[1]
Brewed into a concoction, can also be used to treat constipation.

Rose hip - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hibiscus or Rosemallow is a large genus of about 200-220 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae, native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world.

Extracts of some hibiscus species are claimed to have health benefits, including prevention of constipation, bladder infections and nausea, and high blood pressure. The studies that yielded these results are debated. An unspecified hibiscus plant is used to make a herbal tea, typically blended with rosehip

Hibiscus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Michaelangelica]

On saffron. It is being grown in Tasmania, of late.
I would hate to harvest it. It would drive me bonkers.

From Nancy Schimelpfening,
Your Guide to Depression.
Stay up to date!
Culinary Herb May Be Useful As Antidepressant
PressTV, an Iranian news organization which broadcasts in English, reports that Iranian and Japanese investigators have found that extracts from the culinary herb saffron have antidepressant and anticonvulsant properties.

According to Wikipedia, saffron is a spice derived from the stigma of the saffron crocus which imparts a golden yellow color to foods. 200 tons of the herb are produced worldwide with 85 percent being produced in Iran.
Tuesday April 10, 2007

Culinary Herb May Be Useful As Antidepressant

[Michaelangelica]

A great list of common kitchen plants and spices and their medicinal uses.
Needs to be pasted on the frig?
What Everybody Ought to Know About Medicinal Uses Of 22 Common Spices | because you value your body

[Chacmool]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

A great list of common kitchen plants and spices and their medicinal uses.
Needs to be pasted on the frig?
What Everybody Ought to Know About Medicinal Uses Of 22 Common Spices | because you value your body

Nice post, and great idea! I'm going to type out my favourites in a pretty font and paste them (maybe even laminate and add a magnet?) on the fridge where I can see them all the time.

[maikeru]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

On saffron. It is being grown in Tasmania, of late.
I would hate to harvest it. It would drive me bonkers.

Culinary Herb May Be Useful As Antidepressant

I think saffron's just a wee bit too expensive to use as an antidepressant. From Wiki:

In Western countries, the average retail price is $1,000/£500/€700 per pound (US$2200/£1100/€1550 per kilogram).[2] Between 70,000 and 200,000 threads comprise a pound

However, saffron cream chicken is just about this side of paradise. We sell saffron, and it's terribly expensive for a small box. It's been one of the favorite items that thieves steal from our store, because of its value.

[Ganoderma]

ya, very expensive. but a pound of it is quite a LOT!

has ginger been mentioned? that stuff is a must have in any kitchen. i don;t know how many times i have been running for the ginger when i am throwing up or sick.

[Racoon]

Caraway: The unidentified herb I've been growing. Although very pretty and distinctive, its probably not terribly useful..

Properties
Stimulant, strongly aromatic herb that calms spasms of the gastric tract and uterus and is used as an expectorant for respiratory complaints.

Its main active ingredient is the (+) carvone found in the volatile oil, which also contains limonene, dihydrocarvne and carveol, while the fruit (seeds) contain the volatile oil, fatty oil, polysaccharides, phenylpropanoids (such as caffeic and chlorogenic acid), flavonoids and flavonolglycosides (quercetin and isoquercitrin), as well as traces of furanocoumarins.

Information on the herb caraway.

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by otcartsid

I could use some rosemary (for my bad memory and headaches) :P

Rosemary makes more blood go to the brain.
Too much can increase BP
Try also some sage, gotu kola, ginseng, and Ginko.

Well the mean Bs that run this forum won't let me give rep to ANYBODY (NASTY POO PEOPLE)

lemon verbena- My favorite herb tea. But only when taken fresh-dried is like Hay-yuck.
My hardwood autumn cuttings are sprouting- should be "spring" in 4 weeks)
Who wants one for the postage?

Racoon that 'caraway' picture looks like an artemesia. Wormwood type herb