Author: waldoherbs

**This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. It is for educational purposes only.

Botanical Name – Plantago major, rugelii, lanceolata

Family: Plantaginaceae

Energetics: cool, moist, tonifying

Taste: slightly bitter, earthy

Parts used: leaves, seeds

Affinities: digestive system; mucosal and integumentary tissues

Actions: vulnerary, demulcent, astringent, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, emollient, expectorant, hepatoprotective

Preparations: tea, honey infusion, tincture, oil infusion, vinegar, topical preparations, food

Cautions: The husked seeds are a bulking laxative, and should not be taken in the two hours before or after swallowing prescription drugs –the pharmaceutical constituents can get bound up in the mucilage and render the drug less effective

Therapeutic Uses:

• As a vulnerary, plantain can help speed up the healing of wounds. This works both externally and internally meaning that it can also help heal wounds in the digestive tract aiding in issues such as leaky gut syndrome. Plantain is also useful for external scrapes, cuts, bites, stings, etc. It is an excellent herb to have in your herbal first aid kit.
• Plantain is very useful for breaking up biofilms which is what happens when bacteria join together. 
• As an expectorant, plantain is useful for breaking up the mucous in dry, lung conditions.

**This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. It is for educational purposes only.

Botanical Name – Viola odorata

Family: Violaceae

Energetics: cool, moist, relaxant

Taste: sweet, vegetal

Parts used: leaves and flowers

Affinities: lymphatic, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems

Actions: demulcent, emollient, lymphatic, antispasmodic, sedative, hypotensive, nervine, mild laxative

Preparations: tea/ decoction, honey infusion, tincture, oil infusion, topical preparations, vinegar

Cautions: Considered very safe for all ages.

Therapeutic Uses:

• Violet is very useful as a sedative when you are feeling anxious or unsettled. It is a gentle nervine and can be taken as a sleep aid. A nice cup of violet leaf tea with some warm milk and honey will put you right out.
• For use in cardiovascular issues, violet is useful for palpitations, angina, etc. 
• As a cool and moistening herb, violet will help get your lymphatic system moving without drying you out. 
• Violet is excellent for dry, irritated skin issues like eczema and dry psoriasis. A nice violet tea bath is lovely for this if you have the time, but you can also use the cooled tea as a compress.
• Infusing the leaves and flowers into honey makes a nice syrup to be taken for constipation and is gentle enough to use for children.
• The leaves and flowers can be added to salads.

**This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. It is for educational purposes only.

Botanical Name – Trifolium pratense

Family: Fabaceae

Energetics: cool, dry, relaxant

Taste: bitter, vegetal, slightly sweet

Parts used: flowers, leaves

Affinities: lymphatic, respiratory, and integumentary systems

Actions: nutritive, alterative, lymphatic, diuretic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, galactagogue, phytoestrogenic (leaves)

Preparations: tea/ decoction, honey infusion, tincture, food, vinegar

Cautions: Due to its blood-thinning quality, it’s best to avoid red clover if you are taking prescription blood thinners and also the week leading up to surgery. Consult a qualified herbalist for use during pregnancy.

Therapeutic Uses:

• As a nutritive, a long infusion of red clover can help supplement a diet lacking in vitamins and minerals. 
• Red clover is helpful for sinusitis and for red, weepy, irritated eyes due to seasonal allergies.
• It is a favorite among herbalists for menopause complaints including hot flashes and other hormone imbalance issues. 
• Used internally, red clover is helpful for varicose veins, edema, hemorrhoids, etc. 

**This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. It is for educational purposes only.

Botanical Name – Taraxacum officinale

Family: Asteraceae

Energetics: cool, dry, tonifying

Taste: bitter, earthy, salty, sweet

Parts used: root, leaves, flowers

Affinities: liver and kidneys, urinary system

Actions: diuretic, digestive, cholagogue, choleretic, mild laxative (roots), nutritive, exhilarant (flowers)

Preparations: tea/ decoction, honey infusion, tincture, oil infusion, food

Cautions: Can be drying.

Therapeutic Uses:

• Dandelion is a bitter herb that aids in digestion especially where the digestion is incomplete. Because of its drying and draining qualities, it can be useful in clearing out stuck junk in your liver and kidneys and helps clear out stones. This is also useful in cleaning and thinning the blood because it helps clean things out. 
• Although it is a diuretic and will make you pee more, its high levels of vitamins and minerals will help you not get depleted. So basically, it clears out the bad stuff and brings in the good stuff.
• Dandelion is a nutritive which means it is extremely nutritious. Dandelion greens are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K, and they also contain vitamin E, folate, and small amounts of other B vitamins. The greens provide minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. 
• Tea or tincture made with the flowers is a gentle exhilarant and will help improve the mood especially in cases of SAD (seasonal affective disorder).

**This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. It is for educational purposes only.

Botanical Name – Nepeta cataria

Family: Lamiaceae

Energetics: cool, dry, relaxant

Taste: pungent, aromatic, acrid

Parts used: leaves

Affinities: digestive and nervous systems

Actions: Digestive, carminative, hepatic, nervine, diaphoretic, sedative, antispasmodic

Preparations: tincture, tea, bath, poultice

Cautions: Generally regarded as safe. Consult with a qualified herbalist before use during pregnancy. The sedative effects are more noticeable with children. Best not to use in high doses or for prolonged periods. 

Therapeutic Uses:

• Helps in digestion as the aromatic constituents promote the production of gastric secretions.
• This warming mint can help move gas out of the gut.
• Catnip is a diaphoretic which aids the body in releasing the heat of fever.
• This herb is very helpful when nervousness and anxiety are tied up with gut upset. It works in both directions, both helping with gut upset due to anxiety or high anxiety due to gut upset. These issues are often linked, and catnip is a powerful ally.
• Catnip is a mild sedative and is helpful at bedtime when you are having trouble falling asleep.

**This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. It is for educational purposes only.

Botanical Name – Sambucus nigra, Sambucus canadensis

Family: Adoxaceae

Energetics: cool, dry, relaxant

Taste: sweet, slightly oily, astringent

Parts used: flowers and berries

Affinities: immune system

Actions: diuretic, astringent, diaphoretic, circulatory stimulant, digestive, nutritive, alterative, respiratory antimicrobial, antispasmodic, antitussive, purgative, vermifuge, exhilarant

Preparations: tea, honey infusion, tincture, syrup, infusion

Cautions: Typically, very safe, but elder bark and large doses of fresh black elderberries act as purgatives (laxative)

Therapeutic Uses:

• Elderberries help to prevent and lessen flu and cold infections by preventing the virus from reproducing in the body. 
• Strengthens the immune system and stimulates the lymph system. 
• The diuretic actions of elder flowers get fluid moving throughout the body.
• Emotionally, elder is uplifting and helps to pull you out of a heavy, depressive state. 
• Elder syrup helps lessen the symptoms of seasonal allergies. 

**This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. It is for educational purposes only.

Botanical Name – Matricaria recutita

Family: Compositae (Asteraceae)

Energetics: warm, neutral, relaxant

Taste: bitter, aromatic, sweet

Parts used: flowers

Affinities: digestive, nervous, and reproductive systems

Actions: stomachic, carminative, nervine, sedative, antispasmodic, vulnerary

Preparations: tea, honey infusion, tincture

Cautions: Very safe for all ages. 

Therapeutic Uses:

• Helpful for upset stomachs due to tension or nervousness. Chamomile stimulates digestive fluid secretions which helps with assimilation.
• Relaxes smooth muscles of the digestive tract for better digestion.
• Helps calm individuals with nervous exhaustion to get better sleep. 
• Soothes tense, tight muscles. 
• Topically, chamomile helps with inflammatory skin conditions and can help with eye irritation such as conjunctivitis.
• Chamomile is excellent for both physical and emotional tension.

**This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. It is for educational purposes only.

Botanical name: Calendula officinalis

Family: Asteraceae

Energetics: warm, dry, tonifying

Taste: bitter, pungent, salty, sweet

Parts used: flowers

Affinities: lymphatic system

Actions: draining, lymphatic, alterative, diaphoretic, vulnerary, antimicrobial

Preparations: tea, tincture, topical preparations

Cautions: Safe except for those with allergies to the asteraceae family.

Therapeutic Uses:

• Useful for moving lymph fluid especially around the intestines. 
• Useful for healing wounds of any kind including those in the digestive system such as leaky gut syndrome. 
• Aids in depression when you just don’t feel like you can move forward. 
• Excellent for use in any skincare preparation due to its vulnerary (wound healing) and antimicrobial nature.  

**This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. It is for educational purposes only.