A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO WILD MEDICINE. MY FIRST GUIDE FOR #NATURALMEDICINE.

(image credit: Ananda Rainforest Retreat)

So once every four to five months I create a post covering wild foods or medicines. I normally keep it extremely simple and try to structure it as a simple guide with some easy to recognize plants, trees, or fungi that anyone new to wild food foraging can bring up on their smart phone and reference. A digital beginners guide if you will. In this post I'm going to cover medicinal plants as it's a favorite subject of mine. So without further adieu lets jump in.

WILLOW TREE

(image credit: articulo.mercadolibre.com.mx)

So many of us walk by this tree and don't even realize we are looking at mother natures aspirin. The bark contains large quantities of acetylsalicylic acid though and when brewed into a tea is pretty fast acting.... Tea doesn't taste great though as a heads up. I've used the powdered bark with a ground poultice of Plantain leaves and olive oil to make ointments for cuts and bruises and found it worked remarkably well. When I used it on a cut on my leg the inflammation around the wound disappeared quickly. Over the next nine days I applied it at night and bandaged it up when I slept and it healed a treat.

The same drug contradictions apply with the use of Willow bark that apply with Aspirirn. I.e. don't use it if you're on blood thinning medications, taking other NSAID's, or have gastric issues like ulcers.

GUELDER ROSE/ CRAMP BARK


(image credit: birdsandtrees.net)

I included this wonderful bush in a recent #walkwithme post as it grows in a field down the road from where I live. The same cautions apply as do with the Willow bark and it's unwise to use them together. Just like you wouldn't use Ibuprofen with aspirin. The bark from the Guelder Rose was traditionally used to ease menstrual pains thus the the other name Cramp Bark. But I've used it to make a tea before to ease a horrible headache when camping and it worked faster than any over the counter pain killer I've ever used. It was also used for centuries to ease pain in child birth, cold and flu relief, etc. Oh and the berries when ripe can be used to make amazing jams. One cup of them contains more vitamin C than twelve oranges so it's kind of a one stop shop in the brush if you feel under the weather.

TANSY

(image credit: peridonk.com)

So I'm including Tansy not for consumption but rather as an insect repellent and to treat wounds. When boiled the odor will chase off those pesky buzzing insects around your campsite. It was once used as a anthelmintic to treat stomach parasites but in the form of a weak brew... you really need to use caution if you're to do this as it contains high levels of thujone which is incredibly toxic in large doses. Now as a poultice it has pretty much does the same thing as iodine. It has medicinal uses but you just have to be careful.

DO NOT CONFUSE IT WITH RAGWORT!! I'm including a picture of Ragwort bellow as they look alike. Ragwort can kill live stock so don't get these two mixed up please. Whenever you're learning to forage I must stress that you PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE IDENTIFYING BEFORE USING.

TOXIC RAGWORT

(image credit: naturespot.com)

PLANTAIN

(image credit: khkeeler.blogspot.com)

I have a special place in my heart for this plant. It helps relieve symptoms of diarrhea, the young leaves taste awesome in a salad, it can be ground down in a poultice to treat cuts and abrasions. It's just an all round winner. I love seeing it's brave little stalks sticking up above the grass in the summer like it's begging for me to stop and acknowledge it.... which I usually do by grabbing a few leaves to chomp on as I walk. It has a relative called Broad Leaf Plantain which pretty much has all the same attributes as it's cousin. I'll picture it below. But as far as dynamic duos in nature go these guys are up in the top five in my book.

BROAD LEAF PLANTAIN

(image credit: nutrilawnblog.com)

SPHAGNUM MOSS:

(image credit: wildlifetrust.com)

Gauze was in short supply on the battle field during World War 1 so this plants was used as a substitute. If boiled, cleaned, and dried it's a remarkable alternative. In a pinch it can be used as a substitute for toilet paper just check it for bugs first. It does have mild antiseptic properties though, and is certainly an easier alternative than getting an itchy rump from grabbing the wrong leaves.

Well guys that's it for now. I was inspired to do another one of these posts after discovering a new hashtag called #naturalmedicine. It's run by @riverflows, @holisticmom, and @mountainjewel. So if you have an interest in anything medicinal plant related then pop by and give these wonderful folks a look. I also co founded an initiative with @davemccoy here on Steemit called Newbie Resteem Day so if you're new and want help with post exposure don't be a stranger. We can be found at @newbieresteemday and we are all about helping new arrivals. If you like games then pop by and pay our sister organisation @newbiegames a visit. It's run by @simplymike who is a power house Steemer in my opinion who is all helping folks in the community.

For those of you who are going to use the #naturalmedicine leave out the # part when you're putting it in tags. Just type naturalmedicine as adding the # takes it above the character limit. Just a heads up. Thank you all so much for reading and I look forward to catching all your amazing post. Keep on Steeming.