Krista's Herbarium

Activity 1: Seeing

Plant Families: Asteraceae

• Read this article on the Asteraceae family.
• List all the plants in the Asteraceae family that you use regularly and why.
• Choose three plants from the Asteraceae family that interest you. Read their monographs online.
• Make three monographs, one for each of your herbs, draw a colour picture of each of your herbs to add into the monograph; include seed, flower and root if possible.
• Answer these questions: Which medicinal actions would you benefit from in these plants? How could you use them to aid in your health (e.g. as a tea, in food)?
• Pick 5 more medicinal actions to familiarise yourself with.

Activity 2: Touching, Smelling, Tasting, Hearing

• Getting to know plants in the Asteraceae family.
• We will use chamomile, Echinaceae and calendula. If possible, find them fresh outside or in shops.
• Note the composite flowers, the shape of their stems, the shape of their leaves. Note the similarities and differences.
• Rub their leaves between your fingers and inhale deeply. Note the aromatic similarities and differences. (Have coffee or coffee beans nearby to inhale inbetween to cleanse your olfactory system)
• Taste each one and note their similarities and differences. Can you describe their tastes: note the sensation on the tongue from Echinaceae. It should taste somewhat acrid and have a sparking sensation. (You can use lemon or ginger to cleanse your palate)
• Make teas with each flower. List their medicinal actions.
• Note: How each makes you feel when you inhale their aromas and their energetics as you taste them.

Activity 3: Practice-Making an Herbal First Aid Kit

You will be making Echinaceae Tincture, Chamomile Tea and Calendula Salve

• Gather ingredients for the Herbal First Aid Kit recipes.
• Make the tinture,salve and tea.
• Write the medicinal actions of these herbs in these remedies. How will you use these preparations for healing?
• If desired, make labels for your remedies.

Poisonous Plants: Tansy

• Read this article on Tansy.
• Read the monograph of Tansy.
• Do you think you would grow Tansy? Why or why not?

Asteraceae Family

Key Words: Composite flowers in disk-like heads.

This family was previously known as the Composite family-Compositae.

Asteraceae plants are everywhere. From sunflowers that make the sky look even bluer to the lettuce that’s in your salad, you come into contact with members of this family regularly. The Asteraceae family is one of the largest plant families with several sub-genera within, such as the genera Artemisia and Arnica.

Mostly used for flowers and food, some members of the Asteraceae family have been used in folk medicine for centuries. Containing terpenoids and flavonoids, they produce many beneficial effects on our bodies. Some though may be allergic to these compounds, so a bit of general knowledge and information is necessary.

Asteraceae are recognised mainly by they composite flowers. though they look like a single flower, imagine a sunflower, it is actually a disk containing hundreds of single flowers known as a composite flower.

What is a composite flower?

A word from Wikipedia about composite flowers:

In plants of the family Asteraceae, what appears to be a single flower is actually a cluster of much smaller flowers. The overall appearance of the cluster, as a single flower, functions in attracting pollinators in the same way as the structure of an individual flower in some other plant families. The older family name, Compositae, comes from the fact that what appears to be a single flower is actually a composite of smaller flowers.

The “petals” or “sunrays” in a sunflower head are actually individual strap-shaped flowers called ray flowers, and the “sun disk” is made of smaller circular shaped individual flowers called disc flowers. The word “aster” means “star” in Greek, referring to the appearance of some family members, as a “star” surrounded by “rays”. The cluster of flowers that may appear to be a single flower, is called a head. The entire head may move tracking the sun, like a “smart” solar panel, which maximizes reflectivity of the whole unit and can thereby attract more pollinators.

On the outside the flower heads are small bracts that look like scales. These are called phyllaries, and together they form the involucre that protects the individual flowers in the head before they open. The individual heads have the smaller individual flowers arranged on a round or dome-like structure called the receptacle. The flowers mature first at the outside, moving toward the center, with the youngest in the middle.

The individual flowers in a head have 5 fused petals (rarely 4), but instead of sepals, have threadlike, hairy, or bristly structures called pappus, which surround the fruit and can stick to animal fur or be lifted by wind, aiding in seed dispersal. The whitish fluffy head of a dandelion, commonly blown on by children, is made of the pappus, with tiny seeds attached at the ends, whereby the pappus provides a parachute like structure to help the seed be carried away in the wind.

Wikipedia

Getting to know the Asteraceae Family

This article by wildflowersandweeds.com is a great resource for the Asteraceae family.

Members of the Asteraceae Family

Courtesy of britannica.com

• genus Ageratum
• genus Arnica
• genus Artemisia
  • sagebrush (various species)
  • tarragon (A. dracunculus)
  • wormwood (various species)
• aster (genus Aster and various other genera)
• basket-flower (Plectocephalus americanus)
• blanketflower (genus Gaillardia)
• burdock (genus Arctium)
• cardoon (Cynara cardunculus)
  • artichoke (C. cardunculus, variety scolymus)
• chamomile (genus Anthemis)
• chicory (Cichorium intybus)
• China aster (Callistephus chinensis)
• chrysanthemum (genus Chrysanthemum)
  • pyrethrum (C. cinerariifolium and other species)
• cocklebur (genus Xanthium)
• coneflower (genera Echinaceae, Ratibida, and Rudbeckia)
  • black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
• cosmos (genus Cosmos)
• dahlia (genus Dahlia)
• dandelion (genus Taraxacum)
• edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum)
• endive (Cichorium endivia)
• genus Eupatorium
  • boneset (E. perfoliatum)
• fleabane (genus Erigeron)
• florist’s cineraria (Pericallis ×hybrida)
• goldenrod (genus Solidago)
• groundsel (genus Senecio)
• guayule (Parthenium argentatum)
• hawkweed (genus Hieracium)
• ironweed (genus Vernonia)
• knapweed (genus Centaurea)
  • cornflower (C. cyanus)
• leopard’s bane (genus Doronicum)
• lettuce (Lactuca sativa)
• genus Liatris
• marigold (genus Tagetes)
• oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
• pot marigold (genus Calendula)
• pussy-toes (genus Antennaria)
• ragweed (genus Ambrosia)
• rosinweed (genus Silphium)
• safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)
• salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius)
• sneezeweed (genus Helenium)
• stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)
• sunflower (genus Helianthus)
  • Jerusalem artichoke (H. tuberosus)
• tansy (genus Tanacetum)
  • costmary (T. balsamita)
  • pyrethrum (T. coccineum and other species)
• tarweed (genus Madia)
• tickseed (genus Coreopsis)
• white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)
• yarrow (genus Achillea)
• zinnia (genus Zinnia)

Asteraceae Medicinal Actions

Asteraceae or Compositae is an exceedingly large, annual and widespread family of flowering plants. They produce secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids and terpenoids which have lots of effect on our body. Many of the Asteraceae family are plants which have been used in traditional medicine. Many studies have shown the effects of Asteraceae family plants or their extract on immune-mediated diseases, especially their anti-inflammatory effect. 

http://jrhc.miau.ac.ir/article_3435.html

Members of this family can have these medicinal actions:

Diuretic, drawing, expectorant, draining, antiparasitic, respiratory support, gastric support, blood regulation, antibacterial, help with microbial infections.

Asteraceae: A Cautionary Tale

Many Asteraceae members contain metabolites called sesquiterpene lactones which, in those allergic, can cause inflammation, skin irritation and sensitisation. This same metabolite has been shown beneficial in treating cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as a host of other disorders from diarrhea to influenza,,. It is important to know the information, so I recommend reading these articles in order to get the full picture regarding this metabolite.

Beware the Asteraceae allergy:

The Asteraceae representatives consist of diverse secondary metabolites, which exhibit various advantageous effects in humans. In particular, sesquiterpene lactones (SLs) may cause sensitization resulting in skin irritation and inflammation. In this study, we tried to reveal the allergenic potential of several Asteraceae species. The Asteraceae-related allergy symptoms involve eczema, hay fever, asthma, or even anaphylaxis. Furthermore, the evidence of severe cross-reactivity with food and pollen allergens (PFS) in patients sensitive to Asteraceae allergens have been announced.

https://rdcu.be/cjoRt

Asteraceae for the win:

Studies of folk medicines implicate sesquiterpene lactones as the active ingredient in many treatments for other ailments such as diarrhea, burns, influenza, and neurodegradation. In addition to the anti-inflammatory response, sesquiterpene lactones have been found to sensitize tumor cells to conventional drug treatments.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3709812/

Poisonous Plants: Tansy

Tansy is beautiful. But I have a love/hate relationship with tansy. The flowers are beautiful, aromatic and the plant is a breeding place for ladybugs.

I love seeing the whole life cycle of ladybugs in my tansy plants. But be warned, the tansies will take over your garden, are near impossible to get rid of and can be dangerous. Containing thujones (the same component that gives Absinthe its bad name), as well as other volatile oils, which can cause convulsions, liver and brain damage and can be lethal in the right amount. It is used in herbal medicine, but should only be used by an expert.

And tansy’s dark side is darker than most – it’s literally a killer. Despite historically being commonly used as a flavouring, bitter-tasting tansy contains a toxic essential oil that can cause liver and brain damage and even kill humans and other animals. On a less lethal level, it can also prompt an allergic reaction in some individuals when touching the leaves.

https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/why-you-should-and-shouldnt-grow-tansy/

History of uses:

Tansy has a long history of use. It was first recorded as being cultivated by the ancient Greeks for medicinal purposes. In the 8th century AD it was grown in the herb gardens of Charlemagne and by Benedictine monks of the Swiss monastery of Saint Gall. Tansy was used to treat intestinal worms, rheumatism, digestive problems, fevers, sores, and to bring out measles.

During the Middle Ages and later, high doses were used to induce abortions. Contradictorily, tansy was also used to help women conceive and to prevent miscarriages. In the 15th century, Christians began serving tansy with Lenten meals to commemorate the bitter herbs eaten by the Israelites. Tansy was thought to have the added Lenten benefits of controlling flatulence brought on by days of eating fish and pulses and of preventing the intestinal worms believed to be caused by eating fish during Lent.

Tansy was used as a face wash and was reported to lighten and purify the skin. In the 19th century, Irish folklore suggested that bathing in a solution of tansy and salts would cure joint pain.

Wikipedia

Tansy is used as an excellent insecticide and anti-parasitic, but must be used with caution. Please do your research and rather use wormwood and black walnut as your antiparasitic.

Enjoy this mildly obscene video…

Articles about tansy:

• https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/why-you-should-and-shouldnt-grow-tansy/
• https://www.gbif.org/species/144100565

Asteraceae plant family resources:

• https://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Asteraceae.htm
• http://theseedsite.co.uk/asteraceae.html
• https://www.britannica.com/plant/Asteraceae

Identifying a new plant

Using these resources, one is easily able to identify its genus and species:

• Botany In A Day
• Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide
• Francis Rose Wild Flower Key

The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind.

Paracelsus

Activity 1: Seeing

Plant Families: Apiaceae

• Read this article on the Apiaceae family.
• List all the plants in the Apiaceae family that you use regularly and why.
• Choose three plants from the Apiaceae family that interest you. Read their monographs online.
• Make three monographs, one for each of your herbs, draw a colour picture of each of your herbs to add into the monograph; include seed, flower and root if possible.
• Answer these questions: Which medicinal actions would you benefit from in these plants? How could you use them to aid in your health (e.g. as a tea, in food)?
• Pick 5 more medicinal actions to familiarise yourself with.

Activity 2: Touching, Smelling, Tasting, Hearing

• Getting to know plants in the Apiaceae family.
• We will use cilantro (plant and seed), fennel (plant and seed) and parsley. If possible, find them fresh outside or in shops.
• Note the shape of their stems, the shape of their leaves. Note the similarities and differences.
• Rub their leaves between your fingers and inhale deeply. Note the aromatic similarities and differences. (Have coffee or coffee beans nearby to inhale inbetween to cleanse your olfactory system)
• Taste each one and note their similarities and differences. (You can use lemon or ginger to cleanse your palate)
• Make teas with the fennel seed and coriander seed. List their medicinal actions.
• Note: How each makes you feel when you inhale their aromas and their energetics as you taste them.

Activity 3: Practice-Making an Herbal Salve

• Gather ingredients for the Herbal Salve recipe.
• Watch this video before making the salve.
• Make the salve.
• Write the medicinal actions of your chosen herbs for the salve. How will you use this salve for healing?
• If desired, make labels for your salve.

Poisonous Plants: Poison Hemlock

• Read this article on Poison Hemlock.
• List the differences between wild carrot and poison hemlock.
• Read the effects of poison hemlock.

Apiaceae-Parsley/Carrot Family

Key Words: Compound umbels. Usually hollow flower stalks. Often aromatic.

Some of the most common plants, most loved and most eaten are in this beautiful Apiaceae family, as well as some of the world’s deadliest.

Mostly grown as vegetables or for food, whilst some are used as folk medicine, one must be sure of plant identification as many members of the Apiaceae family are poisonous. For this reason, it is important to get to know this plant family as one of the first families you study.

One can usually identify a member of the Apiaceae family by its distinctive umbel.

What’s an umbel?

A word from Wikipedia about umbels:

In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) which spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin umbella “parasol, sunshade”. The arrangement can vary from being flat-topped to almost spherical. Umbels can be simple or compound.

The secondary umbels of compound umbels are known as umbelules or umbellets. A small umbel is called an umbellule. 

The arrangement of the inflorescence in umbels is referred to as umbellate, or occasionally subumbellate (almost umbellate).Umbels are a characteristic of plants such as carrot, parsley, dill, and fennel in the family Apiaceae;  ivy, Aralia and Fatsia in the family Araliaceae; onion (Allium) in the family Alliaceae.

Wikipedia

Getting to know the Apiaceae family

Who hasn’t eaten a carrot? Or put celery in their soup base? Cut up some parsnip for a Sunday roast or used fennel or dill as a spice in a recipe? The Apiaceae family hosts some of our most common and well-loved ingredients. Cilantro for salsa, caraway seed in a curry or parsley in some sausage mix, this family has it all.

It’s a wonder we all are alive today. If foraging was necessary, many of us lack the skill to properly identify a Wild Carrot from its deadly cousin, Poison Hemlock. We must thank those that have gone before us, that have told the stories and drawn the illustrations, those that have paved the way in helping us to know the beauty and danger of this abundant plant family.

When you recognize the compound umbels of the Parsley family then you know you have to be careful. You must be 100% certain of what these plants are before you harvest them for food or medicine. More than that, you must be right! People die just about every year thinking they have discovered some kind of wild carrot.

wildflowersandweeds.com

This article by wildflowersandweeds.com is a great resource for the Apiaceae family.

Members of this family include:

• angelica (genus Angelica)
• anise (Pimpinella anisum)
• asafoetida (Ferula assa-foetida)
• caraway (Carum carvi)
• celery (Apium graveolens)
  • celeriac (A. graveolens, variety rapaceum)
• cicely (Myrrhis odorata)
• chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
• coriander/cilantro (Coriandrum sativum)
• cowbane (genus Oxypolis)
• cow parsnip (genus Heracleum)
  • hogweed (H. mantegazzianum and H. sphondylium)
• cumin (Cuminum cyminum)
• dill (Anethum graveolens)
• earthnut (Conopodium majus)
• fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
• lovage (Levisticum officinale)
• parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
• parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
• poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)
• smallage (Apium graveolens)
• Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota)
  • carrot (Daucus carota, subspecies sativus)
• water hemlock (genus Cicuta)
• water parsnip (genus Sium)

• 

Apiaceae Medicinal Actions

Members of this family can have these medicinal actions:

Anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antibacterial, diuretic, emmenagogue, stimulating, antimicrobial, antioxidant. These constituents can help with bronchitis, hepatitis, gastrointeritis.

Poisonous Plants: Poison Hemlock

For him who fain would teach the world The world holds hate in fee— For Socrates, the hemlock cup; For Christ, Gethsemane.

-Don Marquis

About Poison Hemlock

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is in the Apiaceae family, which also includes carrots, parsnips, parsley, fennel, and their wild counterparts.

It is an herbaceous biennial plant that can grow 5 to 10 feet (2-3 meters) tall or even taller.

It should not be confused with hemlock the coniferous tree which is completely harmless (and edible).

All parts of the plant are poisonous, including the flowers, leaves, stems, roots, and seeds.

Poison hemlock contains potent toxic alkaloids that affect the nervous system, and even small internal doses can cause respiratory collapse and death.

It can also cause a severe skin reaction similar to a burn when touched externally. Definitely not a plant to mess around with!

Historically poison hemlock was used in ancient Greece to poison condemned prisoners, and it was what killed Socrates after he drank a potent hemlock infusion.

growforagecookferment.com

How to properly identify poisonous members of the Apiaceae family

Eating even a small amount of any part of this plant can kill people, livestock, and wildlife!

Poison-hemlock stems have reddish or purple spots and streaks, are not hairy, and are hollow. Leaves are bright green, fern-like, finely divided, toothed on edges and have a strong musty odor when crushed. Flowers are tiny, white and arranged in small, umbrella-shaped clusters on ends of branched stems.

King County

Poison Hemlock Look-Alikes

Flowering poison-hemlock may be confused with wild carrot (Daucus carota, or Queen Anne’s Lace). In contrast with poison-hemlock, wild carrot has one densely packed umbrella-shaped flower cluster on a narrow, hairy stem, usually with one purple flower in the center of the flower cluster, and is usually 3 feet tall or less. Wild carrot also flowers later in the summer.

King County

If you are not sure, don’t touch the plant. Even touching the wrong Apiaceae can lead to photosensitivity rashes.

Look for red or purple spots to help you identify poison hemlock.

Apiaceae plant family resources:

• http://www.nativeplants.org/wp-content/uploads/apiaceae.pdf
• https://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Apiaceae.ht

Identifying a new plant

Using these resources, one is easily able to identify its genus and species:

• Botany In A Day
• Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide
• Francis Rose Wild Flower Key

Lamiaceae-Mint Family

Key Words: Square stalks and opposite leaves, often aromatic.

• 

Members of this family include:

• Basil
• Mint
• Sage
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Motherwort
• Horehound
• Catnip
• Thyme
• Lavender

Lamiaceae Medicinal Actions:

Medicinal constituents include the strong aromatic essential oil, tannins, saponins and organic acids. The oil is obtained by steam distillation. In aromatherapy, the oil is used for its soothing effects. The plant has sedative, diuretic, tonic, antispasmodic and antiseptic properties.

scialert.net

Once you are familiar with the family characteristics, it is much easier to identify a plant within that family. You will recognise its basic shape and often know its medicinal properties.

Identifying a completely unfamiliar plant:

A few years ago, when we lived in Hluboka, a plant which I had never seen before started to grow in my yard.

Starting with flower shape, I began the process of identifying its family, genus and species.

This plant has:

• united petals
• 4 stamen of two lengths
• a square stem
• opposite leaves
• strong aroma

Given these characteristics, I can safely put this plant in the Lamiaceae family.

Using these resources, I am easily able to identify its genus and species:

• Botany In A Day
• Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide
• Francis Rose Wild Flower Key

Self Heal 

Prunella vulgaris 

Lamiaceae

Self-heal is used for inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), diarrhea, colic, and stomach upset and irritation (gastroenteritis). It is also used for mouth and throat ulcers, sore throat, and internal bleeding.