Healing Herbs and Medicinals Workshop
Traditional Healing Herbs and Medicinals
Yanawana Herbolarios
Hosted on October 24, 2018
By Maria Turvin
The Movement Gallery - Roots of Change Pop Ed Program
Materia Medica
Nopali
Common name: Prickly pear, pear cactus, nopal, nopali
Botanical name: Opuntia spp
Family: Cactaceae
Parts Used: Pads, flower, fruit
Medicinal actions: mucilaginous, mucosal vulnerary, drawing, hydrophilic, flocculent, quorum disrupter
Traditional uses: blood sugar support (prebiotic) mucosal support (mouth, upper airway, digestive & GU tract), sinus and upper respiratory infections, stomach ulcers, GERD, diverticulitis, UTI’s, burns, boils and abscesses, cellulitis, inflammation
Traditional preparation: flower syrup, cooked pads, pickled pads, dehydrated pads, lozenge, tincture, glycerin, smoothie, cold decoction, honey infusion, oil/salve, juice, jam, poultice
Contraindications & Precautions: watch out for the glochids when processing, too much raw pad may cause stomach upset
Passionflower
Common name: Maypop, passionflower
Botanical name: Passiflora spp
Family: Passifloraceae
Parts Used: flower, leaf, and steam
Medicinal actions: bitter, nervine, analgesic
Traditional uses: stress related conditions - anxiety, insomnia, stress high blood pressure, and tension headaches; muscle spasms; inflammation of the skin - burns, abscesses, boils (external application); dry cough, wheezing cough
Traditional preparations: infusion, decoction, syrup, tincture (40%), poultice, compress
Contraindications & Precautions: Can provoke an outburst/outpouring of anger from one suffering from unresolved sexual trauma. Avoid during pregnancy. Use only 2-3 weeks at a time. Too much can cause nausea and vomiting.
Lemongrass
Common name: Lemongrass
Botanical name: Cymbopogon
Family: Poaceae
Parts Used: grass blades
Medicinal actions: astringent, antioxidant, carminative, antibacterial, antifungal, circulatory stimulant
Traditional uses: soothes digestions, increases blood circulation, lowers blood pressure, cold and flu, relieves menstrual pain, hot flashes, reduces fever
Traditional preparations: Infusion, syrup, glycerite, tincture
Contraindications & Precautions: lowers blood sugar levels so use caution if diabetic; use caution if pregnant or breastfeeding
Horsetail
Common name: Shavegrass, horsetail
Botanical name: Equisetum spp
Family: Equistaceae
Parts Used: Grass
Medicinal actions: Vulnerary, high in silica content, diuretic, anti-infective
Traditional uses: bone breaks, connective tissue damage, strong hair and nails, tooth enamel repair, osteoporosis, UTI
Traditional preparations: salve, plaster, poultice, tincture, tea, juice, glycerin
Contraindications & Precautions: Do not take for longer than 3 weeks at a time, do not collect in polluted areas
Peach resin
Common name: Peach resin
Botanical name: Prunus persica
Family: Rosaceae
Parts Used: resin
Traditional uses: improve skin elasticity, settles stomach, relieves constipation
Traditional preparation: lozenge, soup
Contraindications & Precautions: none known
Purslane
Common name: Purslane
Botanical name: Portulaca oleracea
Family: Purslanes
Parts Used: leaf
Medicinal actions: antibacterial, antiscorbutic, depurative, diuretic, febrifuge, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids
Traditional uses: depression, headaches, fever, inflammation, dry cough, asthma, toothache pain, dementia, Alzheimer’s, diabetes management, uterine bleeding
Traditional preparations: salad, tincture
Contraindications & Precautions: none known
Dandelion leaf
Common name: Dandelion, puffball, wild succory
Botanical name: Taraxacum officinale
Family: Asteraceae
Parts Used: leaf, root, flower
Medicinal actions: galactagogue, cholagogue, diuretic
Traditional uses: stimulation of milk production, anemia, chronic fatigue, immune deficiencies, urinary, lymph, and liver support (flushes out waste from lymph and liver), reduces sugar cravings, stimulates digestion and helps to normalize gut function
Traditional preparations: Salad, infusions, decoctions, tincture
Contraindications & Precautions: Can exacerbate gastric upset in large doses
Activities and Recipes
Processing Nopali
Carefully collect the nopali pad with gloved hands and long tongs. Place nopali between 2 large flat rocks and rub back and forth knocking off the spines. Do one side first and then flip and do the other. Once spines have been removed cut the edges where the glochids are off the nopali. Cut the nopali in half and score with a fork. Using a spoon scoop out the guts and place on a tray lined with parchment paper. Place in an oven on warm and leave to dehydrate making sure to check on it every few hours. Once the nopali has dehydrated grind to a powder and place in an airtight container for storage. Use as needed.
Passionflower Vanilla Mint Tea
1 parts passionflower leaf
2 part mint leaf (spearmint or wintergreen would be lovely here)
1 part vanilla leaf
*Parts are equal whether dried or fresh leaf. Medicinal dose would be 1/2 tbsp. dried leaf or 1 tbsp. fresh. Cover tea leaves with 8oz of very hot water and steep for 5-8 minutes, strain, and sweeten to taste with honey.
Lemongrass Sugar Syrup
3.5 cups distilled water
1oz fresh lemongrass
1 cup granulated sugar
Bring 3.5 cups of distilled water to a boil, add 1 oz. of fresh lemongrass, lower heat, simmer for 20 minutes, and strain. Take 3 cups of lemongrass infused water, add 1 cup of granulated sugar, place back on heat, and stir until dissolved. Store in a glass container and use as desired.
Wild salad
1pt Sweet basil
1pt Wood Sorrel
2pt Dandelion Leaf
1pt Purslane leaf
Olive oil
Fresh lemons
Rinse herbs thoroughly, pat dry, tear dandelion into pieces, toss the herbs together, dress with a dressing of 2pt olive oil and 1pt fresh lemon juice and enjoy!
Horsetail Juice
Fresh horsetail
Fresh Lemon juice
Stevia
Distilled water
Throw the stalks into a blender with water and blend up thoroughly, strain, and add lemon juice and stevia to taste. I recommend 2 lemons worth of fresh juice. Drink and enjoy! Horsetail degrades quickly so this preparation should be made fresh.
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