HERBS THROUGH THE AGES...

[Delia]

Hi Bertie - love reading your thread on the medicinal qualities of herbs - i've always believed that there's something to it otherwise it wouldn't be around still after 1000's of years, like all the alternative healing therapies.

Altho you are probably aware of this just wanna add my 2c - a suggestion for those poor zombie like mothers of sleepless babies/toddlers that find their way to your door - I've always kept a bottle of lavender essential oil in the house & when Caryn was little and wouldn't sleep, i'd rub a dot across her forehead and down her temples - the soothing calming aroma & soft rubbing had her in dreamland within 10 minutes.  It was particularly useful when she couldn't sleep out of excitement waiting for Easter Bunny and Father Christmas to arrive :) She's 15 and still remembers me doing that - always brings her a smile, obviously a happy memory.

[Bertie Horak]

Hi Delia.  Yes, Lavender has been used for ages.  In aromatherapy it is commonly used to treat headache, migraine, tension, emotional upsets and sleeping disorders.  Lovely memory you have created there for your daughter to remember forever - each time she smells lavender it will bring back that feeling of care and love.   

[Bertie Horak]

It's time for a new herb, I think....

Lemon Balm      (Melissa officinalis)

Common names:

Lemon balm, Sweet balm, Bee balm, Zitronenmelisse.

Description:      
Perennial, up to 60cm high with lemon-scented leaves.  Small white flowers.  Spreads rapidly, dies down in winter, but appears again in spring.

Habitat:      
Native to Southern Europe.  Cultivated in Mediterranean for over 2000 years.

Interesting facts about MELISSA:

1.  Melissa has a long history of medicinal use in Europe, associated with bees and honey, hence the name Melissa (mel = latin for honey).

2.  Lemon balm can be a substitute for lemon peel in cooking.  A little finely chopped lemon balm gives a special taste to marinades for lamb, fish and egg dishes.

3.  In the collection of prescriptions called the London Dispensary of 1696 it was said that "an essence of Balm given in Canary wine every morning will renew youth, strengthen the brain, believe languishing nature and prevent baldness."

4.  Equally remarkable eulogies were conferred upon this sweet and homely herb in European practice, for many claimed that its use tended to longevity, and the "Carmelite water" made of balm, flavored with nutmeg, lemon and angelica root, was habitually drunk by distinguished and – apparently – long-lived people.

5.  It was reputed to be among the regular morning teas imbibed in the 13th century by Llewellyn, Prince of Glamorgan, who lived to 108 years, while John Hussey, of Sydenham, England, lived to be 116 after 50 years of breakfasting on lemon balm tea with honey.

Parts used:      
Dried leaves, Essential oil.

Constituents:      
Essential oils – citronellal, citral, germacrene.  Rosmarinic acid, Phenolic acids, Triterpenes, Flavonoids.

Medicinal/Folk uses:   

Calming and soothing herb.  Traditionally used for influenza and feverish colds, to induce perspiration.  Sleeplessness, nervous stomach disorders (aids digestion), antiseptic (topical).

[SandyB]

The  natural sedative  Melisana .. good stuff ..

[Bertie Horak]

Next herb -

Rue     (Ruta graveolens)

Common names:   
Rue,  Herb of grace,  Wynruit,  Herbygrass.

Description:      
Woody, strong aromatic perennial shrub with deeply divided grey-green leaves, up to 60 cm, with clusters of yellow flowers.  It bears four-lobed fruit capsules with black wedge-shaped seeds.

Habitat:
Southern Europe.  Prefers slightly alkaline, well-drained soil in full sun.

Interesting facts about Rue:

1. Dogs, cats and evil spirits all hate Rue.  Dried and powdered leaves are an effective insect repellent.

2. The volatile oils from Rue are added to liqueurs such as Italian grappa and as a constituent in certain perfumes.

3. Rue was included as a major ingredient of the poison antidotes of Mithridates.  Its beneficial effects led to its pre-eminence as a protector against witchcraft and magic.

4. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo both claimed that, owing to Rue's metaphysical powers, their eyesight and creative inner vision had been improved.

5. Robbers who stripped plague victims protected themselves with "Vinegar of the four thieves", rue being an ingredient.

6. Rue is shown on the heraldic Order of the Thistle and inspired the design of the suit of clubs in playing cards.

7.   - Macer's Herbal,  12th Century -- "She doth mekyl good to the stomak if she be ofte drunke.  For the hede-ache, medle the jus of rue with the oil of roses and vynegre and the oynement wole cese hede-aches."

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

Got lemon balm and rue in my garden....  just love my fresh herbs  !!

[Bertie Horak]

St. John's Wort    (Hypericum perforatum)

Common names:   
St. John's wort,  Johanneskruid.

Description:   
Perennial shrublet up to 60 cm.  Small gland-dotted leaves.  Oil glands visible as translucent dots on the leaves → from there the name perforatum.  Creeping rhizomes.  Bright yellow flowers in groups, followed by small dry capsules filled with numerous dark brown, shiny seeds.

Habitat:      
Europe.  Cool-climate plants, prefers full sun but will tolerate some shade.
Fertile, well-drained soil and plenty of water. 

Interesting facts about St. John's wart:

1.  As St. John was beheaded, and the herb is in full flower on St. John's Day (24 June), it became known as "herba sancti Ioannis", and later, as St. John's Wort – the herb of St. John.

2.  In America St. John's Wort grows freely in the cornfields, which proximity was held by Tilke to operate beneficially upon both herb and grain.  He tells us: "It is well known, by almost every baker, that this flour improves the quality of the bread, by having a small quantity of it in every batch, particularly in seasons when the English flour is of inferior quality."
Another author says it contains ¼ more gluten than the famous wheat grown in Gloucestershire, known by the name of "rivets".

3.  This herb has been declared an invader in SA according to Regulation 15 of the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 1983 (Act 43 of 1983).  It has however been controlled by the introduction of its natural enemies, the defoliating beetle (Chrysolina quadrigemina), and the stem-boring fly Zeuxidiplosis giardi). 
Not good news for the herbalist's garden!

Parts used:      
Flowering tops.  A very nice St.John's wart oil can easily be made.  When in flower, put the flowers in a jar (more can be added every day), and cover with cold-pressed olive oil.  Leave jar in the sun and shake every day.  Oil will be ready in 14 days, by which time the oil will have a brilliant wine-red color.

Constituents:      
Flavonoids (rutin, hyperin, isoquercetrin), Naphthodianthrone (hypericin, which gives the red colour to oil),  hyperforin (which is antibacterial).

Medicinal/Folk uses:
Depression, mood disturbances, anxiety, nervous conditions, wounds,    burns, viral infections of skin, inflammatory conditions of the stomach, worms.

[Bob Molloy]

Mary Poppins sang about a spoon full of sugar that made the medicine go down. Music works just as well. In fact, if you cook according to this recipe then anything will go down.
Try it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KYQj0-Is98

[Michael Alexander]

Hehehe! Bob, you a muppet man then?

[henniek]

Israeli researchers have germinated a sapling date palm from seeds 2000 years old in a bid to find new medicines .  one of its leaves was sent for analysis , in the hope that it will reveal medicinal qualities that have disappeared from all modern cultivated varieties . the seeds were found in archaeloical excavations at Masada. the desert mountain fortress where jewish soldiers chose suicide over capture by romans in AD73 . dates from ancient trees were highly medicinal , as well as preperations made from the tree' s  leaves  . if the plant turns out as female , it will bear fruit in about 30 years time

[Julie Vice (Willson)]

DON'T WASTE THAT LEMON PEEL
Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted.
How can you use the whole lemon without waste?
Simple..   Place the lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator.  Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on top of your food.
Sprinkle it on your vegetables, salad, ice cream, soup, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice, sushi, fish dishes.  All of the foods will unexpectedly have a wonderful taste, something that you may have never tasted before.  Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C.  Not anymore.  Now that you've learned this lemon secret, you can use lemon even in instant cup noodles.
What's the major advantage of using the whole lemon other than preventing waste and adding new taste to your dishes?
Well, you see, lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself. And yes, that's what you've been wasting.  But from now on, by following this simple procedure of freezing the whole lemon, then grating it onto your food, you can consume all of those nutrients and get even healthier.
It's also good to know that lemon peel is a health rejuvenator, eradicating toxic elements in the body.
So place your lemon in your freezer, and then grate it on your meal every day.  It is a key to making your food tastier and you get to live healthier and longer!  That's the lemon secret!
Better late than NEVER!

The surprising benefits of lemon!
Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.
Why do we not know about that ?  Because there are pharmaceutical companies and laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits. You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy.   How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the  multi-million dollar big corporations ? 
As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons, as the lime trees.  You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc...  It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors.  This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti-microbial, with a large spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms; it also regulates blood pressure which is too high and even acts as an anti-depressant, combating stress and nervous disorders.
The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, who says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that: It successfully destroyed malignant cells in 12 cancers, which included cancers of the colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas ... 
Compounds of the lemon tree have been tested and were found to be up to 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used in chemotherapeutics, slowing the growth of cancer cells.  And what is even more astonishing: therapy with lemon extract only destroyed malignant (cancer) cells and did not adversely affect healthy cells.