Page 107 - Lost Book Remedies

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies

antibacterial properties, Lungwort is beneficial in can cause a skin rash in some people. Do not use Lung-
helping the body rid itself of excess fluids and aids the wort if you experience a rash or any adverse reaction.
kidneys and urinary tract in the process. It treats uri-
nary tract infections like cystitis (bladder infection), Recipes. Lungwort Tea: 1 Tablespoon lungwort
and helps expel toxins from the body. leaves and flowers, 1
cup boiling water,
Stops Bleeding: Taken internally as a powder or Raw honey, as desired
tea, lungwort is useful in reducing internal bleeding for sweetness. Pour
and excess menstrual bleeding. It can be applied di- the boiling water over
rectly to external wounds as a powder or whole leaf to the leaves and flowers
bind a wound and stimulate clotting. and allow it to steep
for 15 minutes. Strain
Ringworm: A Lungwort Decoction applied several the tea and drink up
times a day directly onto the skin will help with ring- to three cups daily.
worm.
Raw honey helps alle-
Harvesting: Harvest the flowers and leaves in the viate the bitter flavor
spring when the flowers first appear. Cut off the entire for some people.
stem with leaves and flowers attached and tie them in Lungwort Decoction for Wounds: 2 Table-
bunches for hanging and drying.
spoons chopped, dried lungwort leaves and 1 cup boil-
Warning: Be cautious taking Lungwort if you are ing water. Make a strong tea, infusing the leaves in the
pregnant or breastfeeding. The plant has no known boiling water for 20 minutes or until cool. Strain the
side effects, but caution is always warranted. Lungwort decoction and use it to wash the skin and affected areas
or apply it to a cloth and use as a compress.

compressed disks or a cheese wheel, leading to the
Mallow, nickname “cheese flower.” Ripe seeds are about ¼
Malva sylvestris inch (0.625 cm) in diameter and are brownish-green to
brown in color.
Mallow, also called high mallow, wood mallow, tree Edible Use: All parts are edible raw or cooked and
mallow, or cheeseweed, is a spreading herb that can be are mucilagenous. Leaves cook up much like okra.
biennial. It is native to Europe and Asia but is natural- Cooked mallow roots can be beaten and used like egg
ized throughout most of North America. This is a dif- whites in a meringue.
ferent plant than Marshmallow, also in this book. It is
in the Malvaceae (Mallow) Family and looks similar to
Hibiscus.

Identification: This plant grows from 3 to 10 feet
(3m) high. Its branches are bare or covered with fine
soft hairs. They have palmately lobed leaves that are
dark green in color with long petioles. Leaves are 1 ½
to 2 inches (3.5 cm to 5 cm) across and are creased with
3 to 9 shallow lobes. Leaves on the stem are alternate.
The leaves have a course feel but release mucilage
when crushed. Purple-pink flowers bloom between
May and August. Flowers grow in axillary clusters of 2
to 4 and form
Medicinal Use: Mallow roots, leaves, seeds, and
along the main stem. They are about 2 inches (5 cm) in flowers are all used medicinally. The mucilage is very
diameter with 5 dark, veined, notched petals. Flowers
at the base of the stem open first. The fruit looks like soothing and it is a good anti-inflammatory.
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