Page 196 - Lost Book Remedies

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies

Medicinal Use: Partridgeberry leaves and berries
are used to to help with fluid retention, but its main
value is to hasten childbirth and treat menstrual prob-
lems. It has a tonic effect on the uterus and ovaries,
though I prefer other herbs for these uses.

Childbirth and Menstrual Problems: The
leaves are used as a tea in the last weeks before child-
birth to hasten birth with fewer complications. How-
ever, the tea or berries should never be used until the
end of the pregnancy; it can cause a miscarriage when
used too soon. After delivery, the tea is used externally
to wash the breasts and treat sore nipples. Partridge-
berry Tea is also used to treat painful or irregular men-
ses and menstrual bloating.

Harvesting: Harvest the leaves during the summer
and dry them in the sun or on a dehydrator for later
use. Store the dried leaves in a cool, dry place. Harvest
berries during the early winter while they are at their
peak. Use them fresh or split the berries in half and dry Partridgeberry Leaf, 1 cup boiling water. Pour boiling
for future use. water over the dried herbs. Allow the tea to steep for 10
Recipes. Partridgeberry Leaf Tea: Use for minutes Strain and enjoy.
menstrual problems and childbirth. 1 teaspoon

Pipsissewa or Each stalk produces round seed capsules that remain

Prince's Pine, on the plant until late autumn or even into winter.
Each stalk contains four to eight capsules with five-
Chimaphila umbellata chambers containing numerous tiny seeds. The plant
also propagates by underground rhizomes. Prince’s
pine has a pleasant scent and flavor.
Pipsissewa, also known as Prince’s Pine, Umbellate
Wintergreen, Rheumatism Weed, and Ground Holly, is Edible Use: The plant has been used as a flavoring
a member of the Ericaceae (Heath) Family. It is a pop- in candy and root beer. It can also be brewed as a tea.
ular remedy for kidney stones. It is a small perennial
found in sandy soils and dry woodlands. It is native Medicinal Use: All parts of prince’s pine are medic-
throughout the cool and temperate zones of North inally active. I mostly use the leaves. The plant is an
America.

Identification: Pipsissewa is low growing, 4 to 12
inches (10 cm to 30 cm) tall, and an erect evergreen
wildflower. The stems are either simple or branched
with whorls of three to seven leaves.
The elongated leaves are leathery, shiny, and sharply
toothed with fine hairs on the edges. June brings whit-
ish to pink flowers in loose clusters of four to eight at
the end of flower stalks and blooms last through Au-
gust.

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