Page 262 - Lost Book Remedies

The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies

For sinus congestion or chronic coughs, you may need organic olive oil or coconut oil. Finely chop fresh cedar
to steam more often. leaves and place them in the top of a double boiler. Fill
the lower pot with water so that the water doesn’t
Harvesting: All parts of the tree are useful, includ- touch the bottom of the top pot. Cover the leaves with
ing the wood, bark, roots, and leaves. The easiest parts olive oil or other carrier oil. Gently heat the oil so that
to use medicinally are the leaves and the bark, so I con- it gets warm, but do not boil. Turn the pot on and off
centrate on those. Gather leaves in the late summer or throughout the day to keep the oil warm without excess
early fall when the oil content is highest, or as needed heat.
throughout the year. Prune off small branches until
you have the desired amount. Use them fresh or dry Check and refill the water level in the bottom pot
them for future use. Crush just before use to release the throughout the day. Heat the oil gently, turning it on
oils. and off for a week or until the oil is dark green and has
a strong cedar odor. Strain the cedar oil through
Warning: Red cedar is strong medicine and should cheesecloth and squeeze the cloth to remove as much
be used in moderation and carefully. Do not use red oil as possible. Label and date the oil and store it in a
cedar in any form if you may be pregnant. It stimulates cool, dark place.
uterine contractions and could cause miscarriage.
Some people are allergic to red cedar. Skin irritations Western Red Cedar Tea: Ingredients: 1 table-
can be severe. Test the oil on a very small patch of skin spoon fresh or dried cedar tea leaves, chopped, 1 cup
and check it for a few days before using it on a larger cold water. Put the chopped cedar leaves into the cold
area. Use red cedar in low doses and for short periods water and cover. Allow it to steep several hours or over-
of time. Do not use red cedar if you have weak kidneys. night. Drink ¼ to ½ cup, twice a day. Store the re-
maining tea in the refrigerator.
Recipes. Western Red Cedar Oil: Ingredients:
fresh cedar leaves, finely chopped, carrier oil such as

white pine are in bundles of 5, soft and flexible, 2.5 to
White Pine, 5 inches (6.25 cm to 12.5 cm) long, and are usually
Pinus strobus bluish-green in appearance. The cones of this plant
are nearly 4 to 8 inches (10 cm to 20 cm) long and
about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. They can remain at-
Pinus strobus belongs to the Pinaceae tached for several months after ripening in the au-
(Pine) Family. It is also known as tumn of the second season. The small seeds
the eastern white pine, northern white are dispersed by the wind when the cones
pine, white pine, and soft pine. The open.
Native American Haudenosaunee
tribe called it the Tree of Peace. It is Edible Use: The flowers, inner bark, and
a large pine native to Eastern North seeds are all edible. It is used as a condi-
America. ment and tea. The dried inner bark can be
ground to make a flour. The flour can be
Identification: The white pine is used in baking and as a thickener.
a very large conifer and reaches over
150 feet (45.7 meters) in height and Medicinal Use: The inner bark, needles,
nearly up to 40 inches (100 cm) in di- and sap/pitch are used for medicine. The in-
ameter. The trees have tall, cylindrical ner bark is the most valuable because of its high
stems with pyramidal-shaped crowns, charac- tannin content and other medicinal qualities.
terized by distinctive, plate-like branching that is espe- Wounds, Skin Infections, and Swelling: Ex-
cially noticeable as the trees become older. On young
growth, the bark of white pine remains rather thin, ternally white pine is a very useful treatment for vari-
smooth, and greenish-brown in color. On older trees, ous skin issues like wounds, sores, burns, boils, etc. It
the bark becomes dark grayish-brown in color and is used as a poultice, herbal steam bath, and by putting
deeply fissured. The evergreen leaves or needles of the sap/pitch directly on a wound. A poultice or plaster

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