Gardening

Originally, I didn't even plan to write about this topic for this week of the Pagan Blog Project, but I was overwhelmed today by the beautiful weather and my gardening plans for tomorrow!

I went to a local plant nursery today with my mom who is also a big plant lover. We actually don't have a garden - we have a balcony with lots of flower pots, but we're more than happy with this. :) We had the intention of "adopting" a few nice plants to bring a bit more life to our home for the spring. Unfortunately, I live in the city where there aren't many plants I can get without breaking laws or trespassing (especially not medicinal and aromatic plants; the kind I love the most) so we had to buy them. I prefer to borrow plants from the wild, or plant them as seeds and watch them grow day by day, but some things you just can't get so easily...so buying was the only option. In any case, my mom wanted to get some decorative plants since she loves those (she kind of sees them as her other children, which I find adorable) and I wanted to find some medicinal plants which I can use for making ointments, creams and such. Long story short, we drove off with a car full of plants which we could barely wait to get home. I ended up sharing the passenger seat with a huge Banksias Rose.

So tomorrow is replanting day! And I am really excited. We got so many beautiful plants that will go along wonderfully with all the other ones that are just in bloom. This reminds me of how much I love springtime! 

The reason why I decided to write about gardening, other than this ecstatic feeling I have at the moment, is the fact that I see this activity as a great way to bond with nature. As a Pagan, I love bonding with nature as do most Pagans; after all, nature is an integral, if not central part of Paganism (what with it being an earth-based path and all). 

Basically anything to do with nature fills me with positive energy, enriches my soul and regenerates me both physically, mentally and spiritually. Just the feeling of the moist soil under my fingertips and the warm sun against my back bring a smile to my face. As if this isn't enough, I love the fact that planting is ecological. I see this as a way of protecting the Earth and also bringing forth new life. These plants won't stay small forever; their seeds will spread and in turn grow and repeat this whole cyclical process. This is nature's heartbeat.

There are many wonderful ways for a Pagan to commune with nature. Sometimes simply touching the earth, letting the soil pass through your fingers, or just walking barefoot on the earth can be a sensational feeling. The planting process itself can be fulfilling and very meditative if it is done in peace. You can visualize each plant growing as you plant it, or you can see your positive energy "watering" the earth as you dig the hole for the plant and cover the roots. Many witches out there are aware of the magical properties of plants and probably all of them are familiar with the idea that each plant is supposed to be planted at a certain time (which astrologically corresponds to the plant at hand) if it is to reach its full biological and magical potential. Harvesting plants is another great way to connect with them and also perform magic. Many witches also take into consideration the date and time of the harvesting as this may also effect the energy of the plant and consequently the outcomes of magical works (if they are to be performed). 

Personally, I plant and harvest when I get the chance and when I feel like enjoying the presence of Mother Nature's children.

Of course, gardening has practical benefits in addition to these spiritual ones. You can pick and choose which plants you have in your garden; from vegetables and culinary herbs which you can use in the kitchen (*wink* to all you kitchen witches out there), aromatic plants which you can use to make your own aromatic oils, and basically any herb which you feel you can use in your rituals (sage for cleansing the circle, mint for making anointing oil and so on). The more energy and love you put into your plants, the better they will grow and the more quality they will prove to be when it's time to actually use them for a certain purpose. At least this is how it has been for me so far. :)

I find it very rewarding when I see a plant grow (be it from a seed or not) knowing that I helped it get to that stage. Still, what's even more rewarding is being able to actually use these plants. This is why I love medicinal and aromatic plants so much. In the past, I made chamomile tea, marigold ointment and a number of other herbal remedies from my own plants. I can't even begin to explain the pride I felt from this. And even if you prefer nice flowers over herbs, you can still use the flowers for you table centerpieces, give them as gifts or use them in DIY projects.

But no matter what plant you choose to grow, it's sure to bring you joy and pride if you take care of it.

Since this post wasn't so typical of me (it's more personal and less "practical" and objective), I have to recommend a few nice books and web-sites to stay true to my industrious nature. :) So here are a few reads which I find very useful for any Pagan that has a love for their garden. :D Enjoy!

Cunningham, Scott - The Complete Book of Incense Oils and Brews
Cunningham, Scott - Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
Hoffmann, David - Medical Herbalism Complete
Marcin, Marietta Marshall - The Complete Book of Herbal Teas
Martin, Deborah J. - Herbs: Medicinal, Magical, Marvelous!
Miller, Richard Alan - Magical and Ritual Uses of Common Herbs
Moore, Michael - Herb Formulas
Mrs Grieve - A Modern Herbal
Ward, Harold - Herbal Manual
Weil, Andrew - Guide to Herbal Medicines
Unknown - Herbs and Their Magical Properties

Pagan Path - "Witchcraft Gardening Basics"
Rain-tree - "Methods of Preparing Herbal Remedies"

And finally, here are the results of my mom's and my gardening work :)

Organic Plant Remedies

This is exactly what the plant lice on my plants
looked like (except there weren't this many of
them on each plant)

My plants, which I love dearly, recently got sick and I can't even begin to describe how painful this was for me. Some of them have really grown on me since I didn't just buy them; a few of them I even grew from seeds while others were brought from the countryside (and it's a miracle they even adjusted to the new climate).

Since I use these plants from my "garden" (actually just a balcony so the plants are potted) for medical and culinary purposes as well as to make aromatic oils, I can't poison them with pesticides nor do I want to. I wanted to find organic ways to cure them but this turned out to be much more difficult than I expected.

In the process of searching for remedies, I searched the books I have at home as well as the Internet. I even went to a nearby agricultural shop where the saleswoman told me that she doesn't know a single organic method for healing plants and that they only sell pesticides there. As if that wasn't bad enough, she couldn't even tell me what was causing this illness; all she said was that she guessed it was some sort of bug. Well I could have guessed that but never mind. It was up to me to solve this mystery and, by some miracle, I managed to find a cure and even find out what the cause was!

It turned that plant had gotten plant lice and that grasshoppers had decided to feast on the leaves as well (although I found out about the grasshoppers a bit later). I guess animals like plants with no pesticides...what a shocker. 

He might look cute, but he almost
destroyed my peppermint and
frankincense plant and succeeded in
eating up my whole marigold plant!

There are several kinds of plant lice that differ by color, among other things, and mine were black. They just looked like tiny little black dots on the bottom parts of the leaves. I came to the conclusion that it must be some sort of smaller bug when I figured out that something was eating the leaves from inside (grasshoppers start eating the leaf from the outer parts). It helped me out when I noticed that small groups of these black dots liked to gather around the holes in the leaves. I noticed the grasshopper on my peppermint plant after he had been sedated by the first cure I used to kill the plant lice, but it wasn't until the next day that I found out he was also eating the plants; I caught him red-handed...frantically biting and throwing around bits of my frankincense plant!

Thanks to the all-knowing Google, I managed to find a preparation which was supposed to kill all the plant lice while I used nettle tea to keep the lice from coming back as well as better the growth of the plants.

I bring you the "recipes" for both remedies in this post. But before you read them, have a look at the "before and after" pictures:

Peppermint plant before the cure (the very beginning of the lice terror)

Peppermint plant 2 months after the finished cure

Sage plant before cure - you can see very well exactly how the plant lice eat the leaves

Sage plant 2 months after the finished cure

I don't know about you, but I definitely see a difference and I hope you can see it too even though a photo isn't even close to seeing the plant in person.

Anyway, here are the two miracles that saved my plants! :)

All-Purpose Insect Pest Spray

1. Cut up or grind one whole onion and one garlic bulb. (I used a kitchen blender)
2. Add one teaspoon of powdered chili and one liter of water.
3. Let the mixture sit for an hour, strain it through a cheesecloth or any other type of filter and add one tablespoon of any liquid dish soap. Mix well.
4. Pour the liquid into a bottle with a spray ending.
5. When spraying your plants, pay attention to the undersides of the leaves since this is where you'll find the most lice.

Note: keep the liquid in the refrigerator so it will last longer. It can be used up to a week (if it stays longer, even in the fridge, it is best to throw it away because it is potentially harmful). Always keep the bottle shut (the liquid can go spoiled and it can stink up your fridge). After using it, wash your hands (or use gloves while spraying) and take care not to let the liquid come in contact with any sensitive skin areas or the eyes. 

This amount lasted 4-5 days for me, but I sprayed 6-7 plants with it so take that into consideration. 

Nettle Tea

Ratio: 20g of dried nettles on 1l (liter) of water

1. Leave the dried nettles to sit in the water at room temperature for 24 hours in a covered container.
2. Strain the mixture through any sort of filter and pour the "tea" into a bottle with a spray ending.
3. When spraying your plants, pay attention to the undersides of the leaves since this is where you'll find the most lice.

If you want to use this tea as a fertilizer, then leave the nettles in for 3 days. The smell will be very intense and a bit unpleasant, but it's worth it.

As for the nettle, if you can't go picking it in the countryside and don't already have it at home, you can by dried nettles in any tea house (I bought mine for about 2 euros).

I didn't use these two remedies at the same time, mind you. I used the first remedy for 4-5 days and then I let my plants rest for 2 days. After that, I started treating them with the nettle tea for 4-5 days. It took them a long time to regain their strength and grow new stems, but I succeeded! :D

I sincerely hope that you won't have these problems, but if you do, I wish you the best of luck!

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat

Herbology - an introduction

Even though I may not be a herbology expert, I believe that a section on this subject should exist on my blog since it touches upon it in some aspects. I hope you won't mind my using books to guide me through the posts since their authors definitely know more than I do. :)

My idea was this: to write a post (or two on a good week) on a different plant every week. I think it's best to go in alphabetical order just so things don't get mixed up so I'm going to stick to that. :) I will talk about that plant in general, its environment, its medicinal uses as well as its hazards.

This post will serve as a short introduction to herbology so let's get started. :D

The Etymology of the Word "Herbology"

The word itself is comprised of two parts: herb+ology. The root is obviously herb, which comes from the Latin word herba which refers to grasses, plants, moss etc. As for the suffix -ology, you are familiar with it so there is no need to explain its meaning. 

What is Herbology?

In short, it is the study of the medicinal uses of herbs. You are hopefully aware that there would be no modern medicine without plants because they are all made out of a concentrated amount of a certain (or several) plants which is/are reduced to a liquid or solid form through various chemical processes. The main reason why this is done is to make consumption easier and to get a faster reaction from the patient (of course, with certain additives).

Jakob Theodorus

"Tabernaemontus" -

Neuwe Kreuterbuch

(1588)

People were surely aware of the medicinal (and also poisonous) properties of plants a long time ago. This knowledge used to be orally passed on from generation to generation and with the invention of writing system, it began to be written down. Up to the 14th century, knowledge of plants fell under the category of medicine and was thus written in Latin (the language of medicine). It wasn't until much later that books in common/native languages came to exist but it was precisely these books that enabled common people to gain some knowledge of medicine. An example of such a s book would be that of Jakob Theodorus Tabernaemontanus (1520-1590) which states in its foreword that it is intended for everyone (not only doctors doctors, but also blacksmiths, gardeners, midwives etc.). These kinds of books were definitely practical because they could educate people on the topic of herbs and thus save them many medical expenses (although it is worth noting that the oral tradition did not fade so that some of this knowledge wasn't completely new, nor was it lost up to this point in time). Surely we must not underrate the importance of doctors, but we have to understand that there are some things which we can do for ourselves. :)

In modern times where chemical and synthetic drugs are used much more, simple herbs may seem ineffective and old-fashioned. Phytotherapy (healing using plants) has become almost a neanderthalic method of healing. Despite this, we see that an interest for herbology and medications on a "natural basis" has grown and still keeps growing. Maybe this is because people are beginning to understand that they are poisoning their bodies with chemicals? Maybe we have all had enough of polluted air and unhealthy food so we are attempting to get our organisms back in tune with nature? You can answer those questions. :) But one fact does remain; WHO (the World Health Organization) has started paying more and more attention to the researching of medicinal uses of herbs. Also, the number of people who use herbs as a primary method of healing keeps growing from day to day.

I also have to emphasize that phytotherapy isn't the only healing method available. On the contrary, I believe it should be understood as a supplement to modern medicine. If doctors of medicine, village grannies (believe it or not, they are the best herbologists you can find) and energy healers collaborated, miracles could happen! The only problem is that they don't want to collaborate. :/ Because of this, whenever I find myself in a health crisis, I first try to use natural methods to prevent/heal the illness, but if I believe it to be serious then I first consult my physician. Only if no natural method works, I turn to synthetic drugs. But hey, I guess that has to be tolerated every once in a while too.

Notice how I said "prevent/heal" an illness. What I wanted to say with this is that herbology can also be used to prevent some diseases as well as heal them. :) You are familiar with the saying: "Prevention is better than cure", aren't you?

What about the Term "Drugs"?

Liverwort,
Anemone Hepatica L.

In herbology, the word "drugs" refers to plants which are prepared in a certain way. Usually, plants (or rather specific parts of a plant) are dried or prepared in some other way in order to get something out of that derivative/drug, i.e. the drug is used to produce tinctures, ointments, teas and so on.

The Problematics of Combining Herbs

Each drug is made up of active matter (effectors) and supporting matter (coeffectors such as flavonoids, saponins, mucilage, electrolytes etc.). This matter is important to the effectors because they (the effectors) use them as solvents, preservatives, stabilizers and sometimes even as antioxidants. It is obvious that one does not exist without the other. For this reason, it is important to look at a plant as a whole and not as separated sections.

Lungwort (got its name because of its
leaves that remind us of the texture of
the lungs)
Pulmonaria Officinalis L.

Traditional preparations are usually teas and alcoholic extracts such as tinctures and others. When they are made, several plants can be used but each one of them usually has a different source material. For example, some medicinal plants may contain toxic active matter. Everything above this is complicated chemistry to me so I would rather not go into any more detail but I hope that you understood why you can't just combine everything you want. 

These kinds of dilemmas can be avoided with synthetic drugs because all they are all standardized, that is, each drug is modified to have an exact, specific amount of each ingredient. 

Unfortunately, not enough experiments have been conducted on the subject of mutual effects of plants (at least for now). 

Plants among Common Folk

Eyebright
Euphrasia Officinalis

Before I begin, I have to say that I would never use the term "common folk" in a pejorative sense. I include myself in this category and am very proud of it. But that isn't today's topic so let us proceed. 

Even though much could be learnt through oral tradition, the things you could learn weren't always right. It simply came to it that certain plants began to be used to cure specific organs which they resembled in one way or another. An example of this would be the leaf of a plant called liverwort began to be used to cure diseases of the liver, the leaf of the lungwort to cure lung diseases, eyebright (the flowers of which resemble eyes) for eye diseases (even though it turned out this plant really can help cure eye diseases) etc.

I plan to add information on plants, remedies and such even to this introductory, general section in due time, but I will also add references for you to have a look at. :)

I truly recommend the following websites and books:

Yardener
Horizon herbs
Seedaholic
Botany.com
Natural Healing House
Natural News
Botanical.com

Cunningham, Scott - The Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (additional reading, not strictly herbology)
Mrs Grieve - A Modern Herbal
Hoffmann, David - Medicinal Herbalism
-II- - The Holistic Herbal
Marcin, Marietta Marshall - The Complete Book of Herbal Teas
Petrušić, Tomislav - Ayurveda (I don't believe a translation exists so I recommend any book on the topic by Vasant Lad)
Launert, Edmund - Edible and Medicinal Plants
Ward, Harold - Herbal Manual
Weil, Andrew - Guide to Herbal Medicines

Additional Information

Plants

• Achillea millefolium - YARROW
• Acorus calamus - SWEET FLAG
• Aesculus hippocastanum - HORSE-CHESTNUT
• Agrimonia eupatoria - STICKLEWORT

Agrimonia eupatoria - STICKLEWORT

Names:

Common agrimony, church steeples, sticklewort, stickwort, burr marigold, cockeburr, rat's tail, Aaron's rod.

Bloom / Picking:

It blossoms in June and July and this is also the time when it is best to pick the flowers.

Environment:

It can be found in dry meadows, in bushes or at the edges of forests in the lowlands all the way to mountain areas. All in all, it is a very prevalent plant for which you want have to go through too much trouble to find.

Interesting Facts:

Even in ancient times, it was used for healing wounds but it wasn't until recently that it started being used for healing bladder diseases.

Attributes:

Anti-inflammatory
Antibacterial
Astringent (stops bleeding and the excretion of other secretes, also useful for binding body tissue together)

For the Drug:

The whole plant or just the leaves are picked when it is in bloom (June/July) because this is the time of year when the amount of active matter in the plant is at its highest. The plant is dried to get a drug that really has no smell but has a very bitter taste.

It Is Used for:

Diarrhea (both light and acute)
General stomach and intestinal pains
Gallstone (a.k.a. gall-sand)
Draining gall (eases spasmodic pains and prevents gallstone)
Healing wounds
Rinsing gums and the gullet in case of inflammation
Cystitis and other uric infections
Washing wounds and abscesses
Angina

Preparations:

Tea:

2 teaspoons of the drug + 6dcl water
This should be enough for 3 cups a day (as is recommended). It can be used for rinsing gums, gargling and cleaning wounds.

Ointment:

3 spoons pig fat + 2 spoons finely-chopped drug (so it must be dried beforehand)
Melt the fat in a pot over a small fire and while it is still warm (not hot!) add the drug. Let the mixture cool down and consolidate. Melt the mixture again over a small fire and leave it to cool down again. Repeat this process two more times and then filter the ointment into a container.
This ointment is great for stopping bleeding and healing wounds.

Tea Mixture:

Each of the following mixtures is made using the drug of the listed herbs (i.e. dried herbs). Take care to use the said quantity and said part of the plant. The tea is made using 2 teaspoons of the mixture and 6dcl of water. You can drink 2-3 cups of a mixture per day.

For the bladder (is drunk periodically):
Sticklewort greens (40g) + cleaver greens (30g) + woodruff greens (30g)

For the kidneys and gallstones:

Sticklewort greens (40g) + spiny restharrow root (30g) + birch leaf (30g)

For calming, stopping convulsions, stopping diarrhea, it is drunk half an hour before each meal:
Sticklewort greens (20g) + sage leaf (20g) + blackberry leaf (20g) + chamomile flower (20g) + peppermint leaf (20g)

Sedentary Bath:

200g of the plant for a full bath
It is recommended to basically everyone since it helps with varicose veins, cleansing wounds and abscesses and helps aid exterior wounds in general. It is especially helpful for children with scrofula (the inflammation of lymph nodes in the neck in children).

Warnings:

There actually aren't any. No unwanted effects have been noted and it is even an advisable plant for children to use.

Aesculus hippocastanum - HORSE-CHESTNUT

Names:

Horse-chestnut, conker tree, wild chestnut.

Environment:

Nowadays, it can often be found as a decoratory tree in parks and gardens, or better said, in very tame surroundings.

Interesting Facts:

It got its name (horse chestnut) because the Ottomans primarily used it (or rather its nuts) to feed their horses.

It used to be thought that this plant could help horses with any ailments in the chest area, but it actually turned out that it only made things worse and harmed them.

Another superstition regarding this plant was that it could help cure arthritis merely if you carried it around with you in your pocket.

Attributes:

Antiexudative (for capillaries)
Antiedemic (against water contraction in the organism)
Anti-inflammatory

For the Drug:

The seeds must be processed straight away since they are inedible for humans. The flowers are picked at the very beginning of their bloom, after which they are dried and stored away in a well-closed container. Fresh or dried leaves can also be used (though rarely) just as the bark can (though even more rarely than the leaves).

It is Used for:

Subsiding fevers
Curing malaria
Stopping diarrhea
Skin diseases
Leaves: arthritis, coughing, rheumatic diseases
Capillaries (decreases damages, strengthens their walls, protects from edema)
Varicose veins
Bark: decreasing the amount of excretion from the glands in the digestive system
Bleeding from the stomach and intestines
Hemorrhoids
Dysentery
Flowers: skin blemishes
Burns
Faster healing of wounds

Preparations:

Tea:

1 teaspoon of fresh/dried leaves + 2-3dcl of water

Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

For aiding coughs, drink two to three times a day with a bit of honey. For healing the common cold, drink one cup a day with honey.

Can also be prepared using 2-3 teaspoons of dried flowers.

Tonic:

About 20 fresh, ripe nuts have to be finely chopped/grated (don't forget to clean them beforehand) and washed over with 1l (liter) of ethanol (70%). Let this mixture sit for 2 weeks and then filter it. Before using, it is necessary to dilute it with an equal amount of water. 

The compress is placed on swelled-up/sick legs, used to help with inflamed veins or as addition to sedentary foot-baths.

Warning: must not be used on damaged feet!

Sedentary Bath:

30dkg of finely shopped flowers/nuts + 5l (liters) of cold water

Leave it to sit for at least 12 hours. Filter and add to a bath of warm water. It is recommended to stay in this bath for about 20 minutes for it to take any real effect.

Compresses:

Half a teaspoon of bark is washed over with water (as is done to prepare tea) and is used only for exterior uses. It helps with sunburns, chilblain and wounds that heal slowly.

Extracts and other preparations can be ready-bought in pharmacies. Since this industry takes care to balance out all the ingredients, these preparations should be safe for both exterior and interior use. The extract is especially useful for healing hemorrhoids and can be bought in the form of gels or creams.

Warnings:

When used orally, it can cause (but not necessarily always) feelings of laxity, itchiness and stomach problems. There should be no negative side-effects for pregnant women when using the extract (on the contrary, it should help with the veins and edema), but it is recommended that a physician be consulted nevertheless.

Acorus calamus - SWEET FLAG

Names: 

Calamus, beewort, bitter pepper root, calamus root, flag root, gladdon, myrtle flag, myrtle grass, myrtle root, myrtle sedge, pine root, sea sedge, sweet cane, sweet cane, sweet cinnamon, sweet grass, sweet myrtle, sweet root, sweet rush, and sweet sedge. 

Blooming / Picking:

Calamus blooms from June to August and the rhizomes are best picked in spring or late autumn.

Environment: 

It can be found exclusively around marshes, beside ponds, on river armlets and near ditches. In short, only around fresh water.

Interesting Facts:

Sweet Flag has been know in China and India since ancient times and it is thought that the Ottomans brought it to Europe.

The first man to have used its medicinal properties, at least in Europe (that is known of) was dr. Mathilous who was also a botanist in the year 1560. This man also happened to be the private physician of Emperor Maximillian II.

Midwives used to wash weak newborns in calamus baths.

Since this plant is know to help with inflamed gums, it is well-known that extractions from its roots are used in tooth pastes.

It is recommended to all those smokers out there who wish to quit smoking that they chew on the dried rhizome of a calamus because this should stop the nicotine cravings (although this is also recommended for people with lung and intestinal cancer).

Attributes:

When fresh, this plant has a strong and aromatic smell and a bitter and hot taste. The dried herb is very hard so it is tough to cut or crumble it so and chopping up is recommended before drying.

Uses:

It is usually used for a variety of indigestion problems. It can be consumed as a tea but also as a bath for basically any sort of weakness.

For the Drug:

The plant should be taken out of the marshland whole after which the roots and the remains of the leaves should be removed (although you can peel them off and cut them up along the longer side to help them dry faster). The plant should be kept in well-closed containers.

It is Used for:

Digestive problems (stomach, intestines)
Bettering the fnctioning of glands and muscels of the digestive system
Decreasing the amount of gasses
Easing cramps conserned with the digestive system
Bettering the functioning of the intestines
Creating bile in the bladder (and to help its outflow)
Gum inflammation (use tea for gargling), disinfecting the oral cavity, ailing bad breath
Helping to get rid of kidney stones
Improving appetite
Lung problems (pneumonia, the flu, lung cancer, high fevers etc.)
Enhancing bloodflow (use in a bath)
Healing angina
Improving sexual potency
Quitting smoking

Preparations:

Tea:

Let 1 teaspoon of the drug sit for 6-8 hours in cold water. After this, heat it up to an appropriate temperature.
You can also make a tea which only needs to sit for 5 minutes.
It is drunk three times a day but batchwise. By "batchwise" I mean that it is drunk for 4-6 weeks each day and they at least a two-week break must be taken before further consumption.

Tincture:

10g crushed/cut up rhizome + 100ml alcohol (70%) or quality home-made brandy (rakija).
Let the mixtures sit for 2-3 weeks.
The tincture is used when massaging someone with rheumatic diseases, for joint pains, muscle pains after extensive labor etc.
A diluted tincture can be used to heal rashes and chilblain.
Warning: must not be used internally without medical supervision.

Sedentary Bath:

100g of the grounded up drug is prepared into a decoction which has to stay covered for 15 minutes. This extract is added to baths and it can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days.

These baths are great for cold feet, chilblain-covered hands and for a general feeling of weakness (to recover).

It is also great for people with anaemia and other metabolic problems. 

Along with teas, they help a great deal with indigestion problems.

Oil:

200g finely chopped roots + 1l (liter) of corn/olive oil.
Leave this mixture to sit for 30-60 days taking care to mix it up a bit in between.
It is used for massaging ailing areas (several times a day).

Juice:

The fresh plant (more precisely, the roots) is cleaned and squeezed to get the juice directly out of it.
It can be used for eye problems. Eyesight can be improved by spreading a bit of calamus juice on closed eyelids and being left to stay that way for a couple of minutes. It must then be washed off with cold water.

Warnings:

It is a very tricky plant for internal use. Before using it internally, you should definitely consult your physician because much of its effect depends on the quantity of the drug taken. It is only taken batchwise (in batches/periodically).
It is not for pregnant women.

Achillea millefolium - YARROW

Names:

Common yarrow, gordaldo, nosebleed plant, old man's pepper, devil's nettle, sanguinary, milfoil, soldier's woundwort (it was used to stop bleeding in battle but also in common life), thousand-leaf, thousand-seal. 

Planting:

Even though it can grow anywhere and anytime, it is usually planted at the beginning or spring or autumn (that is at the crossing of seasons) when the temperatures are between 18 and 25°C.

Environment:

Meadows, grasslands, open forests, bushes, cultivated land, banks....basically anywhere; from the lowest to the highest parts of land (it is obviously a very enduring plant). Just a little warning: it grows by dividing its roots and it grows rapidly ("self-insemination"). Because of this, it is recommended that you fence it up so it doesn't start growing all over the place (this is why I keep mine in a pot). 

Interesting Facts:

This is one of the eldest medicinal herbs known to man. This can be concluded thanks to the notes taken by the Greek physician Dioscorides who mentioned yarrow to be a good herb to stop bleeding or to better the healing of a wound.

There is also a myth regarding Achilles and this plant. Supposedly, when Achilles was wounded in his heel during the Trojan War, he went to the goddess Aphrodite to heal him. She washed his wound in yarrow but, despite this, he died. The plant got its name (Achillea) in praise of this hero and became famous as an escort of the wounded. Also, Acheilles was supposed to have healed his soldiers' wounds with this plant (and quite successfully if we are to believe the stories).

In the Middle Ages, it was believed that yarrow was a witch's herb (hehe). The cultivation of this herb was thought to bring love, happiness and clear vision.

It was believed that:

...putting this herb under your pillow at night cause one to have prophetic dreams.

...putting yarrow leaves on yours eyes cause you to see your future true love.

Even the Druids used yarrow in their rituals. They made amulets from it or would strew it across a threshold to keep out evil spirits (or anything evil, actually). Some even wore it around there neck as an amulet to protect themselves from hexes.

Before hop started to be used, yarrow was used to spice beers and is still used to this day to flavor vermouth and bitters. 

In China, the stems of this plant were used for divination (precisely, in I Ching which is now performed using coins but used to be performed with stems).

Attributes:

Antiphlogistic (anti-inflammatory)

Antispasmodic (helps relieve cramps and spasms)

Choleretic (helps stimulate the production by the liver)

Bactericidal (prevents infections)

Astringent (draws together/constricts tissue)

Uses:

Yarrow is most commonly used in teas to aid stomach and intestinal pains, pain in the gallbladder and urinary bladder but also to help with heart and vein problems. It is less commonly used in gynecology. If you have a garden, it is worth noting that this is a plant that can really help better the quality of the herbs which surround it and, in the process, intensify their taste as well. Like nettle, it betters the building up of compost.

For the Drug:

The upper parts of the blossoming scion are best picked from June to September. They are cut using a knife to avoiding plucking out the entire plant. The leaves can be gathered all the way until autumn. When yarrow is dry, it has an aromatic smell and a bitter taste, but it can also be used as a fresh herb.

It Is Used for:

Dyspepsia (indigestion)

Emission of saliva, gastric juices and bile

A small appetite (to better it)

Convulsions of the stomach and intestines

"Female" cramps (menstrual pains, PMS - it is used in the form of a bath)

Urine (sometimes used as a diuretic)

High blood pressure

Recovering after the flu and other heavier diseases (best used in a tonic sweetened with a bit of honey)

Pains caused by rheumatism and gout

In depth cleaning of the blood

Cracked hands

Psoriasis

Diabetes

Rushes of blood to the head (dizziness, depression etc.)

Stopping nosebleeds

Preparations:

Tea:

1-2 teaspoons of the drug (2-5g) for 2-3dcl of water

It is drunk 3-4 times a day during meals.

Can be used for compresses and for cleaning wounds which are healing slowly.

Note: the whole plant can be ground, but you have to wait for it to dry completely (including the stem).

Tea Mixture:

30g yarrow greens

20g sticklewort greens

20g barberry bark

20g white horehound greens

10g common sweet flag rhizome

This mixture affects the liver, stomach, intestines and blood circulation.
The tea is made of two teaspoons of the above mixture or dried herbs (drugs). It is drunk three times a day half an hour before meals.
It can also be drunk for irregular menstruation. If this is the case, it can be drunk 3-4 times a day two days before the period is expected.

Sedentary Bath:

100g fresh herb / dried herb in 1l (liter) of water

It should sit (covered!) for 20 minutes and then be added to the bath.

Fresh Juice:

Two handfuls of the fresh herb is washed over with 100ml of water and ground well in an electric mixer.

One spoonful of filtered juice is taken four times a day, each day with meals.

Compresses:

Can be cold or warm and are put directly onto the wound. Warm compresses are made using tea and cold ones out of the juice of the herb.

Fresh Plant:

Yarrow itself can be squashed/ground and heated up and then placed directly onto the wound.

Oil:

100g dried yarrow leaves on 1l (liter) sunflower oil

Mix ingredients in a jar and cover the top with nylon foil. Put clean linen cloth at the bottom of a larger pot. Cover the jar with a clean fabric and place on the linen pieces of cloth. Pour in water until it reaches the top of the jar and heat up until water reaches a boil. Keep fire low and let this "cook" for three hours. When this time has passed, get the pot off the fire and let it all cool down. Filter the oil through gauze into smaller containers but make sure that they are opaque. Close the containers well, wrap in some sort of paper and leave in a cold and dry place.

This oil can be used when sunbathing or in case of hemorrhoids (in case of hemorrhoids, dip a clean piece of cloth in the oil and leave the cloth on the inflamed spot overnight).

Warnings:

Must not be taken by people with allergies to any member of the Asteraceae family. If used, this may lead to plant dermatitis with inflammatory skin changes. It is also not for pregnant women and wet nurses.