Catnip

Meow, Meow, MEEEOWW!

Common Names: Catmint, Catnep, Catwort, Field Balm

Botanical Name: Nepeta cataria

Plant Family: Lamiaceae, Mint Family

Parts Used: Leaves, Stems and Flowers

Actions: Diaphoretic, sedative, nervine, carminative, digestive (systems affected: Lungs, liver and nerves)

Collection: I like to harvest the entire top of the plant (about 6 inches up from the base) when they are beginning to bloom. This is normally mid-late summer.

Catnip Medicine:

Ok, so catnip makes you think of a cat in its kitty bliss, yet this herb is great for both you and your cat! Cats will lick, chew or roll around in the volatile oil, nepetalactone, found in the leaves, stems and seeds of catnip. The volatile oil exudes feline sex pheromones. This in turn can make your cat playful or mellow your cat out. Similarly, this can happen to people as well. I’ve met a handful of folks that say catnip has the “reverse” effects on them. I was curious of what they meant by “reverse” and they said, “it doesn’t calm me down, yet it perks me up.” So, this is one of those nervine herbs that might not relax your nervous state, and for that reason, I tell folks to try it during the day to see if it’ll help calm you down…

Nerves & Anxiety

Catnip is known to be both a nervine and sedative. It can help sooth nerves and reduce over-excitement. It works great as a sleeping sedative for young children. Catnip has also been used to help calm a child (or adult) with ADHD when they are becoming irritated. To help reduce irritation catnip is best combined with St. John’s Wort, Passionflower or Skullcap. To help reduce overexcitement, make a tea with catnip, chamomile and lemon balm.

Fever & Colds

Catnip is a cooling, diaphoretic herb. It helps cool the internal body temperature while heating the external body temperature to induce sweating. Hence, catnip (along with our friend elderflower) is a good herb for treating fevers.

Specifically, catnip helps soothe coughing spasms. It is antispasmodic and antitissuive, meaning it helps prevent or relieves coughs.

Upset Stomach & Diarrhea

Energetically catnip is cooling, drying with a pungent, bitter taste. The bitterness of catnip helps with digestion and works with the liver. A tea with catnip can help sooth the digestive system. It is especially great for easing colic and gas in babies. The cool, drying, “astringent” aspects of this plant help slow and stop diarrhea.

Bug Off

The same volatile oil, nepetalactone, that attracts cats to Catnip, repels mosquitoes and other bugs. A study showed that nepetalactone is about 10 times more effective than DEET!

 

Catnip Concoctions:

Calming Tea

1 part of all of the following herbs:

Linden

Hawthorn

Chamomile

Catnip

Lemon Balm

1/8 part Stevia

Diarrhea Tea:

3 cups water

1 tsp catnip leaves

½ tsp raspberry leaves

½ tsp peppermint leaves

½ tsp cinnamon bark powder

Combine ingredients and water in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer, then remove it from heat. Steep for 15-20 minutes, then strain out herbs.

For a 50 pound child, give 1 cup every half-hour until the symptoms go away.

Make a Catnip Toy Mouse for your cat. Check it out HERE 

Violet

Viola glabella

Common Names: Blue Vervain, Wood Violet, Creek Violet, Hearts Ease

Botanical Name: Viola officinalis, V.glabella, V. spp

Plant Family: Violaceae, Violet Family

Parts Used: Aerial parts

Actions: Cooling, Alterative, Demulcent, Anti-inflammatory, Lymphagogue

Habitat: Moist soils in full or partial shade. Commonly found in Washington on the edges of logging roads; clear, sunny, high elevations (around 1900ft.) It can be found throughout North America.

Collection: I collect this plant when it is in flower. That can be from April to June (depending on where you are at in the PNW).

Violet Medicine

Anti-Inflammatory/Pain

Violet helps ease pain. It aids any inflamed ligaments, tendons, sprains or strains. This can help both internally and externally. The whole plant contains sacilic acid (like our good friend willow), which ultimately acts as an analgesic to help reduce pain. Violet also kills free radicals and repairs our cells.

Lymph Flow

Violet flower helps dissolve cysts, lumps in the breast, and swollen glands. An oil made of fresh violets helps dissolve lumps or the breast and can prevent them as well. The oil or a fresh poultice can help move swollen glands and tissue. This can help arthritic, abscesses, skin irritations, sores, swollen lymph glands, sore throats, cysts and breast health.

View fullsize

Colds/Flus/Fevers/Immunity

Fresh violet has many beneficial flavonoids. The flavonoids (vitamins and minerals) help strengthen our cell membranes and provides our body with high amounts of Vitamin C and A.

Violets also contain saponins (alkaloid that mixes with fat). The saponins help our body dissolve fat, which ultimately helps lower cholesterol and strengthen our immune system.

Yes, yes violet is a cooling, mucilaginous herb. It also is a lymphagogue which helps move mucus and relieve congestion. It’s no wonder why violet is an excellent herb for an irritated, sore throat, dry cough or even an ear infection. A syrup made with the flowers can help for these symptoms.

Heart Support

The heart shaped leaves of this plant speak to the heart. Violet can be made into a flower essence to help repair a broken heart. Taken internally (fresh in a salad, infused in a vinegar, tea or tincture), this herb can help repair broken tissue and sloughs off emotional toxins that build up around your heart. Violet can soothe you and help one with grief.

Usnea

I'm likin' this Lichen!

Common Names: Beard Lichen

Botanical Name: Usnea barbata, U.spp

Plant Family: Parneliaceae, Lichen Family

Parts Used: Whole “plant”

Actions: Antibiotic, antifungal, tuberculostatic (Systems affected: Lungs, Skin)

Habitat: Temperate North America. Forested areas, generally seen clinging onto the bark or limbs of both dead and alive trees.

This is the "white cord" that always appears when you pull the outer sheath of Usnea species.

Collection: I tend to collect Usnea in the Late Fall and Winter. I wait for heavy windstorms that knock the lichen from branches far, far out of reach. It is in Winter when Lichen (and moss) are in their reproductive state, which can be seen by their reproductive parts and vibrant state.

Identification:  Usnea is the plant like result of a symbiotic association between algae and fungi (as is the case with all lichens). Throughout the year, usnea is always a light gray green color. It’s easily identified by pulling apart the outer sheath of its main stem to find a tiny white central cord that has an elastic pull to it.

---

Antimicrobial, Antiviral and Antifungal

---

Antimicrobial:

Usnea is an anti-microbial herb that kills unwanted bacteria. Unlike a prescribed antibiotic, it doesn’t kill ALL types of bacteria in our body.

The anti-microbial effects in Usnea are effective against “gram positive bacteria” such as Staphylococcus simulans and S. aureus (Staph) and Streptococcus (Strep). Hence, it kills the unwanted pathogens without wiping out our healthy gut flora.

Usnea is used for strep throat, pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (sinusitis), tuberculosis & U.T. I’s.

Usnea powder can be applied to wounds to help quicken the healing process and help treat or prevent infection

 

Antiviral:

While the antimicrobial effects of Usnea are helping kill off a large unicellular organism (Gram positive bacteria), the lichen also serves as an antiviral. Meaning it kills viruses that live within the person’s cells. Usnea has a special way of eradicating infection throughout the mucus membranes.

Antifungal:

What about fungal infection? Oh yes, fungus infects too. And Usnea works both internally and externally to kill the unwanted fungus.

Usnea can be used for dandruff, ringworm, athlete’s foot, jock itch, candida and yeast infections.

For best results in fighting off fungus, use Usnea with herbs such as black walnut hulls, Echinacea, chaparral, and goldenseal. Also consider a sugar-free diet.

Usnea Tincture (Steve Buhner method):

-Chop/grind usnea lichen into small pieces/powder, place into crock pot.

-Cover lichen with 2.5 times the amount of water (eg. 5 ounces herb to 12.5 ounces water)

-Keep on low heat for 48 hours.

-Add mix to mason jar and then add the same amount of 100 proof alcohol as water (eg. 12.5 ounces of water and 12.5 ounces of alcohol).

-Label jar with date, alcohol used, where the plant was collected, and any other info.

-After 2 weeks strain off the plant material and compost.

Store tincture in dark, cool place.  Take 60 drops 3-4 times a day to fight virus or infection.