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An Interesting Herb Fact
Echinacea: Cure to the Common Cold?
Perhaps the most famous herbal remedies these days are made from the Echinacea flower. Native Americans have traditionally used Echinacea to treat colds, fevers, snakebites, and stubborn wounds. It is believed that the early settlers adopted the Echinacea plant early on as a popular home remedy to treat colds and influenza. The plant was a popular choice with the 19th century Eclectics. In recent years, Echinacea has grown immensely in popularity for its antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial...
First Aid Remedies with the Yarrow Plant
The Yarrow plant, Latin
name Achillea millefolium, is one of the most highly valued plants for
treating the common cold and influenza. The plant's Latin name is
derived from the famous Greek hero Achilles. It is believed that the
plant was used during the Trojan wars, where it was used to treat war
wounds. Yarrow also has a curious folk name: "nosebleed." This folk
nickname is a testimony to its traditional use as a first aid herb.
Yarrow has been used in the past as an emergency styptic to stop
bleeding. These days, Yarrow is mostly used to treat colds and flu's,
but it is also used to treat problems with the circulatory, digestive
and urinary system. You can usually find Yarrow growing in meadows.
Most traditional herbalists describe Yarrow as alternately dry, sweet,
cook, astringent and sometimes slightly bitter in taste. The
constituents of the Yarrow plant included salicylic acid, volatile oils
(including proazulenes), isovalerianic acid, flavonoids, sterols,
tannins, bitters, asparagin, and coumarins. The action of the plant is
described astringent, relaxing, a promoter of sweat, a blood vessel
relaxant, febrifuge, and restorative for the menstrual system. The
essential oil of Yarrow is described as anti-inflammatory,
antispasmodic, and antiallergenic.
Several parts of the Yarrow plant are used to create herbal remedies.
These include the plants aerial parts, its leaves, its essential oil,
and its flowers. The leaves of the plant are believed to contain
properties that encourage clotting. The leaves are also used fresh as
an herbal remedy to combat nose bleeding. However, if Yarrow leaves are
used to treat nosebleeds, they must not be inserted into the nostril
directly as this can cause a nosebleed. The leaves of the Yarrow plant
can be harvested throughout the growing season.
The essential oils of the Yarrow plant are also used to make herbal
remedies. The oils are extracted from the Yarrow plant by steam
distillation of the flowers. The essential oils of the plant are
generally used as an anti-inflammatory or in chest rubs that can be
applied when a person is suffering from a cold or influenza. Extracts
from the Yarrow plant have also been used to make an effective mosquito
repellent.
The flowers of the Yarrow plant can also be used to make herbal
remedies. For instance, the flowers have been shown to be rich in
chemicals that can be converted by steam into antiallergenic compounds.
These chemicals can be used to treat various allergic problems,
including mucus problems and hay fever. Traditional herbalists harvest
the flower during the summer and fall.
There are many applications for the Yarrow plant. Its flowers can be
used to infuse and drink as a hot tea that helps treat common ailments
of the upper respiratory system, including excessive phlegm. The aerial
parts of the Yarrow plant can also be used to reduce fevers when it is
prepared in a hot tea. You can also use Yarrow in a chest rub to treat
chest colds, influenza, or to relieve severe congestion. |
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