Herb Walk - CALENDULA

This flower is the Skin's herb.     That's the least you need to know!

 The flower petals are the part that to use, has iodine, magnese and carotene which all promote the regeneration of skin cells.   You can put it in salads, tea, or salves/balms.

I make a calendula salve which a lot of people are really enjoying, including myself!

Here we go:
its anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, lymphatic, astringent, vulnerary, emmenagogue, antimicrobial, cholagogue, antifungal and detoxifying. 
In simpler terms, she is used to treat varicose veins, rashes, sores, cuts, scrapes, burns and bruising of the skin, measles, chickenpox, diaper rash, cradle cap, skin irritation, bee/ wasp stings, insect bites, chapped lips, dry skin, acne, fevers, ulcers, cramps and bronchitis. 
There have been some eczema sufferers who found some relief with the salve.  

 

I really like the salve, use it on everything.  Mostly just as a moisturizer - even on my face!  every day on my pregnant belly...  great for after sun and after gardening!   Smells lovely too.

After learning about how the skin soaks up anything that  you put on it immediately and how toxic all the mainstream lotions are, I am very glad to be using something that is actually GOOD for my skin.

Here's some more info and a downloadable toxin list for your wallet. 

Upon looking into it, you will fast realize that non-toxic skin products can not be found in major pharmacies where EVERYone gets their moisturizers!  crazy. .

you have to do your research and go to the health food store. Or find someone who makes their own...

or MAKE your own!!  Its just another recipe!!

after planting calendula last year, I had a bunch of volunteer plants this year!  

They are not perennial but very self seedy.

Isn't she pretty!

 

Here is my blog entry about making calendula infused oil

Herb walk: Stinging NETTLE

It does seem strange to me how a plant who will sting you in the wild if you touch it can be SO good for you! And Stinging Nettle is.

The California School of Herbal Studies says that Nettle is one of the highest sources of plant digestable Iron. It is also very high in Folic acid. For these reasons alone, pregnant, lactating and menstruating womyn should drink the tea.
It also contains chlorophyll, amino acids, vitamins A, B(complex), C, K, E, Calcium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and a lot of others!

The huge amount of vitamin K in a nettle infusion makes it very important for pregnant womyn when approaching birth to help avoid hemorrhage which can be caused by insufficient vitamin K in the blood.

It can be taken as tea, or cooked and eaten like spinach - in any recipe that you would use spinach in! It is really quite tasty and very good for you. Pinch off the tender tops -this pruning encourages production of more young growth.

After harvesting, either cook, infuse or dry the herb for later use.  Once the herb is dried or cooked, its "stinging" effect is gone.

ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES WHEN HARVESTING NETTLE!
I guess that kind of goes without saying!

Nettles, oddly enough, can cure the rash they cause! "Just rub fresh nettles between gloved hands and then rub the crushed nettles on the irritated area."

I was very pleased to find a nettle patch in the wild prairie! I was looking for nettle and the first place I stopped - there it was. I was so greatful.
Nettle growth is an indication of healthy soil.
It grows near water sometimes (that is where I found it this time) but not always. good luck finding your patch!

a lot of the content of this post is found in "Discovering Wild Plants" by Janice Schofield
I can not say enough about this book. It is my Bible!! It is meant for Alaska, Western Canada and the Northwest but here in Saskatchewan I find it very useful still. She is a hugely knowledgeable herbalist and has all sorts of interesting ideas for eating plants.

Herb Walk: Is Raspberry tea safe during pregnancy???

yes.

Red Raspberry leaf tea contains fragrine - an " alkaloid" which tones muscles of the pelvic floor, including the uterus . It contains vitamins A and B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E and calcium and iron ( two minerals pregnant ladies can not get enough of) . Raspberry leaves also contain and phosphorous and potassium.

Although most midwives will insist on Red Raspberry leaf tea as a pregnancy/Uterine tonic, there has been some differing opinions.

The limited research there is done on RRL tea shows that there are no harmful side effects.

The concern is that it could cause a womyn to go into premature labour or miscarrage.
however, raspberry leaf does not start labor or promote contractions. It is NOT an emmenagogue or oxytocic herb.

What it does is help strengthen the pelvic and uterine muscles so that once labor does start the muscles will be more efficient.

"Medical studies have shown that red raspberry leaf can be consumed safely during pregnancy and can decrease the length of labor and decrease the number of interventions used such as artificial rupture of membranes (AROM), assisted delivery, and cesarean delivery.¹
Red raspberry leaf also seems to help prevent pregnancies from pre-or post-term gestation (delivering too early or too late)."

Jane Palmer has a very good article on Raspberry leaf tea including the research done!

The recommended dose is 1 cup/day during the first trimester, 2 cups per day during the second and 3-5 cups during the last trimester.


besides the vitamins and minerals, benefits include:

-increased fertility in both men and womyn
- relief from morning sickness (I can vouch for this)
- reduces the pain during labour and speeds along the healing of the uterus after birth.
- enriching the breast milk

When harvesting Raspberry leaves, only take the youngest freshest leaves,
avoid the shriveled up or brown edged leaves.

so DRINK the tea, worry free.

Wise womyn have been brewing it for those "with child" for centuries.

The medical profession can get a tad intimidated my the herbal world and do not hesitate to nay say their remedies....

¹ Raspberry leaf in pregnancy: its safety and efficacy in labor.
J Midwifery Womens Health. 2001 Mar-Apr;46(2):51-9.
PMID: 11370690 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]