The Humorous Herbalist (aka Laurel Dewey) is writing about the benefits of Allspice (Pimento officinalis). You can read the entire article on The Post Independent or in my archives. For the temporally challenged, here's the highlights:

• A local and very temporary anesthetic; either as a tea or in EO (essential oil) form. Quite handy for "one-sided" neuralgia and headaches.
  
• One-half to one full teaspoon of the dried powdered herb (depending upon your taste buds) to eight ounces of water. Cover the herb and steep for 10 minutes, strain the powder and drink up to two cups a day.
  
• Always buy allspice in its whole form (i.e., the berries in the shell) and then grind or powder them prior to preparing the tea. This ensures the best flavor and the most medicinal punch.
  
• 25 to 30 drops of allspice essential oil into one ounce of the base oil. Shake the bottle gently and liberally apply the oil to aching muscles and/or joints.
  
• Herbalist Hanna Kroeger wrote in her book “Spices to the Rescue,” that allspice was “a balm to the liver” and was a good tea to drink if “couples are inharmonious” or “if you are inharmonious with yourself.”
  Since the liver, in holistic medicine, relates to where you hold your anger, there’s a sort of logic to this theory. Once your liver is calmed down, you might be less likely to pitch a fit. Thus, you could be more harmonious with yourself and/or your partner. If this is true, just think about how many marriages this herb could save.

I'm back to work on my book-in-progress, Medicine in Your Own Back Alley. My latest subject (there are at least 15 botanicals) is the puzzling Aloe vera.

I've been using Aloe vera since before I was even remotely interested in herbalism. It's a first rate burn-healer... and since I burn my self more often than most people blow their noses, this plant and I have gotten very close over the last 20+ years. But that's not what makes it puzzling.

I'm puzzled about how the indigenous peoples of Africa harvest the plant compared to how we (read: I) do it today. Rather than the squishing and squeezing we do to cause more of the gooey gel to come out, they simply slice the leaves transversely and let the juice exudate from the leaf with no coaxing other than the gentle pull of the earth. Why? Dunno. But surely these people have a good reason. No one had to tell me to squeeze to get more out, it just made sense. So why don't they do it? As I said before, dunno.

An intriguing plant which currently is getting a lot of attention. Indicated in diabetes, immunomodulating for HIV patients, containing 7 or the 8 essential amino acids, and having antimicrobial properties. Oh, and don't forget wound healing, especially in burns.

To quote Dr Peter Atherto;

In the meantime, one can feel confident, when using aloe vera clinically, that one is following the advice of Hippocrates: ...and above all, do no harm.

Note: Aloe vera is also contraindicated for several conditions, including pregnancy and some GI disorders. While it can help significantly in many cases, it's not a benign herb for all.

Wow. Looks like the rest of the herbalists were busy publishing to newspapers around the globe while I was trying to get moved and unpacked. I found this jewel posted on The Daily Yomiuri Online, a Japanese newspaper. It's written by Kevin Short (an odd-sounding name for someone who's title is Nature Columnist for a Japanese newspaper.) Capsella bursa-pastoris , also known as Shepard's Purse, grows everywhere... even in Japan it seems.

"In addition to edible leaves, the shepherd's purse has for centuries served people as a valuable medicinal herb. In Europe it has long been used to stanch bleeding, both internal and external. In World War I, when supplies of other medicines ran low, readily available shepherd's purse saw abundant battlefield duty. Today, herbal practitioners prescribe it as a gentle remedy for heavy menstrual bleeding. In Chinese and Japanese herbal medicine, poultices soaked in decocted shepherd's purse are applied to bloodshot and itchy eyes."

I tried to research other articles by Kevin on The Daily Yomiuri, but it doesn't look like the links stay active for long. So to save it for posterity, click the "MORE" link below...

Chilopsis linearis, or as it is more commonly known Desert Willow. It grows in abundance in my area, and with the good rains we had over the winter, it's blooming a tad bit early this year as the monsoons haven't even started yet.

Chilopsis is a great ally against rampant fungal infections, both internal and external. Our local scourge Valley Fever responds quite well to Chilopsis, as do recurrent Candida infections that tend to linger.

Yesterday I dispensed my batch of Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) glycerite tincture. I used a 1:2 fresh plant/glycerin ratio and let it macerate for four weeks. The extract is a speckled light brown, very much like the color of horehound candy you can rarely find these days.

The taste is superb, considering how nasty horehound is. For a mint, it's an unpleasant one. But the glycerin makes it more than palitable... it's quite good!

I'm unsure of the medicinal value. I used straight glycerin for the extraction, which works well for tannins, minerals, alkaloids and vitamins. But glycerin doesn't extract volatile oils, resins or mucilage worth a tinkers fart.. so what do I have?

Well, I know that water will dissolve mucilage quite well. Since I used a fresh plant marc, I'm fairly certain the water content of the plant itself brought out the mucilage. Horehound does contain resins and volatile oils... but not very much. Yes, it's a mint, but an oderless one. I'm thinking these constituents are in awfully low levels... just not certain how much the contribute to the synergistic medical qualities of the plant. I guess we'll see...

A few days ago on another website, I was asked the following question:

"Hey, Evo...

As you know, when it is warmer, I grow my own herbs... But here's my question: St. John's Wort. What are the possibilities with this plant? I got some of this from a friend of mine who knows I'm into herbs, but I know you can't cook with this. I can't find a lot about SJW in any of my book apart from what I know -- that it is a "cure" or "good for relieving" depression...but that's about it.

So what can I really do with St. John's Wort?

-Tee"

I'm so glad you asked! St. John's Wort, or Hypericum perforatum, is a great name to drop, as it seems nearly everyone has heard of this botanical.

True to the legends, St. John's Wort is specifically indicated in mild to moderate depression. Let me repeat the italicized part, as it seems to get dropped in most conversations. Mild to moderate depression sufferers tend to respond well to H. perforatum. Those suffering from severe depression however will not reap any benefits from this plant as a form of treatment.

(Some words of caution. Don't take this if you're on MAO inhibitors or you're pregnant.)

St. John's Wort is also an incredibly powerful anti-viral remedy, which works quite nicely when combined with Mullein, Garlic and Olive Oil as a treatment for ear infections for kids of all ages. I keep a bottle of "ear oil" around the house and treat myself at the first sign of colds.

Combined with Peppermint Oil it make a nice post-surgery ointment to relieve pain.

A nifty little plant. Kinda tricky to harvest and process properly, as the flavanoid content of the plant drops quickly after it comes into flower.

One more thing about the anti-depressive action... it doesn't happen overnight. While the herb works well, it's not a magic pill by any means. Four weeks is the minimum to affect any change in mild to moderate depression cases. And obviously, see your doctor if you haven't had a formal diagnosis. Then go see a trained and qualified herbalist!

Plant name: Olea europea - Olive tree

Botanical Description: Olive trees are classified as “evergreen”, but are quite unlike pines, junipers or other needle-bearing tress one commonly considers in that genera. The wood of the Olive is very pale and green, with thin and thornless branches. The leaves are two-tone, being dark green on top and more towards the grey side underneath and of an oblong or lanceolate shape (~2 inches long.) Flowers are off white, numerous and fragrant. Flowers are followed by dark purple (nearly black) fruits the size (and somewhat shape) of a thumb. Look for the messy purple stains on the sidewalk.

Joan Perry of Oregon Meadow Herb Company has a nice article written in everyday terms on Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) posted on OregonLive.com. A quick excerpt:

"The ancient Aztecs brewed the leaves of this perennial North American native in a tea. It was used as a mild sedative and to relieve anxiety. These are still the primary medicinal uses of this lovely vine today.

There are a number of chemical compounds found in the leaves, yet not one of them is responsible for the sedative effects. As with most herbs, it is the synergistic blend of all of the constituents that provide the medicinal benefits."

I really like using Passiflora for myself as well as clients. Very gentle relaxant and a great tasting tea. Thanks, Joan, for posting this for everyone!

Joan Perry of Oregon Meadow Herb Company in Hillsboro Oregon recently posted an article on Plantain (Plantago major, P. lanceolata). Plantain is a very common herb in most places (other than the dry desert southwest) and most recognizable as a laxative. If you've taken the dry-stuff in a glass of water or juice, that was psyllium, the seeds from a relative. The leaves are a common ingredient in many healing salves and ointments.

As most articles posted online, I've got the full text of the article in the extended view in the highly likely event that the Hillsboro Argus News takes the information off line.

Laurel Dewey, aka The Humorist Herbalist, has written another article, this time on Pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa). Asclepias is one of those herbs that is so good for one thing (in this case, pleurisy) it tends to have it's other healing attributes pushed aside or often ignored.

Since I can never rely on newspapers to keep online articles archived for any length of time, I've listed the full contents in the extended text. Hit "more" if the link above no longer has the story.

There's a shocker. People have known for centuries of the curative powers of garlic (Allium sativa), and it seems the reductionists have picked up on the clue. From the BBC:

The chemical which gives garlic its flavour could be used in a "smart bomb" to fight cancer, scientists say.

Gee... maybe you should eat a clove. Or twelve.

Plant name: Tribulus terrestris - Puncture Vine

Botanical Description: A ground hugging vine with many reddish branches spreading radially from a central point. Small opposite leafs appear on all parts of the stems, branching into three to seven leaflets per leaf. These green oblong leaflets are 3 – 7 cm long and their numbers usually form a sparsely covered “matt” along the ground. The fruits make this plant easy to identify (hopefully before you step on one.) When mature, they are a light brown “nut” around a centimeter in diameter, flattened but still round with evil looking, tire eating and child yelping spines, two of which are 2 – 3 cm and are accompanied by several smaller spikes. When the seeds are not yet ripe, the fruit looks much the same, but is light green and look to be covered with a soft down (looks can be deceiving.)

I met a new plant ally a few days ago and have finished up the research. It's Garrya wrightii, commonly known as Wright's Silk Tassel, and is useful for diarrhea and menstrual cramping (among other things).

Plant name: Xanthium strumarium - Cocklebur

Botanical Description: You (or your dog) can’t miss this plant, especially when the seeds are ripe. Large and broad leaves, light and bright green in color in an alternate pattern with irregular lobes and relatively inconspicuous teeth. Stems turn maroon to black when mature, with an elliptic or egg shaped fruit clusters growing nestled around the stem. These are the part you can’t miss, as “nature’s Velcro” covers these fruit with small hooks that grab on to socks, hair, and anything else they can latch onto. The patience of Job is required on any animal that wanders too near.