June 4, 2024 • 45 mins
Unlock the secrets of natural healing straight from our Tennessee homestead on this week's episode of "Keeping It Real" at the Gorham Homestead. Ever wondered how a simple herb can speed up the healing of bones, wounds, and sprains? Join me, Dawn Gorham, as I share the incredible benefits of comfrey, from its cell-regenerating properties to its uses in teas and poultices for respiratory relief and digestive health. We'll also discuss crucial precautions for those with liver issues and offer practical tips on how to incorporate this powerful herb into your daily routine.
But that's not all. We dive into the versatile uses of yarrow and blackberry, two herbs that have become staples in our natural medicine cabinet. Drawing from personal experience, I reveal how yarrow has helped treat wounds, menstrual cramps, and fevers, and even stopped nosebleeds in seconds. Plus, learn about blackberry's astringent properties and how its leaves and roots can effectively treat diarrhea and hemorrhoids. Discover how blackberry juice can soothe an upset stomach without any added sugar.
Lastly, we explore the medicinal uses of some lesser-known yet highly effective herbs, including goldenrod, elderberry, rabbit tobacco, boneset, and mullein. You'll hear insights from Daryl Patton's enlightening book, "Mountain Medicine, the Herbal Remedies of Tommy Bass," and uncover how these herbs have been used to support respiratory health, boost immunity, and treat common ailments like asthma and lung congestion. From breaking fevers to alleviating earaches, these Native American herbs offer a treasure trove of natural solutions for your health needs. Don't miss this informative journey into the heart of herbal medicine.
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Speaker 1 (00:15):
Hey y'all, and welcome to keeping it real, the
Gorham Homestead podcast, wherewe talk about real food, real
natural living, the real art ofnatural healing and real life
out here in our Tennesseehomestead.
I'm your host, dawn Gorham, andtoday is Tuesday, june the 4th,
2024, and you are listening toepisode number 14.
Our topic today is the topherbs that we cannot live
(00:37):
without here on our homestead.
Now we may break this up into athree-part series, depending on
how long we go.
Now we may break this up into athree-part series, depending on
how long we go, and we may justgo through all of the herbs in
part one, part two and then partthree will probably be the
essential oils that we use forour livestock and for ourselves.
Before we get started, I've gotto, by law, do my disclaimer.
(00:57):
Nothing that I say today is tobe construed as medical advice.
I am not a doctor.
I am not a medical professional.
I am simply an herbalist.
Before you make any decisionsabout your health, I recommend
that you speak to a qualifiedmedical professional to see if
what you want to use is what youshould be using.
(01:20):
So, with that out of the way,the very first one that we want
to talk about today, or that Iwant to talk about today, is
comfrey, because it's really oneof my favorites.
It's a great little herb to usefor healing wounds.
It is great for healing bones.
If you have a broken bone or asprain or a really bad bruise or
(01:42):
a superficial, not really badwound, comfrey is a great little
herb to use for that.
It increases cell productionand it causes wounds to heal
over really rapidly and for thatreason you don't want to use it
on a deep wound, and the reasonis is because it can cause it
to seal over on the outside andcause, like any infection or
(02:05):
anything like that, not to healon the inside.
So it's mostly for superficialtype wounds.
You can use it crushed, you canjuice it and you can also apply
it as a wet paste.
It produces a mucilage thatcoats and soothes the irritated
tissues, reduces inflammation,lessens scarring, so it's a
(02:31):
really good little herb to usefor scars.
If you do it in a salve version, it's good for poison ivy and
bee stings, especially if youmix it with another herb that
we're going to talk about herein a minute, which is well, I've
lost my thought Jewelweed,jewelweed, jewelweed is really
great for poison, ivy and stufflike that.
(02:51):
So it's great for any itching,but I don't want to get too far
ahead of myself.
Coming back to comfrey, comfreyis also a really good
expectorant.
You can rub it on your chest,drink it as a tea.
It has a relaxing effect on therespiratory membranes.
Now, one of the things I dowant to tell you is that you do
(03:12):
not want to use comfrey on aperson with any sort of liver
issues.
So if a person you know has anysort of liver disease at all,
that comfrey is not a good herbfor them to use.
It's good to help with digestion.
It helps control stomach ulcers.
It will stop actually stopstomach ulcers, helps control
(03:34):
acid reflux and heartburn andhelps stop upset stomach.
If you use it as a poultice,it's really good for bruises,
bones, tendons and sprains.
You can use it as an oil.
You can rub it on.
You can do it in thatpreparation.
Sore throats If you steep it asa tea it's good to gargle for
(03:56):
sore throat, laryngitis.
It stops bleeding gums and somesay I'm not saying it does, but
some say will actually helpregrow teeth.
I don't know about that part,though.
That's just what they say.
I can't attest to that one.
It's good for reducing darkspots and blemishes.
(04:17):
It moisturizes.
If you make it as a tea it cansupposedly help stop hair loss.
It helps with conditions suchas in a salve.
It helps with dandruff, it canhelp detangle hair and, last but
(04:38):
not least, the best use that Ibelieve for comfrey is helping
with pain and inflammation.
You can drink it as a tea.
You can apply a poulticedirectly to any aching joints
that you have and it can helpwith osteoarthritis and
rheumatoid arthritis as well.
(05:00):
So those are just some of myfavorite uses for comfrey.
So those are just some of myfavorite uses for comfrey.
You can, like I said, if youwant to just if you want to do a
comfrey tea, you should harvestright before the flowers bloom
and that is when.
That's when it's the most, whenthe leaves are the most potent
(05:22):
mouthwash.
You can do one square inch ofroot with two to three
tablespoons of water and swishit around and get all parts of
the teeth and then spit it out,the root you don't want to
swallow.
The leaves are okay, but theroot you don't want to swallow.
And if you want to use it as apoultice and that would be
direct application of the herb,like onto skin wet.
(05:43):
So you would wrap the wetleaves in a cheesecloth and then
apply externally to the painfulareas.
The herbs, like you usuallywill crush them into a pulp or
make it into a paste and thenjust wrap gauze or muslin around
, you know, to kind of help holdit in place.
(06:04):
You can also use comfrey as atincture.
Now, the tincture is going tobe sticky, but it is good.
Let me flip this little paperover.
The comfrey tincture is knownas one of the most healing
tinctures in the world and sowhat you want to use is 100
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grams of comfrey root and 700milliliters of brandy or a
really strong, strong alcohol,and you would just let that
steep in a dark place for 14days and shake like every third
day and then strain it and keepthe tincture in a dark bottle or
in a dark place, and so whenyou want to use it you would put
(06:46):
that tincture on the affectedarea about three times a day and
hopefully you know that wouldhelp and you want to lubricate
the affected area and then put,you know, put the tincture on
and kind of rub it into thatwith some sort of oil.
The really other good thingabout comfrey is it is so
(07:08):
nutritious that it's a greatchop and drop plant.
So it's great to plant aroundfruit trees, blueberries, you
know anything like that.
You would just chop the leavesif you're not going to use them
and then drop them at the baseof that tree and it will.
You know it'll.
The roots of the tree willabsorb it and it'll put a lot of
(07:29):
good nutrients back into thesoil.
Yarrow is the next herb that'son my list, and I have to say I
have recently had to use yarrowbecause I was um fooling with a
little chicken brooder thingthat was made.
Somebody gave it to me and ithad a glass window on the end of
it and the glass window was outof the track, and so I was
(07:52):
hoping to be able to fix it andbe able to put chickens in it
Just as a holding point for thechickens.
And as I was doing that, I wastrying to push the glass back
into the track and the glassbroke and the glass punctured my
thumb like all the way to myknuckle, and it was bleeding
(08:14):
really, really bad.
Well, luckily I grow yarrowright here in the front in my
little medicinal bed, and so Iwas able to run out there, get
fresh yarrow, wrap it up reallygood until I could get up to the
house with just a paper toweland some wet yarrow.
And that did, because it wasbleeding I mean bleeding,
running down my arm, bleeding.
So I got up to the house and Ihave also some dried yarrow and
(08:38):
so I took the wet yarrow, thefresh yarrow, off and put the
dried yarrow actually down deepinto the wound and because it
also has some antiseptic andbacterial properties, so I put
that down in that wound and thenI wrapped it really good with
some I'm sorry, with a bandaidand then some galls and stuff
(09:02):
just to stop it from bleeding.
And it did.
It did a really great job.
The problem is I needed stitches.
It is, and I'm looking at it.
It's still completely separatedand if I bend my knuckle it
wants to pop open.
But it did stop the bleeding.
It caused it to clot andanytime I moved it or hit it or
(09:24):
whatever, I would break thatclot open.
But for the meantime, you know,until I could do something
different, it was really good.
So that's a really good one forusing as like a clot stop.
It's pretty darn good for girls,menstrual cramps too.
I use it in my tincture that Icall shark week because I feel
(09:48):
like it helps the flow to bemore normal and not so heavy and
not so, you know, premenopausalas it can be.
So yarrow is good for people,young and old, it doesn't matter
whether they're teenagers orolder people.
It's really good for that.
(10:08):
You know, pms, menstrual timeum, the, the flowers and the
leaves are an excellent.
They're a diaphoretic, whichmeans they promote sweating,
which means it's really good forif you have a fever.
And I tested this out on my sonabout a week and a half ago.
He had upset stomach and he hada fever with it, and so we I
(10:36):
used some yarrow and some boneset together and he also had an
upset stomach, so he also gotsome blackberry root.
So I made a tea that had thosethree different things in it and
sure enough, I mean about 30 or45 minutes after he drank that
tea, he was sweating like crazyand his fever broke.
He didn't have to take Tylenolor ibuprofen, he just covered up
(10:58):
with the covers and sweated itout and it helped him to
naturally break that fever itout.
And it helped him to naturallybreak that fever.
Yarrow will also stop anosebleed.
You can actually put yarrow ordried yarrow up the nose of a
(11:19):
person who has a nosebleed andthen put toilet paper right
behind it and it will stop thenosebleed pretty quickly.
It disinfects wounds.
It's really, really good formuscle spasms and if that's not
enough, it's also good it hasreally beneficial effects on the
heart and the lungs.
Now I will say that it iscontraindicated in pregnant
women.
It has a mild abortifacient.
(11:42):
I never say that word rightShouldn't be taken during
pregnancy, except under adoctor's care or in combinations
with other herbs.
I spoke about the nosebleed.
One of the interesting thingsabout yarrow is it kind of works
(12:06):
in a peculiar way.
If you insert a roll of yarrowlike up into your nose, the
bleeding will stop.
But now if you've got a severesinus headache and you insert a
roll of yarrow up into thenostril, then a nosebleed will
result.
It'll relieve the pressure inyour head and it'll relieve the
(12:28):
headache.
But what's crazy is if you wantto stop a nosebleed, use Yarrow
, and if you want to start anosebleed, you can use Yarrow.
It's pretty accommodating likethat.
It's a good blood cleanser.
It really has a reputation ofcolonizing a large part of the
globe At one time.
You know, we kind of grow iteverywhere.
(12:49):
It's really really easy to growand it's a really pretty plant
to grow so it looks reallypretty.
I have it out in my medicinallittle plant thing out in front
of the cannery and it just looksreally nice out there.
The next one on my list I'm justgoing to speak about briefly
because there's not a whole,whole lot of information that I
(13:12):
have, but I do have a specificuse for it Blackberry.
Now, this is blackberry juice,blackberry leaves and blackberry
root.
One of the old times.
Well, I had known about theblackberry root being really,
really good.
It's a.
It's an astringent, which meansit like if you have diarrhea or
something like that, it helpsto stop that.
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It dries things up and the rootand the bark and especially the
I'm sorry the root bark and theleaves are strongly astringent.
They're really good for sorryI'm having to think just a
second really good for diarrheaand hemorrhoids.
(13:55):
But it's one of the old timersup at our community center I was
talking about that, talkingabout blackberry root and how I
keep it on hand for, you know,if we get upset stomach,
anything like that, and hebrought up to me that ma'am you
know old timers call their momma'am ma'am gave them blackberry
(14:17):
juice when they were little,and so turns out I did a little
research turns out it don't putany sugar in it or anything like
that.
But if you just juice theblackberries and use that, that
will stop about the upsetstomach diarrhea pretty darn
quickly.
Now if you eat too manyblackberries it might give you
(14:37):
diarrhea, but just theblackberry juice itself, if
you're actually going to thebathroom, it'll help that.
One of my favorite books thattalks about blackberries and the
medicinal uses is MountainMedicine, the Herbal Remedies of
Tommy Bass, written by DarylPatton.
(14:58):
Now I've met Daryl severaltimes, but initially at the
Homesteaders of Americaconference.
I think the first time I methim was actually in Columbia.
But I talked to him forever andhe's just super fascinating and
in his book he wrote this bookhe studied with Tommy Bass for
years and years and then Tommyhad previously studied with
(15:21):
Native Americans and some of theold timers up in the
Appalachias.
But he writes that it's alsogood for livestock scours.
Like you can use blackberry forbaby calves, which I did, use
it for baby calves andblackberry roots the blackberry
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root is the most potent part ofthe plant, he says, with the
green fruit and the mature fruitbeing somewhat less binding.
And then the leaves are thelesser choice but can be
effectively used.
You can use raspberry leaves asa substitute for blackberry,
(16:05):
but blackberry is best and ithas a super high iron content.
And he says you could use thatfor medicine, making blackberry
jam as well as having a tastytreat.
So the preparation and use youwould make a cup of tea from a
teaspoon of the dried leaves toa cup of boiling water, or a
teaspoon of the dried andpowdered roots, which is what we
(16:26):
use, or green fruit, whichwould be even better for
stubborn cases, and take a goodmouthful of the tea as the need
arises.
So every time you go to thebathroom you continue to drink
the tea.
(16:47):
Now the high content of thetannins in the bramble family
presents us with its maincontraindication, which is too
much of the tonic will cause aperson to go from severe
diarrhea to severe constipation.
So kind of got to be aware ofthat.
And then the blackberry jamwith the seeds it will act as a
scouring laxative.
So just kind of the seeds iswhat makes you go to the
(17:08):
bathroom, whereas the greenfruit doesn't have the seeds
developed in it yet, and theleaves and the roots.
Those are all really good forstopping diarrhea.
The next one on my list isactually one of my favorites and
it grows everywhere here on myproperty and in my surrounding
areas, like I can find it at myneighbor's, if I don't have it
(17:30):
here, but it's goldenrod and theLatin name is Solidago
canadensis, and Solidago is fromLatin word solidare, which
means to join or to make whole,and that just really refers to
the healing powers of thegoldenrod plant.
It's like one of the mostversatile plants and what we use
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it for is typically, like inthe spring, if you have a snotty
nose or sinuses or anythinglike that, goldenrod is a really
good herb for that.
It helps to get that drainagegoing and it helps to.
It's good for upper respiratorycongestion is what I'm trying
(18:16):
to say.
A lot of the ladies in myfamily tend to suffer from, like
kidney and bladder infectionsand things of that nature.
Goldenrod is really really good, like when you're experiencing
a dark, cloudy urine or abladder infection, something of
that nature.
It's pretty effective inhelping clear up kidney and
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bladder stones and it just helpsto increase your overall kidney
function and helps to clear allthat stuff out.
So goldenrod is one of myoverall favorites and I do like
goldenrod in conjunction withD-Mannose and Corn, silk and
Dandelion.
(18:58):
Those are my for urinary andbladder issues.
The combination of those fourthings is what I really like to
use together.
The next one down on my list isprobably the most famous.
The one everybody kind of knowsabout is elder, or also known
as elderberry.
We do grow these here, weforage for them.
We do know a couple of places,a couple of farms that will let
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us pick elderberry so that wewildcraft it.
Of course we leave enough forthe birds and for them to drop
and start making newelderberries or whatever they're
going to do.
But elderflower and elderberry,it's just a really good immune
booster.
We make elderberry syrup.
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That's what I use myelderberries for.
It reduces fever, it'santiviral and it's just and it
boosts, like's just and itboosts.
Like I said, it boosts theimmune system.
Um, it's more effective whenyou combine it with echinacea.
Now I would not want to take iton a daily basis with echinacea
(20:06):
in it, but for a acute illness,having the addition of
echinacea if you're sick is ahuge, huge help.
So that's why we do have abasic blend which is for daily
use, and then we have anechinacea and CBD blend for our
elderberry syrup, which CBD isalso.
(20:28):
Of course it has no THC in it,it's just THC free.
But CBD itself is an immunebooster and it helps to relax
the immune response so that yourbody you know it decompresses
and helps relieve stress,because sometimes stress also
(20:49):
makes us sick.
So the elderberry, inconjunction with, obviously,
cinnamon, is in that and cloveand some other good stuff is in
the elderberry syrup.
But that's why I add echinaceaand CBD, because I just feel
like it makes it a powerhouse tohelp knock out illnesses, flus,
colds, you know anything likethat.
(21:10):
And it has also helped.
I don't use the, like I said, Idon't use the echinacea on a
daily basis, but our daily useone.
My son takes elderberry syrupand it has really helped
minimize him getting cold sores,and I'll tell you later in
another episode what our remedyfor cold sores is once they
(21:31):
emerge.
But it really it has cut itdown.
He gets 10% of what he used toget, maybe one a year, maybe two
a year, but really only when heruns a fever and this last time
he ran a fever he still didn'tget a cold sore.
So it's really it's reallyhelped him a lot in that regard.
But taking it on a daily basishelps keep your immune system
(21:54):
firing optimally so that youdon't get sick as often, and
especially in the fall.
Taking that elderberry syrup inwinter you know, when you're in
close proximity, close quarters, with people doing that on a
daily basis even just a smallamount it doesn't take a whole
lot, but a small amount willreally help to keep you healthy
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and help keep you from gettingsick.
Chamomile is one of my favorites.
I feel like I use a lot ofchamomile.
I like chamomile tea.
I like chamomile for skinsalves.
I like it for skin repair whenyou have cuts, scarring,
(22:37):
anything like that.
It's great for relieving pain.
It's like joint problems, likearthritis and bursitis.
Chamomile is really good forthat.
But it's also one of the bestherbs that there is for colicky
babies.
I'm sorry, I'm losing my spot.
(22:59):
It's a healing wonder.
That's what I'm trying to say.
It's a healing wonder.
I'm going to read this reallyquick.
The flower tops has a richamount of deep blue essential
oil called azaleen that acts asa powerful anti-inflammatory
agent.
That's why it is so good forthings like bursitis, arthritis.
(23:21):
But the flowers, that's what Ilike to use for nighttime and it
makes a really soothing,nerve-calming tea.
I'll mix it with passionflowerthat's one of my other favorites
that I'll talk about here injust a second but I mix it with
(23:42):
passionflower and lemon, balmand peach tree leaves and it's
just such a tasty nighttime teaand it will help you sleep so
good.
Especially.
I mean, I'm not talking, Idon't know what the grocery
store stuff does Like you getthe little chamomile tea from
Walmart or whatever.
I've never really really beenable to tell much benefit from
(24:04):
that, and maybe there is, maybesome other people do.
But the the plants and theherbs that I actually grow and
use them fresh, I can actuallytell that they're working.
I can actually tell thatthey're doing what they're
supposed to be doing.
If you put chamomile into likean oil or a salve, then it's
(24:25):
really good for skin repair.
You can add it to bath waterand it'll make just like a
soothing bath time.
You know, just makes you feelgood and relax.
So while we're on nervines, I'lljust go ahead and talk about
passionflower.
It grows in my pasture.
It grows on my wood pile.
It grows in my old um hightunnel that we're no longer
(24:49):
using.
Like passionflower growseverywhere here.
I really really like it.
I'm thankful that we found ithere on our property.
It has traditionally been usedand even still today used to
treat anxiety and insomnia.
It can be traced all the wayback to Native Americans.
(25:16):
They used it long before any ofus ever did.
But it is a mild motor nervedepressant and it also
temporarily not long-term buttemporarily reduces blood
pressure.
And it's one of the things thatI put in my shark wink tincture
because it helps with thatfeeling of edginess that comes
with hormonal issues, that comeswith PMS or during your
menstrual cycle, and so addingpassionflower to my shark wink
(25:40):
tincture really helps bring downthat anxiety level.
It's also been used to treathyperactive children.
It helps with theirconcentration in classrooms or
in school children.
It's good for muscle twitchingand irritability, which is a
(26:00):
really good thing if you havemuscle spasms In older people or
elderly people.
It's really good for sciaticaand just you know, general nerve
debility, things that are goingon in their nervous system, and
it's just basically quietingand soothing to your nervous
(26:20):
system.
So think about nighttime tea.
Like I said, my favoritenighttime tea combination is
sometimes I'll throw in lemonbalm because I like the flavor.
But lemon balm, passion flower,peach tree leaves, sometimes St
(26:40):
John's wort I mean all of thoseare really really good, and
chamomile really really good tojust settle you in and give you
a good night's sleep, especiallyfor people like my husband
whose mind is just always racing, and so we have found that
(27:02):
making that tea settles themdown.
You know it helps to not havenightmares, you know things of
that nature.
So passionflower is definitelysomething that if you can't grow
or you don't know anybody thatgrows it, definitely I would
order that in from somewherethat sells it organic just to
have on hand to make your ownrelaxing teas.
(27:25):
It's really good with a bubblebath and some Epsom salt and
some lavender whatever, somelavender in your diffuser.
That sounds like heaven to me.
Little side note is that one ofthe uses previous uses for
(27:45):
passionflower is it has beenused to overcome alcohol abuse
and it's supposedly withoutaccompanying, you know, that
type of narcotic hangover andit's supposed to help with DTs,
withdrawals, things of thatnature.
(28:06):
So a person who is trying tostop drinking alcohol, keeping
passion flower in your dailyconsumption is a really good way
to stop the really bad effectsfrom way, to stop the really bad
effects from, you know, whenyou stop drinking alcohol.
(28:26):
So when it comes to respiratoryissues, like in the winter,
when you get all like bronchitisor which I haven't had
bronchitis in several years, butanything that's like chest
congestion, I have a couple offavorites for that and I've
tried to grow it here.
I want to grow it here, sobadly I cannot get it going.
But it's rabbit tobacco.
(28:47):
The true Latin name ispseudonyphalium obtusifolium,
because there's a lot ofdifferent things.
People think is rabbit tobaccoand it's not.
So that is the one.
But it's also known as Life,everlasting Sweet, everlasting
Cherokee Tobacco, old FieldBalsam that's some of the names
(29:09):
for it.
But it is really, really a coolherb.
The Sioux described it as aplant that was able to walk the
borderline between the dead andthe living.
Think about that.
That's kind of cool.
Right, flowers were picked andput in a medicinal bag to ward
off evil spirits and ill willagainst you.
(29:31):
It was also used for treatinginsomnia and nightmares and it
was smoked in a pipe to treatasthma.
And so if you don't want tosmoke it in a pipe.
Another thing that they didsometimes for children was to
put the flowers in a pillow andlet the child sleep on the
pillow with rabbit tobacco, andthat would really really help
(29:54):
asthmatic kids.
It's an annual but on occasionit can be grown as a perennial.
I think it reseeds like itsends its flowers out, but the
root itself is an annual.
It is antimutagenic.
It's virucidal, which means itcan kill viruses.
(30:14):
It's cytotoxic, which means itpotentially could affect cancer,
like kill cancer cells, butit's mostly known as an
expectorant.
It's really good for sorethroats, pneumonia, colds, the C
word which we're not allowed tosay fever, diarrhea.
(30:36):
It covers a wide range ofailments.
It covers a wide range ofailments.
The Native Americans would alsoput the leaves in sweat baths
and uses it as a sedative forsleepless nights.
When people would have whatthey called nervous complaints,
they smoked the leaves in a pipe.
For asthma it was good to addcough tonics.
(30:57):
It opens up the sinuses andit's particularly beneficial to
inflame tissues of the stomachand intestines because it has
really astringent propertieswhen you swallow it or ingest it
.
So rabbit tobacco is one of myfavorites and if you have it
available you should always addit to any salve that you have,
(31:18):
because it is really goodexternally for cuts, scrapes and
wounds that are slow to heal.
You can make a liniment fortreatment of sprains and aches
and add leaves to rubbingalcohol as a tincture.
It reduces fevers, it'll attackviruses, it will cut your
(31:40):
recoup time in half and itbrings a flush to your organs
and it raises the coretemperature of your body, which
also produces sweat, which is acleansing sweat, particularly if
you combine that with Boneset,which is next on my list as
another one of my favorite herbs.
(32:00):
Boneset Ooh, it's bitter, it isso, so bitter.
But one of the schools ofthought is that the more bitter
the fever medicine and morebitter the tonic, then the
stronger that the herb actuallyis, then the stronger that the
herb actually is, and that backin the old days a lot of the
(32:24):
effectiveness was determined bybitterness.
So that's how they decided howwell or what rank it would have
as far as fevers and stuff likethat go, or its ability to
reduce a cough or a fever.
They ranked it by bitterness.
But very few plants have theability that Boneset has to
(32:49):
break a fever.
It's one of the best.
And if you can combine thatwith yarrow and some other
things that you may have on hand, the best herb to use is the
one that you have.
But Boneset it grows here.
We find it all over the place.
Interestingly enough, my nextdoor neighbor had just almost a
(33:12):
field of it and didn't evenrealize what they had.
So we harvest a lot, a lot ofBoneset to keep on hand.
So we harvest a lot, a lot ofbone set to keep on hand.
And the interesting thing aboutbone set is, depending on
whether you use it as a hot orcold tea, you're going to get
different effects.
So if you use it as a hot teaand you cover up in bed you know
(33:34):
which covers on you then prettyshortly you're going to begin
having profuse sweating.
And profuse sweating is really,really good if you're trying to
break a fever, and that'llbreak your colder fever.
But if you make the same teabut drink it as a cold infusion,
not hot, then it will act as amild laxative but it will also
(33:57):
strengthen and tone the bowels.
So if you need to go potty andyou cannot potty, then a cold
tea made with Boneset can helpyou.
You know, help get you going.
On that Some of the other usesfor it.
Other people have used it in thetreatment of arthritis and
rheumatism.
It helps if you take itinternally as a tincture or a
(34:21):
tea.
It can help with that sort ofinflammation and you always use
it in cough and cold tonics whenyou need that extra punch.
So one of our wintertimerespiratory tea is rabbit
tobacco bone set and mullein andof course mullein is another
(34:44):
one of those that has just somany uses and it grows, like in
rocky areas and stuff.
We do have some here and ofcourse every time we get a seed
head on mullein when it getssuper tall, I'm taking it and
just spreading it Because I wantmore of it.
I want it to grow becausemullein is another one of those
(35:04):
that it'll help break upcongestion in the lungs and you
can also make an oil out of it,like take the leaves and let
that sit, make an oil infusionand that's wonderful.
Mullein oil is one of the bestthings for earaches.
It will actually help clear upan ear infection and it can go
(35:26):
into the ear where a lot ofthings like essential oils and
things like that you're supposedto rub them around on the
outside of the ear.
But mullein oil is one of thosethings that it doesn't do any
hurt.
It just does really really goodat helping to cleanse out that
area.
It's supposedly also reallyreally good for your nerves and
(35:51):
you can take it for your kidneys.
It's good for your liver, goodfor coughs and colds.
It's good for just aboutwhatever ails you.
You can mix it with some peachleaves and it will help you
sleep Again.
Peach tree leaves are one of myother favorites.
Let me see I've got some moreinformation here on mullein.
(36:12):
Oh, red clover.
You can mix it with red cloverand it does really really good.
There's a big patch of mulleinup the road from us where we
will harvest that, but the mainuses for mullein again is
(36:35):
anything bronchitis, asthma,anything that's a deep-seated
congestion in your chest.
It's a sedative and helps tocalm that, but also helps to get
it up and out.
It moves the congestion up andout of your chest.
Now there is a contraindication.
(36:55):
It does contain coumarin, which, if you are taking any sort of
blood thinners, you would needto exercise great caution when
using mullein, because it wouldjust amplify that.
Oh, and another word of cautionis the larger outer leaves.
(37:20):
Sometimes they can causenightmares if you use those.
So when you are making mulleinteas and things of that nature,
it is best that if you use theyoung inner leaves of the plant
rather than the big, fat, fluffyouter ones, because, again it
(37:41):
happened to me, it can causesome nightmares.
I have several more to go, but Ithink I'm just going to wrap
this one up with the last onethat we put in our nighttime tea
, and that's peach tree leaves.
And that is just young leavesthat have not started to wilt
(38:01):
off of a peach tree, and it does.
The actual leaves even have amild bit of a peach flavor that
they add to your tea.
But one of the best things it'sused for is number one it helps
you to sleep.
It is a it's a sedative.
It's a sedative.
So when you put that in yournighttime tea it just calms your
(38:31):
nervous system in a natural wayso that you can get a good rest
.
The other thing that is greatfor is nausea, particularly for
women who are having just aterrible time with morning
sickness.
In just a terrible time withmorning sickness, the prescribed
remedy for that is just a bigold handful of peach tree leaves
steeped in water, but you don'twant to drink too much of it.
(38:52):
Like one cup of it is plenty,because if you drink too much of
it then it can have theopposite effect.
But like one, one big old cupwould be really great and it
will help.
You know it also helps ifyou've got nausea from stomach
flu, you know anything like thatit's.
(39:12):
It's just a really good, bothstomach sedative and overall
nerve sedative sedative andoverall nerve sedative.
You want to make sure that youdrink that as a warm tea and not
a cold tea, because the coldtea can act as a little bit of a
laxative.
So just be sure to you know todrink that as a hot tea.
(39:36):
The leaves can also bepoulticed and put on things like
boils and risings and it helpsto draw out that infection and
kind of help just get that outof your system.
You can combine peach treeleaves, like I said, with red
(39:57):
clover tops.
I'm just throwing out somethoughts of some things that
also act that go really goodwith peach tree leaves.
Wild lettuce that is a reallygood sleepy time, effective herb
.
It's good for pain, it's goodfor anything like that.
We'll talk more about thosethings, you know, in the next
(40:17):
episode, but just wrapping up,those are some of my favorites
and they're not really myfavorites in any particular
order, because now I have usedherbs so much that it's hard to
have favorites, but it's reallyones that we are kind of our
go-tos, ones that are here, easyto walk out and get, and so we
(40:42):
just use a lot of those.
I have a full apothecary cabinetor apothecary, I guess, is the
correct way to pronounce that.
But I say apothecary becauseI'm in the country and so I have
a full apothecary cabinet fullof herbs.
I am in Rosemary Gladstar'sHerbal Academy.
(41:02):
I'm about six months into that.
It's an 18-month course andit's a lot of information to
absorb.
You have to kind of learncontraindications, when to use
things, when not to use things.
But it's just a really—God isso amazing.
God is so amazing and God hasput so much here for our use and
(41:23):
for our healing and we'veforgotten.
We've gotten so far away fromthe natural in favor of the
industrial, because they want tosell us something the
industrial food complex, themedical system, all of that
(41:44):
stuff.
They don't want you to usethings that are in your backyard
because they'd rather sell yousomething off of a shelf.
And sometimes, you know, eventhey use herbs, but they don't.
You know, they make it more ofa medicine sounding thing.
Or they'll tell you to take athing and they call it something
(42:04):
complex, when in reality it's acombination of herbs and you
can grow most, all of thoseherbs yourself.
So just kind of keep that inmind.
Next week we will next Tuesday,we will go through probably 10
(42:24):
or 15 more herbs that we growand forage for here on the farm
and I'll tell you what some oftheir uses are, and then the
following Tuesday I will gothrough my favorite essential
oils that I use both for us, forour family and for our
livestock.
You know we use some herbs forour livestock as well, and so
we'll just try to go through allof the things that I use and
(42:47):
you can take, glean from it whatyou will, what you know think
might help you and your family.
But always my suggestion is,whatever ails you or what issues
that you and your family have,go through and find two or three
herbs that will work for thatthing and then really, really
(43:09):
study those herbs, learn all thedifferent preparations for them
, use them, make teas, maketinctures, make salves, whatever
.
But just take it a couple ofherbs at a time because it
really can be overwhelming.
It's a lot of information, it'sa lot to learn, but it's better
to know how to use five or 10herbs really well than to have a
(43:32):
little bit of information about500 herbs.
So just take that with a grainof salt and so with that.
I know I've run really longtoday.
This is the longest one I'vedone.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
I hope you've enjoyed today'stopic.
I hope that it really interestsyou about herbs.
If you like the podcast, itwould be really great if you
(43:54):
would subscribe and leave me areview.
It helps other people to findmy podcast.
It helps other people to findmy podcast and um.
You can find me on all thesocials, at the gorm homestead
and um on my website at the gormhomesteadcom.
And whatever you're doing today, y'all just remember, keep it
real, see y'all.
My daddy was a guitar pickerplaying all the local clubs
(44:25):
guitar solo.
I'm so kind of heart Living ina trailer On the edge of
grandpa's farm.
Yeah, I may not come from much,but I've got just enough.
(44:54):
As long as my baby's in my armsand the good Lord knows what's
in my heart, I refuse to beashamed.
It's just a Southern thing.
Hey y'all, and welcome to keeping it real, the
Gorham Homestead podcast, wherewe talk about real food, real
natural living, the real art ofnatural healing and real life
out here in our Tennesseehomestead.
I'm your host, dawn Gorham, andtoday is Tuesday, june the 4th,
2024, and you are listening toepisode number 14.
Our topic today is the topherbs that we cannot live
(00:37):
without here on our homestead.
Now we may break this up into athree-part series, depending on
how long we go.
Now we may break this up into athree-part series, depending on
how long we go, and we may justgo through all of the herbs in
part one, part two and then partthree will probably be the
essential oils that we use forour livestock and for ourselves.
Before we get started, I've gotto, by law, do my disclaimer.
(00:57):
Nothing that I say today is tobe construed as medical advice.
I am not a doctor.
I am not a medical professional.
I am simply an herbalist.
Before you make any decisionsabout your health, I recommend
that you speak to a qualifiedmedical professional to see if
what you want to use is what youshould be using.
(01:20):
So, with that out of the way,the very first one that we want
to talk about today, or that Iwant to talk about today, is
comfrey, because it's really oneof my favorites.
It's a great little herb to usefor healing wounds.
It is great for healing bones.
If you have a broken bone or asprain or a really bad bruise or
(01:42):
a superficial, not really badwound, comfrey is a great little
herb to use for that.
It increases cell productionand it causes wounds to heal
over really rapidly and for thatreason you don't want to use it
on a deep wound, and the reasonis is because it can cause it
to seal over on the outside andcause, like any infection or
(02:05):
anything like that, not to healon the inside.
So it's mostly for superficialtype wounds.
You can use it crushed, you canjuice it and you can also apply
it as a wet paste.
It produces a mucilage thatcoats and soothes the irritated
tissues, reduces inflammation,lessens scarring, so it's a
(02:31):
really good little herb to usefor scars.
If you do it in a salve version, it's good for poison ivy and
bee stings, especially if youmix it with another herb that
we're going to talk about herein a minute, which is well, I've
lost my thought Jewelweed,jewelweed, jewelweed is really
great for poison, ivy and stufflike that.
(02:51):
So it's great for any itching,but I don't want to get too far
ahead of myself.
Coming back to comfrey, comfreyis also a really good
expectorant.
You can rub it on your chest,drink it as a tea.
It has a relaxing effect on therespiratory membranes.
Now, one of the things I dowant to tell you is that you do
(03:12):
not want to use comfrey on aperson with any sort of liver
issues.
So if a person you know has anysort of liver disease at all,
that comfrey is not a good herbfor them to use.
It's good to help with digestion.
It helps control stomach ulcers.
It will stop actually stopstomach ulcers, helps control
(03:34):
acid reflux and heartburn andhelps stop upset stomach.
If you use it as a poultice,it's really good for bruises,
bones, tendons and sprains.
You can use it as an oil.
You can rub it on.
You can do it in thatpreparation.
Sore throats If you steep it asa tea it's good to gargle for
(03:56):
sore throat, laryngitis.
It stops bleeding gums and somesay I'm not saying it does, but
some say will actually helpregrow teeth.
I don't know about that part,though.
That's just what they say.
I can't attest to that one.
It's good for reducing darkspots and blemishes.
(04:17):
It moisturizes.
If you make it as a tea it cansupposedly help stop hair loss.
It helps with conditions suchas in a salve.
It helps with dandruff, it canhelp detangle hair and, last but
(04:38):
not least, the best use that Ibelieve for comfrey is helping
with pain and inflammation.
You can drink it as a tea.
You can apply a poulticedirectly to any aching joints
that you have and it can helpwith osteoarthritis and
rheumatoid arthritis as well.
(05:00):
So those are just some of myfavorite uses for comfrey.
So those are just some of myfavorite uses for comfrey.
You can, like I said, if youwant to just if you want to do a
comfrey tea, you should harvestright before the flowers bloom
and that is when.
That's when it's the most, whenthe leaves are the most potent
(05:22):
mouthwash.
You can do one square inch ofroot with two to three
tablespoons of water and swishit around and get all parts of
the teeth and then spit it out,the root you don't want to
swallow.
The leaves are okay, but theroot you don't want to swallow.
And if you want to use it as apoultice and that would be
direct application of the herb,like onto skin wet.
(05:43):
So you would wrap the wetleaves in a cheesecloth and then
apply externally to the painfulareas.
The herbs, like you usuallywill crush them into a pulp or
make it into a paste and thenjust wrap gauze or muslin around
, you know, to kind of help holdit in place.
(06:04):
You can also use comfrey as atincture.
Now, the tincture is going tobe sticky, but it is good.
Let me flip this little paperover.
The comfrey tincture is knownas one of the most healing
tinctures in the world and sowhat you want to use is 100
(06:25):
grams of comfrey root and 700milliliters of brandy or a
really strong, strong alcohol,and you would just let that
steep in a dark place for 14days and shake like every third
day and then strain it and keepthe tincture in a dark bottle or
in a dark place, and so whenyou want to use it you would put
(06:46):
that tincture on the affectedarea about three times a day and
hopefully you know that wouldhelp and you want to lubricate
the affected area and then put,you know, put the tincture on
and kind of rub it into thatwith some sort of oil.
The really other good thingabout comfrey is it is so
(07:08):
nutritious that it's a greatchop and drop plant.
So it's great to plant aroundfruit trees, blueberries, you
know anything like that.
You would just chop the leavesif you're not going to use them
and then drop them at the baseof that tree and it will.
You know it'll.
The roots of the tree willabsorb it and it'll put a lot of
(07:29):
good nutrients back into thesoil.
Yarrow is the next herb that'son my list, and I have to say I
have recently had to use yarrowbecause I was um fooling with a
little chicken brooder thingthat was made.
Somebody gave it to me and ithad a glass window on the end of
it and the glass window was outof the track, and so I was
(07:52):
hoping to be able to fix it andbe able to put chickens in it
Just as a holding point for thechickens.
And as I was doing that, I wastrying to push the glass back
into the track and the glassbroke and the glass punctured my
thumb like all the way to myknuckle, and it was bleeding
(08:14):
really, really bad.
Well, luckily I grow yarrowright here in the front in my
little medicinal bed, and so Iwas able to run out there, get
fresh yarrow, wrap it up reallygood until I could get up to the
house with just a paper toweland some wet yarrow.
And that did, because it wasbleeding I mean bleeding,
running down my arm, bleeding.
So I got up to the house and Ihave also some dried yarrow and
(08:38):
so I took the wet yarrow, thefresh yarrow, off and put the
dried yarrow actually down deepinto the wound and because it
also has some antiseptic andbacterial properties, so I put
that down in that wound and thenI wrapped it really good with
some I'm sorry, with a bandaidand then some galls and stuff
(09:02):
just to stop it from bleeding.
And it did.
It did a really great job.
The problem is I needed stitches.
It is, and I'm looking at it.
It's still completely separatedand if I bend my knuckle it
wants to pop open.
But it did stop the bleeding.
It caused it to clot andanytime I moved it or hit it or
(09:24):
whatever, I would break thatclot open.
But for the meantime, you know,until I could do something
different, it was really good.
So that's a really good one forusing as like a clot stop.
It's pretty darn good for girls,menstrual cramps too.
I use it in my tincture that Icall shark week because I feel
(09:48):
like it helps the flow to bemore normal and not so heavy and
not so, you know, premenopausalas it can be.
So yarrow is good for people,young and old, it doesn't matter
whether they're teenagers orolder people.
It's really good for that.
(10:08):
You know, pms, menstrual timeum, the, the flowers and the
leaves are an excellent.
They're a diaphoretic, whichmeans they promote sweating,
which means it's really good forif you have a fever.
And I tested this out on my sonabout a week and a half ago.
He had upset stomach and he hada fever with it, and so we I
(10:36):
used some yarrow and some boneset together and he also had an
upset stomach, so he also gotsome blackberry root.
So I made a tea that had thosethree different things in it and
sure enough, I mean about 30 or45 minutes after he drank that
tea, he was sweating like crazyand his fever broke.
He didn't have to take Tylenolor ibuprofen, he just covered up
(10:58):
with the covers and sweated itout and it helped him to
naturally break that fever itout.
And it helped him to naturallybreak that fever.
Yarrow will also stop anosebleed.
You can actually put yarrow ordried yarrow up the nose of a
(11:19):
person who has a nosebleed andthen put toilet paper right
behind it and it will stop thenosebleed pretty quickly.
It disinfects wounds.
It's really, really good formuscle spasms and if that's not
enough, it's also good it hasreally beneficial effects on the
heart and the lungs.
Now I will say that it iscontraindicated in pregnant
women.
It has a mild abortifacient.
(11:42):
I never say that word rightShouldn't be taken during
pregnancy, except under adoctor's care or in combinations
with other herbs.
I spoke about the nosebleed.
One of the interesting thingsabout yarrow is it kind of works
(12:06):
in a peculiar way.
If you insert a roll of yarrowlike up into your nose, the
bleeding will stop.
But now if you've got a severesinus headache and you insert a
roll of yarrow up into thenostril, then a nosebleed will
result.
It'll relieve the pressure inyour head and it'll relieve the
(12:28):
headache.
But what's crazy is if you wantto stop a nosebleed, use Yarrow
, and if you want to start anosebleed, you can use Yarrow.
It's pretty accommodating likethat.
It's a good blood cleanser.
It really has a reputation ofcolonizing a large part of the
globe At one time.
You know, we kind of grow iteverywhere.
(12:49):
It's really really easy to growand it's a really pretty plant
to grow so it looks reallypretty.
I have it out in my medicinallittle plant thing out in front
of the cannery and it just looksreally nice out there.
The next one on my list I'm justgoing to speak about briefly
because there's not a whole,whole lot of information that I
(13:12):
have, but I do have a specificuse for it Blackberry.
Now, this is blackberry juice,blackberry leaves and blackberry
root.
One of the old times.
Well, I had known about theblackberry root being really,
really good.
It's a.
It's an astringent, which meansit like if you have diarrhea or
something like that, it helpsto stop that.
(13:34):
It dries things up and the rootand the bark and especially the
I'm sorry the root bark and theleaves are strongly astringent.
They're really good for sorryI'm having to think just a
second really good for diarrheaand hemorrhoids.
(13:55):
But it's one of the old timersup at our community center I was
talking about that, talkingabout blackberry root and how I
keep it on hand for, you know,if we get upset stomach,
anything like that, and hebrought up to me that ma'am you
know old timers call their momma'am ma'am gave them blackberry
(14:17):
juice when they were little,and so turns out I did a little
research turns out it don't putany sugar in it or anything like
that.
But if you just juice theblackberries and use that, that
will stop about the upsetstomach diarrhea pretty darn
quickly.
Now if you eat too manyblackberries it might give you
(14:37):
diarrhea, but just theblackberry juice itself, if
you're actually going to thebathroom, it'll help that.
One of my favorite books thattalks about blackberries and the
medicinal uses is MountainMedicine, the Herbal Remedies of
Tommy Bass, written by DarylPatton.
(14:58):
Now I've met Daryl severaltimes, but initially at the
Homesteaders of Americaconference.
I think the first time I methim was actually in Columbia.
But I talked to him forever andhe's just super fascinating and
in his book he wrote this bookhe studied with Tommy Bass for
years and years and then Tommyhad previously studied with
(15:21):
Native Americans and some of theold timers up in the
Appalachias.
But he writes that it's alsogood for livestock scours.
Like you can use blackberry forbaby calves, which I did, use
it for baby calves andblackberry roots the blackberry
(15:43):
root is the most potent part ofthe plant, he says, with the
green fruit and the mature fruitbeing somewhat less binding.
And then the leaves are thelesser choice but can be
effectively used.
You can use raspberry leaves asa substitute for blackberry,
(16:05):
but blackberry is best and ithas a super high iron content.
And he says you could use thatfor medicine, making blackberry
jam as well as having a tastytreat.
So the preparation and use youwould make a cup of tea from a
teaspoon of the dried leaves toa cup of boiling water, or a
teaspoon of the dried andpowdered roots, which is what we
(16:26):
use, or green fruit, whichwould be even better for
stubborn cases, and take a goodmouthful of the tea as the need
arises.
So every time you go to thebathroom you continue to drink
the tea.
(16:47):
Now the high content of thetannins in the bramble family
presents us with its maincontraindication, which is too
much of the tonic will cause aperson to go from severe
diarrhea to severe constipation.
So kind of got to be aware ofthat.
And then the blackberry jamwith the seeds it will act as a
scouring laxative.
So just kind of the seeds iswhat makes you go to the
(17:08):
bathroom, whereas the greenfruit doesn't have the seeds
developed in it yet, and theleaves and the roots.
Those are all really good forstopping diarrhea.
The next one on my list isactually one of my favorites and
it grows everywhere here on myproperty and in my surrounding
areas, like I can find it at myneighbor's, if I don't have it
(17:30):
here, but it's goldenrod and theLatin name is Solidago
canadensis, and Solidago is fromLatin word solidare, which
means to join or to make whole,and that just really refers to
the healing powers of thegoldenrod plant.
It's like one of the mostversatile plants and what we use
(17:52):
it for is typically, like inthe spring, if you have a snotty
nose or sinuses or anythinglike that, goldenrod is a really
good herb for that.
It helps to get that drainagegoing and it helps to.
It's good for upper respiratorycongestion is what I'm trying
(18:16):
to say.
A lot of the ladies in myfamily tend to suffer from, like
kidney and bladder infectionsand things of that nature.
Goldenrod is really really good, like when you're experiencing
a dark, cloudy urine or abladder infection, something of
that nature.
It's pretty effective inhelping clear up kidney and
(18:38):
bladder stones and it just helpsto increase your overall kidney
function and helps to clear allthat stuff out.
So goldenrod is one of myoverall favorites and I do like
goldenrod in conjunction withD-Mannose and Corn, silk and
Dandelion.
(18:58):
Those are my for urinary andbladder issues.
The combination of those fourthings is what I really like to
use together.
The next one down on my list isprobably the most famous.
The one everybody kind of knowsabout is elder, or also known
as elderberry.
We do grow these here, weforage for them.
We do know a couple of places,a couple of farms that will let
(19:22):
us pick elderberry so that wewildcraft it.
Of course we leave enough forthe birds and for them to drop
and start making newelderberries or whatever they're
going to do.
But elderflower and elderberry,it's just a really good immune
booster.
We make elderberry syrup.
(19:43):
That's what I use myelderberries for.
It reduces fever, it'santiviral and it's just and it
boosts, like's just and itboosts.
Like I said, it boosts theimmune system.
Um, it's more effective whenyou combine it with echinacea.
Now I would not want to take iton a daily basis with echinacea
(20:06):
in it, but for a acute illness,having the addition of
echinacea if you're sick is ahuge, huge help.
So that's why we do have abasic blend which is for daily
use, and then we have anechinacea and CBD blend for our
elderberry syrup, which CBD isalso.
(20:28):
Of course it has no THC in it,it's just THC free.
But CBD itself is an immunebooster and it helps to relax
the immune response so that yourbody you know it decompresses
and helps relieve stress,because sometimes stress also
(20:49):
makes us sick.
So the elderberry, inconjunction with, obviously,
cinnamon, is in that and cloveand some other good stuff is in
the elderberry syrup.
But that's why I add echinaceaand CBD, because I just feel
like it makes it a powerhouse tohelp knock out illnesses, flus,
colds, you know anything likethat.
(21:10):
And it has also helped.
I don't use the, like I said, Idon't use the echinacea on a
daily basis, but our daily useone.
My son takes elderberry syrupand it has really helped
minimize him getting cold sores,and I'll tell you later in
another episode what our remedyfor cold sores is once they
(21:31):
emerge.
But it really it has cut itdown.
He gets 10% of what he used toget, maybe one a year, maybe two
a year, but really only when heruns a fever and this last time
he ran a fever he still didn'tget a cold sore.
So it's really it's reallyhelped him a lot in that regard.
But taking it on a daily basishelps keep your immune system
(21:54):
firing optimally so that youdon't get sick as often, and
especially in the fall.
Taking that elderberry syrup inwinter you know, when you're in
close proximity, close quarters, with people doing that on a
daily basis even just a smallamount it doesn't take a whole
lot, but a small amount willreally help to keep you healthy
(22:16):
and help keep you from gettingsick.
Chamomile is one of my favorites.
I feel like I use a lot ofchamomile.
I like chamomile tea.
I like chamomile for skinsalves.
I like it for skin repair whenyou have cuts, scarring,
(22:37):
anything like that.
It's great for relieving pain.
It's like joint problems, likearthritis and bursitis.
Chamomile is really good forthat.
But it's also one of the bestherbs that there is for colicky
babies.
I'm sorry, I'm losing my spot.
(22:59):
It's a healing wonder.
That's what I'm trying to say.
It's a healing wonder.
I'm going to read this reallyquick.
The flower tops has a richamount of deep blue essential
oil called azaleen that acts asa powerful anti-inflammatory
agent.
That's why it is so good forthings like bursitis, arthritis.
(23:21):
But the flowers, that's what Ilike to use for nighttime and it
makes a really soothing,nerve-calming tea.
I'll mix it with passionflowerthat's one of my other favorites
that I'll talk about here injust a second but I mix it with
(23:42):
passionflower and lemon, balmand peach tree leaves and it's
just such a tasty nighttime teaand it will help you sleep so
good.
Especially.
I mean, I'm not talking, Idon't know what the grocery
store stuff does Like you getthe little chamomile tea from
Walmart or whatever.
I've never really really beenable to tell much benefit from
(24:04):
that, and maybe there is, maybesome other people do.
But the the plants and theherbs that I actually grow and
use them fresh, I can actuallytell that they're working.
I can actually tell thatthey're doing what they're
supposed to be doing.
If you put chamomile into likean oil or a salve, then it's
(24:25):
really good for skin repair.
You can add it to bath waterand it'll make just like a
soothing bath time.
You know, just makes you feelgood and relax.
So while we're on nervines, I'lljust go ahead and talk about
passionflower.
It grows in my pasture.
It grows on my wood pile.
It grows in my old um hightunnel that we're no longer
(24:49):
using.
Like passionflower growseverywhere here.
I really really like it.
I'm thankful that we found ithere on our property.
It has traditionally been usedand even still today used to
treat anxiety and insomnia.
It can be traced all the wayback to Native Americans.
(25:16):
They used it long before any ofus ever did.
But it is a mild motor nervedepressant and it also
temporarily not long-term buttemporarily reduces blood
pressure.
And it's one of the things thatI put in my shark wink tincture
because it helps with thatfeeling of edginess that comes
with hormonal issues, that comeswith PMS or during your
menstrual cycle, and so addingpassionflower to my shark wink
(25:40):
tincture really helps bring downthat anxiety level.
It's also been used to treathyperactive children.
It helps with theirconcentration in classrooms or
in school children.
It's good for muscle twitchingand irritability, which is a
(26:00):
really good thing if you havemuscle spasms In older people or
elderly people.
It's really good for sciaticaand just you know, general nerve
debility, things that are goingon in their nervous system, and
it's just basically quietingand soothing to your nervous
(26:20):
system.
So think about nighttime tea.
Like I said, my favoritenighttime tea combination is
sometimes I'll throw in lemonbalm because I like the flavor.
But lemon balm, passion flower,peach tree leaves, sometimes St
(26:40):
John's wort I mean all of thoseare really really good, and
chamomile really really good tojust settle you in and give you
a good night's sleep, especiallyfor people like my husband
whose mind is just always racing, and so we have found that
(27:02):
making that tea settles themdown.
You know it helps to not havenightmares, you know things of
that nature.
So passionflower is definitelysomething that if you can't grow
or you don't know anybody thatgrows it, definitely I would
order that in from somewherethat sells it organic just to
have on hand to make your ownrelaxing teas.
(27:25):
It's really good with a bubblebath and some Epsom salt and
some lavender whatever, somelavender in your diffuser.
That sounds like heaven to me.
Little side note is that one ofthe uses previous uses for
(27:45):
passionflower is it has beenused to overcome alcohol abuse
and it's supposedly withoutaccompanying, you know, that
type of narcotic hangover andit's supposed to help with DTs,
withdrawals, things of thatnature.
(28:06):
So a person who is trying tostop drinking alcohol, keeping
passion flower in your dailyconsumption is a really good way
to stop the really bad effectsfrom way, to stop the really bad
effects from, you know, whenyou stop drinking alcohol.
(28:26):
So when it comes to respiratoryissues, like in the winter,
when you get all like bronchitisor which I haven't had
bronchitis in several years, butanything that's like chest
congestion, I have a couple offavorites for that and I've
tried to grow it here.
I want to grow it here, sobadly I cannot get it going.
But it's rabbit tobacco.
(28:47):
The true Latin name ispseudonyphalium obtusifolium,
because there's a lot ofdifferent things.
People think is rabbit tobaccoand it's not.
So that is the one.
But it's also known as Life,everlasting Sweet, everlasting
Cherokee Tobacco, old FieldBalsam that's some of the names
(29:09):
for it.
But it is really, really a coolherb.
The Sioux described it as aplant that was able to walk the
borderline between the dead andthe living.
Think about that.
That's kind of cool.
Right, flowers were picked andput in a medicinal bag to ward
off evil spirits and ill willagainst you.
(29:31):
It was also used for treatinginsomnia and nightmares and it
was smoked in a pipe to treatasthma.
And so if you don't want tosmoke it in a pipe.
Another thing that they didsometimes for children was to
put the flowers in a pillow andlet the child sleep on the
pillow with rabbit tobacco, andthat would really really help
(29:54):
asthmatic kids.
It's an annual but on occasionit can be grown as a perennial.
I think it reseeds like itsends its flowers out, but the
root itself is an annual.
It is antimutagenic.
It's virucidal, which means itcan kill viruses.
(30:14):
It's cytotoxic, which means itpotentially could affect cancer,
like kill cancer cells, butit's mostly known as an
expectorant.
It's really good for sorethroats, pneumonia, colds, the C
word which we're not allowed tosay fever, diarrhea.
(30:36):
It covers a wide range ofailments.
It covers a wide range ofailments.
The Native Americans would alsoput the leaves in sweat baths
and uses it as a sedative forsleepless nights.
When people would have whatthey called nervous complaints,
they smoked the leaves in a pipe.
For asthma it was good to addcough tonics.
(30:57):
It opens up the sinuses andit's particularly beneficial to
inflame tissues of the stomachand intestines because it has
really astringent propertieswhen you swallow it or ingest it
.
So rabbit tobacco is one of myfavorites and if you have it
available you should always addit to any salve that you have,
(31:18):
because it is really goodexternally for cuts, scrapes and
wounds that are slow to heal.
You can make a liniment fortreatment of sprains and aches
and add leaves to rubbingalcohol as a tincture.
It reduces fevers, it'll attackviruses, it will cut your
(31:40):
recoup time in half and itbrings a flush to your organs
and it raises the coretemperature of your body, which
also produces sweat, which is acleansing sweat, particularly if
you combine that with Boneset,which is next on my list as
another one of my favorite herbs.
(32:00):
Boneset Ooh, it's bitter, it isso, so bitter.
But one of the schools ofthought is that the more bitter
the fever medicine and morebitter the tonic, then the
stronger that the herb actuallyis, then the stronger that the
herb actually is, and that backin the old days a lot of the
(32:24):
effectiveness was determined bybitterness.
So that's how they decided howwell or what rank it would have
as far as fevers and stuff likethat go, or its ability to
reduce a cough or a fever.
They ranked it by bitterness.
But very few plants have theability that Boneset has to
(32:49):
break a fever.
It's one of the best.
And if you can combine thatwith yarrow and some other
things that you may have on hand, the best herb to use is the
one that you have.
But Boneset it grows here.
We find it all over the place.
Interestingly enough, my nextdoor neighbor had just almost a
(33:12):
field of it and didn't evenrealize what they had.
So we harvest a lot, a lot ofBoneset to keep on hand.
So we harvest a lot, a lot ofbone set to keep on hand.
And the interesting thing aboutbone set is, depending on
whether you use it as a hot orcold tea, you're going to get
different effects.
So if you use it as a hot teaand you cover up in bed you know
(33:34):
which covers on you then prettyshortly you're going to begin
having profuse sweating.
And profuse sweating is really,really good if you're trying to
break a fever, and that'llbreak your colder fever.
But if you make the same teabut drink it as a cold infusion,
not hot, then it will act as amild laxative but it will also
(33:57):
strengthen and tone the bowels.
So if you need to go potty andyou cannot potty, then a cold
tea made with Boneset can helpyou.
You know, help get you going.
On that Some of the other usesfor it.
Other people have used it in thetreatment of arthritis and
rheumatism.
It helps if you take itinternally as a tincture or a
(34:21):
tea.
It can help with that sort ofinflammation and you always use
it in cough and cold tonics whenyou need that extra punch.
So one of our wintertimerespiratory tea is rabbit
tobacco bone set and mullein andof course mullein is another
(34:44):
one of those that has just somany uses and it grows, like in
rocky areas and stuff.
We do have some here and ofcourse every time we get a seed
head on mullein when it getssuper tall, I'm taking it and
just spreading it Because I wantmore of it.
I want it to grow becausemullein is another one of those
(35:04):
that it'll help break upcongestion in the lungs and you
can also make an oil out of it,like take the leaves and let
that sit, make an oil infusionand that's wonderful.
Mullein oil is one of the bestthings for earaches.
It will actually help clear upan ear infection and it can go
(35:26):
into the ear where a lot ofthings like essential oils and
things like that you're supposedto rub them around on the
outside of the ear.
But mullein oil is one of thosethings that it doesn't do any
hurt.
It just does really really goodat helping to cleanse out that
area.
It's supposedly also reallyreally good for your nerves and
(35:51):
you can take it for your kidneys.
It's good for your liver, goodfor coughs and colds.
It's good for just aboutwhatever ails you.
You can mix it with some peachleaves and it will help you
sleep Again.
Peach tree leaves are one of myother favorites.
Let me see I've got some moreinformation here on mullein.
(36:12):
Oh, red clover.
You can mix it with red cloverand it does really really good.
There's a big patch of mulleinup the road from us where we
will harvest that, but the mainuses for mullein again is
(36:35):
anything bronchitis, asthma,anything that's a deep-seated
congestion in your chest.
It's a sedative and helps tocalm that, but also helps to get
it up and out.
It moves the congestion up andout of your chest.
Now there is a contraindication.
(36:55):
It does contain coumarin, which, if you are taking any sort of
blood thinners, you would needto exercise great caution when
using mullein, because it wouldjust amplify that.
Oh, and another word of cautionis the larger outer leaves.
(37:20):
Sometimes they can causenightmares if you use those.
So when you are making mulleinteas and things of that nature,
it is best that if you use theyoung inner leaves of the plant
rather than the big, fat, fluffyouter ones, because, again it
(37:41):
happened to me, it can causesome nightmares.
I have several more to go, but Ithink I'm just going to wrap
this one up with the last onethat we put in our nighttime tea
, and that's peach tree leaves.
And that is just young leavesthat have not started to wilt
(38:01):
off of a peach tree, and it does.
The actual leaves even have amild bit of a peach flavor that
they add to your tea.
But one of the best things it'sused for is number one it helps
you to sleep.
It is a it's a sedative.
It's a sedative.
So when you put that in yournighttime tea it just calms your
(38:31):
nervous system in a natural wayso that you can get a good rest
.
The other thing that is greatfor is nausea, particularly for
women who are having just aterrible time with morning
sickness.
In just a terrible time withmorning sickness, the prescribed
remedy for that is just a bigold handful of peach tree leaves
steeped in water, but you don'twant to drink too much of it.
(38:52):
Like one cup of it is plenty,because if you drink too much of
it then it can have theopposite effect.
But like one, one big old cupwould be really great and it
will help.
You know it also helps ifyou've got nausea from stomach
flu, you know anything like thatit's.
(39:12):
It's just a really good, bothstomach sedative and overall
nerve sedative sedative andoverall nerve sedative.
You want to make sure that youdrink that as a warm tea and not
a cold tea, because the coldtea can act as a little bit of a
laxative.
So just be sure to you know todrink that as a hot tea.
(39:36):
The leaves can also bepoulticed and put on things like
boils and risings and it helpsto draw out that infection and
kind of help just get that outof your system.
You can combine peach treeleaves, like I said, with red
(39:57):
clover tops.
I'm just throwing out somethoughts of some things that
also act that go really goodwith peach tree leaves.
Wild lettuce that is a reallygood sleepy time, effective herb
.
It's good for pain, it's goodfor anything like that.
We'll talk more about thosethings, you know, in the next
(40:17):
episode, but just wrapping up,those are some of my favorites
and they're not really myfavorites in any particular
order, because now I have usedherbs so much that it's hard to
have favorites, but it's reallyones that we are kind of our
go-tos, ones that are here, easyto walk out and get, and so we
(40:42):
just use a lot of those.
I have a full apothecary cabinetor apothecary, I guess, is the
correct way to pronounce that.
But I say apothecary becauseI'm in the country and so I have
a full apothecary cabinet fullof herbs.
I am in Rosemary Gladstar'sHerbal Academy.
(41:02):
I'm about six months into that.
It's an 18-month course andit's a lot of information to
absorb.
You have to kind of learncontraindications, when to use
things, when not to use things.
But it's just a really—God isso amazing.
God is so amazing and God hasput so much here for our use and
(41:23):
for our healing and we'veforgotten.
We've gotten so far away fromthe natural in favor of the
industrial, because they want tosell us something the
industrial food complex, themedical system, all of that
(41:44):
stuff.
They don't want you to usethings that are in your backyard
because they'd rather sell yousomething off of a shelf.
And sometimes, you know, eventhey use herbs, but they don't.
You know, they make it more ofa medicine sounding thing.
Or they'll tell you to take athing and they call it something
(42:04):
complex, when in reality it's acombination of herbs and you
can grow most, all of thoseherbs yourself.
So just kind of keep that inmind.
Next week we will next Tuesday,we will go through probably 10
(42:24):
or 15 more herbs that we growand forage for here on the farm
and I'll tell you what some oftheir uses are, and then the
following Tuesday I will gothrough my favorite essential
oils that I use both for us, forour family and for our
livestock.
You know we use some herbs forour livestock as well, and so
we'll just try to go through allof the things that I use and
(42:47):
you can take, glean from it whatyou will, what you know think
might help you and your family.
But always my suggestion is,whatever ails you or what issues
that you and your family have,go through and find two or three
herbs that will work for thatthing and then really, really
(43:09):
study those herbs, learn all thedifferent preparations for them
, use them, make teas, maketinctures, make salves, whatever
.
But just take it a couple ofherbs at a time because it
really can be overwhelming.
It's a lot of information, it'sa lot to learn, but it's better
to know how to use five or 10herbs really well than to have a
(43:32):
little bit of information about500 herbs.
So just take that with a grainof salt and so with that.
I know I've run really longtoday.
This is the longest one I'vedone.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
I hope you've enjoyed today'stopic.
I hope that it really interestsyou about herbs.
If you like the podcast, itwould be really great if you
(43:54):
would subscribe and leave me areview.
It helps other people to findmy podcast.
It helps other people to findmy podcast and um.
You can find me on all thesocials, at the gorm homestead
and um on my website at the gormhomesteadcom.
And whatever you're doing today, y'all just remember, keep it
real, see y'all.
My daddy was a guitar pickerplaying all the local clubs
(44:25):
guitar solo.
I'm so kind of heart Living ina trailer On the edge of
grandpa's farm.
Yeah, I may not come from much,but I've got just enough.
(44:54):
As long as my baby's in my armsand the good Lord knows what's
in my heart, I refuse to beashamed.
It's just a Southern thing.
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