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Herbs & Plants

Hepatica americana

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Botanical Name : Hepatica americana
Family: Ranunculaceae
Genus: Hepatica
Species: H. nobilis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Ranunculales

Common Names: Liverwort, Ker-gawl ,Hepatica tribola, Hepatica nobilis,American Liverleaf, Alumroot, Round Lobed Hepatica

Habitat : Hepatica americana is native to the eastern United States and to central and eastern Canada. It grows on the dry woods. Mixed woods, often in association with both conifers and deciduous trees, usually in drier sites and more acid soils, from sea level to 1200 metres. ( Rich or rocky wooded slopes, ravines, mossy banks, ledges. Usually on acid soils.)
Description:
Hepatica americana is a herbaceous perennial, growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a slow rate.
It is hardy to zone (UK) 4. It is in flower from Apr to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera……..CLICK &  SEE  THE  PICTURES

USDA hardiness zone : 3-9

Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Cultivation:
Landscape Uses:Rock garden, Woodland garden. Prefers a deep light soil with leafmold. Grows well on limey woodland soils in half shade, though it also succeeds in deep shade and in full sun[1]. Plants resent root disturbance and should be placed in their permanent positions as soon as possible. This species is closely related to H. acutiloba. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes. Special Features: Attractive foliage, North American native, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies.
Propagation:
Seed – sow in a moist soil in a shady position. The stored seed requires stratification for about 3 weeks at 0 – 5°c. Germination takes 1 – 12 months at 10°c. It is probably worthwhile sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division just as the leafless plant comes into flower in late winter. Replant immediately into their permanent positions.
Medicinal Uses:
Hepatica americana was used widely by natives and colonists to treat a variety of ailments. A tea made from the leaves is laxative. It is used in the treatment of fevers, liver ailments and poor indigestion. At one time it became a cult medicine as a liver tonic and 200,000 kilos of dried Hepatica leaves were used in 1883 alone. Externally, the tea is applied as a wash to swollen breasts[

It was used most commonly as a leaf tea to treat liver disorders. This was thought to work because the plants leaves are shaped much like the human liver. This practice of treating organ ailments with the plants that most resembled them is known as the “doctrine of signatures.” The practice originated in China and, fortunately, is no longer

While rarely found in herbal remedies today, it is a mild astringent and a diuretic. It stimulates gall bladder production and is a mild laxative. Its astringency has also stopped bleeding in the digestive tract and the resultant spitting of blood. Historically, liverwort has been used for kidney problems and bronchitis. It’s active constituent, protoaneminin, has been shown to have antibiotic action. The Russians use it in their folk medicine and also to treat cattle with mouth sickness.

Known Hazards : Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, most plants in this family are poisonous. This toxicity is usually of a low order and the toxic principle is destroyed by heat or by drying.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatica_nobilis
http://www.missouriplants.com/Bluealt/Hepatica_americana_page.html
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hepatica+americana
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_LMN.htm

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Herbs & Plants

Menyanthes trifoliata

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Botanical Name :Menyanthes trifoliata
Family: Menyanthaceae
Genus: Menyanthes
Species: M. trifoliata
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Asterales

Common Names:Bogbean , Buckbean, March Clover

Habitat : Menyanthes trifoliata occurs in fens and bogs in Asia, Europe, and North America. In eastern North America, it is considered to be a diagnostic fen species.

Description:
Menyanthes trifoliata is a herbaceous perennial  plant.It grows to a height of 0.75 to 1 feet and  spread 1 to 2 feet. It blooms  during May to June. Menyanthes trifoliata has a horizontal rhizome with alternate, trifoliate leaves. The inflorescence is an erect raceme of white flowers
Click to see the pictures.…..(01).....(1).……..(2)....(3)
It is a winter hardy plant  to USDA Zones 3-10. In water gardens, grow in containers submerged in shallow water (to 3” over the rhizome) in full sun to part shade. Best in acidic, peaty soils. Also may be grown in the shallow margins of a pond, either in containers or planted in the mud near the water’s edge. Rhizomes may spread to and root in the muddy banks of a water garden or pond, thus making this an excellent transitional foliage plant.

Constituents:  volatile oil, bitter principle, a glucoside called menyanthin.

Medicinal Uses:
Properties: * Antirheumatic * Bitter * Diuretic * Febrifuge * Nervine * Tonic
Parts Used: whole herb

Bogbean is a most useful herb for the treatment of rheumatism, osteo-arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It has a stimulating effect upon the walls of the colon which will act as an aperient, but it should not be used to help rheumatism where there is any colitis or diarrhea. It has a marked stimulating action on the digestive juices and on bile-flow and so will aid in debilitated states that are due to sluggish digestion, indigestion and problems of the liver and gall-bladder.  Bogbean is a strongly bitter herb that encourages the appetite and stimulates digestive secretions.  It is commonly taken to improve an underactive or weak digestion, particularly if there is abdominal discomfort.  Used for anorexia.  This herb is tonic, cathartic, deobstruent and febrifuge. Other uses are for muscular weakness in myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic infections with debility and exhaustion. May be combined with black cohosh and celery seed to relieve joint and muscular pain.  An extract is made from the leaves, which possesses strong tonic properties, and which renders great service in rheumatism, scurvy, and skin diseases. An infusion of 1 oz. of the dried leaves to 1 pint of boiling water is taken in wineglassful doses, frequently repeated. It has also been recommended as an external application for dissolving glandular swellings. Finely powdered Bogbean leaves have been employed as a remedy for ague, being said to effect a cure when other means fail. In large doses, the powder is also purgative. It is used also as an herb tobacco.  Buckbean tea, taken alone or mixed with wormwood, centaury or sage, is said to cure dyspepsia and a torpid liver.

Bogbean is one of the medicinal plants that containing iridoids, plant chemicals that play a central role in herbalism as they are often the basis of what is known as the bitter principle. These bitter tonics, such as bogbean stimulate digestive secretions, including bile.It is a medicine fore  * Lupus

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a642/menyanthes-trifoliata.aspx
http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail180.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menyanthes

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Herbs & Plants

Caesalpinia pulcherrima

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Botanical Name : Caesalpinia pulcherrima
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Caesalpinia
Species: C. pulcherrima
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Fabales

Synonym : Poinciana pulcherrima, Poinciana bijuga.

Common Names :Poinciana, Peacock Flower, Red Bird of Paradise, Mexican Bird of Paradise, Dwarf Poinciana, Pride of Barbados, and flamboyan-de-jardin. Pride of Barbados, dwarf poinciana, red bird of paradise, krere – krere, Barbados flower – fence, pearock flower, tabachin, tabaquin.

Common names for this species in other languages include:-

Bengali: Radhachura and maybe also Krishnachura   (though this usually refers to Delonix regia)
Hindi: Guletura
Filipino: Caballer:
Spanish: Flamboyan
 Kannada: Kenjige
Konkani: Ratnagandhi Phoolor “meshae phool”
Malayalam: Settimandaram or Rajamalli
Manipuri: Krishnachura
Marathi: Sankasur
Oriya: Krushnachuda
Sanskrit: Sidhakya
 Tamil: Mayirkonrai; Nazhal
Telugu: Ratnagandhi

Sranantongo: Krere-krere
Vietnamese: Kim ph??ng
Sinhalese: Monara pila

Habitat :Caesalpinia pulcherrima is native to West Indies; common throughout Sonoran deserts, naturalized in Texas. It is the national flower of the Caribbean island of Barbados, and is depicted on the Queen’s personal Barbadian flag.

Description:
Pride of Barbados is a small evergreen perennial shrub or tree, from the West Indies, 10 – 15 feet high with alternate, bipinnate leaves. The stem and branches are armed with spines. The red, orange, yellow and pink flowers grow at the end of the prickly branches.
click to see…>…..(01).…....(1)...(2)..…(3)..…...(4)…
This small, graceful tree flowers throughout the year and is a beautiful garden plant.
Pride of Barbados has beautiful bowl – shaped flowers in the colors red, orange, orange – red and yellow.
The yellow variety is often called yellow bird of paradise.
The fruits are legumes, 3 – 4″ long; when ripe they split open and release the brown bean.
The variety of pride of Barbados with red flowers is also called red bird of paradise, while the yellow species is called phoenix bird of paradise.
Closely related is the Yellow bird of paradise (Caesalpinnia gilliesii) which has yellow flowers with long red stamens.

The leaves are bipinnate, 20–40 cm long, bearing 3-10 pairs of pinnae, each with 6-10 pairs of leaflets 15–25 mm long and 10–15 mm broad. The flowers are borne in racemes up to 20 cm long, each flower with five yellow, orange or red petals. The fruit is a pod 6–12 cm long.
Leaves: bipinnately compound, fern-like, many 3/4in leaflets; normally bright green turning red in winter, sometimes leafless in winter
Flowers: distinctive panicle of bright blooms; flowers are red, orange and yellow with long red stamens; on terminal ends of branches in summer
Fruit: hard brownish pod, 2.5in long, thin and flat, twists when drying, explosively dehiscent, poisonous
USDA zone : 8 – 11.

Propagation :  Seeds and cuttings (For details about germination, go to ISHS).

Medicinal Uses:
Medicine men in the Amazon Rainforest have long known some of the medicinal uses for Caesalpinia pulcherrima, which is known as ayoowiri. Four grams from the root is also said to induce abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Traditionally the seed has been used as a liver tonic.  In Latin America: for ‘irritacion”, an infantile disease characterized by fever, swollen belly, cold hands and feet, perspiration, and diarrhea—squeeze a large double handful of leaves in 1 gallon of hot water and allow to soak in sun all day; bathe infant with this warm sun tea for 3 nights and give ¼ cup to drink after each bath.

For both children and adults suffering from “tristesa”—sadness and grief—bathe in this mixture.  A methyl alchohol extract of the dried bark of Bird of Paradise flower was shown to have in vitro activity against Staphylococcus aureus and a water extract of the fresh leaves was shown to have strong in vitro antifungal activity against Ustilago maydis and Ustilago nuda, both plant pathogens.  A methanol extract of dried root bark was shown to have in vitro activity against Staphylococcus aueus and Escherichia coli.  An ethanol-chloroform extract of fresh seed pods was shown to have tumor promoting effect (94% enhancement of sarcoma HS1 tumor) in mice.

Other Uses:
OrnamentalC. pulcherrima is the most widely cultivated species in the genus Caesalpinia. It is a striking ornamental plant, widely grown in domestic and public gardens and has a beautiful inflorescence in yellow, red and orange. Its small size and the fact that it tolerates pruning well allows it to be planted in groups to form a hedgerow; it can be also used to attract hummingbirds

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesalpinia_pulcherrima
http://www.tropilab.com/caesal-pul.html
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm

http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Caesalpinia_pulcherrima.html

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Herbs & Plants

Inula japonica (Xuan Fu Hua)

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Botanical name: Inula japonica
Family: Asteraceae,/ Compositae,  aster family

Synonyms: I. Britannica var. chinensis

Common name: Inula flower, Rotated, Upturned flower
Other Names: Elecampane flower, Xuan fu hua

Habitat :Inula japonica grows in South Korea (Asia) ,China (Asia), Russian Federation (Asia), Japan (Asia), Mongolia (Asia)

Description:

This herbaceous perennial grows from rhizomes and can spread depending on conditions. The alternate species Inula britannica L. is reported as aggressive in Alabama; test and monitor for control. Branched stems to two feet in height bear bisexual disk and yellow ray flowers, the disk up to two-thirds inch in
diameter, and a pappus of bristles. Lower leaves wither before flowering, median leaves are a narrow lance-shape about 4 inches long. Xuan fu hua “rotated upturned flower” is also known in traditional Chinese medicine as “the only flower that descends,” descriptive of its action. Flowers July to October,
hardy to Zone 5…..

Click to see the pictures.>….(01)......(1).……...(2)……….(3)...

Oblate or subspherical,1~2 cm in diameter. Involucre consisting of numerous bracts, imbricated; bracts lanceolate or strip-shaped, greyish-yellow, 4~11 mm long; Sometimes pedicels remaining at the base of involucre,surfaces of the bracts and pedicel covered with white hairs.Ligulate florets 1 row, yellow, about 1 cm long, mostly rolled, often fallen, with 3 terminal teeth; tubular florets numerous, brownish-yellow, about 5 mm long, with 5 terminal teeth; numerous white pappi occurring at the apex of overy, 5~6 mm long. Small elliptical achene sometimes wisible. Texture light, easily broken and separated. Odour, slight; taste, slightly bitter.
Cultivation:
Plant in average well-drained soil at a 6-12 inch radius. The plants will spread by the following season to form a mass. Moist, warm conditions seem to promote expansiveness, but the plant may be managed easily as the root system is shallow. Estimated yield 2-4 pounds dry weight per 100 square feet. Pests

Propagation:
Germination: surface sow, keep at 65-70ºF. Conditions may favor vegetative propagation.

Harvesting:
Harvest fully open flowerheads including pappus on a sunny morning after the morning dew has dried. Dry in a single layer. The flowerheads will curl and dry to a half-inch spherical shape. The overall color should be golden with white hairs and few stalks.

 

Medicinal Uses:
Used in traditional Chinese medicine as a mildly warming expectorant remedy, it is especially suitable when phlegm has accumulated in the chest.  The herb is often prescribed for bronchitis, wheezing, chronic coughing, and other chest complaints brought on by “cold conditions” (profuse phlegm, nausea and vomiting, hiccups and flatulence.  Xuan fu hua also has a bitter action, and it helps to strengthen digestive function.  The flowers are normally used in medicinal preparations, but the aerial parts are also taken, generally for les serious conditions.  The flowers have an antibacterial action, but this can be destroyed by proteins in the body.   The plant has been mentioned as a possible treatment for cancer of the esophagus.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider

Resources:
http://www.jadeinstitute.com/jade/herbal-detail-page.php?show=73&order=common_name
http://eol.org/pages/6237903/overview
http://www.oshims.com/herb-directory/i/inula-flower
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm
http://www.greenlife-herbal.com/others/database/xuanfuhua.htm

Click to access vol_03.pdf

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Euonymus japonica

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Botanical Name : Euonymus japonica

Family : Celastraceae – Bittersweet family
Genus: Euonymus L. – spindletree
Species: Euonymus japonicus Thunb. – Japanese spindletree
Kingdom : Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision:  Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order : Celastrales

Common Names:Japanese Spindle

Habitat : Euonymus japonicus is native to Japan, Korea and China.
Description:
Euonymus japonicus is an evergreen shrub or small tree growing to 2–8 m tall, with opposite, oval leaves 3–7 cm long with a finely serrated margin. The flowers are inconspicuous, greenish-white, 5 mm diameter. In the fall, orange fruit hangs below the flaring pink seed coverings.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

*Flower/Fruit: Greenish white flowers; vinegary smell; pinkish capsule with orange seeds in fall

*Foliage: Opposite, simple, waxy, lustrous dark green leaves; 1 to 3″ long

Medicinal Uses:
The bark is used as a tonic and to aid in difficult childbirth; treats rheumatism, night sweating.  The leaf is also used in cases of difficult delivery.

Disclaimer:The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/shrubs/euonymus_japonicus.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euonymus_japonicus
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EUJA8

http://digilander.libero.it/felrig/photos/euonymus_japonica.htm

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