Month: January 2012

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Herbs & Plants

Walking fern

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Botanical Name ; Asplenium rhizophyllum
Family: Aspleniaceae
Genus: Asplenium
Species: A. rhizophyllum
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta
Class: Pteridopsida
Order: Polypodiales

Synonyms: Camptosorus sibiricus

Common Names: American Walking Fern, Walking fern

Habitat :Asplenium rhizophyllum is native to North America.

Description:
Asplenium rhizophyllum is a perennial fern consists of a small tuft of low simple leaves. The leaf blades are 2-12″ long and ¼–2″ across; they are lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, often with tips that are very slender and long. The base of the blade is either cordate or it may have a pair of eared basal lobes (auriculate); the margins are smooth and slightly undulate. The upper blade surface is medium to dark green and glabrous, while the lower surface is pale green; occasionally there is some sparse pubescence. The slender stipes are shorter than the blades and about ¼–4″ in length. They are brown at the base, becoming green where the stipe joins the blade. Fertile and infertile leaf blades are similar in appearance, except the former is often longer than the latter. The sori (spore-bearing structures) are located on the undersides of fertile leaf blades; they are scattered irregularly across the lower surface at the vein junctures. The small sori are elongated in shape with laterally attached indusia (protective membranes). The tiny spores of the sori are released during the summer or fall and distributed by the wind. The root system consists of a short rhizomatous crown that produces the leaves and slender fibrous roots. This fern can reproduce vegetatively when the tips of the leaf blades root into the ground, developing new tufts of leaves around the mother plant. As a result, vegetative colonies of plants are often encountered.

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

Cultivation:
This fern prefers light to dense shade, moist humid conditions, and thin rocky soil. It requires a sheltered location where it gets protection from the wind.

Medicinal Uses;
Cherokee Indians used Asplenium rhizophyllum in medicine .  Those that dreamt of snakes drank a decoction of liverwort (Hepatica acutiloba) and Asplenium rhizophyllum to produce vomiting, after which dreams do not

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/Asplenium_rhizophyllum
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/grasses/plants/walking_fern.htm
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Euonymous atropurpurea

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Botanical Name: Euonymous atropurpurea
Family :Celastraceae – Bittersweet family
Genus : Euonymus L. – spindletree
Species: Euonymus atropurpureus Jacq. – burningbush
Kingdom : Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom:Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision; Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Celastrales

Synonym: Euonymus atropurpureus Jacq.

Common Name:wahoo

Habitat : Primarily a species of eastern North America, wahoo at the northern edge of its range occurs from Maine and New York west to Montana in the Great Plains, principally occurring from the Upper Midwest and the Northeast to Louisiana and Florida in the main portion of its range. It is considered rare in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ontario, and South Carolina (NatureServe 2006).

Description:
Euonymus atropurpurea is a small to medium shrub or small tree arising from rhizomes, typically ranging to about 4 m in height in Michigan (Barnes and Wagner 1980). The relatively slender, somewhat delicate twigs are green and often faintly lined, but lack corky wings. The twigs bear opposite, thin, elliptic leaves that are finely toothed and have a pointed (short-acuminate) tip. The leaves are a somewhat dull green color above and finely hairy beneath, turning a bright scarlet color in the fall. The flowers, produced in stalked, more or less loose clusters from the leaf axils (bases), are purplish, four-petaled and insect-pollinated. When mature, the four-lobed fruit (which is a capsule) is pink, containing seeds that develop a bright, scarlet aril (a covering or accessory appendage). As the fruit dries and opens, the combination of the pink capsule with the bright red seeds is an indication of ripeness to birds, the primary consumer and disperser.

click to see the pictures

Medicinal Uses:
Many  native American peoples used wahoo bark in various ways, as an eye lotion, a poultice for facial sores and for gynecological conditions.  Native Americans introduced the plant to early European settlers, and it became very popular in Britain as well as in North America in the 19th century.  Wahoo bark is considered a gallbladder remedy with laxative and diuretic properties.   It is prescribed for biliousness and liver problems as well as for skin conditions such as eczema (which may result from poor liver and gall bladder function), and for constipation.  In small doses, Euonymin stimulates the appetite and the flow of the gastric juice. In larger doses, it is irritant to the intestine and is cathartic. It has slight diuretic and expectorant effects, but its only use is as a purgative in cases of constipation in which the liver is disordered, and for which it is particularly efficacious. It is specially valuable in liver disorders which follow or accompany fever. It is mildly aperient and causes no nausea, at the same time stimulating the liver somewhat freely, and promoting a free flow of bile. It the past, it was often used in combination with herbs such as gentian as a fever remedy, especially if the liver was under stress.  Following the discovery that it contains cardiac glycosides, wahoo bark has been given for heart conditions. It is also a remedy for dandruff and scalp problems.

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:

Click to access Euonymus_atropurpurea.pdf

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EUAT5
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/euo.atr.htm

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Herbs & Plants

Viola sororia

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Botanical Name:Viola sororia
Family: Violaceae
Genus: Viola
Species: V. sororia
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Spermatophytes
Order: Malpighiales

Synonyms: Viola floridana, Viola papilionacea

Common Names:Common Meadow Violet, Purple Violet, Woolly Blue Violet, Hooded Violet and Wood Violet.

Habitat : Viola sororia is native to eastern North America. It is the state flower of Wisconsin, Illinois, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.

Description:
Viola sororia is a harbiculas annual flowering plant with simple green leaf. Flower clowers are White , Pink , Blue , Purple . Blooming time is Mar , Apr , May.
Fruits aregreen with purple.
click to see the pictures..>…..(01)…..(1)..…...(2).……..(3)..……..(4)..…..

Edible Uses:
Beyond its use as a common lawn and garden plant, it is edible. The flowers and leaves are edible, and some sources suggest the roots can also be eaten.

Medicinal Uses:
The Cherokee used it to treat colds and headaches. Rafinesque, in his Medical Flora, a Manual of the Medical Botany of the United States of North America (1828–1830), wrote of Viola sororia being used by his American contemporaries for coughs, sore throats, and constipation.

Violet flowers and leaves are considered blood purifiers or detoxifiers. They’re a traditional treatment for cancer, especially breast cancer, taken internally and applied externally.   Violets contain rutin, which strengthens the capillaries, as well as vitamin C.  Violet-leaf tea is supposed to be good for lung congestion, coughs, colds, dysentery and infections, and a violet-leaf poultice is soothing for all kinds of skin irritations, small wounds and rashes as well as a headache.  A poultice of the crushed root has been applied to boils.

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/Viola_sororia
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VISO
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Herbs & Plants

Viola odorata

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Botanical Name:Viola odorata
Family: Violaceae
Genus: Viola
Species: V. odorata
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Malpighiales

Common Names:Wood Violet, Sweet Violet, English Violet, Common Violet, or Garden Violet.(Indian Names) Banafsa, Banafsha or Banaksa

Habitat :Viola odorata is native to Europe and Asia, but has also been introduced to North America and Australasia.

Description:
The Viola odorata is a hardy perennial with violet or white flowers and dark green, heart-shaped leaves.  It typically blooms in early spring and has a subtle scent.  Viola odorata is the only wild violet that is scented.  It inhabits a wide-spread area of the United States as well as many other places outside of the United States.  The Viola odorata reproduces by double fertilization and seed dispersal methods..

CLICK TO SEE THE PICTURES

Medicinal Uses:
In India it is commonly used as remedy to cure sore throat and tonsilitis. Viola odorata were known for their medicinal and antiseptic properties and were commonly used in antiseptics.  Violet tea is a sedative.  The leaves are useful for poultices to soothe and heal wounds.  The liquid extracts from the flowers and roots have expectorant and emollient properties.  It serves as an emetic in quantity, and has been used to treat respiratory disorders, as a gargle, in cough mixtures, and as a diuretic.
Violet flowers contain generous amounts of rutin, which helps maintain the strength and integrity of capillary walls.  A few tablespoons would get you the 100 milligram daily dosage that research recommends is the most beneficial.

Traditional Chinese medicine places violet leaf and root poultices on  hot swelling, inflammation, and mumps, while in the west, they traditionally have been used on swollen or tumorous breasts.

You may click to see  more medicinal uses of Viola odorata : http://www.homeopathyandmore.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=851

Other Uses:
The sweet scent of this flower has proved popular throughout the generations, particularly in the late Victorian period, and has consequently been used in the production of many cosmetic fragrances and perfumes. The French are also known for their violet syrup, most commonly made from an extract of violets. In the United States, this French violet syrup is used to make violet scones and marshmallows.

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://wiki.ask.com/Viola_odorata
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/tacke_kati/
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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Dendropanax arboreus

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Botanical Name : Dendropanax arboreus
Family : Araliaceae – Ginseng family
Genus : Dendropanax Decne. & Planch. – dendropanax
Species : Dendropanax arboreus (L.) Decne. & Planch. ex Britton – angelica tree
Kingdom :Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom : Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division :  Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class : Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass : Rosidae
Order : Apiales

Common Names : ,fresh leaf, Sacchacah(Chis), Hand of Dante, Palo tapir, Hand toad, Palo blanco , Hand lion, Bear Hand, Sakvhaka

Habitat : Dendropanax arboreus grows in Mexico throughout central to Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia and is also in West Indies.

Description:
Dendropanax arboreus is an evergreen tree,14 to 25 mtrs. tall  with daimeter equal to 25 to 70 cm.,leaves are alternate and simple. trunk is cylindrical thick branch .Crust external smooth to slightly scally or fissured, grayish brown to yellowish brown , with suberificadas abdundant and prominent lenticels. Internal light cream colour changing to brown green fiborous, fragnant and sweet flavor. Total thickness 10 to 20 mm. Racimos composite flower unbels terminals,10 to 15 cm. long, glabrous, flowers supported by by bractoeles small actinomorphic of 5mm in diameter, calix cupular, cream greenish yellow petals, 3 to 5mm long.
berries subspherical, flattened at the apex and bright,6 to 8mm long and 7 to 9mm wide., green white to black in the maturity, with persistant stigmas, containing 5 to 7 seeds per fruit. Seeds yellow to white brown.

CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES

Click to see different pictures of Dendropanax arboreus :http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Dendropanax+arboreus

Medicinal Uses:
Leaves and roots of Dendropanax arboreus  tree are used in Tico medicine.  It is also used for snakebites and externally for foot inflammation in Columbia and by the Tacana in the Bolivian Amazon. A preparation from the roots is used to treat fever. Leaves of Dendropanax arboreus showed cytotoxic activity especially against certain tumor cell lines.

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://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DEAR
http://www.plantsystematics.org/imgs/js322/r/Araliaceae_Dendropanax_arboreus_505.html

Click to access 7-arali1m.pdf

http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

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