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Herbs & Plants

Epilobium hirsutum

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Botanical Name:Epilobium hirsutum
Family: Onagraceae
Genus: Epilobium
Species: E. hirsutum
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Myrtales

Common Names: Great willowherb, Great hairy willowherb or hairy willowherb. Local names include Codlins-and-cream, Apple-pie and Cherry-pie.

Habitat : Epilobium hirsutum is native to Eurasia, where it is found in moist waste ground of the Mediterranean region, Europe, Asia, and Africa.It is absent from much of Scandinavia and north-west Scotland. It has been introduced to North America and Australia.  Common habitats include marshland, ditches and the banks of rivers and streams. It is widespread, often forming large, long-lived colonies in England, Wales, and Ireland. In Scotland it is confined to the east coast. Intolerant of shade, hairy willow-herb is found in damp and waste places to elevations of 2500 meters (8100 feet).It grows on the stream banks, marshes, drier parts of fens etc, to 360 metres.

Description:
It is a tall, perennial plant, reaching up to 2 metres in height. The robust stems are branched and have numerous hairs. The hairy leaves are 2-12 cm long and 0.5-3.5 cm wide. They are long and thin and are widest below the middle. They have sharply-toothed edges and no stalk. The large flowers have four notched petals. These are purple-pink and are usually 10-16 mm long. The stigma is white and has four lobes. The sepals are green.

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It flowers from June to September, with a peak in July and August. The flowers are normally pollinated by bees and hoverflies. A number of insects feed on the leaves including the elephant hawkmoth, Deilephila elpenor.

Edible Uses: Tea..…..The leaves are used to make a tea. This is often drunk in Russia, where it is called ‘kaporie tea’. The leaves are also sometimes sucked for their salty taste. Edible leaves. No more details are given in the report but caution is advised, see the notes below on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses:
The leaves of Epilobium hirsutum have been used as astringents, but there are some reports of violent poisoning with epileptic-like convulsions as a result of its use. This remedy has been discarded by professional herbalists as the use of the leaves has been associated with poisonings and convulsions.

Known Hazards : One report says that the plant might be poisonous. Another says that it causes epileptiform convulsions

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/Epilobium_hirsutum
http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/hairy-willowherb.aspx
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_UZ.htm

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Epilobium+hirsutum

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Categories
Herbs & Plants

Great Willowherb

Botanical  Name: Epilobium angustifolium
Family: Onagraceae

Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Myrtales
Genus: Epilobium
Species: E. hirsutum

Common Name : Fireweed; Great willowherb, great hairy willowherb or hairy willowherb. Local names include codlins-and-cream, apple-pie and cherry-pie

Synonyms : ;Son-before-the-Father. Codlings and Cream. Apple Pie. Cherry Pie. Gooseberry Pie. Sod Apple and Plum Pudding.

Part Used: Herb.
Habitat:
The native range of the species includes most of Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia. It is absent from much of Scandinavia and north-west Scotland. It has been introduced to North America and Australia. It typically grows in wet or damp habitats without dense tree-cover up to 2,500 metres above sea-level. Common habitats include marshland, ditches and the banks of rivers and streams. It flowers from June to September, with a peak in July and August. The flowers are normally pollinated by bees and hoverflies. A number of insects feed on the leaves including the elephant hawkmoth, Deilephila elpenor

Description:It is a flowering plant belonging to the willowherb genus Epilobium in the family Onagraceae.It is a tall, perennial plant, reaching up to 2 metres in height. The robust stems are branched and have numerous hairs. The hairy leaves are 2-12 cm long and 0.5-3.5 cm wide. They are long and thin and are widest below the middle. They have sharply-toothed edges and no stalk. The large flowers have four notched petals. These are purple-pink and are usually 10-16 mm long. The stigma is white and has four lobes. The sepals are green.

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Flower/fruit: 1 to 1.5 inch deep pink to magenta flowers on elongated, slender, drooping inflorescence with willow-like leaves; four roundish petals; seed pod contains numerous seeds with a tuft of silky hairs at one end
Flowering Season: Summer into fall

click & see..>..foilage..flower.……....fruits or seeds.….

Foliage: Up to 8 inch alternate, lanceolate to linear leaves; almost stalkless
Site: Clearings, open woods

Medicinal Action and Uses: The roots and leaves have demulcent, tonic and astringent properties and are used in domestic medicine in decoction, infusion and cataplasm, as astringents.

Used much in America as an intestinal astringent.

The plant contains mucilage and tannin.

The dose of the herb is 30 to 60 grains. It has been recommended for its antispasmodic properties in the treatment of whoopingcough, hiccough and asthma. In ointment, it has been used locally as a remedy for infantile cutaneous affections.

By some modern botanists, this species is now assigned to a separate genus and designated: Chamcenerion angustifolium (Scop.).

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/wildflowers/epilobium_angustifolium.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilobium_hirsutum
http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/w/wilher23.html

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Categories
Healthy Tips News on Health & Science

Juice ‘Prevents Clogged Arteries’

Juices made from apples or purple grapes – and the fruit themselves – protect against developing clogged arteries, a study suggests.

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Juice made from purple grapes had the most beneficial effect

Researchers fed hamsters the fruit and juice or water, plus a fatty diet.

The animals who were fed grape juice had the lowest risk of developing artery problems, Molecular Nutrition and Food Research reports.

The University of Montpellier team said the juice’s benefits came from its high levels of phenols – an antioxidant.

Antioxidants in various foods have been regularly cited as being beneficial to heart health.

The French team looked at how juicing affected the phenol content of fruit – because most studies look at raw fruit.

Four glasses a day

They then looked at how being fed various kinds of fruit affected the hamsters’ risk of atherosclerosis – the build-up of fatty plaque deposits in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks or strokes.

The amount of fruit the hamsters consumed was equivalent to three apples or three bunches of grapes daily for a human.

Hamsters given juice drank the equivalent of four glasses daily for a person weighing 70 kilograms (154 pounds).

The apples and grapes had about the same phenol content, while the purple grape juice had 2.5 times more phenols than apple juice.

Compared with animals given water, those given fruit or fruit juice had lower cholesterol levels, less oxidative stress, and less fat accumulation in their aorta, the main vessel supplying oxygenated blood to the body.

Purple grape juice had the strongest effect, followed by purple grapes, apple juice and apples.

The researchers say their findings suggest the amount of phenols contained in a food have a direct effect on its antioxidant properties.

Other antioxidant compounds in the fruits, such as vitamin C and carotenoids, could also contribute to their effects, they added.

The team, led by Kelly Decorde, said their findings “provide encouragement that fruit and fruit juices may have a significant clinical and public health relevance.”

A British nutritionist said: “High levels of antioxidants are recognised as being good for you.”

You may also click to see:->Beetroot ‘May Cut Blood Pressure’

Apple juice ‘may prevent asthma’
Berry juice may be a heart tonic

Molecular Nutrition and Food Research April ’08

Sources: BBC NEWS:MAY 16, ’08

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