Tag: Plantae

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Sago Cycad (Cycas revoluta)

Botanical Name : Cycas revoluta
Family: Cycadaceae
Genus: Cycas
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Cycadophyta
Class: Cycadopsida
Order: Cycadales
Species: C. revoluta

Habitat : E. Asia – China, Japan. Found mainly on the sea shore in S. Japan. Thickets on hillsides on islands, sparse forests on mainland at elevations of 100 – 500 metres in Fujian, China

Description:
Cycas revoluta (sago cycad), is an attractive plant native to southern Japan. Though often known by the common name of king sago palm, or just sago palm, it is not a palm at all, but a cycad.

click & see the pictures.
This very symmetrical plant supports a crown of shiny, dark green leaves on a thick shaggy trunk that is typically about 20 cm (7.9 in) in diameter, sometimes wider. The trunk is very low to subterranean in young plants, but lengthens above ground with age. It can grow into very old specimens with 6–7 m (over 20 feet) of trunk; however, the plant is very slow-growing and requires about 50–100 years to achieve this height. Trunks can branch multiple times, thus producing multiple heads of leaves.

The leaves are a deep semiglossy green and about 50–150 cm (20–59 in) long when the plants are of a reproductive age. They grow out into a feather-like rosette to 1 m (3.3 ft) in diameter. The crowded, stiff, narrow leaflets are 8–18 cm (3.1–7.1 in) long and have strongly recurved or revolute edges. The basal leaflets become more like spines. The petiole or stems of the Sago Cycad are 6–10 cm (2.4–3.9 in) long and have small protective barbs that must be avoided.

Cultivation :
Requires a strong loam with sharp sand and good drainage. Succeeds in dry soils. Requires a sunny position. Although it is the hardiest cycad, this species is not fully hardy in Britain but can tolerate occasional lows to about -5°c so long as the crown is protected and so is worthwhile trying outdoors in a sheltered position in the mildest areas of the country. Alternatively, it can be given greenhouse or conservatory protection over the winter and be placed outdoors in the summer. Plants are very slow growing. This plant is often used as a food source in its native range but recent research has shown that it can cause chronic nervous disorders if it is not treated properly. Overall its use is not to be recommended, especially since it is becoming rare in the wild. The plants produce special upward growing roots where nitrogen is produced in symbiosis with algae. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Cycas revoluta is one of the most widely cultivated cycads, grown outdoors in warm temperate and subtropical regions, or under glass in colder areas. It grows best in sandy, well-drained soil, preferably with some organic matter. It needs good drainage or it will rot. It is fairly drought-tolerant and grows well in full sun or outdoor shade, but needs bright light when grown indoors. The leaves can bleach somewhat if moved from indoors to full sun outdoors.

Propagation:
Cycas revoluta is either by seed or by removal of basal offsets. As with other cycads, it is dioecious, with the males bearing cones and the females bearing groups of megasporophylls. Pollination can be done naturally by insects or artificially.

Seed – best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe, 2cm deep in individual pots which are then sealed in plastic bags to keep them moist until germination takes place. Germinates in 1 – 3 months at 25°c. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours in warm water then treat as above. Division of suckers in the spring.

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Seed; Stem.
Seed – raw or cooked. They can be dried and ground into a powder then mixed with brown rice and fermented into ‘date miso’ or ‘sotetsu miso’. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. The heart or pith of the trunk is sliced and eaten baked or powdered. A toxic principal must first be removed. A starch can be extracted from this pith and is used for making dumplings. It is very sustaining.

You may click see : How  Sago  starch is extracted from the pith of sago palm stems and make edible.

Medicinal Actions & Uses
Astringent; Cancer; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Expectorant; Tonic.

The leaves are used in the treatment of cancer and hepatoma. The terminal shoot is astringent and diuretic. The seed is emmenagogue, expectorant and tonic. It is used in the treatment of rheumatism. Substances extracted from the seeds are used to inhibit the growth of malignant tumours.

Other Uses:
Of all the cycads, the Sago Palm is the most popular in horticulture. It is seen in almost all botanical gardens, in both temperate and tropical locations. In many areas of the world, it is heavily promoted commercially as a landscape plant. It is also quite popular as a bonsai plant. First described in the late 1700s, it is native to various areas of southern Japan and is thus tolerant of mild to somewhat cold temperatures, provided the ground is dry. Frond damage can occur at temperatures below -10 °C or 15 degrees F and there are several healthy plants that have been grown with little protection as far north as Nashville Tennessee and Newport News Virginia, both are in zone 7b… The cycad revoluta usually defoliates in this temperate climate, but it usually will flush (or grow) several new leaves by April. It does however require hot summers with mean temperatures of 30 to 35 °C (86 to 95 F) for successful growth, making outdoor growing impossible in colder places such as northern Europe or the Northeast US, even where winter temperatures are not too cold. One disadvantage of its domestic use is that it is poisonous to animals and humans. One skin breaking scrape can lead to a hospital visit.

Known Hazards :  The plants contain alkaloids of carcinogens and also an amino-acid that causes chronic nervous disorders. Regular consumption of the plant leads to severe health problems and death. This toxic principle can be removed if the food is properly prepared but consumption of the plant still cannot be recommended because its use often means the death of the plant and it is becoming rare in the wild.

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.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Cycas+revoluta
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
Herbs & Plants

Nalleru

[amazon_link asins=’1505508401,B0001VVR9G,B009PLTZWO,0553378813,1533074232,B01JUXHW7G’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ce15de6e-f131-11e6-8f16-2f1d50f1d704′]

Botanical Name:Cissus quadrangula L.
Family :Vitaceae
syn.: Vitis quadrangula (L.) Wallich ex Wight & Arn.
English Names: edible-stemmed vine
Common (Indian) Names:-
Sanskrit: asthisonhara; vajravalli Hindi: hadjod; hadjora; harsankari
Bengali: hasjora; harbhanga
Marathi: chaudhari; kandavela
Gujrati: chadhuri; vedhari
Telugu: nalleru
Tamil: pirandai
Canarese: mangaroli

Habitat : In India, it grow as wild plant. Also under cultivation in fairly large areas.

Related Species
The genus Cissus include over 350 species. Some important species are:
Cissus adnata Roxb. syn. Vitis adnata Wall. ex. Wight. (Malyalam: nadena; Telugu: kokkita yaralu)
Cissus discolor Blume syn. Vitis discolor Dalz.
Cissus pallida Planch. syn. Vitis pallida W & A. (Canarese: kondage; Telugu: nalltige; Oriya: takuonoil)
Cissus repanda Vahl. syn. Vitis repanda W & A.
Cissus repens Lan. syn. Vitis repens W & A.
Cissus setosa syn. Vitis setosa Wall.

Description: Climbing herb, tendrils simple, opposite to the leaves, leaves simple or lobbed, sometimes 3-folialate, dentate. Flowers bisexual, tetramerous, in umbellate cymes, opposite to the leaves, Calyx cup-shaped, obscurely 4-lobed. Fruit globose or obovoid fleshy berries, one seeded, dark purple to black; seeds ellipsoid or pyriform. Flowering and fruiting time May-June.

click to see

Cultivation :In India, it is mainly grown in fence and in between tree plantations. The fence wire and trees act as support to this climbing herbs. In many parts, it is grown as field crop and given support with the help of Bamboo sticks. Propagated by seeds, grafting

Chemical Constituents : Delphinicdin-3-gentiobioside, Malvidin-3-laminaribioside, Petunidin-3-gentiobioside, 4,6-hexahydroxydiphenny glucose, gallic acid, ellagic acid.

Delphinicdin-3-gentiobioside, Malvidin-3-laminaribioside, Petunidin-3-gentiobioside, 4,6-hexahydroxydiphenny glucose, gallic acid, ellagic acid

Medicinal Properties and Uses: It is mainly used as healer of bone fractures. It is one of the very frequently used herb by traditional bone setters of India. (In Hindi Hadj=bone; Jod=to fix). It is also used for piles, asthma, digestive troubles, cough, and loss of appetite.

Ayurvedic formulations: Asthisamharaka juice, powder and decoction of dried stalks.

Other Uses: Stems and roots yield strong fiber. Young shoots are used in curries.

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://apmab.ap.nic.in/products.php?&start=20#
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/CropFactSheets/cissus.html

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
Herbs & Plants

Sharp-Lobed Hepatica

[amazon_link asins=’B06VX7VZ6P,B01FGW60LY,B01FFI1TOM’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9a0bf38a-481f-11e7-8e45-b10cea4fb8a6′]

Botanical Name:Hepatica acutilobasm
Family:Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)

Common name(s): Sharp-lobed hepatica, heart liverleaf, sharp-lobed liverwort, spring beauty, may-flower
Other Name:Liverwort, Herbally,

Range & Habitat: Sharp-Lobed Hepatica is occasional in wooded areas of central and northern Illinois; it is uncommon or absent in southern Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include upland deciduous woodlands, rocky bluffs, the slopes of bluffs, and limestone cliffs (where some shade occurs). Sharp-Lobed Hepatica occurs in high quality wooded areas where the original flora is largely intact. Sometimes it is cultivated as a rock garden plant. While Sharp-Lobed Hepatica is native to North America, the typical variety of Hepatica, Hepatica nobilis nobilis, occurs in Eurasia.
Grows in moist woods, blooming in early spring.

Description: This native perennial plant is about 3-6″ tall. It consists of a tuft of basal leaves that develops during the late spring and persists through the winter. These leaves are up to 3″ long and across; they have slender petioles up to 6″ long. Each leaf is palmately divided into 3 lobes; the lobes are oval-ovate and approximately the same size. The smooth upper surface of each leaf can be green, brownish green, reddish brown, or contain patches of the preceding colors; usually, the upper surface is more green during the summer, but become reddish brown during the winter. The leaf margins are smooth; for var. acuta, the tips of the lobes are rather pointed in mature leaves.
.CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES
A mature plant will produce a tuft of flowers on long stalks during early to mid-spring, by which time the basal leaves that persisted during the winter may have withered away. Each flower occurs on a naked hairy stalk about 3-4″ long; this stalk is often reddish green or reddish brown. The flower may be erect or it may nod on its stalk. Each flower is up to 1″ across, consisting of 5-11 petal-like sepals, a green cluster of carpels in its center, and numerous white stamens surrounding the carpels. The sepals are white, pastel pink, or pastel blue; each sepal is oblong-oval in shape. At the base of each flower, there are 3 leafy bracts that are lanceolate, ovate, or oval in shape. These bracts are reddish green or reddish brown, hairy across the outer surface, and shorter than the sepals. The blooming period occurs during early to mid-spring and lasts about 2-3 weeks for a colony of plants; however, individual flowers are short-lived. The carpels turn brown and become beaked achenes that are often pubescent. The root system consists of a tuft of fibrous roots. This plant spreads by reseeding itself.

Foilage: Broad and heart-shaped, the leaves get up to 2″ in breadth and width. They tend to be dark green and leathery with a smooth surface above, although the undersides are covered with dense hairs.
In autumn, the leaves turn shades of russet and purple to persist through winter. It is critical that the leaves remain during the winter months, as the plant continues to use them as a source of nourishment.

Taxonomic description: 3-lobed, acute or acutish, toothed or lobed again, 2″ long and broad leathery. Basal and long-stalked, densely pubescent below and smooth above.

Flowers:Ranging from pale pink or lavender-purple to pure white, these flowers seem to last forever. First opening in mid-March in the Chicago area, they last up to two months before fading. At up to 1″ in diameter, they’re fairly noticeable. Interestingly enough, this species has no petals, but instead presents showy bracts surrounding a large number of delicate sepals, which in turn frame dainty yellow stamens.

Taxonomic description: 1/2 to 1″ across, pale pink-purple or white, in spring. Apetalous, but 6-15 oblong or oval, obtuse, sepals and numerous small yellow stamens central. Perfect, calyx 3-lobed. Borne singularly on upright stalks.

Fruit:Supposedly a favorite of chipmunks, the fruit is present appears in early summer. Oblong and sharp-pointed, they can get up to 2″ long and are covered with silky hairs.

Taxonomic description: 2″ long hairy, oblong, and acute achenes in early summer.

Cultivation: The preference is dappled sunlight during the spring and light shade during the summer. The basal leaves should be left undisturbed during the winter. The soil should be well-drained, loamy, and can contain some rocky material, including pieces of limestone; a thin-layer of decaying leaves is also beneficial.

Medicinal uses: Hepatica has been used as a liver remedy, though not used in modern medicine. So named according to doctrine of signatures.
Although Hepatica is no longer popular as an herbal remedy, it does act as a mild astringent and diuretic. It is also supposed to stimulate gall bladder production, resulting in limited success as a laxative.
Although the leaves will stop bleeding, they are also extremely irritating to the skin and should not be placed on open wounds. Large doses can produce symptoms of poisoning.

However, not too long ago Hepatica was viewed as the cure-all for most ailments. The Greeks named the plant ‘heper’, meaning liver (named after the leaf shape), and prescribed it for liver disorders. It was believed that a dose of liverleaf cured all liver diseases or their symptoms: freckles, indigestion, or cowardice.

In North America, Native Americans used the plant as a tea to soothe coughs, irritated throats, and as a wash for sore breasts.

By the 1820’s Hepatica had fallen into disuse throughout Europe, but its popularity in America was rapidly growing. In 1859 it was the prime ingredient in “Dr. Roder’s Liverwort and Tar Sirup”, and was often used as a cure for kidney problems. In the 1883 over 450,000 pounds of dried leaves were harvested for export or domestic use, although its effectiveness was often a reason for debate amongst doctors. For this reason it eventually fell into disuse once again.

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.illinoiswildflowers.info/woodland/plants/hepatica.htm
http://www.hort.net/profile/ran/hepac/

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
Herbs & Plants

Birch

Silver Birch - Silhouette
Image by oddsock via Flickr

[amazon_link asins=’B00PX6GFGY,B01JEU6KAU,B00MA6Y5E4,B00KWD23YG,B0013FEQHY,B009314ZSK,B00XK1XPOY,B00794USB6,B00EQ9TWE6′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’90cc703a-45ba-11e7-9528-215d2f82918a’]

 

Botanical Name:Betula
Family: Betulaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fagales
Genus: Betula
Common Name:The common name birch is derived from an old Germanic root, birka, with the Proto-Indo-European root *bherag, “white, bright; to shine.” The Proto-Germanic rune berkanan is named after the birch. The botanic name Betula is from the original Latin.Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula (Bé-tu-la), in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae.Bhurjapatra,Betula utilis.

Parts Used:Leaves, bark, sap.
Habitat: Native to Europe from the northern Mediterranean regions to Siberia and to temperate regions of Asia, it is also found in North America. Grows in mostly of northern temperate climates.

Description:The tree is handsomely deciduous, reaching 100 feet in height, with pale gray papery bark, toothed leaves, and catkins in the spring. The birch flourishes in woods, thickets, and in private gardens. The leaves are collected in the wild during the spring.The simple leaves may be toothed or pointed. The fruit is a small samara, although the wings may be obscure in some species. They differ from the alders (Alnus, other genus in the family) in that the female catkins are not woody and disintegrate at maturity, falling apart to release the seeds, unlike the woody cone-like female alder catkins.

........

The bark of all birches is characteristically marked with long horizontal lenticels, and often separates into thin papery plates, especially upon the Paper Birch. It is practically imperishable, due to the resinous oil which it contains. Its decided color gives the common names Red, White, Black], Silver and Yellow to different species.

The buds form early and are full grown by midsummer, all are lateral, no terminal bud is formed; the branch is prolonged by the upper lateral bud. The wood of all the species is close-grained with satiny texture and capable of taking a fine polish; its fuel value is fair.

The leaves of the different species vary but little. All are alternate, doubly serrate, feather-veined, petiolate, and stipulate. Apparently they often appear in pairs, but these pairs are really borne on spur-like two-leaved lateral branchlets.

Flower and fruit
The flowers are monoecious, opening with or before the leaves and borne on three-flowered clusters in the axils of the scales of drooping or erect aments. Staminate aments are pendulous, clustered or solitary in the axils of the last leaves of the branch of the year or near the ends of the short lateral branchlets of the year. They form in early autumn and remain rigid during the winter. The scales of the staminate aments when mature are broadly ovate, rounded, yellow or orange color below the middle, dark chestnut brown at apex. Each scale bears two bractlets and three sterile flowers, each flower consisting of a sessile, membranaceous, usually two-lobed, calyx. Each calyx bears four short filaments with one-celled anthers or strictly, two filaments divided into two branches, each bearing a half-anther. Anther cells open longitudinally. The pistillate aments (catkins) are erect or pendulous, solitary; terminal on the two-leaved lateral spur-like branchlets of the year. The pistillate scales are oblong-ovate, three-lobed, pale yellow green often tinged with red, becoming brown at maturity. These scales bear two or three fertile flowers, each flower consisting of a naked ovary. The ovary is compressed, two-celled, and crowned with two slender styles; the ovule is solitary.

The ripened pistillate ament is called a strobile and bears tiny winged nuts, packed in the protecting curve of each brown and woody scale. These nuts are pale chestnut brown, compressed, crowned by the persistent stigmas. The seed fills the cavity of the nut. The cotyledons are flat and fleshy. All the species are easily grown from seed.

Ecology
Birches often form even-aged stands on light, well-drained, particularly acidic soils. They are regarded as pioneer species, rapidly colonising open ground especially in secondary successional sequences following a disturbance or fire. Birches are early tree species to establish in primary successions and can become a threat to heathland if the seedlings and saplings are not suppressed by grazing or periodic burning. Birches are generally lowland species, but some species such as Betula nana have a montane distribution. Birch is used as a food plant by the larvae of a large number of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) species, see List of Lepidoptera that feed on birches.

Uses:
Birch wood is fine-grained and pale in colour, often with an attractive satin-like sheen. Ripple figuring may occur, increasing the value of the timber for veneer and furniture-making. The highly-decorative Masur (or Karelian) birch, from Betula verrucosa var. carelica has ripple texture combined with attractive dark streaks and lines. Birch wood is suitable for veneer, and birch ply is among the strongest and most dimensionally-stable plywoods, although it is unsuitable for exterior use.

Due to birch pulp’s short-fibre qualities, this hardwood can be used to make printing paper. In India the thin bark coming off in winter was used as writing paper. This has excellent life. The paper is known as bhoorj patra. Bhoorj is the Sanskrit name of tree and patra means paper. This bark also has been used widely in ancient Russia as note paper (beresta) and for decorative purposes and even making footwear — lapti.

Extracts of birch are used for flavoring or leather oil, and in cosmetics such as soap or shampoo. In the past, commercial oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate) was made from the Sweet Birch (Betula lenta). Birch tar or Russian Oil, extracted from birch bark, is thermoplastic and waterproof; it was used as a glue on, for example, arrows, and also for medicinal purposes.

Silver Birch (Betula pendula) is Finland’s national tree. Occasionally one uses leafy, fragrant twigs of silver birch to gently beat oneself in a sauna. The twigs are called vihta or vasta. This has a relaxing effect on the muscles.

Birch leaves make a diuretic tea and to make extracts for dyes and cosmetics.

Ground birch bark, fermented in sea water, is used for seasoning the woolen, hemp or linen sails and hemp rope of traditional Norwegian boats.

Birch twigs were bound in a bundle, also called birch, to be used for birching, a form of corporal punishment.

Many of the First Nations of North America prized the birch for its bark, which due to its light weight, flexibility, and the ease with which it could be stripped from fallen trees, was often used for the construction of strong, waterproof but lightweight canoes, bowls, and wigwams.

Birch is used as firewood due to its high calorific value per unit weight and unit volume. Birch is prized by the Sami people as it burns well, without popping, even when frozen and freshly hewn. The bark is also used in starting fires. The bark will burn very well, even when wet, because of the oils it contains. With care, the bark can be split into very thin sheets that will ignite from even the smallest of sparks.

Birches also have spiritual importance in several religions, both modern and historical.

Birch ply is made from laminations of birch veneer. It is light but strong and has many other good properties. Birch ply is used to make longboards (skateboard), giving it a strong yet flexy ride. It is also used (often in very thin grades with many laminations) for making model aircraft.

Tonewood
Baltic Birch is among the most sought after wood in the manufacture of speaker cabinets. Birch has a natural resonance that peaks in the high and low frequencies, which are also the hardest for speakers to reproduce. This resonance compensates for the roll-off of low and high frequencies in the speakers, and evens the tone. Birch is known for having “natural EQ.”

Drums are often made from Birch. Prior to the 1970s, Birch was one of the most popular drum woods. Because of the need for greater volume and midrange clarity, drums were made almost entirely from maple until recently, when advancements in live sound reinforcement and drum mics have allowed the use of Birch in high volume situations. Birch drums have a natural boost in the high and low frequencies, which allow the drums to sound fuller.

Birch wood is sometimes used as a tonewood for semi-acoustic and acoustic guitar bodies and occasionally used for solid-body guitar bodies. Birch wood is also a common material used in mallets for keyboard percussion.

Food
In Belarus, Russia, the Baltic States, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and parts of northern China, birch sap is consumed as a refreshing beer, and is believed to have tonic qualities. It is watery and pale green in color, with a slightly sweet flavor, and is bottled commercially. Birch sap may also be made into kvass. The sap of particular birch species may also be rendered into birch syrup, vinegar, birch wine (which most often turns out a sparkling wine, although Grythyttan Vin AB of Sweden also produces a still birch wine), birch beer (a soft drink similar to root beer), and other foods. In contrast to maple syrup, birch syrup is very difficult to produce, making it more expensive than other food syrups. It is also considerably less sweet than maple syrup and the sap for syrup production is not available until a month later than maple’s. The syrup is made mainly in Alaska (from Alaska Birch) and Russia (from several species), and more rarely elsewhere.

Xylitol can also be extracted from birch, a sugar alcohol artificial sweetener, which has shown effectiveness in preventing, and in some cases repairing, tooth decay.

According to the Food Network series Unwrapped, birch is a preferred wood for the manufacture of toothpicks.

Medicinal uses:

Key Actions:
*antiseptic
*astringent
*anti-inflammatory
*diuretic
In northern latitudes birch is considered to be the most important allergenic tree pollen, with an estimated 15-20% of hay fever sufferers sensitive to birch pollen grains.

The chaga mushroom is an adaptogen that grows on white birch trees, extracting the birch constituents and is used as a remedy for cancer.

The bark is high in betulin and betulinic acid, phytochemicals which have potential as pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals which show promise as industrial lubricants.

Birch bark can be soaked until moist in water, and then formed into a cast for a broken arm.

The inner bark of birch can be ingested safely.

A German study indicated that the leaves were useful in treating bacterial and inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract.

Remedies
*infusion made from the leaves for the removal of waste products in the urine thereby treating kidney and bladder stones, rheumatic conditions, and gout.

*sap as a diuretic
oil or expressed liquid from the leaves in preparations for eczema, psoriasis, and other chronic skin complaints.

*lotions made from decoctions for chronic skin problems

*ointment for rheumatism and gout

*decoction of the bark on chronic skin conditions

Traditional Uses:-
*Birch tar is a clear, dark brown oil obtained through a distillation process and used for parasitic infestations of the skin and other chronic skin complaints. It is also a constituent of Unguentum contra scabiem used in the treatment of scabies.

*The leaves are used with other diuretic herbs to reduce fluid retention and swellings.

*The bark can be macerated in oil and applied to rheumatic joints.

*The Himalyayan Silver Birch is used in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for convulsions, dysentery, hemorrhages, and skin diseases.

*Mexicans use the leaves in a diuretic tea.

Ayurvedic Uses:
Ear disorders, bile disorders, anomalies of blood, psychological disorders, anti-obesity, anti-toxin.

Click to see:->Birch Herb Description – Drug Interactions, Dosage and Some of Its Useful Properties – Ayurveda

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/Birch
http://www.innvista.com/HEALTH/herbs/birch.htm

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
Categories
Herbs & Plants

Morning Glory

[amazon_link asins=’B01N3BG7AO,B004R0WKNE,1596142448,B004WBJ52M,0142196991,B002ZG98FU,B000IWY1XC,B000XJD398′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’finmeacur-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’436b83f0-3a00-11e7-8e02-8beae0ebdf35′]

Morning Glory flower (Ipomoea tricolor)

Botanical Name:Ipomoea tricolor
Family:Convolvulaceae
Common Name: Morning Glory
Other Common Names: Grannyvine, Morning Glory
Plant Type: Annual
Where To Plant: Full Sun to Partly Shady
Soil Types: Average
Germination: Easy
Number of Seeds Per Pack: 25
Uses: Medicinal
Notes: Mexican Aztec halluciogenic herb. Fast growing vine with dark sky blue flowers.

Description:

The vines grow quickly to 10 feet or more only two months after seeds sprout. The leaves are heart-shaped, and the flowers are normally open from dawn to midmorning, but new varieties will stay open longer, especially on overcast days.
Lovely fast growing vine with dark sky-blue flowers. Ideal for walls, trellises or tall fences. Used by the Aztecs as a hallucinogen in religious ceremonies. Flowers open in the morning and close as the sun rises higher in the sky.

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

Morning glory vine forms twining vines with bell-shaped flowers, and its varieties have also become intertwined botanically under the name “morning glory.” The name comes from the flowers, which last a single day. These rapidly growing vines are closely related to the sweet potato. Flowers are white, blue, pink, purple, red, and multicolored. There are even double forms. Because they’re quick, easy, and dependably colorful, morning glory is the most popular annual vine.

Morning glory is a common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, belonging to the following genera:

*Calystegia
*Convolvulus
*Ipomoea
*Merremia
*Rivea

Habit of the flowers:
As the name implies, morning glory flowers, which are funnel-shaped, open in the morning, allowing them to be pollinated by Hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other daytime insects and birds as well as Hawkmoth at dusk for longer blooming variants. The flower typically lasts for a single morning and dies in the afternoon. New flowers bloom each day. The flowers usually start to fade a couple of hours before the petals start showing visible curling. They prefer full sun throughout the day and mesic soils.

In some places such as Australian bushland, morning glories develop thick roots and tend to grow in dense thickets. They can quickly spread by way of long creeping stems. By crowding out, blanketing and smothering other plants, morning glory has turned into a serious invasive weed problem.

Cultivation
In cultivation, most are treated as perennial plants in tropical areas and as annual plants in colder climates, but some species tolerate winter cold. Some moonflowers, which flower at night, are also in the morning glory family.

Because of their fast growth, twining habit, attractive flowers, and tolerance for poor, dry soils, some morning glories are excellent vines for creating summer shade on building walls when trellised, thus keeping the building cooler and reducing heating and cooling costs.

Popular varieties in contemporary western cultivation include “Sunspots”, “Heavenly Blue”, the moonflower, the cypress vine, and the cardinal climber. The cypress vine is a hybrid, with the cardinal climber as one parent.

History:
Morning glory is also called asagao (in Japanese, a compound of ? asa “morning” and ? kao “face”). A rare brownish-coloured variant known as Danjuro is very popular. It was first known in China for its medicinal uses, due to the laxative properties of its seeds. It was introduced to the Japanese in the 9th century, and they were first to cultivate it as an ornament. During the Edo Period, it became a very popular ornamental flower. Aztec priests in Mexico were also known to use the plant’s hallucinogenic properties. (see Rivea corymbosa).

Ancient Mesoamerican civilizations used the morning glory species Ipomoea alba to convert the latex from the Castilla elastica tree and also the guayule plant to produce bouncing rubber balls. The sulfur in the morning glory’s juice served to vulcanize the rubber, a process pre-dating Charles Goodyear‘s discovery by at least 3,000 years

Active constituent: d-lysergic acid amide. The seeds contain about 0.1% ergot alkaloids, including ergotmetrine, chanoclavine and lysergol.

Culinary uses
Ipomoea aquatica, known as water spinach, water morning-glory, water convolvulus, Ong-Choy, Kang-kung, or swamp cabbage, is popularly used as a green vegetable especially in East and Southeast Asian cuisines. It is a Federal Noxious Weed, however, and technically it is illegal to grow, import, possess, or sell. See: USDA weed factsheet. As of 2005, the state of Texas has acknowledged that water spinach is a highly prized vegetable in many cultures and has allowed water spinach to be grown for personal consumption. This is in part because water spinach is known to have been grown in Texas for more than fifteen years and has not yet escaped cultivation. The fact that it goes by so many names means that it easily slips through import inspections, and it is often available in Asian or specialty produce markets.

Medical use:
A root tea was used by Native Americans as a diuretic, laxitive, expectorant and for coughs. A powered tea of the leaves for headaches and indigestion. As far as we know, Morning glory nowadays is not commonly used as a medicine.

Recreational use
The seeds of many species of morning glory contain ergot alkaloids such as the hallucinogenic ergonovine and ergine (LSA). Seeds of I. tricolor and I. corymbosa (syn. R. corymbosa) are used as psychedelics. The seeds can produce similar effect to LSD when taken in the hundreds. Though the chemical LSA is illegal to possess in pure form, the seeds are found in many gardening stores, however, the seeds from gardening stores may be coated in some form of mild poison in order to prevent ingestion or methylmercury to retard spoilage. The seeds are especially dangerous if you have a history of liver disorders. During pregnancy they can cause uterine contraction that can lead to miscarriage. The seeds are vasoconstrictive, so should be left alone if you are elderly or have a history or family history of cardiovascular disease (heart attack, blood clot or stroke). The Korean morning glory Datura stramonium is also hallucinogenic, and is poisonous.

The seeds of several varieties of Morning glory (Ipomoea violacea) contain a naturally occurring tryptamine called Lysergic Acid Amide (LSA), which is closely related to LSD. Seeds are taken orally, and can be eaten whole or the active alkaloids can be extracted.
Like LSD, LSA acts as a “psychedelic” or “hallucinogen” which can have strong mental effects.

You may click to see:-> How to Trip on Morning Glory Seeds

History of Morning Glory Seeds
The seeds can be ingested as follows:
– thoroughly chew and swallow
– grind and soak in purified water for 1/2 hour, strain and drink
– sprout by soaking in purified water for 3-4 days (change water often), after which the white mushy part is removed from the shell and eaten. This is probably the best method for avoiding side effects, although there is enough reason to believe sprouting the seeds lessens their effectiveness.

The flowers of the Morning glory may be steeped in purified water for a week or two to produce a mildly alcoholic wine with a distinctively pleasant flavor and a very mild psychedelic effect, on account of hemp. Once again herbs and/or honey can be added to enhance the taste.
You must use cold purified water for these processes. Tap water contains chemicals that break down the desired alkaloids. Hot water also does this.

Warnings
Should not be taken by people with a history of liver disorders or hepatitis. Should not be taken by pregnant women. Individuals can respond differently to the same dosage. What is safe for one can be deadly for another. So please be careful, never overdose. Best is to have someone with experience with you who can act as a sitter and watch over you.

Contraindications
– Do not operate heavy machinery. Do Not Drive.
– Do not ingest morning glory seeds if you are currently taking an MAOI. MAOIs are most commonly found in the prescription anti-depressants Nardil (phenelzine), Parnate (tranylcypromine), Marplan (isocarboxazid), Eldepryl (l-deprenyl), and Aurorex or Manerix (moclobemide). Ayahuasca also contains MAOIs (harmine and harmaline). Morning glory seeds (LSA) and MAOIs are a potentially dangerous combination. Check with your doctor if you are not sure whether your prescription medication is an MAOI.

– Do not use morning glory seeds when pregnant. LSA is closely related to LSD which is a uterine contractor that can increase risk of miscarriage during pregnancy.
– Individuals currently in the midst of emotional or psychological upheaval in their everyday lives should be careful about choosing to use psychedelics such as morning glory seeds as they can trigger even more turmoil.
– Individuals with a family history of schizophrenia or early onset mental illness should be extremely careful as psychedelics have been known to trigger latent psychological and mental 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:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_glory
http://www.sandmountainherbs.com/morning_glory.html
http://home.howstuffworks.com/morning-glory-vine.htm

http://www.azarius.net/encyclopedia/5/Morning_glory/

Related articles
css.php