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Herbs & Plants

Bleeding Heart

 

Botanical Name : Dicentra formosa
Family: Fumariaceae
Genus: Dicentra
Species: D. formosa
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ranunculales

Common Name :Bleeding Heart or Pacific bleeding-heart

Habitat :Bleeding Heart is native to moist woodland from California to British Columbia.

Description:
Bleeding Heart is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a rhizome.Leaves are finely divided and fernlike, growing from the base of the plant.

CLICK  &  SEE  THE  PICTURES

Flowers are pink, red, or white and heart-shaped and bloom in clusters at the top of leafless, fleshy stems above the leaves from mid-spring to autumn, with peak flowering in spring. The four petals are attached at the base. The two outer petals form a pouch at the base and curve outwards at the tips. The two inner petals are perpendicular to the outer petals and connected at the tip. There are two tiny, pointed sepals behind the petals.

Seeds are borne in plump, pointed pods…...CLICK  &  SEE

The plant frequently goes dormant for the summer after flowering, emerging and flowering again in autumn.

Similar species:  This species is frequently confused with and sold as Dicentra eximia, which has narrower flowers and longer, more curved outer petal tips.

Subspecies : There are two subspecies:

*Dicentra formosa subsp. formosa — leaves glaucous beneath and never glaucous above, flowers purple pink to pink or white
western slope of Sierra Nevada, Coast Ranges to central California, Cascades, extreme southwestern British Columbia

*Dicentra formosa subsp. oregona (often spelled oregana) — leaves glaucous above and beneath, flowers cream or pale yellow
small area of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon

Medicinal Uses:
The early Eclectics seemed to have used Corydalis primarily as an alterative-tonic remedy, with reference to dermatological conditions.  An alterative of great value where indicated. Increases the vitality and influences metabolism. Especially indicated in all glandular derangement with general depraved condition of the system, where the nutritive forces are impaired. It increases waste and improves nutrition. More especially indicated in above conditions where there is an enlarged abdomen, the result of atony, or where there is a persistently coated tongue and fetid breath. In diarrhea and dysentery where tongue is coated, breath fetid and digestion poor, it is a good remedy. In amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea and leucorrhea where there is a relaxed condition of the uterine supports it is a valuable adjunct to other indicated remedies. In eczema and other skin diseases with relaxed conditions it is curative. It is an antisyphilitic and can be used in all stages of syphilis, strumous conditions, nodular swelling, enlarged glands, with good results.  Dicentra is used primarily for its analgesic and anodyne properties in western herbalism today. In Asian medicine however, it is also used as a cardiac remedy for arrythmias and hypertension as well as a hypnotic for insomnia.

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/Dicentra_formosa
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DIFO&photoID=difo_005_ahp.tif
http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/shadegt52.htm

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Herbs & Plants

Lomatium dissectum

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Botanical Name: Lomatium dissectum
Family: Apiaceae
Tribe: Selineae
Genus: Lomatium
Species: L. dissectum
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Apiales

Common Name: Fernleaf biscuitroot.

Habitat :It is native to much of western North America, where it grows in varied habitat. It is found in the eastern Transverse Ranges and the Sierra Nevada in California.

Description:
Lomatium dissectum is a perennial herb reaching up to 1.4 meters tall, growing from a thick taproot. The leaves are mostly attached near the base of the plant, spreading with petioles up to 30 centimeters long and large blades divided into many small, narrow segments. The inflorescence is an umbel of many small yellow or reddish flowers, each cluster on a ray up to 10 centimeters long. The fruits resemble pumpkin seeds.

click & see the pictures

Medicinal Uses:
Both Lomatium and Ligusticum were used by Native Americans and early American medical practitioners for a variety of chronic or severe infectious disease states, particularly those of viral origin. Modern research is rather limited, but clinical trials have supported the inclusion of these botanicals for viral infections including HIV and condyloma.  Traditionally it’s demonstrated efficacy against a variety of bacterial infections including tuberculosis.   Lomatium contains an oleoresin rich in terpenes. It acts as a stimulating expectorant, enhancing the liquification and consequent elimination of mucus from the lungs. It also appears to exert a strong antibacterial activity, interfering with bacterial replication and inducing increased phagocytosis. The resin also contains a number of furanocoumarins including nodakenetin, columbianin and pyranocoumarin. These resins may be responsible for the plant’s antiviral effect. They may also be partly responsible for the phagocytic action lomatium causes.

Based on empirical evidence and discussions with clinical herbalists, lomatium can be used as an antimicrobial, especially in the lungs and upper respiratory tract. It provides quick-acting relief in cases of viral or bacterial infection, particularly when there is a large amount of thick or sticky mucus and infection is deep-seated and persistent. Consider taking lomatium for pneumonia, infective bronchitis and tuberculosis.

As an immunostimulant, this herb is traditionally used to treat colds and flus. Many cases during the 1920s U.S. influenza epidemic were successfully treated with lomatium by the professional herbalists of the time, and it has been used for this purpose by Native Americans since the introduction of influenza to the Americas.  Its infection-fighting ability makes lomatium valuable as a mouthwash and gargle for oral and throat infections, as a douche for bacterial and viral infections or candida, as a skin wash for infected cuts or wounds, and in many other first- aid situations.  Both tea and tincture forms are commonly used. For acute bacterial or viral infections, 2.5 ml of the tincture diluted in water can be used three to four times daily. A painful, itchy full-body rash that can persist for days occurs frequently when the crude tincture is used.  It seems to occur more commonly with the strong, fresh-root preparation and disappears when treatment stops.

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/Lomatium_dissectum
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LODI&photoID=lodi_006_ahp.jpg
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm

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