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Herbs & Plants

Gratiola officinalis

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Botanical Name : Gratiola officinalis
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Gratiola
Species: G. officinalis
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Lamiales

Common Name :Hedge hyssop,common hedgehyssop or Herb of Grace

Habitat: Gratiola officinalis is native to Central and southern Europe. It grows on Wet grassland, fens, river banks, ditches etc

Description:
Gratiola officinalis is a  perennial plant. The square stem rises from a creeping, scaly rhizome to the height of 6 to 12 inches, and has opposite stalkless, lanceshaped, finely serrate, smooth, pale-green leaves, and whitish, or reddish flowers, placed singly in the axils of the upper pairs of leaves, the corollas two-lipped, with yellow hairs in the tube.
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The plant is inodorous, but has a bitter, nauseous, somewhat acrid taste, which earns it the name of Hedge Hyssop.
It is hardy to zone 0. It is in flower from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist or wet soil.

Cultivation:
Prefers a rich moist alkaline soil in full sun. Succeeds in pond margins.

Propagation:
Seed – sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring[1]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Medicinal Uses:

Parts Used: Root, herb.

Constituents: Its active constituent is the bitter crystalline glucoside Gratiolin and a reddish, amorphous, bitter principle, Gratiosolin, likewise a glucoside.
Cardiac; Diuretic; Homeopathy; Purgative; Vermifuge.

Gratiola officinalis was once widely used as a medicinal herb but it is now considered to be obsolete because of its toxicity. The root and the flowering herb are cardiac, diuretic, violently purgative and vermifuge. The plant has been used in the treatment of liver problems, enlargement of the spleen, dropsy, jaundice, intestinal worms etc. The plant is harvested whilst in flower in the summer and dried for later use. Use with caution, in excess the plant causes abortion, kidney damage and bowel haemorrhage. See also the notes above on toxicity. A homeopathic remedy is made from the flowering plant. It is used in the treatment of cystitis, colic and certain stomach disorders

Known Hazards: All parts of the plant are poisonous.

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.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hyshed49.html
http://digedibles.com/database/plants.php?Gratiola+officinalis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratiola_officinalis

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Herbs & Plants

Hydrangea arborescens

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Botanical NameHydrangea arborescens
Family: Hydrangeaceae
Genus:     Hydrangea
Species: H. arborescens
Kingdom: Plantae
Order:     Cornales

Synonyms: Wild Hydrangea. Seven Barks. Hydrangea vulgaris. Common Hydrangea.

Common Names : Hydrangea, Smooth hydrangea, sevenbark

Habitat: Hydrangea arborescens is widely distributed across the eastern United States—from southern New York to the panhandle of Florida, west to eastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas. It is mainly found in moist soils under a hardwood forest canopy and is often common along woodland road banks and streams. It is common in the Delaware River Valley and in the Appalachian Mountains.

Description:
Hydrangea arborescens is a decidious Shrub growing to 3m by 2m.The inflorescence of the plant is a corymb. The showy, sterile flowers are usually absent or if present they are usually less than 1 cm in diameter. Flowering occurs May to July.  The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Fruit is a ribbed brown capsule about 2 mm long; many are produced.
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The leaves of smooth hydrangea are large (8 to 18 cm long), opposite, serrated, ovate, and deciduous. The lower leaf surface is glabrous or with inconspicuous fine hairs, appearing green; trichomes of the lower surface are restricted to the midrib and major veins.

The stem bark has a peculiar tendency to peel off in several successive thin layers with different colors, hence the common name “sevenbark”.

Hydrangea arborescens can spread rapidly by stolons to form colonies.It is hardy to zone 3 and is frost tender.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation:
Tolerates most soils, thriving in a well-drained loamy soil, but resenting dryness at the roots. Requires partial shade. Does well on very acid soils with a pH around 4.5. In frosty areas it is best to site the plant in a position shaded from the early morning sun. A good bee plant. The flowers are sweetly scented. Plants are best left unpruned. Another report says that the previous year’s flowering shoots should be cut back in early spring. This species is notably susceptible to honey fungus.

Propagation:
Seed – surface sow in a greenhouse in spring. Cover the pot with paper until the seed germinates. 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. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 8cm long, July/August in a frame. Overwinter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring. Thick growths make the best cuttings, but these should be placed in individual pots. Good percentage. Cuttings of mature wood in late autumn in a frame. Mound layering in spring. Takes 12 months. Division of suckers in late winter. They can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. Leaf-bud cuttings of the current seasons growth in a frame.

Edible Uses:

Edible Parts: Stem.

The peeled branches and twigs have been used to make a tea. The new growth of young twigs has been peeled, boiled thoroughly then fried and eaten.

Medicinal Uses:

Parts Used:  Dried rhizome, roots.

Constituents:The root has been found to contain two resins, gum, sugar, starch, albumen, soda, lime potassa, magnesia, sulphuric and phosphoric acids, a protosalt of iron, and a glucoside, Hydrangin. No tannin has been found, but a fixed oil and a volatile oil have been obtained. From the alcoholic extract of the flowers of H. hortensia, two crystalline substances were isolated, Hydragenol and Hydrangeaic acid.

Anthelmintic; Cathartic; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Sialagogue; Tonic

Hydrangea arborescens was used by the North American Indians as a remedy for kidney and bladder stones and is still used for these purposes in modern herbalism. It is considered to both encourage the expulsion of stones and to help dissolve those that remain. The roots are anthelmintic, cathartic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic and tonic. They are used in the treatment of kidney stones, mucous irritations of the bladder, cystitis, nephritis, enlarged prostate and bronchial afflictions. Excessive doses can cause dizziness and bronchial congestion. The fresh roots are very succulent and can be easily cut, when dry they become very tough and resistant. They are harvested in the autumn and it is best to cut them into short sections before drying them. The scraped bark is used as a poultice on wounds, burns, sore muscles, sprains etc. The bark is chewed in the treatment of stomach and heart ailments. The leaves are cathartic, diuretic, sialagogue and tonic.

It also is excellent for chronic penile discharge in men and mucousal urinary irritation in the aged.  It is also used to decrease pain and inflammation in the urinary tract and when stones are passed.  The dried root is considered strongest, but the leaves are sometimes also used.  According to the Eclectic doctors, it does not actually dissolve the stones but helps them to pass and prevents their reoccurrence.  It’s used in combination with other herbs to treat inflamed and enlarged prostates.  The roots have a laxative effect.  Hydrangea contains a substance called rutin which is valuable in decreasing capillary fragility and reducing the incidence of recurrent hemorrhages

Other Uses:
This attractive native shrub is often cultivated for ornamental use. ‘Annabelle’ is the best known cultivar of this species; it is one of the most cold hardy of the hydrangeas. The cultivar ‘Grandiflora’ has flowers that resemble snowballs, similar to Viburnum plicatum.

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://digedibles.com/database/plants.php?Hydrangea+arborescens
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrangea_arborescens
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hydran45.html

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

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Herbs & Plants

Echinochloa crus-galli

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Botanical Name : Echinochloa crus-galli
Family: Poaceae
Subfamily: Panicoideae
Genus: Echinochloa
Species: E. crus-galli
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Poales

Synonyms : Panicum crus-galli

Common Names :Cockspur (or Cockspur Grass), Common Barnyard Grass, or simply “barnyard grass”

Habitat : Barnyard grass commonly occurs throughout tropical Asia and Africa in fields and along roadsides, ditches, along railway lines, and in disturbed areas such as gravel pits and dumps. It also invades riverbanks and the shores of lakes and ponds. It occurs in all agricultural regions. This species is considered an invasive species in North America where it occurs throughout the continental United States. It is also found in southern Canada from British Columbia east to Newfoundland. It was first spotted in the Great Lakes region in 1843

Description:
Echinochloa crus-galli is tufted annual, tall and often weedy, growing to 1.2 m (4ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) rather thick, branching at base.Leaves flat, glabrous, elongate, 30–50 cm long, 1–2 cm broad, scabrous, slightly thickened at margin; ligules absent; sheaths smooth, lower ones often reddish; panicle 8–30 cm long, green or purple, exerted, somewhat nodding, densely branched, the branches to 5 cm long, erect or ascending sessile;

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Spikelets 3–4 mm long, densely arranged on branches, ovoid, awnless, but move often long-awned, pale green to dull purple, short-bristly along veins; racemes spreading, ascending or appressed, the lower somewhat distant, as much as 10 cm long, sometimes branched; glumes and lower lemma minutely hairy on surface with longer more rigid hairs on veins; first glume about two-fifths as long as spikelet, deltoid, the second as long as the spikelet, short-awned; sterile lemma membranous, with a straight scabrous awn, 2–4 cm long or awnless; fertile lemma ovate-elliptic, acute, pale yellow, lustrous, smooth, 3-3.5 mm long. Fl.

It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from Jul to September, and the seeds ripen from Aug to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.It requires moist soil.The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Cultivation:
An easily grown plant, it is adapted to nearly all types of wet places, and is often a common weed in paddy fields, roadsides, cultivated areas, and fallow fields. It succeeds on a variety of wet sites such as ditches, low areas in fertile croplands and wet wastes, often growing in water. It succeeds in cool regions, but is better adapted to areas where the average annual temperature is 14-16°C. Tolerant of most soil types, including saline conditions, plants are not restricted by soil pH. Prefers a rich moist soil but succeeds in ordinary garden soil. The sub-species E. crus-galli zelayensis (HBK)Hitchc. is often found growing wild in alkaline soils. The plant is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 31 to 250cm, an annual temperature range of 5.7 to 27.8°C and a pH in the range of 4.8 to 8.2. Barnyard millet is sometimes cultivated for its edible seed in India. It has a relatively long growing season and does not always ripen its seed in Britain, though it should do better in the eastern half of the country. The plant is considered to be a very serious weed of many cultivated crops.

Propagation:
Seed – sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. A sowing in situ in late spring might also succeed but is unlikely to ripen a crop of seed if the summer is cool and wet.

Edible Uses:
Edible Parts: Leaves;  Seed.
Edible Uses: Coffee.

Seed – cooked. Used as a millet, it can be cooked whole or be ground into a flour before use. It has a good flavour and can be used in porridges, macaroni, dumplings etc. The seed is rather small, though fairly easy to harvest. It has a somewhat bitter flavour. Young shoots, stem tips and the heart of the culm – raw or cooked. A nutritional analysis is available. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.

Composition :
Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.
Leaves (Dry weight)
•0 Calories per 100g
•Water : 0%
•Protein: 7.4g; Fat: 2.9g; Carbohydrate: 81.1g; Fibre: 31.3g; Ash: 8.6g;
•Minerals – Calcium: 0mg; Phosphorus: 0mg; Iron: 0mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 0mg; Potassium: 0mg; Zinc: 0mg;
•Vitamins – A: 0mg; Thiamine (B1): 0mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0mg; Niacin: 0mg; B6: 0mg; C: 0mg;

Medicinal Uses:
Styptic;  Tonic.

Reported to be preventative and tonic, barnyard grass is a folk remedy for treating carbuncles, haemorrhages, sores, spleen trouble, cancer and wounds. The shoots and/or the roots are applied as a styptic to wounds. The plant is a tonic, acting on the spleen.

Other Uses:
Soil reclamation.

The plant is sometimes used, especially in Egypt, for the reclamation of saline and alkaline areas.

 

Known Hazards : This grass has been reported to accumulate levels of nitrate in its tissues high enough to be toxic to farm animals. This problem is most likely to occur when plants are fed with inorganic fertilizers

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/Echinochloa_crus-galli
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Echinochloa+crus-galli

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Hydrangea macrophylla

Botanical Name :Hydrangea macrophylla
Family: Hydrangeaceae
Genus: Hydrangea
Species: H. macrophylla
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Cornales

Synonyms : Hydrangea maritima – Haw-Booth.

Common Names :Azisai,Bigleaf Hydrangea, French Hydrangea, Lacecap Hydrangea, Mophead Hydrangea, Penny Mac and Hortensia., Florist’s Hydrangea, Bigleaf Hydrangea

Habitat : Native to E. Asia – Japan. Grows in sunny places near the coast of E. Japan. It grows  in the sunny places near the coast of E. Japan.   It is also widely cultivated in many parts of the world in many climates.

Description:
Hydrangea is a rounded shrub with huge, deciduous, opposite, serrated, medium to dark green leaves. It is usually seen at 3-6 ft (0.9-1.8 m) with an equal spread, but older specimens can exceed 8 ft (2.4 m)! Flowers are arranged in huge, ball shaped clusters on the most common varieties. There are many selected varieties (and many hybrids), the most striking of which is a variegated-leaf form that bears flat, or lace-capped inflorescences.  The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.Hydrangea macrophylla blossoms can be either pink, blue, or purple shades, depending on a pH-dependent mobilization and uptake of soil aluminium into the plants.  Flowers on most hydrangeas are pH-sensitive, with dark purple or blue flowers in acidic soil, white or dull green in neutral earth, and pink in alkaline soil.

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Hydrangeas make beautiful foliage in warm months. Flowering is best in areas with mild winters, since the plant blooms on previous year’s growth. French hydrangea may be evergreen in very mild winter areas. In its northernmost range, hydrangea is a foliage shrub, since flower buds are killed in hard winters.

It is   frost tender. It is in flower from July to September.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Hydrangea macrophylla blossoms can be either pink, blue, or purple shades, depending on a pH-dependent mobilization and uptake of soil aluminium into the plants.

Cultivation:
Tolerates most soil, thriving in a well-drained loamy soil, but resenting dryness at the roots. Succeeds in full sun or semi-shade,   but if it is grown in a low rainfall area then it requires shade at the hottest part of the day. Prefers a shady position. Does well on very acid soils with a pH around 4.5. Plants also tolerate alkaline soils, though they become chlorotic on shallow soils over chalk. The colour of the flowers reflects the pH of the soil the plant is growing in, the flowers are pink in a neutral to alkaline soil and blue in an acid soil. A very wind resistant plant when grown in mild areas.   Dormant plants are hardy to about -10°c, though the young growth in spring is frost-tender. A very ornamental plant and polymorphic species, there are many named varieties. This species was named for a sterile (or ‘mop head’) cultivar so that the true species should really be referred to as H. macrophylla normalis. Plants are cultivated for their leaves in China and Japan. Plants are very tolerant of pruning and can be cut back into old wood if required[188]. This species is notably susceptible to honey fungus.

Propagation:
Seed – surface sow in a greenhouse in spring. Cover the pot with paper until the seed germinates. 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. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 8cm long, July/August in a frame. Overwinter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring. Cuttings of mature wood in late autumn in a frame. Mound layering in spring. Takes 12 months. Leaf-bud cuttings of the current seasons growth in a frame

Edible Uses:
Edible Parts: Leaves.

Edible Uses: Sweetener.

The young leaves, when dried and rubbed between the hands, become very sweet and are used to make a sweet tea called ‘tea of heaven’, it is used in Buddhist ceremonies. The leaves contain phellodulcin (its chemical formula is C16 H14 O), a very sweet substance that can be used as a sugar substitute. One small leaf is sufficient to sweeten a cup of tea. The older leaves can be dried, powdered and used as a flavouring on foods. The young leaves and shoots are also eaten cooked. Young leaves contain the toxin hydrocyanic acid, this reduces as the leaves grow older, often to zero levels.

Medicinal Uses:
Antiperiodic; Antitussive; Diuretic.
An extract of the leaves, roots and flowers are said to be a more potent antimalarial than quinine, due to one of its alkaloids.

Other Uses
Hedge.

A useful hedging plant because of its vigorous growth. The Hortensias or mop-head cultivars are recommended

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/Hydrangea_macrophylla
http://www.floridata.com/ref/h/hydran_m.cfm
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_AB.htm

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hydrangea+macrophylla

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Himalayan mapple(Acer oblongum Wall.ex DC)

Botanical Name :Acer oblongum Wall.ex DC
Family : Aceraceae
Genus : Acer

Common Name :Himalayan mapple, Pharbanj, Mark, Pangoi.

Habitat:E. Asia – Himalayas from Pakistan to S. W. China and Burma.  Found in lime-free soils in forests at altitudes between1000 – 3000 metres[51, 200].

Description:
Trees evergreen, 12 to 15 m tall. Bark smooth to wrinkled. Trunk irregularly buttressed at base. Twigs red-brown or purplish, slender. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 5-18 cm long, 2-8 cm wide, glabrescent, reddish when young, later dark green above, paler to glaucous beneath; nerves pinnate in 6-8 pairs; base rounded to subacute; petioles slender, 2-10 cm long. Inflorescence corymobose, pubescent on leafy terminal and lateral shoots, 5-15 cm long. Pedicels pubescent. Flowers 5-merous, 7-9 mm across, greenish-white. Sepals linear, 1-2 mm wide, acute, pubescent. Petals narrowly lanceolate, 1-2 mm wide. Stamens 8, inserted on disc. Ovary pubescent, styles free nearly to the base. Samaras glabrous, 2-3 cm long; wings veined, divergent, constricted at base; nutlets gibbous, locules white-pubescent inside.  CLICK TO SEE

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It is hardy to zone 7. The seeds ripen from October to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs)
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Cultivation:
Of easy cultivation, it prefers a good moist well-drained soil in a sunny position but tolerates some shade. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Chlorosis can sometimes develop as a result of iron deficiency when the plants are grown in alkaline soils, but in general maples are not fussy as to soil pH. This species is found on acid soils in the wild. This species is not hardy in all parts of Britain, forms from China are hardier but even then this species is better grown in the warmer parts of the country. Most maples are bad companion plants, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants.

Propagation:
Seed – best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the following spring. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours and then stratify for 2 – 4 months at 1 – 8°c. It can be slow to germinate. The seed can be harvested ‘green’ (when it has fully developed but before it has dried and produced any germination inhibitors) and sown immediately. It should germinate in late winter. If the seed is harvested too soon it will produce very weak plants or no plants at all[80, 113]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions. Layering, which takes about 12 months, is successful with most species in this genus. Cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 – 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter. If seed is unavailable, the plant can be grafted onto A. buergerianum.

Medicial Uses:

You may click to see :
Encyclopedia of Himalayan Medicinal Flora, Vol.
I
Ethnobotanical Observations in the Mornaula Reserve Forest of Kumoun, West Himalaya, India :

Other Uses
Preservative; Wood.

The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them. Wood – close grained, moderately hard. Used for agricultural implements, minor construction, cups etc

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://server9.web-mania.com/users/pfafardea/database/plants.php?Acer+oblongum
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=200013053
http://vaniindia.org.whbus12.onlyfordemo.com/herbal/plantdir.asp

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