Who would have thought that those pesky weeds in your backyard had a purpose. Not only are they amending your soil to balance out any deficiencies that are present but they also hold powerful medicine for our bodies. It is important to note, however, that you will not want to use any of these plants as medicine if you are spraying your lawn with any type of chemical. The other places you want to avoid harvesting from are alongside railroad tracks/roadways and next to seeded farm land in which chemicals are routinely sprayed. For this post, we will focus on Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale), Plantain (Plantago Major) and Red Clover (Trifolium Pratense) as they are the easiest to identify.
Lastly, it is important to note, that just because a herb is “good for” certain things, does not mean it will be “good for” you! Each and every body is different and unique and your experience may not be the same as others. It is important to listen and be in tune with your body.
Dandelion - Taraxacum Officinale
Parts Used: Whole plant from roots, leaves to flower. The flowers are not used as often as the rest of the plant, however they make wonderful infused vinegars, salves and syrups. We harvested many of the flowers last spring and made a wonderful and tasty syrup with it that the whole family enjoyed!
Taste: Overall bitter in taste. The leaves in early spring will be salty/sweet due to the mineral and nutritive content but as we move through summer they will become increasingly more bitter. The long taproots are very earthy, bitter and oily in taste which tells us that it will work to help the liver.
Harvest Time: The leaves should be harvested in early spring when you are looking for higher mineral and nutritive qualities, but I honestly harvest all summer long and use them in soups and salads. Note the older the leaf, the more bitter it will be. The flowers should be picked when they are in full blossom and the roots can be harvest in early spring before flowering or in the fall.
Energetics: The energetics of a herb is referring to the temperature, moisture and tone and how that reflects on the human body. Dandelion is generally cooling to the body, so it will soothe inflamed/hot tissues. In terms of moisture, because it is a bitter and it helping to stimulate digestion and get things moving out of the body, it will have an overall drying effect on the body. Lastly, it will help to tonify the tissues over long-term as it helps to remove stagnation and providing added nutritive support.
Actions: Alterative, Diuretic, Bitter Tonic, Cholegogue/Choleretic, Pre-biotic, Mild Laxative
Organ Affinities: Digestive System (bitter action, increasing gastric secretions aiding the digestion of food), Kidney/Urinary System (diuretic action), Blood/Lymph System (alterative action and cleansing/detoxifying of the body system) and lastly the Hepatobiliary System (bitter tonic action, detoxifying the liver and helping to remove the stagnant waste products that are burdening the body).
Medicinal Preparations: The leaves can be used raw in salads, dried for a tea infusion or adding to soups/strews or prepared as a tincture. The flowers can be prepared as infused oils/vinegars, made into salves, syrups, flower essence. Lastly, the roots require a practice called decoction or tincturing. Decoction is used for woody, bark/stalk like or dense herbs. For a decoction, you will place your herbs in pot with water and simmer for 20-40 minutes covered. The amounts used are generally 1 tsp to 1 tbsp per cup of water, or for a larger batch you can use 1/4 cup herb per 4 cups water. Decoctions are more time consuming to make so I definitely recommend making it in larger batches and storing the remainder in the fridge to be used over the next 2 days. NOTE: with decoctions you can re-use the herbs for another batch (maybe 2) and still be able to extract a good medicinal preparation.
Contraindications: Generally considered safe for all ages, including children and during pregnancy, but the dosage is very important. Although every source states something different about the use during pregnancy, so it is something that should be discussed with your medical practitioner prior to using. However, dandelion should not be used when there is bile duct obstruction, intestinal blockage or during acute gallbladder inflammation or acute gastro-intestinal inflammation.
Herb-Drug Interactions: Dandelion may increase the diuretic action of other pharmaceutical drugs or herbs. Dandelion may also decrease the effectiveness of some antibiotics.
Magical Uses: Wishes, Resilience, Opening the Doors Between Realms, Divination
Plantain - Plantago Major
Parts Used: Leaf, Seeds and Husk (P. psyllium)
Taste: Salty, Mucilaginous and Bitter
Harvest Time: Early spring through fall for leaves, late summer/early fall for the seeds.
Energetics: Plantain is cooling to the body’s tissues due to the bitterness draining excess heat from the tissues. Plantain has both demulcent (moistening) and astringent (drying) properties, so it has the ability to bring tone back into the tissues while providing the moisture is needs to soften and cool the tissues. Overall this herb helps to bring the tone back to the tissues that are overly lax (lacking tone).
Actions: Vulnerary (wound healing) is the most widely used action for this herb. It is most often used topically to help heal wounds, scrapes or even draw out slivers/infection/venom from stings and bites. But it is also an amazing herb to help heal our inner skin (the digestive system). Astringent, Demulcent, Inflammation Modulating, Antiseptic, Moistening Expectorant
Organ Affinities: Mucosal Membranes of the Urinary, Respiratory and Digestive Systems (demulcent action, enhances mucosal secretions and aids in cleansing and disinfecting them), Urinary Tract (helping through diuretic actions, demulcent, antiseptic and inflammation modulating when dealing with UTI’s), Respiratory System (helping to soothe dry coughs through demulcent action and antiseptic actions during respiratory infections), Digestive System (great gut healing remedy for ulcerations, infections, etc), Integumentary System (skin) and Oral Cavity (treatment of dental problems including infection and nerve pain)
Medicinal Preparations: Creams/Salves, Oil Infusions, Poultices (especially spit poultices), Tea Infusions, Tincture, Succus (juicing fresh leaves), Medicated Clay, Eye wash (very light infusion). The psyllium seeds can be used in smoothies and cooking.
Contraindications: No known contraindications. There have been cases of allergic reaction to the ingestion of psyllium husk.
Herb-Drug Interactions: There have been incidents with large doses of plantain causing increased coagulation (due to the Vitamin K content), so there is potential for caution when on Warfarin. Most often, the dosage and usage is moderate enough and would not cause an issue, but it is something to be aware of.
Magical Uses: Healing, Strength, Protection
Red Clover - Trifolium Pratense
Parts Used: Flowering Tops
Taste: Generally sweet in flavour indicating that it is a nutritive tonic.
Harvest Time: When the flowers have just bloomed as that is when their medicinal qualities will be the most potent. The longer they are in bloom, the vitality of the medicine diminishes.
Energetics: Again this herb is considered cooling to the body. Red clover tends to bring moisture to the dry and inflamed areas of the body, so it would be considered moistening. Due it its nutritive qualities it would help to bring tone to weakened, dry and irritable tissues.
Actions: Alterative, Expectorant, Spasmolytic, Emmenagogue, Nutritive Tonic, Inflammation Modulator, Galactagogue, Bitter Tonic, Vulnerary
Organ Affinities: Cardiovascular System (an excellent blood purifier, purifies and cleanses), Lymphatic System (cleanses and helps to alleviate stagnation causing swollen/congested lymph nodes), Respiratory System ( soothes and cleanses the lungs), Digestive System (help improve inflammatory bowel disorders), Reproductive System (promotes proper hormone balance), Integumentary System (using topically to help reduce inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema).
Medicinal Preparations: Poultice (for mastitis or inflammatory skin conditions), Tea Infusions, Flower Essence, Oil Infusions, Salves, Tincture. Sprouted Red Clover Seeds make an excellent addition to salads/sandwiches and provides excellent nutrition.
Contraindications: Contraindicated in pregnancy to do its emmenagogue effect and also for those who are using blood thinning agents. Those who are at high risk of developing estrogenic cancers (breast, uterine and ovarian) should use caution as Red Clover can mimic the effects of estrogen.
Herb-Drug Interactions: Red Clover has blood thinning effects and will increase the effects of any blood thinning agents that are being taken. Red Clover is not advised to use for those who are ingesting drugs that increase estrogen levels in the body (birth control or cancer-therapy drugs like tamoxifen).
Magical Uses: Protection, Money, Love, Fidelity, Success, Luck
That was a lot of information! I congratulate you for making it all the way through! I am really a student of herbalism for life and that means that as time moves on and I create a deeper relationship with these plants, the way I would use these herbs or formulate with them may change! I encourage you to start forming a relationship with the plants and herbs around you.
Have a blessed day!
Ashley
Sources:
Cunningham, S. (2018). Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Llewellyn Publications.
Diaz, J. (2020). Plant Witchery. Hay House Inc.
Gray, B. (2011). The Boreal Herbal Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North. Aroma Borealis Press.
Popham, S. Plantain (Plantago Major) Materia Medica Volume #6.
Popham, S. Dandelion (Taraxacum Officianale) Materia Medica Volume #32.
Pursell, J. (2015). The Herbal Apothecary. Timber Press Inc.
Tilgner, Dr. S. (2009). Herbal Medicine From the Heart of the Earth. Wise Acres LLC.
Wood, M. (2008). The Earthwise Herbal Volume 1. North Atlantic Books.
Young, D. (2019). The Backyard Herbal Apothecary. Page Street Publishing Co.