grow your own medicinals

7/28/2019 Grow Your Own Medicinals

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Jane Hawley StevensFour Elements Organic HerbalsNorth Freedom, WI.

Grow Your Own Medicinal the heart and soul of UP

Jane Hawley Stevens

Four Elements Organic HerbalsNorth Freedom, WI


2/17

Woodland Medicinalsall the plants featured today grow in this region

Goldenseal

Black Cohosh

Blue Cohosh

Wild Yam

Bloodroot

Slippery Elm

Solomon's Seal andFalse Solomons Seal


3/17

Goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis

Excellent antiseptic,astringent root

Long lived herbaceous

perennial, grows in

understory of hardwood

forests.

Needs at least 3 months

of cold or freezing tosurvive, moist, but well

drained soil in shade

Need to remove

pericarp, and keep


4/17

Black Cohosh, Cimicifuga racemosa

Classic remedy for

menopause, great for

relaxing muscles due to

injury or overexertionPropagate by division or

seed

Seed takes 2 years togerminate, can dry seed

Easy from divisions, taken

in fall. This is the preferred

method.


5/17

Blue Cohosh, Caulophyllum thalictroides

Woodland perennial

Needs damp, well drained,

shady spot.

Grow from seed or

divisions

Seed takes 2 years to

germinate, remove fromgermination inhibiting fruit

and keep seed moist


6/17

Wild Yam, Dioscorea

villosaGreat plant, (root) for relaxingsmooth muscles. So very high insaponins, that it can relieve

hormonal discomfort applied

topically.

Grows in woods, and woods edge,

likes shade

Perennial vine with heart shaped

leaves

Propagate from seed or divisions

Seed germinates the next year,

hooray!

Very easy from divisions, the roots

are even shallow, and grow


7/17

Bloodroot, Sanguinarea

canadensisLovely, woodland springephemeral, gorgeous white,waxy flower and beautifullylobed leaf which need moist,well drained soil and shade tothrive

The acrid, red juice of the rootis antiseptic, used as amouthwash to keep gumshealthy, and externally to burnoff wart s and cancers.

The seed cannot dry out. Keepmoist in soil or peat moss andwill germinate the next spring

Propagates from divisions, butdo not overwater or they will rot

You can use the easy to grow,prolific, Greater Celandine juice


8/17

Slippery Elm, Red Elm, Ulmus

rubra

Common mid sized tree inthis region, but hard todistinguish from AmericanElm. Inner bark is layered is

all red, not mixed withwhite. American Elm has awhite inner bark,sometimes mixed with red.

Inner bark is used as a

demulcent, slimy andhelpful for moisteningtissues.

Cuttings must be taken

from roots or shoots off theroots in the late summer


9/17

Prairie Medicinals

Echinacea purpurea

Echinacea pallida

Elderberry

St. Johns Wort

Blue Vervain

Red Clover


10/17

St. Johns Wort, Hypericum perfoliatum

Great for lifting spirits

internally and healing nerve

endings, topically. Makes a

beautiful red oil traditionally

used on sore or bruisedmuscles or tissues.

Easy perennial from seed,

cuttings or division

Collect seed in September,

store in cool dark place and

sow in March


11/17

Echinacea purpurea

or Echinacea pallidaGreat immune systemstimulant

Perennial herb, easy fromseed, but benefits from a

coldtreatment,(stratification)

Grows well in most soiltypes, . Angustifolia likesit too dry for the Midwest.

Harvest root in third year.Can also collect leavesand flowers for teaingredient.


12/17

Elderberry, Sambucus canadensis

The medicine chest ofthe Folk People usefulas anti-viral, astringent,febrifuge, vulnerary allparts are useful

Woody perennial plant

Propagate from dormantcuttings, division andseed

Grows easily throughoutNorth America, likes fullsun , but can take partialshade


13/17

Blue Vervain, Verbena

hastataWonderful nervine andbitter. Helpful for

menopause to take the

edge off. The bitters

make the body functionbetter.

Beautiful perennial that

prefers moist soils,

grows around marshyareas.

Grows easily from

seed, division or

cuttings


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Growing from Seed

Typically sow seed about 6weeks before last frost in awarm spot to grow a goodsized transplant

Use a soil-less mix to reduce

losing seeds to fungus

Need to stratify, or give a coldtreatment to some northernmedicinals; put in a cold,moist environment for at least6 weeks. Like put shallow potwith soil mix and seed in

refrigerator, or plant them insoil mix in Feb, then put incold frame.

Once plants show true leaves,pot up into larger size pot.


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Taking Cuttings

Hardwood cuttings often

taken from dormant

wood

Herbaceous perennialsneed to have

intermediate stem, not

too juvenile, (soft) and

not too woody or hard

Put in moist, sterile

medium. My favorite

rooting medium is 2 parts

perlite and 1 part peat

moss. Keep at 100%


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Dividing perennials

This is done in spring or fall,

when the plant is near

dormancy

Lift plant out of soil andseparate with shovel, knife

or fingers especially in

obvious spots, where it

looks like it could be

separated without damagingthe herb


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grow your own medicinals

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