Medicinal Herbs.

[Oscar]

When you've walked as much bush as I have you start to notice similarities between the plants, trees, minerals and the wildlife.
First off there's no doubt in my mind that the animals don't 'feed or frolic' in areas where there are ferrous minerals. The leaching of the zinc, copper......or any of the radio-active type minerals are more apparent to them than to us.

I've been writing short stories about my adventures in the bush, which don't include 'My Secret Garden'.
My scribblings are all about the local medicinal herbs that grow in my zone and the correlation between them, the trees and the minerals present.

Bella Donna (Evening Night Shade)

Tall, bushy, herbaceous plant, the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), of the nightshade family; also, the crude drug consisting of its dried leaves or roots.
It has dull green leaves, violet or greenish flowers, shiny black berries about the size of cherries, and a large, tapering root. Belladonna is highly poisonous and is cultivated for medicinal substances (alkaloids) that are derived from the crude drug and used in sedatives, stimulants, and antispasmodics. Because of toxicity and undesirable side effects, these substances are being replaced by synthetic drugs.


Alkaloids are amines, so their names usually end in “ine” (e.g., caffeine, nicotine, morphine, quinine). Most have complex chemical structures of multiple ring systems. They have diverse, important physiological effects on humans and other animals, but their functions in the plants that produce them are poorly understood.

This particular variety grows ferile in all fields I've explored.

About 10 years ago or so a woman was reported to of been giving this herb (BellaDonna) to her hubby who eventually died. They found out 2 years later that she had been poisoining him. :holysheep:

If this stuff aint too boring, I'd like to do nettle and St-John's Wart next. They both grow here like nobody's business!

 

[Oscar]

Stinging Nettle!​

These annual or perennial native herbaceous plants are distinctive for many reasons, as you'd quickly discover if you ever encountered them wearing shorts. Nettles are covered with tiny, nearly invisible stinging hairs that produce an intense, stinging pain, followed redness and skin irritation.
Nettles usually appear in the same places year after year. Look for them in rich soil, disturbed habitats, moist woodlands, thickets, along rivers, and along partially shaded trails.

Native Americans used the fresh leaves to treat aches and pains. European herbalists used the leaves in a similar fashion to treat gout and arthritis.
Surprisingly, although the nettle sting is highly irritant, once dried to neutralize the acid the leaves are a natural anti-histamine and also have anti-asthmatic properties.

The dried powdered leaves can also be used to staunch the flow of blood from small cuts.
In recent times the nettle has also been found to be effective in the treatment of benign prostate hypertrophy.

Stinging nettle is rich on silicon, an important mineral for skin, hair and nails. Also ingestion of stinging nettle in some form can contribute to relieve different skin diseases. It happens through the stinging nettle is stimulating the liver and kidney to clean the blood for toxic substances.
For hair care is normally used a strong decoction from stinging nettle as conditioner. It is considered as effective towards dandruff and has reputation for stimulating the hair growth. Regular flushing and the hair with nettle water makes the hair more shiny and copious. The nettle is increasing the blood circulation in the scalp and is reducing the fat extraction, and is therefore especially good for fat hair.
Stinging Nettle is very nutritious. It contains amino acids, B- and C-vitamins, carotene, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and silicon.

So make yourself some tea and get your daily vits!

And I use them to enrich my Secret Garden!​

 

[Stoney Bud]

I have a database with almost every Natural Medicine that exists in it.

Stinging Nettles have quite a history. Here's the information I have for the above ground parts of the plant. The roots have quite a lot of uses as well.

**********
Stinging Nettle (Above ground parts)

Also known as: Common Nettle, Great Stinging Nettle, Nettle, Nettles, Ortie, Small Nettle, Urtica, Urticae herba etg folium.

Scientific Names: Urtica dioica; Urtica urens.

Family: Urticaceae

Used for:
Orally, stinging nettle is used for inflammation or infection of the lower urinary tract,
kidney and bladder stones as irrigation therapy, (use of a mild diuretic and copious fluid intake to increase urine flow), or for rheumatic complaints.

Topically, stinging nettle is used for rheumatic ailments.

Historically, people have used stinging nettle orally for internal bleeding, (including uterine bleeding, epistaxis, and melena), anemia, poor circulation, enlargement of the spleen, diabetes, glandular diseases, hypersecretion of gastric juices, biliary complaints, diarrhea and dysentery, asthma, allergies, pulmonary congestion, rashes, eczema, cancer, aging, and an antispasmodic, blood purifier, astringent, tonic and wound healing agent. Historically, stinging nettle was used topically for scalp seborrhea, oily hair and hair loss.

For food uses, young stinging nettle is eaten as a cooked vegetable.

In manufacturing, the extract is used as an ingredient in hair and skin care products.

Safety:
Possibly Safe when preparations of the above ground parts are used orally and appropriately.

Pregnancy: Likely Unsafe. It's contraindicated for oral use during pregnancy due to possible abortifacient and uterine-stimulant effects.

Lactation: There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of oral use during lactation. Avoid using.

Possible Mechanism of Action & Active Ingredients
Stinging nettle leaf hairs, (stings), contain histamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin, which can cause local irritation. The plant contains significant amounts of vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and calcium. The components in stinging nettle seem to cause anti-inflammatory, local anesthetic, hemostatic, antibacterial, antiviral, and hyperglycemic effects. They may inhibit adrenergic stimulation, tumor necrosis factor, and platelet activation factor. Nettle juice increases urine output and slightly decreases systolic blood pressure and body weight in people with myocardial or chronic venous insufficiency. Some studies of experimental animals have shown diuretic activity. Some studies show oral administration of nettle causes analgesic effects. The leaf extract enhances anti-inflammatory effects of low doses of diclofenac, (Cataflam, Voltaren). Nettle extract provides subjective improvement in individuals with rheumatic complaints. There is some evidence to suggest that stinging nettle can decrease blood pressure and heart rate when given intravenously. It can cause CNS depression, anti-seizure activity, and decreased temperature.

Adverse Reactions Including Known Allergies: When taken orally, stinging nettle juice may cause diarrhea. Fresh nettle applied topically, (or touched accidentally), can cause local irritation.

Possible Interactions with Herbs and Other Dietary Supplements:

Herbs with sedative properties: Theoretically, concomitant use with herbs that have sedative properties might enhance therapeutic and adverse effects. These include calamus, calendula, California poppy, catnip, capsicum, celery, couch grass, elecampane, ginseng, Siberian, German chamomile, goldenseal, gotu kola, hops, Jamaican dogwood, kava, lemon balm, sage, St. Johns wort, sassafras, skullcap, shepherd’s purse, valerian, wild carrot, wild lettuce, withania, and yerba mansa.

Herbs with clotting potential: Excessive use of herbs that contain vitamin K, an essential coagulation factor, can increase the risk of clotting in people using anticoagulants. These herbs include: alfalfa, parsley, nettle, plantain, and others.

Possible Interactions with drugs:
Anticoagulants: Concomitant use can decrease drug effectiveness and increase risk of clotting, due to the vitamin K content of nettle.

Antidiabetes drugs: Theoretically, concomitant use of excessive amounts of nettle can interfere with blood glucose control.

Antihypertensive, Antihypotensive drugs: Theoretically, concomitant use of excessive amounts of nettle can interfere with blood pressure control.

CNS Depressants: Theoretically, concomitant us of excessive amounts of nettle can potentiate depressant effects of drugs.

Diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren): Concomitant use of leaf extract enhances diclofenac anti-inflammatory effect.

Possible Interactions with foods: No interactions are known to occur and there is no known reason to expect a clinically significant interaction with stinging nettle.

Possible Interactions with lab tests: No interactions are known to occur.

Possible Interactions with Diseases or conditions:

Heart or Kidney insufficiency: Contraindicated for irrigation therapy in the presence of edema.

Kiabetes, Hypertension, Hypotension: Theoretically, excessive intake of nettle can interfere with the treatment of these conditions.

Typical Dosages and Routes of Administration that are commonly used:

Oral: One cup tea, (made by steeping 1.5-5 grams above ground parts in 150mL boiling water 10 minutes, strain), up to three times per day with ample fluid intake, especially when used for irrigation therapy. Average amount 8-12 grams per day.

Liquid extract (1:1 in 25% alcohol, 3-4 mL three times per day.

Tincture: (1:5 in 25% alcohol), 2-6 mL three times daily.

Topical: Tincture/spirit (1:10), for external use.

Comments: Avoid confusion with stinging nettle root. Stinging nettle fruit and seed have also been used orally and externally in folk medicine.

 

[Oscar]

How would one know if the soil is rich enough to grow nice MJ?

The plants, trees and minerals will tell you!

If I notice that there are alot of mustard plants, too sandy of a soil and mostly a pine forest surrounding, I move on.

I'm looking for violets, clovers and a hard wood forest.

Cedar forests are common here and with the cedar goes rocks. They seem to go hand in hand. Here, we have dolomite everywhere which is a calcium carbonate and the plants do thrive where ever white rock presents herself.

 

[Pot Belly]

Tall, bushy, herbaceous plant, the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna), of the nightshade family; also, the crude drug consisting of its dried leaves or roots.
It has dull green leaves, violet or greenish flowers, shiny black berries about the size of cherries, and a large, tapering root. Belladonna is highly poisonous and is cultivated for medicinal substances (alkaloids) that are derived from the crude drug and used in sedatives, stimulants, and antispasmodics. Because of toxicity and undesirable side effects, these substances are being replaced by synthetic drugs.


Alkaloids are amines, so their names usually end in “ine” (e.g., caffeine, nicotine, morphine, quinine). Most have complex chemical structures of multiple ring systems. They have diverse, important physiological effects on humans and other animals, but their functions in the plants that produce them are poorly understood.

This particular variety grows ferile in all fields I've explored.

About 10 years ago or so a woman was reported to of been giving this herb (BellaDonna) to her hubby who eventually died. They found out 2 years later that she had been poisoining him. :holysheep:

Oscar - I am not in your zone, but in a more tropical one. We have a lot of plant species in our area as well that contain Alkaloids. I continue to do study and research on them also. Alkaloids are not understood, and affect the human body in several good ways, but without unsupervised medical process, alkaloids are very dangerous to our bodies and not to be casually experimented with.

One example is the Angel Trumpet or Brugmansia. It contains the "Tropane" Alkaloids: Scopolamine - which causes delusions, paralysis, and death. The other is Atropine which dries out mucous functions and causes swallowing difficulties. Atropine is also an antidote to several nerve gases as we all know.

Every now and then, we hear of some ignorant kids boiling the leaves of the Angel Trumpet or Datura plant, and making a tea out of it, and drinking it. Horrible hallucinations and other nerve related shut downs are the result. It is a long, bad trip, if they make it out alive..........

To anyone wanting to screw around with something new......Keep smoking weed. Stuff with Alkaloids is not to be messed with unless you are in a lab and know what you are doing.............