OUR HERBAL ROOTS

Presentation By: Brigitte Zettl

Our Herbal Roots? Our relationship with

roots goes back a long way!

Consider Mandragora autumnalis:

- Top picture from a 7th century Greek Herbal

- Bottom picture from Hortus Sanitatus - 1497

- Mandrake is even referred to in Genesis

When to Harvest Roots? Roots, Rhizomes,

Tubers, & Bulbs should be harvested in autumn after the aerial parts have begun to die down

It is a good idea to observe the plant throughout the growing season before harvesting Spading

Fork

Proper Identification

In the 80s a scandal occurred and some diedwhen a wildcrafter mistook Foxglove for Comfrey

Foxglove

Comfrey

Wildcrafting Ethics Especially important

when harvesting roots! 1 in 20 rule for natives Leave a portion of root

so the plant can return! With ‘To Watch’ or

U.P.S. listed plants it is better to grow them yourself!

How to Clean & Store Roots? Wash with water

and a brush Chop into smaller

pieces Spread on a screen

so pieces are not overlapping

Keep in a shady, dry place with good airflow

Burdock Drying

Storage & Use

Keep fully dried roots in an airtight glass container

Use or extract within one year to maintain potency

What Phytochemicals are Commonly Found in Roots?

PolysaccharidesMucilagesSterolsTriterpenesAlkaloids

o An example is the polysaccharide inulin which is found in burdock, echinacea and dandelion root Inulin Molecule

Extracting Root Compounds

General rule for roots is 30-45% ethanol unless it is volatile oil you are targeting

For mucilage stick to cold water or 25% ethanol

Tinctures Making is Easy! You need at least 30% alcohol for your extraction to

stay good without refrigeration Everclear is about 100% alcohol so it is easy to mix

with water and get the correct percentage. Let’s do an example:o You plan to do a 1:5 ratio extraction in 40% alcohol (as

suggested by Tilgner’s chart - see recommended reading at the end)

o Your container holds just over 10 ounces of liquid so you need 4 ounces of Everclear, and 6 ounces of water for 40% alcohol

o 10 ounces is = to about 300 mL so you will need 60 grams of herb (60:300 = 1:5)

o Then just mix all the ingredients, seal the lid of the jar and shake daily for 10-14 days until straining and pressing the tincture out through cheesecloth.

Using Your Tinctureo It is important to check out a good Herb/Drug

interaction book if you are already taking medication so you can make sure the combination of this herb and your drug is safe! Just like certain foods, herbs can conflict with pharmaceuticals.

o When you are ready to use your tincture you will want to look at a reliable source to find out how many grams of herb are recommended per dose, and how many times a day you will need to take your dose

Once you know the recommended grams of herb per dose for your ailment, you just need to multiply that number by your mL ratio on your tincture.

For example: It is recommended that you take 3 grams of herb per dose, your tincture has 1 gram herb/5 mL liquid. 5 mL x 3 grams = 15 mL per dose

Missouri’s Herbal Roots

Criteria = Available - Useful - Mostly Safe

Black Cohosh(Actaea racemosa)

Family: RanunculaceaeHabitat: Rich upland woods and

hillsidesDescription: Alternate leaves are

thrice divided and sharply toothed. White flowers bloom in a terminal raceme from May-September. 3-8’ tall in flower. Stamen tufts conspicuous.

Black Cohosh (a.k.a. Cimicifuga racemosa)

Properties: Antispasmodic,

sedative, diaphoretic, digestive stimulant, expectorant, peripheral vasodilator, hypotensive, female reproductive tract tonic, anti-inflammatory

Black Cohosho At least 10 clinical studies have

found this plant to be effective in the treatment of menopause

o German gynecologists have prescribed it as medicine for the last 40 years

o It is particularly indicated for painful menstruation, hot flashes, and as a sedative

o American Indians used it for childbirth

o In the 19th century it was often prescribed for rheumatic pain by American doctors

o It is contraindicated during the first tri-mester of pregnancy

Burdock(Arctium lappa)

Family: AsteraceaeHabitat: Waste areas and shaded

soil, pasture landsDescription: Biennial grows 2-9’ tall.

Globose flower heads with hook-tipped green bracts and purple tubular disc-florets that bloom in terminal clusters from July to September. Leaves emerge as a basal rosette with very large heart-shaped leaves low on the stem.

Burdock

Properties: Alterative, antibacterial,

antifungal, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, digestive stimulant, promotes blood and lymph circulation, liver tonic, choleretic, antimutagenic, mild laxative

Burdocko Clinical trials have shown

root polysaccharides to exibit antitumor effects

o One of the main ingredients in Essiac Tea

o Traditionally used for chronic skin eruptions such as acne, psoriasis, eczema, boils, and sties

o By stimulating the natural flow of lymphatic fluid it supports excretion of toxins from cells

o Used by the early settlers and Indians as a tonic and compress.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

Family: BoraginaceaeHabitat: Waste grounds, often

persistent in old garden sitesDescription: Square stem branched near

top; black turnip like root. Alternate, ovate to lanceolate leaves feel roughly hairy to the touch. Higher leaves are narrower with winged clasps down stem. Bell flowers are cream, purple or pink in nodding cymes June-August.

Comfrey

Properties:o Used externally for

contusions, sprains, dislocations, wounds, burns, ulcers, and any other inflammatory skin disorder

o Not recommended for internal use due to Pyrrolizidine Alkaloid presence

Comfreyo Promotes cell

proliferation due to the presence of allantoin

o Considered a very important organic gardening herb

o Known by early American settlers as ‘Knitbone’ and was used frequently to speed the healing of fractures and broken bones.

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Family: AsteraceaeHabitat:

Open prairies and where they meet the forest edge, glades

Description: 2-3 feet tall in flower.

Leaves are oval and coarsely toothed. Bristle tips of flower discs are orange. Rays can be purple or white. Root is fibrous, not tap.

Echinacea

Properties: Antimicrobial, anti-

inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, adrenal stimulant, stimulates leukocytes, enhances phagocytosis

Echinaceao 8 week double blind study

found effective in preventing respiratory infections

o 10 week study found to prevent reoccurring bouts of Candidiasis

o Activates macrophages to cytotoxicity against tumor cells and microorganisms and increases T-lymphocytes

o Enhances the immune system’s resistance to infections

o Used by Plains Indians (poisinous bites, wound healing, cold and flu, cancer & toothaches)

Fibrous Root

Dandelion(Taraxacum officinale)

Family: AsteraceaeHabitat: Waste places,

compacted soilDescription: 2-18” in height,

flowering stalk with milky juice, leaves jagged cut with downward toothing. Yellow flower from May - September

Dandelion

Properties: Bitter tonic,

cholagogue, choleretic, mild laxative, diuretic, mineral rich (Potassium especially), anti-platelet aggregating action

Dandeliono Used for arthritis, gout, high

blood pressure,high cholesterol, edema, and abnormal blood sugar levels

o Taken as a long term tonic for liver revitalization, for loss of appetite, non-ulcer dyspepsia, eczema, and as a “blood purifier”

o Root best for fructose in Spring and Inulin in Fall

o Used by early American settlers for multiple ailments

American Ginseng(Panax quinquefolius)

Family: ArailiaceaeHabitat: Found in rich woods in deep

shade on North facing limestone slopes at higher elevations in MO

Description: Grows 1-2’ in height. Leaves

are palmately divided, into sharp toothed, oblong-lance shaped leaflets. Flowers are whitish in round umbels from June to July. Fruits are 2-seeded red berries that ripen and set seed in late summer/early autumn.

GinsengProperties: Adaptogen, general tonic,

antitumor, anitviral, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, analgesic, supports nervous system and endocrine, antifatigue, corrects erectile dysfunction, enhances endurance, blood sugar balancing, reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) and raises good cholesterol (HDL), minimizes cell damage from radiation, enhances metablolic activity in the brain (transfer of energy)

Ginsengo Most American ginseng

harvested is shipped to Asia where it is considered a ‘Fountain of Youth’ herb

o The emperors of China took ginseng on a daily basis

o It was nearly harvested into extinction in the late 80’s and early 90’s

o The root has scars near the top that tell how old the plant is, roots over 5 years old have the highest amount of ginsenosides

o Contraindicated in pregnancy

Goldenseal(Hydrastis canadensis)

Family: RanunculaceaeHabitat: Rich woods in deep

shade on Northern facing slopes

Description: 6-12” in height. Usually

2 leaves on a forked branch but sometimes just one. Leaves are rounded with 5-7 lobes with a double toothed margin.

Goldenseal

Properties: Alterative,

astringent, adrenolytic, styptic, bitter tonic, antimicrobial, peripheral vasoconstrictor

Goldensealo Clinically berberine has

been shown effective against giardia, cholera, amebiasis, and other bacteria, yeast, and protozoa

o Contraindicated in pregnancy

o Cherokee mixed with bear grease as insect repellant

o Settlers adopeted native use of this plant for sore skin, eyes, & mouth and sniffed powder for sinus infections

Joe Pye Weed(Eupatorium purpureaum )

Family: AsteraceaeHabitat: Tall-grass prairie, wet open

placesDescription: Grows up to 12’ tall. Stems

are green and purple at the leaf nodes. Pale pink-purple flowers borne in somewhat rounded cluster. Often mistaken for E. maculatum. E. purpureum has short petioles, 7 tufts in the flower cluster, and does not have spotted stems.

Joe Pye Weed

Properties: Diuretic,

emmenagogue, promotes excretion of solid materials in urine, reduces inflammation of the genitourinary tract, blood purifier for chronic rheumatic complaints

Joe Pye Weedo Eupatorium comes from

Mithridates Eupator, King of Pontus, Greece, who is said to have used the species in medicine in the first century B.C.

o Joepye is said to come from an Indian of that name who cured typhus with it by enducing copious perspiration

o Could be found in Eclectic drug stores in 1859

o Chippewa used as a wash for sore joints

o May contain Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids

Milkweed(Asclepias tuberosa)

Family: AsclepidaceaeHabitat: Dry roadsides and

prairiesDescription: Stem erect, hairy and

without milky juice; leaves lance-shaped and velvety beneath; flowers have five petals that bend downward and are a showy orange (bloom May-September)

Butterfly Milkweed

Properties:o Anti-rheumatic,

cardiotonic, diaphoretic, expectorant, antispasmodic

o Specific for bronchitis, pneumonia and influenza

Butterfly Milkweedo Used by settlers to relieve

inflammation of lungs and throat

o Listed as an official medicine in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1820-1904

o Omaha, Menomoni and other tribes used root to treat dysentery, pleurisy, and pnemonia.

o Cheyenne made a medicine for snow blindness from this plant

o Symbiotic partner with Monarch Butterflies

Rattlesnake Master(Eryngium yuccifolium)

Family: ApiaceaeHabitat: Prairies, dry rocky open

woodlandsDescription: Leaves are alternate, linear,

parallel-veined, with bristly margins and a bluish cast; Dense flowers produce tiny white petals in spherical clusters blooming September-November; Fruit is ovoid and scaly with two small segments.

Rattlesnake Master

Properties: Used for erectile

dysfunction, and female reproductive disorders

Rattlesnake Mastero Chewing the root is said to

increase saliva flowo American Indians used as a

poultice for venomous bites and toothaches

o Was listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1820-1873 and was recommended for “exhaustion from sexual depletion with loss of erectile power”

o Early settlers used for treating dropsy, laryngitis, bronchitis, gonorrhea and other irritations of urethra, vaginal, and uterine mucous membranes

A Few Left Out Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) Plantain (Plantago lanceolata) Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus) Sarsasparilla (Smilax racemosa) Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza spp.) Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) Wild Geranium (Geranium maculata) May Apple (Podophyllum peltatum) Wild Ginger (Asaurum canadensis) Snakeroot (Arisaema spp.) Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) Chicory (Cichorium intybus)