Here you can find information about the herbs we pick, dry, use, and sell.
*This page is still under construction!*
Agastache
var. agastache
Mountain Ash
Avens
geum macrophyllum
Black Elder
sambucus nigra
Calendula
calendula officinalis
Clover
trifolium pratense & trifolium repens
Comfrey
symphytum officinale
Coral Root
var. corallorhiza
Fireweed
chamaenerion angustifolium
Ginger
Goldenrod
var. solidago
Chemistry:
Phenolic: chlorogenic acid, rutin, hyperoside, isoqueritin, quercitin; sesquiterpenes; diterpenes; saponins.
Medicinal Uses:
…Use Goldenrod tea if plagued by chronic nephritis, or more specifically, non-septic autoimmune-related kidney inflammation. More appropriate in long-standing and subacute cases, Goldenrod subtly reduces nephron inflammation. Regular use of the tea improves the filtering ability of compromised nephrons, often lessening high levels of protein, leukocytes, and erythrocytes in the urine. Don’t expect lost kidney function to return, but if plagued by low-level autoimmune/constitutional impairment of the area, Goldenrod will likely do some good. Moreover, it is indicated for difficult to resolve lumbar sensitivity, painful urination, and mucus discharge from related stone or infection involvements.
The hot tea of Goldenrod is a reliable diaphoretic. here the plant’s stimulating sub-aromatics are more noticeable: they reliably promote sweating, particularly if the fever is mid-range and dry.
Source: Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, C. W. Kane
Hawthorn
var. crataegus
Holy Basil
ocimum tenuiflorum
Horsetail
equisetum arvense
Chemistry:
Flavonoids: chlorogenic acid, kaempferol, dihydrokaempferol, hydroxycinnamic acid, equisetumpyrone, quercetin, protogenkwanin, gossypetin,luteolin, apigenin, protoapigenin, genkwanin, naringenin; silicic acid, silica, calcium, potassium, phosphorus.
Medicinal Uses:
Mainly a urinary tract medicine… Soothing to painful urination… As a daily tea, kidney stone formation is reduced through the plant’s ability to increase urine volume.
…Horsetail lessens passive hemorrhaging. Use if there is blood in the urine from physical injury or gastrointestinal bleeding from minor ulceration.
Topically and internally, Horsetail facilitates wound healing and tissue repair. …Use the plant to strengthen hair, nails, skin, and connective tissue. It also makes a good tea for fortifying bones, whether damaged by injury or weakened by osteoporosis.
Source: Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, C. W. Kane
Lavender
lavandula angustifolia
Meadowsweet
filipendula ulmaria
Moroccan Mint
mentha spicata var. crispa ‘Moroccan’
Oregano
origanum vulgare
Oregon Grape
berberis repens
Ox-Eye Daisy
Pansy
Plantain
plantago major
Red Raspberry
rubus idaeus
Rose
var. rosa
Chemistry:
Like cultivated Rose, Wild Rose contains an array of natural compounds that tend to collect in varying concentration within three main parts. Leaves: primarily phenolic acids (tannins), flavonoids (mainly quercitin and kaempferol), and sesquiterpenes (if glandular). Flowers: phenolic acids, flavonoids, monoterpenes, and anthocyanins. Hips (with seeds): phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins/anthocyanadins, tocopherols (vitamin E), carotenoids (carotenes, zeaxanthin, lutein), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), fatty acids (linoleic, etc.)
Medicinal Uses:
…[For leaves and flowers] Use the tea as a sore throat gargle. Repeated every hour or so, this application will soothe reddened and painful tissues. Sinusitis and rhinitis sufferers will see benefit in the tea as an isotonic nasal wash. Most find it superior to using a saline solution alone, especially if there is nasal discharge and sinus membrane irritation.
Like Red Raspberry and Wild Strawberry, women find the tea used as a sitz bath reducing to the redness and inflammation of vaginitis and cervicitis. …If suffering from excessive menstruation, sue to no particular organic problem, the tea (internal) will be found lessening. Mid-cycle spotting should too respond well to several cups a day. Some women entering into perimenopause find the tea abating to excessive/erratic menstruation. The internal tea combined with the wash or sitz bath is soothing and [toning] to post-partum traumatized tissues.
For mild cases of cystitis and urethritis most will find Wild Rose soothing and anti-inflammatory. Though not strong enough to counter an acute bacterial infection, try 2-3 cups a day for on-and-off again urinary irritability.
…Due to the plant’s array of tannins, tea-soaked towel applied to skin irritation and minor injury will be found beneficial.
Although the tea and/or syrup of the hip (fruit) has value, its optimal preparation is the coarse powder, encapsulated or simply mixed with water, taken internally. Consider hips a concentrated superfood with medicinal overtones, rather than strictly an herbal medicine. Taken with medicinal aspects, with no medical orientation, the hips are an excellent natural source of vitamins (especially vitamin C), minerals, and health-promoting lipids.
Virtually any condition that exhibits inflammation and oxidative stress will benefit from hip supplementation. Reactive and/or poorly healing skin conditions will improve with Wild Rose hips: dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and lingering ulcers, sores, and woulds to name a few. Vascular conditions such as varicose veins and hemorrhoids, whether linked to CVI… or otherwise will improve.
Additionally, systemic-oriented autoimmune condition with inflammatory signatures (i.e. Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, allergies, etc.) will show betterment with Wild Rose hips. As a cancer-preventative it combines well with Turmeric. As a ward against cardiovascular inflammation, use it with Hawthorn. Or if suffering from chronic hepatitis (viral related, for example) or cirrhosis its mixture with Western Mugwort, Milk Thistle, or Turmeric has merit.
Source: Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, C. W. Kane
Staint John’s Wort
hypericum perforatum
Self Heal
prunella vulgaris
Chemistry:
Flavonoids, monoterpenes, polysaccharides, sterols, tannins, triterpenoids
Medicinal Uses:
Drink (and/or gargle) the tea… for oral, esophageal, and gastrointestinal inflammations. Best used in the pre-ulcerative stages of epithelial irritations/inflammations, the plant’s traditional applications of reducing intestinal sensitivity during and after a bout of diarrhea or dysentery is practical and effective.
Self Heal’s common external uses are sound: as a healer of ulcers, wounds, cuts, scrapes, and abrasions. …The ointment, oil, or salve for topical injuries will have [good] penetration and/or coating ability.
Source: Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, C. W. Kane
Stachys
stachys officinalis
Stinging Nettle
urtica dioica
Common Tansy
tanacetum vulgare
Turmeric
Usnea
var. usnea
Chemistry:
Sterols, diterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, dibenzofurans; usnic acid, xanthones, anthraquinones, polysaccharides
Medicinal Uses:
Usnea’… three best areas of influence [are] the lungs, urinary tract, and skin. The lichen’s medicinal value is based on its mild immune stimulating polysaccharide and strongly antimicrobial usnic acid principles.
Applied to bronchitis, sore throats, and sinusitis, Usnea has a significant influence. Additionally, due to the tea’s (or a small bunch well-chewed and swallowed) minor gelatinous quality, it’s found particularly helpful when respiratory tissues are raw and inflamed.
Topical preparations of Usnea should be applied to problem wounds, cuts, and incisions where there is danger of growing infection. The ointment in conjunction with proper wound cleansing/dressing is the best way to proceed. Internal use of Usnea… combined with its topical use will be more effective. ….Even low-level bacterial skin problems such as [Acne] respond well to the tincture applied nightly to the problem area. …If it’s bacterial (fungal/yeast… lesser so) skin infection, try topically applied Usnea.
Usnea has a sound record of addressing urinary tract infections that do not respond to Heath family plants (Uva Ursi, etc.). It… rarely causes renal irritation with overuse.
Some of the more common bacteria that Usnea (usnic acid) has shown activity against are Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacteroides, and Mycobacteria strains. I don’t recommend Usnea used as a stand-alone treatment for MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) or MDR-TB infections (multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis) infections; however, its use alongside conventional antibiotics is theoretically promising.
Usnic acid demonstrates significant inhibitory activity against Trichomonas vaginali, the parasite responsible for Trichomoniasis or “trich” infections. Try Usnea in these cases: the strong tea used as a douche along with internal tincture or capsules (or for men, internal use alone) is potentially a good treatment.
Source: Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, C. W. Kane
Yarrow
achillea millefolium
Chemistry:
Partial list for Achillea millefolium: flavonoids: casticin, santin, apigenin, luteolin, rutin, quercetin; hydrocarbons: N-hexadecane, P-cymene; monoterpenes: camphor, tricyclene, A-thujene, A-pinene, B-pinene, camphene, myrcene, Y-terpinene, terpinolene, 1,8-cineole, linalool, B-terpineol, borneol, terpinen-4-ol, A-terpineol; monterpenyl esters: bornyl acetate, sabinyl acetate, A-terpinyl acetate; sesquiterpene hydrocarbons: A-copaene, B-caryophyllene, Y-cadinene; sesquiterpene lactones: guaianolides, eudesmanolides, longipinenes, germacrane derivitives; proazulene.
Medicinal Uses:
Effectively combining elements of an astringent, stimulant, and antiinflammatory, Yarrow serves as a multi-faceted applications for an array of problems. The plant’s best overall use is as a tonic in conditions where there is tissue laxity due to low regional vitality…
As an herb for the urinary tract, it best influences chronic conditions. Try the tincture if there’s a lingering bladder… infection that seems on the verge of resolving but only renews at the slightest stress or dietary relapse. Relatedly, yaro is specific for mucus tinged urine… and/or hematuria… with accompanying pain and irritation.
For women, if menorrhagia is atony, be it too lengthy periods or mid-cycle spotting, the plant usually lessen blood flow. …For chronic vaginitis, both as a sitz bath and internally, it’s a simple yet affective remedy.
…Yarrow makes a choice application when applied topically to poor healing wounds, or imbibed as a tea for chronic gastrointestinal inflammation.
For ulcerative colitis, it’s a better tea for the atonic phases rather than the acute flare-ups. However, taking into account Yarrow’s astringent and anti-spasmotic affects, small to moderate amounts of tea will too be of benefit even in acute episodes. Not only does Yarrow address the spasm, hemorrhage, and ulceration of this painful condition, it also lends a protective and healing influence to gastric mucosa. Additionally, if suffering from chronic gastritis and/or ulcer formation, consider the tea specific.
As an aromatic bitter tonic, taken before meals, the tea or diluted tincture dispels atonic indigestion and quiets gas pain. The plant is also a moderate choleretic. Its stimulating affect on the bile release assists in small intestine fat digestion and assimilation.
Thanks to the plant’s volatile oil content the tea helps to break a stubborn dry fever. Like other stimulating diaphoretics care should be taken if the temperature is dangerously high- Yarrow may cause a slight increase in temperature before promoting diaphoresis.
For toothache pain, a shredded fresh piece of root should be applied to the area and be kept along the offending tooth (like tobacco chew). A cottonball soaked with fresh plant tincture of the root can also be applied to the area, but be careful if there is exposed nerve tissue.
Source: Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, C. W. Kane