Have you ever used Usnea? I ordered some from France but it died. Hubby said it's growing in the woods but I don't know - I haven't tried to identify it and unsure if I'd know how.
Medicine plant of the Day
- Thread starter Peanut
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I use it often, grows in every state in the US, all of n. america in fact. 7 or 8 species, don't remember how many.
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/usnea.1278/
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/medicine-plant-of-the-day.15853/page-15#post-1012597
I've never tried foraging before and trying to identify a plant - but it seems a good thing to know. I remember reading about a man who died from an antibiotic-resistant infection and I wonder if he could have been saved by knowing some of these plants. I'm annoyed that my plant died. We have a lot of moss-type plants growing in the woods. I'll try to take a pic of It and post it here to see if its the right thing. Might take a couple days.
Do you mind sharing what you use it for? I bought some on Amazon but afraid to use it because people complained that fake vitamins were being sold! I bought ubiquinol on Amazon and the pills were round, then I bought some of the same product from an online retailer and the pills were oblong.
I don't use it for 'one' thing. It's a complex plant with multiple useful properties.
Again... this thread lists many of them.
https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/usnea.1278/
Thank you. I read about cases of fungal infections that were resistant to antifungals. You don't want to find yourself in that situation and scramble to try to find something that works. There was a woman at bible study years ago, whose daughter was a nurse, who died of an infection - maybe MRSA? The woman was unbelievably happy and I wondered how she could be.
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The plant season is winding down. There might be a late fall plant or two, I'll post if I find something interesting. Now I have to get my tinctures in order. This isn't all of them, still have a dozen jars in the kitchen I need to move. There are a dozen jars on these shelves that need to be pressed out and combined to make room. My winter chore...
All in all it was a good year for plant medicines. Didn't get all the plants I intended but found most of them... Have an over abundance of several plants which means it'll be years before I need to hunt those again.
All in all it was a good year for plant medicines. Didn't get all the plants I intended but found most of them... Have an over abundance of several plants which means it'll be years before I need to hunt those again.
Noticed another medicine blooming the last couple of weeks. Easily seen on roadsides. It’s a shrub, Eastern Baccharis. It’s one of those old obscure medicines that’s not used by anyone I know personally. I’m not going to say what it’s used for because I can’t find it in my note books. It was used for one of two intestinal conditions that are opposite each other. So if I write the wrong condition it’ll make things worse. When I find it in my notes I’ll update this post. 
Its neat looking this time of year. Every thing is turning brown which makes the white blooms really stand out. The shrubs are either male or female. The second pic has the female plant with long white blooms on the left. The male plant is on the right with short white blooms.
The third pic is a closer view of the leaves and blooms of the female shrub.
Its neat looking this time of year. Every thing is turning brown which makes the white blooms really stand out. The shrubs are either male or female. The second pic has the female plant with long white blooms on the left. The male plant is on the right with short white blooms.
The third pic is a closer view of the leaves and blooms of the female shrub.
I made new plant connection today with someone I’m distantly related to, Mr. C. A big creek flows down the edge of his farm. This past sept. I stopped by the bridge on the highway just to see if I could spot any medicines on the creek bank. Yellow root, Xanthorhiza simplicissima was growing on both banks. One of my favorite medicines...
On the way back from town today I stopped at Mr. C’s house hoping to get permission to hunt plants on his land next year (700acres). Turns out he and his daughter (who lives in n. georgia) are studying herbal medicine together via computer. In fact he’d been researching yellowroot this summer and hoped to find some.
I took him showed him yellowroot on his farm 200yds from his house!!! He was thrilled!!!! Couldn’t wait to call his daughter tonight. He took a bunch of photo’s and I showed him how to harvest one so that it doesn’t kill the plant. He carried the little plant all the way home like it was the Olympic Torch!!! He was so happy!!!
It was great, I loved it!
So I made another great plant connection today and have another 700acres to hunt plants on anytime I wish.
On the way back from town today I stopped at Mr. C’s house hoping to get permission to hunt plants on his land next year (700acres). Turns out he and his daughter (who lives in n. georgia) are studying herbal medicine together via computer. In fact he’d been researching yellowroot this summer and hoped to find some.
I took him showed him yellowroot on his farm 200yds from his house!!!
He was thrilled!!!! Couldn’t wait to call his daughter tonight. He took a bunch of photo’s and I showed him how to harvest one so that it doesn’t kill the plant. He carried the little plant all the way home like it was the Olympic Torch!!! He was so happy!!!It was great, I loved it!
So I made another great plant connection today and have another 700acres to hunt plants on anytime I wish.
You'll have access to a good place and they'll have someone to learn from!! Congratulations!!
Thats awesome Peanut
I've met some great people this year! Most were farmers who knew of me or my dad. I got permission to hunt plants on several thousand acres. Today was the icing on a great cake!!! It'll be nice having someone else who's serious about plant medicine so close, about 5 miles as the crow flies.
They are sure going to appreciate you!!
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I bought a used book on amazon to get free shipping: medicinal plants of southern Appalachia
thought of you Peanut! It looks like a good book but no photos of the plants so I have to look up what they look like
thought of you Peanut! It looks like a good book but no photos of the plants so I have to look up what they look like
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that's the one!
I have that one too
, I made my very first tincture using this book!!! Probably the first half dozen til my tinctures got more advanced.It's in the list of herb books i put in the library! It's a great little book!!!! Last time I talked to her she was thinking of doing a revised edition. I lost track of her and several people when I quit using facebook. I check amerzit for new books by her occasionally but haven't seen one.
You folks have some amazing plants. Nothing is blooming here this time of year.
I did find some self heal this summer. (Prunella vulgaris). I pulled a few to bring home and before I get eflogged- I wouldn’t usually. We were on a gravel/dirt road that shortly thereafter would be a racetrack for hunters so it would have been obliterated. There might have been more, but I took just those on that edge. A couple died, but a couple look like they might still be alright. Have them in a raised bed. Will see what happens by spring. I’d like enough to work with next year.
I did find some self heal this summer. (Prunella vulgaris). I pulled a few to bring home and before I get eflogged- I wouldn’t usually. We were on a gravel/dirt road that shortly thereafter would be a racetrack for hunters so it would have been obliterated. There might have been more, but I took just those on that edge. A couple died, but a couple look like they might still be alright. Have them in a raised bed. Will see what happens by spring. I’d like enough to work with next year.
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I tilled the edge of the hedgerow & most of the weed that came up in the tilled ground was Maypops.
It's Usnea Season! lol. Every fall storm is followed by Usnea hunting in the woods. Good times!
Usnea really stands out after a rain! That's when I usually notice it.
