Herb of the Week — plant medicine RSS



Herb Of The Week - Osha

This week, we'll be investigating the properties of the Osha Root. The Latin name for this plant is Ligusticum porteri. It's other names include: Bear Medicine, Colorado Cough Root, Chuchupaste, Porter’s Wild Lovage, Indian Root, and Mountain Ginseng.               The root of the osha plant is a traditional Native American herb. Most Native American tribes treated this root with high regard as it was very crucial to their everyday needs. The tribal groups of the Zuni, Chiricahua, Tarahumara and Aztec were among the many groups who used this root. Osha got the name “bear medicine” because it was noted by Native Americans and early settlers that bears would seek it out when they first emerged from hibernation as a...

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Herb Of The Week - Ginger

            This week, we'll be exploring the spicy root of the ginger plant. The Latin name for this plant is Zingiber officinalis. It's other names include: African Ginger, Gan Jiang, Gingembre, Ginger Root,  Imber, Jengibre, Jiang, Kankyo, and Sunthi               The Universtity of Maryland Medical Center writes that the use of ginger originated in China over 2,000 years ago. It was then exported to the Roman empire, where it became valued for its therapeutic as well as culinary properties. The name Ginger comes from Old French gingibre and means ”Spirit” or “Temper”.             Ginger is apart of the Zingberaccae family, to which it lends it's name, and is a relative of tumeric, cardamom, and...

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Herb of the Week - California poppy

 Herb of the Week - California poppy               This week, let's take a look at the California poppy. The Latin name for this plant is Eschscholzia californica. Its other aliases include: TheGolden Poppy; California Sunlight; Cup of Gold; Copa de Oro; and Khishkhash Kalifornia.               The California poppy was first identified by Adelbert von Chamisso. He named it's genus after Johann Fredrich von Eschsholtz, who was his friend and colleague on Otto von Kotzebue's scientific expedition to California aboard the Russian ship Rurik in the mid-1810s.             California poppy is the state flower of California, and is native to California. Its natural habitat extends to Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. Throughout history, people have admired...

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Herb of the Week - Black Seeds

"Black Seed" (Nigella Sativa) has been known to Unani-tibb (Graeco-Arabic traditional) medicinal practice for it's effectiveness as a curative for a variety of illnesses for well over a thousand years, and numerous modern medical studies have shown it's principle constituent (Thymoquinone) to be an effective antioxidant, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory agent, to name but a few properties. The following sites can give you a more detailed understanding.         Nigella Sativa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigella_sativa   Black Seeds http://www.missionislam.com/health/blackseed.html  Midnight Garden Apothecary offers Nigella Sativa seeds, and we also offer Black Seed extractions in alcohol, glycerin, and traditional honey infusion using the "prophetic method" of Unani-tibb practice.

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Herb of the Week - Turmeric

This week's herb is Turmeric . Turmeric has a very wide amount of medicinal actions, and is an anti-oxidant, hypo-glycemic, antimicrobial, vulnerary, carminative, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, cholagogue, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic, and stomachic.   Midnight Garden Apothecary offers Turmeric in both Powdered and Tinctured forms.   Latin Name Curcuma longa   Description Turmeric grows wild in the forests of South and Southeast Asia. It is one of the key ingredients in many Asian dishes (it is what gives yellow curry it's color).   Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) recommends turmeric in food for its potential medicinal value.   Most turmeric that is used is in the form of rhizome powder, in some regions (especially in Maharashtra, Goa, Konkan and Kanara), turmeric leaves are used to wrap and cook food. This...

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