Medicinal Herb Identification Photos

Ribwort Plantain Photos

Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 06/05/2018

I recently harvested a bunch of plantain and dried it. I was using some to make a salve today and put the rest in my “plantain jar” for future use.

The plantain jar had some plantain that I had bought at a local herb shop. I had not been happy with it. It had a lot of stems and if was brown in color. Below is a picture comparing the two.

The miral is to use good herb sources. While it is ideal to harvest your own it isn't often practical. But good sources are out there. Mountain Rose Herbs has always had fresh herbs. This local shop used to be good but they recently changed owners.

It can be hard to tell if herbs are fresh. Some are brown when you dry them. But fresh herbs will smell fresh. It is worth asking someone you know for good local sources.

~Mama to Many~

Jewelweed Herb Photos

Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 08/07/2017
★★★★★

Jewelweed is flourishing near me right now. It grows along roadsides; usually with a good bit of shade and water nearby. Harvested fresh it can be made into soap, tincture or salve to treat poison ivy and other skin issues.

The plants are about waist high. They are delicate and cannot be dried for future use as with many herbs. Jewelweed is also not to be used internally.

Horsetail Herb Photos

Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 07/17/2017

Here is a picture of horsetail I took on the way to a friend's house. Horsetail, also known as shavegrass, grows in stalks and looks kind of like bamboo, but much smaller. Each of these tall skinny stalks is close to the diameter of a pencil.

Horsetail has a lot of silica in it. It is used in formulas to strengthen the bones, teeth and nails. It is also useful for some bladder issues.

I have used horsetail in homemade tooth powders for tooth remineralization.

~Mama to Many~

Wyoming Herbs

Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 05/10/2017

Dear all,

I have had the incredible privilege of taking a trip with my family to the South Dakota area. Our goal was to spend time together and hike together. On our hiking trips I have noticed some familiar herbs, though the landscape and climate are very different than where I live in TN.

We also hiked around Devil's Tower in Wyoming. I noticed some small mullein plants coming up. Conditions here are harsher than TN, so at least for now, the plants are smaller. I noticed Dandelions are smaller. The Burdock plant I saw was about like I would see at home. And of course the pine trees are stunning.

Burdock leaves can be used as a dressing on burns. Burdock root is a blood purifier.

Dandelion is great for the liver and gall bladder.

I have mentioned mullein benefits often....

And pine, of course....a tea can be made from the needles is a traditional remedy for cough and scurvy. (Some pine trees are poisonous - so do your research before drinking pine needle tea.) And of course, turpentine, made from pine trees has many medicinal applications from treating parasites to arthritis.

Enjoy the pictures - and be on the lookout for local herbs! :)

Photo 1 - Pine Trees at the base of Devil's Tower

Photo 2 - Small Mullein plant

Photo 3 - Burdock leaf

Photo 4 - Dandelion flowers

~Mama to Many~

Wolf Oats

Posted by Mama To Many (Tn) on 05/10/2017

Dear Mmsg,

Lol. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what wolf oats were; I figured over in Europe you had some unique herbs!

I am away from home but will see if I can get one when I get home. I can't think of having seen any wild oats near my house, but I will ask my son who is quite observant about what is growing in fields near us!

~Mama to Many~

Wolf Oats

Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 05/09/2017

Oh dear, did I write Wolf Oats???! Pardon me! I meant WILD oats!!

Wolf Oats

Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 05/09/2017

MtM, could you kindly post a picture of Wolf oats? The plant please. I have what I think is them near my place and I'd like to make a tea from them. But I need to be sure it's the right plant.

The Herb Mullein

Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 04/27/2017

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I took some pictures of some mullein plants that are growing wild on the edges of our pastures. You will often see this plant along roadsides. It is sometimes mistaken for the lamb's ear plant as both are have leaves that are fuzzy and somewhat light in color. Mullein grows in more of a rosette form, though. When the plants produce stalks and flowers it is easier to tell them apart. I hope to send some pictures of my mullein plant with stalks and flowers at some point.

I love mullein. It is gentle an mild tasting. The leaves make a wonderful tea for a cough. The flowers can be used in an oil for earaches. The most remarkable thing to me about mullein though is the roots. A tincture from the roots, applied topically to the spine is thought to help increase the synovial fluid. It has worked for me in the past. Herbalist Jim McDonald suggests 5-15 drops of the tincture internally to help "unkink" the spine. It is also recommended by some herbalists as a treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, which is usually very difficult to treat.

The second picture is a bit blurry but has part of my hand in it so you can see the size of the leaves.

~Mama to Many~

Ribwort Plantain Photos

Posted by Mama To Many (Tennessee) on 04/20/2017
★★★★★

It is spring and the plantain in my yard is abundant! I tend to use it a lot in the spring, too. If I get an insect bite I grab a piece of plantain and squish it and rub it on the bite. I can't quite believe how well it works.

My son burned his hand on the lawnmower last week. It was a second degree burn and hurt a lot. I picked fresh plantain leaves and scalded them. Then I cooled them. I put salve on the burn and then put the cool wilted leaves onto the burn and bandaged that up. Voila! No more pain. I did this morning and evening for 5 days until the skin was healed up well enough that he no longer needed it.

Money could not buy a better remedy than this plant I pick for free. I am attaching some pictures so you can look for it in your yard if you don't already know what it looks like. This is the broad leaf kind and looks kind of like lettuce. It could be used in salads!

~Mama to Many~