HOMEHerb List
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ACACIA
Meaning: friendship, color: yellow, fragrance: fragrant
ACACIA BARK
Acacia arabica
The bark of the acacia plant is very rich in tannin. Australian acacias are called wattle bark. Hawaiian acacias yield koa wood, a most beautiful wood used to make furnishings.
ACACIA GUM
Acacia senegal
Also called gum arabic. This gum is water soluble when dissolved in boiling water, clarifies and makes a very good adhesive that is used among other things, to make scented breads and pomanders. The gum is edible, nutritive, and acts as a demulcent to soothe irritated mucus membranes. It is also an ingredient in the medicinal compounds for diarrhea, dysentery, coughs, and catarrh.
ACACIA FLOWERS
Acacia farnesiana
Also called the sweet acacia. These most fragrant flowers are used to make perfumes and bath herbs and potpourris. The juice of the unripe fruit is a mild astringent. The Paiute Indians use the seeds for eye inflammations due to dust. City dwellers might use them for relief from smog irritation. At night place four seeds under each eyelid, close your eyes and sleep. The seeds will gradually swell, exuding a gummy substance that will gather up foreign particles in the eye. In the morning remove the seeds and your eyes will be free from inflammation.
ACACIAS
Leguminosae
ACONITE
Aconitum napellus
See monkshood. Poison
ADDERS TONGUE
Eythronium americanum
Adder's tongue is any of about 25 species constituting the herb genus Erythronium of the lily family, Liliaceae. Other common names are dog's-tooth violet, fawn lily, and trout lily. The plants are 15-60 cm (6-24 in) high, and their two broad leaves are richly mottled, and the graceful flowers may be a variety of colors, making them attractive plants for rock gardens. They are native to North America, with one species in Eurasia. Adder's-tongue fern is the common name for the fern genus Ophioglossum, which is widely dispersed in temperate and tropical regions.
ADRUE
Cyperus articulatus
Carmative, sedative, aromatic.
AFRICAN VIOLET
Meaning: such mirth is rare, color: white, yellow to purple, fragrance: some.
AGARIC
Fomes laricis
Also TOUCH WOOD, dried fruit body anhidrotic.
AGAR-AGAR
Gelidium amansii
Treats constipation. A GELLING COMPOUND.
AGRIMONY
Agrimonia eupatoria
Astringent diuretic tonic. Used for all digestive disorders strengthens stomach intestines liver gallbladder and kidneys.
AJUGA
Ajuga reptans
Also called bugle weed
AKIA
Wilkstroemia sandwicensis
Also see ohelo
This plant grown in Hawaii, is extremely poisonous. At one time the bark, leaves and roots were made into a drink used to execute condemned criminals and for suicide. This mixture is still used to make a poison to kill fish. The fruits are similar in size and color to ohelo berries (the berries are various shades of red yellow and blue and are small in size) that they are easily confused. However akia berries have a single seed while the edible ohelo berry has numerous small seeds. The akia is usually a shrub or a small tree and has many small branches, the leaves are smooth on the edges while the bark is tough, the flowers are small and inconspicuous, yellow, and located at the end o the branches.
ALBUMEN
Egg white
Dried egg white antidote for mercury poisoning.
An albumin is a protein that is soluble in water and in half-saturated salt solutions, in contrast to a GLOBULIN, which is soluble only in dilute salt solutions. Albumins include ovalbumin from egg white, lactalbumin from milk, and serum albumin from BLOOD serum. They make up about half of the protein in human serum, where their main functions are to maintain normal water balance between blood and tissues by osmotic mechanisms and to serve as transport proteins for less soluble substances that can bind to them, such as amino acids. The detection of albumins in the urine is an indication of some types of KIDNEY dysfunction.
ALBUMIN TANNATE
Astringent, antidiarrheal.
ALETRIS
Aletris farinosa
Antiflatulent.
ALFALFA
Medicago sativa
Time of administration: works best in the early morning hours (about sunrise).
General Use: appetite stimulant, tonic, arthritic medicine, cleanser. Notes: Scientists have found that the digestive enzymes in this herb will help to neutralize certain forms of cancer (possibly stomach cancer). A legume forage plant belonging to the pea family Leguminosae, has been an animal feed longer than any other forage crop. Alfalfa was planted in hot, dry regions of Mesopotamia before recorded history. The seed was taken to South America by Spanish explorers during the 16th century. The first attempts to produce alfalfa in North America were made in Georgia in 1736, but the crop did not become important until it was taken from Chile to California, where it flourished in the favorable climate. Alfalfa now is grown throughout the world under extremely varied climatic conditions. The United States produces between 73,000 and 82,000 metric tons (80,000 and 90,000 U.S. tons) annually. Leading producers include Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Nebraska. Alfalfa is a perennial plant and will under normal conditions live for six or more years. Its shoots may grow to stems of more than 1 m (3 ft). The plant produces compound leaves and yellow to purplish-blue flowers, and kidney-shaped seeds develop inside the curled pods. The roots are extraordinarily long, often extending more than 7 m (25 ft) deep, which makes alfalfa an ideal crop for dry climates. It also enriches soil with nitrogen. Alfalfa will grow in a wide variety of conditions, but it does best in deep, loamy, well-drained soils. It responds well to irrigation and to fertilizers. Alfalfa seed is generally planted with grain drills--in the spring in cooler climates or in the fall if winter temperatures are moderate. Alfalfa can be sown with other grains, such as oats, to reduce weed growth. When sown for pasture, it is sometimes mixed with rye, bromegrass, bluegrass, timothy, or fescue. Procedures used to harvest alfalfa depend on the yield, nutritional quality, and physical condition desired. The maximum yield occurs when the plant is cut at full bloom, but other considerations such as stem size, moisture, and vitamin content may alter cutting time. Cuttings range from two to seven or eight a year, depending on environmental conditions. Harvesting procedures differ throughout the world. Generally, however, alfalfa is cut with a mowing machine and windrowed to permit drying. Modern, self-propelled combine cutters and choppers are used to collect the alfalfa for either silage or dehydration. Extremely nutritious, alfalfa is valuable for feeding all kinds of livestock. It is used for pasture, soil building, for dehydration, as meal, or as silage. Dehydrated alfalfa is a common ingredient of feedstuffs and supplies vitamins, protein, lipids, and minerals. Approximately 454,000 metric tons (500,000 U.S. tons) of alfalfa hay meal are used annually in mixed feed in the United States.
For herbal uses it helps relieve arthritis, all around nutritional herb. Gland strengthener. Balances ph to help detoxify liver/gall bladder. Rebuilds hard tissue and enhances milk flow. Used as a daily tea it improves the appetite, aids the cure of peptic ulcers, it is a diuretic for kidneys, regulates the bowels. It has a stimulating effect on the growth of supportive connecting tissue cells. The sprouts contain more protein than wheat and corn. Key nutrients: unusually high levels of vitamins A, B-6, D, E, K, U, and eight important digestive enzymes: amylase, which acts on starch, coagulase, which coagulates milk and clots blood, emulsin, which acts on sugar, invertase, which changes cane sugar into dextrose, lipase, a fat splitter, pectinase, which forms vegetable jelly from pectin, peroxidase, which has an oxidizing effect on the blood, and protease, which digest proteins. Contains lime, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus riboflavin. Contains natural fluoride to help prevent tooth decay. Best when used early in the morning, about sunrise. Of these, vitamin D is the most important for arthritis. Alfalfa is also very high in mineral protein-phosphorus, iron, potassium, chlorine, sodium, silicon, magnesium. It also contains minute trace elements. Calcium, phosphorus, and iron work in harmony to strengthen the bones. The reason alfalfa is so rich in these things is because in its early stages of growth the young roots have been known to penetrate as far down as 50 to 66 feet, with an average depth of 38. Because these roots go down so far, they are able to naturally mine out the precious mineral resources located in the sub-strata levels of the earth far beneath. Alfalfa's properties help to lubricate the machinery muscles of the body by providing them with strong nutrient saturation. But its real secret lays in eight digestive enzymes that permit the stomach to process food better, thereby allowing greater nutritional assimilation to take place throughout the entire body. And a little known fact recently observed by one biochemist is that an essential alkaloid in the leaves works on the central nervous system somehow to relieve minor pain. So far as the nutritional importance of alfalfa goes, the following information is provided: Alfalfa is perhaps most valuable for its vitamin A content. Alfalfa contains 8000 I.U. (International Units) of vitamin A for every 100 grams. This compares favorably with apricots (7,500 units per 100 grams) and with beef liver (9000 units per 100 grams). In addition, alfalfa is a good source of pyridoxine, one of the B vitamins and vitamin E. In addition, it is extremely rich in vitamin K, ranking along with spinach, kale, and carrot tops as a good source of this vitamin which protects against hemorrhaging. In animals, vitamin K prevents and cures high blood pressure, so it may be far more important for the health of human beings than we know. Alfalfa contains from 20,000-40,000 units of vitamin K for every 100 grams. The protein content of alfalfa is extremely high-18.9% as compared to 3.3% in milk, 13.8% in whole wheat, 13.1% in eggs and 16.5% in beef. In mineral content alfalfa shows up well. It has nearly ten times as much calcium and about five times the iron that soy flour has. Only in phosphorus does soy flour exceed it by a little more than double.
ALGIN
Laminaria digitata
Hemostatic agent.
Algin is a water-soluble, cream-colored powder, obtained from various kelps (seaweed) that is used as a thickener and emulsion stabilizer. In the manufacture of ice cream, it is added to ensure a creamy texture and prevent the growth of ice crystals. Algin is the sodium salt of alginic acid.
ALIZARIN
{ahl-i-zah'-rin}
Rubia tinctorum
Alizarin is the principal component in the natural dye MADDER and is obtained from the roots of the madder plant, Rubia tinctorum, grown in South India and Sri Lanka. Combined with a mordant, a material that acts as a binder between dye and cloth and determines the end color, alizarin was used to produce shades of red, violet, brown, and black. It was synthesized in 1868 by two German scientists, Karl Graebe and Karl Lieberman. In 1869, Sir William Perkin developed a practical process for manufacturing synthetic alizarin that proved to be less expensive and more consistent in color than the natural material. Today natural alizarin has little importance as a dyestuff, although it is used as a chemical intermediate in the production of more sophisticated dyes and as a coloring material for artists' Pigments.
ALKANET
Anchusa officinalis
Alkanet, or bugloss, is any of several coarse, hairy, annual, biennial, or perennial PLANTS with freely branching stems. The alkanet belongs to the borage family, Boraginaceae. Often used as an ornamental in perennial beds, it may reach a height of 1.5 m (5 ft). Leaves may be up to 15 cm (6 in) in length. The flowers are pink in the bud stage and bright blue in full bloom. A red dyestuff is obtained from the roots.
ALLSPICE
Color: dark brown fragrance: spicy.
ALLSPICE
Pimenta officinalis, Pimenta dioica
Allspice is the dried, nearly ripe, berry of the allspice tree, of the MYRTLE family. The name is derived from its flavor, which suggests a mixture of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is a native of the West Indies and Central America but today is primarily cultivated in Jamaica. It is used whole or ground in pickling spices, mincemeat, roast meats, and baked goods. Its ESSENTIAL OIL is used in meat sauces, catsup, spice blends for pickles, and sausages, as well as for reproducing certain fruit flavors. The dried berries are used in cooking, ground into a powder it is used in cakes and biscuits and as a general spice. And making potpourris. The berry has an anesthetic effect when used in ointments and bath herbs.
ALMOND (FLOWERING)
Meaning: hope, color: white, fragrance: sweet.
ALMOND TREE
Prunus amygdalus, P. Amygdalus dulcis, Prunus communis, Prunus dulcis
The almond has sweetly scented flowers in spring. The ripe almonds are ground into a meal and used as a facial scrub for their cleansing and slightly bleaching action. Oil of almond is used in fine cosmetics as a particularly good emollient. It is used as well for cooking and polishing furniture. Oil of bitter almond is used to flavor essences (after the prussic acid is removed) and to scent fine cosmetics. The almond tree, Prunus amygdalus--known alternatively as Prunus dulcis--produces the oldest and most widely grown of all of the world's NUT crops. The tree is indigenous to western Asia and North Africa. Today it is grown in most temperate regions. A member of the rose family and similar in appearance to the peach tree, the almond tree reaches a height of 3-7 m (9-22 ft) and has pink or white flowers that bloom in early spring. The dry, leathery almond fruit surrounds a seed or kernel--the almond nut--which is harvested when the fruit dries and splits open. Of the two major types of almonds grown, the sweet almond, P. Amygdalus dulcis, is cultivated for its edible nut. The bitter almond, P. Amygdalus amara, is inedible but contains an oil--also present in the sweet almond and in the ripe kernels of the apricot and peach--which, when combined with water, yields hydrocyanic (prussic) acid and benzaldehyde, the ESSENTIAL OIL of bitter almonds. The oil is used in making flavoring extracts and in some sedative medicines. Almond trees require more than one variety for pollination. Trees are propagated primarily by budding, with bitter almond, almond, or peach seedlings used as rootstocks. Harvests begin the fourth year after planting, and full production is reached by the seventh. In California, the largest American almond-producing state, some 100 varieties are grown. The sweet almond tree, P. Amygdalus dulcis, is grown in temperate areas for its fragrant blossoms as well as for its nuts. A leathery hull surrounds the woody shell of a nut and splits open when the kernel is ripe. The milky white kernel, one of the most popular nuts, is consumed raw or processed as almond oil or almond meal.
ALOE VERA
Aloe ferox, Aloe perryi, Aloe vera, Gasteria verrucosa, Stratiotes aloides
Time of Administration: early morning or late evening when moderate light prevails.
General Use: external burns, cuts, bruises, etc., internally, to heal tissue damaged by radiation, prevent scar tissue from occurring after recent surgery. Aloe vera from curacy or barbados, aloe perryi from socotra island or zanzibar, aloe ferox from africa. Time of administration: best when used in early morning or late evening when moderate light prevails. External for minor skin irritations abrasions burns insect bites hives acne etc. Internal heals tissue damaged by radiation, as a very gentle intestinal soother healer demulcent allergy reducer emollient cell proliferant bactericidal anti-inflammatory key nutrients: A, C, niacin selenium zinc polysaccharides. Aloe is any of about 200 species and hybrids of perennial succulent PLANTS that belong to the lily family, Liliaceae. They are used as landscape plants in dry, frost-free areas and are sometimes grown as houseplants. Their leaves are fleshy, stiff, and spiny along the edges and are often crowded together into a rosette. The flowers, which are mostly reddish, are produced on showy spikes that may extend 6 m (20 ft) above the ground, some species produce yellow, orange, or whitish-green flowers. Water-aloe is sometimes designated Stratiotes aloides, or the water soldier. Juice from the leaves is used to treat burns. The plant is also a source of a purgative drug. The ox-tongue gasteria, or warty aloe, G. Verrucosa, is an easy-to-grow, attractive aloe that has white raised spots covering its leaves. Aloe is an ancient herb of the Bible and was used to prepare the body of Jesus for entombment. The cut leaves contain anthraquinone glycosides which are collectively termed "aloin." Aloin consists mainly of the pentosides barbaloin, isobarbaloin, resins, saponins, and other substances. Barbaloin, on hydrolysis, yields a mixture in which aloe-emodin, for one, has been properly identified. Aloe-emodin content is highest in Curaco aloe, which also possesses chrysophanic acid. A number of clinical investigators have tried to establish the active principles of the mucilaginous pulp. It is 96% water. Among its polysaccharides, scientists have isolated glucose, mannose, traces of arabinose, galactose and xylose. It is supposed to have "biogenic stimulators" and wound-healing hormone activity. The following excerpts from several national health magazines speak for the facts which science has now verified to be solid reality. "Externally, the juice has been used to treat skin diseases, burns, and bruises, having both soothing and healing properties. When the soft, pulpy leaves are cut or broken open, the clear juice flows freely and should be applied to the burned area as quickly as possible. I've found it especially useful for sunburn. In fact, the juice has proved effective even in treating X-ray burns." Another party writes: "In summer, we use individual drops of the aloe juice to prevent irritation and itching from pesty mosquito and non-venomous insect bites. The resulting relief is immediate. For rashes, the healing juice can be used to saturate a piece of white linen or cotton which is then applied to the skin. Ulcerated sores can be taken care of by sprinkling enough Aloe powder on the ulcer to cover it and by securing this with a clean gauze, which is changed daily." To this I might just add that a number of the combination capsules, which contain this powdered resin and other valuable herbs, may be opened and applied in poultice-form as the above suggests doing with the fresh. The same party continues: "Other externally applied uses of the Aloe plant are for windburn, chafing, eczema, athlete's foot, fever blisters, poison oak and joint aches. Due to its intensely bitter taste, it was formerly used to discourage children from biting their fingemails, or the powder was made into a strong decoction and rubbed over the nipples to wean a nursing child. Recently, the fresh leaves of this plant have assumed importance in curing and preventing against further complications of radium over-dose burns. Previously, these bums did not respond to any other treatment." A lady from California offered this brief testimonial about aloe's abilities to heal burns: "Last weekend, we had the worst burn in our household in a long time. After showering, our two-year-old pushed our seven-year-old against the electric wall heater in the bathroom, producing a raised, red, tic-tac-toe design on his buttock. Although I have my own aloe vera plant, I usually use the convenient aloe vera gel . . . I applied the gel immediately and about four times thereafter that night. An hour and a half after the burn, our son showed us he could sit on the area, although we didn't let him! In my opinion, aloe works so much faster than ice on a bum of this nature, especially on a screaming child. The following day, the burned area was still a little sore, but it didn't blister, and was scab-like in appearance." What has been said beautifully attests to aloe's marvelous healing powers. And yet there is something that I would like to elaborate on just a little more for the reader's benefit. And this is the herb's performance in the area of radiation poisoning and nuclear hazards. The Journal of the American Pharmacoutical Association has accounts of using partially disintegrated aloe vera in which the pulp had lost some of its gumminess and turned a pink color instead of the usual clear it always is. When this half-decomposed substance was applied to rats with third-degree X-ray burns, the recovery was 23.7% higher than those treated with fresh pulp. This led to the hypothesis that Aloe vera cells next to the rind seeped into the pulp and improved the healing process that much more. To research this theory another group of rats were tested with ground mesh aloe vera rinds as an X-ray burn poultice. Their 100% healing seemed to indicate that the healing agents are definitely concentrated in the fresh rind, not the seeds. And recently Soviet medical personnel have suggested that liquid aloe vera can be given intravenously with a hypodermic injection. Modern physicians have even prescribed this for nuclear and other radiation burns. And just recently, it has been discovered that liquid aloe vera taken internally will help to heal and mend tissue that has been damaged by cobalt radiation (usually from radiation cancer treatments provided by nuclear medicine). Liquid aloe vera will also help to prevent scar tissue from occurring inside the body at the site of an incision. If the gel is frequently applied just after surgery, the incision will heal that much more rapidly and leave less of an ugly scar later on.
ALUM
An alum is any of a group of colorless, crystalline, double sulfate compounds of aluminum. It has a sweetish-sourish astringent taste and is used internally as an emetic and locally as an astringent and styptic. Commercially, the most important alums are aluminum potassium alum, also known as potassium alum, or potash alum, and aluminum ammonium alum. Other double sulfates known as alum include ferric ammonium sulfate (ferric alum), sodium aluminum sulfate (soda alum), and potassium chromium sulfate (chrome alum). The term alum is also used for aluminum sulfate, commonly known as "papermaker's alum," or "filter alum." Not a double sulfate, this compound is obtained by treating clay or bauxite with sulfuric acid. The alums have many uses, particularly in paper manufacture, in textile dyeing, in fireproofing, in water purification.
ALUM ROOT
Geranium maculatum
Also see geranium
Also called stork bill or wild geranium. The Blackfeet Indians steeped alum in water for an eyewash and pounded up the root and applied it wet to sores and swellings. It is a very powerful astringent and is mixed with herbs such as yarrow or plantain as a liquid for douching or mixed with sage to heal canker sores. It is used in medicine, deodorants, and as a mordant in dyeing. Boiled in water and mixed with sugar and milk, it is easily administered to children as an astringent without bitterness or bad taste.
AMARANTH
(globe)
Meaning: immortality, unfading love, color: white to red to violet, fragrance: leather like.
AMARANTH
Amaranthus hypochondriacus
Amaranthaceae spinosis
Used in the treatment of gonorrhea. The flowering herb used as an astringent and very much recommended in diarrhea, dysentery, and hemorrhages from the bowels. It is also been used for profuse menstruation. The decoction is consumed a cupful at a time or applied externally for ulcerated conditions of the throat or mouth, or as a douche for the whites.
AMARYLLIS
Meaning: pride, timidity, splendid beauty, color: red to purple, fragrance: fragrant.
AMBER
Also called succinite, is a fossil resin of extinct coniferous trees that appear to have lived sixty to seventy million years ago. Amber is three to eight per cent succinic acid and has been used as a cure for many diseases including asthma, rheumatism, and internal disorders.
AMBERGRIS
Formed in the intestinal tract of the sperm whale. When fresh it is soft, black, and has a very unpleasant odor. Upon exposure to air, seawater and sun it hardens becoming a light grey and developing a subtle pleasing odor. It is used as a fixative and a perfume. It is used in cases of nervousness and pomanders for the brain.
AMBRETTE SEED
Color: brown, fragrance: musky.
AMBRETTE SEED
Hibiscus moscheutos
Also called musk ambrette or musk mallow, it is a low woody plant indigenous to India and cultivated in most wild regions. It bears a pod containing many brown seeds that have a musky odor. Used as a fixative for perfumes the highest quality seeds come from Martinique. In Africa, ambrette seeds are used for bead work.
ANEMONE
(garden)
Meaning: forsaken, color: red, white, or blues, fragrance: lightly sweet.
AMERICAN WORM SEED
Anthelmintic, expels worms from people, especially hookworms. Active ingredient, ascaridole.
ANGELICA
Angelica archangelica
Also called archangel. It is an aromatic herb belong to the carrot family, Umbelliferae, and are native to the Northern Hemisphere and New Zealand. The roots and the fruit are used to flavor liqueurs and in perfumery. The tender shoots are used in the preparation of sweetmeats. In many places the shoots are eaten as a vegetable. The odor is aromatic the taste is sweetish. Use half a teaspoon of the powder to guard against infection. Prepared as a tea it strengthens the heart. The herb is excellent for all lung and upper respiratory ailments. Aids in the prevention of heart disease. Regular use promotes distaste for alcoholic substances. Good for heartburn, gas and stomach troubles. Externally the herb is used as a compress for gout, a poultice for the eyes and as a refreshing bath.
ANGELICA TREE
The angelica tree, Aralia spinosa, also commonly known as devil's-walking-stick, prickly ash, or Hercules'-club, is a shrubby plant belonging to the aralia, or GINSENG, family, Araliaceae. The angelica tree sometimes grows to a height of 13.7m (45 ft). The trunk and twigs are spiny, and the prickly leaf stalks bear compound leaves. An ornamental that produces large clusters of small, white flowers, it grows from western New York to Iowa and south to the Gulf Coast. The fruit was once used as a hair dye, both bark and roots may cause a rash when handled.
ANISE
Illicium verum, Pimpinella anisum
An aromatic herb belonging to the carrot family. Native to the eastern Mediterranean but is cultivated today in southern Europe, the USSR, and North and South America. Chinese star anise is the dried fruit of Illicium verum (family Illiciaceae). It is native to southeastern Asia and is also used as a flavoring. The ESSENTIAL oil is used as a carmative (to expel gas and flatulence) and to flavor liqueurs such as absinthe and anisette, in France, they are known generically as pastis, in Greece, as ouzo, in Turkey, as arrack or raki. The seeds are used to flavor breads and rolls. Useful to break up mucus, used for hard dry cough. Prepare a tea with three teaspoons of crushed seed, steep 20 min, sweeten with honey. Stimulates mothers milk. Seeds may be smoked in cases of asthma, or as a flavor additive for tobaco. Mild stimulant.
ANNATTO
Bixa orellana
A small, ornamental, evergreen tree of the Bixaceae family. Native to the West Indies, it is sometimes called the lipstick tree because of its use by the Indians in making body paint. Annatto trees grow 6-9 m (20-30 ft) tall and have broad, smooth, heart-shaped leaves up to 18 cm (7 in) long. The flowers are pink to white, and the seed pods are often used in dried arrangements. The pods split in half, disclosing many round, red seeds. The powdery material that covers the seeds is a source of annatto dye, often used to color butter, cheese, and margarine.
APPLE
Pyrus malus
Time of administration: morning to evening.
Notes: Recent laboratory research at the Bureau of Microbial Hazards in Ottawa, Canada, has effectively demonstrated the strong anti-viral activity of freshly prepared apple juice on such crippling viruses as polio for instance. The two microbiologists responsible for this amazing find learned that the essential components which caused this remarkable activity were located both in the pulp and skin of the apple. Lengthy storage and exposure to heat, however, brought about a dramatic reduction in such anti-viral strength, both in fresh juice as well as in the fruit itself. These same scientists also have shown that fresh grapes and grape juice will effectively kill polio virus, too. Apple cider and wine manifested lesser degrees of strength, while commercial apple drinks had little or no effect at all. (J. Konowalchuk and J. I. Speirs, "Anti-viral Effect of Apple Beverages", Applied and Environmental Microbiology 36:798-801, Dec. 1978). Body cleanser, laxative, relieves digestive disorders, viruses, diarrhea. Best when taken morning to evening. The fresh juice is strongly antiviral, lengthy storage and heat greatly reduce the strength of the juice. The most widely cultivated of all fruit trees, the apple (genu Malus of the family Rosaceae) is second only to the grape in its importance as a temperate-zone fruit. The apple is one of the oldest of cultivated fruits. Varieties have been recognized and propagated for at least 2,000 years in Europe alone. Today about 7,500 varieties are grown worldwide, and about 2,500 can be found in the United States. Apples grown for commercial use are generally classified as CIDER apples, grown chiefly for their juice, as cooking apples, or as eating (dessert) apples. Size, sweetness, aroma, and crispness vary greatly from one variety to another, and color ranges from various shades of red to yellow or green. The several smaller CRAB APPLE species of the genus Malus are also edible. Trees are propagated by grafting or budding. A 2-year-old tree, transplanted from nursery to orchard, may take up to 8 years to produce a commercial crop. Although traditional orchards have full-grown trees, a newer trend is to graft branches bearing full-size fruit onto dwarf trees and train the branches against a trellis (see ESPALIER). This method allows more trees to be planted per hectare. Apple trees require careful pruning during the first 5 years of growth and seasonal protection from pests and parasites. Chemicals are used to thin out young fruit, to prevent ripe fruit from dropping before they are harvested, and to control the many insects and fungus diseases that attack apple trees. Because not every variety is self-fruitful, several varieties are usually planted together to ensure cross-pollination. The apple tree requires a period of dormancy and does not produce well in regions where winter temperatures average higher than 9 deg C (48 deg F). The blossoms are easily damaged by frost. These trees do best when planted on slopes and hilltops, where cold air moves down the incline before the blossoms or the young fruit can freeze. Apples are usually harvested when fully ripe, because immature apples ripen poorly after picking. Fruit stored at temperatures below freezing and in high humidity, however, will remain fresh up to 10 months. Modern large-scale storage techniques enable some apple growers to maintain a year-round market for their produce. The USSR, the United States, and France harvest the largest apple crops. Western Europe as a whole produces more apples than any other region, Argentina, Chile, and Japan are also important producers. In addition, warm-climate countries such as Mexico and Iraq grow sizable crops on their uplands. Washington, Michigan, and New York produce most of the U.S. apples. About half the crop is eaten as fresh fruit, the remainder is canned as sauce or pie filling or is made into cider, cider vinegar, juice, jelly, or apple butter. In Europe, much of the crop is pressed for cider or is fermented to make brandy or wine. Many of the important North American apple varieties are the product of 19th-century seedling trees. Mcintosh, or Macintosh, was discovered by John Mcintosh in Ontario in 1796, Delicious came from a seedling found in Iowa in 1895, and Stayman came from the seed of a Kansas Winesap apple in 1866. Natural mutations have been responsible for many other varieties. Among the important types developed horticulturally are the Cortland and Macoun. The common apple, M. Pumila, one of about 25 apple species, commercial varieties derive from the common apple. The United States produces almost one-quarter of the world crop of dessert and cooking apples. The common apple, M. Sylvestris, is grown in thousands of cultivated varieties. The Red Delicious, a sweet, juicy apple that is the most popular in the United States, is frequently used in salads. The Rome Beauty, though not as flavorful as other apples, is used to make baked apples, applesauce, and pies. The Golden Delicious, which is the second most popular apple, tastes sweet and slightly acid. An all-purpose apple, it is eaten raw, cooked, or baked. The Stayman Winesap, also used in cooking, is tart, crisp, and juicy. Two other popular apple varieties are the distinctively flavored Jonathan, used as a dessert and cooking apple, and the Rhode Island Greening, a tart apple used primarily for cooking and for baking.
APRICOT
Prunus armeniaca
The fruit of the apricot is delicious and the oil made from the kernel is used for cooking. The oil is superior for use in cosmetics and soaps. The apricot tree bears a fruit, the apricot, classified as a drupe--a fleshy, one-seeded fruit that does not split open of itself and has a seed enclosed in a stony endocarp called a pit. The botanical name for the apricot, Prunus armeniaca, suggests that it originated in Armenia, but it probably came from western China.The apricot is cultivated in the temperate zones, but the tree has special requirements. Because it blooms early in the season, commercial production is practical only in areas free from serious spring frost, but winter chilling is required to induce dormancy. California produces about 95 percent of the U.S. apricot crop. The apricot is also produced in quantity in Europe (France, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Yugoslavia, and the USSR), Iran, Australia, Africa, and South America (Argentina and Chile). The apricot is propagated by GRAFTING onto apricot or peach seedling rootstock. Apricot fruits develop rapidly and ripen early in the summer. The principal commercial varieties are Royal, Blenheim, Tilton, Moorpark, and Goldcot. Plum curculio is the major insect pest, and brown rot and bacterial leaf spot the more serious apricot diseases. The apricot tree, P. Armeniaca, produces a sweet, thick-fleshed fruit that is often preserved in dried form. In the Middle East, sieved apricot pulp is sun dried into thin, chewy sheets that are eaten like candy.
ARBERRY
Berberis vulgaris
Helps the liver.
ARNICA
Arnica montana
This herb should not be taken internally as it is an irritant and can be poisonous. An oil can be prepared by adding one part herb to one part olive oil, warm in a double boiler over a low flame for several hours. Strain through several layers of cloth. Store in a dark jar or in a dark cool place. Adding bees wax to the warmed oil will make an ointment. Used for the treatment of sprains, bruises, sore muscles or wherever there is inflammation and pain on the skin. Most effective in healing blood carrying tissues where blood has escaped from ruptured vessels.
ARROWHEAD (PLANT)
The arrowhead is any plant in the genus Sagittaria of the family Alismataceae. The leaves of some common species are shaped liked arrowheads. Most arrowheads are perennial, stolon-bearing herbs with white flowers and are found in marshes or in ponds or slow streams. They are widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions of the world.
ARROWROOT
Maranta arundinacea
Produced from the rhizome of the plant. It is about 85 per cent starch. Used as a demulcent and it is a superior nutritive food for invalids as it easy to take and pleasant tasting. Boil two cups of fruit juice and add one tablespoon of arrowroot to make a pleasant jelly. It was used by the American Indians to heal wounds from poisoned arrows, hence its name. Arrowroot is an edible starch, the product of the rhizomes, or rootstocks, of several tropical plants. West Indian arrowroot, Maranta arundinacea, family Marantaceae, is a perennial plant that produces genuine arrowroot starch in large (20-40 cm/9-14 in) rhizomes. These are peeled and grated into water, and the fine-textured starch is extracted. It is used as a thickener in cooking, its blandness and digestibility make it particularly useful for invalid diets. Tous-les-mo (tulema) arrowroot is made from Canna edulis, Brazilian arrowroot comes from the Manioc plant, which is also the source of tapioca.
ARTEMISIA
Artemisia
Several species are grown for their feathery foliage. In addition to tarragon (A. Draconculus), two species are important to the herbalist. Wormwood (A. Absinthium) one of the biblical bitter herbs, was used to flavor absinthe liqueur. It is highly decorative with deep cut silvery leaves.
ARTICHOKE
Cynara scolymus
The globe artichoke, Cynara scolymus, is a popular vegetable, grown for its bud. A member of the thistle tribe of the Compositae family, it is native to the central and western Mediterranean area, where it is still economically important. It was known as a delicacy at least 2,500 years ago, and records of cultivation date from the 15th century. The entire U.S. artichoke crop is produced in the midcoastal area of California. The moderate climate, with generally frost-free winters and cool summers, affords ideal conditions for growth. Propagation is usually by division rather than by seeds, since variable plantings result from seeding. The crop is grown as a perennial, and plantings remain productive for 3 to 7 or more years. The mature plant grows to about 1.5 m (5 ft) and has many blue-green, sometimes spiny leaves arising from a central crown. Flower stalks bearing a central bud and 2 or 3 secondary buds also arise from the crown. Established plants produce 10 or 12 stalks annually. Artichokes are harvested year-round but are most plentiful in the spring. The immature bud, surrounded by many leaflike bracts, is the harvested portion of the plant, the thickened bracts (the choke) and fleshy heart are eaten.
See also: JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE.
ARTICHOKE, GLOBE
Cynara scolymus
The bud of the globe, or French, artichoke, C. Scolymus, has been a celebrated gourmet item for centuries.
ARUM
Arum is the common name for Araceae, a large family of herbaceous or woody plants. Most arums are native to the tropics, although a few genera, such as Arisaema, Symplocarpus, and Peltandra, are found in temperate regions. Arum flowers are crowded on a spike (spadix), which is enfolded by a vaselike leaf (spathe). Many species of arum contain acrid and sometimes milky juices, the tubers of the familiar JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT contain needlelike crystals that are irritating if eaten raw. The aromatic rhizome of Acorus calamus is used in toilet powders, and an oil from it is used in perfumes. Three arums are grown extensively for a starchy food made from their corns or tubers: taro (Colocasia esculenta) and dasheen (C. Esculenta), both of which are widely cultivated in Southeast Asia and Polynesia, and Yautia (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), which is native to tropical America and the West Indies. Common houseplants in the arum family are species of DIEFFENBACHIA, PHILODENDRON, and spathiphyllum. The Italian arum, A. Italiculum, is an herbaceous plant from southeastern Europe. It is used medicinally as well as being an ornamental. The calla lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica, is grown as a houseplant wherever the climate is too cold to set it in gardens.
ASAFETIDA
Ferula foetida
Ferula rubicaulis
Also called devil's dung because of its foul smell and taste. The herb is used as a stimulant, an expectorant and for hysteria and spasmodic nervous conditions.
ASHWAGANDHA
Withania somnifera
Also known as Indian ginseng, treats cerebral function deficits in the elderly, to enhance learning and memory retention enhances anti-stress and immune response. Efficient in treating male impotence and infertility, counters poor development in children.
ASPARAGUS
Asparagus officinalis
Young asparagus shoots are a most delicious food. The plant is diaphoric, diuretic, laxative and sedative. An herbaceous perennial of the Liliaceae family, asparagus is cultivated for its tender shoots, which arise in early spring. It is indigenous to coastal areas of Asia and Europe. California, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Illinois, New Jersey, and Massachusetts are major asparagus-producing states. Propagation is mostly by seed, either directly into the production site or in nurseries, to produce 1-year-old crowns that are transplanted to the production field. The first harvest is made 2 or 3 years after field planting. Well-maintained plantings produce for 15 years or more. With suitable environmental conditions, buds on underground rhizomes (rootlike elements) develop into edible spears after dormancy. Spears are harvested when they are 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in) long and when leaves tightly clasp the tip. Daily harvests are required when temperatures exceed 25 deg C (77 deg F). The harvest season extends for 2 to 3 months. There are several named cultivars (varieties that exist only as cultivated plants) of asparagus, but all are improvements of the rust-resistant Washington lines developed in the early 20th century. Researchers at the University of California have recently developed new HYBRIDS. The asparagus, A. Officinalis, is a popular garden vegetable. The edible spears are harvested in spring and early summer, after which the plant grows taller and leafs out.
ASPIDISTRA
{as-puh-dis'-truh}
Aspidistra is any of about eight species, genus Aspidistra, of perennial herbs of the lily family (Liliaceae) native to the Far East. One species--A. Elatior--is a common houseplant, often called the cast-iron plant because of its ability to withstand neglect and poor soil and light. It has long, upright, stiff, strongly veined, green or variegated leaves and inconspicuous brownish purple flowers.
ASTRAGALUS
Astragalus membranaces
A Chinese herb used for centuries to strengthen and stimulate the immune system. Helps resist infectious viruses tonic stimulant diuretic helps digestive immune respiratory and urinary systems. Key nutrients. Saponins amino acid folic acid choline polysaccharides.
AVOCADO
Persea americana
The avocado, or alligator pear is a common evergreen tree indigenous to Mexico and to Central and South America. It belongs to the LAUREL family, Lauraceae, which also includes cinnamon, camphor, and sassafras. The Mexican variety is grown in the San Joaquin Valley of California, the Guatemalan in Southern California, and the West Indian in Florida. The three types differ in susceptibility to cold injury and in fruit size and quality. Some commercial avocados are hybrids of two varieties. Propagation is by grafting or budding the desired type onto seedling stocks. Pollen transfer by bees is necessary, since the pistil of the flower is receptive before pollen on that flower is mature. Pear-shaped or oval fruit are borne 2 to 3 years after planting, and well-cared-for trees are productive for many years. The fruit of the avocado, P. Americana, takes 9 to 15 months to mature and can grow to 0.3 m (1 ft) long. The buttery flesh that surrounds the seed is about 20 to 30 percent oil.
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