The initial location was selected to screen out the garden shed. Unfortunately, those tall hollyhocks were also screening water, preventing the sprinkler spray from reaching parts of the garden. So they had to be relocated to the retaining wall, where they look much more attractive than the retaining wall bricks.
And now they are producing loads of flowers. Highly medicinal flowers. (The leaves and roots are also medicinal, but it was the flowers that piqued my curiosity and then got me excited.)
I know that the flowers are incorporated into a cough syrup. There are a couple of references for it. I was sure there were a whole lot more. And as I thumbed through the references, again and again surfaced the medicinal uses of the hollyhock flower, which I hadn’t really focused on when writing about common mallow (Malva neglecta), the weed that grows in grass and gardens. And that’s because those common mallow flowers are really small. You’d have to let the weeds grow so big before being able to gather enough flowers for medicine.
On the other hand, hollyhock flowers are huge, attractive, easily
identified, quite medicinal, and simple to process and store. And what’s great about using the flowers for
medicine is that you know you’re
harvesting them at the right time. Fresh
flower=time to harvest for maximum potency.
Harvesting and processing those flowers was my preparedness task for the
day. But don't forget about the leaves and roots later in the season.
HARVEST
Leaves: Harvest the leaves after the plants are done flowering, as that is when the mucilage content is greatest.[1]
Petals: Pick the freshly opened flowers all summer long.[2] Pro tip: Check the interior of the flower before picking—they’re highly popular with pollinators, and some of those insects don’t take kindly to being smashed.
Roots: Dig the roots year-round and peel before using.[3] [4]
EFFECTIVE AGAINST
· Gram-positive bacteria
o Bacillus cereus
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[5]
o Bacillus anthracis
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[6]
o Listeria monocytogenes
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[7]
o Staphylococcus aureus
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[8]
o Staphylococcus epidermidis
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[9]
o Streptococcus pyogenes
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[10]
· Gram-negative bacteria
o Escherichia coli
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[11]
o Klebsiella pneumoniae
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[12]
o Pseudomonas aeruginosa
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[13]
o Salmonella typhi
§ Leaf and flower alcohol extract[14]
PREPARATIONS
Infusion: 1-2 tablespoons root or whole plant in cold water for 8 hours or overnight. Strain. Take one cup per day.[15] Alternatively, take 4-8 ounces 2-3 times per day.[16]
Poultice: Combine coarsely powdered root with honey. Spread on gauze and apply. Change every 2-3 hours[17] or as needed.[18]
Tincture: Root, 1:2 fresh; 1:5 dried (but the fresher the better), 50% alcohol, dosage as needed,[19] 20-40 drops per dose.[20]
USAGE
· Cardiovascular
o Angina[21]
o Circulation
§ Decoction[22]
o Hemorrhage
§ Decoction[23]
· Endocrine
o Blood glucose lowered
§ In rats[24]
· Eyes
o Irritation
§ Infusion used as eyewash[25]
· Gastrointestinal
o Anorexia
§ Roots[26]
o Bleeding gums
§ Mouthwash[27]
o Colitis
§ Infusion[28]
o Constipation[29]
§ Decoction[30]
o Diarrhea[31]
o Dysentery
§ Pulverized roots[32]
o Ulcers
· Respiratory
o Asthma, bronchial
§ Cold infusion, sweetened with honey, one swig at a time[35]
o Bronchitis[36]
§ Cold infusion[37]
§ Especially in early stages[38]
o Cough[39]
§ Cold infusion[40]
§ Dry, unproductive cough[41]
· Cold infusion
o Hoarse throat
o Influenza[42]
o Sore throat
§ Infusion used as a gargle[43]
o Tonsillitis
o Whooping cough
§ Cold infusion[44]
· Skin
o Abscesses
§ Poultice[45]
o Burn
§ Poultice[46]
o Carbuncle
§ Poultice[47]
o Furuncle
§ Poultice[48]
o Irritation
o Splinters
§ Poultice[49]
o Wounds
§ Poultice[50]
· Pulverized roots[51]
· Urogenital
o Bedwetting[52]
o Childbirth, esp. difficult
§ Shoots[53]
o Dysmenorrhea
§ Decoction[54]
o Dysuria[55]
o Kidney stones due to calcium oxalate[56]
§ In rats, a water-alcohol extract of the roots, 170 mg/kg[57]
o Urinary tract irritation (soothes the irritation; use other herbs to address infections)
§ Cold infusion[58]
· Other
o Colon cancer
§ Seed extract[59]
· Fresh seeds dried at 30°C and finely powdered. Powder then extracted with ethyl acetate for 48 hours at 64.7°C. Then concentrated and refrigerated. A stock solution was prepared in a concentration of 50 mg/ml in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO).
o Inflammation[60]
§ Flower infusion, esp. when combined with plantain[61]
o Pain
§ Flower infusion[62]
Cautions: None with normal usage. [63]
[1] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[2] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[3] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 172.
[4] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[5] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[6] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[7] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[8] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[9] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[10] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[11] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[12] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[13] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[14] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[15] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[16] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 173.
[17] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[18] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[19] Stephen Harrod Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, 2012, 364.
[20] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[21] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371449/
[22] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[23] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[24] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6130437/
[25] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[26] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[27] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[28] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[29] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371449/
[30] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[31] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371449/
[32] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[33] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[34] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[35] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[36] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371449/
[37] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[38] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 172.
[39] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371449/
[40] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[41] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 172.
[42] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7458060/
[43] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[44] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[45] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 172.
[46] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[47] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[48] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[49] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 172.
[50] John Lust, The Herb Book, 2014, 91.
[51] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[52] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[53] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[54] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[55] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371449/
[56] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[57] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371449/
[58] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 172.
[59] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6130437/
[60] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3371449/
[61] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[62] TK Lim, Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants, Volume 8, Flowers, Springer, 2014, 295.
[63] Charles W. Kane, Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, 2017, 173.
No comments:
Post a Comment