Ash
Fraxinus is one of abut 29 genea(from Latin "ash tree") of the olive family. It comprises about 65 species of mainly hardy, fast-growing trees, mostly native to northern temperate zone with a few extending towards the tropics.
This small flower is four-lobed or irregularly cut the two to six petals are separate or united in pairs at the base. The fruits, known as 'keys', each contain one seed and are winged.
In and north of the Alps, its leaves are second only to elm foliage of leaf fodder, as they are rich in nutrients and soft for cattle, sheep, goats and deer to chew.
In Europe, the ash has been praised in herbal medicine texts since the fourth century BCE, when the Greek physician Hippocrates (c. 460 -377BCE) used it as an infusion for gout and rheumatism.
Tea made from ash leaves collected in spring or early summer and dried as a laxative and diuretic effect. It increases the flow of urine and the excretion of uric acid and also stimulates sluggish bowels, thus helping body to detoxify. Ash keys make a delicious addition to spring salads.
Traditionaly, ripe ash keys can last on the tree well into winter and even beyond. Traditionally, ripe ones are prized by herbal physicians.
In classical homoeopathy, too, the ash remedy helps with gout and rheumatism. The tree essence enhances a sense of strength and flexibility.
Symbolism: Mastership and power
ASH
The bunches of winged seeds are referred to as "keys" and remain on the tree for a while, after the leaves have dropped
Quince
Cydonia is a monotypic genus of the rose family. The common quince,(C. oblonga or C. vulgaris, sometimes Pytus cydonia).
The fruit was known to the Akkadians, who called it supurgillu "quinces". The modern name originated in the 14th century as a plural of quoyn, via Old French cooin from Latin cotoneum malum / cydonium malum, ultimately from Greek kydonion melon "Kydonian apple" (in the figurative sense, similar to pomodoro - Italian word for tomato literally meaning "apple of gold", pomme de terre - the French word for potato, literally meaning "apple of the ground", and the classical "golden apple"). The quince tree is native to Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria, but the Greeks grafted from a superior strain from ancient Kydonia now Khania, a port in Crete, whence both the common and better-preserved genus name. The Lydian name for the fruit was kodu.
It is a small tree which can reach 20 feet in height. The fragrant, solitary flowers have five white to rose-pink petals, and the fruits is a golden-yellow color. The leaves often a rich, mellow yellow before falling. The botanical name, Cydonia, refers to a town (modern Kyania) on the Greek island of Crete, which was once famous for its quince exports.
Since ancient times the quince has been widely cultivated for its fruits. As they are hard and acidic when raw, they are eaten stewed or used to make jam or jelly.
The English herbalist John Gerard (1545 - 1612) says, 'The boiled seeds from the fruit exude a soft, mucilaginous substance that is very soothing to hot inflamed surfaces.' Quince is an excellent anti-inflammatory remedy for the digestive tract, and it can be used also for sore mouths, throat and nipples. Traditionally a broth from the fruit has been used to treat vaginal infections and rectal inflamations. A decorction of the seeds can be used to sooth the digestive tract, as an eye lotion, and as an ingredient in skin lotions and creams.
Symbolism - fertility and love
This post was modified from its original form on 06 Jun, 15:10
This post was modified from its original form on 06 Jun, 15:11
Your Welcome~Kyrstyna
Thank you dear Nance for these very interesting informations!
Love and blessings,
Krystyna.
Hazel
Corylus is a genus of about ten species of deciduous, menoecious shrubs and small trees native to the northern temperate zone.
Native Aboriginals have many traditional uses for the hazel, buth in medicine and as food. It was also used in basket making, and the Chippewan and Ojibwa tribes use hazel twig for drumsticks. In Europe it is used to be an important coppice tree, providing leaf fodder as well as flexible poles and sticks for basketry and fenciing, and for wattle-and-daub walls. Water diviners use forked twigs of hazel for their divining rods. And of course, hazelnuts are a popular food.
Hazel leaves have an astringent action largely thanks to their tannin content, hence their traditional use against diarrhea. Hazelnuts are a good source of protein,Vitamin E, calicium, magnesium and potassium. They contain at least 30 percent oil, which is rich and nourishing and can be eaten as part of a salad dressing, or used externally as an ingredient in massage oils for dry skin.
The downy leaves are popular food among wild deer.
Symbolism: Playfulness and enchantment
Please reverse this thread~Krystyna, Thank you
Pehuén or Monkey-puzzle
It is the hardiest species in the conifer genus Araucaria. It is native to central Chile and west central Argentina. Araucaria is the national tree of Chile.
Old trees ususally have flat heads above rather bare trunks. Juvenile leaves may differ from adult ones in size, shape and arrangement. The large and woody female cones house the winged seeds, one to each scale, which take two to three years to mature.
Natural Healing
The people remove the outer skin of the nutirtious seeds and eat them boiled or toasted. The seeds taste similar to sweet chestnuts. The are also ground into a flour for making bread, or producing a nutritious drink.
One tribal group in south-central Chile the Pehuenche, have a special relationship with the trees, even calling themselves after them (pehuen, monkey-puzzle; che, people).
To the Pehuenche, the monkey-puzzle is a sacred tree. A special ceremony held at the summer solstice includes prayers and dances around a monkey-puzzle tree.
Symbolism: Care
Historical Spotlight: Early European observers apparently wondered how a monkey could climb the sharp spikes of the trunk and branches. However, there are no monkeys in the forest of Chile.
Your Welcome~ Krystyna
Sheep Sorrel
Common names are field sorrel, red top sorrel, sour grass and dog eared sorrel. It is a hardy perennial, and is much smaller than either French or Garden Sorrel. Is often tinged a deep red hue especially towards the end of the summer. It grows to about a foot high. It has narrow sharp pointed leaves and spikes of green flowers turning to red. Flowers in late spring.
Sheep Sorrel is high in vitamins A, B complex, C, D, K and E and the minerals include significant levels of calcium, iron, silicon, magnesium, sulphur, zinc, manganese, iodine and copper.
Sheep Sorrel also contains beta carotene and chlorophyll; citric, malic, oxalic, tannic and tartaric acids and it is rich in potassium oxalate. Because of the oxalic acid it contains, Sheep Sorrel is sometimes not recommended for people who have a history of kidney stones.
Young Sheep Sorrel leaves were popular as a cooking dressing and as an addition to salads in France several hundred years ago. Native Objibway Tribe also use Sheep Sorrel leaves as a tasty seasoning for meat dishes and also baked it into their breads. In early days it was of use against scurvy.
One of Sheep Sorrel's main claims to fame is its inclusion in the herbal tea, Essiac, which is purported to be effective in the fight against cancer. Essiac was invented by a Canadian nurse named Rene M. Caisse, who named the formula with her last name spelled backwards. Born in 1888, Rene Caisse promoted the use of her tea in the treatment of a steady stream of cancer patients until her death in 1978 at the age of ninety. Rene Caisse's cancer cure was used by persons with prostate cancer, advanced bladder cancer, and advanced breast cancer who are documented to have gone into remission.
This post was modified from its original form on 29 Mar, 11:06
Thank you dear Nancy for your great work - for opening this very interesting thread !
Love, Krystyna.
Almond Tree
The almond that we think of as a nut is technically the seed of the fruit of the almond tree, a medium-size tree that bears fragrant pink and white flowers. Like its cousins, the peach, cherry and apricot trees, the almond tree bears fruits with stone-like seeds (or pits) within. The seed of the almond fruit is what we refer to as the almond nut.
Flowering is early (February - March). Harvesting occurs as soon as the fruit is ripe, near the end of the summer.
About 15 species and one sweet-seeded species found Israel. The latter (A. communis) is the almond that features so strongly in Jewish tradition. It is a wild, deciduous, medium-sized treee with oblong, lanceolate leaves, flowering from mid-February to mid-March. The abundance of snow-white blossom appears mainly before the leaves. The bell-shaped flowers are pollinated by bees.
Sweet almonds (P.amygdalus dulcis) have an oval, flattened or roundish shape and a sweet flavor. They are eaten raw of roasted on their own or in pastries, cakes, confectionery and marzipan.
Bitter almonds (P.amygdalus amara) are smaller and more pointed in shape, and have a better, astringent taste.
Almond oil is one of the most important cosmetics oils, a it softens, smooths and nourishes the skin. Nutritionally sweet almonds are a good source of potassium calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and protein.
In ayurvedic medicine the nuts are viewed as a balancing food: ten peeled almonds eaten daily will help to settle the body's energy system. The protein content aids in the stabilizing of blood sugar levels, while the potassium magnesium, and calcium strengthen the nervous system and provide energy.
Ayurveda is derived from two Sanskrit terms: ayu meaning life and veda meaning knowledge or science.
Almond Tree symbolizes purity and perfection.
Kauri~Agathis australis
These trees comprise about 20 species of tall, evergreen coniferous trees native to New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines. Their leaves are broad, undivided, smooth and leathery. The seeds, one sitting behind each scale of the cone, mature during the second year.
The resin of this tree, the "gum," was much sought after- the hardened resin was burnt and provided the dye for ceremonial tattoos.
The symbolism: a sacred relationship
The trees are the source of Dammar Gum.
Seeds of some species are attacked by the caterpillars of one of the most primitive of all living moths.
Endive
Biennial. It is in leaf all year, in flower in July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.
The plant is used as a resolvent and cooling medicine, and in the treatment of bilious complaints. It is a very beneficial tonic to the liver and digestive system.
Chicory
Chicory appears in the oldest complete herbal , and both chicory and endive were respected by all the great sages of Western medicine.
Chicory also has a white, milky sap. So far, it's very similar to its relatives, the dandelion, which has larger, sharper teeth that point to the leaf base, and wild lettuce, which is finely hairy -- both also excellent edibles. Chicory, has hairless leaves.
There is high sulfur content in watercress. Watercress contains more sulphur than any other vegetable, except horseradish.
Sulphur rich foods play an important part in protein absorption, blood purifying, cell building and in healthy hair and skin.
But watercress is one of the several Bible healing foods that contain high degree of lysine. Many type of beans are also rich in lysine, namely black-bean sprouts, lentils, lentil sprouts, and fave beans; also parsely.
Use watercress as a poultice for swollen feet and sprained ankles.
Vitamins:A , B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B17, C, D, E, KMinerals:calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, sodium, magnesium, copper, manganese, florine, sulphur, chlorine, iodine, germanium, silica, zinc
Chicory has a beige taproot, like a carrot, only longer and gnarled. The long taproot is perennial.
Collect the leaves in early spring, when they are very young, or late in the fall, after some cold weather, when new leaves emerge. During the rest of the season, the leaves are very bitter.
You can use the roots from fall through early spring if you live in a warm climate, or fall and early spring if the ground is frozen during the winter.
Add very young chicory leaves raw to salads, or include then in cooked recipes. They cook in 10-15 minutes. Wild chicory leaves taste like commercial chicory, but they can become bitter soon after emerging. Boil the older leaves in one or more changes of water, to reduce the bitterness.
You can make a caffeine-free coffee-like beverage from chicory roots: Scrub the roots, then roast then in a 300 degree F oven until dark brown, brittle, and fragrant. Grind, and use like regular coffee, 1 1/2 tsp. per cup of water.
You can make a decoction of chicory root by slicing it, then stirring it in a covered pot for 10 to 20 minutes. (You simmer dense roots and barks to extract their essences, while you only steep finer, more delicate leaves, so you don't drive their essences off.) Allow it to cool, strain out the herb, and drink. This tea is reputed to be a blood purifier (detoxifier).
Chicory leaves are good sources of vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus.
You can apply a compress of the boiled leaves and flowers, wrapped in a clean cotton cloth, to swellings, boils, and mild inflammations. A strong tea of the boiled roots, flowers and leaves is supposed to make a good wash for skin irritations, including athlete's foot.
This post was modified from its original form on 10 Mar, 11:51
Your Welcome~Krystyna
The popular maple syrup is produced mainly in Canada. For centuries, Native North Americans have cut into the trunks of sugar maples in late winter to collect the sap.
It takes 40 gallons of sap to make just 1 gallon of syrup.
Pure maple syrup is precious because it contains balanced sugars, minerals.
Maples of all varieties have a long tradition of use in herbal medicine, partically among Native North Americans.
The Tsalagi tribe uses the bark of the silver maple to make remedies for sore eyes, gynaecological problems and cramps.
The Chippewa use it to treat sores, the Mohegan to cure coughs.
The maple features in the myths and legends of many Native North American Tribes.
Maple Tree means Expansion
Heritage of Maple Syrup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INFlGrcdSeg&feature=related
More to View:
Thank you dear Nancy, really interesting !
Love, Krystyna.
Wild Sage
Sage was used in the Middle Ages as a healing herb to treat fevers and epilepsy, memory loss, eye problems, infection, and intestinal problems. Charlemagne had it grown in his royal gardens.
Tip rounded to pointed. Base squarish to indented. Hairless or sparsely hairy but usually hairy on the veins. Aromatic. The flowers are small and variable in size, purplish to deep blue or rarely white. Fragrant.
Winter spring growing perennial herb. Seeds germinate from autumn to spring and crowns shoot in autumn and form a rosette over winter and spring crowding out neighbouring plants. Flowering commences in late spring and continues into summer. Plants may remain green well into summer but eventually the top growth dies off by late summer or early autumn.
The word "sage" has come to mean "wise" or "a wise or learned person." It's scientific name, Salvia, means "to be in good health", "to save", or "salvation" while officinalis is an old reference to an herb store, pharmacy, or drugstore. Sage is often mentioned as the herb of immortality, domestic virtue, health, and wisdom. Sage was a sacred ceremonial herb of the Romans. It has been cultivated for both culinary and medicinal purposes for many centuries in England, France and Germany.
All-Spice Tree
The name "allspice" was coined by the English, who thought it combined the flavour of several aromatic spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
The fruit is picked when it is green and unripe and traditionally dried in the sun. When dry the fruits are brown and resemble large brown peppercorns.
Allspice is the only spice that is grown exclusively in the Western Hemisphere. The evergreen tree that produces the allspice berries is indigenous to the rainforests of South and Central America where it grows wild.
Berries are picked when they have reached full size, but before they can ripen. The height of the trees makes mechanizing the process difficult, so hand picking or pulling off branches is still common. Berries are then ‘sweat’ for a few days, then they are spread out on a concrete platform called a ‘barbeque’ where they are dried. Leaves from the male trees are also harvested for eugenol oil.
Allspice meaning compassion.
