Friday, September 19, 2008
Golden Gate Park in September
Small pond in the Arboretum is looking pretty nice right about now. Aren't lily pads and lotus blooms the coolest?
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Lavendar
Lavendula vera or French lavender has a strong effect on the limbic system or emotional body therefore it is widely used in aromatherapy for easing depression and relieving stress. It can also be used medicinally for a variety of ailments such as nervous headaches, anxiety, blood pressure swings, heart palpitations, nausea, morning sickness and for general nervous digestion. The flowers can be tinctured using a 1 to 4 ratio of herb to menstrum and the menstrum should consist of 35% water and 65% of pure ethyl alcohol. The dosage is .25 - 1 milliliter 3 times a day. This plant combines well with skullcap, wild oats and St. John's Wort.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Iris
These shots were taken last weekend. The Irises are going off in the park right now. They are everywhere. I love the yellow ones but the dark purples are beauties too. Actually, I can't decide which one is my favorite.
Another common name for Iris is Blue Flag. The rhizome is used medicinally as a lymphatic stimulant and has an affinity for hypothyroid type folks. This plant is best taken in tincture form since the constituents aren't water soluble. A tincture is a water/alcohol based extract of plant material. Iris extracts best in an 20/80 ratio using freshly dried plant material. Pure ethyl alcohol is recommended. A store bought tincture from a reputable company will work just as well. This herb combines well with Bladderwrack.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Passion Flower - Medicinal uses
Here's another beauty hiding in the GG Park Botanical Garden. What you can't see from this shot are the tiny curling vines that cover the trellis where these flowers are blooming. The passiflora flower and leaves can be used medicinally as a mild sedative, pain reliever and anti-spasmodic. It is helpful in treating asthma and anxiety and sleep disorders in combination with other supportive medicinal herbs. Specifically, this plant works well for people with a weak constitution who tend to suffer from regular headaches and insomnia. This plant works best when taken as a strong infusion or tea made in a glass quart container with 3-6 grams freshly dried plant steeped in very hot water for about 20 minutes. The quart of tea should be broken up into 3 servings per day. This plant can be taken long term.
Labels:
anxiety,
infusion,
pain,
passiflora,
Passion flower,
sleep
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Yellow Pom Poms
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)