Monarda fistulosa (Figure 1) is a perennial herb of the Lamiaceae family that can be found growing in dry disturbed soils throughout Eastern North America. Like all Mints, M. fistulosa has square stems and opposite foliage. The lanceolate leaves have small petioles with finely serrated margins and prominent mid-veins. The individual florets are Lavender in color, tubular in shape, and explode in a cluster from the receptacle. Together the inflorescence appear to be rays of one large whorled flower. Not only is the plant attractive, but for the garden M. fistulosa is extremely drought tolerant, deer resistant, fertilizer free, and requires little maintenance. (Culina, 2008) Best of all, pollinators love it, including the infamous Hummingbird Butterfly Moth. (Figure 2) There are several Monarda spp. which are distinguished by their range, habitat, leaf pubescence, and flower color; however, their uses are considered interchangeable.
For many plants, names can be revealing, and Monarda spp. are a fine example. Not only is the Latin name “Monarda” derived from Spanish physician and botanist, Nicolás Monardes, but the common names also suggest therapeutic use. Commonly known as: Bee Balm, Horse Mint, Oswego Tea, Wild Bergamot, Indian Perfume, and Sweet Leaf; these descriptions reflect the history and importance of Monarda spp., while producing images of a powerful tonic and efficacious remedy.
Ironically, Wild Bergamot is rarely discussed in this capacity by contemporary Western medicine, and is easily overlooked because it has not been rigorously studied by science. However, the Herbalist conducting organoleptic testing can decipher the therapeutic use of Bee Balm in a single breath of the crushed leaves from th...
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... have not followed their nose by placing Bee Balm in their yards and on their shelves as a standard spice.
Works Cited
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Cullina, William. (2000) Wildflowers: A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America. Houghton Mifflin, Boston: Mass.
Crow, Tis Mal. (2001) Native Plants, Native Healing, Traditional Muskogee Way. Native Voices: Summertown, TN.
Pengelly, Andrew. (2004) Constituents of Medicinal Plants: an Introduction to the Chemistry and Therapeutics of Herbal Medicine. CABI Pub: Wallingford, Oxon.
Wood, Matthew. (1997) The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicine. North Atlantic Pub: Berkeley, CA.
Petersen, Dorene. (2013) Herb 101 Basics of Herbalism. American college of Healthcare Sciences: Portland, OR. Retrieved from: http://issuu.com/achs/docs/herb101_achs_etextbook_january_2013/42?e=1199309/1020824
Mathews, Holly F. "Introduction: A Regional Approach and Multidisciplinary Persepctive." Herbal and Magical Medicine: Traditional Healing Today. Ed. James Kirkland, Holly F. Mathews, C. W. Sullivan, III, and Karen Baldwin. Durham: Duke UP, 1992. 1-13. Print.
Carrington, Margaret. Absaraka: Home of the Crow University of Nebraska Press, 1989 Lincoln and London
Each year, people spend billions of dollars on pharmaceutical drugs, but what if there was an option that was cheaper and natural? Herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years and shows no sign of stopping. Many are familiar with Aloe Vera, a plant commonly used to treat burns, but it can also be used to speed the healing process of cuts. Herbal remedies have been around for a long time and have saved lives, like little Teddy’s life in No Witchcraft for Sale.
2. Garrett J. Meditations with the Cherokee: Prayers, Songs and Stories of Healing and Harmony. Rochester, VT. Bear and Company; 2001.
Moore, Michael. "Mistletoe." Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico, 2003. 164-65. Print.
Collinge, William. 1996. The American holistic health association complete guide to alternative medicine. New York: Warner Books.
The major use for herbal medicines is for the promotion of health and for therapy for chronic conditions, instead of being used for life-threatening conditions; except in the event of say advanced cancer or new infectious diseases when conventional medicine practices no longer are working an individual may use traditional remedies. While traditional medicines are often mistaken that because they are natural that they are safe, non-toxic, which is not always the case. In cases when an individual is taking herbs with prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or other herbs that may cause some adverse side affects. As a flourishing commercial enterprise, it doesn’t matter why an individual uses traditional medicines, it provides important health care services for individuals that have access physically or finantually to allopathic
...The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Ed. Retrieved from Infotrac Health & Wellness Resource Center
Howard, Gregg. (2000). Native American Healing Alternative Medicine. Retrieved from the World Wide Web October 4, 2000: http://www.nativeamericanhealing.com
On Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Overview and Alternative Therapy. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 18(4), 20-36. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/docview/1114602433
A plant with opposite leaves, white to dark gold flowers in the spring, and tiny red berries in the fall, emerges as the Amur Bush Honeysuckle. The root of the Honeysuckle is from birds planting the seeds. Amur Bush Honeysuckle is an extremely invasive plant species that was brought over from Asia, to southern Ohio in the late 1950s, however, it is a non-native species (harvard.edu, 1997). This plant grows at rapid speeds with a large ability to reseed. When Honeysuckle is planted, it tends to take over uncontrollably and decrease the growth of other species around it.
Herbal remedies’ qualities are widespread availability, lower cost, effective for chronic conditions. Herbal remedies are the use of plants or plant extract to treat a person’ overall health. Herbal treatments are prominent for developing countries for instance, “in Africa up to 90% and in India 70% of the population depend on traditional medicine to help meet their health care needs” (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011), due to their low cost and availability. Herbal remedies have gained attention in the past decades, and expanding their uses due to the increased interest of natural therapies (Wachtel-Galor & Benzie, 2011). Herbs used on the remedies grow in the wild throughout the world, therefore making it easy to
Health claims are booming in today’s world. Many of these consumers are being misled by advertising and believe that their choice will benefit their health. Although herbal medicines have been in existence throughout human evolution, I have chosen to take a deeper look into these health practices. I’m curious if this is just another health claim or if there are actual benefits to taking these medicines.
Frequently a person believes that herbal medicine is more naturally safe and soothing than drugs. Nevertheless, there’s no reasonable defense about this. Though many consumers trusted herbal medicine much more than the synthetic medicine because it’s safe and effective, but like anything else, it has its own limitations too. There are several hostile issues related to herbal medicine that has been quite alarming. Notwithstanding, majority of the most popular herbs are at least nearly safe.
On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines traditional medicine as: The sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicit or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. (Zhang, 2000, p. 1) Traditional medicine is very different from modern medicine, and without disputing the benefits to modern medicine, it is essential to recognize the positive impact traditional medicine has upon people worldwide. A large aspect of traditional medicine is the usage of medicinal plants, which are the focus of this report.