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| is regarded as a preventive for cancer, rheumatism, gout, and premature aging. |
| Part used: Whole plant. |
| Actions: Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antirheumatic, liver decongestant, tissue proliferant, and healing. |
| Uses: The leaves have been use as anti-inflammatory poultices to relieve inflammatory complaints ranging from arthritis to mastitis, while cabbage lotions were once a regular household standby for skin problems. Cabbage juices and infusions are used to treat a range of digestive problems including stomach ulcers. |
| The fresh leaves can be applied directly to inflammations (simply soften them with a vegetable mallet and secure with a loose bandage or Band-Aid). A crushed cabbage leaf inserted between breast and bra is a simple but very effective remedy for mastitis when breast feeding. A useful lotion for acne can be made by combining cabbage leaves and distilled witch hazel in a food processor. |
| Cayenne (Capsicum Spp.) |
| Various chili species are used medicinally, including C. frutescens and the hot pepper used in cooking, C. annuum. Cayenne became extremely popular in the 19th century with the Physiomedicalists, a group of traditional healers who lived in New England. The herb increases perspiration and was used in the "sweating" treatments favored by the Physiomedicalists, which were based on the Native American tradition of sweat lodges. |
| Part used: Fruit. |
| Actions: Antiseptic, antibacterial, carminative, circulatory stimulant, diaphoretic, gastric stimulant; topically: counterirritant, rubefacient. |
| Uses: Many Western herbalists still add cayenne to mixtures for treating "cold" complaints such as arthritis, digestive weakness and general debility, and the herb is regarded as a useful stimulant for |
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