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| simply to purée a peeled cucumber in the food processor and store the resulting liquid in the refrigerator for use as a lotion. The same mixture is ideal to soothe sunburn and minor skin irritations or you can use thin slices as a poultice. Cucumber lotions or poultices can also be helpful for enlarged pores, oily skin, wrinkles, and skin blemishes and are also soothing for insect stings, cold sores, and prickly heat. |
| Echinacea (Echinacea Angustifolia, E. Pallida, E. Purpurea) |
| Echinacea, or purple coneflower, was one of the most important herbs used by Native American healers. The herb was treated as a universal antidote to snake bite, the juice was used to bathe burns, and pieces of root were chewed for toothache. By the 1850s echinacea was already widely used by European settlers, largely as an aromatic and carminative for digestive problems. Interest in the plant spread, and by the 1930s, research in Germany had highlighted its potent antibiotic actions. Although the roots of various related species are generally used medicinally, work in Germany (Bauer 1996) suggests that the aerial parts of E. purpurea are more efficacious than its root, which makes the plant ideal for garden cultivation and regular cropping. |
| Description: A tall (up to 4 feet) perennial with slim, lanceolate leaves and large, daisy-like purple flowers with well-separated, dropping petals. Centers are red-brown and conical, hence the common name ''purple coneflower." |
| Parts used: Root, aerial parts. |
| Actions: Antibiotic, anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory, immune stimulant, lymphatic tonic, vulnerary. |
| Uses: Echinacea is the ideal remedy for any sort of infection such as colds, influenza, boils, wounds, septicemia, kidney or urinary tract infections. For general use, it is best to take echinacea in high doses at the first sign of a cold using 2 teaspoons of a 1:5 tincture, or three 200-mg capsules, three times daily for up to four days. Studies |
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