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| Black walnut hulls turn black and spoil quickly once they have fallen from the tree in autumn. Tincture made from the green hulls is reputed to be the most beneficial. Wear rubber gloves when cutting the hulls from the nut as they stain the skin dark brown for more than a week, making them a valuable ingredient in self-tanning suntan lotions. Encapsulated black walnut products are also available. |
| Burdock |
| (Arctium lappa) |
| Part used: Roots and seeds |
| Actions: Alterative, diuretic, diaphoretic, antirheumatic, antiseptic, tonic, demulcent, hepatic, antimicrobial, nutritive, lymphatic, aperient |
| Indications: This large biennial is widely used as a powerful blood purifier and alterative for chronic skin eruptions such as acne, psoriasis and eczema. It is helpful for styes, boils, skin rashes and canker sores. It is even more effective when combined with yellow dock, sarsaparilla and milk thistle. It is excellent applied topically as a poultice or compress and internally, drunk as a tea. To make the tea, place 1 teaspoon of dried root in 1 cup of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Drink twice a day. |
| As an antirheumatic, burdock is beneficial for arthritis, gout and inflammations. According to a pharmacognostic study done in 1958, burdock contains bactericidal and fungicidal constituents which inhibit staphylococcus aureus. Burdock contains a polysaccharide called inulin, which strengthens the liver, spleen and pancreas and helps regulate blood sugar metabolism. Inulin is a superb immune modulator which binds to white blood cells enhancing their activity. In a study at Nagoya University in 1984. Japanese scientists discovered a substance in burdock which has the capacity to reduce cell mutation. This substance was called the B-factor. Burdock is one of the pri- |
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