The Prepper Broadcasting Network - Herbal Medicine for Prepper: Princess Tree, Bay Laurel and Spruce

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey y'all, welcome to this week's show. We're continuing our series on the medicinal uses of common trees, and this is a particularly interesting one. Probably grows where you live, but it's not native. It's Polonia tomentosa, commonly called the princess tree. Commonly called the princess tree. Naturalized throughout most of the United States. And the interesting reason is, okay, if you ever, all right, if you know this tree, you know exactly what I'm talking about. But you can probably picture in your mind, if you think of like early spring and there are only two trees that have any color. There's redbud, and then there's a larger tree which has like big spikes of flowers coming up. And if you think about where those trees are, they're probably beside where there either are or used to be railroad tracks in your town. And that's because the seed pods of the princess tree are fuzzy and soft and cushiony and that's what was used before styrofoam peanuts or bubble wrap literally for about 100

Starting point is 00:01:15 years on railroads across the United States they use seed pods from the princess tree. Those fell out along the way, and those trees bloomed. And they're beautiful. I mean, it's one of my favorite trees. It's from Asia. In Asia, it's called the princess tree because they were actually reserved for royalty. They would carve flutes and decorative carvings out of them and be given to princesses and they'd be part of their dowry actually so I mean it's a really interesting tree historically but when you think about this tree with its

Starting point is 00:01:56 fuzzy little fluffy seed pods was literally the natural answer for styrofoam or bubble wrap. And I don't see why we can't get back to that. You know, that stuff's not really good for our water, you know. But anyway, those seeds fell out all on the railroad tracks, basically anywhere you live, from California to North Carolina, way up into Canada, and everywhere in between. And that's how the princess tree got to North America.

Starting point is 00:02:26 If you see one, and it's a mature tree, like more than 100 years old, and they get pretty big over time. It's still sort of a medium-sized tree, but they can get pretty big. You know, there was a railroad track there. That's how that tree got there. And if you follow them, you can find the old railroad paths. Usually, those are on public land, by the way. So if you're looking for places to hike, forage, hunt, very good to keep your eyes out for those old railroad track lands because some of them

Starting point is 00:02:58 were turned into roads. Very few of them became private property. Now, some are, but most of them are still retained by the old railroad company's deeds. And there may not have been a single person on that trail for 100 years. I do that a lot, actually. I will scout out the princess trees and find those old lines. And where I live, it's usually public property. Now, in those old lines and where I live it's usually public property now in the eastern part of state it's usually not so you're gonna have to you know check it out but you may find that you've got a nice little trail there that people don't remember and somebody may think

Starting point is 00:03:37 it's their property but actually if you check the public records it's probably still the property of an old railroad deed so you know look into it so um not a lot of medicinal use known for this tree in america uh it's more like i said it's an asian tree but plants for a future says that a decoction leaves is used to watch wash foul ulcers and is also said to promote the growth of hair and prevent graying. So, wow. I mean, this is an herb that in Asia, at least they think, can help grow hair and prevent baldness and your hair turning gray. So, hey, you know, not my top priority, but, you know, maybe you want to look into that.

Starting point is 00:04:20 The leaves are also poulticed onto bruises. The leaf juice is used in the treatment of warts. The flowers, which are beautiful, you know, beautiful purple pink flowers. I mean, like I said, when in early spring, if I go from my house in the mountains of North Carolina over to like Elizabethton or Johnson City, Tennessee, it's just princess trees all in a line where the old railroad tracks used to be. And the only other growing blooming is redbud and it's a fantastic time for foraging redbud but I mean you can definitely see where the old railroad lines used to run the leaf juice used in treatment of warts the flowers used in treatment of

Starting point is 00:04:58 skin ailments a tincture of the inner bark is used in the treatment of fevers and delirium. It is astringent and vermifuge, so it probably has some slightly quinine-like properties. Definitely worth looking into. Peterson Field Guide says, in China, a wash of the leaves was used as a daily application to promote the great growth of hair and to prevent graying. So we've got two sources for that. Leaf tea used as a foot bath for swollen feet. Inner bark tincture soaked in two parts whiskey given for fevers and delirium. I see that as

Starting point is 00:05:33 much more important. You know, I don't care, honestly. I mean, if I go bald or go gray, I mean, it's going to happen to all of us eventually. I don't really see any point in fighting it, but for fevers and delirium, hey, you know, this is pretty important. Leaves or ground bark were fired in vinegar. Leaves or ground bark were fried in vinegar for poultices and bruises. Now, I'm not sure how you fry something in vinegar. I'm thinking maybe they mean simmer, but maybe they added a little oil to it to kind of fry and simmer it's i don't know flowers were mixed with other herbs to treat liver liver ailments in japan the leaf juice is

Starting point is 00:06:12 used to treat warts warning contains potentially toxic compounds so it's probably not one you want to use internally a whole lot except for the fevers and delirium most of the applications do seem to be external another one I want to discuss today is a really interesting plant and it's it's related to the America that we discussed a few days ago a few weeks ago it's Persia also called bay laurel and there are five varieties of bay laurel that have documentation herbal medicine and there are actually two in my region there's red bay and swamp bay and these are actually fairly common when you get down toward the swampy areas around the coast and they are coastal trees they're somewhat shrubby I wouldn't even really consider them

Starting point is 00:07:04 a tree like I don't think of a rhododendron as a tree. I think of it as a big bush. But actually, it's a tree. The foliage is bright and shiny. The scent is unmistakable. All bays are highly aromatic, whether we're talking the Myrica or we're talking the Persia. Plants for a Future says of Red Bay, Red Bay was widely employed by the Seminole Indians to treat a variety of complaints,

Starting point is 00:07:28 but especially as an emetic, something that makes you throw up, or a body cleanser. It is little if at all used in modern herbalism. The leaves are abortifacient, so this is not one you should take while pregnant. When it comes to an herb like this that's considered abortifacient, yes, it may terminate the pregnancy. It may also kill you. I mean, I've told you many times that the only documented death caused by herbal medicine in the last 100 years was a woman that tried to use pennyroyal for an abortion, and she ended up bleeding to death from every orifice of her body. So, you know, you really do need to know that when you're looking through herbal books

Starting point is 00:08:09 and something says abortifacient, you may also basically write in the margin of the book, and we'll kill you. There is no such thing as a safe abortifacient herb. First of all, because it kills a child, which, you know, is murder. But second, it will probably kill the mother. And if she survives, will probably be severely damaged, severely damaged, sterile, or, you know, who knows what. I mean, this is dangerous stuff. So I'm giving you that caveat. I am morally opposed to abortion but I'll also tell you it will probably kill you so anyway analgesic anti rheumatic

Starting point is 00:08:54 appetizer a medic and febrifuge and of course when I say it'll probably kill you we're talking large doses like you would use for that purpose but in small doses this pretty good herb to actually know about it can stimulate the appetite it can even in a little bit larger doses it can make you throw up in larger doses than that or well actually maybe somewhere in between that could help with a fever can help with pain and both internally and externally can help with pain, both internally and externally. It can help with sore joints, arthritis, rheumatism, as they would say. Infusion used in treating fevers, headaches, diarrhea, thirst, constipation, appetite loss, and blocked urination.

Starting point is 00:09:39 Strong decoction used as a body purification when treating a wide range of complaints. Probably not that safe, but that's the way it was used. And decoction of the leaves used externally as a wash on rheumatic joints and painful limbs. So, for rheumatism or arthritis, more as a wash or a soak. You can put it in your bath. Let's see. Do I have time to do one more i bet you i do yeah we're only 10 minutes in this um really common uh plant um certainly for me in the mountains if you're up north if you're out west um deep south you're not gonna find it as much but if you got a christ Christmas tree farm around, you might.

Starting point is 00:10:26 It's spruce, and there are actually 16 varieties of spruce that have been found useful in herbal medicine. This is the Picaea species, P-I-C-E-A, and there are a bunch of them. There's Norway spruce and Chinese spruce, and I could go on and on I'm not going to worry about that there's one native to my region although many have been introduced and it's a pica rubens or red spruce and let me just say there's also okay there's a red spruce there's a Caucasian spruce, a white spruce, a Chinese spruce, and a black spruce. So, you know, I can get into some politically incorrect territory here in differentiating these spruces, but there's also one called sergeant spruce. So maybe he can come in and restore our order to

Starting point is 00:11:25 everything but um norway spruce is also really common where i live and it's been naturalized and it's probably common where you live it's often used ordinarily and like i said some of these are christmas trees and you know such as that spruce is particularly good medicine it's astringent topically it's good for wounds. Spruce stops bleeding and prevents infection. Both needles and inner bark are used. The bark is astringent and stimulant. Spruce tightens tissue. That's hard to say. Spruce tightens tissue and stimulates blood flow. This allows the blood to carry the congestion inflammation out. It increases arterial blood to tissue so they can heal.

Starting point is 00:12:14 Spruce is also diuretic. And it's huge amounts of vitamin C in the plant. As far as I'm concerned, spruce is like one of the essential herbs. Herbalist Michael Moore considered spruce good for chronic laryngitis or pharyngitis with thick, tenacious mucus. Chronic bronchitis with profuse secretions. It really is very good for congested lungs and mucus in the throat and nasal passages. It's good for heartburn with vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain. Useful for prolapse of rectal mucosa.

Starting point is 00:12:55 Asthenia with poor digestion, vascular weakness, and pill mucosa. DS Corides documented spruce in Materia Medica, gosh, almost 3,000 years ago now, 2,500. I mean, it's been used for a very long time. He included it with fir and pine, which it should be. I mean, you can somewhat use them interchangeably, although fir is, what, abies? Yes, abies. It's hotter in nature. It's stronger. I would say pine is a little abies yes abies it's hotter in nature it's stronger i would say pine is a little less

Starting point is 00:13:28 strong um he made a rosin wine and it was considered according to ds corides to be popular as a medicine in many nations he said the rosin is pounded with a bark and a quarter pint is mixed in nine gallons of wine some strain it after it's boiled taking away the rosin others leave it alone growing old these become sweet so aged it becomes a sweet wine i imagine it would be a little sharp and bitter you know uh in the beginning he said they cause headaches and they all cause headaches and vertigo and yet are digestive and urinary so if you had a large amount of this resin rosin or resin wine it could cause headache and vertigo but would also help with digestion and a diuretic you know help get rid

Starting point is 00:14:24 of the excess fluid so you would use it as medicine he said they are good for those with dripping mucus coughs and colds the abdominal cavity dysentery dropsy and women's menstrual flows and as a syringe for deep ulcers or sores the black the black spruce he means is more binding than the white. Getting up to about 1080, St. Hildegard von Bingen said, spruce pitch is very hot. It is helpful in drinking vessels. If maggots eat a person, place spruce pitch over the wound, and I hope that you never have an infected wound in which maggots infest it. If you do, you're in bad shape.

Starting point is 00:15:10 And if spruce pitch, which is the resin from the sap, the rosin, is it rosin or resin? It's resinous or it's, you know, I'm not going to get into that. If that kills the maggots or keeps them away and purifies and disinfects the wound, that's going to save your life because you're one step away from gangrene and death. She said it will draw the worm to itself so that it is possible to pull them out and scrape them off. When they have been removed, place spruce pitch on the wound a second time until the wounds are completely gone. After the flesh has been purged of them, anoint the place with olive oil and other good ointments and it will be healed. So good, really good. I mean,

Starting point is 00:15:59 a survival situation, you know, a small cut, a scratch can become infected. I mean, you know, heaven help you if you get shot or like seriously cut, right? And you're in the woods and the wound gets infected. When those maggots appear, they are not entirely bad, okay? They will actually eat away rotting tissue and slow the pace of gangrene actually even though it's disgusting to think about but if they continue and left too long they'll be worse than you would be otherwise or at least it's just as bad so usually if spruce pitch will actually draw the maggots out and kill them and disinfect the wound that's going to save your life so remember that brother al wishes he was a i think he was swiss he was in the german folk medicine tradition somewhere around late 1800s

Starting point is 00:17:00 early 1900s he said in the spring, the young shoots are covered with brown scales and are gathered and made into a tea to cleanse the blood. This tea is also used for eczema, skin rashes, and phlegm in the lungs. Boil one cup of finely chopped shoots in two cups water and take one to two cups daily. For seminal discharge, take three cups of powder from finely ground dried needles with red wine and a fresh egg okay okay do I need to say anything on that subject basically it tightens the tissue and if something's gonna happen if you have a dream in the night it makes it less likely to happen or if you're having an issue in the bed in your marital relations it could tighten

Starting point is 00:17:51 things up and make things work a little bit better if you get my meaning I think we can just leave with that so plants for a future says of red spruce a tea made from the bowels that's the limbs I don't know why they have to use the word bowels b-o-u-g-h-s which sounds the same to me as bowels b-o-l-b-o-w-l-e-l-s b-o-w-e-l-s and it can really confuse people when i said tea made from the bowels, well, I mean the limbs. The limbs and like the needles of the tree has been used in treatment of colds and to break out measles, to bring the measles to a head, essentially. The pitch from the trunk has been used to the poultice on rheumatic joints, the chest and the stomach in order to relieve congestion pain.

Starting point is 00:18:42 A decoction of the bark has been used in the treatment of lung complaints and throat problems. Stephen Herod Buhner's classic book on herbal beers says spruce has traditionally been used by indigenous people for coughs, colds, and flu as an infusion in sweat baths, and the inner bark has been applied to stubborn skin infections. They have also been used for kidney infections, much like juniper. Peterson Field Guide says of black spruce, American Indians poultice inner bark on inflammation. Inner bark tea was used as a folk medicine for kidney stones. Stomach problems, rheumatism, resin produced on sores to promote

Starting point is 00:19:22 healing, needles used to make a beer that was drunk for scurvy. As I said, it's got a lot of IOC in it. Of red spruce, American Indians used tea of the bowels, again, for colds and to break out measles, pitch, formerly poultice on rheumatic joints, chest, and stomach to relieve congestion and pain. Botany of the day says the tea of the shoots is expectorant and diaphoretic, means it helps with a fever. Expectorant means get the mucus out of your lungs. Yeah, ideal for coughs and bronchitis. And finally, the physician's desk reference for herbal medicine tells us indications and usage of spruce needle oil. So this is the oil made from it.

Starting point is 00:20:03 Approved by Commission E for common cold cough bronchitis fevers and colds inflammation of the mouth and ferret pharynx neuralgist rheumatism tendency to infection the essential oil is used internal internally for catarrhal or congestion you know mucus conditions of the respiratory tract externally Externally is used for cutoral conditions of the respiratory tract as well, so you can use it internally and externally. Used for rheumatic and neuralgic pain. Under unproven use, as they said, used for tension states for stress i guess spruce shoots fresh

Starting point is 00:20:47 approved by commission e for common cold cough bronchitis fevers cold inflammation of the mouth and pharynx muscular nerve pain tendency to infection the drug is used internally in respiratory tract cataract catar or whatever it means congestion. I wish they just say congestion. And externally for muscle pains and neuralgia. Unprevented uses in folk medicine. It is used internally for tuberculosis and externally as a bath additive for patients with neurological illnesses. Contraindications include bronchial asthma and whooping cough. In other words, it can actually irritate the lungs, you know, if it's strong, the essential oil especially. Patients with extensive skin injuries, acute skin diseases,

Starting point is 00:21:37 fevers, or infectious diseases, cardiac insufficiency, or hypotonia should not use the drug as a bath additive. No hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages, although bronchial spasm could be worsened. So y'all I'm gonna wrap it up there. We covered we covered some gulins today and really spruce is good. week we're gonna do pine so if you live where okay so here's the deal like I said fir is a beast okay that's the strongest spruce is the next strongest pine is the one after that if you live

Starting point is 00:22:18 up north in really cold areas you got fir if you live where i do you got fir and i mean you got spruce and pine if you live in hot areas you got pine so you're going to be able to use these trees no matter where you live so definitely uh tune in next week because pine is actually far more common than just about any other tree in north america anyway y' have a good one. I'll talk to you next time. The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing I say or write has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U.S. government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine, and there is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice.

Starting point is 00:23:08 I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb has helped me. I cannot nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use an herb anyone recommends, you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, a sensitivity, an underlying condition that no one else even shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to listen to my podcast

Starting point is 00:23:43 or read my blog, you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices, and not to blame me for anything ever.

The Prepper Broadcasting Network - Herbal Medicine for Prepper: Princess Tree, Bay Laurel and Spruce

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