The Prepper Broadcasting Network - Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Chinaberry and Bog Myrtle

Episode Date: August 30, 2024

Today, I tell you about the medicinal use of two very interesting trees.The Spring Foraging Cook Book is available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRP63R54Or you can buy the eBook as a .pdf directly from the author (me), for $9.99:https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-spring-foraging-cookbook.htmlYou can read about the Medicinal Trees book here https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/06/paypal-safer-easier-way-to-pay-online.html or buy it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1005082936PS. New in the woodcraft Shop: Judson Carroll Woodcraft | SubstackRead about my new books:Medicinal Weeds and Grasses of the American Southeast, an Herbalist's Guidehttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2023/05/medicinal-weeds-and-grasses-of-american.htmlAvailable in paperback on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47LHTTHandConfirmation, an Autobiography of Faithhttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2023/05/confirmation-autobiography-of-faith.htmlAvailable in paperback on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNKVisit my Substack and sign up for my free newsletter: https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/Read about my new other books:Medicinal Ferns and Fern Allies, an Herbalist's Guide https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/11/medicinal-ferns-and-fern-allies.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMSZSJPSThe Omnivore’s Guide to Home Cooking for Preppers, Homesteaders, Permaculture People and Everyone Else: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-omnivores-guide-to-home-cooking-for.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGKX37Q2Medicinal Shrubs and Woody Vines of The American Southeast an Herbalist's Guidehttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/06/medicinal-shrubs-and-woody-vines-of.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2T4Y5L6andGrowing Your Survival Herb Garden for Preppers, Homesteaders and Everyone Elsehttps://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/04/growing-your-survival-herb-garden-for.htmlhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X4LYV9RThe Encyclopedia of Medicinal Bitter Herbs: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-encyclopedia-of-bitter-medicina.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5MYJ35RandChristian Medicine, History and Practice: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2022/01/christian-herbal-medicine-history-and.htmlAvailable for purchase on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09P7RNCTBHerbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and Permaculture People: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/10/herbal-medicine-for-preppers.htmlAlso available on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B09HMWXL25Podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/show/southern-appalachian-herbsBlog: https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/Free Video Lessons: https://rumble.com/c/c-618325

Hey y'all, welcome to this week's show. Today we're going to get into two entries in our series on medicinal trees. One is introduced and the other is native. And the introduced one is probably going to be a lot easier for you to find in most areas because it's really popular as a landscaping plant. And it's called China Berry. Really useful medicinal herb. Plants for the Future says that it's used externally in the treatment of rheumatism.

An aqueous extract reduces the intensity of asthma attacks. The report, let's see. The leaf juice is enthylmintic, entylithic, diuretic, and amenagogue. So, helps get rid of intestinal parasites, kidney, bladder stones, etc. Diuretic removes excess fluids and amenagogue means brings on menses. A decoction is astringent and stomatic. The leaves are harvested during the growing season and can be used fresh or dry. The flowers and leaves are applied as a poultice in the treatment of neuralgia and nervous headache. The stem bark is anthelmintic, astringent, and a bitter tonic. It is used

as a tonic in India. It can be harvested any time of the year, used fresh or dried. The fruit is antiseptic and febrifuge. Febrifuge means it helps with a fever. The pulp is a vermifuge, also good for intestinal parasites, usually worms in that case. The fruit is harvested in the autumn when it is fully ripe and can be used fresh or dried. The seed is anti-rheumatic and is used externally. The bark is medic and metagog purgative and vermafuge. That means the bark purgative means it can also be used as a laxative. It is highly effective against ringworm and other parasitic diseases. It can be hard and vermifuge. It is highly effective against ringworm and other parasitic diseases.

It can be harvested any time of the year and is used fresh or dried. A gum that exudes from the tree is considered by some to have aphrodisiac properties. The plant should be used with caution, preferably under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. Excess use can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and symptoms of narcotic poisoning. So, rather strong, but very useful and probably pretty easy to find. Now, depending on where you live, if you live, well, anywhere around the coast, probably Great Lakes I have to check with a friend about that definitely swampy areas boggy areas you should be able to find a wax myrtle and and well I know they grow them in California even

where it's not boggy they grow a lot of myrtle and bay in california it's probably fairly widespread tree very common in louisiana so and in coastal north carolina around the swamp so i i really associate it more with swampy areas but um yeah i'll have to check what they do in california but you should be able to find this tree if you look for it, and if not, you can probably grow it if you have a damp spot in your yard. I don't know. You might have to order it online. But interesting plant, also called bayberry. Now, see, bayberry means it grows around bays. So I do think it is associated more as a water plant, essentially not growing in the water but or near water

miss grief says it is astringent and stimulant in large doses it is emetic emetic means it makes you throw up it is useful in diarrhea jaundice scrofula etc externally the the powdered bark is used as stimulant in order to cure ulcers that are slow to heal. Used in poultices, it should be combined with elm. Decoction is as good as a gargle. Injection in chronic inflammation of the throat, leucorrhea, uterine hemorrhage, etc. is an excellent wash for the gums. The powder excitesites coughing water in which the wax has been boiled to an extract is regarded as a certain cure for dysentery the wax itself being astringent and slightly narcotic it is a va it is valuable in severe dysentery and internal ulcerations now you may have be familiar with bayberry scented candles that's the smell of it i'm rather allergic to those

actually but um so it's not one i use a lot interestingly this is uh the wax myrtle is in the myrica family and that's a ancient ingredient in european and english beers before they started using hops specifically for that narcotic property and it's also aromatic so resources of the southern fields of forests written in the 1860s says of the Miracaceae or Gale family let's see the root is powerful astringent and a coxswain is employed in diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhage from uterus, and dropses which exceed fevers and as a gargle and sore throat. The bark of the root is stimulant, acrid, and in doses of a drachm causes sensation of heat in the stomach followed by vomiting and diuresis. That does not sound very pleasant at all.

The leaves have some celebrity in domestic practice, meaning they were being used by a lot of doctors at the time, being antispasmodic, antiscorbutic, so they have some vitamin C, they can help with scurvy, and astringent. Dr. Dana found the powdered root to be powerfully stinuatory. I believe that means it causes coughing. Bigelow says the bark and leaves contain gallic acid, tannin, resin, and a small quantity of mucilage. The berries afford a large amount of wax which rises to the surface

when they are boiled. They talk about how people made candles and soap from that wax. It continues to be popular to this day. It appears to possess stringent and slightly narcotic properties and has been administered by Dr. Feinstock in an epidoid of typhoid dysentery and a tincture of the berries beneficial for flatulent colic, according to the American Medical Journal of that era. Thompsonians used it quite a bit. Bayberry. It said, this species of myrtle from which wax is obtained from the berries grows common in many parts of this country. It's a shrub growing for two to four feet high, easily known by the berries.

Absolutely. They go on with some description. It is a shrub growing from 2 to 4 feet high, easily known by the berries. The bark of the roots is what is used for medicine and should be collected in the spring before it puts forth leaves or in the fall after done growing, as the sap is in the roots. This should be attended to in gathering all kinds of additional roots, but those things that are at the top should be collected in the summer when nearly fully grown, as the sap is then at the top. The root should be dugged and cleaned from dirt, pounded with a mallet or club, when the bark is easily separated from the stalk and may be obtained with little trouble. It should be dried in a chamber or loft where it is not exposed to weather, and when perfectly

dry should be ground into a fine powder. It is an excellent medicine, either taken by itself or compounded with other articles. It is the best thing for canker of any article to be found in scrofulous diarrhea and chronic cholera in phantom and goiter. It is one of the best agents. Its influence on the uterus is very positive. In prolapsed uteri, it is and in part part parturition i always have to stumble over that one it cannot be well excelled it induces better contractions when given near the uh end of the confinement and will anticipate flooding and therefore be excessive lochia it will assist in stopping the

excess its influence is also good in excessive menstruation hemorrhages from other parts of the body and in female weakness in a hot infusion it gradually arouses circulation and favors an outward flow of blood you know you really ought to consult a good herbal midwife or something for these topics this is certainly not my strength as an herbalist there are many herbalists that write specifically on women's issues rosemary gladstar susan weed several others definitely look into there you know I don't recommend any herbs being used during pregnancy just too dangerous but so for really any of the women's issues do look to a more of a better source on that so a good free perspiration will

follow which will be more abundant if ginger be added to it when the stomach is very foul it will frequently operate as an emetic well obviously combined with lobelia it would help you throw up they said it was good for scrofula and secondary syphilis syphilis and it recommended as an emetic or you know make you throw up combine it with lobelia as a hot tea excellent to rid the systems of impurities the Thompsonians were very big on vomiting you know they liked to cleanse the system of impurities as they saw it yeah I don't really buy into that theory of medicine at all, but it was popular in the late 1800s, early 1900s.

In fact, it was very popular. Laxatives and medics were the go-to for regular doctors and herbalists as well. But we'll get up to 1898, King's American Dispensatory. 1998 King's American Dispensatory Bayberry bark is astringent and stimulant and as such is valuable in debilitated conditions of the mucous membranes. It was largely employed by the followers of Samuel Thompson in cataral or congested states of the alimentary tract. The bark has been successfully employed in scrofula jaundice diarrhea dysentery and other diseases where stringent stimulants were indicated

murica in small doses is found to be a good stimulant to the system of nerves aiding the procession of digestion blood making and nutrition doses, it is decided gastric stimulant. In small doses, it has been found advantageous to chronic gastritis, chronic cataral diarrhea, mucoenteritis, and in dysentery, having a typhoid character. It is said to restore arrested lochial discharge. Cases calling for Myrica show feeble venous action while the pulse is full and oppressed it is not adapted to acute disorders of the alimentary tract as a rule a weak infusion uses injection as an admiral remedy in amenorrhea and a tonic leukorrhea says the powdered bark

combined with blood root forms an excellent application to indolent ulcers and has likewise been employed as a snuff for the cure of some forms of nasal polyps. That's interesting. Bloodroot is an herb that grows fairly commonly in the mountains where I live. It has a blood red sap, and it's in the poppy family. And people use it as basically a wart remover. It will gradually eat away the wart the morphine in the plant will keep the area from becoming very sore not a very safe use for it

they're better uses for blood root but i am uh assuming that's how that works powdered bark of bayberry with a blood root to get rid of polyps in the nose or ulcers of the skin. It makes sense, anyway. In the form of a poultice with elm or alone, it is a valuable application of sclerophilous tumors or ulcers. The decoction is beneficial as a gargle would sore mouth and throat and is of service in injection, leukorrhea, and fistula. Also as a wash for ulcers.

It forms an excellent gum wash for tender, spongy, and bleeding gums. The leaves are reputed astringent and useful in scurvy and spasmodic infections. Used by Dr. Feinstock in epidemic dysentery and typhoid with typhoid symptoms. Considered it successful, possesses mildly stringent and some narcotic properties. Under specific indications of uses, they state profuse mucus flows, cataral or congested states of the gastrointestinal tract, atonic diarrhea, typhoid dysentery, atnia, the cutaneous circulation, full of pressed pulse, locally and internally used for sore

mouth spongy flabby bleeding gums sore throat of scarlet fever and when enfeebled when enfeebled and swollen now in a more modern use plants for a future says that wax myrtle is a popular remedy in North America where it is employed to increase the circulation stimulate perspiration and keep bacterial infections in check the plant should not be used during pregnancy I agree with that that did not sound safe to me what I was reading earlier the root bark is antibacterial astringent and emetic in large doses stinted stint or II stimulant and tonic it is harvested in the autumn, thoroughly dried.

We went through that. It is used internally in the treatment of diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, jaundice, fevers, colds, influenza, cataract, excessive menstruation, vaginal discharge. Externally, it is applied to indolent ulcers, sore throats, spongy gums, sores, itching conditions, dandruff, etc. The wax is astringent and slightly narcotic. It is regarded as sure-pure for dysentery and is also used in the treatment of internal ulcers. A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of fevers and as an external wash for itchy skin. Let's see if there's anything.

Oh, yeah. We'll get into this just a little bit. Rodale Herb Book says the bark and roots are used medicinally as astringent tonic stimulant, leaves are aromatic and stimulant. The tea is used as an excellent gargle for sore throats, catar and jaundice. The bark used for diarrhea and dysentery, a decoction made and injected as an enema. It is also used as a wash or poultice for sores, boils, and carbuncles, or the powdered bark may be directly applied to runes. The root bark is the official or medicinal part. And yeah, I guess we will wrap it up there.

I already told you how it was used in ancient beers Stephen Herod Buhner who was a really great herbalist it was the I think the nephew of Surgeon General the United States so he came from a real medical family a lot of education he wrote a book called sacred and healing herbal beers where he tells about the traditional beer of Europe and Western Europe and England before St. Hilger von Bingen introduced hops, and it was called Groot. And it was made in part with Myr narcotic herbs sweet gale bog myrtle well that's sweet gale or bog myrtle that's miracle gale same thing yarrow and wild rosemary

which actually isn't rosemary it's a lead and palustra also called marsh rosemary and some people added additional herbs. Some of those could be really crazy herbs, like even like Kenbane or mandrake or something. And bottom line is it wasn't just a beer that you would sip on and get relaxed or even have a few too many and get drunk. It would enrage the passions and cause hallucinations and it was quite popular in Western Europe and England until basically the Catholic Church and

the Kings under the Holy Roman Empire decided no we're going to switch over to hops which has a sedative effect to keep people from going on crazy violent rampages. It took a few hundred years to get people to switch over to it. As you can imagine, with a lot of the drugs that are used in our country currently, a lot of people enjoy that feeling. But you know how crazy Europeans can get at soccer games and they have soccer riots just drinking regular beer? Imagine giving a bunch of what they call football hooligans, you know, soccer fans, a beer like that. I mean, you remember like in the early days of Four Loko, how it was popular among college students? Imagine that plus psychoactive herbs.

And you can, yeah, you know why we have so many tales of, you know, witches and ghosts and such that come out of Europe and all kinds of crazy fairy tales and legends. Our ancestors were high as kites. So anyway, y'all, have a great week, and I will 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. 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 in herbs help 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 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