Acacia farnesiana, Acacia greggii Huisache, Cat's Claw

Huisache and Cat's Claw

Gum/Resinous beads are a  is a good analog for official "Gum Arabic"

Antimicrobial, Expectorant, Demulcent, Antiinflammatory

From Michael Moore on the specific indications of using the Genus Acacia

  Topical eyewash for bloodshot eyes, conjunctivitis.
  Laryngitis.
  As a gargle in acute pharyngitis.
  Acute gastritis.

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACFA
http://npsot.org/wp/story/2009/193/
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Acacia+farnesiana
http://www.indianmedicinalplants.info/DictionaryofMedicinalPlants/index.php/home/72-a/863-acacia-farnesiana-l-willd-
http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/acaci006.html

Anemone Monograph Student Contributor

PLANT MONOGRAPH ON PULSATILLA SPP.
Olivia Pepper
Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine 2012

Pulsatilla spp.
(Wild Anemone, Pasque [Passover] Flower, Wind Flower, Easter Flower)

Energetics: a cold, dry plant with an affinity for the heart (physically, spiritually & emotionally)

Notable indications: anxiety, asthma, breech reversal (in homeopathic preparation), cardiac arrhythmia, delayed menstruation, epididymitis, gout, headache, insomnia, panic attack, paranoia, premenstrual syndrome, rheumatism, stomach pain, whooping cough

Historical use: as reported by numerous ethnobotanists (including John Hellson, Harlan Smith, and Nancy Turner) Pulsatilla was used extensively by many First Nations tribes for headaches, rheumatism and childbirth complaints - many varieties were burned and smoke was inhaled to control tension headache/migraine, Howie Brounstein reports that it was commonly used as a poultice for rheumatism among many plains tribes; according to Paul Bergner in his article "Specific Medicine for Pain with Toxic Botanicals," it was prescribed by the Eclectics for very specific symptomatic conditions, usually in a concentration of thirty drops of tincture in four ounces of water, thereafter prescribed "by the teaspoon."

Homeopathy: Pulsatilla is a remedy associated with "blonde-haired, pale-eyed, mild and tearful females," and Robert Davidson and Su Palmer-Jones, in their folkloric character remedies, mention that Pulsatilla would be the remedy for Hamlet's Ophelia because Ophelia is "docile, obedient, trying to please her father, her brother, and Hamlet. Pulsatilla is the Latin name for the windflower and in her final scene Ophelia seems to personify the delicate white windflower with its drooping head, while her changeable mood – singing melancholy songs one minute, telling bawdy jokes the next, handing out flowers while making snide comments, her behaviour fluctuating from moment to moment – is very characteristic of this remedy." Susun Weed emphasizes using a dose of 30C homeopathic Pulsatilla to turn a breech baby, and says it is "universally prescribed," one dose every two hours for up to six hours.

Flower Essence: Martin Bulgerin says that Pulsatilla flower essence is for "breaking through deep, entrenched issues" and that the spirit of the plant finds what needs the most assistance in the etheric body. Naisha Ahsian says that the flower essence works for traumatized animals that have difficulty with or fear of touch.

Properties: alterative, analgesic, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, astringent, counterirritant, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenogogue, nervine, relaxant, sedative, uterine tonic - I would also argue that while this nomenclature is unpopular among herbalists, Pulsatilla might be one of the only plants that I have encountered that I would consider to have an "antipsychotic" effect.

My herbalist heroes who really dig on Pulsatilla: 7Song, Kiva Rose

***

The genus Pulsatilla contains 33 species of herbaceous perennials native to this continent's meadows and prairielands (they also find themselves comfortably at home in Europe and Asia). 33 is one of my luckiest numbers, and, indeed, me and the fickle windflower are mighty connected through some synchronicities that go eerily deep. Let me tell you something about Pulsatilla: it is a taskmaster.
As requested for the purposes of this monograph, I prepared my Pulsatilla tincture in February (if memory serves) and began experimenting with it in drop dosage (the "if memory serves" caveat becomes important later). Being of a melancholic temperament myself, often woeful if not downright devastated by the world, I was curious about how it would affect my pervasive depression, ennui, and sense of personal inadequacy. It worked better than opium. Which is saying something.
Sophia Rose of La Abeja Herbs, a recent graduate of Paul Bergner's clinical program, stated in her interview with me:

"Went with Sheri and Amber and sat with the Pasque flowers on the hillside. We talked about Pulsatilla as a heart remedy. It has been one of my favorite nervines since I met it last fall. It always helps me to feel more settled within myself. To feel womanly and unafraid and like I am enough. When we were at the Mesa trail, we all went off on our own to sit with the flowers. I decided to eat a petal but when I bit into the flower, the entire blossom came off in my mouth. I ate it petal by petal but left the stamens and styles. I felt profoundly relaxed and at peace. I felt like I could have happily sat in the same spot for the rest of the afternoon and let the rest of the world melt away. It was almost narcotic, however I had no problem with the steep hike back down the trail when the time came."

I am being a stickler here, perhaps, but I will point out -as a botany nerd- that my beloved Sophia Rose means sepals, as this plant has a flower that presents itself with showy sepals, not petals.
However, point being, the powerfully toxic plant (containing a mouth-walloping dose of protoanemonine, which is acrid and tongue-burning) produces quite a soporific effect for many. Such a soporific effect, in fact, that the other herbalist I intended to interview, Heron Brae of Wild Rose Botanical Studies, took some tincture and completely forgot to answer my interview questions - perhaps it is due to the highly intoxicating sense of "I just don't give a fuck about what's not that important" that Pulsatilla so generously delivers to its recipients.
The tincture I prepared certainly did help me let go of everything - so much so, in fact, that I literally let go of the remedy. With so much going on in my life, I found that I quickly became rather infatuated with the cloudy calm it provided and one night dropped my bottle the way a fatigued fighter may have at one time shattered a lovely dragon pipe in an opium den of old San Francisco. Simply slipped out of my hand as I lazed in imaginary clouds of purple silk, neck relaxed, body entranced in a cocoon of calm, and the remaining ounce or so of fresh plant tincture that I had prepared slipped away between my worn floorboards.  
I never did make a topical preparation, as the flowers faded so fast from the fields that I did not want to overly disturb them. I did observe, however, sitting in pensive silence, the way they got their common name: windblown and tousled, changing from moment to moment, indeed an alterative by nature. They bloom in the spring, hence their Passover, spring, and Easter associations. I have some intuitive sense (backed up by euphemistic reports from the ethnobotanists) that Pulsatilla may have an abortifacient history that would align itself with the so-called "spring fever."

***

Worth mentioning: damn is this plant toxic. Just harvesting it can cause blisters on your skin due to protoanemonine content. A simpler's preparation leading to accidental overdose can kill you (or at least cause convulsions, diarrhea, coma, and colic). Eating thirty of the flowers (though I don't know how anyone's tongue could take that) can kill you. It should not be taken during early or middle stages of pregnancy or while lactating. It should not be taken without the supervision of a very practiced herbalist. It should not be set loose in the world as a recreational opiate or a sedative that helps take the edge off hallucinogens. If you are on hallucinogens and you want to take said edge off, let someone else control your dosage.
Like I said at the beginning, Pulsatilla is a taskmaster, and it wants to be used wisely, carefully, and well. I think our relationship will continue, because I know Pulsatilla wants what's best for me and I think if I am patient and receptive, it can really help me and others of a similar overwhelmed depressive personality type. I just have to put my ear to the wind and listen.

Chickweed: The Tiny Star

Chickweed: The Tiny Star by student contributor Katie Walsh WFS 2012

Dandelion Monograph by Student Contributor

Taraxacum officinale, Asteracea Family~ Dandelion, Dent de león, Dens leonis, leontodon

By Anna Phillips  WFS 2012

Botany: 

Taraxacum officinale, Dandelion, is a hardy little plant with a lively yellow flower. The name Taraxacum means to disturb or alter the state of something. It is classified in the Asteracea family, and are identified with these distinct characteristics: Bitter white milky juice in stems. The leaves are arranged in a basal rosette (a circular pattern) on the ground, and never climb up the stems. Each stalk has a single inflorescence of flowers with strap-shaped petals (parallel edges), ray flowers which overlap all the way to the center, and there is no disk flower. Seeds are produced without pollination, transported by the wind and other vehicles. Offspring are identical to parent plant.

Season: 

• Perennial; Flower head shoots up in February, preferring cool and moist weather.
• Dandelions are known to feed bees when few or no native blossoms are out. 
• Harvest from February to March in Texas
• Early spring= dandelion growing time= liver cleanse time. Cleanse liver after a winter of hard to digest foods

Plant parts:

Roots~ 

• Dandelion root has special affinity to liver
• Found to help with chronic myelomonocytic Leukemia
• Breast Tumors~ As a poultice, dandelion has been used in the treatment of breast cancer.
• Detoxification of vital organs~  with the diuretic abilities of dandelion root, it is beneficial for flushing out the liver, kidneys and gallbladder. It purifies the blood and cleanses the system, which makes it a good herb for fighting infections.
• Used for arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout and rheumatism 
• Anemia~ dandelion root has a high content of iron, which is beneficial for building red blood cells in the body to treat anemia.
• Dandelion root has shown to lower blood sugar levels. In Europe, it's used to treat type-1 and type-2 diabetes.
• Dandelion root tea may relieve constipation, flatulence and fullness.
• Due to the high amount of vitamin B-complex, dandelion root can help to stabilize mood and depression.
• Use for acne, eczema and psoriasis
• Beneficial to menopausal women
• Dandelion root is a yummy coffee substitute~ roast and grind the root for sweeter flavor
• Root produces magenta dye; best to use to dye wool
• Roots have inulin~ prebiotics, food for probiotic organisms; help balance blood sugar and blood lipids. 
• Roasted root adds great flavor to herb blends
• Dandelion roots are especially rich in sodium, which breaks down acid in the blood. 

Stems~ 

• Juice from the stems is antiseptic, useful for cuts, removing warts, acne, blisters, corns
• Sesquiterpene lactones (constituents in the white milky sap)~ antiseptic, anticancer, antibacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, digestive stimulants (increase production and release of bile from liver) 

Leaves~ 

• High in potassium- effective diuretic, doesn't have side effects of most diuretics (most flush potassium from the body)
• Remove build up of waste acids in blood
• Balance blood sugar levels
• Luteolin~ a power full flavonoid found in leaves and flower~ anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant

Flowers~

• Flowers create yellow dye
• Dandelion flowers are abundant in carotenoids~ an important precursor to vitamin A; antioxidant; good for eyes (vitamin A is required for the formation and maintenance of visual pigments) and lungs
• Sprinkle on salads for savory taste

Seeds~

• Lung infections can be treated with dandelion seeds.

Nutrition:

Dandelions are one of the most nutritive plants in the world. The greens are super high in micronutrients! Dandelion leaves and roots are rich in vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, and E, and the minerals iron, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and zinc. This combination of these vitamins and minerals also makes dandelion a high antioxidant source.

Taste: 

The bitter, salty taste in dandelion leaves and roots is a digestive aid, diuretic, and stimulant for the liver, spleen and kidneys. 

In the body:

Stomach~ 

• Digestive tonic effect: stimulates production of digestive secretions, relieves indigestion; dandelion is cooling for stomach inflammation.

Liver~ 

• Why do dandelions come up where nothing else grows? They prepare the soil and cleanse the soil... as with in so without~ dandelions also prepare and cleanse our livers for growth and optimal blood filtration.
• Hepatic benefits, detoxifying; tones, strengthens and increases flow of bile, stimulates liver to cleanse itself
• Aids digestion of fats
• Cholagogue: relieves congestive jaundice and liver inflammation

Gallbladder~ 

• Cholagogue: relieves congested gallbladder

Kidneys~

• Dandelion (root especially) affects fluid balance in the body
• The french nick name for dandelion is "piss-en-lit", which means wet the bed… dandelions are great diuretics and one of the best sources of potassium~ideally balanced diuretic; mix with yarrow for letting go of retained water
• Dandelion dissolves calcium stones 

Colon~

• Roots contain inulin which help prevent colon cancer by providing food for beneficial intestinal microflora to aid the digestion of food 
• Dandelion is a laxative

Bones~

• Inulin in roots promotes the absorption of calcium and magnesium 

Sinus~

• Cools allergies and sinus inflammation

Reproductive system~

• Cools menapausing women
• Regulates menstruation

Pregnancy~

• Start in small doses for pregnant women and children
• For pregnant mothers dandelion is usually most effective in tea form
• Dandelion leaf is recommended usually after 28 weeks to support the liver function of pregnant woman. The leaf can help stimulate and cool the liver and it filters the woman's expanding blood volume
• For pre-existing liver issues that are causing excess heat in the body, root is recommended.
• Pregnancy is a time of heating and building; dandelion supports keeping heat balanced
• Dandelion leaf tea produces drainage, movement; increases juiciness/lactation

Muscles~

• Anti-rheumatic: effective for muscular rheumatism

Teeth~

• dent de lion= lion's tooth~ eat dandelions a lot and get strong teeth like a lion!
• relieve tooth infections, protect teeth and gums from decay
• dandelion greens can help strengthen teeth enamel.

Energetics:

• Cooling, dry energy~ soothes chronic irritation and any signs of heat
• Heat in solar plexus, while cooling for the stomach

Traditional Chinese Medicine:

• Yellow color= liver/ gall bladder
• Affects stomach and liver meridians
• Removes toxic heat
• Disperses accumulations (cleanses)
• Diuretic~promotes urination, aids urinary disturbances due to damp heat
• Used for excess spleen and stomach fire (heat in digestive tract)
• Acute mastitis
• Scrofula
• Promotes lactation

Homeopathic:

• Remedy useful for headaches (associated with indigestion, gas, bloating)
• Jaundiced (yellowish) skin
• Bladder cancer
• Indications for usage: heat on top of head, bitter taste in mouth, loss of appetite, restless limbs, neuralgia of knee, cold finger tips, profuse night sweats

Flower Essences:

• Use for hyperactive, hyper achievers~ to relax and go with the flow of life, slow pace down- like the seeds float with the wind
• Flowers have a play full, child~like innocence 
• Maybe dandelions pop up all over because they are cleaning the earth, just as they clean our livers and bodies…blood purifying~detoxifying soil~ defying chemicals
• Hiatial hernia- helps bring down hernia by relaxing the stomach

• this is a sign of blockage in solar plexus energy~ yellow color~ calm, centered, creative. 
• The flowers are actually flower heads~ many tiny flower heads joined together as one~ symbolizing harmony, integration, balance, uniSun. ~~Solar plexus energy~~
• Relax muscles, eases tension
• stress= muscle stiffness, digestive system upset, water retention

Tarrot card: 

Temperance Angel ~

• This card signifies purification, a return to balance and harmony; cleansing~ spiritually, mentally, and physically; balancing waters~ diuretic, letting go of retained waters in body

Magic:

• Dandelion enhances psychic powers

Astrology:

• Dandelion is of masculine energies
• Element~ Air 
• Deity of Hecate
• Under dominion of Jupiter~ demands attention, extremely hardy, liver and lung affinity

Recipes:

• Wine~ 1 gallon of dandelion blossoms, 3 lbs sugar, 2 lemons, 2 oranges, 1/2 oz yeast, ginger. Pour 1 gal boiling water over flowers, cover, leave for 3 days, and stir every day. Strain into pan, add lemons oranges and ginger, boil for 1/2 hrs, let cool. Add yeast, leave to ferment for 3 days. Cork. Leave for 2 months, bottle.

~The Synesthetic Dandelion~

One night dandelion came into my dreams…. I picked the small bright yellow flow~ers, their color~ a sirens song to which I came, morphed into their scent~ an alluring sweet smell, and upon putting them in my mouth, their smell transformed into a rich flower full nectary taste. The alchemical process of digestion began as my mouth watered over this de~light~full taste, and the flowers combined with my spit and turned into pure gold honey, overflowing out of my mouth! 

Dandelions are here to help! To release pent up yang energy! Inspiring us to be free, flowing with the rhythm of the wind, to slow down, relax, play! Release the inner child who loves flowers, go find a dandelion to blow its seeds in the wind, and be in Aloha with the wonder full dandelion :)

 books I used 

Lisa Ganora Herbal Constituents

Thomas Elpel Botany in a Day

Ray Bradbury wine recipe

Herbal Midwife Stephanie Berry 

Buttonbush

Buttonbush, or Cephalanthus occidentalis, is a common late summer to Fall bloomer and the flowers are such a joy to come upon.  I love that another common name is "honey balls", hard to forget!

Modern herbalism doesnt employ this much but in Central Texas, it is such a common native plant we may want to relook at it--not just for the pretty flowers.
Here are some great photos http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/rafinesque/pics/rafin-20-cephalanthus-occidentalis.html
http://www.stevenfoster.com/photography/imageviewsc/cephalanthus/occidentalis/co17_020511/index.html
http://www.botanikfoto.com/en/names/button-bush.php
http://www.swsbm.com/Britton-Brown/Cephalanthus_occidentalis.gif

The late great Herbalist Michael Moore terms it a "bitter tonic, and cholagogue", best for short term use.
I often find buttonbush growing along waterways.  The bark and twigs are employed for use in tea or tincture to stimulate digestion.  It also seems to be somewhat of a diaphoretic and diuretic, just generally stimulating secretions.
Scenario: you just went to your favorite Tex Mex restaurant and filled up on chips and queso, added in some margaritas and THEN ate dinner--an hour later you are sitting around unable to move with your fly unbuttoned.  The next morning, you have gas pain perhaps, but nothing is moving well so to say.   Now would be the time for buttonbush--get it?  Its for when you eat so much sticky inflammatory food you block up you gi tract and nothing can move, let alone your legs, and you "unbutton" your fly.  You could also take a few drops in preparation for such a meal.  Bitters like this work in very small quantities--like 10 drops of tincture or just ba swallow or two of tea.  Bitters are also contraindicated in the first trimester of pregnancy and many other conditions, so dont go grazing on wild plants before you learn more about them than a short piece on the internet!
I would think about tempering it with the addition of something like Mallow leaf or Chamomile if you have eaten a highly acidic meal, bitters can sometimes be over stimulating(so if you mix in the margaritas you may want to bring in some mucilaginous, antacids)

More information here in Cook's Dispensatory http://medherb.com/cook/cook.pdf
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/rafinesque/cephalanthus.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=pw_rAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA115&lpg=PA115&dq=cephalanthus+eclectic&source=bl&ots=rbOKRDadY9&sig=82xJ1AHiDHdbM0_PvaitLVexew4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8NZhUOenLYTMqQGZ1YHABA&ved=0CD0Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=cephalanthus%20eclectic&f=false
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Cephalanthus+occidentalis

Hill Country Herbalist: Lemon Mint (Monarda citriodora) Growing in the Tex...

Hill Country Herbalist: Lemon Mint (Monarda citriodora) Growing in the Tex...: Lemon Mint, or Monarda citriodora , is a wonderful addition to your garden.  It invites and welcomes beautiful butterflies and honey bees ...

Texas Kidneywood

Kidneywood: Eysenhardtia spp
Palo Azul or Palo
Local Central Texas Species Eysenhardtia texana

Loving my local Kidneywood.  Such a unique orange, grease-like fragrance to the foliage!
Refreshing and clearing, with a deeper downward feel.
Attracts Butterflies and is a Native perennial!


Actions: antibacterial and antifungal
Traditional Use as a urinary tract disinfectant and in diabetes to help regulate blood sugar.
Traditional Preparations: Infusion of aerial parts--water extracts
Personally, I have used it to help clear out UTI's.

http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/bio406d/images/pics/fab/eysenhardtia_texana.htm
http://www.bjbs-online.org/article.asp?id=344
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=EYTE
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031942299002216
http://www.plantmaps.com/nrm/eysenhardtia-texana-texas-kidneywood-native-range-map.php
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17666811
http://www.buenasalud.net/2010/05/15/planta-medicinal-palo-azul.html#