Scarlet Globemallow Herb

Also Known As...

Scarlet Globemallow is also known as Sphaeralcea Coccinea.

Using Scarlet Globemallow

The upper part of the plant is what is used (not the root).

Make a tea and let it sit and gel. It forms a very soothing compound for throat, sinuses, bladder, any sort of infection or cold.

The leaves can be chewed or mashed to make a paste. The paste can be used as a poultice or plaster on inflamed skin, sores, wounds and sore or blistered feet.

The mashed leaves can be simply used for dry skin as a lotion.

The dried leaves can be dusted on sores.

Fresh leaves and flowers may be chewed to relieve hoarse or sore throats and upset stomachs.

The whole scarlet globemallow plant may be used to make a tea that will make other medicines taste more palatable.

This incredible herb is known to reduce swellings, improve appetite, relieve upset stomachs, and strengthen voices. The Dakota heyoka people chewed the plants to a paste and rubbed it on their skin as protection from sun burning.

Hair Treatment

This can also be used to curl your hair if you put it in your hair and then go out into the sunlight.

Identification

The leaves have a sandpaper texture and are shaped somewhat like a maple leaf. The flowers are red-orange.

Distribution

Common on grasslands and prairies in all parts of Montana, USA. Primarily a species of the Great Plains.

The Navajo used tea made from scarlet globemallow as a remedy. The roots were used to stop bleeding, and they were also chewed to reduce hunger when food was scarce.

The leaves are slimy and mucilaginous when crushed.

Getting This Herb

You can purchase seeds online (25 seeds for $3) and grow it at home. It is perennial (which means it will keep coming back each year). Even if you hardly use it, the flowers are lovely. It regrows quickly after harvesting, which is another great bonus.

Learn More

A lot more fantastic information about herbs and food can be learned from Markus Rothkranz's informational set Free Food & Medicine. I learned so much from these DVDs and I still keep learning more every time I watch them. They're a great buy. Well worth their price and then some!

I wish you wonderful health.

~ Raederle Phoenix

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Chaparral Herb

Also known as

Larrea tridentata, Creosote Bush, Stinkweed, Greasewood, Chaparro Gobernadora, and Hediondilla.

Introduction

Now found throughout the Southwestern US (in the desert), chaparral originated in Argentina several thousand years ago. The stems and leaves of the bush are covered with a sticky resin that screens leaves against ultraviolet radiation, reduces water loss, and poisons/repels most herbivores.

This resin is used in herbal medicine and to protect wood from insects. It received its name "creosote bush" due to the smell that comes from it when it rains. It's extremely bitter taste keeps it safe from animals that would otherwise graze upon it. It is also regarded as one of the most adaptable desert plants in the world; it was one of the first to grow back in Yucca Flats after the 1962 nuclear bomb tests done there.

Constituents

Alpha-pinene, amino acids, beta-pinene, cobalt, gossypetin, limonene, nordihydroguaiaretic acid or NDGA, zinc.

Parts Used

The part you want is the leaves, but only after you've dried them for two months. It's toxic to the liver if not dried for two months. During the two months it will oxidize and become safe to consume. (With most foods, we're aiming to prevent oxidization. In this case, we're doing the opposite.)

You're not going to want to turn these leaves into tea because of it's bitter taste. Also, when you make a tea the resin will stick to the pan and you'll lose a lot of the active components.

You may sprinkle dried chaparral over a salad. Another way to use it is in smoothies, but like kelp or cayenne, don't over do it.

Typical Preparations

It was discovered in the University of Nevada and the University of Utah that this plant will fight cancer cells and tumors. It contains NDGA (Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid) which is a highly powerful antioxidant.

Tinctures used to make creams and lotions for external use.

Summary

Chaparral contains lignans that are very similar to estrogen, giving it an effect on the skin similar to that of soy taken internally.

Applied to the skin, chaparral can have a remarkable healing effect on eczema, herpes, cold sores, psoriasis, and contact dermatitis.

Internally can be used after drying the leaves for two months to fight and prevent tumors and cancer.

Want to know more?

I learned about chaparral and dozens of other wild medicines from Markus Rothkranz's DVD set, Free Food and Medicine. I highly recommend it as a guide to wild edibles for both sustenance and medicine. The investment is highly worth while. I easily saved the amount I paid for the DVDs within my first few months of harvesting free food in my local vicinity.

~ Raederle Phoenix

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