Let me emphasize once again that this book is not intended to be a medical self-care manual. Some of the diseases in this list are so serious a physician should be consulted as promptly as possible. Some of the alleged plant uses may be apocryphal or unfounded. Others, however, may be valid and useful to you. I would advise you to proceed with intelligence, good common sense, and caution -- at your own risk, of course.
NOTE: The plant treatments printed in darker type are thought to be the most effective for the particular condition.
Abcesses - chickweed poultice
Aches - cleaver or coltsfoot hot pack, wormwood poultice
Ague - angelica
Alcoholism - angelica
Arthritis - cow parsnip root, juniper (branch, stem, berries), willow, wormwood, yarrow bath
Asthma - coltsfoot, shield fern rhizome
Athlete's foot - wormwood (fresh leaves inside socks)
Back trouble - juniper, hot spruce pitch plaster
Bedwetting - uva-ursi
Beestings - plantain, willow leaf poultice
Bites - plantain
Bladder stones - horsetail, urv-ursi
Bladder trouble - tonic of plantain or uva-ursi
Bleeding - bistort, cleavers, larch bark, plantain, shepherd's purse
Blisters - yarrow
Blood poisoning - plantain, sourdock root (for heavy metals), spruce pitch poultice, wormwood tea
Bloody stools - horsetail
Boils - chickweed, devil's club root bark poultice, mashed green plantain leaves, sweet gale tea
Bowel trouble - cleavers (mild tonic)
Broken bones - sphagnum (for splint lining), dandelion greens (nutritional source of calcium)
Bronchitis - chamomile, coltsfoot, poplar, uva-ursi
Bruises - chamomile, poplar root poultice
Burns - chickweed, coltsfoot leaf decoction, devil's club ashes, yarrow
Cancer - sourdock root
Cankers - horsetail ashes
Chest trouble - coltsfoot, juniper, poplar (balm of Gilead)
Circulatory trouble - alder
Colds - chamomile, cow parsnip root, currant stem bark tea, devil's club root bark tea, highbush cranberry bark decoction, horsetail, juniper, Labrador tea, poplar, rose hips, rose twig decoction, spruce pitch tea, yarrow
Colic - angelica, chamomile
Congestion (to loosen) - bistort root, chamomile, coltsfoot
Conjunctivitis - horsetail tea
Constipation - cleavers, iris root infusion
Convulsions - highbush cranberry bark
Corns - chamomile
Cough (spasmodic) - chamomile, coltsfoot, juniper
Cramps - highbush cranberry bark
Cutaneous diseases - larch bark tea
Cuts - powdered bistort root, mashed and cooked sourdock root salve, raspberry stem, powdered wormwood leaves, soapberry stem tea, spruce pitch, wormwood tea, yarrow
Cystitis - uva-ursi
Debility - angelica
Delerium tremens - chamomile
Diabetes - angelica, cleavers, devil's club root bark
Diaper rash - sphagnum, wormwood
Diarrhea - alder, cleavers, coltsfoot (leaf or flower infusion), crowberry leaf and stem tea, fireweed root, horsetail, larch leaf tea, plantain, raspberry root tea, shepherd's purse, strawberry roots and leaves boiled in wine and water, sweet gale bark, willow bark, willow root tea enema, yarrow
Dropsy - birch
Dyspnea - yarrow
Earache - wormwood leaf hot pack, yarrow compress
Eczema - juniper
Edema - angelica, birch, cleavers, dandelion, fireweed, horsetail, iris, juniper berries, Labrador tea, poplar bark, strawberry roots, uva-ursi, yarrow
Erysipelas - coltsfoot leaf decoction
Eyes, sore - chickweed, coltsfoot, crowberry juice or stem bark tea, crowberry root decoction, currant stem bark tea, horsetail, rose petal juice, sphagnum (red kind), willow bark, wormwood, yarrow hot compresses
Famine - any berry except baneberry, horsetail root, inner bark of most trees
Fever - bistort root, chamomile, currant juice, devil's club root bark tea, poplar, rose twig decoction, shepherd's purse, sourdock, willow bark, yarrow
Fever (intermittent) - birch
Flatulence - angelica root infusion, juniper berry tea, yarrow
Flu - currant stem bark tea, horsetail, poplar
Foot trouble - alder
Freckles (to remove) - cleavers
Frostbite - poplar bud
Fungus infections - poplar bark
General poor health - chamomile
Glands, swollen - devil's club root bark tea
Gout - birch
Gut trouble - tea of shield fern rhizome or birch leaves
Hair problems - tonic of yarrow
Hangover - sourdock root decoction
Headache - lowbush cranberry hot pack, plantain crushed leaf poultice, poplar leaf compress, spruce pitch and snow poultice, uva-ursi
Headache, bilious - chamomile
Heartburn - angelica
Heart trouble - sourdock as a cordial
Hematuria - horsetail
Hemorrhoids - larch (inner bark tea), yarrow
Hemorrhages - bistort, shepherd's purse, yarrow
Haemoptysis - larch leaf tea
Hives - sourdock leaves, spruce needle wash
Hypertension - horsetail
Hysteria - chamomile
Indigestion - alder, angelica, chamomile
Infection - angelica root poultice, chickweed poultice, devil's club root bark poultice, hot sphagnum poultice, spruce pitch and grease, wormwood, hot yarrow poultice
Inflammation - chickweed, coltsfoot, shepherd's purse, yarrow
Insect stings - bistort root decoction, coltsfoot leaf decoction
Itching - sourdock juice, uva-ursi
Jaundice - sourdock root
Joint pains - wormwood, yarrow
Kidney stones - birch, cranberry, currant, horsetail, poplar bark, uva-ursi
Kidney trouble (tonic for) - cleavers, chamomile, crowberry juice, plantain, shield fern rhizome infusion, spruce pitch tea, uva-ursi
Leg ulcers - coltsfoot leaf decoction
Leucorrhea - strong bistort root decoction, plantain, yarrow
Liver, torpid - chamomile, dandelion root, larch bark tea, poplar bark
Mange - sourdock salve
Melancholy - yarrow
Menorrhagia - larch
Menstrual flow, difficult - currant leaves
Menstrual flow, to decrease - bistort root decoction douche, horsetail, larch bark tea, plantain
Menstrual flow, to increase - angelica root infusion tea
Menstrual flow, irregular - angelica, horsetail decoction with willow leaves, wormwood
Menstrual flow, painful - birch "cone" tea, chamomile, highbush cranberry bark, larch bark tea
Mosquitos (repellent) - elder, plantain, yarrow
Mouth problems (mouthwash) - angelica, birch leaves and bark, currant leaves
Mouth sores - cow parsnip root, willow bark
Muscle cramps - -highbush cranberry bark
Nausea - raspberry leaf tea
Nervousness - chamomile, cow parsnip (eaten)
Nosebleed - shepherd's purse tea, yarrow powder
Obesity - cleavers, horsetail
Pain - poplar, sourdock root, willow bark, wormwood, yarrow root
Phlebitis - coltsfoot leaf decoction
Piles - larch bark tea
Pimples - sweet gale tea (used as wash)
Postparturition - chamomile, raspberry leaf, yarrow
Pregnancy - coltsfoot, raspberry leaf tea (for nausea), wormwood leaves (for massage)
Psoriasis - juniper
Rash - poplar, spruce needle tea wash
Restlessness - fireweed tea
Rheumatism - birch, chamomile, coltsfoot hot pack, coltsfoot root decoction, juniper, Labrador tea, larch bark, yarrow (on steam bath rocks)
Ringworm - plantain, sourdock
Runny nose - raspberry root tea
Scratches - spruce gum
Seasickness - angelica root fumes
Sinus trouble - inhale fumes from roasting birch cones or boiling yarrow
Skin, itching - plantain
Skin disorders - larch bark tea
Skin eruptions - birch leaf tea, chamomile, plantain, sweet gale tea
Skin infections - bathe in willow leaf tea
Sore mouth or gums - bistort root infusion, raspberry leaf tea
Sore throat - alder bark, coltsfoot, cow parsnip, highbush cranberry leaf decoction, larch bark tea, poplar bark, rose root decoction with sugar, willow bark
Sore throat (gargle for) - alder, cow parsnip (whole plant), raspberry leaf tea
Sores - bistort root infusion, chamomile tea, powdered currant stem ashes, devil's club root bark poultice, hot juniper berries, sourdock salve, ashes of burned willow twigs, yarrow powder
Spleen trouble - chamomile
Sprains - chamomile, poplar root poultice
Steam bath - devil's club, wormwood, yarrow
Stings - plantain, willow leaf poultice
Stomach, gas in - alder
Stomach, upset - lowbush cranberries, strawberries
Stomachache - currants (eat the berries), devil's club root bark tea, fireweed tea
Stomach trouble - rose twig decoction, sourdock root tea, uva-ursi,yarrow
Stomach ulcers - coltsfoot
Stomach weakness - chamomile, highbush cranberry bark decoction
Sunburn - poplar (balm of Gilead)
Swelling (to reduce) - angelica root, bistort root, coltsfoot decoction, soapberry stem tea, sourdock root, wormwood poultice
Toothache - angelica root, bistort, chamomile, hot juniper poultice, wormwood, yarrow leaves (chew them)
Tumors - alder stem bark, plantain poultice, shepherd's purse
Ulcers - chamomile, dandelion, juniper, plantain, sourdock root
Urinary problems - angelica, sitz bath of spruce needle tea, uva-ursi
Urine, scanty - birch bark and leaves, uva-ursi
Vermin - horsetail shampoo
Vomiting - raspberry leaf tea
Warts - spruce pitch
Weak blood - rose twig decoction
Weight (to lose) - cleavers
Worms (to expel) - angelica, chamomile, juniper
Wounds - powdered bistort root (applied externally), chickweed, horsetail (for internal wounds of the bowels), hot juniper berries, shepherd's purse (externally as a poultice), yarrow leaves (as an ointment)
Copyright © 1987 by Eleanor G. Viereck