MyHerbCorner

Posts Tagged ‘fever’

It’s kind of funny that I have never written something about my favorite tree!
I always loved the feathery leaves of an European ash (Fraxinus exelcior) and the seeds on a twig in autumn have been fun to use as ‘rattle’ when I was a child.

There are many uses of this lovely tree and I show you here some which you can do now if you have spring or autumn

First let me say that you can identify this tree easily by its black buds.

Some buds will grow leaves…

…and some will grow red flowers which later turn into black (sorry for the awful blurry pics)

In spring before the leaves arrive it is a good time to collect bark from 3-4 year old ash twigs. You can either cut of twigs and stripe down the bark or you can stripe on one side of a twig without cutting the branch off. Dry sorely in the dark and low temperature.
This bark is great to reduce fever as well as a tonic for the stomach.
Give one tablespoon bark into a pot with 1 cup water and bring to boil. Then lid and let infuse for 15 minutes. Drink a fresh made cup in the morning and one in the evening.

When the leaves arrive and are still young but fully developed go and collect them for an anti-aging tea
Yes it is true according to herbalist Hermann-Josef Weidinger.
A tea of the dried leaves slow down the aging process (ah… don’t look at my photo now, I haven’t tried it but will do :- )
Anyway, you should pluck the leaves away from their stems and dry carefully.
A tea of ash leaves is mild to the kidneys and is therefor used in mild diuretic tea blends.

Soon you can collect ash blossoms in New Zealand! They make an interesting tea which is said to help against lung catarrh. You can make a tea with fresh or dried flowers.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere collect the ripe seeds.
You can make a ‘detoxifying’ weekend by simmering 20g ash seeds in one liter water and strain into a thermos-bottle. Drink over the day, this is a good diuretic so stay at home and relax

The seeds are also lovely in potpourris or as addition in smudging mixes (click here for an easy way to smudge )

What can be fresher then homegrown ginger

The aerial part is milder and you don’t use it for medicine, use it for tea and cooking instead.

This big root will go into medicine making while I replant the smaller pieces. They should be big enough in a year.

To make ginger tincture grate the clean root (no need to peel) finely.

Then give it into a jar with lid and fill up with Vodka or Brandy. Let infuse for 6 weeks and shake daily for the first week. You may also have to top up with alcohol in the first few days. If you would like to know more about tincture making click here.

Some people don’t consume alcohol so that’s why I try out the difference between an alcohol extract and vinegar extract. I have never tried out ginger in vinegar so this will be an exciting experiment

The ginger tincture will be helpful by travel sickness or gastrointestinal infections. If you like to know more about ginger, please click here.

Today I also crushed some cinnamon quilts for a tincture which can be used for colds, fevers or coughs.