Herbal Education

I had the pleasure of spending heaps of time at the ocean this summer. It's truly my medicine. One of my favorite plants to spend time with there is the abundant Beach Rose (Rosa rugosa), whose Rose Hips are perfectly ripe and ready to harvest right now. Later, in the early fall, the Rose Hips of our common inland Wild Rose (Rosa multiflora) will ripen, brightening the landscape with their red glow in the hedgerows.

Both make great medicine, although the hips of the Beach Rose are undeniably larger, tastier and juicer. Read on below for in-depth info on the medicinal use of Rose Hips and ways to incorporate them into your apothecary and kitchen.

Peach is a supremely cooling remedy in the Rose Family, perfect for the summer. We most often work with the bark, flowers and leaves in herbalism, although the fruit is of course medicinal too. But for this monograph we’ll be focusing on the plant parts used to make medicinal preparations.

Read on to learn about Peach beyond just its culinary uses and get to know the medicine of this wonderful plant!

The resinous Cottonwood and Poplar Buds (Populus spp) have been used for medicine across cultures worldwide since ancient times, earning them the common name Balm of Gilead. As early as the 1100's Unguentum Populeon was mentioned in the incredible herbal text, The Trotula, as a lard-based salve that heavily featured buds of Populus species trees, most likely Black Poplar (Populus nigra), which is native to Eurasia. It was often prescribed for pain and fevers, which tracks, since the buds contain the analgesic anti-inflammatory constituent salicin. The recipe also calls for some witchy Nightshade Family plants including Mandrake, Henbane and Black Nightshade, the inclusion of which has caused some scholars and herbalists to theorize that this may have been a version of a witch's “flying ointment,” which was applied topically for its mind-altering and divinatory effects.