Semester 3, Week 5, Day 4

Day 4 of the week and I'm feeling very far behind.  I have not figured out what to post for any of the classes yet but I realized what I can do for my lab this morning.  I'm going to create a cough/cold syrup!  We shall see how it goes.  The herb I need to use can be used in so many ways.  I can't wait to share it!  But I will.  Breakfast is done. The kids are ready for the day and I don't have to go anywhere.  This means I can get things done!  I only have 3 more tinctures going.  I still need to get out my dehydrator and get Rosie's clippings going.  I need to get out there and see how she's doing since I did that.  The mint plants and the ginger are doing so well you can barely tell what's what!  I need to get a picture when I can.  I heard the toilet lid go up and my son met me in the hallway.  "I wasn't playing in the toilet water mommy, I promise!"  LOL   I heard a plate hit the floor...  Apparently I THOUGHT I cleaned up the breakfast dishes and didn't....  LOL  It's going to be a great day!  I just need to remember to stay positive.  Things go much better when I do that.  I think I need to get in to the actions of chickweed since there are so many but I do have a question/comment first.  I made someone a member of my page yesterday and it opened up a bunch of things for them.  It makes me think my Herbal List and Virtual Herbarium pages are not available from this view?  If you want me to add you as a member so you can get there from here, just send a comment.  If not, the main website is crouchwritinggallery.com.  My blog is the second tab over and there is a bunch of other stuff up there.  I advise doing one or the other because I don't define anything more than once.  Once I define it, I add it to the Herbal List page so there is a running list of all the things I've talked about. Now on to chickweed.

I'm going to start this using Griffin.  Not all of them will be there but it will put a dent in it.  The reason I like to start with her is she has a section where she defines them before getting into the recipes and uses and such.  I do recommend this book.  I accidentally bought a second copy that one day I will mail out to my friend...  LOL

Antiseptics are used to prevent bacteria growth internally and externally.  (Griffin, 1997, p. 7)

Emollients soften and sooth the skin. (Griffin, 1997, p. 9)

Expectorants are the ones that make you cough up and spit out mucous.  This includes mucous from the sinuses, lungs and stomach. (Griffin, 1997, p. 9)  The cough itself is relieved by antispasmodics but this is why you want to think before taking cough medicine.  The body wants to get rid of that mucous for a reason.

Laxatives: There are 3 kinds.  Stimulants promote bile and increase digestion. Basically, your stomach works better so the stuff comes out of you correctly.  Lithotriptics dissolve kidney and/or gallstones.   Lubricants moisten the system and help firm things up for expulsion (without being gross).  (Griffin, 1997, p. 10)

Vulneraries promote cell growth/repair (griffin, 1997, p. 11). 

I took gastrointestinal information off the list because that is an indication, not an action.  There were 2 here I had talked about previously but i explained better here and added a source.  I'm going to try to do that more since there is so much conflicting information out there.   Have a great day!

Therapeutic Actions: refrigerant, anti-ulcer (peptic), antirheumatic, antiscorbutic, pectoral

Active Constituents: Mills and Bones (2010) list flavonoids, phenolic acids, triterpenoid saponins, phytosterols, carotenoids, and lipids. a saponin that accounts for the expectorant action, some mucilage, resin, and glycosides that have a mild antiseptic action when heated. (Class Lesson, Herb 502)    Hoffman (2003) Saponin glycosides; coumarins and hydroxycoumarins;  carboxylic acids; triterpenoids