Taraxacum officinale
By Carl Price and Ellen Reardon.
This article first appeared in Let’sTalk Plants! April 2008, No. 163.
A few months ago, we wrote an essay on “Plants that Heal” (*Current Editor’s note: see below). Although both this and the earlier narrative issue from ideas formed at the same meeting, our hope is that this story will highlight California plants, and how to use them medicinally to remedy which particular symptoms.
It was certainly a shock to learn at that meeting, from casual conversations with graduate students proud to be presenting their research, that the younger generation was no longer interested in identifying plants specific for troublesome ailments. People no longer knew which plant, let alone which part of the plant— roots, leaves, berries, etc.— was useful. Should the plants be gathered during the daytime or night? Is phase of the moon important? Should the plant segments be steeped, used as a poultice or rubbed on? And the students certainly wanted to earn more than their grandmothers’ approximate wage of 19 cents/hour. The Waterford Press guide to Medicinal Plants by James Kavanaugh is an invaluable addition to our libraries, especially when fortified by the Sunset Western Garden Book.era
Let’s begin with the ubiquitous dandelion, Taraxacum officinale; tea from the leaves is a remedy for upset stomach, whereas tea from the roots is a diuretic. Many people make wine from the leaves too. Personally, I think it tastes terrible!
Echinacea spp.
Although the lovely coneflower, Echinacea spp., gained notoriety some years back as a preventative of the common cold, a status that has not held up to scientific scrutiny, tea from its root or leaves is highly antiseptic and is used to clean sores and insect bites.
Asclepias spp.
Butterfly gardeners are aware that milkweed, Asclepias spp., brings droves of the winged darlings to their yards, but may not know that the milky sap helps to heal sores and removes corns and warts.
Impatiens capensis
Rubbing on skin of crushed stems and leaves of jewelweed, Impatiens capensis, relieves the sting of poison ivy and also of boils.
Opuntia spp.
There are still some areas in San Diego County where prickly pear cactus, Opuntia spp., can grow and produce stunning yellow or orange flowers in early spring. But in a pinch (pun intended!) the peeled paddles can serve as a poultice.
Quercus agrifolia
The mighty oak tree that grew from a tiny acorn begets many more acorns, which when boiled produce an astringent wash with a styptic effect that stops bleeding.
Leucanthemum vulgare
Sunflower, Helianthus spp.; oxeye daisy, Leucanthemum vulgare; speedwell, Veronica spp.; and black mustard, Brassica niger (why is it yellow?) are each used as a tea to alleviate colds, coughs, fevers and bronchitis. From just looking out the car window at our local meadows, there seems to be enough mustard to eliminate colds for years to come.
Brassica niger
In addition to sparking up Mediterranean food, the aggressive peppermint, Mentha piperita, is useful as a soothing tea to treat anxiety, insomnia and coughs. As a child, I remember my mother administering mint to relieve nausea. So before you rip any more of that encroaching peppermint from your garden, save enough to sit back and relax with peppermint tea in hand.
Spearmints, like this "Mint The Best", Mentha spicata, have less menthol than peppermint varieties which make them the best choice for using fresh in mint sauces and drinks.
*Editor’s note: The previous article mentioned by the authors in this piece is not in the online archive which only goes back to January 2008. If you have access to copies of newsletters in your collections from 2007 and before, please photocopy the “Plants the Heal” article mentioned herein and email it to Karen England at k-england@cox.net and, while we are on the subject of notes, if you would like to help with the newsletter, this column, FROM THE ARCHIVES, is looking for an editor to cull through the archives and pick classic articles to present to the membership in the newsletter each month. Contact Karen England at
k-england@cox.net for more information and to volunteer.
Members Ellen Reardon and Carl Price are retired from Rutgers University, where they conducted research on the molecular biology of plastids and served as editors of journals in their field.