Harvest Local: Medicinal Plants of Nova Scotia

On Thursday, April 12, as part of the Ecology Action Center’s “Native Plant Talk” Series, Savayda Jarone talked about medicinal uses for plants that are native to Nova Scotia. The following information is provided to you via notes from her lecture.

Plants have been used as medicine for centuries. As you may expect, several plants which are native to Nova Scotia have medicinal values. This article is intended to teach you some important things about medicinal plants native to Nova Scotia as well as how to properly use them. You may not need to shop at the grocery store for the remedy for your ailment, after all!

Learn the Lingo
Knowledge is a huge confidence builder! After you learn ways to prepare herbs for consumption, you’ll feel better about preparing plants that will… make you feel better! The following is a list of common ways to draw out the medicines from the plants.

An infusion is a tea which uses leaf, flower, and/or stem. How to prepare an infusion: Per cup of boiling water, use 1-2 tsp. dry herb or 2-4 tsp. fresh herb. Place the herb in the boiling water. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain.A decoction is tea which uses root, bark, berries, and/or seeds. How to prepare a decoction: Per cup of water, use 1-2 tsp. dry herb or 2-4 tsp. fresh herb. Place herb in a pot with water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain.

A tincture is made with an alcohol extract. It is generally the most potent preparation. How to prepare a tincture: Steep leaf, flower, stem, root, bark, seeds, or berries for a minimum of 2 weeks in an alcohol extract (like brandy or vodka). Make sure the container is covered. This is a great way to reuse jars!

There are other ways to extract medicine from plants, including: glycerine, vinegar, oil, and honey. Don’t be afraid to be creative. For example, you can make salad dressings with vinegar or oil and herbs.

Plants can also be applied topically (to the skin) by means of: compress, poultice, oil, ointment, liniment, cream, and baths. Again, be creative! Think about taking a hot bath with aromatic plants…

Now, back to the basics. There are some general guidelines you should take into consideration when using herbal medicines.

First, follow these guidelines for harvesting plants.

Identify. Only use a plant if you are 100% positive of its identity. When discussing plants with others, use of the Latin name (scientific name) for the plants is the only way to be sure you are talking about the same plant. A valuable resource for plant identification is the Peterson Field Guide, “Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central Region”, which you can find at most local bookstores.

Harvest In-Season. Harvest each plant and each part of the plant in the proper season. You may not want to harvest leaves during the same season that is best to harvest roots.
Know the area. Make sure that the area from which you are harvesting plants is clean and free from contamination. The best way to do this is to grow the plants in your own garden.
Don’t be greedy. Harvest plants only from areas where the plants are abundant. Always, always, always leave some behind.

Be cautious. Know how to identify endangered or rare plants; and avoid harvesting or damaging them in any way. Avoid harvesting plants that are sensitive in the wild — if you want to use them, grow them in your own garden.

Taylor Head Provincial ParkAlso remember these guidelines for plant use.

Quality counts. Medicinal quality and herbal quality go hand-in-hand. Be sure to select the highest quality herb for best results. The best way to ensure that you are using high-quality herbs is to grow them yourself or to harvest them from a healthy environment which you are familiar with (an uncontaminated site). You should also keep in mind that herbs have ‘peak seasons’; and it is best to harvest herbs during their season of harvest. Seasons of harvest vary from plant to plant, so do your research before you harvest.
Use whole herbs. An herb will work best when it is taken in its whole form. So, try to avoid using supplements.

Take on an empty stomach. Your body will absorb herbs better if you take them when your belly’s growling.

Taste it. Many reactions begin in the mouth. So, it is essential that you taste the herb. If you are taking herbal supplements in pill form, it is better to break open the capsule and taste the herb.

Be aware of proper dosage. Herbs have different strengths, from mild to moderate to strong. You must be aware of the proper dosage of the herb you are using. Don’t forget to take into consideration a person’s weight and state of health.
Take a break. If you continue to use a specific herb over a long period of time, it can lose its effectiveness. Use the changing of seasons and seasonal harvesting to help you ‘change it up’.

Close your eyes and be grateful. When you’re taking herbs, be sure to pause and be grateful for these herbs are doing for you. Visualize your healing.

By now, I’m sure you are itching to read about specific plants’ medicinal uses. Here’s the scoop on a handful of medicinal plants that are native to Nova Scotia.

Pearly Everlasting, Anaphalis margaritacea
This plant grows in open areas. Its white flowers are dry; and it is used to create dryness in the body. It is a good remedy for colds with phlegm or for diarrhea.

Goldenrod, Solidago canadensis
Goldenrod is one of the most abundant wild plants. It is helpful in treating seasonal allergies. It also helps to sooth inflammation. Perhaps best of all, it is tasty in teas!

Bearberry, Artocstaphylos uva-ursi
This forest-dweller grows among moss and coniferous trees. Its use encourages urine flow, so it is good for bladder infections and spring cleansing.

Sweetfern, Comptonia peregrina
This plant is very aromatic, with a tree-like scent. This scent is calming and it soothes nerves. A great way to use this plant is to crush the leaves and put them in your bath water. You may also crumple up the leaves and inhale the aroma; and it tastes good in teas. Sweetfern grows in open areas, on the edges of forests, along roads and along driveways. You may harvest Sweetfern anytime of year.

Bunchberry, Cornus canadensis
Bunchberry gets its name honestly — it grows in bunches of red berries on forest floors. The berries have little flavor, but the leaves are medicinal. It is used to treat muscle aches and pain as well as urinary- and respiratory infections. It can also be prepared to use as an eyewash.

False lily of the valley, Maianthemum canadense
This plant grows in big sprawling patches. It is characterized by two big leaves and white flowers.  Early in August, the flowers disappear and berries appear. These berries are first red, but later become purple. The berries are edible and they have a unique flavor, similar to cranberries. The leaf and flower may be used in tea form to treat headaches.

Horsetail, Equisetum arvense
Horsetail is a prehistoric plant that is high in minerals and silica. It is used medicinally to restore tissue in the body and to heal lung and urinary ailments.

Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana
The leaves and roots of wild strawberry are full of tanins. They are also an astringent, which means they promote dryness. Harvest the leaves before the flower and berry appear. The roots are helpful in treating diarrhea. Harvest the roots in autumn.

Blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium
Blueberry leaves are used to manage blood sugar levels. They taste good, too. Prepare the leaves fresh or dry in tea.

Balsam fir, Abeis balsamea
This coniferous tree can be identified by its flat stem and flat leaf; and white stripes on the backside of the leaf. It also has boils, or pockets, all over its trunk. These pockets are full of medicinal sap, which is very strong and potent. The sap, which has antibacterial compounds, is used as a dental remedy for people with mouth infections. To use this sap, simply locate a Balsam fir, pop one of the sap blisters, and rub the sap on the gum that hurts. This sap can also be used to aid with infection and bleeding on cuts, scrapes, or wounds. The same medicine can be derived from the leaves, especially new growth. These are high in vitamin C. They are good for seasonal allergies, for coughs and cold, and to improve digestion. You can prepare the leaves in a tea, which needs to be steeped only 5 minutes in boiling water. You may also boil the leaves and inhale the steam to relieve sinus infections and lung congestion.

Labrador tea, Ledum groenlandicum
Labrador tea can be used for drying things up. So, it is good for respiratory ailments, lung infection or congestion, a diuretic, and urinary issues. It forms a nice brown tanin, making it rich when prepared as a tea. You can find Labrador tea in damp places, by the sea; and the underside of its leaf is fuzzy orange or white.

Evening primrose, Oenothera parviflora
Seeds from evening primrose can be harvested and collected to help with hormonal imbalance and acne. The root can be used as a pulpice.

Jewel weed (Touch-me-not), Impatiens capensis
Juice from the leaf and stem of jewel weed is good for mosquito bites.

Here is a list of additional plants that are native to Nova Scotia and which can be harvested for medicinal use.

Herbs for Harvest, Native To Nova Scotia
Wild sarsaparilla, Aralia nudicaulis
Hairy sarsaparilla, Aralia hispida
Horsetail, Equisetum arvense
Boneset, Eupatorium perfoliatum
Bayberry, Myrica pensylvanica
White pine, Pinus strobus
Plantain, Plantago major
Wild rose, Rosa virginiana
Blackberry, Rubus allegheniensis
Elder, Sambucus canadensis
Rowan, Sorbus americana
Bluebeed lily, Clintonia borealis
Cinqeufoil, Potentilla canadensis
Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris

Mark your calendar with these dates if you are interested in following medical herbalist, Savayda Jarone, on one of her herb walks from 6:30 to 8:00 pm:

June 25: Point Pleasant Park
July 5: Seaview Park Lookoff

You can find more information about herb walks and herbal medicine at Savayda Jarone’s website, http://www.mayflowerherbs.ca

On July 22, the Herb Society will host its annual Herb Fair. This is an all day event.

Also, check out the online database created by Wolfville’s Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens: http://botanicalgardens.acadiau.ca/.

The next Native Plant Talk will be April 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the North End Public Library in Halifax. It will be presented by Jayme Melrose, who will talk about working with native plants for landscape design, permaculture, and plant communities.

Written by Alexis White

Naturalization an Urban perspective.

Over the past several years my perspective with regards to food and plants has shifted dramatically in leaps and bounds. From everything ranging from learning about GM foods to opening my eyes to the world of soil microbiology. My most recent eye opening took place this past Thursday evening while attending the first of the Native Plant Talk Series by Dr. Bill Freedman.

Bill is an advocate of what is called urban naturalization, the process of returning urban ecosystems to a relatively high level of ecological integrity. Here are some of the things I learned from his talk.

Ecological integrity- What it is and why it is important.

Ecological integrity is a term used to describe ecosystems that have plenty of indigenous biodiversity, complete food webs, are self-sustaining, have naturally functioning nutrient and water cycles and are resilient and resistant to environmental change.  You can compare this to an urban ecosystem which has little to no ecological integrity, are intensively managed, has very little biodiversity, and nutrients and water are constantly leaving the system, requiring more to be added (Fertilizers). Alien species are the primary cause of low ecological integrity, invasive plants smother the native species, foreign insects kill our trees and even less malign alien species simply don’t provide local species with the sorts of habitats that they require to survive.

There is huge intrinsic value in living harmoniously with natural systems but lets face it, that’s not enough to motivate most people. So what are some of the other advantages of having human populated ecosystems that have ecological integrity?

1)    They require less energy. Trees and shrubs provide cooling in hot climates and seasons and in winter protect building from wind. Many of our neighbourhoods do have plenty of trees and are gaining these energy savings but because the alien dominated urban landscape requires such intensive management these savings are offset. Annual flowers are planted and die every year, shrubs and hedges need to be pruned and manicured, lawns need fertilizing and mowing.

2)    They help maintain high levels of biodiversity. As cities and towns expand and areas of low ecological integrity along with them, we begin to see local species disappear. This may not seem like that big of a deal but imagine a landscape populated overwhelmingly only by species that live around humans, pets and alien plant species. Things like rats, house mice, pigeons, crows, starlings, fleas, bedbugs, flies. In short, things we consider to be pests.

3)    They help save our pollinators. As biodiversity decreases we also begin to see some of our precious butterflies and bees disappear. These pollinators are of course integral to growing any type of plant, including food crops.

Native plants and Urban ecosystems.

So what’s the best way to improve ecological integrity? It’s simple, grow native plants. Native means that the species was present prior to the presence of European settlers, essentially they are species that evolved locally.

Take a look at the plants in your garden, your neighbours garden and our city’s parks. You’ll be hard pressed to find any native species at all. Conventional horticulture relies heavily on pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and plenty of watering. This is because the species of plants that we are trying to grow are not native to this area. Plants that have evolved locally require less care; they don’t need extra watering, fertilizers or pesticides. There are tons of species to choose from, many of them just as attractive as non-native species.

Bill has used his own small urban property as a model for how we might transform our yards from being dominated by alien species to full of low maintenance, beautiful native plants. Here is a video of him and his yard.

Here’s how to naturalize your yard, Bill Freedman style:

1)    First collect and establish native shrubs in your existing yard. Ask around at nurseries, until recently nurseries did not have any native plants, and many still don’t. It’s a good idea to research any plant you find to make sure it is native. Bill says that its not so important that the plant be native to precisely the area you live, as long as they are native to the general area. You can also get native plants from the surrounding countryside, again do some research to make sure the species is native, and of course make sure that it is abundant in the area you are taking it from. You can also start some species from seed.

2)    Once shrubs have been established kill your lawn (oh the horror!) Lay down some wet newspaper and then cover it in 10cm or so of bark mulch.

3)    Plant more native species!

4)    Maintain your yard by weeding out the alien species. This requires you to be a bit savvy in identifying what is native and what isn’t.

5)    Tell people what you are doing! Let your neighbours know, they might not like it but at least they will know why. Tell your friends and family, help them learn if they express interest.

This is of course the most dramatic course of action you can take. You might find it hard to leave the culturally ingrained sense of aesthetic for manicured lawns and flower beds full of non-natives behind. That’s ok! Start by converting your flower beds to native plants, or even just part of them.

Here’s some resources to help you get started:

Native Plant Sources

May 5, 2012. PLANT SALE at the Harriet Irving Botanical Garden

Baldwins Nursery

Millbrook Greenhouses Nursery

Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project

Books

Tallamy, D. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Timber Press.

Cullina, W. (2000) Wildflowers; A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America. Houghton Mifflin

Sanders, J. (2003) The Secrets of Wildflowers: A delightful feast of little-known facts, folklore, and history.  The Lyons Press

Johnson, Lorraine. (2011) 100 Easy-To-Grow Native Plants: For Canadian Gardens. Whitecap Books

NSAC Native Plant Garden

written by Sebastian Palmer

photos by Rebecca Singer taken at the Harriet Irving Botanical Garden

Six Native Plants For Your Garden.

SIX FLOWERS: Native to Nova Scotia’s Acadian Forest that are excellent for pollinators. Information is selected from William Cullina’s book Wildflowers; A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America.

“There is value in preserving wilderness, but there is equal value in restoring the suburbs and cities where most of us live to something closer to balance, for our children’s sake and the sake of all the other species around us.”

-William Cullina

1. Turtlehead, Chelone Glabra

LIGHT- Part sun

SOIL- Moist to wet

HIGHT- 3 feet

COLOUR- white

BLOOM- from late summer to fall.

WILD LIFE- Nectar plants. White turtlehead is one of the two larval food plants for the lovely orange and brown Baltimore checker spot, euphydryus phaeton,

PROPAGATION- Easy from seed or cuttings.

“Although turtle heads are found in wet locations in the wild, they adapt well to average garden soils as long as drought can be avoided. They divide and transplant readily, and once established are virtually trouble free.”

2. New England Aster, Aster novae-angliae

LIGHT- Part sun

SOIL- Moist

HEIGHT- 2-6 feet

COLOUR- violet to purple or rose

BLOOM- fall

WILDLIFE- Asters are one of the most important fall nectar plants, and a patch of flowering plants seems to attract any and all the pollinators in the area, frantically trying to gather the last of the season’s bounty. A number of asters are also important food plants for butterfly larvae. Many of the crescents feed on asters.

PROPAGATION- Generally easy from seed.

One of the showiest and most often cultivated of the larger asters. Forms thick clump after a few years.

3. Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias Incarnata

LIGHT- Sun, pat shade

SOIL- Moist to wet

HEIGHT- 2-4 feet

COLOUR- white and pink

BLOOM- summer

WILDLIFE- Excellent nectar plants, food for the larval stage of the monarch and queen butterflies.

PROPAGATION- Easy from seed.

“One of the our widest ranging and showiest species with flattened, brightly coloured flower heads at the tips of tall stems. Although found in wet soils, it will thrive in the garden if soil is not droughty. Strongly clumping.”

4. Bone set, Eupatorium perfoliatum

LIGHT- Sun, part sun

SOIL- Moist to wet

HEIGHT- 2-4 feet

COLOUR- white

BLOOM- late summer

WILDLIFE- Excellent nectar plant

PROPAGATION- Easy form seed or cuttings.

Makes an excellent garden plant, with interesting foliage and hazy masses of purple or white flowers that are absolute favorites of butterflies and bees. They are tough, easy plants for range of soils and uses, and no wildflower garden would be complete without one or two. Size and presence that rivals any shrub and smoky lavender flower heads that can be as big as basketballs on 6-foot stems.

5. Cardinal Flower, Lobelia Cardinalis

LIGHT- Sun to light shade

SOIL- Moist to wet, acidic to neutral

HEIGHT- 2-4 feet

COLOUR- crimson, occasionally white or pink blooms late summer

WILDLIFE- Excellent nectar plants. Both are very attractive to hummingbirds.

PROPAGATION- Easy from seed or cuttings

6. Giant Sunflower, Helianthus giganteus

LIGHT- Sun, part sun,

SOIL- Moist to wet

HEIGHT- 6-10 feet

COLOUR- disk yellow, rays pale to strong yellow

BLOOM- fall

WILDLIFE- Nectar, also larval food. Seed head are excellent for birds.

BOOKS

Cullina, W. (2000) Wildflowers; A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America. Houghton Mifflin

Sanders, J. (2003) The Secrets of Wildflowers: A delightful feast of little-known facts, folklore, and history.  The Lyons Press

Johnson, Lorraine. (2011) 100 Easy-To-Grow Native Plants: For Canadian Gardens. Whitecap Books

Tallamy, D. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Timber Press.