mmm, mmm - Bilberry

Vaccinium spp.

Both the leaves and the fruit can be used medicinally...however, we stock just the dried fruit, which is the most commonly and studied part of the plant.  so, took about 2 tablespoons of the dried fruit and brewed it in about a cup or so of water.  by brew, i mean I made a decoction.  and by decoction, i mean bringing the water and herb to a boil in water and then lowering to a simmer for about 20 minutes or so.   the water turned a nice deep purple and i added just a tiny bit of honey to it.  i thought about some apple cider vinegar, just cause i am into that kinda thing...maybe next time.  this time, i wanted to taste more of the bilberry.  and it was delicious!  it didn't even need the honey, it was sweet and flavorful.  it would be a great tea for kids, or to add to another tea for flavor.  or jsut by itself everyday as a tonic.

if you did it everyday as a tonic, some of its uses might be helpful to know.  to see if you are someone that could use a bilberry tonic.  it is great to the vascular system.  things like Raynaud's syndrome (cold hands and feet), venous disorders during pregnancy, varicose veins (venous insufficiency), hemorrhoids.  According to Mills and Bone, it decreases vascular permeability, and so therefore increases capillary integrity.  it is also used in my vision supplements.  it is astringent and can be sued for diarrhea, and is great for inflammaotry bowel conditions.   so, there i would be thinking a yummy tea for my kids if they were having diarrhea or some digestive thing with loose stools.  and like other dark berries, it is antioxidant as well.

what a pleasant tea for this sunny seattle day.  would be great on ice as well!  or made into a syrup.  or used in some yummy cocktail.  and you know there's delicious bilberry jam out there as well.

drink up!

i bet i'll be having more bilberry tea from now on...and wouldn't you know, i could use it after all my pregnancies i got a little venous insufficiency myself!

Melissa

Bayberry, what have i got myself into?

so, seriously people.  this is another week where the herb i am drinking matches up with symptoms that present themselves in my family.  and this time it was me!

I woke up one morning with a swollen left gland under my jaw line.   it quickly turned into a sinus issue with incredible pain and a sore throat.  gargling with saltwater and turmeric powder really soothed the sore throat, works every time.  but i was still left with this awful sinus thing.  aha!  bayberry!

Michael Moore  suggests that it "increases lymph circulation and helps prevent the ineffiecient, poorly drained engorgements of the sinus membranes."  it is very astringent, which can help tone atonic tissues.  in my notes from herb school, James Snow lists it as a stimulating anticatarrhal and decongestant.  the botanical or Latin name for bayberry is Myrica cerifera, but the species californica is also used...though less often.

so, I mixed up some bayberry...and added osha, thyme, balsam root (which i never would have thought of if it weren't for drinking it earlier in this blog) and red root.  man, was it astringent!  that bayberry really puckers you up.  the tea was sorta red and had this dark, thick look to it...probably a combination of all the herbal magic going on.  I have to say, it really helped.  The next day, i was in much less pain in my sinuses and was feeling much less tired and sick as well.  Cheers to bayberry and friends.

but now i am left to wonder what herb is next?  and to hope that i don't have to get sick to see that it works!

melissa

barberry…right in time

Berberis vulgaris   you knew when i would need you most.

last week i drank this tea...and again, i was pleasantly surprised that i did not hate it.  not that i think i hate herbs...it's just that as a tea, i guess i expect them to taste nasty.  so, i usually prefer tincture.  which is nasty a times, but smaller doses, and quick to get down.  plus the alcohol sorta sometimes gives the illusion that i am having fun.  just kidding.  :)

So...barberry.  the day i drank it my family came down with a stomach bug.  puking, diarrhea, feeling tired.  these are some of the things that barberry is good for!  so, i brought some home and brewed it up, nice and strong.  and i made my three kids drink a cup...and my husband.  i just made a fun time of it, and told them..."ok, we're gonna drink some nasty tea!" with a smile on my face.  the older two winced a little more, and with lots of coaxing about how they wouldn't get sick if they drank this...they finally got it down.  truth be told, they both had the same initial reaction to tasting it....they'd rather get sick!  opun more reflection, they choked it down.  my youngest though...she had been throwing up already that day...and she was happy to drink her "nasty" tea...so she would get better.  and she was very pleased with herself.  and she did get better.  only one other kids threw up, and that was only once...with no other symptoms.  and the biggest kid, my husband :), he did get sick...but i think he didn't get enough tea!

so...i am excited to see what this week brings....in tea form and otherwise!

peace...Melissa