Folk Medicine

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Folk Medicine

 

Newfoundland culture is well known for its wealth of home-made

remedies and cures. Many of our traditional medicines come from plants

that

grow wild throughout the province.

 

Plant: Chokecherry

 

Ailment: The sickness the chokecherry cures is pneumonia. It also

treats colds and coughs and clears the throats of speakers and singers.

 

Remedy: In late autumn or early spring, when the sap first appears,

pry the bark off the stem, dry it and store it in a tin. To use the

chokecherry as a remedy, boil the bark to make a tea.

Plant: Juniper

 

Ailment: The juniper can cure kidney ailments.

 

Remedy: To cure kidney ailments, crush the berries and put them in a

tea mixture.

Plant: Labrador tea

 

Ailment: If you have a cold, flu or stomach upset, you can use a

leaf from the Labrador tea.

 

Remedy: Dry the leaves and make them into a tea.

Plant: Dandelion

 

Ailment: Boils

 

Remedy: Boil fresh dandelion leaves and eat them as a blood

purifier.

Plant: Balsam fir

 

Ailment: You can use balsam fir to soothe or heal a cut.

Remedy: Apply bladders or blisters (sap) from a fir tree. Spread the

sap across the cut until it is completely covered.

Plant: Hawthorn bush

 

Ailment: Sore throat

Remedy: Boil a piece of the hawthorn bush and gargle with the

liquid.

Plant: Black currant

 

Ailment: Miscarriage

 

Remedy: Black currant and wild mint leaves and roots can be made

into a tea. If you can get black currants, eat all you want. If you can't

get the berries, try black currant jam.

 

Plant: Yarrow

 

Ailment: The yarrow can cure many ills. It was also used as a hair

wash.

Remedy: Mix yarrow with other herbs and make it into infusions and

teas. (Infusion: a liquid extract made by boiling or soaking)

Plant: Foxglove

Ailment: The heart is weakened and the rhythm of the heart is

affected.

Remedy: The foxglove has unusual value in strengthening the heart

muscles. The active chemical called " digitalis " is obtained from the

dried

leaves of the purple foxglove. It is one of the most valuable heart

remedies known today. (*This remedy should not be used without consulting

a

doctor.)

Plant: Pitcher plant

Ailment: Constipation

Remedy: Use as a laxative. The flower is ground up and eaten.

Plant: Violets

 

Ailment: If you have summer illnesses such as an upset stomach or a

cramp, you should use violets as a home remedy.

 

Remedy: Pour hot water over a mixture of violet leaves, stems, roots

and petals to make a tea. You can also chew fresh leaves or petals.

Plant: Borage or Starflower

Ailment: Colds and flu

 

Remedy: Boil parts of the plant to make a tea.

Plant: Alder

Ailment: Use the alder to cure cuts and burns.

Remedy: Boil the bark, them grind it and rub it on the cut or burn.

Plant: Cherry tree

 

Ailment: The bark of the cherry tree can be used to restore

appetite.

Remedy: Boil the bark of the cherry tree and drink the liquid.

 

 

 

Diana

 

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