Native Healers. Anita Ralph
androsaemum L. were both sometimes referred to as ‘Amber’. This name was supposedly because of the dried leaves when crushed smelled like ambergris. One explanation of the name Hypericum is from a corruption of the name ‘park’ by which this plant was known to ancient herbalists. Before scientific nomenclature had properly catalogued Hypericum androsaemum L. it was incorrectly thought to be the agnus-castus described by Pliny (Vitex agnus-castus L.). This is an example from antiquity of why stan-dardising names for plants is very important and helpful.
Definition—Authority citation: In scientific botanical nomenclature, an author citation refers to the person or group of people who first published the scientific name of a plant as specified by the international code of nomenclature. Standardisation of author names has been achieved for almost all plants, so that for example, a plant classified by Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778), is now cited as L. So—Alchemilla vulgaris L. refers to Lady's mantle, as classified by Linnaeus.
Scientific names can give you important information about a plant.
Marigold (Calendula officinalis L.)
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.)
For example, the use of the variety name ‘officinalis’, meaning ‘of the office’, tells us that it was once an officially recognised medicinal plant. An example is marigold, Calendula officinalis L.
Also, the use of the variety name, as in ‘vulgaris’, meaning ‘used commonly by people’, signifies the traditional use in folk traditions as a medicinal plant. An example is mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris L.
Four important medicinal plant families
One of the (many) magnificent things about herbal medicine is that you can meet the agents of healing, the plants themselves, in their natural environment. You can interact closely with plants on many levels, including being out in nature, and observing the changes with the seasons. It is interesting to reflect on what happens through the cycle of the year, noticing the changes all living beings need to make in summer heat or winter cold.
Members of particular plant families are often recognisable by similarities of form, for example similarities between their flowers, stems, seeds and fruits. We now look in more detail at the Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, Asteraceae and Rosaceae plant families as used in herbal medicine. What features do plants share within the same family, and are there compounds and medicinal actions that are shared too?
It is great to learn about wonderful plants growing near where you live. Perhaps you have a plant from one of these families you can get to know more, over the coming year? Correct plant identification is the place to start, and is essential if you intend to use a herb collected from the wild, or even from your garden. Using a plant identification guide-book is complicated at first but becomes easier with practice. Identification of plants is often easiest when the plant is flowering and sometimes impossible when it is not. Learning a new plant in your locality, and revisiting it throughout the year will help you notice it in other locations and commit it to memory. Buying species-correct plants from a nursery, and then growing them in your garden is another way to really get to know a plant in more depth. You may then notice all sorts of features that are not necessarily recorded in popular plant manuals.
Using a hand lens, smelling, tasting, feeling, growing and harvesting plants are all ways we can use our senses to enrich our plant knowledge through observation, just as we use observation techniques in the practice of herbal medicine.2
Foraging guidelines
When foraging or out trying to identify a plant for edible/medicinal purposes, it is very important that you are absolutely certain you have identified it correctly before tasting it, and sometimes even before picking it, as some plants have an irritant sap.
•Mid-spring is a good time of year to start identification.
•If in doubt, ask someone, and never eat anything about which you are not 100% certain.
•Always ask permission of the landowner before picking. Take care not to trespass.
•Check you are not picking a rare protected plant species.
•Avoid contaminated sites (industrial, commercial, canine) where possible.
•Do not over-pick nor take all of a plant from one site.
•Only harvest from abundant populations.
•Leave plenty for other wild creatures.
•Do not take more than you need.
•Avoid or minimise damage to habitat—do not trample!
•Remember the Countryside Code.
Some checks to ensure correct identification:
Location does the plant grow in the location specified in your wild-flower guide?
Time of year is this plant flowering at the expected time of year? If not, it may be something else.
Height does your plant fit within the height range given?
Stems stems can rise from the base of the plant or branch out from a main stem. Stems can be rough or smooth, ridged, hollow, coloured or hairy.
Leaves take your time to really observe. Leaves are remarkably variable even on one plant. Look for leaf shape, leaf margin, leaf veining, the upper surface and underneath of the leaf, and whether the leaf is smooth (glabrous) or hairy (hirsute).
Petals or sepals check for shape, number, the colour of petals and sepals.
Flowers check not just colour, but flowering time and shape. Stamens and stigma are the male and female reproductive organs, and also usually occur in a specific number, and arrangement.
Seed how does your plant manage seed dispersal? Use a hand lens to see the seed more clearly.
Definitions—Petals (a) are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. They are usually accompanied by another set of specialized leaves called sepals (b). The group of petals in one flower are collectively called the corolla (c), a group of sepals collectively form a calyx (d).
Carrot family (Apiaceae)
(Known as the carrot, celery or cow parsley family).
This family consists of plants that can be annual, biennial or perennial.
Definition—Annual, perennial, biennial: Annuals germinate, blossom, produce seed and die in one growing season. Perennials flower reliably every year. Their leaves may die back, but the roots do not, the plant re-emerges from this root. Biennials take 2 years to complete their biological lifecycle. They develop their leaves (often in a rosette), stem (often very short) and roots in the first year, then produce flowers and seed in the second. In doing so, they usually use up their root storage and die. This is particularly important for medicinal plant harvesting of biennials, like Angelica archangelica L. The roots will ideally be harvested at the end of the first year, and before the start of the growth in the second.
A central characteristic of this family is that their flowers can often be grouped in broad or tight heads known as umbels. All the flowers are borne on stalks arising from one point on the main stem, a), rather like the spokes of an umbrella. Each main spoke