Instructions: Select the plant you want more information about, from the list below.
Dandelion Taraxacum officinale
aka: Priest's Crown, Swine's Snout
Found throughout the northern hemisphere in pastures, yards, meadows, waste places. It has a thick root, brown or black on the outside and white and milky inside. the leaves are jagged, rising directly from a central rosette at the top of the root. The blooms are very sensitive to weather conditions: in fine weather, all the parts are outstretched, but directly rain threatens the whole head closes up at once. It closes against the dews of night, by five o'clock in the evening, being prepared for its night's sleep, opening again at seven in the morning though as this opening and closing is largely dependent upon the intensity of the light, the time differs somewhat in different latitudes and at different seasons. The root and the young tops are used medicinally. They should be dug up in wet weather, but not during frost, which lessens the activity of the roots. Avoid breaking the roots, using a long trowel or a fork, lifting steadily and carefully. Shake off as much of the earth as possible and then cleanse the roots. Cut off the crowns of leaves, but be careful in so doing not to leave any scales on the top. Do not cut or slice the roots or the valuable milky juice on which their medicinal value depends will be wasted by bleeding.
Dried Dandelion root is usually 1/2 inch or less in thickness, dark brown, shriveled, with wrinkles running lengthwise, often in a spiral direction; when quite dry, it breaks easily with a short, corky fracture, showing a very thick, white bark, surrounding a wooden column.
Medicinal: Dandelion benefits all aspects of the liver. It clears obstructions and detoxifies poisons. It will also promote healthy circulation. The juice from a broken stem can be applied to warts and allowed to dry; used for 3 days or so it will dry up the warts. It is also used to treat premenstrual syndrome, as it is a diuretic. Also helps clear skin eruptions. Diuretic, tonic and slightly aperient. It is a general stimulant to the system, but especially to the urinary organs, and is chiefly used in kidney and liver disorders.
Dandelion is not only official but is used in many patent medicines. Not being poisonous, quite big doses of its preparations may be taken. Its beneficial action is best obtained when combined with other agents.
The tincture made from the tops may be taken in doses of 10 to 15 drops in a spoonful of water, three times daily.
It is said that its use for liver complaints was assigned to the plant largely on the doctrine of signatures, because of its bright yellow flowers of a bilious hue.
In the hepatic complaints of persons long resident in warm climates, Dandelion is said to afford very marked relief. A broth of Dandelion roots, sliced and stewed in boiling water with some leaves of Sorrel and the yolk of an egg, taken daily for some months, has been known to cure seemingly intractable cases of chronic liver congestion.
A strong decoction is found serviceable in stone and gravel: the decoction may be made by boiling 1 pint of the sliced root in 20 parts of water for 15 minutes, straining this when cold and sweetening with brown sugar or honey. A small teacupful may be taken once or twice a day.
Dandelion is used as a bitter tonic in atonic-dyspepsia, and as a mild laxative in habitual constipation. When the stomach is irritated and where active treatment would be injurious, the decoction or extract of Dandelion administered three or four times a day, will often prove a valuable remedy. It has a good effect in increasing the appetite and promoting digestion.
Dandelion combined with other active remedies has been used in cases of dropsy and for problems of the liver, and also on the Continent for phthisis and some cutaneous diseases. A decoction of 2 OZ. of the herb or root in 1 quart of water, boiled down to a pint, is taken in doses of one wineglassful every three hours for scurvy, scrofula, eczema and all eruptions on the surface of the body.
Infuse 1 OZ. of Dandelion in a pint of boiling water for 10 minutes; decant, sweeten with honey, and drink several glasses in the course of the day. The use of this tea is efficacious in bilious affections, and is also much approved of in the treatment of dropsy.
Or take 2 OZ. of freshly-sliced Dandelion root, and boil in 2 pints of water until it comes to 1 pint; then add 1 OZ. of compound tincture of Horseradish. Dose, from 2 to 4 OZ. Use as a liver tonic.
Gall Stones: OZ. Dandelion root, 1 OZ. Parsley root, 1 OZ. Balm herb, 1/2 OZ. Ginger root, 1/2 OZ. Liquorice root. Place in 2 quarts of water and gently simmer down to 1 quart, strain and take a wineglassful every two hours.
For a young child suffering from jaundice: 1 OZ. Dandelion root, 1/2 oz. Ginger root, 1/2 oz. Caraway seed, 1/2 oz. Cinnamon bark, 1/4 oz. Senna leaves. Gently boil in 3 pints of water down to 1 1/2 pint, strain, dissolve 1/2 lb. sugar in hot liquid, bring to a boil again, skim all impurities that come to the surface when clear, put on one side to cool, and give frequently in teaspoonful doses.
For Piles (hemorrhoids): 1 OZ. Long-leaved Plantain, 1 OZ. Dandelion root, 1/2 oz. Polypody root, 1 OZ. Shepherd's Purse. Add 3 pints of water, boil down to half the quantity, strain, and add 1 OZ. of tincture of Rhubarb. Dose, a wineglassful three times a day.
The milky juice has also been used to remove warts.
Magical: It is a sign of rain when the down from a ripened dandelion head falls without wind helping it to do so. To blow the seeds off a ripened head is to carry your thoughts to a loved one, near or far.
Growing: Dandelion is a common yard, garden, and roadside weed. Do not gather where chemicals have been used, and don't gather those near roadsides, as they have been contaminated from exhausts.
Dill Peucedanum graveolens
aka: Dill Weed
The dried ripe fruit is the part used medicinally.
Dill is a hardy annual, native to the Mediterranean area. The plant grows ordinarily from 2 to 2 1/2 feet high and is very like fennel, though smaller, having the same feathery leaves, which stand on sheathing foot-stalks, with linear and pointed leaflets. Unlike fennel, however, it is only an annual. It is of very upright growth, its stems smooth, shiny and hollow, and in midsummer bearing flat terminal umbels with numerous yellow flowers. The flat fruits, the so-called seeds, are produced in great quantities. They are very pungent and bitter in taste and very light, an ounce can contain over 25,000 seeds. Their germinating capacity lasts for three years. The whole plant is aromatic.
As a sweet herb, Dill is not much used in this country. When employed, it is for flavoring soups, sauces, etc., for which purpose the young leaves only are required. The leaves added to fish, or mixed with pickled cucumbers give them a spicy taste.
Dill vinegar, however, forms a popular household condiment. It is made by soaking the seeds in vinegar for a few days before using.
Medical: Dill is used to treat colic, gas, and indigestion. Dill is a stimulant, aromatic, carminative and stomachic.
Magical: Dill is used in love and protection sachets. The dried seed heads hung in the home, over doorways, and above cradles provides protection. Add dill to your bath to make you irresistible to your lover.
Growing: Dill grows in most regions of North America. It needs sun and a well-drained soil, and frequent waterings. It is a hardy annual, biennial in the deep southern regions, that reaches 2 - 3 feet tall. Dill matures quickly, and self-sows for the following year. Plant in six week intervals for a season-long supply of fresh dill.
Dragon's Blood Daemomorops draco
The long, slender stems of the genus are flexible, and the older trees develop climbing propensities. The leaves have prickly stalks which often grow into long tails and the bark is provided with many hundreds of flattened spines. The berries are about the size of a cherry, and pointed. When ripe they are covered with a reddish, resinous substance which is separated in several ways, the most satisfactory being by steaming, or by shaking or rubbing in coarse, canvas bags. An inferior kind is obtained by boiling the fruits to obtain a decoction after they have undergone the second process.
Medicinal: The resin of Dragon's Blood is used externally as a wash to promote healing and stop bleeding. Internally it is used for chest pains, post-partum bleeding, internal traumas, and menstrual irregularities.
Magical: Added to love incenses and sachets, it increases the potency of other herbs used. A piece of the plant is often used under the mattress as a cure for impotency. It is also used in spells to bring back a loved one. A pinch added to other herbs for magickal purposes will increase their potency.
The Malay varieties are from D. didynophyllos, D. micranthus and D. propinguus.
The Borneo variety is from D. draconcellus and others.
Dracaena Draco is a giant tree of the East Indies and Canary Islands.
Dracaena terminalis, or Chinese Colli, yields Chinese Dragon's Blood.
Pterocarpus Draco, of the East Indies and South America
Croton Draco or Mexican Dragon's Blood
Croton hibiscifolius of New Granada.
Croton sanguifolius of New Andalusia
Calamus rotang of the East Indies and Spanish America