Wild Winter Medicines of North Idaho

Here is a copy of a class handout from the class I taught last night. I wanted to share this with you all. If you would like to learn more about these wild botanicals, please join me on an herb walk/ tea talk.

Blessings! -Jessica

Red Clover (Trifolium pretense): A short lived perennial and is a welcome volunteer of the garden! An excellent fertilizer for poor soils as it helps to fix nitrogen. Gather the flowering tops to add to your winter teas. Red clover is high in minerals and makes a delicious tea. It’s chalk full of Vitamin A, C, E, K and B-12 and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, chromium, iron, manganese, niacin, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, silicon, thiamine, trace amounts of zinc, and small amounts of protein. Medicinal actions include alterative, antioxidant, antispasmodic, astringent, bitter, cholagogue, diuretic, expectorant, galactagogue, nervine, sedative and tonic. Caution: take mindfully and use if for short periods of time. People with estrogen sensitive cancers should avoid taking it internally as it is rich in isoflavones which mimic estrogen. Also those on birth control pills and on blood thinning medications, or tamoxifen should avoid it. Listen to your intuition, your body and study your family history. The U.S. government’s National Cancer Institute has validated red clover’s many anti-cancer/ tumor properties.

Dandelion flowers (Taraxacum officinale): An herbaceous perennial that is very easy to identify. It is often referred to as ‘Poor Man’s Ginseng.’ Typically found in disturbed soils, garden edges, meadows and roadsides. The roots, stems, leaves and flower can all be harvested. Harvest roots in spring before the plant flowers in autumn. Young leaves: in early spring and throughout summer. Flowers: when in full bloom. I love to add the flowers to my winter time teas for its taste and nourishing qualities. Dandelion blossoms are rich in the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D. Dandelion roots and leaves are abundant in rich amounts of usable minerals such as calcium, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, silicon, and zinc. They also are a great source of Vitamin A, the B complex, vitamin C and D. They also supply beneficial carotenoids, fatty acids, flavonoids, and phytosterols. The roots can be roasted and made as a delicious coffee substitute.

Elderberry (Sambucus species): Common to riparian habitats, road banks, and moist forest clearings. I often find it growing alongside country roads. The berries of all blue varieties are edible and are best harvested in late summer and early fall. Many modern studies confirm the incredible antiviral properties of this shrub. The berries are high in vitamin A, C, potassium, folate, calcium, iron, bioflavonoids and anthocyanins. Drinking a tea, syrup, or elixir from the berries is a delicious way to prevent cold and flu and to shorten the severity of an illness. The flowers are best harvested in spring time and are an excellent remedy for sinusitis, cold, influenza, bronchitis, diabetes and constipation. Caution: the seeds in the berries contain hydrocyanic acid, a compound that when consumed in large quantities causes diarrhea. Make sure to strain the berries before consuming. Also, make sure to remove the stems from the berries as they could cause cyanide poisoning if consumed in large quantities.

Rosehips (Rosa acicularis): Harvest the hips in late summer into fall. I often find them where there is a lot of water and under moist forests. The bioflavonoids in the rosehips make for an excellent heart tonic. The nutritional profile of hips include: calcium, iron, magnesium, niacin, phosphorous, potassium, protein, riboflavin, selenium, sodium, vitamin A, E, and C, and zinc. Add these ruby reds to your winter teas for a nutritional boost. Caution: the tiny hairs in the seeds can irritate the throat and digestive tract so remove before you dry or simply leave the rosehips whole and know the medicine is found in the skin. You can also make wonderful rosehip seed oil for the skin. I will teach how to make this at another time.

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum species): A sturdy perennial weed that some considered invasive. I consider it one of the best anti-depressants of the plant kingdom! Gather the yellow blooms in late July into August. Gently dry the flowers to be used in your winter teas and medicines. Herbalists have used this herb for centuries as an aid to chronic depression, and to treat injuries of the nervous system. It also acts as a liver tonic and helps relieve stagnation, which is much needed when we are seldom more sedentary in the winter months. St. John's wort is known to have several active ingredients which include cyclopseudohypericin, hypericin, hyperforin, isohypericin, protohypericin, pseudohypericin and several other flavonoids. Each of these active components appears to have differing levels of contribution to its antidepressant properties. I enjoy adding this to a tea blend on the days where I am cooped up inside the house and I need a bit of sunshine. I instantly feel elated after I sip on a cup of this sunshiny flower! It is also quite delicious. Caution: do not consume if on prescription anti-depressants and birth control as it will make these drugs ineffective.

Yarrow (Achilles millefolium): This prolific herb can be found in meadows, sandy slopes, dry areas; also common in garden and waste areas. We are gifted with the white, purple and pink flowers in north Idaho and they all are medicinal. Harvest the flowers in summer, as soon as they are in flower. I gather yarrow in bunches, using scissors to cut the stems and then I tie them up at the base and hang to dry in my kitchen and living room. When I have more time, I remove the leaves and flowers for medicinal use. I like to refer to Yarrow as the ‘Echinacea of the North.’ This fragrant herb is an analgesic, antibacterial, anti-catarrhal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, bitter, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, hepatic, hypoglycemic, hypotensive, stimulant, styptic, tonic and vulnerary. I love to add yarrow flowers to my winter tea blends. It is a bitter herb but it blends nicely with other herbs. I like to work with the herb for female balance and smoother periods. The tea also helps eliminate toxins and promotes perspiration, thereby helping break up colds and flus. Yarrow is an immune stimulant and acts as a mild expectorant helping get rid of excessive phlegm. I will take the dried leaves and grind up to a powder and apply to wounds to stop bleeding. It stings but it’s miraculous! The roots are also great for healing mouth sores.

Lodgepole Pine Needles (Pinus Contorta): These mighty pines provide so much for us! I will focus on making a tea from the fresh pine tips, which contain a large amount of beta carotene, starch, sugars and vitamin C. This is a great winter survival tea. Its medicinal actions include analgesic, antifungal, antimicrobial, antiseptic and disinfectant. It smells like Christmas and has a mild and enjoyable flavor and can be mixed with other herbs. I like to drink this tea and administer it to my people when they have a damp and deep cough. It helps to break up mucous and aids as an expectorant to dispel phlegm deep in the chest. Caution: The tea should only be used in moderation due to its resins.

These herbs we can gather in the wild, in our backyards and gardens. Then we can dry and preserve them to be used during the cold winter months as medicine and delicious teas! Ingesting these herbs when the ground is covered in frost and snow, connects us to nature and grounds us. Can't wait for spring! But in the meantime, I am grateful for my medicine chest full of wild medicines!