Your Medicinal Plants

Espinheira Santa

Familia de Celasteraceae

This herb is native to South America.
The scientific name of this herb is Maytenus ilicifolia, and belongs to the family Celasteraceae.
This herb is a perennial shrub or mild subtropical climate, typical of hills and mountains, from 1 to 5 m. high.
In the wild, this herb grows mainly in semi-shade sites with fertile, deep, somewhat loamy and well drained.
Espinheira Santa leaves are simple and alternate petiole short, spiny-toothed edge elliptical or oblong 4 to 7 cm. long and between 1 and 3 cm. wide, color is bright green and opaque by the beam on the underside.
The flowers of this herb are yellowish, small, and can also grow alone or in bouquets.
The fruit of this herb, is a capsule containing 1 to 4 seeds, and of course opens this fall.
The Espinheira Santa is multiplied by means of its seeds in the autumn and winter.
The concordance is a medicinal plant resistant to pests and diseases.
The parties used this herb are its leaves, bark and roots.
The Espinheira Santa is a medicinal plant rich in: alkaloids, friedelin, friedelanol, lactones – maitanprina, tannins, flavonoids, minerals (sodium, iron, and calcium), mucilage, nitrogen compounds, proanthocyanidins.
This medicinal plant is used to treat asthma problems, as well as antiseptic, antacid, analgesic, soothing antitumor fertility regulator, aphrodisiac, diuretic and to treat cancer problems.
You can use this herb to reduce fertility in women.
This herb is not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing.

Recipes for this herb:

Compress:
Place 10 sheets of this herb in a pint of water, once boiling remove from heat. Allow to cool naturally and then use.

Artichoke

Familia de Asteraceae

The Artichoke is a medicinal plant native to the Mediterranean.
The scientific name of this herb is Cynara scolymus.
This herb was known to Greeks and Romans, and apparently gave him aphrodisiac.
The Artichoke is an herb cultivated as food for temperate climates. Belongs to the Asteraceae family.
Artichoke is named as both the whole plant, including inflorescence, edible flower head.
The Artichoke is a perennial herb to 150 cm wingspan.
Artichoke leaves are light green and covered by white fibers that make you look pale.
When the plant is grown, it grows on a stem rather tall, plump color, and with a kind of ribs (as in pineapple) with dwindling leaves.
At the upper end of this stem is the tender and edible. Medicinal plants to bloom, the fruit very hard and no longer can use to eat.
This herb is made up of carbohydrates, such as inulin and fiber, also minerals (sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium), vitamins B1, B3, C. Cynarin is present in leaves, stems and roots, and is an acidic substance with the capacity to increase bile secretion.
Part of this medicinal plant used for medicinal purposes are the roots, leaves and stems.
This herb is indicated for treatment of anemia, diabetes, constipation, liver disorders, gout and rheumatism, is also a digestive, diuretic, antirheumatic and serves against hemorrhoids.
On the other hand, low calorie content of this herb makes it very desirable in slimming diets.

Recipes for this herb:

Cooking: the juice resulting from the decoction of the leaves of this herb is used to treat rheumatism problems. You will take 2 cups per day.

Infusion: 10 g are placed. of fresh leaves of Artichokes in 1 liter of water, tea leaves n in 15 minutes. You should drink 1 cup before meals (3-4 cups a day) and serves as a liver protectant.

Cooking: 5 minutes boil 20 gr. root of the herb per liter of water. Take 3 cups a day.

Medicinal wine: used 20 gr. fresh Artichoke leaf for a liter of wine. Let stand for 5 days and then take a cup 2 times daily 30 minutes before meals.

Pomegranate

Familia de Punicaceae

The scientific name of this herb is Punica granatum L.  The Pomegranate belongs to Punicaceae family. The grain is one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees in the Iberian Peninsula. It is a medicinal plant native to the East but in many areas has already been naturalized.  As bonsai, Punica granatum L was the most popular of the nineteenth century among deciduous trees, as it allowed having trees in flower. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans speak of the great symbol of wealth and fertility.  This medicinal plant is a tree of 3-5 m. high, is outdated and very resistant to drought conditions. The flowers of Punica granatum L are orange, very large and showy. They are hermaphroditic (all flowers have the ability to develop into fruit.) The fruit of these medicinal plants is a great soft, about 9 or 10 cm in diameter, it becomes golden bright mature. The fruit of this plant is called “pomegranate“, which is large, spherical and is formed by hundreds inside each seed covered by a juicy pulp usually red, and slightly acidic. The parts used for medicinal purposes of this herb are the root bark, stem bark, flowers, leaves, and peel the fruit (pomegranate).  Root bark and trunk: vermifuge, especially due to the presence of peletierina, which causes paralysis and even death depending on the dose, had. Rind of fruit (shells): antibacterial and astringent. Fruit: antioxidant, due to hydrolysable tannins This medicinal plant is composed of: root bark: mineral salts, tannins, alkaloids (peletierina). The pomegranate (fruit) is high in potassium, necessary for the main nervous system regulation. This, coupled with its low sodium content, makes the pomegranate fruit recommended for people with hypertension and heart disease, prolong youth and prevent degenerative diseases. Is also attributed to the pomegranate certain value aphrodisiac. Recent studies have shown that this power works more on women than on men. Pomegranate bark of this medicinal plant is also rich in hydrolysable tannins. This herb also contains organic acids such as citric and ascorbic acid.

Recipes from this medicinal plant:

The pomegranate is used in the kitchen as a tasty raw dessert, accompanied by orange juice, and sweet wine. This has to shell the fruit. The Pomegranate is a drink extracted from pomegranate (fruit) of this herb. It is useful to use as an accompaniment to the fruit for desserts or cocktails without alcohol. You can prepare a “tincture” of pomegranate, with 20 grams of dried peel in 100 cc. alcohol (two weeks rest, stirring occasionally.) Take a tablespoon three times a day, with sugar water or soda.

Vermifuge decoction: 60 g placed the root bark or trunk in a pint of boiling water to be halved. Maceration for 24 hours. The resulting liquid is taken fasting, at intervals of 15 minutes. An hour and a half later, is given a laxative tea.

Anti diarrheal Decoction: 30 g are used. Bark of fruit (pomegranate) or flowers, per liter of water, boil 10 min. Take 3 or 4 cups a day. You can do this in tea (anti diarrheal) from the peel of pomegranate (fruit) and flowers.