From the Earth to the Bar

By Kyle Branche
www.KylesCocktailHotel.com
Source: Andrew Chevallier’s Encyclopedia of Medicinal
Plants

Part 7 – 9 Entries
Aloe Vera – Banana – Cashew – Clove – Juniper –
Onion – Pumpkin – Thyme - Wild Strawberry
 Aloe Vera
A. Barbadensis ( Liliaceae ) – Aloes

Part used – Leaves, for the gel and bitter liquid

Native to eastern and southern Africa, it grows wild in the tropics

and is now cultivated worldwide.

A perennial with succulent leaves up to 2 ft long and a spike of orange

or yellow flowers. Commonly cultivated as a potted plant.

The gel is an excellent wound and burn healer, due to the constituent
aloectin B which stimulates the immune system.

The juice/bitter aloes liquid have natural laxative qualities, as they

stimulate the digestion, and has a healing effect on peptic ulcers.
Also excellent as an emollient.

Banana
Musa ( Musaceae ) – Plantain

Part used – Fruit, leaves, root

Native to India and Southeast Asia, and cultivated extensively in tropical and
subtropical regions. Generally picked a little early, and then allowed to ripen.

An evergreen with palmlike perennials growing to 28 ft, with large green leaves,
hanging flowering stems, with bunches of elongated green fruit which turns yellow.

The nutritious fruit is a careful yield, due to its origins with wild plants in
prehistoric times.

Actions – The plantain leaves, when dried and made into a syrup, are used in
Cuba to treat bronchial conditions of the chest. The root is a strong astringent
and has been given to halt the coughing up of blood. The unripe fruit and leaves
are used to treat diarrhea.
 Cashew
Anacardium occidentale ( Anacardiaceae )

Part used – Nuts, leaves, bark, root, gum

Native to tropical American forests and grasslands.

Now heavily cultivated in India and eastern Africa for its highly prized nuts.

Evergreen tree growing to 30 ft, with large oval leaves and pink streaked yellow
flowers on long spikes. The fruit hangs below the thickened stem and contains
the nut, encased in red or yellow flesh.

In Brazil, the “apple” or “fruit” of the tree is made into a liquor called Cajuedo.

The lining of the cashew nut is very toxic, yet after removal, the nut is
very nutritious, containing 45% fats and 20% protein.

Actions – The leaves are used in Indian and African herbal medicine for
toothache and gum problems, and in West Africa for malaria. The bark is
used in Ayurvedic medicine to detoxify snake bite.

The vapor of the shell’s inner and outer oils are caustic, highly irritant.
Do not use in any form.

Clove
Eugenia carophyllata ( Myrtaceae )

Part used – Flower buds (dried–cloves ), leaves, stems

Native to the Molucca Islands (Indonesia) and the southern Philippines, it is now
grown extensively in Tanzania, Madagascar, as well as the West Indies and Brazil
to a lesser extent.

An evergreen pyramid-shaped tree, strongly aromatic, growing to 50 ft.

Highly valued as an herbal medicine, antiseptic, antispasmodic, and mind & body
stimulant in India and Southeast Asia, and for a variety of other therapeutic uses,
such as acne, sores, styes, and skin ulcers. The volatile oil of clove is strongly anti-
bacterial, due to eugenol (up to 85%) being the largest, most important component

Actions – Antiseptic, carminative, stimulant, analgesic, prevents vomiting,

antispasmodic, and eliminates parasites.

Preparations – Tincture, powder, infusion, essential oil.

 The dried flower buds (initially picked unopened) are used in infusions,
powders, and for oil extraction. The leaves and stems are occasionally
used for oil extraction.

Juniper
Juniperus communis ( Cupressaceae )

Part used – Fruit, essential oil

Native to Europe, southwestern Asia, the Himalayas, and North America,

usually growing in coastal sites and mountainous regions.

Coniferous shrub growing to 50 ft, it has slender twigs with needlelike leaves,
yellow male and blue female flowers on separate plants, with blue-black fruit.

Actions – Tonic, diuretic, and a highly effective antiseptic in the urinary tract.
Juniper is also warming and settling to the digestive system, supporting the
function of the stomach. As an essential oil, it has an effect on the skin thought
to promote the removal of waste products from underlying tissues.

Onion
Allium cepa ( Lilaceae )

Part used – Bulb

Native to the northern hemisphere, and cultivated in the Middle East

for thousands of years, it is now grown worldwide as a vegetable.

Bulbous perennial growing to 3 ft, with hollow stems and leaves,

and white or purple flowers.

Wild onion was used extensively by Native North American people to

treat stings and relieve colds. Like garlic, onion offsets tendencies to
angina, heart attack, arteriosclerosis, and its benefit to circulation.
It also has a longstanding reputation as an aphrodisiac,
and is used cosmetically to stimulate hair growth.

Actions – Diuretic, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, expectorant, and

Anti-rheumatic. Onion juice mixed with honey is also used as a remedy for colds.
 Pumpkin
Cucurbita pepo ( Cucurbitaceae )

Part used – Seeds, pulp

Native to North America, it is now grown worldwide. Harvested in autumn.

Annual plant with twining stems, lobed leaves,

yellow flowers, and large orange fruit.

The seeds contain 30% unsaturated fixed oil (including linoleic and oleic
fatty acids). The seeds also contain vitamins and minerals, notably zinc.

Actions – Much used as a medicine in Central and North America.

The sap of the plant was used for burns.
Europeans settlers ground up and mixed the seeds with water
as a remedy to treat worms, even in children and pregnant women.

Preparations – The pulp is used as a decoction to relieve intestinal

inflammation, and can also be used as a poultice for burns.

Thyme
Thymus vulgaris ( Labiatae ) – Garden Thyme

Part used – Fresh leaves, aerial parts (fresh and dried)

Native to southern Europe, it is related to mother of thyme, also known

as wild thyme. There are many thyme species, each with a different volatile
oil content. Thyme is now cultivated worldwide, grown from seed or by root
division in spring, and the aerial parts are harvested in mid-to-late summer.

An aromatic shrub growing to 16 in,

with woody stems, small leaves, and pink flowers.

The tonic effect of its volatile oil support the body’s

normal function, and counters the effects of aging.

Actions – Thyme is an excellent antiseptic (due to its strong content of

volatile oil), and tonic for the immune system. It’s expectorant action is
the reason for it still being used today as a respiratory remedy, such as
bronchitis, whooping cough, and pleurisy. It also relieves muscle spasms.
 Preparations – Infusion (for minor throat and chest infections),
essential oil, syrup (cough remedy), and tincture.

Wild Strawberry
Fragaria vesca ( Rosaceae )

Part used – Leaves, fruit

Native to Europe and temperate regions of Asia.

The leaves and fruit are gathered in early summer.

Low-growing perennial herb spread by runners, with 3-lobed leaves,

white flowers, and small red berries.

The leaves contain flavonoids, tannins, and a volatile oil. The fruit contains fruit
acids and a volatile oil with methyl salicylate and borneol.

Wild strawberry was said to “comfort fainting spirits”.

The leaves are mildly astringent and diuretic. In Europe, the fruit is
considered to have cooling and diuretic properties.

Definitions

Tonic Exerts a restorative or nourishing action on the body

Tonify Strengthens and restores body systems

Tuber Thickened part of underground stem

Umbel Umbrella-like arrangement of flowers with all flower

stems arising from the same point

Volatile Oil Plant constituent distilled to produce essential oil

Whorl Ring of leaves or flowers radiating out horizontally from a central point
Wildcrafting Harvesting herbs from the wild