Herbal Medicine for Prepper: Princess Tree, Bay Laurel and Spruce

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Hey, all welcome this week's show. We're continuing our series on the medicinal uses of common trees and this is a particularly interesting one.

[00:00:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Probably grows where you live, but it's not native. It's Paulonia, Tomentosa, commonly called the Princess Tree.

[00:00:25] [SPEAKER_01]: Naturalized throughout most of the United States and the interesting reason is, okay, if you know this tree, as I've been talking about, but you can probably picture in your mind if you think of early spring

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_01]: and there are only two trees that have any colors red, and then there's a larger tree which has like big spikes of flowers coming up.

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_01]: And if you think about where those trees are, they're probably the side where there either are or used to be railroad tracks in your town.

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_01]: And that's because the seed pods of the Princess Tree are fuzzy and soft and cushiony, and that's what was used before Styrofoam peanuts or bubble wrap.

[00:01:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Literally for about a hundred years on railroad's across the United States. They use seed pods from the Princess Tree.

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Those fell out along the way and those trees bloomed. And they're beautiful. I mean, it's one of my favorite trees is from Asia.

[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_01]: In Asia, it's called the Princess Tree because they're actually like reserved for royalty. They would carve fruits and decorative carvings out of them and be given to princesses and they'd be part of their dowry actually.

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_01]: So I mean, it's a really interesting tree historically. But when you think about this tree with its fuzzy little fluffy seed pods was literally the natural answer for Styrofoam or bubble wrap.

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_01]: And I don't see why we can't get back to that. It's just not really good for our water, but anyway those seeds fell out all along the railroad tracks. Basically anywhere you live from California or Carolina way up into Canada and everywhere in between.

[00:02:23] [SPEAKER_01]: And that's how the Princess Tree got to North America if you see one and some mature tree like more than a hundred years old and they did, they get pretty big over time.

[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_01]: It's still sort of a medium sized tree but they can get pretty big. You know there was a railroad track there. That's how that tree got there.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_01]: And if you follow them, you can find the old railroad paths. Usually those are on public land by the way. So if you're looking for places to hike forage hunt.

[00:02:53] [SPEAKER_01]: Very good to keep your eyes out for those old railroad track lands because some of our turn into roads. Very few of them became private property. Now some are.

[00:03:04] [SPEAKER_01]: But most of them are still retained by the old railroad companies deeds. And they may not have been a single person on that trail for a hundred years.

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_01]: So I mean, I do that a lot actually. I will scout out the old the Princess trees and find those old lines and where I live, it's usually public property. Now in the eastern part of the state it's usually not. So you're going to have to check it out.

[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_01]: But you may find that you've got a nice little trail there that people don't remember. And some might may think it's their property, but actually if you check the public records, it's probably still the property of an old railroad deed. So you know, look into it.

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_01]: So not a lot. I'm a digital use known for this tree in America. It's more like it says it's an Asian tree, but plants are a future says it to cock actually. This is used to watch wash foul old service. And it's also said to promote the growth of hair and prevent grain. So wow.

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, this is an herb that in Asia at least they think you can help grow hair and prevent baldness in your hair turning gray. So hey, you know, not a, you have not my top priority, but you know, maybe you want to look into that.

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_01]: The leaves are also poled to send a bruises, the leaf juice is used in the treatment of warts. The flowers which are beautiful, you know, beautiful purple pink flowers. I mean, like I said, when in early spring, if I go from my house in the mountains of North Carolina over to Lake Elizabeth and our Johnson City Tennessee.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER_01]: It's just princess trees all in a line where the old railroad tracks used to be and the only other thing growing blooming is red bud. And it's a fantastic time for forging red bud, but I mean you can definitely see where the old railroad lines used to run.

[00:04:55] [SPEAKER_01]: The leaf juice used in treatment of warts. The flowers used in treatment of skin ailments a teacher of the inner bark is used in the treatment of fevers and delirium.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_01]: It is a strange and vermouth huge, so it probably has some slightly quaint-eyed like properties, definitely worth looking into. Peterson field guides says in China, wash of the leaves was used as a daily application to promote the great growth of hair and to prevent graying. So we got two sources for that.

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Leaf tea uses foot bath for swollen feet. Inner bark tincture soaked in two parts whiskey, given for fevers and delirium. I see that as much more important. You know, you don't care, honestly.

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean if I go bald or go gray, it's going to happen all of us eventually. I don't really see point in impiting it, but for fevers and delirium. Hey, you know this is pretty important.

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_01]: Leaves or ground bark were fired in vinegar. Leaves or ground bark were fried in vinegar for poll just as impruzes. Now I'm not sure how you fry something in vinegar.

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm thinking maybe they mean cinnamon, simmer, but maybe they added a little oil to it to kind of fry in simmer. I don't know. Flowers were mixed with other herbs to treat liver, liver ailments.

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_01]: In Japan, leaf juice is used to treat warts. Warning contains potentially toxic compounds, so it's probably not when you want to use the internally whole lot.

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_01]: It's ever the fevers and delirium most of the applications do seem to be external.

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_01]: Another one I want to discuss today is a really interesting plant and it's related to the miracle that we discussed a few days ago, a few weeks ago.

[00:06:39] [SPEAKER_01]: It's Persia, also called Bay Laurel. And there are five varieties of bay laurel that have documentation herbal medicine and they're actually two in my region.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_01]: There's red bay and swamp bay and these are actually fairly common when you get down toward the swamp areas or on the coast.

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_01]: And they are coastal trees. You're so much shrubby. I wouldn't even really consider a tree like I don't think of a road dendrin as tree. I think it was a big bush, but actually it's a tree.

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_01]: The foliage is bright and shiny. The scent is unmistakable. All bay are highly aromatic, whether we're talking to America or we're talking to Persia.

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Plants for a future says of red bay. Red bay was widely employed by the seminal Indians to treat a variety of complaints, but especially as an ametic something to make sure throw up or a body cleanser.

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_01]: It is little if it all used in modern herbalism. The leaves are a board of facet, so this is not one you should take while pregnant.

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER_01]: And when it comes to an herb like this, it's considered a board of facet. Yes, it may terminate the pregnancy. It may also kill you.

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I've told you many times that the only documented death caused by herbal medicine in the last 100 years was a woman that tried to use penny royal for an abortion and she ended up bleeding the death from every orifice of her body.

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, you really do need to know that when you're looking through herbal books and something says of order patient. You may also basically write the margin of book and we'll kill you.

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_01]: There is no such thing as a safe abortive visit herb. First of all, because it kills a child which you know is murder.

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_01]: But second it will probably kill the mother and if she survives, we'll probably be severely damaged, severely damaged, sterile or you know who knows what. I mean this is dangerous stuff.

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_01]: So, I mean, I'm giving you that caveat. I am morally opposed to abortion, but I'll also tell you it will probably kill you. So anyway.

[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Angesic anti-romatic appetizer, a medic and femurfusion. Of course, when I say it'll probably kill you, we're talking large doses like it would use for that purpose.

[00:09:02] [SPEAKER_01]: But in small doses, this is pretty good herb to actually know about it can stimulate the appetite. You can even a little bit larger doses. It can make you throw up in larger doses than that or well, actually maybe somewhere in between that could help with the fever.

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Can help with pain and both internally and externally can help with, before joints are through right as you know rheumatism as they would say.

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Impusion-usetring fever's headache, diarrhea, thirst, constipation, appetite loss and blocked urination.

[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Stronger detox, a detoxion used as a body purification when treating a wide range of complaints.

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Probably not that safe, but that's why it was used. And the caution of the leaves used externally as a wash on rheumatic joints and painful limbs. So for rheumatism arthritis more as a wash or so you can put in your bath.

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_01]: Let's see, do I have time to do one more? I bet you I do. Yeah, we're really 10 minutes in.

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Just really common plant. Certainly for me in the mountains. If you're up north, if you're out west, deep south you're not going to find it as much, but if you've got a Christmas tree farm around, you might.

[00:10:26] [SPEAKER_01]: It's spruce and they're actually 16 varieties of spruce that found useful in herbal medicine.

[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_01]: This is the Pecaya species, PICEA. And there are a bunch of them. There's Norway spruce and Chinese spruce.

[00:10:43] [SPEAKER_01]: I could go on and on. I'm not going to worry about that. There's one native to my region, although many have been introduced.

[00:10:50] [SPEAKER_01]: And it's PICEA Rubens or Red spruce. And there's also a Red spruce, there's a Caucasian spruce, a white spruce, a Chinese spruce and a black spruce.

[00:11:10] [SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, I can do some politically incorrect territory here and differencing in these spruce.

[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_01]: But there's also one called Sgt spruce. So maybe he can come in and amroids store order to everything, but Norway spruce is also really common where I live.

[00:11:30] [SPEAKER_01]: And it's been naturalized and it's probably common where you live. It's often used ordinarily. And like I said, some of these are Christmas trees and you know such a set.

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Spruce is particularly good medicine. It's a strange, topically it's good for wounds. Spruce stops bleeding and prevents infection.

[00:11:48] [SPEAKER_01]: Both needles and inner bark are used. The bark is a stringent and stimulant. Spruce spruce, spruce, has to try that again. Spruce, Titans tissue. That's hard to say. Spruce, Titans tissue and stimulates blood flow. This allows the blood to carry the congestion information out.

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_01]: And increases arterial blood to tissue so they can heal. Spruce is also diuretic. So, and it's huge amounts of vitamin C in the plant. So I mean this is like as far as I'm concerned spruce is like one of the essential herbs.

[00:12:27] [SPEAKER_01]: Orblus Michael Moore considers spruce good for chronic Lyronitis or Farronitis with click with thick, tenacious mucus chronic bronchitis with perfuse secretions. It really is very good for congested lungs and mucus in the throat and nasal pastors.

[00:12:47] [SPEAKER_01]: It's good for heartburn with vomiting diarrhea, stomach pain, useful for prolapse of rectal mucusa.

[00:12:56] [SPEAKER_01]: As thinia with corded digestion, vasca or weakness and pill mucusa.

[00:13:01] [SPEAKER_01]: The escortedies documented spruce in material medical gosh almost 3,000 years ago now, 2500. I mean it's been used for a very long time.

[00:13:12] [SPEAKER_01]: He included it with fur and pine which it should be. I mean you can somewhat use them interchangely although fur is eight of what?

[00:13:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Abies yes, Abies it's a hotter and nature. It's stronger. I was a pine is a little less strong.

[00:13:31] [SPEAKER_01]: He made a rosin wine and it was considered according to the deus cordies to be popular as a medicine. Many nations.

[00:13:43] [SPEAKER_01]: He said the rosin is pounded with a bark and a quarter pint is mixed in a nine gallons of wine.

[00:13:51] [SPEAKER_01]: Some strain it after his boiled, taking away the rosin, others leave it alone, growing old, these become sweet.

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_01]: So aged it becomes a sweet wine. Imagine it would be a little sharp and bitter in the beginning. He said they call headaches and they all cause headaches and vertigo and yet are digestive and urinary.

[00:14:13] [SPEAKER_01]: If you had large amount of this rosin or resin wine, it could cause headache and vertigo but would also help a digestion and a diuretic.

[00:14:23] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, help get rid of the excess fluid. So you would use it as medicine. He said they're good for those with dripping mucus, coughs and cold, sleep, abdominal cavity, dysentery, dropsy and women's menstrual flows.

[00:14:36] [SPEAKER_01]: And as a syringe for deep ulcers or sores, the black spruce seeds is more binding than the white.

[00:14:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Getting up to about 10. 80, saying, Killed a Guard of Unbenged and said, spruce pitch is very hot. It is helpful in drinking vessels.

[00:14:55] [SPEAKER_01]: If maggots eat a person, place spruce pitch over the wood and I hope that you never have an infected one in which maggots infest it. If you do, you're in bad shape.

[00:15:09] [SPEAKER_01]: And if spruce pitch, which is the resin from the sap, the rosin or rosin or resin. It's resinous or it's, you know, I'm not going to get into that.

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER_01]: If that kills the maggots or keeps him away and purifies and disinfects the wound, that's going to save your life because you're one step away from gangrene and death.

[00:15:34] [SPEAKER_01]: It says, she said it will draw the worm to itself so that it is possible pull them out and scrape them off.

[00:15:42] [SPEAKER_01]: When they have been removed, place spruce pitch on the wound a second time until the wounds are completely gone.

[00:15:49] [SPEAKER_01]: After the flesh has been purged of them, annoying the place with olive oil and other good ointments and it will be healed. So, good really good, I mean, a survival situation.

[00:16:02] [SPEAKER_01]: You know, a small cut, a scratch can become infected. I mean, you know, having help you if you get shot or really seriously cut, right? And you're the woods and the wound gets infected.

[00:16:15] [SPEAKER_01]: When those maggots appear, they are not entirely bad, okay? They will actually eat away rotting tissue and slow the pace of gangrene.

[00:16:29] [SPEAKER_01]: Actually, even that's disgusting to think about. But if they continue and left too long, there'll be worse than you would be otherwise or at least it's just as bad. So, use the spruce pitch will actually draw the maggots out and kill them in disinfect the wound.

[00:16:47] [SPEAKER_01]: That's going to save your life. So, remember that.

[00:16:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Brother Al-Wishus, he was a... he was Swiss. He was in the German Folk Medicine tradition somewhere around late 1800s, early 1900s.

[00:17:02] [SPEAKER_01]: He said in the spring, the young shoots covered our cover with brown scales and are gathered and made into a tea to cleanse the blood.

[00:17:09] [SPEAKER_01]: This tea is also used for Xima, skin rashes and flim in the lungs.

[00:17:14] [SPEAKER_01]: Boyle one cup of finely chopped shoots in two cups water and take one or two cups daily. For seminal discharge, take three cups of powder from finely ground dried needles with red wine and a fresh egg.

[00:17:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Do I need to say something on that subject? Basically, it tightens the tissue and if something's going to happen, if you have a dream in the night, it makes it less likely to happen.

[00:17:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Or if you're having an issue in the bed in your marital relations, it could tighten things up and make things work a little bit better if you get my meaning. I think we can just leave with that.

[00:17:57] [SPEAKER_01]: So, plants for a future sense of red spruce, a tea made from the bow bowels. This is the limbs. I don't know why they have to use word bowels.

[00:18:07] [SPEAKER_01]: The B-O-U-G-H-S which sounds the same to me as bowels. B-O-W-L-E-L-S, B-O-W-E-L-S.

[00:18:19] [SPEAKER_01]: It can really confuse people, what is a tea made from the bowels. I mean, the limbs and the needles of the tree has been used in treatment of colds and to break out measles to bring the measles to a head essentially.

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_01]: The pitch from the trunk has been used as a poultice on romantic joints. The chest of the stomach in order to relieve congestion pain. At a coction of the bark, has been used as a treatment of lung complaints and throat problems.

[00:18:48] [SPEAKER_01]: The Stephen Herod B-O-Nors classic book on herbal beers says spruce has traditionally been used by indigenous people for coughs, colds and flu as infusion and sweat baths.

[00:19:00] [SPEAKER_01]: The inner bark has been applied to stubborn skin infections. They have also been used for kidney infections much like Juniper.

[00:19:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Peter Seville guides his black spruce of black spruce. American Indians poultice in her bark on inflammation. Inner bark tea was used as a folktum medicine for kidney stones.

[00:19:18] [SPEAKER_01]: The stomach problems were a metism. Reson produced on sourced promote healing needles used to make a beer that was strong for scurvy.

[00:19:26] [SPEAKER_01]: As I said, it's got a lot of I was seeing it. Of red spruce, American Indians used tea of the bowels again. For colds and to break out measles, pitch formally poltice on romantic joints, chest and stomach, truly congestion pain.

[00:19:43] [SPEAKER_01]: Botanya Dase says a tea of the shoots is a spectra and diaphragmatic means helps the fever. Expect from eats get the mucus at your lungs.

[00:19:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, ideal for coughs and bronchitis. And finally, the physician's desk reference for herbal medicine tells us indications and uses usage of spruce needle oil.

[00:20:01] [SPEAKER_01]: So this is the oil made from it. Approved by a commission E for coming cold cough, bronchitis, fevers and cold inflammation of the mouth and pharynx.

[00:20:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Neurologist rheumatism tendency to infection. The essential oil is used internally for caetral or congestion, you know mucus conditions of the respiratory tract.

[00:20:24] [SPEAKER_01]: Externally is used for caetral conditions of the respiratory tract as well. So you can use it internally and externally.

[00:20:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Use for neurologic and neurologic pain. Unproven uses, they said, use for tension states or stress, I guess. Spruce shoots fresh approved by commission E for coming cold cough, bronchitis, fevers, cold inflammation of the mouth and pharynx.

[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Muscular nerve pain, 10th heat infection. The drug is used internally in respiratory tract caetral, cattar or whatever. It just means congestion. I wish you just say congestion and extremely and externally for muscle pains in a ralgia.

[00:21:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Unproven uses in folk medicine is used internally for tuberculosis, tuberculosis and externally as a bath additive for patients with neurologic illnesses.

[00:21:22] [SPEAKER_01]: Contraryndications include bronchial asthma and whipping cough. In other words it can actually irritate the lungs, you know, if it's strong. This central oil especially patients with extensive skin injuries acute skin diseases.

[00:21:37] [SPEAKER_01]: Fevers are infected infectious diseases, cardiac insufficiency or hypotonia should not use the drug as a bath additive.

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_01]: No hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration designated therapeutic dosages although bronchial spasm could be worsened.

[00:21:55] [SPEAKER_01]: So y'all I'm gonna wrap it up there. We covered some colors today and really spruce is good next week we're going to do pine so if you live where.

[00:22:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, so here's the deal like I said fur is a beast okay that's the strongest spruce is the next strongest pine is the one after that.

[00:22:17] [SPEAKER_01]: If you live up north in really cold areas you got fur if you live where I do you got fur and I mean you got spruce and pine.

[00:22:27] [SPEAKER_01]: If you live in hot areas you got pine so you're gonna be able to use these trees to matter where you live so definitely tune in next week because pine is actually far more common than just about any other tree in North America.

[00:22:41] [SPEAKER_01]: Anyway y'all have a good one I'll talk to you next time.

[00:22:46] [SPEAKER_00]: The information this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat e-disease or condition. Nothing I say or write has been evaluated approved by the FDA.

[00:22:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not a doctor. The U.S. government does not recognize the practice of a woman medicine and there is no governing body and regulating heracles.

[00:23:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, I'm really just a guy who says, I'm not offering any advice. I don't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true.

[00:23:11] [SPEAKER_00]: I can tell you what earth has been traditionally used for or I can tell you my own experience and if I believe in other self may.

[00:23:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I cannot nor would I tell you not to say, if you use a girl or be anyone that recommends you are treating yourself you take full responsibility for your health.

[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Humans are individuals and no two are identical what works for me may not work for you.

[00:23:32] [SPEAKER_00]: You may have an allergy, sensitivity and underlying condition that no one else even shares and you don't even know about.

[00:23:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Be careful with your health. By continuing to list my podcast, you read my blog, you read it to your spouse or for yourself, to your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything ever.