Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Vaccinium and Viburnum

[00:00:00] Hey y'all, welcome to this week's show. Got a couple of trees for you this week. We'll talk about their medicinal uses and the first is a short entry, the second is a little bit longer. Both are very, very useful but really the second one, Viburnum, is one of the most commonly used herbs in herbal medicine and it's one really if you're not growing it you probably should be. The first is Vickinium and usually considered a shrub or a bush.

[00:00:30] It can get a little larger sometimes. We're gonna go with a shrub on this one right. It's the same family as Blueberry. So a lot of berries are in this plant family. One that's native to my region actually does grow to be large enough to consider it a small tree and it's called Sparkleberry or Farkleberry. Not terribly common.

[00:00:59] It's Vickinium Arborium which means grows like a tree. The use specifically of Farkleberry since we are discussing trees in this one. You know I've done a whole book on shrubs and woody vines. A lot of well I say these all berry bushes have pretty similar properties. So if you don't live where Sparkleberry or

[00:01:29] Farkleberry which is a really odd name. To me it sounds like a you know character out of a kids movie from the 80s. Yeah I could just totally see that like on Goonies or something you know. But Farkleberry they're pretty similar. And so like I said if you don't have access to this one. Grow some blueberries. Grow something in that family.

[00:01:48] That family. The Vickinium or Ericaceae family. Make sure it's an edible Ericaceae. Some are not. But the ones we eat as berries are. And according to Plants for Future it says the berries of Sparkleberry or Farkleberry and the root bark and leaves are very stringent and have been used internally in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, etc.

[00:02:12] The infusion is valuable in treating sore throats, chronic ophthalmalia, and leucorrhea, etc. So anywhere you need to tighten tissue and kind of dry things up it's good to use. And yeah blueberries probably the most commonly used of the family. But King's Medical Dispensatory of 1898 listed as diuretic and astringent.

[00:02:35] The fruit is very useful eaten alone or with milk and sugar in scurvy, dysentery, and derangement of the urinary organs. So vitamin C so it's going to help with scurvy. Dysentery against that astringent property. And derangement of the urinary organs could be anything from well incontinence to maybe a discharge or you know anything along those lines. Again you're just tightening the tissue.

[00:03:04] The berries and roots bruised and steeped in gin form an excellent diuretic and has proved much benefit in dropsy and gravel. Gravel would also be a urinary disorder. Well so would dropsy. One's you know retaining fluids. The other is having like kidney or bladder stones. So decocture the leaves or bark of the root as astringent and may be used in diarrhea. Or as a local application to ulcers, leucorrhea, ulcerations of the mouth and throat.

[00:03:31] Now the one that is far more widely known is viburnum. And there have been 41 varieties of viburnum found useful in herbal medicine. So I am not going to list them all. We have four native to my region. And that includes withrod, which is very commonly used in Europe. Viburnum, nudum, or possum hall. Possum hall, grapefruit. You'll find it all the way down the swamps. It's all over the place.

[00:04:01] Blackhall, ditto. And rusty blackhall. The one most often used in herbal medicine though is the gelder rose. Very similar to withrod. The gelder rose is naturalized in my region. A lot of people grow it. And it is more of a cool weather plant though. If you're in a hot weather region, especially a hot damp region, swamps, coasts, you know, anything like that. Look at your halls.

[00:04:30] Your possum hall, your blackhall, your redhall. They make wonderful jelly. You're going to want to grow them for food any way you look at it. But viburnums are really among the most useful plants in herbal medicine. And they're also among the most varied in appearance and growth habits. A lot of these don't look a lot alike at all. Some are bushes or trees. Some are called cranberries. Even though cranberry is a different plant, the berries have a very similar taste and appearance.

[00:05:00] Sometimes halls are just simply ornamental shrubs with big like puffball flowers like a hydrangea. I have some native ones I haven't even been able to identify that grow on my property. There's some kind of wild hall that doesn't have a berry, but it does have a flower much like a hydrangea. So of the Gelder Rose, probably the most popular, it's often called cramp bark. And Ms. Greve wrote that cramp bark is employed in herbal medicine.

[00:05:29] It is used formally to be included in the United States pharmacopoeia. So it was official medicine at one point. But by the 1930s, she said it was admitted. So by the 1930s, she said it was no longer being used in official medicine in America, but still being used in England and Europe in the National Formulatory as a fluid extract. It was used as a nerve sedative as an antispasmodic in asthma and hysteria.

[00:05:58] In this case, hysteria is not the same hysteria we would find in like ancient Greek medicine and really early English medicine where there was actually an inflammation of the tissue around the lungs. But it has to do with feminine issues. We're going to go with PMS. PMS. It's antispasmodic properties make it the very best herbal remedy for menstrual cramping. And the nerve sedative properties help with irritability and such as that.

[00:06:27] In herbal practice in this country, she's talking England, it was used as a decoction infusion or tincture with success in cramps and spasms of all kinds, convulsions, fits, lockjaw. Lockjaw, you know, used to be fairly common with tetanus and such. And it's that powerful and antispasmodic, it could actually help relieve that. Also for palpitations and heart disease and for rheumatism.

[00:06:55] The resources of the southern fields and forests written in the mid-1800s of the United States says that according to the Surgeon General at the time in 1847, and they also quote a couple of doctors in Atlanta and Newtonian, Mississippi, regards as a nervine antispasmodic astringent diuretic and tonic,

[00:07:25] and claims that in nervous disorders of pregnancy and uterine diseases, it is a valuable remedian agent. It was actually often used to help prevent miscarriage from premature contractions. As always, I don't recommend any herbs during pregnancy. If you want to learn about herbs during pregnancy, you really want to go to an expert in that subject. A midwife who's actually expert in herbs, and there are not a lot of those,

[00:07:53] or some of the more prominent herbal writers that write specifically for women, Rosemary Gladstar, Susan Weed, such as that. But the doctor said, it is particularly valuable in preventing abortion and miscarriage, whether habitual or otherwise, whether threatened from an accidental cause or from criminal drugging. So, pretty powerful in that regard. The editor of the same journal adds his testimony in favor of the same remedy,

[00:08:20] and details several cases when threatened miscarriage was promptly arrested by its use. So, really quite powerful in that regard as an antispasmodic. King's Medical Dispensatory of 1898 was by Burnham Opulus. It says this is called High Bark Cranberry. It's one of our natives. It is a powerful antispasmodic, and in consequence of this property is more generally known among American practitioners

[00:08:49] by the name of cramp bark. It is very effective in relaxing cramps and spasms of all kind, asthma, hysteria, cramps of the limbs or in parts of females, especially during pregnancy, and is said to be highly beneficial to those who are subject to convulsions during pregnancy or at the time of parturition, preventing the intacts entirely. If used daily for the last two months of gestation, like Vibram Prunifolium, that's the Gilda Rose actually, but like I said, I think they may actually be the same plant,

[00:09:19] it is a remedy for the prevention of abortion and to prepare for the process of parturition. It allays uterine irritation and a tendency to terminate in hysteria while in neuralgic and spasmodic forms of dysmenorrhea. It is a favorite remedy with many physicians and has been used also in spasmodic contractions of the bladder and in spasmodic stricture.

[00:09:46] So basically, any way you're going to have a cramp, a spasm. It's also, I may have this later, but it's particularly good used with bladder and kidney stones because it also kind of relaxes the urinary tract and will help you pass the stone more easily. The action of this agent closely resembles that of the black hole. Remember I said you can use black hole. And there is reason to believe that they are used interchangeably

[00:10:15] for the same purpose. And then they give a couple formulas, but it's getting really into the weeds actually. It also says that a poultice of low cranberry, it's another one of the viburnums, is very efficient in indolent and malignant ulcers and applied around the throat in the inflammation swelling,

[00:10:42] attending several inflammatory conditions of the throat. Under specific indications, it uses his cramps, uterine pain, with spasmodic action, pain in the thighs and back. Again, if you have sciatic pain, if you have back pain, that's another one you might want to look into. Cramps in your feet and your legs, charley horses, calf cramps. It can be very, very painful. And so while, you know, it's often considered to be a woman's herb, it's good for everybody.

[00:11:14] Let's see. Neuralgic and spasmodic dysmenorrhea and as an anti-abortive. Then they go through the same thing with black hole, viburnum prunifolium. Let's see if there's anything left out of the first one. Yeah, they got a few more uses in this. I think they're pretty interchangeable though. It says, of the physiological action of this agent, little is known to the taste is bitter and slightly aromatic.

[00:11:44] Large doses sometimes produce nausea and vomiting. Yes, if you have specifically the tincture, the bark, the fruit's not going to really get to you. Let's see. That it has a decided affinity for the female reproductive organs was well established by Dr. D. L. Faris of Mississippi who brought the remedy forward. It was then described as having a nervine, antispasmodic, tonic, and astringent and diuretic properties.

[00:12:11] To this, Professor King adds alterative. Decoctions of the drug were formerly used as a gargle, a wash for indolent ulcers, for ophthalmic disorders. We've covered all this, but let's see. Its astringency has a proven value in diarrhea and dysentery. It has been recommended in jaundice. We have, let's see, been used for palpitations of the heart and is said to have been, palpitations are said to have been relieved by it.

[00:12:41] Such cases are sympathetic disturbances, generally near the menstrual period. It is principally used in present day in disorders of the female organs of reproduction. As a uterine tonic, it is of unquestionably great utility. It restores normal innervation, improves circulation, and corrects impaired nutrition of women as a result of overwork. It will be found an admirable agent. It is called for in weakened conditions of the body,

[00:13:08] with feeble performance of uterine function, in dysmenorrhea, with deficient menses, uterine colic, and in those cases where there are severe lumbar and bearing down pains. It will prove an efficient drug. Uterine congestion and chronic uterine inflammation are often greatly relieved by specifically the black hole. It acts promptly in spasmodic dysmenorrhea, especially with excessive flow.

[00:13:38] Menoragia due to malaria is promptly met with by burning prunifolium or black hole. It is a good remedy for uterine hemorrhage, attending menopause and amenorrhea in pale bloodless subjects. The menses are restored by it. Cramps of limbs attending pregnancy yield to both black hole and cramp bark. It is considered almost specific for cramps in the legs, not dependence on pregnancy, so for anybody, especially when occurring at night. The condition for which black hole is most valued

[00:14:08] is that of threatened abortion. It is the most prompt drug in the Materia Medica to check abortion provided the membranes have not ruptured. In all cases of habitual abortion or common miscarriage, what we call it this day, I probably should point that out. We're not talking induced abortion, we're talking miscarriage. It should be given small doses for a considerable length of time. The abundant testimony to its value in this condition alone gives it a high place among drugs.

[00:14:37] By its quieting effect upon the irritable womb, women who have previously been able to go full term have been aided by this drug to pass through pregnancy without mishaps as would have otherwise proven disastrous to both child and mother. Small doses of the specific black hole should be administered throughout the dangerous period and may be continued with good results until parturition. So yeah, you can totally see how this is a very, very valuable plant.

[00:15:06] It is mostly considered a woman's herb, but it's really good for everybody. It says that it can also help with postpartum hemorrhaging, reduce the size of the womb after birth. Viburnum is of some value in nervous disorders and has been advised in hysteria, hysteria, epilepsy, paralysis. It is of service when these troubles are associated, especially with menstrual issues.

[00:15:37] Viburnum opulis closely resembles that. So for some, just for the most part, I'm going to say that Blackhall and Gilda Rose, so pretty much interchangeable, but at least in 1898, they were tending toward the Blackhall. I think now most herbalists would tend toward the Gilda Rose, but there are so many of the Viburnum family that are really pretty much interchangeable. Under specific indications and uses, they said, for uterine irritability, hyperesthesia,

[00:16:07] threatened abortion, uterine colic, dysmenorrhea, with deficient menses, severe lumbar and bearing down pains, cramp-like, expulsive menstrual pain, intermittent painful contractions of the pelvic tissue, after pains, and false pains of pregnancy, and for obstinate hiccup. Yes, it's also, being an antispasmodic, a remedy for hiccups, believe it or not. Now, getting up to modern use, Plants for the Future

[00:16:36] starts with Gilda Rose. That's, like I said, the most commonly used these days. It says, Gilda Rose is a powerful antispasmodic and is much used in the treatment of asthma, cramps, and other conditions, such as colic or painful menstruation. It is also used as a sedative remedy for nervous conditions. The bark is antispasmodic, astringent, and sedative. The bark contains scopolitan, a coumarin

[00:17:05] that has a sedative effect on the uterus. A tea is used internally to relieve all types of spasms, including menstrual cramps, spasms after childbirth, and threatened miscarriage. It is also used in the treatment of nervous complaints and debility. The bark is harvested in autumn before the leaves change color or in the spring before the leaves buds open. It is dried for later use. The leaves and fruit of the bark are antiscorbutic. Again, that just means they have vitamin C, so it helps with scurvy, emetic, and laxative.

[00:17:36] A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh bark. It is used in the treatment of menstrual pain and spasms after childbirth. The withrod, again, very similar. The bark and root are antispasmodic, diaphoretic, and fever fever, so they help with a fever. And tonic, and I think in this case it means good for digestion. An infusion of the bark has been used to treat recurrent spasms, fevers, smallpox, and ague, ague's fever. The infusion has been used

[00:18:06] as a wash for a sore tongue. Medicinal use of smooth withrod, which is actually possum hull. A lot of these terms, common names, are interchangeable. Tea made from the bark as antispasmodic, diuretic, tonic, and a uterine sedative. And medicinal use of black hole, which they call stageberry, was used by the North American Indians to treat dysentery to arrest hemorrhages of the uterus. It is now considered to be a specific treatment

[00:18:35] for the relief of menstrual pain. The bark contains scopolitan, a coumarin that has a sedative effect, we just went through that, and, though it also has salicin. Salicin is natural aspirin, a painkiller that is used in making aspirin, as they just said. A bark of the root and stems is anodyne, antispasmodic, astringent, nervine, and sedative. A tea is used internally for the treatment of painful or heavy menstruation, prolapse of the uterus, morning sickness to prevent miscarriage,

[00:19:05] and to relieve spasms after childbirth. It is also used to treat convulsive disorders, colic, and other cramping pains that affect the bile ducts, hysteria, asthma, palpitations of a nervous origin, the stem bark harvested in autumn or in spring, as we just said. I guess the only thing I do want to mention is I have written a couple sources that, just like with many herbs, taking in too concentrated, heavy a dose could actually cause

[00:19:35] a miscarriage. so, you know, a lot of the women's magazines and such will recommend raspberry leaf tea as a uterine tonic. Blueberry can be used similarly, but I don't recommend it because I'm not going to say, do this. Why would I not say do this? Well, one of the only documented cases of real serious damage causing from a common herb

[00:20:04] that's like recommended by just about every women's magazine and book, raspberry leaf, as I just said, usually used to prevent miscarriage and to aid with a smooth delivery. One woman took it way too far and instead of having a cup of tea today, she had like two gallons of tea, killed the child and almost killed herself. Probably just because it was too much water because you can die from drinking too much water, but it was also just far too much of that normally medicinal herb.

[00:20:35] So, you know, I'm giving my disclaimer, check the books, but anyway. And under medicinal use of southern blackhall or rusty blackhall, the bark is antispasmodic and has been used in the treatment of cramps and colic. Now, blackhall is even listed in the physician's desk reference for herbal medicine. It says the drug has spasmolytic and to date undefined effect on the uterus. In other words, antispasmodic,

[00:21:03] but pharmaceutical companies haven't really looked into it enough to tell you how it works. Under unproven uses, blackhall is used for complaints of dysmenorrhea. No health hazards or side effects are known in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages. So, the physician's desk reference, which is the voice of modern American medicine, considers it to be pretty safe that says no health hazards or side effects are known

[00:21:32] in conjunction with the proper administration of designated therapeutic dosages. I just like to be a little extra careful in that regard. I think you understand that. So, anyway, y'all, have a great week and do check out the viburnums. Do check out the vikiniums or ericaceae. Yes, vikinium or ericaceae family. A lot of great berries. Both of these plants are excellent for food. And if you're planting your survival garden,

[00:22:01] you've got food and herbs, medicinal herbs and really good jellies and jams and wines you can make out of this. You're going to want to have some of these growing on your property. If I ever identify the one that grows on my property like a vine, though I'll probably warn you against it unless you're a basket weaver because the vines are great for basket weaving. But other than that, it's a nuisance. It is an absolute nuisance. But, anyway, it's just one of those vines that just takes over everything.

[00:22:31] I'm constantly cutting it. Which, I'm a basket weaver so that's okay. But, when I first moved to the house, it had grown all up like one side of the house and was going over the roof. It had gone up the chimney. It was in all the trees choking them out. I spent probably two years doing nothing but trying to tame that vine back, eradicate it as best I could. I've never beaten it. I don't want to use roundup. I'm sure that would, you know,

[00:23:00] you put a little roundup on it. But, the way it spreads, I mean, you can literally like pull one of them up. Like, you cut it down. I mean, this thing will grow 100 feet up a tree. You cut it down and you start pulling it up by the root and even small ones, you'll keep pulling that root up for like 50 yards and then it's branching off in a thousand different directions. So, it's really, I mean, kudzu is nothing compared to this one that grows in Avery County, North Carolina

[00:23:30] and I still have not been able to identify it. I've really tried. I really have. Maybe someday I can warn you against that one. But, other than that, the viburnums are really super, super useful and there's so many of them. You know, check it out. You can definitely, pretty much wherever you live, get one of these growing. And, especially if you have a woman in your life, hey, it's Valentine's Day, you're going to want to have viburnum. Okay? A lot of times when I am

[00:24:00] with groups and such, there's going to be a young woman having some severe menstrual cramps, I try to have some viburnum tincture on me. I've never known it to fail. And, I don't say, take this, I'm a doctor, I don't say that at all. I say, viburnum has been traditionally used for cramping. If you're interested, I'm going to sit this on the table and it's up to you if you want to take a teaspoon of it and a half teaspoon, whatever, and, you know, see if it helps you. And, yeah,

[00:24:29] 100% of the times it has. So, it hasn't failed yet. And, that's usually, well, I use the Gilder O rose, I use the black hole, I use, really all of them we just talked about that grow in my area, plus, you know, one or two that are naturalized. I just haven't figured out what the heck that one is that grows like a vine in my yard yet because most of the viburnums do not grow in a vine form. This is just bizarre. The flower identifies it as a viburnum.

[00:24:59] The structure of the plant is just absolutely bizarre. But, you know, what do I always say? Scientists and researchers and academics know more about the stars and the planets in the universe than they do know, than they know about the plants that grow in your yard or the microbiology of the soil under your feet. It just, they lost interest in it at some point. And really, it's probably more important than just about anything else

[00:25:28] they could study. You know, but anyway, y'all have a good one. I hope you enjoy your Valentine's Day. I hope you have someone to celebrate with. I don't. So, it's not really a day I celebrate except that it's a traditional Christian holiday. It is named for, you know, St. Valentine or Valentinus. He was a martyr. If you haven't read that story, find out what it's actually all about, who we're celebrating. He's a great Christian hero and, you know, someone you should really look up to

[00:25:57] and it's a feast day for him and so, I'll probably fix maybe a little, something, something a little extra nice for supper. You know, I'm really craving some spaghetti so I'm probably just going to do a big marinara but maybe have something a little special on the side. We'll see. We'll see. Oh, you know what's really good? Make a homemade marinara sauce. It's the way I do it. I've just run it through. So simple. Get some olive oil heating up in a pan. Put in some chopped onions.

[00:26:29] Wait until the onions are translucent to put in some chopped garlic. Then put in your tomatoes, your oregano, your basil, salt and pepper taste. I like a little crushed red pepper in there. Mushrooms, I love. Chopped green pepper. I'd put that in with the onions. Mushrooms and onions and green pepper would go together. You know, like a bell pepper, something kind of sweet pepper because I also want to add some heat to it later. Or a jalapeno if you like. Cook that down. It's really super simple. You can definitely throw in half a glass

[00:26:59] of wine if you want to perk it up a little bit. I know some people put carrots and celery and all kinds of stuff or even sugar. Never would I put sugar in my spaghetti sauce, my marinara, red sauce, whatever you want to call it. But get it going and get that, taste it and make sure the flavor's right for you. So much better than anything you can buy at a store just to start with. And use crushed tomatoes, whether they're fresh or canned, it really doesn't matter. Just, you know, put in real ingredients. Then, throw in a couple of pork chops. A couple of good

[00:27:29] loin chops and just let them simmer in there until the meat just starts to kind of fall apart. Cook yourself some pasta. Man, that is fantastic. Of course, you can do the same with beef, pork, chicken, fish. Fish is actually real nice in that. Yeah. Not all fish. A nice firm flesh kind of, you know, lean fish. Really good in there. Shrimp, fantastic. But that is like such a simple meal and I eat it like at least once a week and I'm craving it. So I think that's going to be my St. Valentine's

[00:27:58] Feast Day meal because like I'm literally almost drooling to the point I can't talk right now. So once again, y'all, have a great week and I'll talk to you next time. The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing I say or write has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U.S. government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and there is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore,

[00:28:27] I'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb has helped me. I cannot nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use an herb anyone recommends, you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, a sensitivity,

[00:28:57] an underlying condition that no one else even shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to listen to my podcast or read my blog, you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything ever.