Advertisement
While we touched on this in the thread on demulcants, we did not specifically talk about one of the most abudant actions in the plant world:
Astringency
Plants with this quality are useful in the reduction of excessive discharge, by tightening and toning tissue. An astrigent substance is a chemical that shrinks or constrict body tissues. According to one source The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"
Astringent plants can be applied both internally and externally. They are effective against diarrhea, skin problems, discharges, burns and hemorrhages. The following is a list of astringent plants. This list is only the beginning as there are many plants that are astringent.
Witch Hazel bark, Raspberry Leaf, Blackberry Leaf, Yellow Dock root, Calendula, White Oak bark, yarrow (stick yarrow leaves up your nose to stop a nose bleed) and acorns (not often thought of , but before leeching them I have had good results eliminating diahrea with these).
Please do add your favoites to the list!
Blessings
Linda
Astringency
Plants with this quality are useful in the reduction of excessive discharge, by tightening and toning tissue. An astrigent substance is a chemical that shrinks or constrict body tissues. According to one source The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"
Astringent plants can be applied both internally and externally. They are effective against diarrhea, skin problems, discharges, burns and hemorrhages. The following is a list of astringent plants. This list is only the beginning as there are many plants that are astringent.
Witch Hazel bark, Raspberry Leaf, Blackberry Leaf, Yellow Dock root, Calendula, White Oak bark, yarrow (stick yarrow leaves up your nose to stop a nose bleed) and acorns (not often thought of , but before leeching them I have had good results eliminating diahrea with these).
Please do add your favoites to the list!
Blessings
Linda
posted by:
|
Wisconsin
|
Advertisement
Advertisement
-
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Thu, October 8, 2009 - 8:15 AMthamks for that. yet one more happy symptom of the lithium is diahrea...yippy.
the rasberry tea helps with that as it is an astringent?
Thank you...i have a hard time rembering things like astringent and demulcent so these threads help a lot.
Rainy -
-
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Mon, October 12, 2009 - 3:02 AMi recently collected a swath of wild red raspberry leaves for some wildcrafted tea!
There is good flavor to be found in a cup of the rasp, a very obliging companion to green tea! -
-
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Mon, October 12, 2009 - 6:12 AMrainy, a great book that i have read through and through my herbal studies is david hoffman's 'the herbal handbook'
i love the way he explains the terms and how herbs affect body systems. i feel that his book had most to do with my learning the terminology and actions of plants. -
-
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Mon, October 12, 2009 - 6:13 AMplantain and nettle root.
-
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Tue, October 13, 2009 - 6:52 PMdavid hoffmann made such an impression on me in regards to how foundational understanding these ideas are. His books are definetly worth getting, if you don't have them already, though be aware that most of the ones that have the words "holistic herbal" in the title are the same book released in slightly different versions.
I like telling people that the drying, tightening sensation they get when they eat a banana that's not ripe yet is a perfect way to understand astringency. Milder than that, the crisp feeling you get in your mouth from eating strawberries, or the slightly stronger dryness that lingers after sipping green tea. A really strong astringent would be oak bark.
Hmm... yarrow. I've always had questions about that one. I know it has tannins in it, and it does stop bleeding, but i think thta has more to do with a direct action on the blood than astringency. At least, a sip of yarrow tea or a drop of yarrow tincture doesn't produce the astringent feeling on tongue/gums/mouth that other astringents do.
more on properties here:
www.herbcraft.org/properties.html
Linda, this is such a great series of threads to post... -
-
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Thu, October 15, 2009 - 11:22 AMWould an astringent shrink swollen tissues, particularly lympth nodes? -
-
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Thu, October 15, 2009 - 12:05 PMHi Moonica,
With swollen lymph nodes, I usually think drain, not shrink, so would look to herbs that have a diuretic action. A diuretic in a nut shell, increases the rate at which fluids are moved through and exreted from the body. Examples would be Dandelion and Cleavers. These are two that I get very good results with and they are easily aquired. Other herbs that have this effect are:
corn silk
parsley
burdock
and many more. I am sure others will have their favorites as well.
The other thing is that if lymph nodes are swollen, there is usually a cause, for example there could be infection or perhaps some nodes have been removed and their is a build up of fluid. For infection, I have added a drop or two of poke tincture or other infection fighting herb. Cleavers has been the most effective when I have addressed situations where lymph nodes have been removed.
Hope that is helpful.
Blessings
Linda -
-
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Thu, October 15, 2009 - 7:44 PMNot sure if you'd count this as an herb, but black tea can be somewhat astringent. (Thought of it because I'm drinking some right now.)
-
-
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Thu, October 15, 2009 - 10:20 PMFunny you should mention that. I once had someone drink black tea, which was the only thing available in a shelter setting where I worked, to curb diahrea. It was very effective.
Blessings
Linda -
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Thu, October 15, 2009 - 11:06 PMThanks Linda! I use nettles a lot for the diuretic effect, so I will increase my uptake in nettles.
Thanks for the terms threads, they are really helpful in getting to know herbal actions. It is also helpful to remember that each herb may have more than one action.
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: Terms to know Astringent
Sat, October 17, 2009 - 2:52 PMThat makes sense. Also I have a vague memory of the BRAT diet, which is what one should eat when dealing with a bad digestive upset. That stands for bananas, rice, applesauce and tea, if I recall correctly.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
