HOMEHerb List
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WATER BETONY
Also called brownwort or bishops leaves is a different plant, scrophidaria aquatica or betonica aquatica.
WATER CHESTNUT
Eleocharis dulcis
WATERCRESS
Nasturtium officinale
100 grams of watercress yields: 151 mg. Calcium, 54 mg. Phosphorus, 1.7 mg. Iron, 282 mg. Potassium, 4,900 I.U. vitamin A, and 79 mg. Ascorbic acid or vitamin C. Besides these nutrients, watercress also provides various of the B-complex vitamins (i.e., Niacin, thiamine, riboflavin), iodine, magnesium, and sodium.
WELD
Reseda luteola
WHITE CLOVER
Good blood purifier, a tea heals external sores
WHITE OAK BARK
Strong astringent, good for piles and hemorrhoids, removes kidney stones and gallstones, reduces fever, relieves verrucose veins, use as a douche for vaginal infections
WHITE PINE
White pine has a powerful medicinal resin in its bark. When the inner bark or cambium is stripped away from the tree and dried, this resin experiences a certain chemical change which actually enhances its medicinal virtues. And though the conversion activity is relatively minor, it is important when trying to determine the degrees of strength in fresh and dry resin alike. In India the resin from a similar species of tree is successfully used to treat even the most severe forms of venereal disease, including a more recent strain of gonorrhea, which thus far has proven resistant to all types of antibiotics presently known to medicine.
WHITE WILLOW
Used to relieve minor aches and pains and to relieve upset stomach and heartburn.
WILD ALUM ROOT
Powerful astringent, useful in cholera dysentery and diarrhea, excellent rinse for mouth sores and bleeding gums, on cuts or wounds it reduces bleeding, rids mucus and pus in the bladder and intestines.
WILD CHERRY
Prunus serotina
Tones up the system, loosens phlegm in the throat and chest,reduces the effect of asthma.
WILD INDIGO
Baptisia tinctoria
WILD LETTUCE
Lactuca virosa
The presence of a milky juice gives wild lettuce a strong, narcotic effect which may interact with sour or fermented foods such as yogurt, buttermilk, acidolphilus, etc. Could cause indigestion or stomach difficulties, when combined with such foods. A good idea would be to avoid them while using this combination. [On rare occasions, it has been known to induce sleepiness in automobile drivers.] Wild lettuce leaves contain the milky substance called lactucarium, which is often used to induce sleep and treat severe nervous disorders when dried. It has also been known to work effectively against whooping cough and brings some relief to those suffering from bronchitis. The lactucarium acts as a narcotic sedative on the central nervous system of the body and can produce minor numbness in certain instances. Some of its properties are similar to opium, only in a much weaker form.
WILD OAT
Avena fatua
WILD OREGON GRAPE
Good blood purifier, good for chronic skin and uterine diseases, useful for both liver and kidney troubles. Wild Oregon grape root has the following useful constituents: berberine, berbamine, oxyacanthine, phytosterol, sugar. Berberine is the main ingredient to this herb root. Berberine's strong anti-malarial and antibacterial properties have already been discussed at some length with goldenseal.
WILD YAM
Dioscorea villosa
Very relaxing and soothing to the nerves, helps expel gas from the stomach and bowels. Wild yam root was employed for bilious colic and abdominal cramps by southern physicians in the Confederate States during the Civil War. The root yields an important alkaloid substance which relaxes the muscles of the stomach walls and the entire abdomen region. This alkaloid also acts as a sedative on the nerves governing these areas.
WILLOW BARK
Salix spp., Salix alba
Use for pain, infection, inflammation, rheumatism, tonsillitis, heartburn.
WILLOW (II) or PUSSYWILLOW or CATTAILS
Salix nigra
Use for sexual sedative, masturbation, nocturnal emissions, ejaculation, ovarian pain, gangrene, syphilis. Salix alba contains the glucoside, salicin, which the body converts into salicylic acid. Modern aspirin has displaced this acid in its more natural form. However, willow bark can diminish the blood sugar levels in diabetes mellitus, particularly juvenile diabetes in some cases. This blood glucose lowering or hypoglycemic action of salicin is accomplished by suppressing the release of fatty acids from adipose or fat tissues within the body. (Victor Fang et al, "Hypoglycemic Activity and Chemical Structure of the Salicylates", Journal of Pharmacouticol Sciences 57:2111-2115, Dec. 1968.
WINTERGREEN
Gaultheria procumbens
Stimulates the stomach, heart, and respiration.
WITCH HAZEL
Helps restore circulation where applied to the skin, relieves stiff joints. The active constituents of witch hazel bark are hamamelitannin, gallic acid, and various sub-tannins, volatile oil, and bitter principles. Hamamelitannin is the most active ingredient present. It reduces internal secretions and discharges and stops bleeding very nicely. Distilled witch hazel, which you can buy from the corner drugstore, does not have this hamamelitannin it it, unfortunately. It is renowned for use in cases of hemorrhoids and excessive menstruation.
WOOD BETONY
Stachys officinalis
Relieves pain in the face and head, opens obstructions of the liver and spleen, clears impurities from the blood,beneficial for indigestion cramps of the stomach and heartburn. Wood betony is good for varicose veins either alone or combined with white oak. Wood betony is good for head and facial pains and nervous disorders. It is a marvelous headache medicine for common ones or migraines. This plant is a companion herb to belladonna. Belladonna is a dangerously powerful narcotic and stimulant. Often the two will grow in the same fields and meadows together. Belladonna plantations in India and Pakistan always have this herb creeping up in them as an undesirable weed nuisance. The entire Stachys species of which wood betony (Stachys officinalis) is a prominent member contain alkaloids very similar to but different than the xanthine-related properties in caffein. Wood betony can therefore be used as a natural stimulant in place of coffee, cocoa (chocolate), or cola beverages.
WOOD SAGE
Increases menstrual and urine flow, promotes appetite
WOODRUFF
Asperula odorata (sweet)
Galium odoratum
Helps relieve bladder of gravel and stones, strong nervine aids relaxation and sleep.
WORMWOOD
Artemisia absinthium
The chief principle of wormwood is absinthin. It gives the herb its intensely bitter flavor. Absinthin has a strong, drugging effect on the entire digestive tract. If there is a violent upset within, or gastritis or heartburn, then this alkaloid will actually produce a mild, numbing sensation on the muscle walls, thereby bringing relief and calmness to an otherwise disruptive system. At the same time it can encourage digestion, only in a much subdued sense of the word.
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