Sacred Trees - Banyan Trees- Wish Fulfilling Tree - Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 146-365

This is a  Banyan tree. The interesting thing about these trees is that the roots acutally grow down from the branches. Once they hit the ground, they grow into trunks.

As these roots grow down from the branches and the tree expands, the new roots become known as “accessory trunks”. In Miami, where there are often hurricanes, the banyan trees are the only trees that don’t blow over in the strong winds.  The many roots and accessory trunks make them strong and able to withstand even Category 4 hurricanes.


Native to India many Banyan tree seedlings were imported to south Florida in the late 1800's. These trees can grow up to 100 feet in height (30.5 meters) and live approximately 1,000 years.

A Banyan (also Banian) is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte (a plant growing on another plant) when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). "Banyan" often refers specifically to the Indian banyan or Ficus benghalensis, which is the national tree of the Republic of India, though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a characteristic life cycle, and systematically to refer to the subgenus Urostigma.


Banyan tree is a  member of the ficus family.

The prop roots form columns over time, indistinguishable from the main trunk. The main trunk can even die leaving behind the columns which keep growing outward.

Should a “tree” be thought of only as a single organism? Especially in the tropics, trees can literally constitute an entire city as they support a network of other plants and animals. When trees provide favorable conditions for life by other species, they are considered “keystone” species. Yet trees are often dependent on other species. Many trees could not live without other cooperative species with which they have relations, usually mutually advantageous ones. 
 
Nature is full of evolutionary co-dependencies in which particular tree species requires one particular pollinator to reproduce (for example, Ficus species). Many trees are dependent on animals for seed dispersal. Oaks and pines are known to be particularly dependent on mycorrhizae, a soil-borne fungi that significantly increases the absorptive area and efficiency of a tree's roots. 

A single fungal mycelium may extend for acres and also may interact with many plants of different species. Are these linked organisms a tree or many trees? Species evolution can certainly be described as a strange mix of collaborations as well as competitions! 

Etymology

 

The name was originally given to F. benghalensis and comes from India where early travellers observed that the shade of the tree was frequented by banias or Indian traders.
In the Gujarati language, banya means "grocer/merchant," not "tree."

Religion and mythology

It is sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. Krishna is said to have achieved enlightenment under one, and Shiva, in his role of Universal teacher, Dakshinamurti, sat under a bohar tree to enlighten the sages who had come to hear his teachings. 

It is India’s national symbol, symbolizing India’s unity through diversity (as the tree has several trunks and many aerial roots).

 

In Hinduism, the leaf of the Banyan tree is said to be the resting place for the god Krishna. In the Bhagavat Gita Krishna said "There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas." 

The Banyan tree is also a symbol of spiritual knowledge. In the Pralaya it is written that only Krishna survived the great Cosmic Flood, and he is depicted sucking his toe, while floating over the flood waters on a banyan leaf in many Indian Tajore paintings.

 

 In Hindu mythology it is known as the ‘wish fulfilling tree’. Its ever expanding branches represent eternal life

Here the material world is described as a tree whose roots are upwards and branches are below.

We have experience of a tree whose roots are upward: if one stands on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, he can see that the trees reflected in the water are upside down.

The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there is substance and reality.

In many stories of Philippine Mythology, the banyan, (locally known as balete or balite) is said to be home to a variety of spirits (diwata and engkanto) and demon-like creatures (among the Visayans, specifically, the dili ingon nato, meaning "those not like us"). Maligno (Evil spirits, from Spanish for 'malign') associated with it include the kapre (a giant), duwende (dwarves), and the tikbalang (a creature whose top half is a horse and whose bottom half is human).

 Medicinal Uses

The banyan is sacred to the Hindus, and plays a great part in their ceremonies. The leaves are made into plates. 

 

The wood yields an inferior rubber and is used in medicine to 

• be applied externally to relieve pain, 
• bruises and 
• rheumatism. 

An infusion of the bark is regarded as a powerful tonic and poultice. 

 

• The health benefits and the therapeutic uses of the banyan tree include its effectiveness in curing dysentery and chronic diarrhea. In this treatment, the leaf buds of the banyan tree are soaked in water overnight and then consumed the next morning. In fact the medicinal benefits of the banyan tree are also found in its latex which is also used to treat dysentery and diarrhea.
• Health benefits of the banyan tree also result in the treatment of female sterility. In this treatment the roots of the banyan tree should be dried  and then ground to a fine powder  which should then be mixed with five times the quantity of milk and consumed for three nights consecutively after every menstruation cycle till the woman conceives
• The health benefits of the banyan tree also extend to teeth disorders. It has been observed that cleaning the teeth using the aerial roots of the banyan tree is known to help in preventing various teeth disorders. The astringent properties of the roots of the banyan tree tends to cleanse as well as strengthen the gums and the teeth.
• The latex obtained from the bark of the banyan tree is also known to be used locally as a natural treatment for lumbago and rheumatic pain. The latex is also used locally to treat skin disorders such as ulcers, bruises and sores.
• For diabetes, soak overnight, 1 sq. inch of the bark of the tree in a glass of water and drink the infusion the next morning.   
• For eczema, char the tender leaf-buds in hot ashes and dissolve the same in gingelly oil for application on the affected areas.
• For gum problems and pyorrhea, chew crushed prop roots, hold in mouth for a while and then rinse the  mouth with lukewarm water.
•   Boil 1-3 sq. inches of the bark of the tree in 2 cups of water for 5-10 minutes. Cool and use this decoction for gargling. Repeat several times a day. This helps relieve bad breath and oral ulcers.
•  For leucorrhea, boil 1-3 tablespoons of the powdered dry bark of the fig tree and the banyan tree in 1-2 litres of water till it is reduced to1/2 litre. Strain and when lukewarm, douche the vagina. Repeat several times a day.
• For pimples or acne, make a fine paste of the prop roots and apply on the affected parts. Repeat as needed.
•  To cure skin diseases and venereal diseases, boil 3-5 tablespoons of the bark in 4-5cups water till the volume is reduced to 1 cup. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and drink. Use 2 or 3 times a week.
• Apply the latex externally on the affected parts in cases of bruises, hemorrhoids, swellings, lumbago and rheumatism.
• For rashes, apply a paste of the leaves on the affected areas.

The fruit is eaten. The wood is of little value but is durable under water. 

Propagation

Widely distributed in India, the tree may be propagated by seeds and cuttings. The seeds should be sown as soon as they ripen, preferably in pots in fine leaf mould mixture with powdered charcoal. Large cuttings should be put down at the commencement of the monsoon.

Fern Tree

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 143 -365

Tree ferns are perfect for what may be your more difficult garden areas because they prefer shady, sheltered and moist locations.
Tree ferns do like neutral to acidic humus-rich soil, so our alkaline rocky gardens might need supplementing, preferably with compost. To encourage root growth, avoid fertilizing your fern during its first year.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/30/3531442/tree-ferns-bring-tropical-australia.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/30/3531442/tree-ferns-bring-tropical-australia.html#storylink=cpy

  Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has many on display, including the Australian tree fern ( Cyathea cooperi), Hawaiian tree fern (Cibotium glaucom), Mexican tree fern (C. schiedei), Caribbean tree fern (Cyathea arborea) and the rare native Florida tree fern (Ctenitis sloanei).



Australian tree ferns can grow to about 20 to 30 feet tall and 10 to15 feet wide. Trunks can grow to about one foot in diameter. They are usually inexpensive, so if you have the proper space, try growing one of these lacy, languid plants

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/30/3531442/tree-ferns-bring-tropical-australia.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/30/3531442/tree-ferns-bring-tropical-australia.html#storylink=cpy

In general, any fern that grows with a trunk elevating the fronds (leaves) above ground level can be called a tree fern. However, the plants formally known as tree ferns comprise a group of large ferns belonging to the families Dicksoniaceae and Cyatheaceae in the order Cyatheales.



Tree ferns are found growing in tropical and subtropical areas, as well as temperate rainforests in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and other island groups nearby; a few genera extend further, such as Culcita in southern Europe. Like all ferns, tree ferns reproduce by means of spores developed in sporangia on the undersides of the fronds.

The number of tree fern species is likely to be around a thousand. Although new species are discovered in New Guinea with each botanical survey, many species throughout its range have become extinct in the last century as forest habitats have come under pressure from human activity.

Ferns - Medicinal uses in New Guinea

Fevers, headaches, colds, etc.: Blackwood (1935) mentions that in Bougainville, Selaginella flabellata is used to control feverish headaches and menstruation. The leaves are applied externally and the roots taken internally. In the Mt Hagen area the petiole sap of the common bracken Pteridium aquilinum is used to treat toothache and mouth infections (Powell 1976b). For colds Cyclosorus leaves are used in the Northern Province and for nasal infections the smoke of a species of Polypodium (=?) is inhaled in Mt Hagen (Powell 1976b).

Boils, ulcers, wounds: In east New Britain, Futscher (1959) reports Gleichenia linearis (=Dicranopteris linearis) being bound externally onto wounds. On Bougainville, Blackwood (1935) reports the leaves of Pteris ensiformis and Aspidium latifolium (=Pronephrium menisciicarpon, but possibly a species of Tectaria) and the leaves and roots of Dryopteris milneana being applied to boils, ulcers and arrow wounds. The last two species are probably misidentified. Holdsworth (1980) gives a review of Blackwood's medicinal plant results. In the Northern Province a species of Athyrium  is used to treat sores and in New Britain a poultice of boiled fronds of a species of Cyclosorus is used for the same purpose (Powell 1976b). Hot fronds of a species of Polystichum are applied to groin swellings in the Mt Hagen area (Powell 1976b). In Morobe Province, a poultice is prepared from Pityrogramma calomelanos for an unspecified purpose 

Stomach pains: Holdsworth & Giheno (1975) record that a species of Lycopodium is chewed in the central highlands to induce vomiting after food poisoning or acute stomach pain. For stomach ache and diarrhoea, in the eastern highlands they report the chewing of fresh fronds of Lygodium longifolium with ash salt ( from Asplenium acrobryum or from the grass Coix gigantea).

Menstruation, childbirth, contraception: Pteris tripartita is used in childbirth in Bougainville, the fronds being taken internally. Pteris ensiformis is used to control menstruation, as is Selaginella flabellata. Lygodium dichotomum is used as a contraceptive, the root and stem being taken internally; it is also used to treat children's illnesses (Blackwood 1935). Peekel (1910) records a species of Dryopteris (most likely to be a species of Thelypteridaceae) being used in New Ireland as an abortifacient (Holdsworth, Hurley & Rayner 1979), however he does not mention the species in his illustrated flora of the island (Peekel in press, ms. completed c. 1947). In the Koiari area of the central province of Papua New Guinea Holdsworth et al. (1980b) note that total sterility in women can be achieved by eating the new leaves of Blechnum orientale each day for three successive days, waiting a fortnight and then repeating the treatment.

Diseases: Holdsworth (1974) reports that on Dobu Island in the D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago, a sorcerer claims to cure leprosy with a draught prepared by shaking the crushed leaf of a species of Lygodium in water.

Native uses: According to Gunther: Rhizome is roasted by the Makah, peeled, chewed and the juice swallowed for coughs; Cowlitz crush the rhizome, mix it with young fir needles, boil it, and drink the infusion for measles; the Quinault either bake the root on coals or use it raw as a cough medicine. Chewed for flavour and used as medicine for colds and sore throats; also used with bitter medicine as a sweetener (Pojar). Method: Strong Decoction from rhizomes, 2-4 ozs, up to 3x daily (Moore); make Licorice
syrup by adding honey to the decoction (Tierra).

Cherokee used Maidenhair for rheumatism (the effect on contracted muscles likened to the uncurling fiddleheads)- the compound decoction or decoction of root applied with warm hands as external rub, or infusion internally.  Infusion or decoction of whole plant was used as an emetic for fever and ague (fever with chills).

Powdered leaves are smoked for heart trouble and snuffed or smoked for asthma.  They used it for paralytic attacks, as from pneumonia in children.  Sacred preparation of whole plant was used specifically for women’s irregular heartbeat.

Cherokee considered Maidenshair a powerful medicine for the heart, and as such it is associated with the direction of East. 

Costanoan of California used the decoction to purify the blood and for stomach troubles.

Hesquiat of western Canada mixed the ashes in formula for shortness of breath, and to produce strength and endurance.  They likewise used the green fronds.

The northwestern Makah chewed the fronds for weak stomach.

Menomini (Wild Rice People) used a compound decoction of the root for dysentery.
They used the blade, stem, and root in gynecology. 

Micmac, Algonquian of eastern Canada, used in decoction for fits.
Potawatomi of the upper Mississippi River used an infusion of the root for caked breasts.
Natives applied poultice of plant to sore back of babies.  Wet fronds poulticed for snakebite.

• Decoction used as wash for venereal disease such as gonorrhea.  
• Used topically by Native Americans as a poultice or wash for bleeding,
•  insect stings, 
• snakebites,
•  arthritis, and 
• for hair. 

• Hesquiat use of Maidenhair for endurance played out in ceremonial dancing, for which the infusion would be used, especially in winter, to prevent fatigue.
• Such uses along with the sacred preparation practiced by the Cherokee indicate that this beautiful fern was regarded as a sacred medicine.  
• Additionally, the black stems of Maidenhair were used by Potawatomi as a hunting charm.
• The subspecies pedatum was used by the Iroquois for children’s cramps, as decoction.
• A compound decoction of the green roots used as a foot soak for rheumatism and taken internally.
• Decoction of pedantum roots taken as a diuretic for the cessation of urine due to stones.
• Compound decoction or infusion taken for excessive menstruation.  
• Decoction of roots used to bring on menses and for abortion.  
• Plant used for abortion or delivery pains. 
  

• Therefore, Maidenhair is anti-rheumatic, emetic,  diaphoretic,  cardiotonic,  stimulant,  alterative,  astringent, antispasmodic, emenagogue, and antiseptic.  Energetically, Maidenhair appears dry and cool, with an affinity for the heart and reproductive system.

• Iroquois used subspecies virginianum as a cough medicine for tuberculosis as cold infusion of root.  Botrychium virginianum    RATTLESNAKE FERN

• The Algonquian (northeast) Abnaki used as a demulcent and for children’s medicine.  Cherokee used root decoction as emetic and as concentrated syrup for external use on snakebites (including from dream snakes), and used the juice from the frond for insect bites and stings.   Botrychium virginianum    RATTLESNAKE FERN

• Chippewa used a poultice of fresh root for snakebite and as a repellant.  Chicksaw (southwest) used as a diaphoretic and expectorant, and the root decoction as emetic.  Ojibwa used for lung trouble, such as tuberculosis; and used the poulticed root on cuts.  Potawatomi also used medicinally. 
• Cherokee used in compound infusion for chills.  
• Mahuna used for lung hemorrhages.  Dennstaedtia punctilobula    HAY-SCENTED FERN
• Dryopteris campyloptera    MOUNTAIN WOOD FERN  Cherokee used with tree bark for cuts and other skin problems.  Considered medicine of the South.
• Dryopteris campyloptera    MOUNTAIN WOOD FERNInuits used leaves in compound decoction for stomachache and intestinal discomfort.  Hesquiat used young shoots for cancer of the womb. 

Native American medicinal uses of ferns can be categorized into five major groups:  those used 

• for rheumatism, 
• those used for the lungs, 
• those used for gynecology, 
• those used for the blood, and
•  those used for digestion. 

Ferns used for Rheumatism

• Maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) used for rheumatism.
• Marginal Wood Fern(Dryopteris marginalis) used for rheumatism.
• Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) used for arthritis.
• Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) used externally for rheumatism and internally for joint pain.
• Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) used for rheumatism.
• Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum) used for rheumatism.

Ferns used for Lungs

• Maidenhair smoked for asthma.
• Maidenhair Speenwort (Asplenium tricomanes) used for coughs.
• Rattlesnake Fern (Botrychium virginianum) used as a cough medicine for tuberculosis.
• Hay-scented Fern (Dennstaedtia penctilobula) used for chills and lung hemorrhages.
• Rock Cap (Polyopdium virginianum) used for sore throat, colds, measles, tuberculosis, cough, and lung congestion.
• Christmas Fern used for chills, fever, pneumonia, red spots on skin, listlessness, tuberculosis, and hoarseness.
• Bracken Fern used for tuberculosis, infections, and chest pain.

Ferns used for Gynecology (including menstrual, postpartum, and breastfeeding)

• Walking Fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum) used topically and as emetic for swollen breasts.
• Maidenhair Speenwort used for irregular menses and breast diseases.
• Lady Fern (Athyrium filis-femina)used for mothers with intestinal fevers and to prevent water breaking.
• Mountain Wood Fern (Dryopteris campyloptera) used for disease of the womb.
• Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) used as decoction of sterile leaf stalk base for the expulsion of afterbirth and for back pain.
• Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) used for infection, blood disorders (blood deficiency, cold in the blood, and others), and to restore the female system after childbirth.  Externally used for sores. 
• Cinnamon Fern used for women’s troubles, caked breasts, and malaise.
• Interrupted Fern (Osmunda claytoniana) used for weak blood and gonorrhea.
• Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) used for menstrual problems. 
• Bracken Fern used for weak blood, uterine prolapse, suffering after birth, caked breast, weakness, and headaches. 
• Marsh Fern (Thelypteris palustris)used as a gynecological medicine.

Ferns used for the Blood

• Maidenhair used as a wash or poultice for bleeding.
• Lady Fern used for vomiting of blood.
• Hay-scented Fern used for lung hemorrhages.
• Sensitive Fern used for blood deficiency, cold in the blood, and other blood disorders.
• Christmas Fern used for weak blood and toxic blood.
• Interrupted Fern used for weak blood.
• Bracken Fern used to make good blood after menses or childbirth. 

Ferns used for Digestion (including stomachache and parasites)

• Mountain Wood Fern used for stomachache.
• Crested Wood Fern (Dryopteris cristata) used root infusion for stomach trouble.
• Royal Fern used for intestinal worms. 
• Rock Cap used for stomachaches and cholera.
• Christmas Fern used for stomachache, bowel problems, toothache, cramps, and diarrhea. 
• Bracken Fern used for diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, infections, diarrhea, weakness, stomach cramps, and headaches.
• Sensitive Fern used for intestinal troubles.

Other uses of Tree Ferns

Australian tree fern is a popular ornamental in temperate areas. The pith from the centre of the trunk is rich in starch, and was once used as food by Tasmanian Aborigines. The uncurled leaves (croziers) are also edible, but have a slimy, sometimes bitter taste. The trunks are often used as a medium for growing epiphytes, particularly orchids. Trunks can also be used for fencing, while the central vascular material has been dried and carved to make craft items such as bowls and plant pots.

Lilac Shrub - Symbolism Medicinal Uses and Other Facts

By Liliana Usvat

Who doesn't love lilacs? The ideal lilac shrub has about 10 canes and produces flowers at eye-level—all the better to enjoy that sweet, haunting fragrance.

Symbolism

Lilacs are often considered to symbolize love (see language of flowers). In Greece, Lebanon, and Cyprus, the lilac is strongly associated with Easter time because it flowers around that time; it is consequently called paschalia.


Syringa vulgaris is the state flower of New Hampshire, because it "is symbolic of that hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State"
The lilacs is the flower weddings and anniversaries, to outdoor parties. For a lilac bush has a long full life, it also means tradition, family, spiritual heritage can be given mother's parents and relatives.



Lilacs are hardy, easy to grow, and low maintenance. They can grow from 5 to 15 feet tall, depending on the variety. The fragrant flowers are good for cutting and attractive to butterflies.

Magical Uses  

Lilac drives away evil flowers by planting flowering plants or sprinkling. Fresh lilac flowers can be placed in a haunted house to be "clean" spirits. The plant is used for peace, clairvoyance, divination, creativity, happiness, harmony, exorcism, protection, psychic awareness, weddings and anniversaries reîncarnare.


Lilac is the flower, the outdoor parties. For a lilac bush has a long full life, it also means tradition, family, spiritual heritage can be given mother's parents and relatives.

Planting

• Grow lilacs in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil (at a pH near 7.0). If your soil is in poor condition, add compost to enrich.
• Select a site where your lilac will get full sun—at least 6 hours. If lilacs don't get enough sun, they will not bloom well.
• Make sure the site drains well. Lilacs don't like wet feet and will not bloom with too much water.
• Plant in either spring or fall, although the latter is preferred.
• Transplanting lilacs from a nursery is also easy. If it's container-grown, gentle remove it and any rope before planting. Set the plant 2 or 3 inches deeper than it grew in the nursery, and work topsoil in around the roots. Water in. Then fill in the hole with more topsoil.
• Space multiple lilac shrubs 5 to 15 feet apart, depending on the variety.

Pruning Lilacs

• Lilacs bloom on old wood, so it's critical to prune in the spring right after they bloom. If you prune later in the summer, you may be removing the wood. Here's a tip: If your lilac flower clusters are getting smaller, time to prune!
• Every year after bloom, remove any dead wood. Prune out the oldest canes (down to the ground). Remove the small suckers. Cut back weak branches to a strong shoot. Cut back tall canes to eye height.

Festivals

Several locations in North America hold annual Lilac Festivals, including:

• The Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts, which celebrates "Lilac Sunday" every May. The Arboretum shows off its collection of over 422 lilac plants, of 194 different varieties.Lilac Sunday is the only day of the year when picnicking is allowed on the grounds of the Arboretum.
• Lombard, Illinois, called the "Lilac Village", which has an annual lilac festival and parade in May. The village also contains Lilacia Park, a garden with over 200 varieties of lilacs, as well as over 50 kinds of tulips.
• Mackinac Island, in Michigan, which celebrates a weeklong lilac festival and lilac parade each June.
• Rochester, New York, which has held its Lilac Festival since 1898, the longest-running in North America. This celebration is held in Highland Park, which has the most varieties of lilacs at any single place, many of which were developed in Rochester.
• The Royal Botanical Gardens near Hamilton, Ontario, which holds its Lilac Celebration each May.

• Spokane, Washington, known as the "Lilac City", which holds an annual lilac festival and lilac parade.
• Franktown, Ontario, Canada, holds an annual festival

 Medicinal Uses

Decoct of the leaves boiled in sweet milk bat can be used for skin cleansing

Water lilac flowers and alcohol is prepared as follows:  

• a glass half filled with flowers of lilac 
•  alcohol is added to 1 liter, 
• close well and leave 
• in the dark for 30 days, 
•  then strain,  
• squeeze sediment , and
•  the obtained water is mixed with 250-500 ml of distilled water. 

Lilac water is used as compresses for skin.
 

The infusion of the lilac leaves of the  is used to 

• improve the respiratory tract diseases accompanied by cough, 
• bronchitis or
•  and 
•  kidney stones.
• Against rheumatic pain ointment is made from 40 grams of lilac flowers, put to soak in a liter of oil for two weeks in a warm dark place. Painful areas are coated with this mixture several times a day, massaging it easy.
• Lilac leaves, boiled in milk, clean skin spots. 

• White lilac burns remedy - White lilac leaves can be used as a remedy against all kinds of burns. Lilac leaves are picked and boil until the water turns black. Allow broth to cool and when it is hot, remove the leaves and apply on the affected area of the burn. Fitted with a strip of gauze or clean cloth and keep 24 hours, during which the dressing should not be allowed to dry for wound not worsen. 
• Glaucomul - External use White Lilac - Infusion of a spoonful of flowers per cup of water (250 ml)  Leave covered a minute and then strain. It compresses on the eyes, each 15 minute 
  
  

This plant has anti-inflammatory properties enviable.  

• In addition it is used to treat rheumatism,
•  malaria and  
• high blood pressure.

Other uses

•  The lilac has an antiseptic effect on the environment, destroying germs on a surface of up to 1.5 meters around it.

Blog 128-365

Mosquito Repellent Trees Clove Tree: Syzygium aromaticum Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat



Clove Tree: Syzygium aromaticum. Type: Tree. Height: 20-30 feet. Spacing: 25 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The flower buds are the spice of commerce, and attracts wildlife to the garden.

The clove tree is an evergreen growing to 8–12 m tall, having large leaves and sanguine flowers grouped in terminal clusters. The flower buds are begin a pale hue before gradually become green, then transitioning to a bright red and are ready for collection. Cloves are harvested when 1.5–2 cm long, and consist of a long calyx, terminating in four spreading sepals, and four unopened petals forming a small central ball.


Uses
Cloves are used in the cuisine of Asian, African, and the Near and Middle East, lending flavour to meats, curries, and marinades, as well as compliment to fruit such as apples, pears, or rhubarb.

Traditional medicinal uses

Cloves are used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, Chinese medicine, and western herbalism and dentistry where the essential oil is used as an anodyne (painkiller) for dental emergencies.

Cloves are used as a carminative, to increase hydrochloric acid in the stomach and to improve peristalsis. Cloves are also said to be a natural anthelmintic. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy when stimulation and warming are needed, especially for digestive problems. Topical application over the stomach or abdomen are said to warm the digestive tract. Applied to a cavity in a decayed tooth, it also relieves toothache
.
In Chinese medicine cloves or ding xiang are considered acrid, warm and aromatic, entering the kidney, spleen and stomach meridians, and are notable in their ability to warm the middle, direct stomach qi downward, to treat hiccough and to fortify the kidney yang.



Because the herb is so warming it is contraindicated in any persons with fire symptoms and according to classical sources should not be used for anything except cold from yang deficiency.

 As such it is used in formulas for impotence or clear vaginal discharge from yang deficiency, for morning sickness together with ginseng and patchouli, or for vomiting and diarrhea due to spleen and stomach coldness.


Cloves may be used internally as a tea and topically as an oil for hypotonic muscles, including for multiple sclerosis.

This is also found in Tibetan medicine. Some recommend avoiding more than occasional use of cloves internally in the presence of pitta inflammation such as is found in acute flares of autoimmune diseases.

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