(American) A fun-loving young woman
Fluffy, Fluff,, Fluffea, Fluffeah, Fluffee, Fluffie
Fluffy, Fluff,, Fluffea, Fluffeah, Fluffee, Fluffie
FAMILY: Asteraceae (Compositae)
SYNONYMS: Armoise, wild wormwood, felon herb, St John’s plant.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: An erect, much-branched, perennial herb up to 1.5 metres high, with purplish stems, dark green divided leaves which are downy white beneath, and numerous small reddish-brown or yellow flowers.
DISTRIBUTION: Believed to have originated in eastern Europe and western Asia; now found in temperate zones all over the world. The oil is produced in southern France, Morocco, Germany, Hungary, India, China and Japan.
OTHER SPECIES: There are many different species in the Artemisia group (see Botanical Classification), which includes wormwood and tarragon. There are also several different types of mugwort such as the great mugwort (A. arborescens) and the Chinese mugwort (A. moxa and A. sinensis) which are both used to make ‘moxa’ in Japan, containing mainly borneol.
HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: In Europe, the herb has been associated with superstition and witchcraft, and was seen as a protective charm against evil and danger. It is said that St John the Baptist wore a girdle of the leaves in the wilderness. It was also seen as a woman’s plant, used as a womb tonic, for painful or delayed menstruation and as a treatment for hysteria and epilepsy. It was also used to expel worms, control fever and as a digestive remedy.
In the East the white fluffy underside of the leaves is used for moxibustion, a process often combined with acupuncture, in which the compressed dried herb is burned over a certain point in the body to stimulate it with heat. Moxa was also used in Europe to relieve gout and rheumatism. It is current in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as a specific for amenorrhoea and dysmenorrhoea.
ACTIONS: Anthelmintic, antispasmodic, carminative, choleretic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, nervine, orexigenic, stimulant, stomachic, tonic (uterine, womb), vermifuge.
EXTRACTION: Essential oil by steam distillation from the leaves and flowering tops.
CHARACTERISTICS: A colourless or pale yellow liquid with a powerful camphoraceous, bitter-sweet, herbaceous odour. It blends well with oakmoss, patchouli, rosemary, lavandin, pine, sage, clary sage and cedarwood.
PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Thujone, cineol, pinenes and dihydromatricaria ester, among others.
SAFETY DATA: Oral toxin, due to high thujone content. Abortifacient.
AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE None. ‘It should not be used in therapy either internally or externally.’.
OTHER USES: Used as a fragrance component in soaps, colognes and perfumes. Limited use in flavouring due to toxic levels of thujone.... mugwort
FAMILY: Ericaceae
SYNONYMS: Ledum, Labrador tea, marsh tea, swamp tea, bog Labrador tea, rusty Labrador tea, Hudson’s Bay tea (formerly Ledum groenlandicum).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This beautiful, hardy plant is a shrub belonging to the heather family, which can reach one metre in height. It is recognizable by its thick, leathery evergreen leaves whose edges coil under and are quite unique, being deep green on top with a downy-fuzz beneath. New leaves have a woolly mat of white hairs underneath; mature leaves have reddish hairs. All leaves are dotted with resinous glands and are fragrant, with a pungent scent, when crushed. The fluffy white flowers, which are borne in spring, are also strongly aromatic.
DISTRIBUTION: The plant is native to North America, from Greenland and Labrador across to Alaska, as far north as the treeline. It is absent from the far North and the dry prairies. The Latin name groenlandicum refers to the fact that it grows in Greenland where it is still widespread, often growing in dense colonies.
OTHER SPECIES: Ledum is a genus name, which includes 8 species of evergreen shrubs native to cool temperate and sub-arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, commonly known as Labrador tea. The common name Ledum is also applied to Rhododendron tomentsum subsp. subarcticum (formerly L. decumbens) which is known as Northern Labrador tea. This species, which is similar but slightly smaller, grows farther north on tundra at up to 1,800 metres and contains toxic alkaloids known to be poisonous to livestock. It lacks the characteristic fuzz on the underside of the mature leaves and the flowers of L. groenlandicum.
HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: This strongly aromatic herb has been used in folk medicine for centuries. Brewed as a medicinal beverage known as Labrador tea, it was used by practically all Canada’s First Nations peoples as a tonic and to treat certain respiratory, digestive and kidney ailments; as a remedy for headaches and various types of rheumatism; and to facilitate childbirth. The herbal tea also served to clean wounds and was applied to insect bites. It is said that the plant was used for over 5,000 years by the native people of North America, to protect themselves from scurvy, and the Cree used it for fevers and colds: indeed it was regarded as a ‘cure-all’ by the indigenous people. In the fur-trading era, the French Canadian coureurs-de-bois used Labrador tea to extend their supplies of black tea: it thus became a substitute for unaffordable Chinese tea during times of economic crisis. However, like other plants in the heather family, Greenland moss contains an andromedo-toxin that can cause poisoning if used in excess.
According to recent clinical trials, Greenland moss essential oil has a natural affinity for the immune system and can be an effective immune system supporter. The oil also helps counteract blood toxicity and aids liver regeneration, valuable in cases of liver intoxication originating from circulation disorders, viral hepatitis, enteritis and cirrhosis (fatty liver). Clinical research suggests that the essential oil functions like an enzyme in the liver, digesting toxic waste and fat molecules. It is also indicated for obesity, oedema, water retention and thyroid regulation. The oil has also been studied at the University of Quebec, and was found to be a strong antioxidant and natural anti-inflammatory: it also showed anticancer activity against colon carcinoma and lung carcinoma cells.
ACTIONS: Analgesic, antibacterial, anticancerous, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumoral, antispasmodic, antioxidant, anti-infectious, antiseptic, carminative, cicatrizing, decongestant, digestive tonic, immune support, liver support, stomachic, tonic.
EXTRACTION: Greenland moss oil is extracted by steam distillation from the leaves.
CHARACTERISTICS: A clear, pale-yellow liquid, with a fresh-herbaceous, medicinal and slightly sweet aroma and earthy-woody undertones.
PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: The main chemical constituents are limonene (up to 35 per cent), sabinene, selinene, bornyl acetate with other monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes.
SAFETY DATA: Possible skin sensitization: always dilute for topical use. Avoid during pregnancy and by children. NB: Abusive consumption of the tea derived from its leaves may cause indigestion, and may even have a toxic effect due to the high level of tannins that it contains.
AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE
Skin Care: Allergies, skin problems.
Circulation Muscles And Joints: Aching muscles and joints.
Respiratory System: Colds, coughs, bronchitis, hoarseness, influenza, laryngitis.
Digestive System: Addictions, alcoholism, allergies, cellulite, fatty liver, hepatitis (viral), hypothyroid, liver problems (toxic liver, support and detoxifier), lymph nodes (inflamed), obesity, thyroid regulation and water retention.
Immune System: Tonic and immune support.
Nervous System: Anxiety, nervous debility tension.
OTHER USES: The plant is still used as a local ‘tea plant’ in parts of the Northern Hemisphere.... greenland moss
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