https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/12/herbs-for-lung-issues.html
Herbs for Lung Issues
From Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and
Permaculture People:
As an asthmatic, I can attest that if you cannot breathe, not much else matters. Lung function can be compromised by congestion, inflammation or spasm. Historically, most acute lung issues were either spasmodic, in the case of asthma, or cause by congestion due to infection or heavy smoke. In recent years, inflammation has become the biggest health issue in America. As we all know, inflammation accompanies disease. Inflammation may be caused by heart disease, insulin resistance and obesity, our modern national diseases. But, most folks in the media and such blame the dramatic increase in cases of, especially childhood, inflammatory asthma on air pollution. While I do not doubt that air pollution can irritate the lungs, such a claim is historically preposterous. If in, say Charles Dickens' Time, people who lived in cities were literally choking on coal and
wood smoke used for heating and cooking, exposed to lead, mercury and arsenic in paints and household goods and had little access to clean
water... but, had lower instances of inflammatory asthma than we do today, when the air and water are appreciably cleaner... it just doesn't add up. Why is it that Amish kids have lower instances of asthma and allergies? Well, it could be that they drink unpasteurized
milk, eat natural foods, and grow up playing and working in natural sunlight, fresh air and dirt. I believe that most widespread illness in America is caused by over-use of antibiotics, chemical and sugar laden "food", chemicals used in agriculture and living an unnatural life in general.
The majority of what comprises our immune systems is not part of us at all, technically. It is the bacteria and fungi that live, not only in our "guts", but throughout our entire systems. This "gut flora" is essential for keeping us healthy and allowing us to digest food and absorb nutrients. Antibiotics kill the beneficial gut flora, as well as the intended infectious bacteria. Far too often, doctors prescribe antibiotics for patients who have viral infections, for no apparent reason - antibiotics do not affect viruses like colds and flu. This
should be considered malpractice and insurance fraud. Chlorinated and fluoridated water also harm the gut flora, and cause inflammation. The human body needs the "probiotics" found in natural foods, fermented foods, unpasteurized (but fresh and healthy)
dairy, etc. We need a wide variety of natural foods... meats, fish and vegetables. But, the average American only eats a fraction of the variety of meats and vegetables their great-grandparents ate. I will echo again, "Herded like
cattle and slopped like hogs"... trained to be consumers of a diet that our ancestors would not even recognize as food. Imagine that conversation, "What part of the
chicken is the nugget... and why does something that is supposed to be meat have 2 dozen chemical ingredients in it that I can't pronounce? What is a meatless burger... what is it made of... why the hell would anyone eat that?!!!" "But, the government says it is good for me." "In my day, everyone didn't have diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and we ate food that tasted better and had real gravy that didn't come from a packet or a can!"
This is not just conjecture for me. Several years ago, I spent time away from my natural lifestyle and well water in the mountains. As I tried to adjust to
city water and less natural food, my asthma got progressively worse. I started to get into fermenting, and within a few months of daily drinking water kefir and kombucha improved my asthma symptoms by at least 50%. Soon, I was making sauerkraut, fermented pickles, kimchi, etc and things kept getting better. I also noticed that my symptoms flared up whenever I ate. Some research
led me to understand that digestion is weakened by chronic inflammation and poor sleep - both of which were an issue. When digestion is strong and efficient, food is processed quickly. When it is not, the immune system begins to sense that certain proteins in the food may be invading bacteria and starts a defensive immune response. Taking a sip of digestive bitters before each meal increases saliva, stomach acids, bile, etc. and restores digestion to health. These two factors, fermented foods and bitters, made a more positive difference for me than any modification, prescription or OTC that I have ever tried. Additionally, a Chinese herb called Codonopsis or Dang Shen is excellent for lung support. Beyond that, I found that when things still flared up, Lobelia, Tobacco and bourbon stopped the asthma attack - the first is a healthful herb, but the others can certainly be misused. As I said before though, when you cannot breathe not much else matters. Lobelia and tobacco open the lungs, dilating the bronchioles. The whisky calms the spasms. I can only say that this works for me. I have also found a tincture of Mimosa, Thyme, Ragweed and Mullein to be generally good for allergy related lung congestion.
Wild Cherry Bark is the very best thing for cough. Cherry Bark (probably any kind, though black or choke cherry is most commonly used) is the "go-to" herb for coughs in the Appalachians and among most traditional peoples. Diminishes respiratory irritability - cardiopulmonary relaxant. Lowers pulse and calms rapid breathing. Slows and strengthens respiration. Cherry bark contains small amounts of cyanide, so should not be over-used.
Plants for A Future Lists these herbs in detail:
Dang Shen (Codonopsis pilosula) Dang Shun is an important herb in Chinese medicine, it is a gentle tonic that increases
energy levels and helps the body adapt to stress. The
root contains saponins, triterpenes and steroids, it is similar in action to ginseng (Panax species), but it is milder and has a shorter-lasting effect. It is a sweet, warm, soothing herb that is taken as an energy tonic. It acts mainly on the spleen, lungs and stomach, raising secretion of body fluids and blood sugar levels, and stimulating the immune system. Research has shown that it increases haemoglobin and red blood cell levels and lowers the blood pressure. It also helps increase endurance to stress and promotes alertness. The root and the whole plant are adaptogen, appetizer, digestive, galactogogue, sialagogue, stomachic and tonic. It is taken internally in the treatment of low energy, poor appetite and digestion, anaemia, shallow breathing and debility after illness. It is often cooked with rice until it is glutinous and used as a tonic food. The dried root is decocted with other herbs and used to treat a wide range of ailments. The
roots of plants at least three years old are harvested in the autumn and can be used fresh or dried.
Lobelia or Indian Tobacco (inflata is strongest, but all lobelias are useful) Indian Tobacco was a traditional North American Indian remedy for a wide range of conditions. Nowadays it is used mainly as a powerful antispasmodic herb in the treatment of respiratory and muscle disorders. Acting also as a respiratory stimulant, Indian Tobacco is a valuable remedy for conditions such as bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis. The dried flowering herb and the seed are antiasthmatic, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant and nervine. The plant is taken internally in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough and pleurisy. This remedy should be used with great caution and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. Excess doses cause nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and respiratory failure. See also the notes above on toxicity. The plant contains the alkaline "lobeline" which has proved to be of value in helping people to give up smoking tobacco. It is contained in many proprietary anti-smoking mixtures where it mimics the effects of nicotine. The alkaloids present in the leaves are used to stimulate the removal of phlegm from the respiratory tract. When chewed, the leaves induce vomiting, headache and nausea - in larger doses it has caused death. The alkaloids first act as a stimulant and then as a depressive to the autonomic nervous system and in high doses paralyses muscular action in the same way as curare. Externally, the plant is used in treating pleurisy, rheumatism, tennis elbow, whiplash injuries, boils and ulcers. The whole plant is harvested when the lower fruits are ripe and it is used fresh or dried.
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Tobacco has a long history of use by medical herbalists as a relaxant, though since it is a highly additive drug it is seldom employed internally or externally at present. The leaves are antispasmodic, discutient, diuretic, emetic, expectorant, irritant, narcotic, sedative and sialagogue. They are used externally in the treatment of rheumatic swelling, skin diseases and scorpion stings. The plant should be used with great caution, when taken internally it is an addictive narcotic. The active ingredients can also be absorbed through the skin. Wet tobacco leaves can be applied to stings in order to relieve the pain. They are also a certain cure for painful piles. A homeopathic remedy is made from the dried leaves. It is used in the treatment of nausea and travel sickness.
Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) The flower heads are carminative, digestive, sedative and tonic. They are used internally in the treatment of insomnia, irritability, breathlessness and poor memory. The flowers are harvested as they open and are dried for later use. The stembark is anodyne, anthelmintic, carminative, discutient, diuretic, oxytocic, sedative, stimulant, tonic, vermifuge and vulnerary. It is used internally in the treatment of insomnia, irritability, boils and carbuncles. Externally, it is applied to injuries and swellings. The bark is harvested in spring or late summer and is dried for later use. A gummy extract obtained from the plant is used as a plaster for abscesses, boils etc and also as a retentive in fractures and sprains.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) Common thyme has a very long history of folk use for a wide range of ailments. It is very rich in essential oils and these are the active ingredients responsible for most of the
medicinal properties. In particular, thyme is valued for its antiseptic and antioxidant properties, it is an excellent tonic and is used in treating respiratory diseases and a variety of other ailments. The flowering tops are anthelmintic, strongly antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, deodorant, diaphoretic, disinfectant, expectorant, sedative and tonic. The plant is used internally in the treatment of dry coughs, whooping cough, bronchitis, bronchial catarrh, asthma, laryngitis, indigestion, gastritis and diarrhoea and enuresis in children. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women. Externally, it is used in the treatment of tonsillitis, gum diseases, rheumatism, arthritis and fungal infections. The plant can be used fresh at any time of the year, or it can be harvested as it comes into flower and either be distilled for the oil or dried for later use. Thyme has an antioxidant effect, thus regular use of this herb improves the health and longevity of individual body cells and therefore prolongs the life of the body. The essential oil is strongly antiseptic. The whole herb is used in the treatment of digestive disorders, sore throats, fevers etc. The essential oil is one of the most important oils used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is "Bacterial". It is used especially in cases of exhaustion, depression, upper respiratory tract infections, skin and scalp complaints etc. The oil can cause allergic reactions and irritation to the skin and mucous membranes.
Mullein (Verbascum densiflorum) The flowers and leaves are anodyne, antiseptic, astringent, demulcent, emollient, expectorant and vulnerary. An infusion is used internally in the treatment of various respiratory complaints including coughs, bronchitis, asthma and throat irritations. An infusion of the fresh or dried flowers in olive oil is used to treat earaches, sores, wounds, boils etc. The plant is harvested when in flower and should be dried quickly and with care or it will lose its medicinal qualities.
Lungwort (Pulmonario officinalis) Lungwort has a high mucilage content and this makes it useful in the treatment of chest conditions, being of particular benefit in cases of chronic bronchitis. It combines well with other herbs such as coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) in the treatment of chronic coughs including whooping cough and can also be taken to treat asthma. The leaves and flowering shoots are astringent, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, mildly expectorant and resolvent. They are often used for their healing effect in pulmonary complaints and their mucilaginous nature makes them beneficial in treating sore throats.
Fr. Kneipp, having recovered from Tuberculosis through a self-treatment of swimming and bathing in cold water to simulate the immune system, medicinal herbs and prayer, made several recommendations on lung issues.
Colt's foot. (Tussilago Farfara L.) To purify the chest and the lungs, it is advisable to drink tea from colt's-foot. Asthma and coughs can be removed very easily by the remedy, especially if an inclination to consumption exists. You may put these leaves on the chest, either in a piece of
linen or without it. They extract the heat, stop feebleness, and remove fevers. They have an especially good effect on open wounds; they remove the heat, the redness, and draw out the injurious matters.
Chamomile. (Matricaria chamomilla.) Chamomile tea is used for colds, especially if they are attended by fever, for gripes, cramps, strong congestions, etc.
Bitter Aloe. (Agave Americana L.) leaf boiled with a tea -spoonful of
honey in half a pint of water and taken in small quantities, will take away interior heat, and will prove especially serviceably in eases where there are blisters on the palate, or a whooping-cough has arisen from the interior heat.
Violet. (Viola odorata L.) When, in the beginning of spring-time, the children get bad coughs in consequence of the frequent changes in the weather, the anxious mother boils a handful of green or dried violet leaves in half a pint of water, and gives the children two or three spoonfuls of such tea every two or three hours. (The roots of the plant may be used too ; but they must be crushed before boiling.) Adults are cured of whooping-cough by taking a cup of this tea three times a day.
It likewise relieves the cough of consumptive people and assists in loosening the phlegm. It serves as a medicine and should be taken as such, i.e. three to five table-spoonfuls every two or three hours.
Almond-oil. In inflammations, especially in the dreaded inflammation of the lungs, it cools. Such patients ought to take one teaspoonful of almond oil, three or four times a day.
Common
Nettle. (Urtica dioica L.) Fresh
nettles just gathered, dried and made into tea loosen the phlegm in the chest and lungs, cleanse the stomach from matters gathered there, which they expel chiefly by means of the kidneys.
Father Künzle added in "Herbs and Weeds", Everything on this plant is used, from the roots to the seeds. The root, boiled in vinegar, is by far the best remedy for hair growth. The herb cleanses the lungs, stomach, intestines and has a healing effect when used for a longer time on gastric and intestinal ulcers. In this case you prepare it with plantain and juniper and thyme (well boiled) and drink it warm (a sip several times a day).
Limetree Blossoms. (Tilia grandifolia and parvifolia) Lime-blossom-tea has excellent effects on such complaints as old coughs, obstructions of the lungs and wind-pipes, troubles of the abdomen which have their origin in obstructions of phlegm in the kidneys.
St. John's-wort. (Hypericum perforatum) Head complaints arising from watery matters or obstructions of phlegm in the head , or from the gases rising to the head ; stomach spasms, slight obstructions of phlegm on the chest and lungs are healed at once by tea made of St. John's-wort.
Father Künzle added in "Herbs and Weeds", The leaves and blossoms of St. John's wort, made into tea, clear the head, clean the mucus from the lungs, stomach, kidneys and bladders; if the infusion is red, take a sip of this tea every hour; it also often helps with blood cramps and abdominal pain.
Wild Angelica. (Angelica silvestris L.) Thick phlegm on the lungs and chest, heart-burn, phlegm in the wind-pipes, are by this tea especially, most easily removed.
Fr. Künzle's other recommendations for lung issues include:
Pimpinella (Pimpinella major) is as violent as a Russian and chases away tangled and thick substances and festering substances from the larynx, lungs, stomach, intestines, cures hoarseness (boiled in wine, gargled and drunk) in one hour, therefore invaluable for speakers, removes intestinal and pulmonary catarrh.
Masterwort, (Peucedanum ostruthium) boiled and consumed with wine, was considered by the ancients to be the most effective antidote against poison or dog bites. It loosens the mucus from the lungs and is therefore good for those who suffer from severe pulmonary catarrh.
All parts of all kinds of the Plantain (Plantago) are used: roots, leaves, flowers and seeds. It cleans the blood, lungs and stomach like no other herb, so it is good for all people who have anemia, bad blood, weak lungs, a weak voice, pale appearance, with rashes, eruptions, eczema, sores, who cough forever, who have a hoarse voice, stay lean like goats, even if you put them in butter. It helps weak children who fall behind in their development despite of good food.
Juniper is a medicinal plant of the first rank; everything about it is medicinal: wood, needles, berries, bark. It has the power to warm up, relieve internal colds, cleans everything whatever it can reach, stomach, intestines, lungs, blood, and is therefore used in almost all herbal mixtures, except for hot diseases (such as fever etc.).
Wormwood, well boiled in water and strained heals red, tarnished, weak eyes. Bitter wormwood is just as healthy for the body as is the poisonous bile for the mind. So plant now a wormwood for me in your garden and thank Him who created it for you to heal! An intern writes to me: I use wormwood tea, not only for the stomach, but also for cleaning the lungs and combined with sage I use it in order to remove noxious juices and diseased substances from the body. However, I rarely use it in cups, only to achieve a momentary forceful effect, but as a rule by the spoonful, i.e. two
spoons full or one sip every half hour.
Recipe for people with lung diseases
God knows how many people suffer from lung diseases and coughing. Many even do not want to get well. They are too lazy to use a remedy for four weeks, the spoiled people despise everything that does not taste well. Of course, those cannot be helped. Furthermore, if they are already weakened to such an extent that they are bedridden, no remedy would help any longer, no matter how much it is praised. However, there are still many, who still want to be cured and go out. For them I write down this tried out and tested recipe.
Finely chop green fir tree twigs or, if you can't get them, European spruce (picea abies) will also do and you chop it thinly. Fill 8-10 baskets and put them in the patient's bedroom or, if there is not
enough space, hang them up like lamps; every evening before going to bed, stir and shake every basket so that the scent comes out.
If the twigs no longer smell after three to four weeks, replace them filled with the fresh ones.I have seen tuberculosis patients who could only move with the help of sticks cured in this way.In mountainous areas a much stronger and more effective variety of pines thrives, namely the dwarf mountain pine; it is hardly as tall as a man, but it spreads countless branches that crawl over the rocks up to the top of the tree line.
As internal medicine, I recommend the following syrup to all types of lung patients, including
those suffering from influenza:
3 handfuls of juniper green twigs,
3 handfuls of plantain,
1 handful of nettles,
1 handful of St. John's wort,
3 handfuls of Angelica,
1 handful of mullein,
1 handful of ground ivy
1 handful of peppermint,
1/2 handful of anise and fennel,
1 handful of Iceland moss
1 handful of speedwell,
2 handfuls of real lungwort
1/2 handful of arum leaves
1/2 handful of danewort roots
1/2 handful of burnet roots
The above article is an excerpt from my new book Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and
Permaculture People
You can read about and purchase Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and
Permaculture People here: southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/2021/10/herbal-medicine-for-preppers.html
Also available on Amazon: Herbal Medicine for Preppers, Homesteaders and
Permaculture People: Carroll, Judson: 9798491252923: Amazon.com:
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Disclaimer
The information on this site is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing on this site has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I am not a doctor. The US government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and their is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write is accurate or true! I can tell you what herbs have "traditionally been used for." I can tell you my own
experience and if I believe an herb helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use any herb I, or anyone else, mentions 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, sensitivity or underlying condition that no one else shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to 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.