[Douglas]

My Elecampane plants are just starting to come up. I spread the seeds from them in the Fall so I am hoping some will come up as replacement plants. Any pictures of seedlings? I would hate to pull them as weeds in the bed!

• This reply was modified 5 months ago by  Douglas. Reason: misspelling that evaded proofreading, and for clarity

[Douglas]

This is something I am very interested in. I’ll be back here in the morning (Eastern time). Where are you located Lauren? The state you’re in can make a big difference. I am in Western MA.

• This reply was modified 5 months ago by  Douglas.

[Douglas]

OK Katerina, I’ll give it a try. Part of the Advanced Course at the Herbal Academy is producing up to 20 monographs, and I am working on medicinal plants that grow in my area especially if they are indigenous to the area and were used by Indigenous People in this area. This one is for Agrimony, which I planted in my medicinal garden from seeds collected from wild plants. There are some native Agrimony species, but I do not know which exact species my plants are from, so I refer to them as Agrimonia spp.

Common Name: Agrimony, Beggar’s Lice, Stickle wort
Botanical name: Agrimonia spp
Family: Rosaceae

[Douglas]

Oh brother… I hit the wrong key and posted prematurely. Now the system will not post the completed monograph. Sigh

[Douglas]

Here is the draft Agrimony Monograph:

Common Name: Agrimony, Church steeple, Beggar’s lice

Botanical name: Agrimonia spp.

Family: Rosaceae

Parts used: aerial parts, root

Native region: Northern Hemisphere

Geographic range: There are around 15 Agrimonia species. Agrimonia gryposepala and A. parviflora are native to North America. Agrimonia eupatoria, which is native to Europe, North Africa, Southwest Asia, and Macaronesia, was introduced to North America

Habitat: Field edges, roadsides, dry thickets.

Botanical description: Agrimony is a perennial that blooms from early summer to early autumn with a spike of small bright yellow flowers on a hirsute stem above a leafy base. The plant may reach 2 feet in height. The leaves are sharply toothed, and the leaves at the base are much larger than the leaves further up the stem. The flowers face upward toward the sun, pointing downward after full flowering. The seed has a ring of bur-like spikes which will cling to passersby. Both the flowers and leaves may be fragrant.

Harvesting guidelines: Aerial portions of agrimony are generally harvested just prior to flowering or during flowering. Herbalist Matthew Wood (2008) has noted that agrimony is more astringent and less sweet in its post-flowering phase and accordingly has suggested that it be picked when there is a strong odor about the plant. The leaves may be picked from the sides of the stem to leave the main stalk to go to seed (Wood, 2008).

Constituents: Tannins (3% to 21%), Coumarins; flavinoids (glycosides of luteolin, apigenin, and quercetin); polysaccharides; glycosidal bitters. (Hoffman 2003)

Taste: Bitter, Astringent, sweet

Affinities: Lungs, Digestive system, Liver

Actions: Astringent, tonic, bitter, diuretic, vulnerary, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, carminative, hepatic, cholagogue (Hoffman 2003)

Energetics: Cooling, Drying, Warming

Tissue states: Constriction, relaxation, atrophy (Wood)

Planetary ruler: Jupiter

History and Uses: “Agrimony (agrimonia) is hot… If someone produces or throws off mucus and much phlegm from his sick intestines, and has a cold stomach, he should frequently drink wine in which agrimony is placed before and after meals. It diminishes and purges the mucus, and warms the stomach.” (von Bingen c.1158) “Astringent, tonic, diuretic. Agrimony has had a great reputation for curing jaundice and other liver complaints.” (Grieve) Agrimony is an astringent that improve tissue tone, but also has been used to relieve tension — was used for the tense intermittent chills of malaria back to the time of Dioscorides (Wood 2008) “The combination of astringency and bitter tonic properties in agrimony makes this herb a valuable remedy. This is especially true when astringent activity is needed in the digestive system, as agrimony also contributes a tonic action through bitter stimulation of digestive and liver secretions. (Hoffmann 2003) Matthew Wood (2008) quotes Dr Bach as saying, Agrimonia is suited to conditions where the person is “tortured to capture the breath.” noting its usefulness in bronchitis and asthmatic conditions.

Preparations & Dosage: Hoffmann – Tincture 1:5 @ 45%; Infusion: pour 1 cup boiling water over 1 – 2 tsp dried herb and infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. Drink 3 times a day Easley & Horne – Tincture: Fresh leaf 1:2 @ 95%, dried leaf 1:5 @ 50% 5 drops to 3ml 3 times daily; infusion 4-8 oz 1 to 4 times daily; Topical use – apply salve as needed, or prepare compress from strong infusion or decoction several times daily.
Wood – Tincture 1 – 15 drops 1 to 3 times daily

Safety & Interations: No side effects or drug interactions reported.

Contraindications: None reported

References: Blumenthal, M.; The Complete German Commission E Monographs – Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines; 1998
Fuchs, L., The New Herbal, Taschen GmbH, 2021 (Originally published in 1543)
Grieve, M., A Modern Herbal; (1931) 1971
Hoffman, D.; Medical Herbalism, 2003
https://herbarium.theherbalacademy.com/monograph/agrimony/
Junius, M., Spagyrics – The Alchemical Preparation of Medicinal Essences, Tinctures, and Elixirs, 2007
von Bingen, Hildegard; Priscilla Throop trans; Hildegard von Bingen’s Physica; 1998
Wood, M; The Earthwise Herbal Vol I – A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants; 2008

• This reply was modified 6 months, 3 weeks ago by  Douglas.

[Douglas]

Katerina, I think you had an excellent idea.

[Douglas]

Great Cynthia! I was just getting ready to post about Jill Stansbury’s set of books, so now I’ll second your suggestion! This is a valuable set of books, and it can be seen in the bookshelf behind Sajah during the talks he gives from his desk.

[Douglas]

Ground Ivy, Creeping Jenny, Gil-over-the-ground, Robin-run-in-the-hedge, etc., is common here in New England, and is plentiful in our yard. Just now I looked in my Mrs Grieve’s A Modern Herbal and there is a pencil check-mark by the name that I made in the mid-70s when I got the book and first identified one of my favorite herbs to see in the wild.

[Douglas]

Yes, this is an excellent book.

[Douglas]

Here is a link. It is in Member Resources, once you log in: https://community.americanherbalistsguild.com/c/member-resources/insurance-resources-for-members

community.americanherbalistsguild.com

Member Resources | American Herbalists Guild

Explore Member Resources space in American Herbalists Guild

[Douglas]

@Brian, sweet! No I can keep an eye out for mine. Thanks!

[Douglas]

I am a member, and I had forgotten about the list. Thanks for joggling my memory banks!

[Douglas]

Without a doubt it is a problem. My non-herbal work pays for the liability insurance. I don’t know yet how much insurance to cover products will cost. I am hoping I will be able to roll the liability coverage into the product & business coverage. I doubt the current economic insanity will make the US any less litigious.

[Douglas]

Hello @Kevala, at least in the US it is unwise to do business without, at a minimum, general liability insurance. As I work toward creating an herbal remedy business, I am looking for insurance covering products, and there are several possibilities. I’ll post more info as I get reliable information.
I was a chimney sweep for over 40 years and liability insurance is really important, both when working with fire and when producing products that people might ingest. Since I currently do activities other than herbal production I have basic general liability because I cannot do business as an independent contractor without proof of insurance. If one wants to do business “legitimately” in the US and most states as an independent contractor then you have to have insurance, otherwise it is looked at as a dodge, tax-wise. The employer must count you as an employee if you don’t have insurance… blah blah blah. Believe me, if you want to have a business that can stand scrutiny (quite apart from the risk of having something go wrong) having insurance is important. At least this is my old-school point of view.

[Douglas]

The original of my draft monograph exists as a Filemaker database record, which has photos as well as a picture of Agrimony from Fuch’s “New Herbal” of 1543. I retyped the text in order to post it but I can see if I can include the photos in order to post it.