Planting a Seed of Herbal Wisdom · of Herbal Roots Zine. Also, to new subscribers, I’d like to suggest investing in a binder of some sort to put these monthly sheets in. One per

1Written and Illustrated by Kristine Brown © 2012 Kristine Brown! Written and Illustrated by Kristine Brown "

September 2012 Volume 4 Issue 9

In Praise of Prunella

zinePlanting a Seed

of Knowledge for a Lifetime

of Herbal Wisdom

Herbal Roots Zine is a monthly activity magazine created to teach kids about medicinal herbs. All writings and illustrations are created and owned by Kristine Brown and are subject to copyright laws. All rights reserved.

Please do not distribute this packet outside of your immediate family or use any part of it for resale value. Libraries are welcome to print out a copy to place in a binder for their loan system. Commercial and classroom rates are available.

All information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

Text and Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Kristine Brown

Herbal Roots zine8801 State Route 162Troy, Illinois 62294

[email protected]

Herbal Roots zine ISSN 2166-4668 (online)

http://herbalrootszine.com/

https://www.facebook.com/herbalrootszine

1Written and Illustrated by Kristine Brown © 2012 Kristine Brown

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Note to Parents 3

Calendar 6

Herb Spirits 7 All About...Prunella 9 Scramble, Search and More 14

Herbal Botany 17

Herbal Lore 19

Songs and Poems 22

Herbal Recipes 23

Coloring Page 28

Herbal Crafts and More 29

Maze 32

Herbal Journal 33

Crossword Puzzle 35

Resource Page 38

Table of Contents


Dear Parents,This past month I felt a change in the air, Summer has lost his grasp and Autumn is quickly taking hold. This is not to say he has taken over, oh no, it is still hot and dry but there is a subtle change all the same.

We, like much of the United States this year, have suffered from a drought. Our summer consisted of about 2 inches of rain total for the entire 3 months and took its toll on many of our plants, including the hardy native plants. Many chose to flower and seed early, insuring life for next year. Prunella seemed to soldier on though and while she was a bit smaller than usual, continued her growth as scheduled.

We are now heavy into harvest time for Prunella and will be drying her for use in teas, poultices, liniments, lip balms, salves and more as she is such a great herb to have on hand. Her common name is Heal All, Self Heal or All Heal, all indicating her use as a panacea. And, it’s no wonder, she is quite an amazing herb with lots of healing actions!

This month we have a variety of herbal remedies to try out with Prunella including lip balm, liniment and cream. Prunella grows like crazy all over the world and is easy to grow if you can’t find her in your location. As a member of the mint family, once you get her established, you’ll never have to worry about her growing around you again!

In addition to this booklet (which we recommend you print out a copy per child who will be using it), this month you will need (see the Craft and Recipe Sections for specifics on each):

Ingredients

Dried PrunellaFresh Prunella (if available)

Note to Parents


Coconut oilCocoa ButterShea ButterRaw HoneyVitamin E capsulesBeeswaxBoraxRubbing alcoholAlumMild dish soap (such as Ecover or Dawn)

Supplies

Mini crock potHot padSpatulaStrainer

Glass measuring cupBottlesLabels

Needle or knife tipLip balm tubes

SaucepanCandy thermometer

Stick Blender4 oz. wide mouthed jar

Jars4 oz. bottle

Stainless steel potWool roving, play silks, wool yarn or other natural dye

materialsTongs

Directly after this note is the calendar. If you’re not sure how to incorporate Herbal Roots into your daily learning routine, use the calendar as a way to get started. Subscribers have found this to be a great starting point whether they are homeschoolers trying to fit Herbal Roots Zine and herbal learning into their daily school routine or public/private schoolers trying to fit a few minutes of herbal learning into their hectic after school routine. My hope is that this calendar will be a starting point to get kids exploring herbs on their own and learn to bring a bit of

Note to Parents


herbal joy into their everyday lives. Be sure to check in with our blog! Every Monday we offer a giveaway. You can sign up for a chance to win all sorts of great items including wooden animals, clay pendants and a free issue of Herbal Roots Zine.

Also, to new subscribers, I’d like to suggest investing in a binder of some sort to put these monthly sheets in. One per child if possible so they can each have their own little herbal book. They’ll be pasting actual samples of the herbs in here along with keeping a journal of all their thoughts and explorations of each particular herb. That will create a wonderful memory to last through the schooling lifetime! They are building an herbal foundation of knowledge to be used for the rest of their lives. These are real herbs that can be found almost anywhere or grown very easily. Having this knowledge is very powerful and will stay with them for a lifetime! A great way to introduce Herbal Roots zine is to have them decorate a cover page for their own binder. You can also download a ready made binder cover on our website at: http://www.herbalrootszine.com/freebies/. You might also consider having them make a Herbarium if they haven’t already. Directions can be found on our website. Look for the link on the left hand column of the page!

Most of all, have fun. Learn, explore, discover, taste and dream. The herbs are playful and we should be too.

Until next month,

Peace and Herbs!

Note to Parents


http://www.herbalrootszine.com/freebies/




*Go online to Herbal Roots’ website at: http://herbalrootszine.com to see what’s new there! Every month I’ll be giving away a copy of Herbal Roots and

many more goodies including plants, clay pendants and wooden critters made by local mama artists.

**Have any pictures to share? Post them on our Flicker page at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/herbalrootszine.

We’d love to see what you’ve been up to!

***See the resource section for links to great articles on this month’s herb!

September 2012


Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2 3

Giveaway Monday*

4 Get started with the

Herb Spirits page.

5Time for a botany lesson!

See page 17.

6 Start your

liniment today.

7 Review Prunella with the

crossword.

8

9 10

Giveaway Monday*

11Make some

infused oil today.

12 Have you been journaling about your Prunellaexper-iences?

13 Sing about

Prunella. Can you

add some verses?

14Tell a friend

Prunella’’s story.

15

16 17

Giveaway Monday *

18Have you tried the

cream yet?

19 Share your

photos on our Flickr page.**

20

Word search time!

21Make

some lip balm for your lips.

22

23

30

24

Giveaway Monday*

25Try

dyeing with

Prunella.

26Listen to

Flora dela

Terre.***

27

Finish your

liniment.

28Fill out the 2nd part of

the Herbal Spirits page.

29

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http://www.flickr.com/groups/herbalrootszine

http://www.flickr.com/groups/herbalrootszine

Visualizing herbal spirits can help you understand and remember the herb better. Before you read anything about Prunella, take a few minutes to fill out this page with your thoughts and feelings. After you have learned all about Prunella, fill out the second page with how you view Prunella after learning about her. Compare your answers and see how your understanding and knowledge of Prunella has changed and grown over the course of this issue. There are no right or wrong answers.

Part 1: Fill out BEFORE you learn all about Prunella.

j What color is this Herbal Spirit? _______________________

j What body type?(long, lean, plump, wispy, stout, etc.)

________________________________________________________

j Any particularly pronounced features? (eyes, ears,

feet, belly, fingers.....?)___________________________________

j What personality? (fiery, calm, flighty, aggressive,

grounded...)_____________________________________________

j Age? (baby, youth, adult, crone...)_______________________

j Ethnicity? ____________________________________________

j Gender? (male, female, gender neutral) _________________

j Herbal Spirit energy (cooling, warming, drying,

moistening?_____________________________________________

j Element? (fire, water, earth, wood, metal, air, etc.)

________________________________________________________

Herb Spirits


Part 2: Fill out AFTER you learn all about Prunella.

j What color is this Herbal Spirit? _______________________

j What body type?(long, lean, plump, wispy, stout, etc.)

________________________________________________________

j Any particularly pronounced features? (eyes, ears,

feet, belly, fingers.....?)___________________________________

j What personality? (fiery, calm, flighty, aggressive,

grounded...)_____________________________________________

j Age? (baby, youth, crone...)_____________________________

j Ethnicity? ____________________________________________

j Gender? (male, female, gender neutral) _________________

j Herbal Spirit energy (cooling, warming, drying,

moistening?_____________________________________________

j Element? (fire, water, earth, wood, metal, air, etc.)

________________________________________________________

j j j jHow did your answers change?___________________________

How did they stay the same?_____________________________

Did any of your changes surprise you?____________________

Why or why not?_________________________________________

Herb Spirits


Prunella is often called Self-Heal, Heal All, All-Heal, Woundwort and Carpenter’s Herb. Because of these varied names, I prefer to refer to her by her botanical name Prunella.

Prunella vulgaris is from the Lamiaceae or Mint family. The genus name Prunella comes from the German word brunellen, a common name given to the plant because of her use in curing die Braüne, a mouth and throat inflammation which is also known as quinsy. Vulgaris is Latin for “common” and was given to herbs commonly used such as Artemisia vulgaris, Thymus vulgaris and Ephedra vulgaris (Mugwort, Thyme and Ephedra). P. laciniata, also known as Cut-leaved Self-Heal is another species that is also used.

Native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America, she can be found growing in most temperate climates of the world. She is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is known as Xia Ku Cao. Though she was once well known and used in western medicine, the use of Prunella has sadly fallen by the wayside.

Prunella is a perennial, growing low to the ground in a creeping manner and often reaching about 12 inches in height. Flowers are small and purple, growing in spikes out of the top of the plant.

It is easy to grow Prunella and once a plant has been planted, she will readily spread and grow through the root

All About…Prunella!


system and through seeds.

Prunella tastes bitter, pungent and sweet. She is cold and drying and should be avoided by those who tend to run cold and dry in constitution.

She contains vitamins A, B1, C and K as well as manganese and zinc.

Prunella doesn’t have the nicknames of Self-Heal, Heal-All and All Heal for nothing. Medicinally she is used as an alterative, antibacterial, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, astringent, bitter, carminative, cholagogue, diuretic, febrifuge, hemostatic, hypotensive, immune stimulant, liver stimulant, stomachic, tonic, vasodilator, vermifuge and vulnerary. She earned the nickname for historically being used for everything that ails you.

Today, she is underutilized as a medicinal herb which is a shame since she grows rather boldly whenever she is planted and has such a wide variety of uses. She should be found in every medicine cabinet!

As a wound healer or vulnerary, Prunella is great to have on hand for all sorts of ailments. Her nickname of “Carpenter’s Herb” indicates she would be useful for treating any sort of inflictions a carpenter might encounter. Indeed, she is good for bumps, blows, bruises, cuts, sprains, strains and scrapes. Combined with her antiseptic and astringent



qualities, she is great to have on hand for every day use. Prunella is also used to treat those in chemotherapy and those who have radiation side effects, both common with those who have cancer and are in treatment.

As an antiviral, she can be used for treating all things viral. There is a history of use for ulcers of the mouth and contemporary medicine uses her for treating the herpes

virus, which forms cold sores or ulcers in the mouth.

Prunella contains ursolic acid, an anti-tumor compound that can be useful for treating tumors. As an anti-mutagenic, she stops the growth of

mutagenic cells, which can cause cancer. Prunella would be a great herb to reach for when you suspect a tumor to be cancerous (be sure to see a doctor as well though).

As a bitter, she stimulates digestion. Her carminative actions help to expel or prevent gas as well. Her stomachic actions will improve the function of the stomach while increasing the appetite. She doesn’t just stop with the stomach and intestines. As a liver stimulant, she helps a sluggish liver to get back to work while her cholagogue actions stimulate the bile to flow too.

Prunella’s hemostatic action is helpful for stopping blood flow. Hemostasis is the opposite of hemorrhage, and a hemostatic keeps the blood within a damaged vessel, to



keep the blood vessel from hemorrhaging. A hemostatic helps the blood to go from a liquid state to a solid state and is the first stage of wound healing.

I especially love Prunella for her antibiotic action. At the first sign of infection, adding Prunella to our herbal maintenance helps to shorten the duration of an illness. At the same time, if the infection is bacterial in nature, Prunella will help to fight off the bacterial infection as well as a viral infection.

At the first sign of a cold or other ailment, Prunella is a great choice to reach for as she is an immune stimulant. She will boost the immune system to help fight off a cold. But if you do happen to get sick, you can use Prunella to help reduce your fever as she is a great febrifuge. A cup of tea can help lower your fever if need be.

During allergy season, Prunella is wonderful to have on hand to help with itchy eyes caused by allergens. Her anti-inflammatory action works great for all sorts of eye ailments including styes and pinkeye. Since pinkeye can be caused by bacteria, viruses or allergies, Prunella is a great solution as she has actions for treating each kind. A weak infusion of Prunella in an eye cup is soothing and healing.

Those who have high blood pressure will find Prunella’s diuretic, vasodilation and hypotensive actions to



be helpful for lowering their blood pressure. Diuretics work with the kidneys to remove more sodium and water from the body. This action helps to relax the blood vessel walls which in turn lowers blood pressure. Vasodilators widen blood vessels by relaxing the smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls which allows the blood flow to increase, decreasing blood pressure.

Prunella, being the ‘heal all’ is an alterative, restoring health to the person who takes her, especially when she is used a tonic.

Prunella can be taken internally or externally for healing. Classical European herbalist and and healer Nicholas Culpepper suggested to “take it inwardly in syrups for inward wounds, outwardly in unguents and plasters for outward” wounds. An unguent is a type of salve that is closer to an oil in thickness. A plaster is a paste-like mixture of herbs that are usually hot and applied over a wound wrapped in a flannel cloth.

Traditional Chinese herbalists harvest Prunella when the majority of her flowers

start to turn brown. Western herbalists prefer to harvest her when the flowers are in full bloom. I prefer to harvest in full bloom but I have harvested her in the late stage as well when I needed her but didn’t have any collected.



Scramble , Search & More!


E L N I H I A E R T M E E E E A O T S U V H H ED A I O L S T C H O L A G O G U E S D R U V E II H I L A M I A C A E A C N I M A T I V L O A SI I O I N C Y R O T A M M A L F N I I T N A I LN R A N T I S P A S M O D I C A O T C U E A Z AN N S W H T A E C G O C F A L S A E A I R U C EN X P E R E N N I A L N B U L M T A T C A A I HI V S U A R T T R G Z U M A I T C O I D R N E LV A E E N U I E F R R I V N N O E N M M Y A T LE Z L V T I S R A N T I B A C T E R I A L N O AR M F B I D S S N S E A L R L G I N A A C S T IM G H C V S I W R L T U N U A L A S L T N H V RI R E A I N N E E C M I K T C T E L E A I A I NF H A O R N V E H I T I U A I X R N A P S V M CU E L Y A I T D T N A M O V R O I L U O T G E UG M B L L S K S R O I R E S E O X A D R I I T OE O E R O O E I O T P S P H M R A I K N P I C NA S T R I N G E N T E Y A C A K L S D U A I O NV T A M U F N A I N I N H V H A F A T A C O M RN A E M T C U D A C E A C I T O I B I T N A E AE T M A L C M G I M A E P O R U E S N I U T O MA I S E U N N N E A U P R I O S A T H A T T R AC C A N O A N I M A T I V K N I M A T I V T M TE I E O M C M I Z N L E A Y A C U R B I L I M P

Circle the herbs that assist the digestive system with good digestive health.

Antibiotic Stomachic Astringent Bitter

Diuretic Carminative Hypotensive

Cholagogue Vasodilator Liver Stimulant Tonic



All Heal Carpenters Weed Perennial

Alterative Cholagogue Prunella vulgaris

Antibacterial Diuretic Self Heal

Antibiotic Europe Stomachic

Anti-inflammatory Febrifuge Tonic

Antimutagenic Heal All Vasodilator

Antioxidant Hemostatic Vermifuge

Antiseptic Hypotensive Vitamin A

Antispasmodic Immune Stimulant Vitamin B

Antiviral Lamiacaea Vitamin C

Asia Liver Stimulant Vitamin K

Astringent Manganese Vulnerary

Bitter North America Xia Ku Cao

Carminative Northern Africa Zinc

Fill in the vitamins and minerals found in Prunella vulgaris.

How many words can you make out of the letters in Prunella vulgaris?

Prunella vulgaris



Read through the information on Prunella’s anatomy then label the pictures using the highlighted words. Color the picture when you are finished labeling it.

Prunella is a perennial from the Mint family (Lamiacaea), growing low to the ground in a creeping manner and often reaching about 12 inches in height. Stems are square and leaves grow opposite on the stem.

Flowers are small and purple, growing in spikes out of the top of the plant. While they are irregular flowers as all flowers of the Mint family are, they grow from unique stalks. Maude Grieve describes the stalks in her book A Modern Herbal: “It may at once be distinguished from other members of the great Labiate order because on the top of its flowering stalks, the flowers - to quote Culpepper - are 'thicke set together like an eare or spiky knap.' No other plant is at all like it. Immediately below this ear are a pair of stalkless leaves standing out on either side like a collar. The flowers and bracts of this spike or 'ear' are arranged in most regular tiers or whorls, each tier composed of a ring of six stalkless flowers, supported by a couple of spreading, sharp-pointed bracts. The number of whorls varies from half a dozen to a dozen. The flower-spike is at first very short, compact and cylindrical, but then opens out somewhat, maintaining much the same size throughout its length, not tapering as in the flower spikes of most other flowers. The flowers do not come out simultaneously in any one ring, so that a somewhat ragged looking head of flowers is produced.”

The leaves are oblong and blunt, growing up to 2 inches by 1 inch in size. The leaves grow opposite on the stem, which is square as all Mint family stems are. The stems and flower spikes are covered with fine hairs.

Herbal Botany


Word Bank

Herbal Botany


Bracts Oblong paired leaves

Fine hairs Stalkless leaves

Flower stalk Whorl

Irregular flowers

A

Prunella Heals All long time ago, there lived an orphaned girl named Prunella. Small for her age, Prunella was named by an worker at the orphanage who thought Prunella to be as plump as a plum as the name Prunella meant ‘small plum.’

Prunella was a shy child and as she grew, she spent as much time as possible out in the gardens, talking to the plants and studying them. She seemed to know which plants to use any time one of the other children were ailing and almost instantly would heal them with her touch.

Even though Prunella didn’t spend a lot of time with the other children, they all adored her and came to her for all their problems as the workers in the orphanage were short staffed and didn’t have a lot of time to look after the individual needs of the children. Soon Prunella became the nurse for all and they stopped going to the infirmary.

Prunella healed any ailments that came her way: bruises, cuts, scrapes, twisted ankles, colds, influenza, fevers, stomachaches and so on. The kids talked among themselves of the girl who heals all. If the workers were curious as to why the children no longer seemed to be hurt or sick, they did not question it.

Prunella grew up in the orphanage with the other children and it was getting close to her 18th birthday. Soon she would be expected to leave the orphanage and set out on her own.

Herbal Lore


She was sad to be leaving the others but vowed to follow her dreams to be a nurse and come back to care for the children.

On her last night at the orphanage, she kneeled down in the garden and wept tears of sadness. She did not know how long she would be gone or if she would ever be allowed to return. She desperately wanted to leave something for the children to remember her by and to heal them while she was gone. She had not taught the others the plants she used and though she knew they had learned a few of them, they most likely did not remember enough to be able to treat everything that ailed them. She cried at the thought of the discomfort they would face without her.

Exhausted, Prunella fell asleep in the garden, surrounded by the ground made damp from her tears. While she slept, an angel appeared to her and knelt down beside her. Prunella sat up and the angel cupped Prunella’s face in her hands.

“Cry no more sweet Prunella,” said the angel. “For the tears are your seeds and soon, a healing plant will grow in their place, all with the same healing powers you have, those powers having passed on from your body through your tears into the plants. These plants will be available to the children to use whenever they need them. You simply need to show them to the children before you leave tomorrow.”

With that, the angel kissed Prunella on the forehead,

Herbal Lore


wiped her tears away and floated to the sky as she disappeared. Minutes later Prunella woke up and sat up with a start. Her dream had seemed so real! Her hand brushed a plant on the ground that had not been there earlier. Astonished, she looked down and saw a curious plant growing with flower spikes full of purple flowers.

At that moment, the children woke up and discovered Prunella was gone from her bed. They wandered out into the garden and found her there, surrounded by a sea of purple flower spikes. Prunella beckoned the children to sit around her and explained that if they were ever ill, they could harvest this one plant and use it for healing all their ailments.

And so Prunella left the orphanage to find her way in the world and the children were able to heal themselves with the plant they nicknamed Prunella because like its namesake, it had the ability to heal all that ailed them.

Herbal Lore


Prunella vulgaris

Sung to the tune of “Apples and Bananas ”

I like to grow, grow, grow Prunella vul-gar-isI like to grow, grow, grow Prunella vul-gar-is

It makes great tea, tea, tea to lower my feverIt makes great tea, tea, tea to fight off colds and flus

Or make a cream, cream, cream for soothing cuts and woundsOr make a cream, cream, cream for sprains and inflammation

I like to pick, pick, pick Prunella vul-gar-isI like to pick, pick, pick Prunella vul-gar-is

Keep it on hand, hand, hand for making a lip balmKeep it on hand, hand, hand for healing chapped lips

Infuse an oil, oil, oil to use on aches and bruisesInfuse an oil, oil, oil for liniment too

I like to dry, dry, dry Prunella vul-gar-isI like to dry, dry, dry Prunella vul-gar-is

For all that ails, ails, ails, Prunella does the healingFor all that ails, ails, ails, Prunella saves the day

I like to use, use, use Prunella vul-gar-isI hope you like, like, like to use it too

Prunella vulgaris, How I y Thee!

Prunella vulgaris, herbal delightFor cuts, scrapes and bruises you’re out of sight!

Kiss viruses, allergies and colds good-byeRestores good health in the blink of an eye.

Herbal Songs and Poems


Prunella Infused Oil

There are many methods for making infused oil. My favorite method is the sun method but when I need oil in a hurry, I turn to the stove or crock pot for a faster infusion. Mini crock pots such as the Little Dipper are a perfect choice for making up small batches of oil and can be found at thrift stores for a few dollars. It doesn’t matter if they don’t have a lid as you don’t want to have the lid on during use.

Ingredients Tools

1/4 cup Dried Prunella flowering tops1/2 cup Coconut oil

Mini crock potHot padSpatulaStrainer

Glass measuring cupBottleLabel

Place the Prunella and coconut oil in the crock pot and plug in to the wall. If it has a setting, set to low. Simmer the oil for several hours until the Prunella becomes crispy (check by pushing at the Prunella with the spatula).

Once the plant material has become crispy, unplug the crock and pour the oil and plant material through the strainer into the glass measuring cup. Have a helper hold the crock pot while you scrape the material into the strainer.

Pour your oil into the bottle and label. Store in the fridge and use as needed. Coconut oil hardens when it gets below 76 degrees so you will need to place the bottle in a pot of warm water to soften before using.

Herbal Recipes


Prunella Lip Balm

Prunella has antiviral and vulnerary properties, making her an ideal lip balm ingredient for soothing chapped lips and healing cold sores. This recipe will make about 7 tubes of lip balm

Ingredients Tools

1 tablespoon dried Prunella1 tablespoon coconut oil3/4 teaspoon cocoa butter3/4 teaspoon shea butter1 1/2 teaspoons beeswax1/4 teaspoon raw honey1 vitamin E capsules

Mini crockpotStrainerSpatula

Glass measuring cupNeedle or knife tip

Lip balm tubesLabels

Begin by following the steps to make the Prunella infused oil using the Prunella, coconut oil, cocoa butter and shea butter.

Once you have strained off the oil, return it to the crock pot. Add the beeswax and heat until it is melted. Add in the raw honey and stir with the spatula.

Prick the vitamin E capsules and squeeze the contents into the pot. Stir to combine and unplug the crock pot. Get a helper to hold the crock pot while you use the spatula to scrape the mixture into the glass measuring cup.

Line your lip balm tubes on the counter with the lid off and slowly pour the lip balm into the tube until it is full. Repeat until all the tubes are filled up. Design some fun labels and attach them to the tubes once the lip balm has set up.

Herbal Recipes


Prunella Healing Cream

This healing cream is soothing on cuts, wounds, sunburns, bruises, sprains, scrapes and inflammation. Making cream can be tricky, getting oil and water to mix is no easy endeavor but it is well worth the effort for homemade cream!

Ingredients Tools

2 ounces Prunella infused coconut oil (see previous recipe)2 ounces Prunella tea3/4 ounce beeswax1 vitamin E gel capsule1 pinch borax

Mini crockpotSaucepan

StrainerCandy thermometer

Glass measuring cupSpatula

Stick blender4 oz. wide mouthed jar

To make the Prunella tea, heat 1 tablespoon of dried Prunella in 1 cup of water and heat until boiling. Turn off the heat and let steep for 1 hour. Strain off the plant material and return 2 ounces of tea to the saucepan.

Place the coconut oil and beeswax in the crock pot and heat until the wax has melted. Unplug the crock pot. Add the contents of the vitamin E capsule to the oil. Reheat the 2 ounces of tea until it is the same temperature as the oil. Add the pinch of borax to the tea.

Pour the tea into the glass measuring cup. Immerse the stick blender in the oil and turn on low. This next step is very important: TRICKLE the water slowly into the oil as you blend, slowly adding the water as the blender mixes them together. You may need to pause with adding the water. Continue to slowly add the water while blending until all the water is added. This step can be hard

Herbal Recipes


to do and you may want a helper to help pour the water while you blend.

Once your oil and water have blended, you should have a nice cream. Using the spatula, scrape it into your jar and label.

Heal All Liniment

This basic liniment is great for all sorts of aches and pains. Try it on bruises, sprains, strains, muscles aches and ‘growing pains’ for instant relief.

Ingredients Tools

Fresh or dried PrunellaRubbing alcohol2 ounces Prunella infused oil

4 oz jarStrainer

Glass measuring cup4 oz. bottle

Labels

If you are using fresh Prunella, fill your jar to the top with Chopped Prunella. If you are using dried, fill the jar half

full.

Pour rubbing alcohol to fill the jar. Screw on the lid, label and shake well. Let steep for 3 - 4 weeks, shaking daily.

After you are done steeping the herbs, strain them off and pour the alcohol into a measuring cup.

Pour 2 ounces of the infused alcohol into the

bottle. Add the infused oil and shake well. Label clearly:

*FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY*

Herbal Recipes


Herbal Recipes


Compress, Fomentation, Poultice or Plaster??

Confused by these herbal applications? Here’s an explanation for each and their uses...

Compresses and fomentations are used interchangebly. Typically, they are made using an infusion or decoction of an herb and a soft cloth such as flannel. The infusion can be hot or cold. Alternatively, tinctures used full strength or diluted can be applied in place of infusions or decoctions.

Poultices are made from fresh or dried herbs. They can be simple such as a spit poultice which is a fresh herb chewed up, spit out and placed on the wound or using herbs chopped and broken down with hot water. After the herbs have steeped for a few minutes, strain off the liquid and apply the herb directly to the skin. Cover with a soft cloth such as flannel and bind to the body with a stretch bandage. Leave on for several hours or overnight. Reapply once or twice a day.

Plasters consist of dried, powdered herb combined with cornmeal or flour. Mix together equal parts of the herb and flour and moisten with water, herbal tea or tincture. Place it on a flannel cloth and place the flannel cloth over the wound site.

Hot water bottles can be placed on top to help heat the compress, poultice or plaster. Alternatively, ice can be placed over them as well.

Coloring Page


Walking StickPhasmatodea Order

Heal All / Self HealPrunella vulgaris

Herb Pressing/DrawingDraw Prunella here. Or, if you have Prunella growing in your garden, tape a stem with flowers in the center.

Decorate the frame.

Prunella vulgaris

Herbal Crafts and More!

29 Written and Illustrated by Kristine Brown © 2012 Kristine Brown

Prunella Dye

Prunella grows in abundance and is easy to collect for dyeing purposes. You can use the leaves and stems for this project. Prunella dyes to a mild chartreuse color.

You will need:

AlumPlay silks or wool (fabric, roving, yarn)Prunella flowers and stemsWaterStainless steel potMild dish soap such as Ecover or Dawn

If your wool is raw and unwashed you will need to ‘scour’ it first which is a dyer’s term for cleaning it. To do this, rinse the wool with warm water to clean out excess dirt. Next,

place the wool in water that is 140 - 160° F, add some dish soap and gently wash it without agitating the wool or

it will felt up. Drain the water and add fresh water at the same temperature. Gently rinse until the water runs clean. There is no need to dry it before the next step.

Before you start dyeing, you will want to pre-mordant your fabrics. To do this, place 1 teaspoon of alum in a stock pot of water. Add the fabric, put on the stove over low heat and let simmer

for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and let sit until cool then pour off the liquid. This step can be done right before dyeing or a couple days in advance.

To start your dye pot, add 4 oz of Prunella for every pound of items you’ll be dyeing. Place the prunella in the pot and cover with the items to



be dyed. Add water until the dye bath covers the wool or silk. Return to the stove and heat to simmering. Hold the simmer for 1 hour, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let sit for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, separate your dye materials from the Prunella. Rinse in cool water until the water runs clear. Hang your items to dry.



Find your way through the Prunella Flowerhead!

Maze


Start

Finish

Journal PagesUse these pages to keep a journal of your discoveries of this month’s herb.


Journal PagesUse these pages to keep a journal of your discoveries of this month’s herb.


Herbal Crossword


1 2 3

4 5

6 7

8 9

10

11 12

13

14

15

16

17

18 19

20 21

22

23

24

25

26

Across

Herbal Crossword


1 Having the ability to slow down or kill viruses.

4 Lowers blood pressure.

5 Causes the dilation of the blood vessels.

6 ___ herbs are great to use on wounds because they prevent the growth of disease causing organisms.

7 Having the ability to slow down or kill bacteria.

9 Prunella is great to have on hand during cold and flu season because she is an ___ ___.

12 Inhibits the growth or destroys microorganisms.

13 Prunella promotes bile flow due to her ___ action.

14 Herbs that stimulate the liver are known as this (2 words).

17 Reduces damage caused by free radicals.

20 These herbs help to draw together or constrict tissues.

21 Prunella reduces fever because she is a ___.

22 Prunella is native to Europe, Asia, ___ ___and North America.

23 A ___ helps the blood to go from a liquid state to a solid state and is the first stage of wound healing.

25 Used to expel worms.

26 A ___ improves the appetite and digestion.

Down

Herbal Crossword


1 Herbs that relieve or reduce muscle spasms are known as an ___.

2 If an herb is known as a ___, it will stimulate the digestive system through taste.

3 An herb that assists in the expulsion of gas from the stomach and intestines.

7 Reduces inflammation.8 Prunella is known by many names which refers to her

wide range of healing capabilities; All Heal, Self Heal and ___ ___ are some such names.

10 Taken over a long period of time, a ___ restores vigor and well being.

11 Stops the growth of mutagenic cells.15 Stimulating to the kidneys and bladder and increasing

the flow of urine.16 Herbs that restore the body to health are known as an

___.18 Prunella is known as this in Traditional Chinese

Medicine.19 Prunella is a wound healer, which is another way to say

Prunella is a ___.24 ___ is a mineral that is essential for healing, boosting

the immune system maintains vision.

Alterative Antispasmodic Febrifuge Stomachic

Antibacterial Antiviral Heal All Tonic

Antibiotic Astringent Hemostatic Vasodilator

Anti-Inflammatory Bitter Hypotensive Vermifuge

Antimutagenic Carminative Immune Stimulant Vulnerary

Antioxidant Cholagogue Liver Stimulant Xia Ku Cao

Antiseptic Diuretic Northern Africa Zinc

This is a short list of some great resources for teaching kids more about herbs. For a more complete list, go to

http://www.herbalrootszine.com/herbal-learning-resources/.

Books

For more reading about herbs, try these kid friendly books! Those highlighted in purple contain specific information about Prunella.

Backyard Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies by Julie Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal

Herbal Pearls: Traditional Chinese Folk Wisdom Folk Stories collected by Miao Wen-wei, Translated by Yue Chong-xi, English Edition Edited and Annotated by Steven Foster

A Kid’s Herb Book by Lesley Tierra

Walking the World in Wonder: A Children’s Herbal by Ellen Evert Hopman

Shanleya’s Quest by Steve Elpel – not an herb book but teaches about botany (there is also a card deck available that teaches about botany as well).

An Herbal Summer by Tony(a) Lemoshttp://blazingstarherbalschool.typepad.com/blazing_star_herbal_schoo/2009/07/back-from-the-printers.html

Games

Wildcraft! Available online at Learning Herbs: http://www.learningherbs.com/wildcraft.html

Living Landscapes Permaculture Card Game:http://livingearthgames.com.au/livinglandscapes.html

Wild Cards by Linda Runyon, Available at: http://www.ofthefield.com/html/learning_resources_4.html

Reference & Resource Page


http://www.herbalrootszine.com/herbal-learning-resources/

http://www.herbalrootszine.com/herbal-learning-resources/

http://blazingstarherbalschool.typepad.com/blazing_star_herbal_schoo/2009/07/back-from-the-printers.html






http://www.learningherbs.com/wildcraft.html

http://www.learningherbs.com/wildcraft.html

http://livingearthgames.com.au/livinglandscapes.html

http://livingearthgames.com.au/livinglandscapes.html

http://www.ofthefield.com/html/learning_resources_4.html

http://www.ofthefield.com/html/learning_resources_4.html

Internet Resources

Flora Delaterre on Prunella (Self-Heal):http://www.floradelaterre.com/radio-showpodcasts/audiofile-archive.html

Mimi Hernandez on Prunella vulgaris:http://www.bitterrootrestoration.com/medicinal-plants/prunella-vulgaris-inspires-cancer-and-hiv-research.html

Karol Thunder Rowe:http://changingofthetimes.blogspot.com/2008/07/heal-all.html

Planet Botanic: http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/self_heal_fs.htm

Dried Herbs, beeswax, essential oils, Oils, lip balm tubes and more:http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/index.php?AID=113760

Essential oils:http://rainbowmeadows.com

Herb Seeds and Plants:http://www.hometownseeds.com/ http://www.horizonherbs.com/http://www.thymegarden.com/http://www.richters.com/

Reference & Resource Page


http://www.floradelaterre.com/radio-showpodcasts/audiofile-archive.html




http://www.bitterrootrestoration.com/medicinal-plants/prunella-vulgaris-inspires-cancer-and-hiv-research.html




http://changingofthetimes.blogspot.com/2008/07/heal-all.html




http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/self_heal_fs.htm

http://www.planetbotanic.ca/fact_sheets/self_heal_fs.htm

http://mountainroseherbs.com

http://mountainroseherbs.com

http://rainbowmeadows.com

http://rainbowmeadows.com

http://www.hometownseeds.com

http://www.hometownseeds.com

http://www.horizonherbs.com/

http://www.horizonherbs.com/

http://www.thymegarden.com/

http://www.thymegarden.com/

http://www.richters.com/

http://www.richters.com/




Documents

Planting a Seed of Herbal Wisdom · of Herbal Roots Zine. Also, to new subscribers, I’d like to suggest investing in a binder of some sort to put these monthly sheets in. One per