Axe wound

EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST AND TALL GRASS PRAIRIE

COMMON NAME: Horsetail

GENUS AND SPECIES NAME: Equisetum spp. 

HABITAT: wet areas, roadsides, fields

USE: The tea of sterile stems is used to clean wounds and aid in stopping bleeding. The poultice makes a good bandage. It had antioxidant antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects

Preparation: To make the tea, add 1-2 teaspoons of dried horsetail to a cup of boiling water and allow to steep for 7-10 minutes. Strain out the tea and drink when warm. Drink one cup of horsetail tea 2-3 times a day. 

To make a poultice, take 1/2 cup of horsetail then pour it into a strainer and place above boiling water. Once the horsetail is soft from the steam, place in cheesecloth and lay on place on body that needs healing and add cotton layers to keep warmth. 

ACTIVE CHEMICAL: silicic acid
Formula: H4O4Si

TALL GRASS PRAIRIE AND EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST

COMMON NAME: Common Plantain

GENUS AND SPECIES NAME: Plantago major

HABITAT: waste areas, lawns

SEASON: June-August

USE: The poultice is used to stop bleeding and soothe infections and cuts. 

PREPARATION: To create poultice to place on wound, gather and clean plantain leaves. Place leaves in mouth and chew until mash is created. If there is the option, use mortar and pestle to cut, crush or bruise leaves. Take mash and place over wound and any inflamed area around it. Reapply and rewrap when necessary. 

ACTIVE CHEMICAL: aucubin
Formula: C15H22O9

TALL GRASS PRAIRIE

COMMON NAME: Black-Eyed Susan

GENUS AND SPECIES NAME: Rudbeckia hirta

HABITAT: Bases of bluffs, openings of moist to dry upland forests, upland prairies, glades, pastures, roadsides, and open, disturbed areas

SEASON: May-October

USE: treats common cold, diuretic, earache, snakebites, minor cuts, sores, scrapes and swellings. Poultice is made for snakebites and an infusion is applied directly for a cut. 

PREPARATION: hot infusion is made by scooping 1-3 tablespoons of dried herb into strainer. Heat 1 cup of water until it boils. Put strainer in cup and pour water over herbs and cover to keep oils from escaping. Follow by steeping for 15min-1hour and strain. Cold infusions are made by moistening bundled herb in cheesecloth and submerge cloth in cold water. secure and allow to infuse overnight. 

Active chemical: Echinacoside

Chemical Structure: C35H26O30

TALL GRASS PARIRIE AND EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST

COMMON NAME: Yarrow

GENUS AND SPECIES NAME: Achillea millefolium

Season: May-November

Habitat: fields, pastures, prairies, roadsides, waste places, wooded areas

Uses: fever, fresh leaves for toothache, applied to skin to stop bleeding, insect stings, sweating, taken by mouth to reduce inflammation, healing of colds and fevers, digestion- diarrhea; will lessen pain and prevent infections

Preparation: can be made into a tea or tincture, but for large amounts of blood, flowers are crushed or chewed and applied, packed directly, and layered if desired.

Active chemical: Apigenin

Chemical formula: C15H10O5

(n.d.). Home | University of Maryland Medical Center. Horsetail | University of Maryland Medical Center. Retrieved August 28, 2015, from http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/horsetail
(n.d.). Botanical.com. A Modern Herbal | Plantain, Common. Retrieved September 7, 2015, from http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/placom43.html