Constipation

EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST

COMMON NAME: Common Chickweed

GENUS AND SPECIES NAME: Stellaria media

HABITAT: waste areas, gardens, grasslands, managed forests, vineyards, and other disturbed places

SEASON: early spring to late fall

MEDICINAL USE: tea from root relieves constipation, and when applied externally, it soothes itchy skin

PREPARATION: Add 1tbs of dried chickweed (2 if fresh) with every 1 cup of water. Boil and allow simmering time for around ten minutes. Strain the herb and drink three times a day.

ACTIVE CHEMICAL: Emodin

TALL GRASS PRAIRIE AND EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST

COMMON NAME: White Snakeroot

GENUS AND SPECIES NAME: Ageratina altissima

HABITAT: rich or rocky woods, bottomland forests, bases and ledges of bluffs, clearings, banks or rivers and streams, pastures and waste places

SEASON: July-October

MEDICINAL USE: The snakeroot will stimulate gastric secretions as well as smooth muscle contractions. When taken in small doses, it can promote appetite and tone digestive organs, while in larger doses it promotes arterial action, diaphoresis, and diuresis. 

PREPARATION: 

ACTIVE CHEMICAL: Pectin

TALL GRASS PRAIRIE AND EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST

COMMON NAME: Common Dandelion

GENUS AND SPECIES NAME: Taraxacum officinale
Season: flower in spring and fall
Habitat: lawns, paths, waste ground,  pastures, road verges
Use: cleanses liver and increases production of bile, constipation, clear away heat and detoxify blood,  reduces swelling, dissolves clots, used for treating food poisoning, inflammation if liver and gallbladder, and clots in lungs
Preparation: for detoxification through a tincture, clean and cut several roots and leaves of dandelion, pack in clean container, and add alcohol in 2:1 ratio. If jar is fully packed, this should reach about an inch above. If using dried plant, use in 5:1 vodka to plant ratio. 
Active Chemical: tannin
Chemical Formula: C76H52O46

(n.d.). Curious By Nature | Color digital imagery, featuring wildflowers and seasonal landscapes.. New Jersey Tea | Curious By Nature. Retrieved from http://curiousbynature.wordpress.com/tag/new-jersey-tea/

(n.d.). Penn State Extension — Penn State College of Ag Sciences. Common Chickweed — Weed Management — Penn State Extension. Retrieved from http://extension.psu.edu/pests/weeds/weed-id/common-chickweed