Toothache

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, flowers are crushed or chewed  

Active chemical: Apigenin

Chemical formula: C15H10O5

EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST AND TALL GRASS PRAIRIE

COMMON NAME: Weeping Willow

GENUS AND SPECIES NAME: Salix Babylonica

Habitat: moist soils, foodplains, streamsides, riverbanks, hill prairies, open woods

Use: salicylic acid eases pain and reduces inflammation, headache treatment, used in toothaches, leaves are used as blood purifier and treat skin eruptions, can be chewed for sore throats, vines can be used as a splint for broken bones and stops blood flow

Preparation: to make tea, tear off piece of bark and place in water. bring water to boil and remove from the heat. Allow to steep for thirty minutes. Drink like a tea, but do not exceed three times a day. Use leaves to make poultice and apply topically to relieve pain. Chewing on bark will alleviate toothache pain. 

Active chemical: salicylic acid

Chemical formula:C7H6O3

TALL GRASS PRAIRIE

COMMON NAME: Slender Mountain Mint

GENUS AND SPECIES NAME: Pycnanthemum tenuifolium

Season: June- September

Habitat: dry, open rocky woods, dry prairies and fields, roadsides, stream sides and wet thickets

Use: treats indigestion, mouth sores and gum disease, coughs, colds, chills and fevers. Decoction is poured over festering wounds. Crushed flowers are placed on toothache and almost instantly alleviate pain. 

Preparation: crush flowers and chew to lessen pain
Active Chemical: Menthol
Chemical formula: C10H20O

EASTERN DECIDUOUS FOREST

TALLGRASS PRAIRIE

COMMON NAME: Purple Coneflower

Genus and Species Name: Echinacea purpurea

Habitat: openings in moist woods and wooded bottom lands, upland prairies, savannas, pastures, and roadsides 

Medicinal Uses: roots are used to create a tincture as a source for pain relief

Preparation: Clean roots and chop or pound (mortar and pestle) and stuff into jar. The ratio of root to alcohol or vinegar will 1:2. Add alcohol or vinegar to root in jar. Put lid on container and let sit in cool, dark place for a few (2) weeks. When ready, it can be taken straight or diluted with water if pleased. 

Active Chemical: Echinacoside

Formula:C35H46O20

(n.d.). Alternative Nature Online Herbal - Wild Herb and MedicinalUses. Mountain Mint, Wild Mint, Herb Uses, Description andPictures. Retrieved September 3, 2015, from http://altnature.com/gallery/wild_mint.htm
(n.d.). Willow bark - Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Retrieved from http://pennstatehershey.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=107&pid=33&gid=000281
(n.d.). Missouri's Fish, Forests and Wildlife | Missouri Department of Conservation. Slender Mountain Mint | Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved from http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/slender-mountain-mint
(n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Menthol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menthol