Nasturtium
Posted by Phytopath on Aug 25, 2010
Garden nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) elicits different memories for different people.
For me, it brings back childhood memories of outback dunnies. It seemed as though everyone in Australia that had an outside toilet, had a nasturtium plant draped over it.
Was the strong smell of nasturtium leaves supposed to mask the bad smell of raw sewerage? Or was the beauty of the flowers supposed to distract the eye away from the ugliness of an outside corrugated iron box?
Whatever the reason, the memories are fond ones that also bring up associated dunny memories, not appropriate for a gardening blog.
The nasturtium plant is native to South America and was introduced to Spain in the 16th century.
During the 17th century the leaves and flowers were a popular ingredient in salads.
Today, the leaves and flowers are still used in salads to add colour and a peppery flavour. The flowers are also used to make beautifully coloured vinegar and the freshly chopped leaves can be used to flavour soft cheese and egg dishes.
The unripe green fruits are often pickled and used as a substitute for capers and the hard ripe seeds can be roasted and ground, to be used as a seasoning.
If pickling the fruit, keep in mind that they contain significant amounts of oxalic acid and may be harmful if eaten in large quantities. Moderation in all things is a good motto.
The plant is fast growing, reaching 3 metres (10ft) in no time. Most gardening books describe it as a trailing annual but in South America it is a perennial and in my garden, it is a short lived perennial. So if you live in a cool temperate region, the plant will behave like an annual but if you live in a warm temperate region the plant may well behave like a short lived perennial.
Nasturtium is hardy to 3°C (37°F) and will ramble along the ground like a ground cover or it will sprawl over a rock or structure if it encounters one. The standard height quoted in books is 3m (10ft) but in my garden the stems are still crawling along the ground at around 5 metres. If you don’t have the room for a ‘regular’ nasturtium, there are dwarf varieties available.
Seed can be sown in spring or late autumn around 13 -16°C (55 – 61°F) and once established it can self seed freely, even becoming weedy in some gardens. Sterile cultivars can be propagated from tip cuttings or basal cuttings taken in spring and summer.
Nasturtium plants prefer to grow in well drained soil that is not too rich in nutrients. Rich soil will encourage leaf growth, while poor or impoverished soil will produce more flowers and fruit. Grow in full sun, or part shade in hot climates.
The almost circular peltate leaves can grow to 18 cm in diameter (wow) and have a radiating pattern of veins i.e. radiating from the point where the petiole joins the leaf.
After rain, beads of water gather on the bright green leaves and can be rolled around and played with – a real delight for children (and me).
The flowers are usually yellow, orange or red, and appear on long to very long peduncles that are attached to the hollow stem. Each flower has five petals and five sepals with the upper sepal lengthened into a spur that contains nectar. They are showy and slightly scented growing to 6 cm (2½”).
Nasturtium is often used as a companion plant to deter whitefly and cucumber beetle. It is also planted at the base of apple trees to deter woolly aphid.
When planting Brassica, grow nasturtium between the rows. The nasturtium leaves contain sulphur heterosides similar to those found in some Brassica plants. This means that insects normally found attacking Brassica plants will also attack the nasturtium, therefore the damage will be spread between the Brassica plants and the nasturtium plants and not the Brassica alone.
In the kitchen and in the medicine chest, the whole plant can be used. Leaves, flowers, buds, fruit and seed are all used.
The plant is a bitter tonic herb that is antiseptic, diuretic and expectorant. It also controls fungal and bacterial infections.
It is used internally for respiratory infections and genito-urinary infections, scurvy and poor skin and hair conditions.
Externally, it has been used to treat baldness (this could make someone rich), minor injuries and acne. Seeds have similar properties and are used in the same way.
If you are feeling adventurous, try stuffing the flowers with a flavoured cream cheese to serve as hors d’oeuvres, or pickle the fruit and use as you would capers.
Pickled nasturtium seeds
50g green nasturtium seeds
25g salt
300ml water
Pickling spice
Malt vinegar
Stir the salt into the water, then add the nasturtium seed.
Leave for 24 hours.
Strain and rinse well in fresh water.
Dry with paper towel and then place into a jar.
Put a muslin bag filled with pickling spice into the jar with the nasturtium seed.
Fill the jar with malt vinegar and seal tightly.
Leave for 3-4 weeks before using.
Head Cold
Posted by Phytopath on Aug 18, 2010
The head cold is still with me (grrr…) and it takes the occasional trip south to visit the chest cavity. Now it’s time to get serious about evicting the offending visitor.
Herbal teas, aromatherapy rubs and steam inhalations are on the menu.
American Indians chewed coneflower root (Echinacea spp.), or made it in to a tea, to treat the early stages of cold and flu.
Coneflower
Echinacea is found in most over the counter herbal preparations for cold and flu. It helps to boost the immune system by increasing levels of properdin in the body (a protein that inhibits virus replication)
The plant is considered an effective detoxicant for the respiratory system as well as the lymphatic and circulatory systems.
The rhizomes are lifted in autumn, and then dried for later use. I can’t grow the plant in my soil and climate so it’s off to the chemist I go.
Garlic, (Allium sativum) is another cold fighting plant. It contains allicin, which is a broad spectrum antibiotic.
Garlic is traditionally used to help prevent infection and used to treat colds, flu, bronchitis and whooping cough.
It is taken raw, or as a syrup or tincture (if you are brave) or in capsules, for those of us that are not so brave, or don’t live a solitary life.
I planted my garlic about a month ago and it’s not ready to harvest yet, so I guess that means a trip to the fruit and vegie shop.
Ginger, (Zingiber officinale) is another cold, cough and flu fighting plant (say that three times) used mainly in Chinese medicine.
The fresh rhizome or root is shredded and then placed in water and simmered for 15 to 20 minutes before being used as a tea.
It contains many antiviral compounds and one chemical in particular, has a specific effect against the rhinovirus.
Other constituents of the rhizome suppress coughing, reduce pain and fever and have a mild sedative effect.
Alas, ginger needs a tropical climate to thrive and I live in a warm temperate climate, so – you guessed it – off to the store I go. Can you see a pattern developing here?
variegated Elder
Elderberry, (Sambucus nigra) contains compounds that are active against the flu virus and give relief to aching muscles and fever.
The flowers and berries contain flavonoids and the berries also contain vitamins A and C. (Did I mention raw berries are poisonous?).
The traditional medicinal use of elderberry was internally for colds, influenza, catarrh, sinusitis and fever. (I think this is the one I need). It is also combined with Tilia cordata to treat upper respiratory tract infections.
I do have several Sambucus plants in my garden but, its winter here – and they’re deciduous.
A prepared over the counter, ‘cold and flu’ remedy, sounds like my best option.
Eucalyptus spp. or gum tree leaves, are frequently used in steam inhalations to clear the nose and sinuses. (now these, I can grow).
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus also loosens phlegm in the chest and is a great antiseptic, astringent and decongestant. The essential oil can be used if you do not have access to the leaves.
A drop of Eucalyptus essential oil placed on a handkerchief (yes I still use hankies), is great to have in your pocket for the occasional ‘sniff’ to clear the nose.
If making a steam inhalation, place two drops of Eucalyptus essential oil and two drops of rosemary or thyme essential oil in to a bowl or basin of hot water. Place your head over the bowl and cover with a towel to prevent the steam from escaping. Come up for fresh air occasionally.
If your cold is a bit ‘chesty’ you could make an aromatherapy chest and neck rub by combining the essential oils of Eucalyptus – 2 drops, Rosemary – 3 drops, Lemon – 1 drop, with one teaspoon of vegetable or sweet almond oil.
Massage around the chest, neck and sinus area of the face.
I’m feeling better already.
White Horehound
Posted by Phytopath on Aug 12, 2010
White horehound
It’s near the end of winter here in the southern half of the world and there is the inevitable head cold or two (me included – cough, cough, sneeze, wipe), so I thought it appropriate to do an article on horehound.
White horehound or more correctly Marrubium vulgare, is an aromatic plant that can grow between 20 cm – 60 cm (8” – 24”). The stems are erect, grey-ish in colour, soft and downy when young and becoming woody with age. The leaves are ovate in shape, covered in white hairs with bluntly toothed margins and are arranged opposite each other along the stem. The flowers are small, white and tubular in shape, typical of plants in the Lamiaceae family, and are arranged in whorls in the leaf axils.
Black horehound (Ballota nigra) is a related species and was once used for similar purposes. It is now considered less effective than the herb white horehound.
Marrubium vulgare is native to Eurasia and Northern Africa but has made itself at home in many other countries. In parts of Australia and New Zealand it is under statutory control as a weed.
I find it amusing that a plant can be considered a pest in one location (where I live) and just 30 km away, where I work, herbalists struggle to grow the plant in their cold, wet location.
The plant prefers to grow in very well drained soil with a pH that is neutral to alkaline and in full sun. But, the plants in my garden only receive morning sun and full afternoon shade, and are growing fantastically.
In their native habitat they are found growing on dry grassland, in pastures and along the edges of fields.
White horehound can be propagated from seed sown in spring (do not let it set seed in areas where it may have weed potential), division of the clump or softwood cuttings, also in spring.
The leaves were once used to make beer and also to flavour liqueurs, but it is mostly thought of today when someone mentions sore throat, head cold or the flu.
The leaves or flowering stems can be used fresh or dried and are extremely bitter.
In the 16th century, several herbalists recommended mixing the bitter leaves with sugar to make syrup for treating wheezing and coughing. The same or similar recipes are still being used today to make horehound toffee (recipe below).
It is thought that white horehound was first used in ancient Egyptian times as a cough remedy.
The plant contains a potent expectorant, diterpene marrubiin. This bitter aromatic herb is not only an expectorant but also an antiseptic that can reduce inflammation and relieve spasms. It can increase the rate of perspiration and stimulate the flow of bile.
It has been used internally to treat bronchitis, catarrh, colds, chest coughs, whooping cough, asthma, liver problems, gall bladder disorders, typhoid fever and palpitations. Also as a gargle for sore throats and combined with sugar to make syrup or candy, also for sore throats.
Externally the leaves have been used for skin eruptions and minor skin injuries.
There is a caution if using this herb – prolonged use may cause high blood pressure. But really, it is sooo bitter that I don’t know why anyone would want to take it for extended periods of time.
Horehound candy (Shaker recipe)
Cooking
3 cups boiling water
3 oz horehound leaves
6 cups dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon butter
Steep leaves for 20 minutes and then strain. Discard leaves.
Add sugar, cream of tartar and butter, to the infusion.
Cook to hard boil stage and then add lemon juice.
Pour into buttered pan and score when cooled.
Candy
Cut into squares before the candy is completely set.
Wrap individual candies in paper and store in a cool dark place.
