Old Oregon Grape leads to bonus of medicinal roots
- Aunt Plantsy
- Aug 25
- 2 min read
When our house was being built, the contractor planted an Oregon Grape shrub just off our front porch to fill in a gap and offer us more privacy. However, years later we’ve noticed foundation cracks there. When our roof was being repaired recently, the contractor said we needed rain gutters in that corner to direct the water flow away from the house.
Thus, the Oregon Grape needed to go too because it was surviving from the water and the roots were spreading near the foundation.
My husband transplanted the Oregon Grape to a nice sunny location and we dug up any remaining roots we could find.
Berberis aquifolium, Mahonia aquifolium, M. repens are the scientific names for the Oregon Grape shrub.
Medicinal uses are for urinary tract infections; herpes; systemic infection; skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis; aids in digestion, liver problems including hepatitis and gallstones; menstrual irregularities; arthritis; cancer; bronchial congestion; tumors; phlegm; catarrh; leucorrhea and spermatorrhea; gastrointestinal tract; respiratory tract; stomach infections; chronic cholecystitis; rheumatism; giardia; cholera; amebiasis; visceral; and cutaneious leishmaniasis.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Should not be taken over long periods of time by those suffering from a generally cold and deficient constitution with symptoms of anemia and hypothyroid. Do not use during pregnancy due to the uterine stimulants.
The information above, was part of the materia medica research that I had to do for my herbalism course. Here are the sources that I used:
REFERENCES: Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health; Pages 256, 355 (refers to Mahonia aquifolium). The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra, L.Ac., O.M.D.; Pages 32, 34, 36, 173, 174, 315 (refers to M. aquifolium and M. repens and puts Berberis aquifolium in parenthesis). Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth by Dr. Sharol Marie Tilgner; Page 129.
The benefit from all of this is we now have a rain barrel my husband installed to catch the water from pouring into that corner, we saved the shrub, AND I have some nice roots to cut up and dry for medicine.
To use the roots, one needs to either decoct them in a tea or include them in a tincture. They are very hard, so once I cut them into manageable pieces, I will probably use my grinder to make them smaller.
Please visit me online at www.peasbeewithewe.com
You can also view the following:
Comments