Yellow Dock

Rumex crispus

Monograph

1. Plant Family:
• Polygonaceae, or buckwheat family ^[1]
2. Habitat & Cultivation:
• Yellow dock grows in a wide variety of habitats, including disturbed soil, waste areas, roadsides, fields/meadows, shorelines, and forest edges. It is widely naturalized throughout the temperate world and has become a serious invasive species in many areas, including throughout North America, southern South America, New Zealand and parts of Australia. ^[1]
3. Parts Used:
• Root ^[2]
4. Herbal Actions:
• Iron-building
• Alterative
• Astringent
• Mild laxative
• Cholagogue
• Depurative
• Tonic ^[1]
5. Indications:
• Anemia
• Eczema
• Urticaria
• Pruritis
• Psoriasis
• Constipation
• Cholestasis
• Jaundice ^[2]
6. Plant Constituents:
• Anthraquinone glycosides, tannins, oxalates ^[2]
7. System Affinities:
• Integumentary, digestive, hepatic, circulatory ^[3]  
8. Energetics:
• Bitter, dry, cooling ^[3]
9. Safety:
• Fresh yellow dock may cause vomiting. ^[2]
10. Interactions:
• May potentiate the activity of stimulant laxatives. ^[2]

Personal Experience

1. Organoleptics:
• The dried root I purchased from the Herbalist is a mix of dark and light brown, with a yellow undertone. It smells very nice! Earthy, like beets, and slightly sweet.
2. Preparation Method:
• Tincture: 1 – 2 ml 3x/day (1:5 in 40%)
• Decoction: 1 – 2 tsp of root in 1 cup water, bring to a boil, simmer gently for 10 – 15 mins. Drink 3x/day.
• Syrup Formulation for Iron-Deficiency Anemia:
1. 1/2 ounce (14 g) Rumex crispus
2. 1/2 ounce (14 g) Taraxacum officinale
3. Decoct both herbs (1 oz, or 28 g in total) in 4 cups water, uncovered, until the liquid has been reduced to 1 cup. Strain the liquid and discard the herb material. Add ½ cup blackstrap molasses and mix until well blended. Cool to room temp. Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Take 1 - 2 tbsp, up to 2x/day (depending on severity of anemia). ^[1]
3. Usage Notes:
• Decoction: This was a horribly bitter tea. It smelled sort of nice when it was reducing down, but the taste is not good. I would not be able to comply with drinking this for anemia.
• Syrup: This was pretty easy to make. I was worried the molasses and water decoction would separate in the fridge but it didn’t! The yellow dock adds its characteristically strong bitter taste to the molasses. The sweetness of the molasses barely covers it. I think this would be difficult for a client to take regularly, but might be doable mixed in a smoothie with other flavorful ingredients?

Sources:

1. Zollinger, R. & Riccio, L. (2018). Week 8 Study Questions. Bastyr University: SP-18_MW5123-A Botanicals 3: Pregnancy.
2. Hoffmann, D. (2003). Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.
3. Frawley, D. & Lad, V. (2001). The Yoga of Herbs. Twin Lakes, Wisconsin: Lotus Press.

Elder

Sambucus nigra

 

Monograph

1. Plant Family:
• Adoxaceae, or honeysuckle family ^[1]
2. Habitat & Cultivation:
• European elder is a plant native to Europe, Northern Africa, and Western-and Central Asia. Naturalized in North America. Prefers moist, sunny forest habitats/open areas. Dominant understory in riparian woodlands. Common along stream/river banks. ^[1]
3. Parts Used:
• Flower, berry, leaf ^[2]
4. Herbal Actions:
• Berry
1. anticatarrahal
2. antioxidative
3. antiviral
4. antiinflammatory
5. antibacterial
6. antiproliferative
7. diaphoretic
8. diuretic
9. laxative
• Flower
1. diaphoretic
2. anticatarrhal
3. antispasmodic
• Leaf
1. diaphoretic
2. diuretic
3. emollient
4. vulnerary
5. expectorant ^[1]
5. Indications:
• Influenza types A & B
• Viral infections
• Common cold
• HSV type I
• Sinusitis
• Low immunity ^[2]
6. Plant Constituents:
• Flower
1. Triterpenes, fixed oils, phenolic acids, pectin, sugars
• Leaf
1. Triterpenes, cyanogenetic glycosides, flavonoids, fatty acids, alkanes, tannins ^[2]
7. System Affinities:
• Immune, respiratory, integumentary, gastrointestinal, urinary ^[2]  
8. Energetics:
• Berry: bitter, sweet, astringent, cooling
• Flower: warming then cooling, pungent, bitter ^[3]
9. Safety:
• Nontoxic, but leaves/stems/bark/roots/flower/unripe fruit contain cyogenic glycosides which can cause N/V and diarrhea when immature plants or high quantities of fruit consumed; majority of Sambucus nigra consumed is processed - heating process changes cyogenic glycosides to be less poisonous. ^[1]
10. Interactions:
• None known. ^[2]

Personal Experience

1. Organoleptics:
• Berry tincture: The black elderberry tincture is very dark, reddish brown. It taste pretty nice, actually! Very sour and sweet at the same time like a berry would, with a slight herbal-tea note behind it.
• Dried flower: The elderflower is yellow, and looks like tiny dried blossoms mixed with light-colored stems. They smell very sweet.
2. Preparation Method:
• Flower tincture: (1:5 in 40%) 2 – 4 ml 3x/day
• Flower tea: Pour 1 cup boiling water over 2 tsp dried or fresh blossoms, infuse for 10 mins. Drink 3x/day.
• Berry juice: Boil fresh berries in water for 2 – 3 mins, then express juice. To preserve, add 1 part honey to 10 parts juice and bring to a boil. Take 1 glass diluted with hot water 2x/day.  ^[2]
3. Usage Notes:
• I used the elderberry tincture given to us, and made a hot infusion of the dried elderflowers. The tincture helped me ward off a cold that I’ve felt creeping in since moving to Seattle from Boise this week and exhausting my immune system with caffeine and stress. The tea has a light, floral flavor with almost a spicy/bitter/sour aftertaste. It's pleasant to drink. I feel like drinking the tea helped specifically with my runny nose – it could have been due to allergies, or a symptom of the approaching cold, but it helped quite a bit!

Sources:

1. Zollinger, R. & Riccio, L. (2018). Week 7 Study Questions. Bastyr University: SP-18_MW5123-A Botanicals 3: Pregnancy.
2. Hoffmann, D. (2003). Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.
3. Frawley, D. & Lad, V. (2001). The Yoga of Herbs. Twin Lakes, Wisconsin: Lotus Press.