Fennel
As a medicinal plant, fennel seed has been used as an antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, expectorant, laxative, stimulant, and stomachic. Fennel has also been used to stimulate lactation, as a remedy against colic, and to improve the taste of other medicines. Chinese herbal medicine includes the use of fennel for gastroenteritis, hernia, indigestion, abdominal pain, and to resolve phlegm and stimulate milk production (11.1-10). Fennel is known to provoke both photodermatitis and contact dermatitis in humans (11.1-96). The volatile oil may cause nausea, vomiting, seizures, and pulmonary edema (1.8-100). The essential oil has been reported to stimulate liver regeneration in rats (7.6-57) .Purging cassia, Indian laburnum, Golden-shower
Humulus lupulus L.
Cannabinaceae
Common hops
Dried strobili used medicinally as a bitter tonic, sedative, hypnotic. The decoction from the flower is said to remedy swellings and hardness of the uterus. A cataplasm of the leaf is said to remedy cold tumors. The dried fruit, used for poultices and formentations, is said to remedy painful tumors. The pomade, made from the lupulin, is said to remedy cancerous ulcerations (Hartwell, 1967–1971). Reported to be anaphrodisiac, anodyne, antiseptic, diuretic, hypnotic, nervine, sedative, soporific, stomachic, sudorific, tonic, and vermifuge, hops is a folk remedy for boils, bruises, calculus, cancer, cramps, cough, cystitis, debility, delirium, diarrhea, dyspepsia, fever, fits, hysteria, inflammation, insomnia, jaundice, nerves, neuralgia, rheumatism, and worms (Duke and Wain, 1981). Moerman (1982) gives interesting insight on Amerindian uses of a plant alien to them originally. Delaware Indians heated a small bag of leaves to apply to earache or toothache. More interesting was the Delaware use of hops as a sedative, drinking hop tea several times a day to alleviate nervousness. Cherokee, Mohegan, and Fox also used the plant as a sedative. George III is said to have slept on a pillow stuffed with hops to alleviate some symptoms of his porphyria. I would personally not hesitate to drink a chamomile-hop-valerian tea as a sedative or herbal sleeping potion, but I would never recommend it to anyone else. The antibiotic principle lupulone is tuberculostatic (Duke, 1972).
Alnus maritima Nutt.
Betulaceae
Seaside Alder
According to Hartwell (1967–1970), the alders are used in folk remedies for cancers, indurations and/or tumors, especially of the breast, epithelium, duodenum, esophagus, face, lip, pancreas, pylorus, rectum, throat, tongue, and uterus. Reported to be astringent and depurative, closely related Alnus serrulata is a folk remedy for bruises, burns, diarrhea, eye, hematuria, malaria, poison ivy, scalds, sores, syphilis, and wounds (Duke and Wain, 1981). Erichsen-Brown (1979) lists many other uses of the alder; e.g. the Potawatomi Indians made a bark tea for flushing the vagina or to shrink hemorrhoids via rectal syringe. None of these are specific to Alnus maritima, just generic
Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.
Betulaceae
European alder, Black alder
According to Hartwell (1967–1971), the leaves are decocted in folk remedies for cancer of the breast, duodenum, esophagus, face, pylorus, pancreas, rectum, throat, tongue, and uterus. The bark and/or roots are used for cancers and inflammatory tumors of the throat. Reported to be alterative, astringent, detersive, diuretic, sudorific, tonic, and vermifuge, black alder is a folk remedy for cancer, fever, foot ailments, tumors, and worms (Duke and Wain, 1981). The bark decoction is taken as a gargle for angina and pharyngitis, as an enema in hematachezia.
Cichorium intybus L.
Asteraceae
Chicory, Succory, Witloof chicory, Radichetta, Asparagus chicory
Cultivated plant in India is used as a tonic, and in diarrhea, enlargement of the spleen, fever and vomiting. Wild form is considered alexiteric, emmenagogue and tonic. The juice is said to be a folk remedy for cancer of the uterus and for tumors. The powdered seed is said to remedy indurations of the spleen. The leaf, boiled with honey for a gargle is said to cure cancer of the mouth. The root, boiled in water is said to help cancer of the breast and face (Hartwell, 1967-1971).