UBC first aid kit plants

From NarratingLandscapes

by:user:Heather

These are the plants I used to make a UBC first aid kit. There is a map of places they are found at Shifts in perception through the UBC first aid kit, except for the Labrador Tea which I could only find in the Botanical Gardens.

I questioned posting this online since I am completely new to identifying, collecting and processing plants so I wrote about it in Online instructions on how to use medicinal plants?

Salal
Salal.
Botanical Name:	Gaultheria shallon
Family:	Ericaceae (Heather family)

Salal tea

Salal – I collected and dried Salal leaves to make a poultice for a pain reliever from burns, scrapes and insect bites. I also used the dried leaves to make a tea for diarrhea. Collecting and drying the leaves was fun, but as I was grinding the leaves with a mortar and pestle for the poultice, I did wonder if I would ever actually use it practically…so I put it on a few of my mosquito bites and it definitely took the itch away. I tried the dried leaves as a tea and it tastes like a mild green tea. Salal is found all over the UBC campus. Although it is an evergreen the leaves are best collected from late spring to mid-fall and once dried they are good for several years. I put the poultice in a jar to bring to class, but kept it in there for a couple of days and it goes bad FAST, so it’s best used right away. I think if I had powdered Salal leaves on hand I would use them if I ever needed a topical pain reliever.

Yarrow
Yarrow.
Botanical Name:	Achillea millefolium
Family:	Asteraceae

Yarrow – This plant really surprised me with all of its uses. On our trip to Musqueam, Felice told us that the red parts of the root are great for toothaches (Wyndham 2008: Lecture) so that is what I collected. If you dig around the roots of the plant some of them have toothpick length red roots that you can pinch off. I kept the root in my mouth and chewed on it a little, nothing happened at first and then my tongue became numb, then my whole mouth. Works great! But it didn’t last for very long after I took the root out of my mouth. I read in Moore’s book that if you keep the dried roots in whiskey they are much stronger, so I have a few in a jar waiting for a toothache. Yarrow is found in ‘weedy’ areas at UBC. The dried roots stay good for several years.

• Yarrow shouldn’t be used for an extended period of time if pregnant.

Yarrow roots in whiskey

Labrador Tea
Image:.jpg Labrador Tea.
Botanical Name:	Ledum groenlandicum
Family:	Ericaceae (Heather family)

Labrador Tea – The dried leaves of this plant in a tea are supposedly good for hangovers, but I couldn’t find it around the campus other that at the Botanical gardens. I haven’t had a hangover yet to test if it works but I will be sure to try it out if it is needed and update this page. The leaves should be gathered in the summer and fall (after seeding) and dried for the tea. Good places to look for Labrador Tea are coastal bogs, if you find Skunk Cabbage it is a good sign Labrador Tea might be in the area.

Western Red Cedar
Western Red Cedar.
Botanical Name:	Thuja plicata
Family:	Cupressaceae

Western Red Cedar – I collected the newer fanlike branches of red cedar for its antifungal and antibacterial properties which are good for making a tincture to treat athlete’s foot among many other problems. I haven’t made the tincture yet because I need to find 190 proof alcohol for it to work properly…and it isn’t sold in British Columbia. So once I find the alcohol to make the tincture I will try it, because it just so happens that I have athletes foot! Red Cedar is found all over the UBC campus, I found it easier to identify by looking at the cones.

• Red Cedar can’t be used for an extended period of time for people with weak kidneys and is not appropriate to use internally during pregnancy.

Cleavers
Cleavers.
Botanical Name:	Galium aparine
Family:	Madder

Cleavers – I collected cleavers to use as a tea for stopping bladder infections which I also learned from Felice on our trip to Musqueam. I didn’t try the tea because I don’t want to use it unless I need it. The fresh leaves can be made into a tea to use when you need it, but Tilford warns that the sticky stems do not discriminate between your clothing and the back of your throat. So when I try it I’ll just make tea out of the leaves. I only found cleavers in one part of the campus growing all over ferns in an area that doesn’t get much sunlight at all.

References:

Moore, Micheal. 2001. Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. Santa Fe: Red Crane Books.

Tilford, Gregory L. 1997. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West. Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company.

Wyndham, Felice. 2008. Ethnobotany. Lecture.

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