A Furry Tale of Herbs
Once there was a family of herbs that were known for their furry leaves. There are 5 sisters namely Mullein, Sage, Borage, Lamb’s ear and Marshmallow. Their leaf structures have hairs but some are softer than the other. People talk about them a lot, wanting to know, meet or even touch their furry leaves. Most people prefer the ones that are soft to touch but each has different qualities.
MULLEIN
The eldest is Mullein. She stands tall, skinny and straight with beautiful yellow flowers that you can appreciate on the roadside. As a biennial plant, you can see her bloom every two years. When people think about a leaf that is soft to touch, they think about Mullein. Soft as the leaves may be, the fine hairs can irritate the skin and cause a rash. Her leaves can serve as good tinder when dried.
She is rich with mucilage, flavonoids, triterpenoid saponins and volatile oils that people turn to her when they have congestion or cough like tracheitis or bronchitis. When infused, Mullein help reduce the formation of mucus and acts as an expectorant due to its mucin and saponin content. Plus, you can smoke her and she will be useful for your respiratory system.
SAGE
When it come to popularity, Sage calls the shots. There are different varieties of Sage, used for its scent and healing properties both in the culinary and herbalist world. Her leaves look good in green, purple and even with shades of white. Sage is tough with bacteria, fungus and virus. She can inhibit perspiration, act as an antioxidant and enhance memory, which can play a role in Alzheimers’ disease. Her main attributes are with her essential oils that contain antiseptic and astringent properties.
In 2006, a Sage throat spray helped relieve throat pain. She participated in a 2008 study that improved attention accuracy and memory processing. She boldly went to show her properties with women having hot flashes in Switzerland in 2011. That same year, Phytotherapy Research published that “sage may be effective and safe in the treatment of hyperlipidemia”.
BORAGE
A lot may not know about Borage leaves as soft. Well, in early spring, the leaves are soft that you can eat them with your salad greens. Then her leaves get prickly you if you do not know how to handle her tenderly. The trick is to saute the leaves. Do not eat a lot though as she contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Her beauty needs some understanding or it comes with a price. Poultices from the leaves soothes the skin and reduces inflammation and swelling.
Her seeds produces the famed Borage oil, containing 24% gamma-linoleic-acid (GLA), a polyunsaturated fatty acid beneficial for inflammation. Borage is actively involved with antihypertension, dermatitis, cystic fibrosis, platelet aggregation, diabetic neuropathy and rheumatoid arthritis programs.
Funny thing is, Borage will make you pee due to its malic acid and potassium nitrate contents. Her gorgeous blue flowers look like purple stars that you can eat or make into a fancy candy. Vinegar can also be used to preserve its qualities for later use.
LAMBS' EAR
Alas! Lambs’ ear has long, velvety soft, fuzzy hair with silver gray colored leaves. She keeps to herself and not a lot is known about her abilities. Only documentation is that extracts from Lambs’ ear can be used as an antimicrobial medicine against the notorious Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to Vancomycin.
MARSHMALLOW
Marshmallow does have velvety soft leaves and is known as a puffy, sugary treat that people eat, which does not have any marshmallow at all. Well, it used to. The original recipe used the roots which contains a lot of mucilage. Tea from its roots was once called “snail juice”, stimulating the immune system through phagocytosis and inhibiting mucociliary activity. Her demulcent activity brought a lot of relief from inflammation of the gastric mucosa and oral and pharyngeal irritation.
Marshmallow used to be internationally acclaimed. The Greeks know her as a healer of wounds, toothache, and insect bites while the Romans used her as a laxative. Later on, her fame extended to other intestinal and urinary benefits like regional ileitis, colitis, diverticulitis, cystitis, prostatitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Marshmallow is the safest of all the furry leaf herbs in this kingdom and hopefully you get to see her in your walks.
There is a lot to know and discover about these furry herbs and their stories do not end here. You can use them in different stages of their growth cycle in different seasons of the year. It is our intent to help bring back the excitement with herbs and may you have the chance to touch these furry leaves and live happily ever after.
THE END.
Resources :
1. Chevalier, Andrew, “The Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine”, 3rd Edition, 2017
2. PDR For Herbal Medicine, 4th Edition, Thomas Healthcare Inc.
3. American Herb Association, Keville, Kathi, The Complete Book of Herbs, 1997,
Publication International, Ltd.
4. Wikipedia
