The humble Carolina geranium (Geranium carolinianum; AKA ) grows profusely throughout North America. It is commonly misrepresented as a "weed", but it is actually a powerful herb packed with incredible healing properties!
Carolina geranium has brownish-pink stems, 5 lobed petals, and tiny flowers. Because this herb is so prolific, practically everyone can access potent pro-wellness compounds!
Carolina geranium is high in tannins; they are especially concentrated in the rhizomal roots. Tannins give the plant a bitter flavor. They also make it a strong astringent, which is useful for treating gastrointestinal conditions, moist wounds, and weak tissues that need drier conditions (such as a canker sore).
The herb is a source of vitamin K.
This lovely flowering herb is fully edible! The leaves and stems can be taken raw, cooked, or in tea. The roots are more palatable when boiled for 10 minutes; the cooking water can be taken as tea too! Carolina geranium's strong astringent properties can be made weaker by combining it with milk (cinnamon can be added for flavor).
Carolina Geranium Healing Properties:
- astringent = causes the contraction of tissues
- salve = promotes healing of the skin
- high tannin content makes it useful to treat diarrhea
- styptic = capable of stopping bleeding when applied to a wound
- can relieve bladder inflammation
- may alleviate eye conditions like conjunctivitis and vision problems
- used to regulate menstruation and uterine problems
- effective for nervous tension & fluctuating hormones
- canker sores
- increases milk flow in nursing mothers
Researchers found that polyphenolic extract from Carolina geranium displays anti-Hepatitis B activity!
Sources:
https://altnature.com/gallery/wild_geranium.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18423640
http://www.eattheweeds.com/erodium-circutarium-geranium-carolinianum-two-bills-you-want-to-get-2/
Peruse our previous posts on Wildcrafted Medicine:
Dandelion
Calendula
Lamb's Quarter
Henbit
www.intothegardenofeden.com
Nature has all the answers!!! Grateful to tune into her bounty. Thrival over Survival!!
Its truly amazing how easy and abundant nature can provide.
What is equally amazing is how disconnected humans have become and how sick and difficult life is.
There are abundant sustainable solutions. This is one simple example!
Yes! Real health and wellness are accessible!
Steemon
My Grandmother use To Grow This In Her Garden
Yes my parents had it all over when I was growing up but not once was it ever used as a powerful medicine!
What a shame, diamonds un noticed in the rough!
That's great! Many people treat it as a weed and pull it out, which is a waste because it's a powerful plant.
good info
Agreed!
Truly valuable information that almost everyone would benefit from knowing!
Thanks!
Yay for wild geraniums! I eat our local wild geranium pretty regularly in the spring. It's the Dovesfoot geranium (Geranium molle). It's really worth collecting and eating, especially in a pot of mixed cooked greens! It seems inefficient to pick the leaves one by one, but if you can pull or cut the whole plant and then it's easy to strip off the leaves and get a good mess of them pretty quickly. I blanch them for a few minutes, but generally less than 5 minues. I then take them out the water and finish cooking them in different ways. One of my favorites is to sautee them with some onions and home-canned tomatoes. Yumm! Enjoy your local wild geraniums!
Great, what a nice food formula you've shared! Greens with onions and tomatoes, mmmmmmmmm that sounds good. We're big fans of foraging and wildcrafting. Nature is so abundant!
Yep, the plants around us have so much to offer, if we just get to know them better. They are waiting for us to recognize and understand them.
Exactly~
If were to just honor the natural bounty our lives would be so much better and you and I are a testament to that!
May humans remember how beneficial nature is and the blessings it bestows!
another for the foraging list! now i just need some foraging buddies. thanks GoE
The more you forage and share, the more the people around you will begin to do the same!
Blessings on the way~*~
You're welcome! Happy foraging!!