Spilanthes is a fairly new herb to me. I was only introduced to it about 2 years ago by my man who was growing it in his garden at the time we met. I was taken right away by the unusual flowers and have remained intrigued!
So far I have tried the fresh plant (flowers) and also a spilanthes/chamomile mead that our friends made. OMG yum,yum! But woweee! What a kick!
All I really knew about spilanthes is that it was the "toothache herb" but now I am delving a little further into other maladies it could be useful in treating.
I have recently purchased the tincture from some local herbalists for fighting infections. (to keep on hand after a bout of mastitis & sinus stuff) but so far I have not had reason to use it! Anxious to see how it works as I was told it is really good for knocking out the sickies! Plus it is safe for nursing moms so that is what sold me!
It can be made into a poultice, tincture, infusion or even infused into an oil. The whole plant is use-able but is specific to the ailment and what treatment is being administered.
So, besides being a great herb for toothaches, I have done a little preliminary research and it seems spilanthes can be useful for treating the following;
-bacteria infections of the skin
-wounds
-ringworm
-sore throat
-nausea
-can be used as a laxative
-can be used to treat dystentery (inflammation of the intestine/colon)
-can help stimulate the appetite
-intestinal parasites
-kidney stones
-gas & stomach upsets
-topically for smoothing and preventing wrinkles (touted as natural botox by some sources!)
-immune boosting and can be used in conjunction with echinacea with good results
-antiviral
-gum tonic
-and as I mentioned previously it's most common known use is for toothache caused by cavities/decayed tooth. It is also good for any swelling of the gums.
Wow. I had no idea what a versatile plant this really was until now! Looking forward to working with it some more in the coming months so I will be writing more about spilanthes!
If you have had any experiences using spilanthes and want to share I'd really love to hear about them. Leave me a comment or you can send me an email at; aprilmoonflower@gmail.com
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spilanthes is one of my favorites even though it's not a regional herb, i go out of my way to grow it. :)
ReplyDeletei'm taking it right now, any time i feel a sore throat coming on, i start squirting it on my throat, sort of like an herbal sucrets but tastier in my opinion.
i used it for treating early signs of lyme disease a few years back with great success too. not sure i had lyme but i had some type of tick disease...