Body : Nature Connections

‘YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY’ – Lungs – Coltsfoot (Petasites species)- Caribou Moss (Cladina rangiferina)

Coltsfoot: a plant of so many uses!  This magical specimen has long been used as a spice, a smoking herb, a protective wrap for butter (in a once pre-plastic world), a dye for wool, and most notably a cough suppressant. Syrups, teas, and tinctures made from coltsfoot have been used for lung related issues including shortness of breath, asthma, bronchial congestion, and whooping cough.

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Caribou Moss (actually a lichen) has been prescribed since the eighteenth century to treat chest ailments, digestive upset, and tuberculosis. There is evidence that many lichens contain antibiotic qualities which may contribute to their non-standard selection as food for animals in arctic environments. The arctic is the only place where vertebrates, like caribou, are known to eat lichens.

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