Today I started thinking more deeply about where all these herbs in our little baggies came from. I mean before Mayway got them. I wish that we had all the time in the world to learn herbs. To farm them alongside some very old man or woman who knew each plant like they knew an old friend. It is from this place that I began thinking about Lu Gen -- one of the most interesting looking herbs (I think) we've seen so far. I ended up finding out far more than perhaps anyone wants to know about Phragmites communis rhizome, "Lu Gen."
Historical Uses and Distribution
Lu Gen's Latin name is Phragmites communis rhizome. Simply put, it is a common reed. They grow all over the United States, and all over most of the world. In fact, Lu Gen is currently the most widespread plant in the world. You have seen them before, I am sure. In marshy areas they are the grassy looking reeds and they can be invasive. Many consider them weeds. Lu Gen has been used throughout human history for many purposes -- people have woven them together to make mats, used beds of reeds to filter fouled water (like a septic field), and the Native Americans used them for at least seventy-five different purposes including as arrow shafts, flutes, whistles, pipestems, cigarettes, and for matting. The plant was also made into a flour for bread, used to make woven frames for drying berries, and sewn into mats for house cover in the summer; the reeds have been used as pen quills in Europe, and were eaten by aboriginal Australian and Tasmanian people who also used the plant for raft ornaments and string.
Evidence of use of Phragmites in China goes back centuries as well. It seems the plant may have been involved in religious rituals, and Confucius also mentions this plant as being used to make mats and baskets that offerings for the gods were placed on.
Above: Bagpipes (the musical instrument) made from Lu Gen.
Today there is some talk about turning the common reed into biofuel. We certainly have enough of it, and since it is already growing invasively we wouldn't have to supplant food crops to create fuel.
Also today, environmentalists and biologists are studying phragmites quite a bit in an attempt to understand how helpful or hurtful they are to wetland environments. Many birds make nests in the "fields" of reeds, for example, or use the plant for nesting material. But the plant is strongly invasive--it can take over. Recently some scientists discovered that Lu Gen has a secret weapon that helps it to take over -- it releases a toxic acid from its roots that disintegrates the proteins in the roots of neighboring plants, thus killing them off.
Lu Gen has been a part of human culture for a very, very long time, and shows no signs of going away.
Medicinal Qualities
As far as Lu Gen's medicinal qualities, it is an herb that clears heat and generates fluids. It is said that fresh Lu Gen is better at generating fluids that dried Lu Gen (which makes a lot of sense to me). The plant also clears heat by promoting urination (helps with urinary tract infections) and encourages the expression of rashes. It is considered to be sweet and cold, and travels the lung and stomach channels.
Breaking these medicinal aspects down to help me remember...
It is sweet: The plant contains up to 5% sugar and has been used as a sweetener. When boiled a sugary gum comes out, which can then be rolled into balls and eaten like a candy. I chewed on it. It does taste sweet.
Cold: The plant is so cold that its stem has reportedly been used as a refrigerant. (And it is so cold, it shouldn't be taken if there is cold in the SP/ST.)
Fluid Generating: It grows as a wetland plant. I assume that a large percentage of the plant is water. It is more fluid generating in its fresh form, than dried, which makes sense. Through the generation of fluids, it helps to clear heat.
Promotes Urination: Because it is fluid generating, it also promotes urination. Promoting urination helps to drain fire.
Encourages rashes to surface: This seems to go hand in hand with the purging fire aspect. Through clear heat and draining fire, rashes are expressed which, I assume, also help to clear heat.
Other symptoms the clearing heat function is said to resolve: irritability, high fever, thirst; clearing lung heat (cough, thick yellow sputum); and clearing stomach heat (vomiting, belching).
Has been used topically for insect bites, and has been used as a medicine for diabetes, leukemia, and breast cancer.
Standard dosage is 15 to 30 grams. Used alone the dosage is 60 grams.
No comments:
Post a Comment