SOLOMON SEAL & WINTERGREEN

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Medicinal Uses: The Solomon seals are both demulcent and expectorant. They help soften mucus in the respiratory system, which is an important step in preventing congestion from causing an infection. In their function as expectorants, the Solomon seals also help move mucus upward, making it easier to expel it out of the body. These two actions help keep symptoms of mild respiratory congestion from becoming a serious cold or flu.

Harvesting: Dig roots of the Solomon seals only after frosts have killed the foliage and the leaves are brown and withered. Unearth the root, and wash carefully. Slice into thin pieces and spread to dry; store when all moisture has been removed.

Dosages: Combine one teaspoon of dried root and 1 1/2 cups of boiling water; simmer for five to 10 minutes. Drink three times daily for relief of symptoms. Or simmer the dried root in equal its weight in honey to produce a syrup. Heat must be kept low so as not to destroy the medicinal properties. Drink 1/2 to one teaspoon of this syrup three to four times daily.

After bringing home wintergreen, l spread it on the table and pick through it, throwing out bug bitten or imperfect leaves. The healthiest leaves go into a quart jar, and I pour rubbing alcohol over them to make a wintergreen liniment. I store the jar on a shelf in the herb cabinet, where it can set for a couple of weeks. I put the rest of the leaves on screens to dry out, which 1 will use to make wintergreen tea. This tea is not only delicious, but also healing.

Description: Wintergreen is a low growing, perennial evergreen found in hard wood or conifer forests. It has aromatic leaves and fruit, and is often seen as the shiny green undergrowth in woodlands; you can often find it under snow in winter.

The wintergreen's leaves grow in an alternate fashion but appear as a whorl atop a stiff branch, rising from the creeping stem that trails at ground level. Leaves are oval or egg-shaped, and a bit longer than they are wide-up to two inches in length, and dull underneath. The margins are slightly toothed, and leaves may turn maroon or dark red when exposed to sunlight or hit by a sudden frost.

The wintergreen's bell-shaped flowers are white or pinkish-white. They are composed of a five-lobed corolla with a constricted tip, and five small teeth that flare out from the lobes. Blossoms, about 1/4" to 1/3" long, hang in loose nodding clusters from leaf axils. They are most often found underneath the leaves, hanging in groups of one to three blossoms, although some plants bear more. Look for blossoms during the spring through early summer.

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