Malaria

Plant:   Sunflower

Tall Grass Prarie

Genus and Species:   Helianthus annuus

Habitat:    Praries, roadsides

Season:   July though October

Active Chemical Structure: Sesquiterpene lactone

Uses and Preparation: Lung ailment, Malaria (tea from flower)

                                       Diarrhea (astringent from leave)

                                       Coughs, inflamed bladder and kidneys (seed oil)

                                       High fevers (tea from leaf)

                                           spider bites, snake bites (astringent)

Resources:   Foster, S. & Duke, J.A. (2014) Peterson Field Guide to Medical Plants and Herbs: of Eastern and Central North America. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing company.

Plant:   Flowering Dogwood

Eastern Indigenous Forest 

Genus and Species:   Cornus florida

Habitat:  Thickets, Stream, river banks, Shaded woods. 

Season:   April to June (blooms), August to November (fruit)

Active Chemical Structure:  Gallic Acid

Uses and Preparation:   Malaria, diarrhea (tea or tincture from bark)

                                         external soars and ulcers (poultice from bark)

Resources:   Tilford, G.L. (1997) Edible and Medicinal plants of the West. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company.