This is a stop that we made during a trip to Maine a couple of years ago…a wonderful picture of antique equipment used to sort cranberries at County Road Cranberry Bogs in Columbia Falls, Maine.  In our travels (which were wherever the road may take us) we came upon this cranberry bog and the husband and wife who work their cranberry farm.

Since I already have some of the health benefits of Cranberries posted on my website, I thought you’d enjoy seeing pictures of the bog which has already been harvested, and the beautiful antique hand-operated machine they use to sort and clean the leaves and residue off the berries.

The berries we brought home stored well in the freezer, and provided delicious cranberry sauce for our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for 2 years.  They were sweetened with raw honey that we brought home from a farm in Lancaster, PA last spring.

I remember as a young girl a large bush my mother had with small flowers that formed large and pretty round blue or white clusters of flowers called a Hydrangea bush.    The kind that you can cut and dry if you wish for a dried flower arrangement.

In this post, we’re referring to the wild variety that grows in the eastern states of the US, we have bushes in our yard down near our lake, the plant likes to be near water. The bark has many layers, of various colors, easy to peel so that you can view the layers.

The Cherokee Indians used this as a remedy for kidney stones, and early settlers were introduced to it for this use by the Indians. It is said to have diuretic properties, currently the most common uses as a medicinal herb are cystitis, urethritis, urinary calculi, prostatitis, and gravel in the kidneys.

It was right here in my state, New Jersey, that a physician, also an herbalist, Ellingwood, demonstrated to the medical community that hydrangea had the ability to remove gravel deposits. It also eased the pain associated with the process. Grieve’s “A Modern Herbal” states that Ellingwood said “I am convinced after a lifetime of experience that it is more specifically, more universally a sedative to pain and distress in the kidneys and urinary bladder than any other one remedy”. He suggested it for acute nephritis, kithaemia, and backache caused by urinary disturbances and irritation.

The Scientific Info:

Most of the medicinal properties of hydrangea are from hydrangenol, a cyanogenic glycoside. It exhibits anti-allergic properties by decreasing permeability of tissues and that result in inflammation, and releasing histamine.

Now here’s a mouthful…Dihydoisocoumarin properties found in hydrangea were found to have strong antimicrobial activity against bacteria in the mouth, and another property, rutin, seemed to inhibit tumor formation and help inhibit the spread of some mouth cancers.

If you would like a fact sheet about any of the items marked in red, please send me an email. Thanks!

Please contact me if you would like references for the things stated in this post, I have them, they are just too much to type in a blog post.

I learned something that I didn’t know before…or it had been lost somewhere in the storehouse of herbal knowledge I’ve acquired, and that is that Juniper Berries, though available as a single herb, are best used in an herbal combination.

It’s the little berries from the juniper plant that you see pictured that are used. The bush is an evergreen that grows in various places throughout the northern hemisphere…somewhere I have a picture Paul took of me with a Juniper Berry bush either in Maine or Colorado, I’ll have to find it to share with your.

The botanical name for the plant is Juniperus communnis. You’ll find this herb in combinations for the digestive and the urinary system. I use an herbal combination called JP-X, a combination formulated by the late and great herbalist, Dr. Christopher. As with many herbs, it is the oil in the juniper berry that contains the actives that have been attributed with benefiting kidney health, prostate health, and blood purification. It also is said to be antiseptic to the gastrointestinal system. The German Commission E recommended the herb for the treatment of indigestion.

If you would like a fact sheet about any of the items marked in red, please send me an email. Thanks!

Need references for any of these claims? Please email me and ask!

But what about today?

What does Science have to say?

Marshmallow is mainly made up of starches, pectin, sugars and mucilage. It is the mucilage that is that has the protective qualities of coating the throat and the stomach, as well as the intestinal and benefits the urinary tract. It is for this reason that it is commonly used for upper respiratory conditions such as colds, coughs and intestinal discomfort.

Please contact me through a comment (they are moderated, I won’t publish a personal one) if you would like me to email you a fact sheet about Marshmallow.

Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi is the botanical name for the variety pictured. Because bears are said to enjoy eating the berries, the name “bearberry bush” is often used.

Animal studies have shown that the plant is effective as an antimicrobial, and has diuretic properties. Native Americans used the leaves to treat urinary tract infections.

Medicinally, this herb is available in dried crushed form, that can be taken in capsule form, or tincture. It is most affective in an alkiline body, and not taken with acidic foods. Watch for information about mixing the herb with other herbs or herbal combinations. This is a very safe medicinal herb, but should only be taken as needed, and not for extended periods of time.

Here are a few products that contain Uva Ursi, be sure to read label information and fact sheets, if they are available…if not, click here to email me!

Uva Ursi crushed leaves in capsule form.
Kidney Activator.
Urinary Maintenance.
Tiao He Cleanse ~ a 2-week pre-packaged Chinese cleanse