Five Herbs: Red Root, Thuja, Blue Flag, Baptisia & Prickly Ash
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Jan V
Posted on: April 5, 1998

I bought an herbal product not realizing that it had five herbs in it that I wasn’t familiar with. Help, what are their basic uses? It contains fresh red root, fresh thuja leaf, blue flag root, fresh baptisia root and prickly ash bark. I can’t find them in any of my books.

Red root is a common name for New Jersey tea, Ceanothus americana. The leaves of this plant that are used medicinally for their astringent and expectorant properties. It has been used externally as a skin and mouth wash and for vaginal infection. Internally it may be used by herbal medical practitioners for infection of the spleen.

Thuja occidentalis is also known as Tree of Life or arbor-vitae. It is used for its anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-itch properties, and particularly for its ability to shrink growths such as warts and abdominal growths such as fibroids. It is contra-indicated in pregnancy and lactation.

Blue flag, Iris versicolor, is also known as water flag. It is anti-inflammatory and astringent, a stimulant to the liver and lymphatic glands that is often used as a blood and lymph purifier in skin disorders such as psoriasis.

Baptisia tinctoria, also known as wild indigo or yellow indigo, is an antiseptic immune stimulant that is effective in influenza, fevers and infections.

Prickly ash, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, is an excellent stimulant to circulation. It is used to improve the flow of blood, with its nutritive components, to all parts of the body.

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