Lady’s Mantle 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Lady’s Mantle – 100 g ($16.99), 50 g ($10.99), 25 g ($7.99)

Benefits:

Botanical Name: Alchemilla vulgaris
English: Lady’s Mantel Herb
Also, known as: Dew-cup, Our lady’s mantle, Lion’s foot, Bear’s foot, Nine hooks, Frauenmantel, Mariustakkur, Almindelig Lovefod, Pied de leonis, Lion’s Claw and Aslanpençesi.
Habitat: Europe
Origin: Turkey
Harvested: Wild or cultivated
Parts Used: The whole herb (above-ground parts).

General Information:
Alchemilla vulgaris, is an herbaceous perennial plant, grow about 18 – 24 inches high, and 18 – 26 inches wide and belongs to the Rosaceae family, which comprise of more than 300 species. The whole plant is clothed with soft hairs. The leaves of Lady’s Mantle are 6-8 inch in diameter and 5-20 inches long, shallow, pleated cups. The soft hairs make water form droplets that roll around on the leaves. These hairs make the leaves feel velvety, not scratchy or unpleasant to touch. The lower, radical leaves, large and handsome, somewhat kidney-shaped in general outline, with their margins cut into mostly nine broad, finely toothed at the edges, from which it has obtained one of its local names, Nine Hooks. Lady’s Mantle flowers are about half inch in diameter, in loose, divided clusters at the end of the freely branching flower stems, airy masses of tiny, yellow-green flowers that sit above the foliage until they flop down from their own volume and weight, becoming a froth of blooms. The herb is gathered during the summer months when it is in bloom and then dried for later use.

Even though Alchemilla vulgaris is used to treat various health problems, it is known as the woman’s herb’ because most of its benefits target women. During the Middle Ages this herb played an important part in the lives of many women. In England they used to call it “a woman’s best friend”. The rootstock is astringent and edible, and the leaves are eaten by sheep and cattle.

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.