Make a tea from the leaves and drink to treat colds, headaches, to calm stomach and relieve menstruations cramps. Place crushed leaves on woulds to enhance healing. Chew leaves and place on insect bites to relieve itching.

Mouse Cat enjoying Lemon Balm I have planted under one of the Oaks.

Yucca:

The best part of the Yucca to use medicinally is the root. Pound the root into a mild soap. This is good to cleanse cuts, scrapes, etc or for washing your hair or bathing. Make a poultice of the soapy root for skin rashes, boils and poison ivy.

Violet Toothed Polypore (as seen in photo below)

Polypore’s have great medicinal value and some can be eaten as food (which I will get to at another time). For here I will discuss what they are and the medicinal value.

The Violet Toothed Polypore grows on wood, preferrably dead hardwood. They are a fungi that are decomposers and/or parasites.

This Polypore has medicinal properties of being anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-oxidant, anti-tumor and immune enhancing. The best way I have found to use this fungi is to make a tea. You can make a nice invigorating tea from the “shells” and drink this for all of the above mentioned needs. I have soaked these overnight in sterile water and used this water for cuts. It aids in the healing proces and keeps away those nasty bacteria that eat at your flesh and cause horrid infections.

Honey kills bacteria. It disinfects wounds and sores. Honey can reduce ones perception of pain. It helps with asthma, sore throats, calms nerves, induces sleep and relieves diarrhea.