Category: Y
-
Yellow Bedstraw
Tops and roots are sources of yellow and red dyes. Decoction is useful for bladder and kidney complaints, and has the ability to curdle milk (hence its alternate name, cheese rennet).
-
Ylang-ylang oil
A floral essential oil from a flowering tree of the same name, commonly used in fragrances. Available at health food stores.
-
Yellow sweet clover
A flowering plant that can be used to treat insomnia and fight hypertension. Available at health food stores and nurseries.
-
Yarrow wrap
A wrap made with blooms from the yarrow plant to treat cuts and abrasions. Yarrow is available at health food stores or at nurseries.
-
Yucca
Semi-desert hardy plant. Roots contain two per cent saponin, a soapy substance valuable in shampoos, leaving a fine sheen to hair. Excellent for washing delicate fabrics. Easy to use; chopped roots are soaked in water and stirred to a lather. Spectacular towering spikes of creamy white flowers.
-
Yew
An evergreen tree or shrub with dark green leaves that produces red, berry-like fruits.
-
Yerba Mate
A form of holly that is grown in Paraguay. Mate tea is a popular South American beverage. More stimulating than coffee or tea but contains little caffeine. Very rich in vitamins and minerals. Has valuable restorative and sustaining properties. Indigenous to South America, a shrub of notable repute yields leaves that, once dried, are employed…
-
Yellow-Dock
Perennial, herbaceous, green-flowered weed. Yellow-Dock also known as Curly Dock, Narrow-Leafed Dock, and Curled Dock.
-
Yellow Cedar
A tall fragrant tree of the pine family that bears cones. Yellow Cedar also known as Thuja.
-
Yarrow
A hardy perennial herb with downy, finely divided leaves and dense clusters of whitish flowers. Yarrow also known as Milfoil and Thousand-Leaf. Yarrows are impressive all-round natural remedies. Owing to their bitter principles, they have the reputation as general fortifiers, helping to build the body’s natural resistance. They improve digestion, circulation, and the functions of…