Lady's Thumb aka Redshank aka Jesusplant aka Knotweed
Persicaria maculos (Buckwheat family)
As the plant ages, there is a dark spot in the middle of the leaves that looks like the plant was bruised. This is why it is called Lady's Thumb.
This is a nutritious wild edible and it is medicinal. It was brought by Europeans to the US, but the Native American tribes soon put it to work for them. You can find it all over the United States. It is high in vitamins A, B2, C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper, and selenium.
As an edible, use it like you would spinach or kale. You can consume it raw, like in a salad, or use it in soups, stews, stirfrys, in with other herbs as a green powder, etc.
It is a vulnery (heals wounds),anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, astringent, cholagogue (increases bile), diuretic, hemostatic (stops bleeding), and anthelmintic (rids parasites). It shows antiviral properties for RSV, EBV, and several other viruses.
Anti-inflammatory herbs, like Lady's Thumb, are usually good for bug bites, insect stings, burns, etc. A poultice of lady's thumb left in place a couple of hours can reduce arthritis inflammation by half. It works by interrupting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. A tincture of this may be a good choice for those who suffer from arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.
You can use it externally as a poultice or in a salve and also use it internally as a tea, decoction, capsule, or tincture.
Lady's Shank can treat urinary and digestive tract disorders, women's and men's reproductive health, fevers, headaches, diabetes, respiratory health, and eye health. It has also been used to treat Lyme's Disease.
You can make a tea combined with other herbs that repel insects and use it as a natural insect repellent spray.
This is just a tiny bit of my handwritten notes on Lady's Thumb. There is more to learn about this wonderful and useful plant.
While Lady's Thumb has been a part of American medicine since it was brought here, there have not been many studies done on it.
It has been used for a very long time for food and medicine and is generally considered safe. I could not find any hard contraindications (an existing condition that makes something unsafe). However, there are some POTENTIAL contraindications: allergies to the buckwheat family, pregnancy and breastfeeding, blood disorders (it has mild blood thinning properties), and kidney disorders (due to oxalates).
Always learn the contraindications of anything you use (even OTC and RX - doctors can and do miss things) and always start with small amounts internally. For topical medications, always do a skin patch test first. These are good standard medical practices with anything new even RX and OTC meds. Use my posts as a starting place to do your own research.
