Today we are looking at the linden plant, linden flower benefits, and linden flower tea benefits to get a better understanding of this plant’s medicine
We’re here in Central Massachusetts on a friend’s garden farm, and we’re standing in front of an American linden or American basswood. We’re going to be taking the medicine that is in the flowers and the bracts. You can see a close up of the flowers and the bracts in the video below.
The bracts are these special reproductive leaf forms that linden is famous for, and that along with the flower is the primary medicine, although many herbal companies sell the leaf as well along with it. In addition to the video below, we get into linden flower benefits.
The owner of this land is going to be trimming this tree, so we’re going to take advantage of that and harvest the flowers, the bracts, and some of the leaves for medicine back in our apothecary.
We will dry the linden flower for tea, for regular alcoholic tincture, and also a glycerite. This is wonderful medicine. It smells so flagrant here right now, and the bees love linden flowers. We’re catching it right at the end of its flowering time, some of this is going to seed already. It’s still awesome medicine right now.
Linden benefits: Understanding linden flower benefits for calming the nerves
Linden is famous for being a calmative nervine. Linden flower benefits involve helping calm the nerves and soothe irritability. It also helps as a calming sedative to fall asleep easier. This calmative ability also extends to the digestive system where you can use it to help ease a nervous stomach or nervous indigestion. It’s a wonderful children’s remedy in that its powers of extend to the immune system. It becomes excellent in helping to dispel fever and soothe irritability when a young child is experiencing illness, colds, flu, and the irritability that comes along with that. It tastes wonderful as a cordial and as a tea.
It is also helpful as a mild diaphoretic. It is helpful with helping to release trapped moisture. I really like it a lot on its own and blended with other things. It’s very soothing in an antianxiety formula. I would just as easily use it in an antidepressant formula to help lift the spirits because it’s so pleasant.
Linden benefits: Harvesting the linden flowers
In the video on linden flower benefits below we zoom in on the picking of flower, bract, and leaf, with mostly the flower getting picked for the medicine.
The leaf, when young, can be picked and put right into salads and eaten raw. It can also be added to soups and stews. However, when the plant gets more mature and the leaf becomes less tender, you can still use it by drying and powdering it. It’s protein rich and nutrient rich, which is unusual for a tree leaf.
During World War II, the French military added dried linden flowers to their flour mix when making bread to enhance the nutrient content. This helped them from getting malnourished when they were out in the field for a long time.
We’re doing our best to get just bract and flower, but I don’t mind getting some leaves as well because I’d like to dry it and add it to our pantry.
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