Beth’s Natural Way – Hawkweed

Truxton, NY
Phone: 315-247-3279
E-mail: bethsnaturalway@yahoo.com

Hawkweed has many other names like Indian paint brush, painted cup, snake’s friend or snake’s matches. The Latin name is Castilleja coccinea. This is such a common weed that it has lost its value as a medicinal plant. To find herbal books talking about this plant is hard to come by. So we have to go to the local medicinal herbal books like Petterson field guides of eastern and central medicinal plants or Culpepper’s complete herbal. Culpepper talks about this plant being used for inflammations, mucus and hard to heal ulcers. Petterson talks about this being a very toxic plant. When an herb has the ability to get deep into the putrification of tissues, then they become very potent for sure. The Indians used a weak tea of the fresh flowers for rheumatism and female diseases. As I began making combinations of herbs for problems in the body, one of the first combinations I made is called You Bottom Out. This is used for deep stuck mucus and muscles that have stopped working. Hawkweed is a part of this combination to help break up inflammation amd mucus. When you start to make combinations of herbs you fisrt need the main herb that will do most of the work. Then you add supporting herbs, like hawkweed, that help to make the job go faster. Finally you add an herb that helps to direct where you want your combo to go. Hawkweed is not an herb to be used by itself. When drying this herb, pick when in full bloom and when it is very sunny out. Dry in bunches hanging upside down or on tables till the stalk breaks easily. Do not expect to get the flowers to look the same as they are drying. They will turn to fluff very quickly. Add the fluff to the dried leaves and store in glass jars out of direct sunlight. Magically, this plant is used for love sachets. Love meaning any type you are looking for. The love of a companion, the love of an animal or the love of God.

Vibrantly,
Beth Hill of Beth’s Natural Way!

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