Bee Visiting Lobelia Flowers
Hugging That Flower
Great Blue LOBELIA (Lobelia siphilitica) is a plant who's above ground parts are used to make medicine. The main parts used of the Lobelia plant are the flowering parts and the seeds.
Lobelia is used for breathing problems including asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough, and shortness of breath (apnea) in newborn infants. Some people take lobelia as a sedative to help them relax. Other people use it to increase sweating.
Lobelia is applied to the skin for muscle pain, joint lumps associated with rheumatoid arthritis (rheumatic nodules), bruises, sprains, insect bites, poison ivy, and ringworm.
Lobelia (Lobelia inflata) or Indian tobacco is an herbal remedy recommended for addressing acute asthma symptoms. It has a long history of use by Native Americans who smoked lobelia as treatment for asthma. The name Indian Tobacco was assigned because the Aboriginal people smoked dried leaves of the plant. Historically, the Aboriginal people were very creative and efficient in using the Lobelia plant for medicinal purposes. The Iroquois used the root to treat leg sores, venereal diseases and ulcers. The Cherokees used a poultice of the root for body aches. They also used the plant for boils, sores, bites and stings. Considered a plant to cure asthma, phthisic (lung disease), croup and a sore throat, it was also used to discourage the presence of gnats. The Crows made use of it in religious ceremonies. In the 19th century, American physicians used lobelia to provoke vomiting as a means of removing toxins from the body. For this reason, it has also been called "puke weed."
The reason you've heard lobelia described as a toxic herb is that high doses cause serious effects: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, profuse sweating, tremors, rapid heartbeat, mental confusion, convulsions, hypothermia, coma, and possibly death.
It is important to begin with lower dosages and increase the dosage over a period of time.It is also imperative that you never surpass a dosage of 20 mg per day. If you consume a dosage higher than 500 mg, it could be fatal. Lobelia can be taken in a few different forms. It can be given as a vinegar tincture or a regular tincture, as a fluid extract, or as a dried herb for teas or in capsules. It is preferred that the dried herb be mixed in eight ounces of water with other herbs but not necessarily recommended as the best way of consuming it due to its pungent taste.
If you want to try lobelia as a home remedy for a mild asthma attack: Mix three parts tincture of lobelia with one part tincture of capsicum (red pepper, cayenne pepper). Take 20 drops of the mixture in water at the start of an asthmatic attack. Repeat every 30 minutes for a total of three or four doses. But remember that asthma can be a serious health condition and that herbal remedies like lobelia are not substitutes for standard medical treatments. I strongly recommend that people with asthma work closely with an integrative medicine practitioner for optimal care and advice about effective alternative therapies.
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