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Morning Glory

Morning Glory

The morning glory flower is a flower of duality. The Victorian meaning of morning glory is either love or mortality or love in vain. 

Morning glory seeds are used in chinese medicine to treat disorders of the lungs, kidneys and large intestine. They have a purgative effect and can reduce or clear phlem in the lungs. They can act as a diuretic for the kidneys which reduces swelling in the body. 
The morning glory root was used by native americans to make a tea which was especially effective for coughs because of it’s ability to remove phlegm. The leaves were powdered and dried and made into a tea to treat stomach problems and headaches. Morning glory wine can be made from the flower petals if they are soaked in purified cold water for about two weeks. 
If necessary, the morning glory can be used to induce labor during pregnancy. If morning glory seeds are eaten a person could have a hallucinogenic episode similar to an LSD experience. Morning glories can be toxic and will cause nerve damage in larger doses than recommended. The flower and it’s stems, leaves and seeds must be used with great caution. 

The Morning Glory Flower’s Message

Tenacity and tenderness in all things, be gentle but strong in your endeavors with other people, animals and nature. Above all hold fast to your goals.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

White Admiral Butterfly

 White Admiral or red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis) Butterfly

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Orange-Collared Scape Moth

 Orange-Collared Scape Moth & Friend On Goose Neck Loosetrife

Orange-collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvicollis)...

has long black wings, an abdomen of iridescent blue, and a bright yellow or orange collar, from which it takes its name. It's other common name is, Yellow-Collared Scape Moth.

The Yellow or Orange-collared Scape Moth is widespread in North America.

Habitat includes fields with flowers as adults are commonly seen visiting flowers during the day, while they also fly at night and are attracted to light.

Season for the adults is from May to October or until the first hard frost.

Adults feed on goldenrod and other small nectar bearing flowers.

The larvae feed on grasses, lichens, and spike-rushes.

Goose Neck Loosetrife (Lysimachia clethroides)

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Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Meet Me On The Dandelion

An ant and a hover fly hanging out together. Hover flies get their name from their unique ability to hover, suspended in midair, then dart a short distance very quickly, only to hover again. They're the helicopter version of flying insects. And they can fly backwards, an ability few insects possess.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Bee Visiting Lobelia Flowers

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.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.