For several months I've been searching for medicinal uses of herbs and plants found in the wild. This article is what I've found so far. The type of effects is listed first, then the plants and appropriate recipes. GAS Sage tea. Cover a heaping teaspoon of sage leaves with one cup boiling water, let steep for five minutes until you have a light to bright yellow brew. Any darker is to bitter. Drink as is or add a little honey. Results in almost immediate relief of gas pains. Sweet anise tea. Cover one level teaspoon with one cup hot water and let brew for 10 minutes. Naturally sweet no it shouldn't need any honey added. Other herbs useful for getting rid of gas are: cinna mon, basil, nutmeg, marjoram, bay, and mace. COMMON Horseradish. Mixed half-and-half with catsup and served COLD over shrimp is probably the tastiest way to get rid of a cold. Serves to loosen phlegm in the head and chest, helps the body to sweat which combats fever, very high in Vit. C, draws blood to the surface it touches thereby aiding sore throats. Onion tea. 1/4 cup onion chopped very fine. Boil for 3 - 4 minutes in 10 ozs. water. Add a little sugar to taste. Great for infants with head colds. COUGH Thyme. 1/2 cup dried Thyme and pour one pint boiling MEDICINE water over it. Let sit for 20 minutes. Strain off the dark colored liquid and add 1 1/2 cups light colored & honey to the dark liquid. Gently heat untill the honey is disolved. Put the syrup in a sterilized, capped off UPSET jar and refrigerate. Take two tablespoons at a time STOMACHS several times a day. Acts as a cough suppresant and sooths upset stomachs. Ginger. Two capsules full of powedred ginger are twice as effective as Dramamine type pills. You can also add two freshly grated tablespoons of Ginger to the above cough medicine. Acts as an expectorant. STRESS Rosemary. If suffering from insomnia, a tea made form this herb, taken an hour before going to bed, beats a warm glass of milk any day. Has a mild diuretic property so it's best not to take this any sooner before sleeping. Rosemary has also been used to relieve stress induced hgeadaches and migraines. CONSTIPATION False Solomon's Seal - The reddish-purple splotched berries of this plant may be eaten with other fruit or honey to aid the problem of constipation. Collect berries in Mid-summer. GENERAL Cloves. Oil of cloves have been used to treat tooth- aches and can be used to rub onto sore muscles and joints. A teaspoon full in a cup of hot water makes a tea that stimulates and relives pain along the gastro- intestinal tract. Solomon's Seal Reputed to correct all kinds of female problems, serve as a soothing bath for poison ivy itch and as a poultice for external infections and wounds. Shepperd's Purse - Brewed as a tea, this plant may be used as a check against internal hemoraging and hemorrhoids. Stir a large teaspoon of leaves in a cup of boiling water for half an hour. Drink two or more cold cups per day. Gooseberry - Crush 1 teaspoon of berries and add to a cup of hot water. Helps reduce fevers. Capsicum (cayenne and any "hot" member of the hot pepper family). A sprinkle of capsicum in any warm drink will warm the body faster than the drink itself. Capsicum increases the circulation of blood without speeding the heart. This reaction makes a good stimu- lant, speeding up the body's natural immune defense & aiding recovery. When used with other herbs, this stimulant property helps other herbs to act faster. Cattail. The creeping white roots can be dug up in the winter and used as a treatment for diarrhea, gonorrhea, and worms. Garlic. Grind the bulbs to make a potent anti- bacterial. Consumption of garlic has been shown to help protect against Atherosclerosis. Also makes a great insect and people repellent. OAK. Oak bark tea provides an effective treatment for sore throats, coughs and colds. The tannins in the tea also dry and heal sores and rid wounds of excess secretions. Pine. The pitch of the Pine tree is useful for disin- fecting and protecting open sores. Use the young shoots by boiling them and taking the tea to prevent coughs and help relieve upset stomachs. Willow. The barks and roots contain a primal form of aspirin. Use either chewed or brewed as a tea. Chamomile. A tea made from this herb is good for calming upset stomachs. Can also be used as a mouth- wash. BURNS Aloe Vera. The gel inside the leafs provides a cooling medicinal salve. Great for sunburns, cuts, & minor burns. Cattail. Use the white starchy roots to make a salve for dressing burns. Pound the roots into a mush and mix with animal fat (lard or solid vegetable shrtng should work just as well) All the plant life above either grow wild or can be found in most grocery stores. An excellent book to help identify wild plants in Missouri is, "EDIBLE WILDS OF MISSOURI" by Jan Phillips. If buying in a store, be sure you get fresh ingredients. Some processed herbs do not have the full effect as if gotten fresh. You may wish to start a small herb garden at your house to have the ingredients on hand year round. If anyone has other recipes for herbal medicine, please send them to me. My Address is: P. O. Box 913 Moberly, MO 65270 Or leave a message on FREEDOM AMERICA Computer Bulletin Board. Phone (816) 263-8443 between 10:00pm and 10:00am 7 days a week. Will Wright