Common AT Medicinal Plants

**barefoothiker11** · 02-09-2012, 01:24

Hey folks! I was wondering a couple of things:

1) What are some plants found along the AT with hiker-friendly medicinal uses and
2) Does anyone know of good online resources to search topics like this and others related to the AT (besides http://www.appalachiantrail.org/ )?

Hope everyone is well

**mkmangold** · 02-09-2012, 01:52

Interesting post and I hope we can learn a lot. Are you interested in ANY plant that can be used medicinally or in plants that are used for specific complaints and diagnoses? For example, the tannin in acorns is an astringent and a tannin gargle helps with sore throats. On the other hand, we know garlic strengthens our cardiovascular systems so why not daily doses of wild garlic?

**Maren** · 02-09-2012, 01:59

This is a fantastic thread. While I know several edible plants and fungi along the trail (as a side project I'm hoping to photograph and geotag every fungus I see) I really don't know much about medicinal plants. I hope some knowledgeable folk will chime in with enthusiasm!

**barefoothiker11** · 02-09-2012, 02:08

mkmangold: I was thinking more along the lines of a plant to relieve mosquito bites or a plant that would help with a foot fungus. I'm looking for plants (or flowers, fungi, etc.) that would provide relief for some common long-distance hiker ailments and the fundamental way(s) to verifying their species.
maren: Have fun with that side project. You will surely have a wild collection to marvel at later! And yes! What better way to find answers than by tapping into your own community. Isn't that what this is all about anyways?

Im glad to already see such interest. This has been on my mind for a while and it is so difficult to flip through pages and pages about plants in each state. I know there are some great minds on WB and i look forward to what everyone has to say.

Gnight from Miami, fl

**Shadowalker** · 02-09-2012, 02:14

Too Far from The Desserts of The West , No Native American Blood that I know of , I Know my choice of Button ( Plant ) Id Love to spend some time on the Trail On , OHH Yeah !!

**Shadowalker** · 02-09-2012, 02:20

???? / The Bare Foot Sisters would be an awesome book for you , SoBo n NoBo !!

**burger** · 02-09-2012, 09:34

Think about this: if even a small percent of AT hikers were to start harvesting medicinal plants, there would very soon be none left. Already some medicinal plants like ginseng are endangered with extinction because people take too many of them. Leave the wild plants where they are. Get your medicine in a store.

(P.S. - It's illegal to pick wild plants along the AT in any property owned by the National Park Service. That's 950 miles of trail by my recollection)

**Maren** · 02-09-2012, 10:06

Originally Posted by burger

Think about this: if even a small percent of AT hikers were to start harvesting medicinal plants, there would very soon be none left. Already some medicinal plants like ginseng are endangered with extinction because people take too many of them. Leave the wild plants where they are. Get your medicine in a store.

(P.S. - It's illegal to pick wild plants along the AT in any property owned by the National Park Service. That's 950 miles of trail by my recollection)

Excellent point, but being able to identify plants and their uses is still fun.

**fiddlehead** · 02-09-2012, 10:15

Nettles for sure.
White birch (both the leaves and the bark are medicinal)
Witch Hazel
Chestnut
Ginseng
Jimson weed (quite poisonous, better know what you're doing with this one)
St Johnswort

If you have time to pick these, make ointments, teas, salves etc. out of them, then I doubt you are thru-hiking as you won't have time to do both.
I did a bit picking some of these already but sent them home to process later as hiking takes up 12-16 hours of my days.

If you want to take a luxury item on the trail, a book on botany or wild plants and identification, will teach you a lot.
I hiked with some friends who taught me much.

**burger** · 02-09-2012, 10:30

Originally Posted by Maren

Excellent point, but being able to identify plants and their uses is still fun.

Absolutely. I carried "Newcomb's Wildflower Guide" (the best flower guide you'll ever find) for the first few hundred miles of my AT section hikes. It's great to appreciate and know what plants are out there--just make sure to leave them for others to enjoy, too!

**Tinker** · 02-09-2012, 10:54

http://images.search.yahoo.com/image...f&fr=fp-yma2-s

Jewelweed - Impatiens Capensis : Used for treating rashes, bites, and stings. Often grows right next to poison ivy - convenient. Seed pods "pop" when ripe if touched, dispersing seeds. One of my favorite plants to show to kids when we do a parent/child hike.

Crush stems, leaves, and flowers and apply topically.

**Serial 07** · 02-09-2012, 11:01

Originally Posted by burger

Think about this: if even a small percent of AT hikers were to start harvesting medicinal plants, there would very soon be none left. Already some medicinal plants like ginseng are endangered with extinction because people take too many of them. Leave the wild plants where they are. Get your medicine in a store.

way off...people have been eating medicinal plants for thousands of years and they some how still come back...by your logic, there should be no berries anywhere, but every time i hike, i seem to find all that i can handle...

**Juice** · 02-09-2012, 11:09

Originally Posted by Serial 07

way off...people have been eating medicinal plants for thousands of years and they some how still come back...by your logic, there should be no berries anywhere, but every time i hike, i seem to find all that i can handle...

Seriously? If you're going to compare Blackberries to Ginseng, then you have absolutely NO idea what you're talking about!

**Serial 07** · 02-09-2012, 11:13

i ate ramps to cure a cold a few years back on the trail...worked as good as any OTC remedy for me...

**Serial 07** · 02-09-2012, 11:17

you never mentioned ginseng by name, so no, i wasn't DIRECTLY comparing the two...you picked one of the hardest plants to find...there are plenty of OTHER medicinal herbs that grow freely and wildly out there that can be consumed...relax...next time, don't make such a broad statement...

**Serial 07** · 02-09-2012, 11:18

sorry...i retract all things and am now moving on...i skimmed what you said...sorry...

**Firefighter503** · 02-09-2012, 11:33

Black Cohosh is prevalent in some areas in the South on the trail. Was used to treat everything from PMS symptoms to soar throats to depression. Easy to spot and all over the place once you know what it looks like.

**MissMagnolia** · 02-09-2012, 12:39

Originally Posted by fiddlehead

Nettles for sure.
White birch (both the leaves and the bark are medicinal)
Witch Hazel
Chestnut
Ginseng
Jimson weed (quite poisonous, better know what you're doing with this one)
St Johnswort

If you have time to pick these, make ointments, teas, salves etc. out of them, then I doubt you are thru-hiking as you won't have time to do both.
I did a bit picking some of these already but sent them home to process later as hiking takes up 12-16 hours of my days.

If you want to take a luxury item on the trail, a book on botany or wild plants and identification, will teach you a lot.
I hiked with some friends who taught me much.

I would love to load a kindle book (or few) of botany and wild plants onto my phone. Do you have any specific book recommendations for regions of the Appalachians?

**JAK** · 02-09-2012, 13:25

Great subject. I think if I'm not mistaken in the southern AT they often use the term woodcrafting for this sort of thing, so that might be a good search term. Getting back to sustainability is a work in progress. Good hunting.

**Old Grouse** · 02-09-2012, 14:06

Seed pods "pop" when ripe if touched, dispersing seeds.

Hence the occasional name "Touch-Me-Not!"

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