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HOUSELEEK
SEMPERVIVUM
TECTORUM The leaves gently rubbed on the places stung by nettles or bees, will quickly remove the pain. Houseleck has a great many thick succulent leaves set together to form a stalk about a foot (30 cm) high. There are thinner and longer leaves on top and spikes of starry red flowers. Where to find it: Mainly cultivated in gardens; but it prefers rocky, chalky ground, and will grow on old roofs and walls. Flowering time. Midsummer. Astrology: A herb of Jupiter. Medicinal virtues : The juice is good in hot agues. It cools and restrains all violent inflammations, St Anthony's fire, scalds and burns, shingles, fretting ulcers, cankers, tetters, ringworms and eases the pain of the gout. The juice also takes away warts and corns in the hands or feet. Applied to the temples, it takes away headache. The bruised leaves laid upon the crown of the head stay bleeding at the nose quickly. Modern uses: The fresh leaves have the medicinal properties, the sap being astringent and cooling. They are crushed and used as a cold poultice for burns and stings and applied to the forehead to ease migraine and feverish headaches. The leaves also give relief if applied as a warm poultice to haemorrhoids. Alternatively, an ointment can be used by adding the juice to melted wax. The juice applied daily to a corn will soften it. Sempervivum tectorum is available as a homeopathic medicine. |