A 3-herb blend safely relieves pain
• WHAT IT IS Phytodolor is a blend of tree bark and plant extracts that alleviates arthritis pain. The tincture is made from two common trees, poplar (Populus tremula) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior), and the weed goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea).
• WHAT FOLK MEDICINE SAYS American herbalists have used all three botanicals since the 19th century: They applied ash leaves to relieve arthritis, and poplar and goldenrod extracts to ease joint pain.
ECOTRENDS
Shuttered industrial operations often leave behind land poisoned with toxic substances, particularly lead and mercury. These "brownfields" are now being rehabilitated using nature's own cleaning crew: plants and microbes. Phytoremediation and bioremediation, as these processes are called, not only make the sites safer; they are reclaiming the land for ecologically vital open spaces and even urban farms.
Propolis contains resinous substances collected by honey bees from various plant sources and has been used as a traditional folk medicine since ca 300 BC. Nowadays, the use of evidence-based comp...
