In Timothy Lee Scott's Invasive Plant Medicine he discusses 24 invasive medicinal plants in some detail.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in wildcrafting medicinal herbs. For materia medica consideration I present the herbs here. It is well worth considering the benefits of those plants that are so despised for swallowing up the habitat of our native species. You can read well-done and broad-reaching descriptions of the herbs by reading the book, which also contains sections on ecology and general considerations.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in wildcrafting medicinal herbs. For materia medica consideration I present the herbs here. It is well worth considering the benefits of those plants that are so despised for swallowing up the habitat of our native species. You can read well-done and broad-reaching descriptions of the herbs by reading the book, which also contains sections on ecology and general considerations.
Artemisia
Barberry
Bindweed
Blackberry
Dandelion
English Ivy
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Knotweed
Knapweed
Kudzu
Oriental Bittersweet
Plantain
Purple Loosestrife
Reed
Scotch Broom
Siberian Elm
Tamarisk
Thistle
Tree-of-Heaven
White Mulberry
Wild Mustard
Wild Rose
One thing that is quickly obvious is that many of these plants are available locally.
Did you ever consider where all the herbs come from that fill the jars and various bottles at the health food stores? It is well worth considering the invasive plants as an ecologically superior source of raw material. By definition invasive plants grow prolifically and are generally unwanted by landowners. This is far better than picking plants that are more desired and more threatened. A great example is Barberry (which could also be listed near Honeysuckle and Japanese Knotweed, as it is also known as Japanese Barberry) as a great analouge for Goldenseal, which is an overharvested native plant.
