This is Usnea. I have been using it for immune system as well. I had been using it in infusions, but I collected enough to make a tincture.
This is a different type of lichen, you can see it is flatter. Usnea is round & when you pull it apart it has a tiny thread inside. Both kinds will often grow on the same bush. I find it most often on Ocean Spray shrubs.
This is lungwort. It doesn't grow on the ground, here's where it came from:
If you look way up in this maple, tree you can see lungwort growing on its trunk. I am able to harvest it when there
is a strong wind & some blows down. Or last year a raven was nicely making a little project out of clearing an
entire branch of a maple tree in yard. He came back each day & was very intent on getting every bit of moss
& lichen off the branch, so I had all kinds of lungwort tossed down to me. I have used it in rubbing alcohol along
with usnea for itchy skin conditions like eczema & acne. And I have used the lungwort in infusions for lung problems,
and right now I am making a tincture of it. It smells really earthy -- both the plant & the tincture. It seems to stay
happily green moist lying on the ground in our rainy weather, as soon as its brought inside it dries out very quickly.
It feels very much like toad skin.
This is a Barred Owl, he & his mate are in our yard frequently. They are very active during the winter & have their babies probably around this time of year. This photo was taken in the late spring. Sometimes we get to see one or both of them during the day.
One thing about having owls in the yard, they tend to wake you up in the middle of the night with a loud shriek.
They will also swoop out of the tree & knock you in the head if you are wandering around unsuspectingly!
Part 4 of this January walk in the woods will be posted in a few days.
If you have questions or comments on herbs, plants & remedies, please join my herbal forum.
