Smaller individuals occur on branches. Here is my preliminary species list: My surveying strategy was casual, but similar to the standard survey methods used by lichenologists who use lichen species diversity as a measure of air quality: I assessed the diversity of lichens on various trees of the same species (in this case, red oak: Quercus rubra) and of roughly the same size (dbh, or diameter at breast height). My sister makes herbal remedies and lives in central NY State. Thank you for your thoughtful suggestions both regarding foraging and honoring indigenous peoples. It is also highly beneficial for urinary tract and kidney infections. I walk by lichen every day on my way to classes but I hardly notice or think about the reasoning behind them. Thanks for the post its so interesting how even the smallest of lifeforms can tell you something about the environment they live in. I share information on foraging and wildcrafting, fermenting and preserving, cooking whole foods from scratch, permaculture gardening, and making herbal products. Usnea is a great plant to forage in the winter time when there isn’t much else available. All the lichen species that I found are common street-tree lichens in many cities in the northeast, and some (. Are they all medicinal. Although I am stoked to share medicinal knowledge, I would appreciate more in depth research on the safest foraging technique for … Flavoparmelia caperata, the common greenshield lichen, is a medium to large foliose lichen that has a very distinctive pale yellow green upper cortex when dry. This is because lichens grow very slowly. I live in Randolph, Maine and I was wondering if Usnea could be found here? First and foremost, usnea is an immune system tonic and has powerful antibiotic and antiviral properties. Beneath Notice, our book of borescopic mycology. Your email address will not be published. For instance, the reproduction method of lichen is mainly fragmentation and therefore the collection of the majority of fallen pieces is detrimental to the next generation. Any medicinal uses for these? Once somebody on this side of the Atlantic does the necessary work to develop North American lichen bioindicators, we’ll be able to perform the same sorts of air quality assessments here. Using the whole plant and all its constituents would not give the same effect, but one should always research and use herbs with caution, though they pose a much, much lower threat than isolated chemical pharmaceuticals. Lichens are common pioneers on trees, shrubs, soil, and even rocks, but do they kill the host that feeds them? Foraging for usnea and learning how to identify it isn’t difficult and is the first step to using this powerful natural medicine. I’m planning on making a tincture with it. But today i will go and pick it up to make this! Which variety is the best? And that’s just the beginning! Thank you for the tincture information also. One interesting thing to note is that lichens like usnea are sometimes used to determine air quality because they won’t survive in polluted air. The rounded lobes, measuring 3–8 mm (0.1–0.3 in) wide, usually have patches of granular soredia arising from pustules. I greatly appreciate the medicinal insight being brought to the table. I’ve since become a fully-fledged Ph.D. Lichenologist, and have had the privilege of working in some of the biggest and best herbaria in the world. I’m not sure where Randolph is in Maine but when I cross into oxford county, I have found it in the woods there. Herb Pharm products can also be found on Amazon here. In fact, even the most disgusting foot diseases and moldy strawberries are dear to our hearts. It sure does. The lobes of the thallus may be smooth, but quite often have a wrinkled appearance especially in older specimens. Hey there I’m curious about if I have the right kind, it doesn’t stretch at all, it’s actually really hard to rip apart. I can walk outside and crab some. Another interesting observation–one not having to do with air quality–is the apparent, gradual replacement of Flavoparmelia caperata by the very similar-looking Flavopunctelia soredica on the Tower Road oak trees (the latter is the main lichen flowing down the trunk in our photo). We have several species here in the South West of England. Usnea is also used as a natural orange dye on wool. Using lichen species diversity as a measure of air quality is common in Europe (especially the UK), because European lichenologists have developed lists of lichen “indicator species” —i.e., lists of lichen species that are especially sensitive to air pollution vs. lists of lichen species that are especially tolerant. 15 % off your order: COLLEEN15 much of it when i was ill. 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