Leonotis leonurus (Lion’s
Tail / Lions’ Ear / Wild Dagga)
 |
| Lion's tail bouquet |
Said to originate in Africa, home of the lion, Leonurus
leonotus has since been embraced around the world. Its 5-star ornamental
appeal has led to its increasing popularity in home gardens, and its medicinal
value makes it an attractive addition to the herbalist’s repertoire. Although
its aromatics are not instantly obvious, it is a member of the mint family. On
the other hand, the habit of its flowers, which consist of whorls of brightly
colored (the brightest orange you can imagine) tubular petals, may remind you
of bee balm (Monarda didyma), which is also a mint family member.
However, unlike lion's tail, bee balm flowers do not occur in the lattice-like
fashion characteristic of most mints.
 |
| Mature in backyard |
That said, I have witnessed this herb’s instant calming effect
on acute coughing fits. About four years ago, I mentioned the herb to a friend
of mine who has allergies and he said he’d like to try it. One day he was
visiting while in the throws of an attack, which was clearly distressing him,
but more importantly, annoying the heck out of me! I had some dried branches of
lion’s-tail leaves (no flowers on it), and I lit a few leaves on the branch and
quickly blew out the fire. This created a smoldering effect, which released
smoke. The smoke is emitted in streams, much like what you see coming off of a
stick of incense. Now, note that with this herb, a little smoke packs a
powerful punch for treating coughs. With the smoking wand in my hand, I went into the living room
where he was, walking from one end to the other, and milling about for a second
or two. In all, I was in there for no more than 15 seconds. When he smelled it.
He immediately scrunched up his face and, waving his hand in front of his nose,
asked "What the hell is that smell?" Already the coughing had
stopped. Thirty minutes had passed without a cough. An hour passed and still no
cough. After an hour and a half of peaceful cough-free serenity, I told him
that it was the Lion’s tail herb that he’d said he wanted to try. This
friend is a skeptic and not one to quickly sing any praises. Of course, he
could not deny its efficacy on that day, and since then, he requests a quick lion's tail body smudge when his allergies act up.
I should note here that this tiny
amount is not capable of inducing any of the purported "high" effects
of the herb. However, it was enough for its antispasmodic properties to quell
the coughing. From the many reports I've read, its pot-like effect requires the
actual smoking of a lot of the herb, and even then, it is a very subdued high.
Many even say that the whole high thing is a myth. And it's just as well, since
that is not my purpose for growing and using the herb anyway. Other than its
euphoric effect when smoking a sufficient amount, this herb has no notable
adverse effects.
Africans mainly use(d) this herb to alleviate acute respiratory
afflictions, such as asthma, whooping cough and allergy-related dry coughs. It
has also been taken as a treatment for type-2 diabetes. However, in the West,
it is lion's tail's purported euphoria-inducing quality that accounts for its
primary use, outside of its ornamental value. In fact, Wild Dagga, which
alludes to its hallucinogenic properties, is one of lion’s tail’s other names.
The high that can be obtained by smoking this herb has been compared to
marijuana, but said to offer a much milder sensation. Although I am not a
smoker, I have tried this a couple times and did not get high so much as I
nearly burned my trachea off! Again, I am not a smoker and also gagged fitfully
whenever I’ve tried smoking pot.
 |
| Dry on dehydrator |
Although the above example did not involve the flower petals,
perhaps due to its aesthetic lure, the flowers are the most commonly reported
official part used for smoking and smudging. Now that I have a bunch of
flowers, as these photos attest to, I will give them a try as well and see if
there are any noticeable differences. Since I have an asthmatic brother
who has also shown interest in trying it, I hope to give him a whiff as well!
Depending on what your purpose is, lion's tail can be taken as a
tea or decoction, or smoked or inhaled as an incense. There are also tinctures
available. A wash or oil can be made for external application.
Uses:
Leaf:
•
high
blood pressure
•
bronchitis
•
headache
 |
| Dried and stored |
•
asthma,
dry cough
•
hepatitis
(viral)
Leaf, flower, resin:
•
painful
menstruation
•
type
2 diabetes
•
arthritis
•
cold
•
pain
•
hallucinogenic
Leaves & root:
•
antidote
for snakebite, insect stings, etc.
•
a
decoction for eczema, itchy skin
I started out with one plant, which I obtained from seed that I
collected from a neighborhood plant. Now I have a total of two mature plants
and one young one, all of which are in bloom as I write this. There are so many
good reasons to grow this plant, and the cherry on top is its level of draught
tolerance. With the severe draught we are facing in California, this plant is
truly a gift for those who love to garden, but are concerned about water usage.
I almost never water this plant, yet it gives and gives, to all who walk, or
fly, by. Maybe we can call Leonotis King of the Mints. If you take one flower
and set the whole disc up 90° so that you're looking at the "lion"
face-to-face, perhaps we can add to its many names, Lion's Mane.
Anyway, I started opening up used little coffee cups from my
beloved coffee maker, of German origins,
so that I could collect the coffee grounds for the compost. As I was doing
this, it dawned on me what a perfect little seed-starter these things would
make. I emptied out the coffee, and pulled out the miniature filter inside of
it. It even has a little perforated raised plastic screen at the bottom, which
I believe is designed to keep the filter from sagging and covering up the hole at
the bottom of the cup from which the coffee drips into your coffee mug.
Basically, it helps to create drainage! It’s like it was made for starting seeds.
Then I realized
that I don’t even have to rip out the filter. I can just leave it in and rinse out
the cup to remove the excess coffee. Speaking of which, coffee grounds are
generally considered a good thing for plants. Even though it will not be used
in a way that will allow the seedlings to extract any nutrients from the coffee (because
it will not be broken down enough for the seedlings to absorb it), it won’t
hurt them either as long as you rinse it out a few times to reduce the level of acidity from
the coffee. Then, all that’s left to do is fill the cups up with soil, plant
the seeds, water and wait.
But wait! There’s more! I realized that I could then place
these coffee-cup seed-starters into old seed-starter trays. Just line them up
and put the lid on. Sometimes, depending on the tray size, the cups may not fit
perfectly – you may have to reduce the number of cups you can fit into a tray –
but it works. Also, I’ve started saving other plastic trays that have lids,
such as sandwich trays and roasted chicken trays. I particularly like the trays
with a high dome, like the mixed salad container shown below. You can let plants get
taller inside the tray before transplanting, which can be advantageous at
times. All of these can be washed out and lined with these little coffee cup
seed-starters to create tiny greenhouses.
