Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium aka Gnaphalium obtusifolium aka Rabbit Tobacco aka Life Everlasting… A lot of plants are known as rabbit tobacco, but only one has that name in herbal medicine.
This is a very special plant in herbal medicine and at the same time an unusual plant for several reasons. If that weren’t enough it’s also a very confusing plant.
I spent the morning writing and re-writing trying to clarify all of this… At one point I was up to 2 full pages. All native tribes east of the Rockies used this plant. The Cherokee among others still use this plant as medicine to this very day. The native tribes have an oral tradition of story telling to explain things, especially medicine.
It’s beyond my abilities to explain to all of you, “the special”, “the unusual” and “the confusing” matters concerning this plant, even if my native language were Cherokee which it's not. I will add this plant fascinates me. Since I was a child I’ve known it’s special.
I’ll use the common name Rabbit Tobacco knowing it only refers to one of the Botanical names above. Its other common name “Life Everlasting” or “Sweet Everlasting” is derived from native sources. It has a very special use among native tribes that I simply don’t understand well enough to explain. I’ve posted books in the library that touch on these matters.
About its cousins – It’s cousins in western europe have been used since the time of the ancient Romans to a limited degree. They were more extensively used in traditional Russian folk medicine and to some extent their modern medicine.
Obviously written references to this plant and its cousins go back millennia. This is the extremely short version…
Tommie Bass used this plant often. It was part of several medicines and salves he made. A quote from Darryl’s book about Tommie… “Rabbit tobacco has wonderful and well-deserved reputation for treating conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. If smoked, it reduces the associated bronchial spasms and if used in the form of a tea, it becomes a highly effective expectorant.”
“In similar fashion to mountain mint, rabbit tobacco can be used for the temporary relief of sinus congestion. Take a handful of leaves and place them in a pot of boiling water. Cover your head with towel and inhale the steam and feel the relief as it reduces the swelling and congestion of the mucous tissue.” *This is for bronchial problems excluding asthma* A side note: Rabbit tobacco is also effective against poison ivy (poultice).
It’s also been documented to outright cure adult asthma. Stuff the dried plant into a pillow case and sew it shut. Sleep on it for a few months until the pillow case is all grungy and leaking powder from the crushed plant then throw it out. Asthma will be complete gone or at the very least greatly improved. It’s also been beneficial to several other congenital type disorders and autoimmune disorders.
Rabbit tobacco is very different in that unlike most plants it’s at its peak and processed after it dead. That’s when I finish the drying process and store it for making tea or for smoking.
The plant has one last very pleasant surprise. M. Wood describes the scent of this plant as a “beautiful odor”. I agree… Except it has almost no scent when alive and blooming, its scent is pleasant but very faint. After it’s dead I tie a bundle together and hang it somewhere in my house, usually my herbroom. Over the coming winter something very unusual happens. Say I go shopping in town. I come home to find my house filled with a beautiful scent. Weeks may pass… then I wake up in the middle of the night to discover my house is again filled with a beautiful scent. There is no pattern or reason for this I can discern… just a very pleasant random surprise!
This is a very special plant in herbal medicine and at the same time an unusual plant for several reasons. If that weren’t enough it’s also a very confusing plant.
I spent the morning writing and re-writing trying to clarify all of this… At one point I was up to 2 full pages. All native tribes east of the Rockies used this plant. The Cherokee among others still use this plant as medicine to this very day. The native tribes have an oral tradition of story telling to explain things, especially medicine.
It’s beyond my abilities to explain to all of you, “the special”, “the unusual” and “the confusing” matters concerning this plant, even if my native language were Cherokee which it's not. I will add this plant fascinates me. Since I was a child I’ve known it’s special.
I’ll use the common name Rabbit Tobacco knowing it only refers to one of the Botanical names above. Its other common name “Life Everlasting” or “Sweet Everlasting” is derived from native sources. It has a very special use among native tribes that I simply don’t understand well enough to explain. I’ve posted books in the library that touch on these matters.
About its cousins – It’s cousins in western europe have been used since the time of the ancient Romans to a limited degree. They were more extensively used in traditional Russian folk medicine and to some extent their modern medicine.
Obviously written references to this plant and its cousins go back millennia. This is the extremely short version…
Tommie Bass used this plant often. It was part of several medicines and salves he made. A quote from Darryl’s book about Tommie… “Rabbit tobacco has wonderful and well-deserved reputation for treating conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. If smoked, it reduces the associated bronchial spasms and if used in the form of a tea, it becomes a highly effective expectorant.”
“In similar fashion to mountain mint, rabbit tobacco can be used for the temporary relief of sinus congestion. Take a handful of leaves and place them in a pot of boiling water. Cover your head with towel and inhale the steam and feel the relief as it reduces the swelling and congestion of the mucous tissue.” *This is for bronchial problems excluding asthma* A side note: Rabbit tobacco is also effective against poison ivy (poultice).
It’s also been documented to outright cure adult asthma. Stuff the dried plant into a pillow case and sew it shut. Sleep on it for a few months until the pillow case is all grungy and leaking powder from the crushed plant then throw it out. Asthma will be complete gone or at the very least greatly improved. It’s also been beneficial to several other congenital type disorders and autoimmune disorders.
Rabbit tobacco is very different in that unlike most plants it’s at its peak and processed after it dead. That’s when I finish the drying process and store it for making tea or for smoking.
The plant has one last very pleasant surprise. M. Wood describes the scent of this plant as a “beautiful odor”. I agree… Except it has almost no scent when alive and blooming, its scent is pleasant but very faint. After it’s dead I tie a bundle together and hang it somewhere in my house, usually my herbroom. Over the coming winter something very unusual happens. Say I go shopping in town. I come home to find my house filled with a beautiful scent. Weeks may pass… then I wake up in the middle of the night to discover my house is again filled with a beautiful scent. There is no pattern or reason for this I can discern… just a very pleasant random surprise!
