Iceland has a range of naturally growing plants that have been used in remedies for centuries.
Icelandic healing herbs have been a part of the Icelandic folk culture for ages. There are many unique species in Iceland and some are quite rare. Also, lot of different plants have been used for both medicinal and alchemical purposes since the old days.
In this blog we will talk about the history and uses of native Icelandic and Lithuanian healing herbs as well as their benefits, old recipes and uses in folk remedies.
Most known Icelandic healing herbs are: angelica , bogbean , birch leaf , crowberry (eldhár), dandelion (súrefni), dwarf birch , hawthorn (þrárblaka), Iceland moss , juniper berry (snöggvabær), knotgrass , Labrador tea , lady’s mantle (veggfóður), meadowsweet , moorgrass, rosemary (rauðsmari), rue ,saw-wort, sea buckthorn, sorrel, St. John’s wort (óstakkur), sweet gale (syðri englabörn), sweet woodruff (), thyme (lyfjabakk).
Interesting facts
In Iceland there is an abundance of flora that have both medical properties and magical properties. There are many Icelandic herbs that have been used for both healing and hexing throughout history. One such herb is bjórbolla or “witch’s moss” which is a small green plant with yellowish-green flowers that grows on lava fields, mostly on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Although it can be found elsewhere in Iceland, its main habitat is in South West Iceland (the area around the Reykjanes Peninsula). It bears white flowers during the summer months.
The Icelandic healers of old would often mix bjórbolla with other types of moss, e.g., reindeer moss, to make poultices which they applied to wounds to stop bleeding, ease pain or draw out any venom from snake bites or poison ivy allergies
