Medicine at your Feet
Plants and Food
(If you wish to act on any of the information on this website, you must consult with a healthcare professional. Do not try to be your own doctor)

I have a great deal of company in my house; especially in the morning, when nobody calls.
- - Henry David Thoreau

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Usnea spp.

PLANT NAME: Usnea spp.

SIMILARLY USED SPECIES: U. barbata, U. ceratina, U. dasypoga, U. florida, U. hirta, U. filipendula, U. longissima

COMMON NAMES: 'Umi koa ("beard of koa"), limu 'o ke kuahiwi ("seaweed of the mountain") [Hawai'i]; song lo [China]; old man's beard [USA]; chan wiziye ("spirit of the north wind") [Lakota]; janggut tok adam ("adam's beard"), rumput angin ("air grass"), tahi angin ("excrement of air") [Malaysia].

FAMILY: Usneaceae.

CATEGORY: Cool herbs that transform hot phlegm.

PROPERTIES: Bitter sweet neutral.

LICHEN PART USED: All of it

TOXICITY: None noted when using the whole lichen.
• Oral administration of hydro-alcoholic (tincture) extract has no mortality at 32g / kg. The acute LD50 for hydro-alcoholic extracts (tinctures) of U. barbata and U. hirta are as follows:U. barbata intraperitoneal: 22.53g (of lichen) / kg; U. hirta intraperitoneal: 21.02g (of lichen) / kg; U. barbata intravenous: 7.43g (of lichen) / kg; U. hirta intravenous: 4.52g (of lichen) / kg [Dobrescu 1993].
• Usnic acid in its pure extracted form at high doses may be liver toxic to rats, [Ingolfsdottir 2002; Pramyothin 2004] causing damage from oxidative stress [Han 2004, Pramyothin 2004], although Usnea spp. also have antioxidant effects in mice.

CAUTIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS: Not in pregnancy. May cause contact dermatitis in topical use, discontinue if rash develops [Mitchell 1965; Goncalo 1987]. If used in autoimmune conditions, monitor immune status carefully.

PREPARATION OF MEDICINE: Because usnic acid is not water soluble, the tincture is preferred (1:3, 70% alcohol), or you can decoct. A crock pot works well. Usnea can also be made into a salve.

DOSAGE: 10 grams in combination, or powdered in a capsule. Tincture: 3-4 ml 3 times per day. For tuberculosis, tincture, 2-7 droppersful 3 times per day for 6 months. For acute bacterial infections, Usnea can be taken every 2 hours.
100 mg in capsules three times a day.

WESTERN FUNCTIONS REPORTED: Antibacterial; antibiotic; antifungal; antiparasitic; antiseptic; as bitters; dermatological aid; eupeptic; general wound healer.

TRADITIONAL CHINESE ENERGETIC FUNCTIONS (~ = extrapolated):
1) Opens the chest~, cleanses the lungs, transforms phlegm~.
2) Removes damp heat.
3) Invigorates blood~.
4) Clears heat and toxins.
5) Clears deficiency heat~, stops bleeding.

RANGE: Every continent except Australia.

GATHERING:
• Usnea is not actually a plant but a lichen, which is part algae and part fungus. A good way to identify this lichen is to pull it apart. Medicinal Usnea has a soft thread-like "core" and is always round.
• Usnea is becoming rare and should only be picked in genuine need. Only take what you will use! Take it from downed branches if possible. Usnea often grows on old-growth trees and it is imperative to not over-harvest. Avoid gathering Usnea from heavily polluted areas, as it might absorb heavy metals from the air. See Other Uses above.

RESEARCH:
Bacterial
• Most of the research points to usnic acid being an effective antibacterial against gram-positive bacteria; [Cocchietto 2002; Garcia, 1999], although one study showed it to be also antibacterial against gram-negative bacteria [Rowe 1989]. Its effect on gram-positive bacteria may be due to secondary metabolites of lichens [Lauterwein 1995]. Usnic acid may prevent bio-film colonization by Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterococcus faecium on artificial implant devices [Francolini 2004].
• An usnic acid preparation can inhibit Streptococcus mutans in the oral cavity without altering the normal bacterial equilibrium of the mouth [Ghione 1988].
Viral
• Usnic acid inhibits Epstein-Barr virus activation [Yamamoto 1995] and is a potent inhibitor of mouse polyomavirus because of its ability to inhibit RNA transcription [Campanella 2002].
• Extracts of Usnea complanta are antiviral in vitro against Herpes simplex virus [Vijayan 2004].
• Usnic acid is used topically with zinc sulfate to prevent post-surgical recurrence of Human Papilloma virus [Scirpa 1999].
Parasites
• Usnic acid is anti-parasitic against Leishmania amazonensis when applied intra-lesionally but not orally or subcutaneously in mice [Fournet 1997]. It has a strong effect against Trichomonas vaginalis in vitro [Wu 1995].
Cancer
• Some research points to Usnea spp. extracts being only mildly antineoplastic [Proska 1999], while others report stronger effects [Bezivin 2004; Campanella 2002]. Extracts of U. fasciata containing the polysaccharide raffinose inhibited close to 90% of sarcoma 180 and Ehrlich tumor cells [Periera 1994].
Fever, Pain & Inflammation
• Usnic acid is anti-inflammatory in lab animals for both acute and chronic conditions [Vijayakumar 2000]. It is analgesic and reduces induced fever in mice [Okuyama 1995].
• It is reportedly comparable to hydrocortisone and hemisuccinate phenylbutazone as an anti-inflammatory; noraminophenazone as an analgesic; and aminophenazone as an anti-pyretic [Dobrescu 1993].
• The compounds in U. diffracta responsible for its antipyretic and analgesic effects in mice appear to be diffractaic and usnic acids [Okuyama 1995].
• Usnic acid can function as a UVB light filter [Rancan 2002].
Antioxidant Functions
• Research results for U. longissima as an antioxidant range from mild [Bian 2002], to potent [Odabasoglu 2004]. Different species may have varying amounts of antioxidant potential [Caviglia 2001].

NOTES 'N QUOTES
• Used as medicine in Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, and China since before the time of Christ. The use of Usnea was documented in "The Formulary of Al-kindi," A.D. 850
• In Native American traditions Usnea represents the north and maintains the "lungs" of Planet Earth. In those traditions Usnea has a sacred primeval relationship with the trees, helping to protect them against infections.
• Usnea was historically used as a bitter tonic.
• One of our best plants for chronic respiratory problems. Because it does well as a tincture, it is often taken seperately from the rest of an herbal formula.