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Usnea (var. usnea) as a Medicinal Herb
Usnea is one of my top 3 most-used herbs. On our farm, both people and animals put this lichen to good use. Both internal and external, “Usnea hasn’t failed me yet” has become my motto.
The flushing of a drained abscess (like a broken chicken foot), the rinsing of a fresh wound (like a torn udder), and the recovery care after a traumatic birth are things ever lurking around the corner when it comes to farm life. Usnea, either alone or combined with other herbs, is my MVP.
I also am a fan of ingesting usnea when I catch respiratory viruses, or fall victim to a sinus infection. Most of the time I roll a pea-sized ball of usnea up and swallow it with water. Other times I steep a tea, combining the usnea with other herbs to address my complaints. A lightly saline usnea tea has worked wonders for my animals as an eye wash when there is damage or infection in or around the eye.
But don’t take my word for it. Research Usnea yourself, try it if you feel confident, and see how it works for you!
My knowledge stems strictly from personal research and application. While I enjoy sharing my own anecdotal experiences and journeys with using herbal medicine, I would also like to share some literary excerpts with you.
The following is from one of my favorite authors, Charles W. Kane, in his book Medicinal Plants of the Western Mountain States, which is one of a few books I would highly recommend to folks who are interested in earnestly learning about herbal medicine. It is by no means an exhaustive transcription of his full chapter on Arnica, so if your interest is piqued, please do consider reading the book in full.
Kane writes:
Chemistry:
Sterols, diterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, dibenzofurans; usnic acid, xanthones, anthraquinones, polysaccharides
Medicinal Uses:
Usnea’… three best areas of influence [are] the lungs, urinary tract, and skin. The lichen’s medicinal value is based on its mild immune stimulating polysaccharide and strongly antimicrobial usnic acid principles.
Applied to bronchitis, sore throats, and sinusitis, Usnea has a significant influence. Additionally, due to the tea’s (or a small bunch well-chewed and swallowed) minor gelatinous quality, it’s found particularly helpful when respiratory tissues are raw and inflamed.
Topical preparations of Usnea should be applied to problem wounds, cuts, and incisions where there is danger of growing infection. The ointment in conjunction with proper wound cleansing/dressing is the best way to proceed. Internal use of Usnea… combined with its topical use will be more effective. ….Even low-level bacterial skin problems such as [Acne] respond well to the tincture applied nightly to the problem area. …If it’s bacterial (fungal/yeast… lesser so) skin infection, try topically applied Usnea.
Usnea has a sound record of addressing urinary tract infections that do not respond to Heath family plants (Uva Ursi, etc.). It… rarely causes renal irritation with overuse.
Some of the more common bacteria that Usnea (usnic acid) has shown activity against are Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacteroides, and Mycobacteria strains. I don’t recommend Usnea used as a stand-alone treatment for MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) or MDR-TB infections (multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis) infections; however, its use alongside conventional antibiotics is theoretically promising.
Usnic acid demonstrates significant inhibitory activity against Trichomonas vaginali, the parasite responsible for Trichomoniasis or “trich” infections. Try Usnea in these cases: the strong tea used as a douche along with internal tincture or capsules (or for men, internal use alone) is potentially a good treatment.
Indications [for use]
- Bronchitis
- Sinusitis
- Infections, topical (external)
- Infections, urinary tract
- Vaginitis (internal and external)
Cautions:
Consider Usnea a short-term use medicinal lichen: 1-2 weeks of consecutive use at a time. The tea (and capsules) can sometimes be upsetting to the stomach. If this is the case, switch to tincture/fluidextract preparations. Dermatitis is rarely reported for individuals in daily contact with the lichen (forest workers). If skin irritation or redness does develop with its topical use, it’s best to switch to a different herbal treatment. Topical preparations during pregnancy, while nursing, or with children are fine, but I’m unable to confidently recommend its internal use.
Aside from an occasional upset stomach, reports of human Usnea (whole-lichen preparations) are few to none. However isolated usnic acid or its salts, taken as an isolated substance may be problematic. A number of cases of hepatotoxicity have been reported for at least one weight loss supplement containing sodium usniate. Complicating the situation though is the supplement (Lipokinetix) also contained caffeine, Yohimbe, diidothyronine, and norephedrine. Consumed in mega doses (as diet supplements usually are) it’s anyone’s guess as to what compound or combination thereof was problematic.
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