Germander is a collective term applied to a lot of members of the Teucrium genus in the mint family, Lamiaceae. American germander is a perennial herb, T. canadense, that also goes by the names wood sage and wild basil. It is native to North America. The frequent name wood sage can be used to get a yellow-flowering related herb, T. scorodonia, which is native to Europe and now naturalized in North America. T. fruticans is a European shrub called tree germander. It can be seen on coastal hillsides in Europe.
Tree germander is planted in gardens because of its evergreen-like foliage. Creeping and vertical varieties may be available at nurseries with a broad selection. Plants grow from a few feet tall and they are found naturally in thickets and woodlands. It grows best in full sun but can take a partially shady site. During Elizabethan times in England germander was planted in the knot gardens as a dark green comparison to leafy herbs. The plant looks like a very small version of an evergreen hedge so that it had been planted in such a way as to resemble knotted ribbons, particularly if viewed from above.
American germander has square stems which are downy and topped with Spikes of pale collared flowers. The lipped flowers can be purple, pink or whitish, though pink is the most common. Four stamens protrude out of a split or cleft in the upper lip. The entire calyx, or base of the flower tube, feels velvety. The blooming period is early to late summer. The toothed, opposite leaves are variable having a wide to narrow, oval Or lance form with pointed tips. The leaves are hairy underneath giving the undersides a whitish colour.
Historically, a leaf tea has been used to deal with irregular menses and to induce urination and perspiration. Several teucrium fruticans species are powerful diuretics which were used in treating gout. Germander tea may be utilised in a compressor the entire leaves in a poultice as an antiseptic dressing. The tea can be gargled for sore throats and coughs to make the most of its antiseptic properties.
Although there are useful medicinal properties of this herb germander, it has been replaced over time with more effective treatments. Germander has high toxicity because of the fact that many cases of liver damage, hepatitis, and even death have been attributed to ingesting germander. Take care: any perceived benefits are not worth the possibility of utilizing germander in any sort of herbal treatments. Note it is often found as and adulterant in skullcap, which has been used as a nerve tonic and antispasmodic.