Medicinal Uses of Usnea, Old Man's Beard

There are hundreds of species of Usnea, which grows world-wide and is found on every continent. Usnea barbata is one of the species commonly used medicinally in North America. Usnea is a lichen, a symbiotic combination of a fungus and an algae. It is light green, grey or yellowish in color, with thready filaments that resemble coarse hair, which explains its common names of Old Man's Beard and Beard Lichen.

Usnea grows on the branches of trees, and it looks very much like Spanish moss, although the two are unrelated. Spanish moss is actually a plant, not a lichen. You can identify usnea by taking it apart and looking for its core. Usnea will always have a white core, while Spanish moss has a black core. Usnea is also stretchy like elastic if you tug gently on its strands.

Health Benefits of Usnea

Usnea has long been used therapeutically in many traditional systems including Chinese, European and Native American herbal medicine. One of the most important therapeutically active components in usnea is usnic acid, which has potent antibiotic properties. It is effective against staph, strep, pneumococcus and tuberculosis bacteria. Usnic acid kills bacteria by entering the bacterial cell and disrupting its metabolism. Usnea also has activity against fungi, viruses and amoebas. In addition to its antimicrobial function, usnea has anti-inflammatory and analgesic functions, and it is an immune system enhancer.

Medically, usnea can be used in the same way as Echinacea. It is especially beneficial for treating respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, and as a supplement to other tuberculosis treatment. It is also useful for colds and flu, strep throat and urinary tract infections.

The medicinal properties of usnea are more effectively extracted with alcohol than with water, so the best way to take it medicinally is as an alcohol tincture rather than as a tea.

Usnea can be used as a wound dressing by simply gathering it from a tree branch, compressing it, and placing it on the wound. In this way, it is useful for emergency first aid for injuries sustained in the wilderness.

Cautions and Contraindications

When collecting medicinal plants from the wild, make sure you are able to definitively identify the plants. It is recommended to consult a knowledgeable herbalist when wildcrafting. Usnea tends to absorb pollutants such as heavy metals from the air, so it is inadvisable to collect it from areas with a lot of air pollution. Since usnea enhances the immune system, it is contraindicated for use by those suffering from autoimmune diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

This information is for educational purposes only. If you have a health concern, see a qualified health care practitioner.

Sources:

http://altmedicine.about.com/library/weekly/aa122200a.htm
http://www.itmonline.org/arts/usnea.htm
http://www.susunweed.com/An_Article_wisewoman3d.htm
http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9514255240/isbn9514255240.pdf
http://www.eattheweeds.com/www.EatTheWeeds.Com/EatTheWeeds.com/Entries/1936/6/14_Usnea:_Food_and_Pharmacy_Lichen.html