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Iceland Moss - Health Benefits and Side Effects
Botanical Name of Iceland Moss: Cetraria islandica.
Other Common Names: Iceland Lichen, Eryngo-leaved liverwort, Islaendisch Moos (Ger), Islandslav (Swe), Mousse d’ Islande, Lichen d’Islande (Fr), Liquén de Islandia (Sp), Puklérka Islandská (Czech), Islanninjäkälä (Fin), Erba rissa, Lichene islandico (It), and fjallagras (Icleandic).
Habitat: Iceland Moss (Cetraria islandica) is a circumpolar lichen abundant throughout the arctic and mountains regions of the northern countries. It is found on the mountains of north Wales, north England, Scotland and south-west Ireland. In North America its range extends through Arctic regions, from Alaska to Newfoundland, and south in the Rocky Mountains to Colorado, and to the Appalachian Mountains of New England.
Icelandic moss is also found on moist or dry tundra among mosses or in the open, and may be found on forested sites and rocky crevices. It grows best in direct sun, and can grow on shallow, sterile soils. It is well adapted to strong winds and harsh environments, and likes open, sandy soils at high elevations.
Plant Description: Cetraria islandica is not a moss, but lichen, a symbiotic association between algae and fungus. Although it is not a vascular plant, the structure of Iceland moss has an appearance similar to that of stems and leaves, which gives it an appearance similar to moss; the similarity in appearance may have been the reason for its name.
Cetraria islandica is a fruticose, or shrub-like and bushy, lichen growing loosely on the soil to a height of 3-4 inches. The thallus (the body of fungi and lichens, being without vascular tissue and not differentiating into root, stem and leaves) is channeled or rolled into thin, branched tubes, which terminate in flattened lobes fringed with minute papillae, rarely more than 5mm wide. The whole plant is very tough and springy. It varies considerably from pale chestnut to grayish white; the upper surface is darker, the under surface is lighter to whitish. There are white spots which have a chalky or mealy appearance, and which are lodged in little depressions of the thallus.
Plant Parts Used: The whole plant. The lichen may be gathered throughout the year; during the dry weather between May and September is best. It can be dried for later use by removing loose debris and drying it in direct sun or shade. Cetraria islandica is available as a dried whole plant, and as powdered herb extract.
 The Iceland Moss Lichen ( Cetraria islandica) (Click on image to enlarge)
Attribution: Wikipedia
Therapeutic Uses, Benefits and Claims of Iceland Moss
Dosage and Administration:
Tea: simmer 1.5 to 3g of the dried plant in 5 oz of boiling water, and then strain.
Extract: 4-6g every day.
Decoction: 1-2g in decoction (3x daily)
Tincture: 1:5 in 40% alcohol, 1-1.5ml. (3x daily)
Bitter tonic: 2-4 grains (0.1 to 0.25 grams) as a bitter tonic and an aperient (mild laxative).
Side Effects and Possible Interactions of Iceland Moss
It is essential to consult your health care professional when altering medications and you should thoroughly investigate how your medications may interact with each other. In excessive doses or with prolonged use, Iceland moss can cause nausea, looseness of the bowels, gastric irritation or liver problems.
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"The garden is the poor man's apothecary."
German Proverb

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