CELEBRATING Medicinal Plants

GARDENS AN ELEVATED APOTHECARY

This September, we’re celebrating the past, present, and future of medicinal plants. Simone Leigh’s Brick House, the first High Line Plinth commission, inspired the month’s theme. Leigh’s 16-foot-tall bust of a Black woman reminds us that resiliency requires community and self-care—and medicinal plants often contribute to these essentials. We’ve highlighted 20 plants from our gardens—both individual species and entire genera—with rich historic and social relevance for our communities. Across generations and regions, plants have offered sustenance to our survival.

Read on to learn more about these health-helpful plants in our gardens. And, use this guide as you walk along the High Line—there are informational signs along the way to help you identify the plants and learn about their use in herbal medicine.

Celebrating Medicinal Plants is made possible, in part, by the support of TD Bank, the Presenting Green Sponsor of the High Line.

01 WHAT IS PLANT MEDICINE?*

Every time you drink chamomile tea before bed, mint tea when your stomach hurts, or when you wash your hair with tea tree oil, you’re practicing herbal medicine.

The use of herbs for health dates Some of their important medicines The theory states that a plant treats The most common and simplest back to the Paleolithic era, over can be found on the High Line— the ailment that it resembles— way to take an herbal remedy is in 60,000 years ago. The first written such as sumac, eastern red cedar, bloodroot was thought to treat its distilled and steeped form: a tea. evidence of herbal medicine dates and cattail. blood disorders, for example. But However, there are many herbs that to the Sumerian culture in 3,500 it was wildly wrong and dangerous, cannot be taken internally without and c. 3,000 BCE. The Great Plains tribes constructed triggering many ill-prescribed deaths medical supervision, or that work best Medicine Wheel gardens in or further exacerbated illnesses. topically. These are taken as a salve, The first recorded physic garden— concentric circles with four lines or an ointment made from mixing the a garden of medicinal plants for of stones (or cairns) representing The FDA still doesn’t acknowledge herbs in oil to rub on the skin, a poultice, botanical study—dates to the north, south, east, and west that the effects of herbs on certain or when the macerated herbs and their sovereignty of Charlemagne— created pie-shaped planting beds. ailments but this stigma seems to liquids are applied directly to the skin, the king of the Franks and Lombards, These medicinal gardens played be lifting in the United States, as and as aromatherapy. and emperor of Rome in the late a specific spiritual role for native we see with the plethora of herbal 700s to early 800s CE. healing practices and were imbued teas available in our grocery stores, *While most herbs prescribed today with symbolism. Some tribes planted rising interest in aromatherapy, and are safe, it’s important to become Some early physic gardens include only medicinal or spiritual plants inclusion of plants in many of our an informed patient and to consult Pope Nicholas V’s Vatican medicinal while others included culinary and household products like cleaners a professional. Counterindications garden from 1447; Matthaeus ornamental species as well. Each and soaps. In Asia, statistics show vary based on the individual. Silvaticus’ gardens in Venice and garden was personalized to the tribe, that 80% of the population uses Salerna in 1334; Cosimo Medici’s and the contents mirrored the spirit herbs as some sort of remedy. garden in Pisa in 1544 (which was of the people. Around the world, and across codirected with Luca Ghini, the first cultures, the practice of herbal botanist to create an herbarium for In part because of the practices’ medicine is long lasting. plant and seed study, as well as the first roots in Native American and Black botanical garden in Europe); and Henry culture, and women’s healing, herbal IV’s 1593 garden in Montpelier, France. medicine is wrapped up in a history of In 1801, David Hosack created the social oppression—through politically Elgin Botanic Garden, the first public motivated accounts of healing herbs botanical garden in New York City as witchcraft or “snake oil.” where Rockefeller Center now stands. The Renaissance “medical However, herbal medicine in New revolutionary” Paracelsus popularized York and North America goes back the Doctrine of Signatures, which much further. Plant medicine was remained a principle of herbalism embedded in the lives of the native for centuries—to the detriment Find our selected medicinal plants on the following pages. Manhattan tribe, the Lenape. of many patients. Please leave the plants on the High Line in place.

02 03 Mugwort Yarrow Artemisia vulgaris Asteraceae

LOCATION: Interim Walkway LOCATION: Meadow Walk, Eastern Rail Yards HISTORY & USE: Named for the Greek moon god, Artemisia was the top medie- HISTORY & USE: Known among European val ward against evil spirits. Legend says herbalists as the “master of the blood,” that Roman soldiers placed mugwort in and in New Mexico as plumajillo (Span- their sandals to prevent exhaustion; John ish for “little feather”), yarrow has been the Baptist supposedly wore a mugwort applied since antiquity to stop the flow of girdle to protect him on his journeys. blood from wounds. In classical Greece, Homer recounts the centaur Chiron, Indigenous North American peoples who passed on herbal secrets to his prized mugwort as a bitter tea taken to students—including the warrior Achilles, treat colds and fevers, and applied as who used yarrow on the battlegrounds salves to treat bruises, sores, itching, and of Troy for protection. This is the figure body odor. It was also believed to regu- who lends this mighty plant remedy its late menstrual cycles, help with delivery, scientific name. and induce abortions, giving the plant its nickname, “women’s sage.” The Navajo used yarrow for toothaches, the Pawnee and Miwok for general Today, it’s taken by interested sleepers to pain relief, the Cherokee for reducing induce lucid dreaming. fevers, and Ojibwe for headache and in Pollinators love this plant spiritual ceremonies. Herbalists today use yarrow to break fevers, improve circulation, and reduce Wild ginger heavy menstrual bleeding. Asarum canadense Pollinators love this plant

LOCATION: Meadow Walk, Philip A. and Lisa Maria Falcone Flyover

HISTORY & USE: European settlers to the Birch Americas learned many medicinal herbal Betulaceae techniques by observing Native Amer- LOCATION: Gansevoort Woodlands, icans. Meriwether Lewis applied wild Chelsea Grasslands, Chelsea Thicket, ginger to treat skin inflammations on Wildflower Field & Radial Plantings his famous exploration of the Louisiana territory in 1806 after witnessing this use HISTORY & USE: Whether taken as a tea or among the local tribes. decoction—birch is an excellent tonic and detoxifier, mainly beneficial for remov- Other tribes ingested infusions of wild ing waste from the urinary system, as ginger to spur menstruation, induce in kidney or bladder stones and gout. It sweat to break a fever, alleviate earaches, reduces fluid retention and swellings, and and regulate heartbeats. the vernal sap is a diuretic. Today, people everywhere use ginger to Birch wood has been used for centu- treat intestinal complaints like stomach ries to relax muscles, and is still used in aches, cramps, and indigestion. many saunas today, especially through- out Russia. Birch sap makes a thirst-quenching addi- Notes tion to wine, beer, and spirits.

05 Coneflower Eastern red cedar *† Echinacea Juniperus virginiana

LOCATION: Washington Grasslands, LOCATION: Chelsea Thicket, 23rd Street Hudson River Overlook Full list of loca- Seating Steps, Wildflower Field. Full list tions on pg 14. of locations on pg 14.

HISTORY & USE: Echinacea may just be HISTORY & USE: Many eastern Native Amer- the face of contemporary herbal medi- icans, including the Lenape, smudged cine. Professional herbalists, amateur with red cedar in cleansing ceremo- practitioners, and skeptics alike use this nies for spaces, objects, and people. spiky and sunny flower as a precaution- Native-Hispanic traditions used the tree ary measure against the common cold. for their cleansings, called limpias. The Cheyenne and Kiowa used the Eastern red cedar is now mostly used as “hedgehog plant” for sore throats, the aromatherapy for nightmares and anxi- Pawnee for headaches, and the Lakota ety because of its strengthening and as a pain medication—for both humans comforting smell. and horses. This healing herb was taken The bark and twigs provide a pleasant as a fresh juice, smoke, or chewed to cinnamon-like flavor to any herbal blend. activate its healing properties. * A key Lenape plant remedy In the late 1800s, Eclectic Medicine † Those with kidney issues should avoid practitioners in the United States widely Eastern red cedar. exalted Echinacea—it quickly became their number one prescribed herb.

Pollinators love this plant Mint Lamiaceae

LOCATION: Washington Grasslands, Witchhazel * Chelsea Grasslands, Wildflower Field Hamamelidaceae Full list of locations on pg 14.

LOCATION: Washington Grasslands, HISTORY & USE: The name “mint” derives Chelsea Thicket, Eastern Rail Yards from the Greek dyad Minthe, lover of Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. HISTORY & USE: The “witch” in witchhazel From her death sprang the pernicious stems from the Old English wice, meaninig groundcover we now know as mint. “pliant” or “bendable.” In fact, the plants’ twigs were once used as divining rods. As aromatherapy, mint oil alleviates nausea, relaxes the nerves, treats Witchhazel is most effective as a tincture headaches by shrinking inflammation, (an extract of the plant that is dissolved improves circulation, and increases in ethanol, forming a concentrated liquid energy. It’s also used topically as an form of the plant). Herbalists today insecticide. Taken internally as a tea or mostly use this plant as external appli- chewed, mint eases digestion, cures cations to heal wounds, varicose veins, morning and motion sickness, and helps psoriasis, and eczema. ease gas and heartburn.

*Those pregnant or breastfeeding The plant’s leaves contain calcium, are advised to avoid witchhazel. magnesium, and phosphorous—the essential ingredients for tooth health. Pollinators love this plant

Notes

06 Munstead English lavender Great blue lobelia Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’ Lobelia siphilitica

LOCATION: Eastern Rail Yards, Crossroads, LOCATION: Spur Pershing Square Beams HISTORY & USE: In the mid-1700s, Super- HISTORY & USE: A common favorite of intendent of Native American Affairs fragrance aficionados and aromather- Sir William Johnson sent samples apy enthusiasts. The essential oil of this of the “Indians’ cure for syphilis” to aromatic plant can soothe inflamed skin, Europe for study. At the time, “the pox” was rampant in the colonies. Johnson calm the nerves, and kill many common noticed the Iroquois using lobelia as bacteria (such as typhoid, streptococcus, treatment for the venereal disease (the and diphtheria). The plant produces an Cherokee used lobelia to induce vomit- abundant nectar, and honey made from ing, as a love potion, and to cure whiskey lavender makes a delicate addition to habits). However, European physicians any larder. Queen Elizabeth I’s favorite couldn’t find a connection between the spread for morning toast was a jam made plant and syphilis treatments. Regard- with the flowers. less, Carl Linnaeus, the father of bino- mial nomenclature, gave the plant its Pollinators love this plant epithet siphilitica. We now know that the “gag root” encour- ages vomiting because it contains American sweetgum lobeline, a poisonous alkaloid related Liquidambar styraciflua to nicotine.

LOCATION: Spur

HISTORY & USE: As a tree with many names, you can identify the sweetgum no matter Staghorn sumac * what you call it: American storax, hazel Rhus typhina pine, bilsted, redgum, satin walnut, or LOCATION: Diller – von Furstenberg alligator wood. Its Nauhtl name is Ocot- Sundeck & Water Feature, Hudson River zocuahuitl, meaning “the tree that gives Overlook, 34th Street Entry Plaza pine resin,” for the fragrant juice that’s HISTORY & USE: The Lenape mixed sumac secreted from the tree’s interior. This into tobacco for smoking—their name liquid amber gives the sweetgum its for the plant, Kelelenikanakw, meaning scientific name: liquidambar (from Latin “mixture tree,” suggests this usage. They liquidus, for “liquid,” and Arabic anbar also used sumac for teas, dyes, and exter- meaning “fragrant”). nal applications to remedy sore throats, This amber can be applied topically to toothache, and arthritis. This important Middle Eastern cooking spice, which is sores, wounds, and scabies. Internally, high in vitamin C, lends a vinegar-like herbalists use this resin to remove para- flavor to salads, meats, and grains. sites from the body; it’s also an ingre- dient in Friar’s Balsam, a liquid benzoin Sumac berries have been shown to used to treat coughs. Caretakers use moderate hypoglycemia, and in turn the crystallized form of amber to soothe keep diabetes in check. They can also teething babies. lower bad cholesterol, prevent athero- sclerosis, strengthen the kidneys, and reduce menstrual cramps. *A key Lenape plant remedy Pollinators love this plant

Notes

09 Rose Sassafras * Rosaceae Sassafras albidum

LOCATION: 10th Avenue Square, LOCATION: Chelsea Thicket, Philip A. and Chelsea Thicket Lisa Maria Falcone Flyover, Wildflower Field & Radial Plantings HISTORY & USE: Roses date back to 500 BCE Asia and have been prescribed HISTORY & USE: The “mitten tree,” as sassa- for centuries as a pre-modern medi- fras was called by the Lenape, falls into cine. Roses are a nervine, meaning they the Native American category of “spring de-stress the body through the central medicine.” These plants help ready the body for hot summer weather. Sassa- nervous system. As an aromatic, the fras leaves can be dried and ground into beloved rose eases depression, anxiety, teas or poultices, and the boiled and broken hearts, and insomnia. steeped bark reduces fevers and swelling, The fruits of the plant, known as rose- soothes childbirth pain, and decreases hips, are high in heart-healthy omega excess mucus. It was also once used to 6s, as well as immune system boosting treat syphilis and gonorrhea. vitamins C, K, and E. Sassafras wood and oil functioned as Pollinators love this plant some of the earliest forms of dentistry. Today, this citrusy-spicy root is still used to relieve tooth pain, repel bugs, and as a fragrance in perfume. Eva Black elderberry *A key Lenape plant remedy Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla ‘Eva’ Pollinators love this plant

LOCATION: Chelsea Thicket

HISTORY & USE: Native American and European herbalists have revered and Skullcap relied on the Sambucus genus since the Scutellaria fifth century CE. Native Americans used LOCATION: Northern Spur Preserve, East- the branches of the elderberry bush to ern Rail Yards, 34th Street Entry Plaza make flutes, giving it the moniker “the tree of music.” HISTORY & USE: Skullcap, yet another member of the vast mint family, is The berries are high in vitamins A and C prescribed in traditional Chinese medi- and contain the flavonoids quercetin and cine for “clear[ing] away the heat-evil rutin—powerful antioxidants with anti-in- and expel[ling] superficial evils.” Euro- flammatory and immune system benefits. pean settlers in the Americas in the late The distilled liquid of elderberry makes 1700s promoted the herb as an antidote for rabies, which gives the plant one of a favorite digestif around the world— its names: “mad dog weed.” This claim behind many bars, find elderberry’s was later debunked. most common alcoholic iterations, St. Germain and Sambuca. For over 2,000 years, herbalists have used Scutellaria as a remedy for conditions like Pollinators love this plant hepatitis, diarrhea, and inflammation. It’s always been a hot commodity and the skullcap rage continues today, which has led to the abuse of the wild plant and thus to its rarity.

Pollinators love this plant Notes

10 Hummelo hedgenettle Common mullein Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’ Verbascum thapsus

LOCATION: Gansevoort Woodlands, Diller– LOCATION: Interim Walkway von Furstenberg Sundeck & Water Feature HISTORY & USE: Two thousand years ago, HISTORY & USE: Hedgenettle, aka wood the Greek pharmacologist and bota- betony, was the most important herb of nist Dioscorides first recommended the Anglo Saxons in medieval England. mulleins to treat lung conditions. The Apothecaries and monasteries always ancient Romans washed and dyed their grew hedgenettle in their physic gardens hair with mullein, and rolled the leaves (gardens for the study of medicinal plants). into tallow for torch wicks, hence the plant’s nicknames: the “candlewick plant” At the time, hedgenettle was believed and “torches.” For centuries, mullein leaf to deter what the herbalist treatise was used to ward off evil spirits, instill The Anglo Saxon Herbal calls “frightful courage and health, attract love, and nocturnal goblins and terrible sights and ensure fertility. dreams,” otherwise known as nightmares. The Abnaki tribe turned the root into a It’s also claimed to be effective against necklace for teething babies, the Cher- snake and dog bites and a cure for drunk- okee applied the leaves as a poultice for enness. The English botanist and herbal- cuts and swollen glands, and the Nava- ist from the late 14th century John Gerard jos and the Amish smoked mullein, or said that the plant “maketh a man to “big tobacco.” pisse well.” It’s now used most commonly among Contemporary herbalists prescribe herbalists for promoting sleep and calm- betony to treat anxiety, gallstones, heart- ing the nerves. burn, high blood pressure, migraines, and chronic pain. Pollinators love this plant Pollinators love this plant

Abbeville Blue chaste tree Vitex agnus-castus ‘Abbeville Blue’ Cattail * Typha laxmannii LOCATION: 23rd Street Lawn and Seating Steps LOCATION: Diller – von Furstenberg Sundeck & Water Feature HISTORY & USE: According to first century CE Roman author and naturalist Pliny the HISTORY & USE: Because corn was sacred Elder, Vitex was sacred to the virginal to the Lenape, they didn’t make corn Roman goddess of the hearth Vesta, and husk dolls like many other tribes; instead, was prescribed to “cool the heat of lust.” they used the leaves of the cattail to construct these important charms. Ever since, herbalists have been recom- They also stuffed cattail into pillows and mending chaste tree as an anaphrodi- mattresses, and turned them into covers siac—an herb that lowers the libido; it’s for their wigwams. also commonly prescribed to boost progesterone and thus promote ovulation The Lenape ate the leaves and roots and steady irregular premenstrual cycles. (which taste similar to asparagus) and This small tree with its showy blue ground the plant and the jelly from its blooms attracts more than humans leaves into a poultice to treat itchy skin, though—it’s an important nectar source spider bites, boils, and to remove bacte- for pollinators, especially butterflies. ria from wounds. Pollinators love this plant Notes *Important Lenape plant remedy

13 34TH ST INDEX OF SELECT MEDICINAL PLANTS ON THE HIGH LINE

16 34th Street Entry Plaza WITCHHAZEL YARROW & CSX Transportation Gate 14 American witchhazel Parker’s Variety fern-leaf yarrow 10 15 Hamamelis virginiana Achillea filipendulina ‘Parker’s Variety’ Interim Walkway Jelena witchhazel 2 8 Terracotta yarrow 14 Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ Achillea ‘Terracotta’ Pallida witchhazel 2 Walther Funcke yarrow 14 13 Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ Achillea ‘Walther Funcke’ Spur & 30TH ST Coach Passage Sunburst witchhazel 2 Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Sunburst’ CONEFLOWER Fatal Attraction coneflower 12 American sweetgum 13 Echinacea purpurea ‘Fatal Attraction’ WEST SIDE HIGHWAY SIDE WEST 12 Liquidambar styraciflua Hula Dancer coneflower 3 12 14 Wildflower Field Echinacea pallida ‘Hula Dancer’ Eastern Rail Yards, & Radial Plantings Munstead English lavender 14 Jade coneflower 6 Crossroads & Pershing Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’ Echinacea purpurea ‘Jade’ Square Beams 9TH AVE 8TH AVE 10TH AVE Eastern red cedar 8 9 12 13 14 Magnus coneflower 12 11TH AVE Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’ Juniperus virginiana 26TH ST Pale purple coneflower 4 12 Staghorn sumac 3 4 16 Echinacea pallida Rhus typhina Tennessee purple coneflower 16 10 11 Echinacea tennesseensis Meadow Walk Philip A. and Lisa Maria Eva Black elderberry 8 Falcone Flyover Vintage Wine coneflower 2 12 Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla ‘Eva’ Echinacea purpurea ‘Vintage Wine’ Virgin coneflower 2 7 ROSE Echinacea purpurea ‘Virgin’ 23RD ST F.J. Grootendorst rose 8 Rosa ‘F.J. Grootendorst’ Yellow coneflower 4 Echinacea paradoxa 8 Mortimer Sackler® rose 8 Chelsea Thicket 9 Rosa ‘Ausorts’ 23rd Street Lawn Great blue lobelia 3 13 Sally Holmes rose 8 Lobelia siphilitica and Seating Steps Rosa ‘Sally Holmes’

Red leaf rose 6 8 Wild ginger 10 11 Rosa glauca Asarum canadense 7 Chelsea Grasslands 20TH ST Virginia rose 8 Rosa virginiana SKULLCAP Hoary skullcap 14 16 Sassafras 8 11 12 Scutellaria incana Sassafras albidum Under Heart-leaved skullcap 5 Construction 18TH ST Scutellaria ovata 5 Abbeville Blue chaste tree 9 Northern Spur Preserve 6 Vitex agnus-castus ‘Abbeville Blue’ Temporary 10th Avenue Square Hedgenettle 1 3 8 access Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’ MINT 16TH ST Clustered mountain mint 4 5 7 12 14 Mugwort 15 4 Pycnanthemum muticum Artemisia vulgaris Hudson River Overlook Hoary mountain mint 2 12 15TH ST Pycnanthemum incanum Mullein 15 Virginia mountain mint 3 7 12 Verbascum thapsus 2 3 Pycnanthemum virginianum Washington Grasslands 14TH ST Cattail 3 Diller – von Furstenberg and Woodland Edge Sundeck & Water Feature BIRCH Typha laxmannii Grey birch 1 7 8 12 Betula populifolia 1 River birch 1 Tiffany & Co. Foundation Overlook Betula nigra and Donald Pels and Wendy Keys

Gansevoort Woodland GANSEVOORT ST 14 15 HORTICULTURAL HAPPENINGS THIS FALL MEDICINAL RESOURCES

From tours to guest apothecaries, BOOKS NYC HERB STORES Rosemary Gladstar Flower Power collaborative medicine wheel gardens to Herbal Healing for Women 406 E 9th St, New York, NY 10009 herbal consultations, join us in celebrating Matthew Wood Radicle Herb Shop medicinal plants this month. Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants 394 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217 as Medicine Antidote Apothecary + Tea Bar Eric Sanderson 200 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222 TOURS Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City Sacred Vibes Medicinal Plants Take a guided tour of some of the medicinal 5402 376 Argyle Road, Brooklyn, on the High Line and utilitarian plants of the High Line’s collections. NY 11218 Thursdays in September Led by one of our staff horticulturists, this tour Sept. 5, 12, 19 & 26 is appropriate for all age groups. Please dress WEBSITES 6 – 7pm, FREE appropriately for the weather. Plants for the Future pfaf.org HERBAL MEDICINE GROUPS Thursday evening tours will depart from Herbal Underground on the High Line at Gansevoort Street. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center herbalundergroundnyc.com wildflower.org Harriet’s Apothecary harrietsapothecary.com SEPTEMBER 21 WELLNESS FAIR Moon Mother Apothecary moonmotherapothecary.com Drop-in workshops Create Caribbean plant medicine with Suhaly Bautista- 10am – 1pm Carolina of Moon Mother Apothecary, turn everyday Tours pantry items into remedies with Yemi Amu of Oko Farms 10:30 & 11:30 Aquaponics Center, receive mini health consultations On the High Line at from Herbal Underground, use yarrow and mugwort the Spur, FREE to set boundaries with MINKA Brooklyn, make a collaborative medicine wheel garden with High Line staff, and more. At 12:30 enjoy a performance by Batalá: an all-women Afro Brazilian percussion ensemble.

To register for our events visit: thehighline.org/MedicinalPlants

To learn more about our gardens visit: thehighline.org/gardens

Illustrations by Aleesha Nandhra 16 17 Use this space to imagine and draw your own medicinal plant. What is it used for? What would you name it? The High Line is people-powered.

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High Line Plinth Committee Shelley Fox Aarons Fairfax Dorn Additional Support Andrew Hall Greenacre Foundation Hermine Riegerl Heller J. Tomilson Hill PROGRAM SUPPORT Dorothy Lichtenstein Major Support Donald R. Mullen, Jr. The Brown Foundation, Inc. of Houston. Mario J. Palumbo, Jr. Anonymous 22