3.2. Home Gardens as Sources for Medicines
As a previous study in Lithuania on cultivated medicinal plants has shown, the primary function of home gardens is food cultivation, but all species grown there were used or consumed for medicinal purposes [
12]. The study recorded 100 plant species grown for medicinal and/or nutritional purposes that belong to 36 plant families. The most common indications were gastrointestinal, respiratory diseases and also sex and urinary tract disorders (
Figure 3).
Similar results were also obtained in other studies in Lithuania [
28,
29]. It has already been discussed that these are the most common indications, possibly due to the harsh climate of Lithuania and heavy and high-caloric food consumption. Analysis of the archival data showed that the main indications were diseases of the respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems. The largest difference was observed in the treatment of oncological diseases. In the study from 1948, oncological diseases were either unknown or less prevalent, whereas today it is a common indication (9%). Not surprisingly, as there are still many questions unanswered via science-based medicine, traditional medicine is often used to treat oncological diseases as well. Among plants used for the treatment or prevention of oncological diseases, research in Tauragė District found plants that were not typically used by Lithuanians: oregano, rosemary, tomatoes, thyme, etc. Possibly, this knowledge was obtained through written sources and mass media.
A comprehensive archival study conducted by researchers from neighbouring Latvia distinguished the use of plants for the treatment of digestive system disorders, respiratory system disorders and skin disorders. Only 59 out of 211 taxa mentioned in this study are included in the official herbal monographs of the European Medicines Agency [
30]. The results of our study show that out of 100 currently used species in Tauragė District and 76 plant species used for medicinal purposes in the 1948 archives, the official herbal monographs of the European Medicines Agency describe 37 (32%) and 10 species (30%), respectively (percentage in brackets shows an overlap of indications). Consequently, a large number of the species grown earlier/at present in home gardens were used without EMA approved medical indications and were based solely on folk knowledge and experience in medicine.
A study in neighbouring Belarus, Liuban District, recorded 45 cultivated plant taxa belonging to 27 families. The best-represented families were Lamiaceae (six taxa), Rosaceae (five taxa), Poaceae (four taxa), Solanaceae and Asteraceae (three taxa each) [
13]. In our time, the most popular families (Lamiaceae—14, Rosaceae—12 and Asteraceae—11) were identified in Tauragė District, and the archival analysis named the most popular families (Asteraceae—9, Brassicaceae—9 and Ranunculaceae—5). In Belarus, among the six most widely utilised taxa were two
Allium species (garlic (
A. sativum L.) and onion (
A. cepa L.)), houseplant aloe (
Aloe spp.), potato (
Solanum tuberosum L.), aronia (
Aronia spp.) and cabbage (
Brassica oleracea L.) [
13]. Ten of the most commonly used plants for medical purposes in the Tauragė study were dandelion (
Taraxacum officinale L.), calendula (
Calendula officinalis L.), thyme (
Thymus vulgaris L.), raspberry (
Rubus idaeus L.), mint (
Mentha piperita L.), blueberry (
Vaccinium myrtillus L.), wormwood (
Artemisia absinthium L.), chamomile (
Matricaria recutita L.) and lavender (
Lavandula angustifolia L.). Marigold, chamomile, raspberry, mint and wormwood were the most commonly grown plants, very typical of Lithuanian gardens. This was also shown in a previous study in which only
Tilia cordata was an exceptionally popular species [
12]. J.A. Pabrėža wrote that in Samogitia,
Mentha piperita in Samogitian, called Szaltmietrys, was grown in nobles’ gardens, and
M. crispa L., in Samogitian called Darza Mietra (garden mint), was planted in peasants’ gardens [
31]. Mint tea was consumed, and a large amount of mint was grown in Lithuania Minor. Mint tea was also drunk as a remedy for many diseases: indigestion (diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloating and nausea), colds and as a sedative. It was used if anything was wrong with the eyes and for headaches [
7].
Studies on food plants in Italy have shown that the highest citation rates had
Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg.,
Crepis vesicaria L.,
Allium cepa L. and
A. sativum L. [
32]. According to the frequency of citation in the Tauragė District,
Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg. was also the most popular plant in Lithuania. It might be wrong to say this plant is “grown”, because it is an unwanted weed. In our definition of “home gardens”, dandelion can be classified as growing in a presenter’s yard, around a garden, not weeded but, on the contrary, desired and used for treatment. Its roots are used for dandelion root coffee, which is known to improve liver function. The aboveground part is used exclusively for medicinal purposes, mainly for gallbladder and liver diseases. This is broadly in line with the indications described in the EMA monographs. As a wild food species, it was known in Poland as famine food and in Estonia as a health food. In Estonia,
Taraxacum syrup (often called “dandelion honey”) and wine became popular in the 1980s–1990s, and some people still make it at home [
4].
In the archival analysis, due to the vague methodology, it was difficult to name the most popular plants, but according to the number of ailments, three plants with the widest range of indications could be distinguished: horseradish,
Armoracia rusticana P. Gaertn; buckwheat,
Fagopyrum esculentum Moench; mint,
Mentha piperita L. (
Table S2).
In the Tauragė research, the most frequently used plant parts were leaves (158) flowers (81) and fruit (63); in the archival analysis data, flowers, leaves and roots were used 50, 47 and 33 times, respectively. The archival analysis by Latvian researchers also obtained similar results: leaves and flowers were the most commonly used parts, and herbal tea was the most common dosage form [
30].
Methods of Preparation, Dosage and Methods of Administration
In the Tauragė District, the main methods of preparation of raw plant materials (
Figure 4) were teas (the frequency of citations was 140) prepared by just pouring hot water over and by decoctions (84)—boiling for a few minutes and simply using fresh plants without any preparation (80). The analysis of the 1948 research showed that the most popular were decoctions (98), while teas were used very rarely (9)—medicines were prepared not just by pouring hot water over herbs, boiling for longer was required, and infusions with vodka were also popular as it meant longer shelf life, all done with fresh herbs. The consumption of a fresh plant was closely related to its use as a functional food when the medicine and the food are “two in one” and it was difficult to draw a line between them.
With the help of information technologies, even without pharmaceutical education, it was possible to find detailed methods of the preparation of raw materials of plant origin, as well as printed publications on the same subject. Comparing the two studies, it was observed that the choice of preparation methods of medicinal plants at home among modern respondents was poorer, simplified, less attention was paid to the amounts of raw material, preparation time and other details.
Interestingly, the study in 1948 described in detail the different methods of plant preparation and even the quantities, which were measured by hand without measuring vessels.
One of the most favoured folk medicine forms, according to the 1948 study, were succus recens, juice squeezed from plants or parts of them collected just before consumption. Non-dried plants were hardly used for convenience alone, as more effort is often required to obtain a freshly cut plant than would be to have them collected and dried. It should be noted that juices were usually produced from plants harvested immediately before production, rather than cut and stored, and were usually made for a single use only. Drops had to be taken once or several times a day.
The same requirements were applied to the very popular applications of mashed succulent plants. Mashed plants are usually used externally, often smeared on a piece of clean linen canvas and left on skin overnight to be washed off in the morning with lukewarm water. A larger piece of smeared canvas than an area of unhealthy skin was applied.
Highly valued, widely consumed and not stored, all of this indicates empirical knowledge of vitamins and antibiotics. Truly, the folk persons did not know the names of vitamins and had little awareness of fast-decomposing substances, but they tried to explain the decline of action as “the life leaving it”.
Aqueous extracts (sometimes using whey, sour kvass or fermented birch juice) were also made from non-dried plants. The extract was made with lukewarm or cold water from mucous or vitamin-rich plants. The extraction was carried out by grinding an equal volume of coarsely chopped parts of the plant and water, diluting the smooth mass to be drained, then re-grinding the residue and draining again until the required amount of liquid had been collected.
No matter how highly fresh herbs were valued, one could not stock them, neither extracts nor juices were stored. As winter approached, the herbs had to be preserved. Plants were preserved by drying, only rarely fermenting the juice. Even less often than fermentation, boiling with honey was used. Flowers and herbs were dried tied in bunches, the fruit in the sun.
The dried material was used as powder and extracts. Powder was obtained by shaving bark and roots/grinding herbs and fruit.
The powder was used per se or in a mixture with honey. A rather thin layer on the tip of bread knife or pocketknife was taken per se. It was taken by whipping with water and drinking, sprinkling on bread or folding into a small piece of bread. When mixing with honey, a mass of the proper consistency to form a pea- or hazelnut-size lump was made. The powder was to be taken once or several times a day before meals. The powder–honey mixture was prepared for the whole day.
Extracts were made with water, birch juice or kvass, homemade or state vodka, denatured alcohol, turpentine, kerosene, milk. Flowers, leaves and small grasses were not crushed, while roots, large herbs and bark were slightly crushed by breaking or rubbing between the palms.
Extracts made cold or warmed a little on the stove but not boiled are called infusions. The infusion would nearly match the official tincture. Infusions were used both internally and externally.
Denatured alcohol, turpentine, sometimes vodka, oil (from St. John’s wort herb), birch juice and kvass are used for topically applied infusions. Homemade or state vodka, kvass, juice, occasionally beer, wine and mead were taken for internally used infusions.
One or more pinches of raw material were taken to prepare a half bottle of the infusion (1/4 L). The amount of raw material considered to be a pinch was easily taken with the thumb and two adjacent fingers. In the production of concentrated infusions, a bottle was filled with the raw material and as much liquid was added as needed to fill the gaps and immerse the material. Concentrated infusions were usually made from buds that had not been dried.
Nuovaras corresponds to the pharmaceutical form decoctum (decoction). The plant material was covered with cold water (sometimes over fermented kvass instead of water), placed in the wood stove with the soups and removed with them. Decoctions were drunk hot, lukewarm or cold, in sips or glasses or a fraction of it. The decoctions were not strained but pressed before drinking. For one litre or quart of decoction, a slice or handful of material was used. A handful is the amount of material that fits in one hand with all fingers folded at an angle of 120 degrees with the palm, and a double handful is the capacity of approximately two handfuls. The hands are clasped at the wrists and along the entire length of the little finger, the thumbs are closed, and the remaining fingers are clasped at the tips between the thumb and the little finger. When making decoctions from resinous substances, milk was used instead of water.
Decoctions were prepared as a single dose. For decoctions with honey and egg yolk, the drained liquid was kept in a warm place in a bowl. The yolks with honey were beaten into a homogeneous mass, gradually adding the liquid, separately cooled to 30 degrees, and mixed well; when diluted to the thickness of the cream, the whole liquid was poured and given to drink at once.
Užtvilkai, corresponding to the pharmaceutical form infusum (infusion), were usually made for one dose, taken hot. The dry substance was poured over with boiling water, brought to boil on embers, then strained or pressed. The dry-matter-to-water ratio would be the same as for a decoction. The drink was used for colds to cause sweating. Usually, 2–3 glasses were given to be drank at once, often heavily sweetened with honey or sugar.
Teas were prepared in the same way as infusions: a few or just one pinch of herbs were added to a few litres of boiling water, brought to boil twice and then set aside (different from a modern study, where herbs were just added to boiling water). Teas were consumed like any everyday tea, hot or warm. Externally, teas were used for rinses. Tea-like diluted decoctions were made by boiling a usual decoction and diluting before consumption of one or more tablespoons of it with several times the amount of water.
Prietvilkiai, corresponding to the pharmaceutical form of poultices, were made of mucous, starchy or essential oil-rich materials (sometimes peat, clay or ash were used to make the poultices). The thickened or thick porridge was crammed into a linen bag, an old woollen sock or woollen cloth and applied to the desired place. They were not only fastened with a bandage but a much larger area was wrapped with a warm cloth.
Patches were made by boiling wax, soap, fat and gum and parts of the plant used for extraction in equal or almost equal parts. A hot patch was then strained from the herbal part. The hot or hot-blade-thawed patch was smeared on a cloth or a wilted hairy leaf and only occasionally applied immediately to a boil or area of irritation. The patches were kept for a few to several hours. If the patch was applied to a boil, then after removing it, the skin was washed and a new piece of patch applied immediately; if the patches were applied for irritation, the area was oiled after removal.
Mostys, corresponding to the pharmaceutical form unguentum (ointment), were boiled from the active ingredients and fat base. In the production of ointments from ants, live ants were instantly poured over with a hot mass of fat and immediately cooled, beaten when solid to a smooth mass. When making an ointment from balsamic shoots or needles, they were finely chopped before being poured over with fat and beaten when cool to a smooth mass. Often flour was added to the fat, followed by more or less water. Ointments were used to swell a boil, for joint pain, to “expel” various pains, for different skin diseases and inflammations, and were often rubbed in after gently beating with a silver birch leafy twigs (vanta) in a steam bath. When swelling a boil or dressing inflammations, the ointment was applied on a cloth and warmly wrapped after rubbing in the ointment.
3.3. Home Gardens as Sources for Food
Figure 5 shows that in the Tauragė study, out of 100 recorded plant species, 49 were used for food. Respectively, in the archival data, from 76 species, 35 were used for food. All plant species recorded in the study served a medicinal purpose, but medicinal uses very often intertwined with food. For example, cultivated garlic was, indeed, used for food by each applicant, but its “superpower” indications, such as “kill tuberculosis, diphtheria bacteria” and “improve blood circulation, relieve colds”, are in line with the EMA assessment
Table S1 (
Supplementary Materials). Preparation methods often used fresh plants, which were closely related to the plants being consumed simply as functional foods, or an infusion with vodka or honey and vinegar was made. This method of preparation was intended for longer storage and possible extraction of the active substances. The term “edible medicines”, coined by Nina Etkin and adopted by other researchers [
1], accurately reflects the consumption of garden plants for food which also have a healing function.
Another example could be dandelion, which was recorded in the Tauragė study as the most commonly used plant for medicinal purposes. On the other hand, dandelions also have nutritional properties. It is suggested to collect dandelion early in spring, when they are just beginning to germinate, cut down to the roots and make a salad or eat about ten dandelion stems per day. To reduce the bitterness, dandelion stems should be picked together with the flowers, washed and only then should the flowers be picked. One grandmother shared her dandelion syrup recipe: washed dandelion flowers (about two full double handfuls) are slowly heated on a low heat until boiling, then placed in a cool room and left overnight. The next day, strain and add 1 kg of sugar or as much as you want. Heat again on a low heat to evaporate the water but not the vitamins. Neither too thick nor too liquid of a syrup must be obtained, which can then be eaten alone or smeared on bread.
The COVID-19 pandemic is also changing people’s attitudes towards food, creating a need to grow food for themselves. Increased seed sales have been observed in Lithuania, and homegrown food crops are, indeed, experiencing a renaissance. Information was collected during the first wave (spring 2020), which was low in Lithuania; therefore, no COVID-19 situation-related consumption was recorded. The group that was exclusively targeted were applicants abundantly and permanently growing medicinal/food plants for their own use. It was difficult to distinguish if it was only for food or only for medicine, especially if the term “for immunity, for health, to be healthy” was used.
A large-scale study was performed on homemade plant foods and beverages used during COVID-19 for preventing infection and/or treating symptoms [
1]. During the study, the attitude of the Lithuanian population was also assessed. Compared to Poland and Belarus, the most diverse patterns of using food as medicine were documented in Lithuania. It was found that in pandemic news discussion forums, people mostly shared methods on how to boost the immune system. Plant-based homegrown teas, other beverages and foods “of the past” represent the initial community health response in times of uncertainty and when public health services are under pressure. They actively promoted the use of plants and honeybee products for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 [
1]. The use of honeybee products in archival sources is still widely reviewed, and these products for strengthening immunity are still popular in Lithuania [
33]. Honey is used not only as a main substance but also as an excipient in the preparation of pharmaceutical forms
Tables S1 and S2 (Supplementary Materials). It is suitable for sweetening medicines not only for children but also for adults, e.g., to hide the bitterness of medicinal plant raw materials. Secondly, it is a preservative that allows the prepared forms to be stored for a longer period of time [
33].
The most frequently reported species during the pandemic named by Lithuanians were garlic,
Allium cepa L.; nettle,
Urtica dioica L.; garden nasturtium,
Tropaeolum majus (L.) Kuntze. [
1]. There is a tendency to use common and non-typical plants together. Our preliminary assessment showed that the pandemic has widely reinforced the relevance and use of medicinal plants and healthy foods as home remedies, even in large cities, whereby local traditions and “imported” practices based on the use of “new” plant remedies can hybridise and coexist [
1]. Due to the warming climate and new knowledge, during our research in Lithuania, it was noted that plants as watermelons were grown for food and health (
Figure 6).
A separate group of food–
medicine can be distinguished, because it is sometimes difficult to decide. For instance,
Juglans regia L. fruits are usually consumed raw before lunch or as an afternoon snack without any conscious medicinal use but are also consumed specifically to prevent high cholesterol and heart problems [
34]. An example in our study could be
Cannabis sativa L.—“cannabis milk, an emulsion obtained by grinding cannabis seeds with lukewarm water, is drunk for various abdominal pains; for diarrhoea, grinding into milk cannabis seed heads with almost ripe seeds”. Crushed cannabis seeds are still a popular Samogitian Lenten dish, used simply as a food without any indications and with a wide range of indications if used as a remedy (
Table S1).
An archival analysis of the 1948 study (
Table S2) showed that the food–drug interaction as functional food was even closer. A crushed onion infusion with vodka was drunk from “old age, general weakness”. Strengthening properties were attributed to beet soups, fermented and over fermented beet juices. Swede,
Brassica napus L. was widely grown; its roots were chewed “to keep the teeth firm, not loose”. Decoctions of flowers and seeds were drunk “from fatigue”. Currently, this vegetable is not popular for growth and consumption. To improve digestion, a black mustard (
Brasica nigra L.) “infusion with vodka, a pinch for a bottle, drunk by a sip or a shot glass to improve appetite” was used. As a prevention measure, mustard grains were chewed to protect against typhoid fever and cholera.
Brasica oleracea L. capitata—cabbage—“stalks are given to children to chew, especially in winter and spring, to keep their teeth strong”.
Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch as dried root infusions with vodka were used “to improve digestion, prevent general weakness, prevent intestine diseases”.