BROOKLIME

                                                                                                                          Veronica beccabunga

Rich in chlorophyll, Vitamins A, C & minerals.
Folk remedy for coughs, fevers, scurvy & skin disease.
Older herbals recommend it for intestinal disorders & anemia.
Used as a blood purifier, increase urination, help break up kidney stones, bring on menstruation.
Although the brooklime plant's ability to stop bleeding is not significant, in earlier times, herbal medical practitioners used the herb to heal open wounds.
The whole plant was placed on burns.
It can be used for the following medical conditions: adenomas,constipation, dysentery, renal pains, hemorrhoids, hydropsia, spots, freckles, urinary retention.
Brooklime is used for liver complaints, lung infection & bleeding gums. The plant reduces high fever & is emmenagouge.

The tea from the floral stalks was consumed against urinary problems, hydropsia & to cleanse the blood. 
An infusion of leaves is used as a spring tonic.
The aerial plants, mixed with horseradish root, ribwort leaves & honey, were used to prepare a syrup consumed for lung diseases.

Many times the plants were boiled, the decoct was used for baths & the rest for bandages, especially for swellings. 
People suffering from wildfire were washed with the decoct. 

Fresh juice of the herb is mildly diuretic.
The juice extracted from the brooklime plant, along with the sap from Seville oranges & scurvy-grass can be used as the spring juice.
This spring juice was held in high esteem in earlier times for their ability to cure scurvy.

Fried with butter & vinegar & applied warm, it helps tumors & inflammations.

In addition, when the plant is added to meals, it functions as a purgative.

Moreover, the herb is pounded & made into a poultice to apply externally to heal sores, whitlows  & other similar problems.

Green leaves were placed on wounds & cuts & if they were too big, they were mashed & used for bandages.

They were sometimes heated on fire & placed warm on the back, against aches.

Ground & mixed with vinegar or water, it was used for bandages for headaches, or people that fell ill with paralysis or shock. 

RECIPES:

The leaves are eaten raw in salad or cooked as a vegetable.
The fresh plant can be consumed for various salads.

The fresh juice, obtained from the fresh plant, can be consumed in amounts up to 1-2 tbsp a day, preferably combined with other juices from vegetables & fruits.
Take in milk if the stomach is sensitive.

Tea:

Place 2 tsp in 250 ml boiling water.
Cover for 15 minutes then strain.
2-3 cups a day should be consumed, for internal conditions.

External: compress with fresh leaves or juice squeezed on the skin directly from the plant.

Ointment:

a handful of plant is ground & placed in 250 ml oil, preferably olive oil.
Boil in a water bath for 3 hours.
Strain.
It can be used both internally, take 1 tsp & externally, oiling with it the wound.