Cetraria islandica

Cetraria islandica, also known as true Iceland lichen or Iceland moss, is an Arctic-alpine lichen whose erect or upright, leaflike habit gives it the appearance of a moss, where its name likely comes from.

Description

A lichen. It grows 2-6 cm high and spreads widely. The thallus lobes are brown and erect. The branches are leathery and crinkled. There are an very small projections along the edges of the branches.

Edible Uses

A nutritious and medicinal jelly is made by boiling the whole plant. The raw plant is quite bitter and requires leaching, achieved by changing the cooking water once or twice during cooking. The dried, powdered plant can be mixed with wheat flour for making bread, though the bitterness and the time-consuming leaching process make this impractical.

Traditional Uses

The thallus lobes are boiled and dried and ground into powder and used in baking a kind of bread. They need to be boiled to remove the bitter principle. The jelly like material is used for puddings and soups. They are mixed with cereals and mashed potatoes. They are also used for tea like drinks.

Medicinal Uses

Iceland moss has been used since ancient times as a cough remedy and in European folk medicine as a cancer treatment. In modern herbalism it is valued for its strongly antibiotic and demulcent properties, particularly for soothing the mucous membranes of the chest, countering catarrh, and calming dry and paroxysmal coughs — it is especially helpful for elderly people. It has a near-unique combination of demulcent and bitter tonic effects within the gut. The whole plant is strongly antibiotic, antiemetic, demulcent, galactogogue, nutritive, and tonic. It is used internally for chronic pulmonary problems, catarrh, dysentery, chronic digestive disturbances (including irritable bowel syndrome and food poisoning), and advanced tuberculosis. Externally it treats boils, vaginal discharges, and impetigo. The plant can be harvested throughout the year, preferably in dry weather, and dried for later use. Use with caution. The German Commission E Monographs approve Cetraria islandica for coughs and bronchitis, dyspepsia, inflammation of the mouth and pharynx, and loss of appetite.

Known Hazards

Indigestion and nausea with large doses. Rare liver damage. Herb bitterness possible in breast milk.

Distribution

It is a cold temperate plant. It grows on heather moors in northern regions. It is hardy to frosts. It suits stony barren cool areas. It can tolerate droughts.

Where It Grows

Alaska, Arctic, Australia, Austria, Balkans, Britain*, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Europe, Finland, Iceland, India, Italy, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mediterranean, New Zealand, North America, Norway, Russia, Scandinavia, Sweden, Switzerland, USA,

Cultivation

There is no known information on the cultivation of this plant. It requires clean air and is very intolerant of atmospheric pollution so cannot be grown in towns. See the plants native habitat above for ideas on how it can be encouraged to grow. This species is a lichen, which is actually a symbiotic association of two different species, one an algae and the other a fungus. It is very slow-growing. This plant is often used in commercially produced disinfectants.

Propagation

This plant can only be reproduced vegetatively. Almost any portion of the plant can be separated and placed in a new location to produce a new plant.

Other Uses

A powerful antibiotic extracted from the plant is used as a core ingredient in a range of commercially produced disinfectants. A brown dye is also obtained from the plant.

Notes

There are about 40 Cetraria species. The plant is becoming rare.

Also Known As

Gratacoul, Islandi sammal, Liivasamblad, Mokh, Moura della yed, Nommesammal, Podrasammal, Puklerka islandska

References (24)

• Abbet, C., et al, 2014, Ethnobotanical survey on wild alpine food plants in Lower and Central Valais (Switzerland). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 151 (2014) 624–634
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 118
• Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994)
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 243
• Brown, D., 2002, The Royal Horticultural Society encyclopedia of Herbs and their uses. DK Books. p 163

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