Herbal ABCs: Geranium

Herbal ABCs 🌿✨ GERANIUM [wild]
Wild geranium, or robert’s herb

Geranium maculatum, or herb robert, is one of my favorite astringent stomach and gut healing herbs. It is classically used in formulas to heal ulcers and gastritis. This use has been a part of a well know GI blend- Roberts Formula (named after the wild geranium in it) which combines cranesbill with herbs like marshmallow, goldenseal, slippery elm and echinacea. I use this in my clinic with one patient or another almost everyday. Wild Geranium is especially helpful in healing and lessening bleeding, making it useful for bleeding ulcers and inflammatory bowel conditions with blood in the stool. It can also be useful as a mouth rinse for gingivitis and bleeding gums, both killing some of the bacterial overgrowth and astringing the oral mucosa.

These delicate beauties are some of the first to pop in the spring and I love seeing them line the awakening trails with our early spring, woodland friends like bloodroot and corydalis. It thrives in sunny, deciduous woodlands and meadows throughout the world.

The wild geraniums photographed here are from a 2018 family trip to Switzerland. You can see how happily it grows in the sunshine filled meadows amongst the alps. Most of the shots are from exploring the mountains around Laterbrunnen and Zermott. Photo two is thriving in a city, in front of the Lion Monument, or the Lion of Lucerne.

Many interchangeable similar wild varieties: crane’s bill, blood geranium, hardy geranium, meadow (pratense) geranium. Bloody geranium, or geranium sanguineum is the last photo, from our naturopathic herb garden.

Of course, now I have to do a follow up post on Geranium vs. Pelargonium. Sooo look out for that shortly. 👀