Old Mans Beard, Usnea

Usnea is commonly called old mans beard, beard lichen, tree moss, and many other names. Usually, the folk names of Usnea reference the appearance of the growth, which is long and stringy or short and tufty depending on the species, which there are hundreds of.

A tuft of Usnea growing from an old apple tree

Old mans beard forms on trees all over the world, growing from high up on branches all the way down to the trunk. The usnea that grows around my home is a pale seafoam green color.

A pile of branches covered in old mans beard, leftover from the tree that fell during a recent wind storm

Usnea has many medical uses. It is one of the strongest natural antibiotics, due to the compound usinic acid. It is also highly antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory. "Laboratory studies and clinical trials suggest that usnea may be more effective than penicillin in inhibiting the growth of gram-positive bacteria such as streptococcus, pneumococcus, and various strains of tuberculosis in the human body."(Tilford, p.148)

Another tuft of old mans beard

The medical use of Usnea dates back to 300bc, when it was used to encourage hair growth. I use tinctured old mans beard as a soothing remedy for a sore throat. Adding a few mls to a small amount of warm water and using as a gargle is all it takes to kill the bacteria or virus thats causing the sore throat. The tincture in water can be swallowed to ease a cough and to prevent mucus in the lungs from developing into a secondary infection like pneumonia. Dried and powdered usnea can be applied to open wounds to releave pain and prevent infections.

All that's left of a very big tree that had the most old mans beard growing on it that I've ever seen

Tomorrow I will show you all how I harvest and dry old mans beard for a powdered wound dressing, and make tincture for internal use. I'm going to gather as much as I can from the fallen branches, hopefully there will be lots to share with friends and family.