I’m Lichen This Beard!
This post is for informational purposes and is NOT in any way to be considered medical advice. If you use herbal medicine then it is recommended to always check with a medical professional first.
They are fluffy, bushy, a little bit bristly, fun to play with, a little bit wild, and… very beneficial for your health! While my beard is most those things, that isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a fun lichen that grows in the forest that is called Usnea, or commonly called “Old Man’s Beard”. This is another one of those things similar to Turkey Tail that I’ve heard about but haven’t had the chance to harvest until recently. I was super excited to find it after moving to Missouri. Then, it didn’t take long to realize it’s literally everywhere in the forest! Usnea is a very potent herb that can do a lot of things but it does need to be used sparingly. Too much of it can cause liver damage. I am new to this herb and haven’t used it much at all, so I was going to wait and write about it when I have more experience with it but I thought it would be interesting to write about it now and then do a follow up later when I’ve had a chance to use it a little bit more. I have a few particular uses that I’m excited to use Usnea for, but before I get into that, I want to just introduce you to this herbal lichen.
Appearance and Identification:
As you may have guessed, Usnea looks a little bit like a wild old man’s beard growing from tree branches in the forest. Apparently, it can have a good amount of variation depending on region, but the one sure identifying feature is a white elastic core. While researching this, I’ve seen some pictures of it where it is more long and stringy, but around here, it seems to grow more in short, bushy bunches. If you think you’ve found some Usnea, just pull on the end of it. It should stretch before breaking, and you should see that the core is white. If it is dry, then it won’t stretch as much. I recently found some on a tree that had been down for a while and it’s been a little dry and windy. When I touched it, the texture was a little more dry and crispy but it still had some elasticity and that white core was evident.
Gathering:
Usnea is a slow growing lichen so be aware of that when you’re gathering it and make sure you don’t over harvest. It often grows high in the trees. Being part monkey, and having practiced and taught parkour, I’m not shy about climbing up into a tree. However, I figure that since this is a such a slow growing herb, I’ll just stick to gathering it from fallen limbs. Honestly, that hasn’t been an issue at all. I find more than I need just sitting on the ground. My daughter who LOVES gathering herbs and other treasures from the forest, often brings branches to me with Usnea on it.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Usnea is an indicator of a healthy ecosystem and won’t grow in heavily polluted areas so if you have it growing near your home that is a very good sign! That being said, if you do see it growing on the side of a heavily trafficked road, you probably don’t want to harvest it from there.
Properties:
Like Turkey Tail and many other healthy mushrooms, Usnea is full of polyphenols which are highly antioxidant, and they contain polysaccharides which support the immune system. However, what makes Usnea unique is Usnic Acid. That’s the compound that makes it antimicrobial, antifungal, and even antiviral! It’s also the compound that is the most dangerous and if over used can be hepatoxic, meaning it can damage your liver. I did a quick look into the term “hepatoxic” and it appears that quite a number medical drugs on the market also have this warning.
Uses:
Because of it’s potential for hepatoxicity, it is recommended that if you’re using Usnea tincture internally, to only use it sparingly to prevent/treat illness and not as an every day supplement. I actually woke up recently with a sore throat, aches, and drained of energy. I put a few drops of Usnea tincture into the back of my throat and it felt normal again in an hour. I felt kind of icky for the rest of the day but the next day I felt normal again. Because it is such a powerful antibiotic, some people do use it for more serious infections like Strep, Staph, and even Tuberculosis. I have never used it for these things so I can’t personally speak to it.
Just because its internal uses are limited, it doesn’t mean you can’t use it externally. Honestly, this is what I’m most excited about! Usnea is an amazing wound healer. If you’re in the woods and get a cut, you can just pick some Usnea and use it like a bandage. It helps stop bleeding and encourages healing in wounds. Because it is anti-fungal, antibiotic, inflammatory, and it encourages healing, it makes for the perfect skincare ingredient. We currently have one teenager, and two preteens in the house. Acne is unfortunately something that we deal with. Mary purchased some natural skincare products that are making a difference, but I would like to add Usnea to that lineup and see how it works as an acne support. If nothing else, it can help heal the after effects of acne. The anti-inflammatory properties will also help with acne.
Another application I’m excited for is deodorant. I’ve been making a natural deodorant for our family. It’s an herbal based deodorant and doesn’t have harsh ingredients including baking soda. I know a lot of people use baking soda in natural deodorants but a few of us here have pits that are sensitive to anything that feels even slightly sticky or abrasive like baking soda. So this is a spray on deodorant and I’ve been working to improve it with herbs that will not only kill bacteria, but actually support the skin. I have to admit that Usnea extract doesn’t exactly smell pleasant. It isn’t bad, but it has kind of a mushroomy scent to it. There are other natural things that we’re already using that can be used for scents to go along with it. I’ve added Usnea as a main ingredient and it seems to be working very well so far!
Lastly, its anti-fungal properties make it perfect for other skin ailments such as dandruff, athletes foot, etc. I have struggled with dandruff for most of my adulthood. I am guessing that something in my diet is likely the root cause and it’s always best to find the root cause but since that takes time, it’s nice to have something that can help treat it. For whatever reason, my itchy flaky scalp has gotten worse since moving to Missouri. I just recently put some in a sprayer to apply to my scalp. I can already feel a difference when I use it. My next step is to add some other things to it to add a more pleasant scent. We have some big mint patches growing on our property and we also have a very large amount of Bee Balm (or Wild Bergamot) that I think would make the perfect addition to a scalp wash.
Extraction:
For wound care, Usnea can just be used directly. It can also be infused in oil and then make a salve out of it, but the way to get the most out of it is a double extraction like you would do for a Turkey Tail tincture. If you’re interested in learning how to do that, see the post I made on how to make a Turkey Tail tincture here. This way it can be put into a spray bottle and used for a variety of applications. Because you may end up gathering smaller amounts at a time while out and about, you can actually bring it home and dehydrate it for later use. I haven’t seen a lot of research on this but I would probably recommend a gentle dehydration with little to no heat. It’s already pretty dry even when harvested fresh so it doesn’t take much to dehydrate it enough to store for a few weeks while you gather more. An alcohol based tincture is probably the best way to store long term.
In conclusion, Usnea, or Old Man’s Beard is a great addition to your herbal arsenal and I highly recommend trying it out, but I also recommend doing more research on it and using it very carefully. If in doubt, just use it externally. I’m excited to try it out a little bit more and report my experience later!
