Iceland moss

Dry, tickling, unproductive cough with throat irritation and scanty mucus, soothed by a mucilaginous demulcent

The debilitated convalescent, especially after a wasting illness, who needs a gentle nutritive tonic that is easy to digest

Overview. Iceland moss is not a true moss but a lichen, a symbiotic partnership of fungus and alga, native to Iceland, Scandinavia, and other cold northern and mountainous regions including parts of North America. The whole dried thallus is used. It has a long folk and physiomedicalist history as a soothing, nourishing remedy for chest and gut complaints, valued for its abundant mucilage and mild bitter principle.

Clinical Notes. The lichen yields two very different medicines depending on how it is prepared. A cold-water maceration or brief simmer extracts mostly the starchy mucilage (lichenan and isolichenan), giving a soothing demulcent suited to dry coughs, irritated throats, and inflamed gut linings.

Properties and Uses. More attention has probably been paid to this lichen than it really deserves. An ounce of it, washed and picked, may be boiled for fifteen minutes in a pint and a half of water, and then strained. It yields a starchy mucilage, which will gelatinize if concentrated.

Description. Natural Order, Lichenaceae. This lichen is a native especially of Iceland, but also of Northern Europe and America. It is a membranous perennial; thallus erect, leaf-like, three to four inches high, tufted and divided, varying in color from olive-brown to red-brown, tough, fringed along the edges, stiff and crisp when dry. Found in dry mountainous districts.