Iceland moss

Dry, hacking, unproductive cough with a raw, tickling throat that is soothed rather than loosened by moisture

Poor appetite and weak digestion in a convalescent, elderly, or debilitated patient who needs a gentle bitter nutritive rather than a strong stimulant

Overview. Iceland moss is not a true moss but a lichen, a slow-growing symbiotic organism of fungus and alga that carpets rocky, cold-temperate ground across Scandinavia, Iceland, and other northern regions. The whole dried thallus is the part used. It has a long history in northern European folk and eclectic medicine as a mild, mucilaginous demulcent for irritated airways and as a gentle bitter to rouse a flagging appetite, and it was once used as an emergency food source in times of famine once its bitterness was leached out.

Clinical Notes. Iceland moss earns its place as a soft, unassuming remedy for the dry, tickly, unproductive cough that keeps a patient awake, particularly where the throat feels raw rather than congested. Because the lichen carries both mucilage and bitter principles, how it is prepared changes what it does: a cold water macerate for several hours draws out mostly mucilage and gives a soothing demulcent drink well suited to sore throat or dry cough, while a short decoction extracts more of the bitter lichen acids and makes a better digestive tonic taken before meals to lift a poor appetite in convalescence.