# Survival > Bushcraft Medicine >  Old Man's Beard

## klickitat

Usnea, more commonly known as Old Man's Beard is one of the most useful of all the natural medicines out there.  It is a very powerful anti-microbial. 

I have been familiar with it for 10 years and have been using it fight infections.

We make a tea out of it for sinus and respiratory infections. Also works good for any soar throat including strep. 

Last year, my wife got fish finger and it turned really bad. She started to drink OMB tea and used a hot compress made of OMB and almost immediately it kicked the crap out of the infection. 

For those who do not know what fish finger is: it is an infection from the bacteria in salt water fish. If you get cut or scratched and the fish slime gets into it, you can get serious infection with in hours. Most people around here get it from getting cut on King Salmon teeth when unhooking them.

If you do not know what it is. You need to learn it.  Here is a link to a picture. The one you want will have a rubber band like string inside when you pull on a strand. Around here it grows everywhere there is a swampy area that does not have all day sunlight.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CBsQ9QEwAA

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## Rick

I've never seen that around here. Must be a northern only lichen?

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## Winnie

Just goes to show, you have to be careful when using herbal/wild medicines. I know Clematis Vitalba as Old Man's Beard. 

http://www.first-nature.com/flowers/...is_vitalba.php

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## steelnwool

As a boy scoutt I was also told its great for starting fires. I tried this last week and results were certainly less than awesome  :Smile:  Grows all over the place here in Nova Scotia.

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## mountain1

it's not really a medicine use, but when the wife and i go camping and fishing in the backcountry, (we live in the 'backcountry) which is quite often. we use it to slowly smoke our trout we catch.
i just had the ideal years ago and man is it delicious. somtimes we'll smoke larger ones all day.

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## Winter

I use the stuff for cordage,,lol. It does burn ok.

Thanks for the info, Klick

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## mountain1

we also always use it for starting fires.

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## BC-Dave

Hey, your right about OMB being good for medicine use.

It is very good for wounds, and preventing infections. It can be used for upper respiratory tract infections, and I believe urinary tract infections, but don't quote me on that. It's also good for curing athletes foot.

It's very high in vitamin C.

Usnea can be fermented and then roasted to make it edible. Alectoria can be boiled for a few hours(3+) and then dried for later use as a thickener in soups or stews.




> As a boy scoutt I was also told its great for starting fires. I tried this last week and results were certainly less than awesome  Grows all over the place here in Nova Scotia.


OMB can be poor kindling in wet weather because it absorbs moisture from the air. It's most useful in the winter when the relative humidity is low. Use it in a fluffy state to work well(and make sure its dry).
Protip: tuck some of it into your shirt above the belt to dry quickly.

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## mountainmark

Thought this could use a bumb. (p)

It grows mainly on dead white pine branches where I live.

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## hunter63

Oh, You mean a "BumP"?....LOL (sorry couldn't resist).

I have never seen it in Wisconsin,,,,seems we have a lot of jack pines and sand burrs.
Still looking for the tinder fungus.......

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## mountainmark

> Oh, You mean a "BumP"?....LOL (sorry couldn't resist).
> 
> I have never seen it in Wisconsin,,,,seems we have a lot of jack pines and sand burrs.
> Still looking for the tinder fungus.......


Right you are hunter! Lol, I don't know how I managed to hit that b so far away from the p. I guess I'm hopeless..... sigh......

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## hunter63

> Right you are hunter! Lol, I don't know how I managed to hit that b so far away from the p. I guess I'm hopeless..... sigh......


No worries, I'm the last one that should talk, being dyslexic and all.....(that's what I tell everybody, anyway).....just hit me funny.

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