Photo:

© 2017 Asa B Spade

Characteristics:

• Usnea is a genus of mostly pale grayish-green fruticose lichens that grow like leafless mini-shrubs or tassels anchored on bark or twigs.
• Like other lichens it is a symbiosis of a fungus and an alga. In Usnea, the fungus belongs to the division Ascomycota, while the alga is a member of the division Chlorophyta.
• The branches of Usnea are somewhat elastic, with an inner central cord.

Habitat:

• Usnea is found worldwide in cool, damp places.
• Usnea grows on trees. It generally prefers conifers (pine, spruce, juniper, firs), deciduous hardwoods (oak, hickory, walnut, apple, pear, etc.), and the odd variant such as coconut palms (Buhner 2012).

Parts Used:

• The dried thallus is used (Gruenwald et al. 2000).

Collection and Harvesting:

• Usnea is an extremely prolific, though slow-growing, long-lived, gray to yellow-green lichen growing on trees throughout the world. The whole lichen may be harvested at any time. In regions where Usnea longissima is endangered, it is best to harvest the small, tiny tufted species (e.g., Usnea wirthii). While they take longer to harvest, they are not endangered, and may be more potent than U. longissima (Buhner 2012).
• While Usnea longissima is prolific in some areas, in others it is endangered. Logging and development have destroyed its main habitat, old-growth forests. It is also very sensitive to pollution and climate change. U. longissima is the Usnea species most often sold by herbal companies and most commonly wildcrafted because of its size, which ranges up to 3 feet (1 meter) in length. However, it should be harvested only for personal use from regions where it is abundant (Buhner 2012).

Constituents:

• Usnea contains lichen acids (polyketides), including among others (+)-usnic acid, thamnolic acid (hirtellic acid), usnaric acid (salazinic acid), lobaric acid, stictinic acid, protocetraric acid, everninic acid, barbatinic acid (rhizonic acid), diffractaic acid (dirhizonic acid), barbatolic acid, vulpinic acid, protolichesterinic acid, menegazziaic acid, stictic acid, and oleanolic acid. The lichen acid spectrums of the different species vary from one another, with usnic acid the chief constituent. Additionally, Usnea also contains a number of orcinol derivatives, longissiminone A and B, glutinol, ethyl hematommate, friedelin, beta-amyrin, beta-sitosterol, methyl-2,4-dihydroxy-3,6-dimethylbenzoate, zeorin, ethyl orsellinate, 3-beta-hydroxy-glutin-5-ene, methylorsellinate, benzaldehyde, dibenzofuran, anthraquinone, hirtusneanoside, glyceryl trilinolate, numerous polysaccharides including isolichenin, raffinose, numerous phenolic compounds, and a number of other chemical constituents. About 50 percent of the plant is water-soluble polysaccharides.(Buhner 2012; Gruenwald et al. 2000).
• Usnea species contain anywhere from 0.22 to 6.49 percent usnic acid. U. longissima is reported to have the greatest usnic acid content (Buhner 2012).
• Usnic acid is found in a number of lichens—for example, Usnea, Ramalina, Evernia, Parmelia, Lecanora, and Cladonia species (Hoffman 2003).
• 

Actions:

• Usnea has the following actions (Buhner 2012; Gruenwald et al. 2000; Hoffman 2003):
  • Antibacterial:
    • Usnea is generally antimicrobial.
    • Usnic acid demonstrates antibacterial activity, especially against the tuberculosis bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
    • Hirtusneanoside and vulpinic acid are also strongly antibacterial.
    • Primarily active against Gram-positive bacteria, and very strongly so, both resistant and nonresistant strains: Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus subtilis, Bacteroides spp., Clostridium spp., Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Listeria monocytogenes, Micrococcus viridans, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Propionbacterium acnes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus simulans, Streptococcus faecalis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus pyogenes.
    • A number of these bacteria cause diseases of the GI tract, others of the skin.
    • Usnea species have been found active, in a number of in vitro studies, against a few Gram-negative bacteria: Helicobacter pylori, E. coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Proteus mirabilis. Interestingly, the first three of these cause infections in the GI tract, for which Usnea will be useful as it is not a highly systemic herb. The latter bacteria generally cause urinary infections.
  • Analgesic
  • Antifungal:
    • It is active against some yeasts: Malassezia yeasts, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, and several Candida species.
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Antimitotic
  • Antineoplastic (cancer):
    • Usnea and usnic acid are active against a number of cancer cell lines: lung and breast, malignant mesothelioma cells, and vulvar carcinoma cells.
  • Antioxidant
  • Antiparasitic:
    • It is active against a number of parasitical disease organisms: Trypanosoma cruzi, Echinococcus granulosus (and its cysts), and Toxoplasma gondii.
  • Antiproliferative (cancer)
  • Antiprotozoal
  • Antiseptic
  • Antiviral:
    • Usnea is active against a number of viruses: herpes simplex, polyomavirus (a tumor virus), Junin virus, Tacaribe virus, and Epstein-Barr.
  • Drug synergist (potentiates clarithromycin against H. Pylori)
  • Immunostimulant
  • Inhibitor of biofilm formation.

Indications:

• Usnea is used internally for (Buhner 2012; Gruenwald et al. 2000):
  • Inflammation of the mouth and pharynx
  • Resistant Gram-positive bacterial or TB infections of the GI tract and throat
  • Resistant bronchial and pulmonary infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria or TB
• Usnea is used externally for (Buhner 2012):
  • Resistant Gram-positive bacterial skin infections
  • Vaginal infections (as a douche)
  • Fungal skin infections
  • Conjunctivitis (as eyedrops).

Combinations:

• I combine licorice with Usnea, Echinacea, and cinnamon to make a potent (and tasty) tea which combats systematic infections.

Preparation and Dosage: (Buhner 2012)

• Usnea must be ground well in a grinder or pestle before use. Once it is ground, it will consist of a greenish powder and a bundle of white threads. The white threads are the inner cortex, the green powder the outer sheath. The polysaccharides in the inner cortex of the lichen contain the immune-potentiating compounds. These are most efficiently extracted by heat. While the polysaccharides are water soluble, many other compounds, including usnic acid, are not. Thus, Usnea needs to be tinctured for optimum potency if you are treating disease conditions.
• For tincturing, the lichen should be well ground, moistened with a little alcohol, then added to the proper amount of water to be used in the tincturing process, brought to a boil, slow-boiled, covered, for 30 minutes, then allowed to cool, still covered. The alcohol should be added, and the material should be allowed to macerate for 2 weeks in a jar , decanted, and bottled. A slow cooker can also be used instead of the boiling; let it cook on the low setting for a couple of days.
• Tincture dosage: 30–60 drops, up to 4x daily; or in acute conditions, ½–1 tsp, 3–6x daily.
• As a douche: Add ½ ounce tincture to 1 pint water, and mix well. Use as douche or skin wash. Douche twice daily, upon rising and before retiring, for 3 days.
• As a wash: For impetigo (staph or strep infections of the skin), put the tincture, or a 1:1 dilution of the tincture with water, directly on the site of infection (using a cotton ball or cloth). Wash the site upon rising and before bed.
• As a nasal spray: Combine 10 drops of tincture with water in a 1-ounce nasal spray bottle. Use as needed for bacterial infections of the nose and sinuses.
• As a tea: Combine 1 teaspoon herb with 6 ounces hot water; let steep 20 minutes. For disease prevention or immune stimulation: Drink 2–6 ounces, up to 3x daily. In acute conditions: Drink up to 1 quart a day. Note: Usnea is only partially water soluble. To make the strongest tea or decoction: Grind the herb first, then add enough alcohol to wet the herb and let it sit, covered, for 30 minutes to an hour. Then add hot water and let steep for 15–30 minutes.

Contraindications: (Buhner 2012)

• Should not be used internally during pregnancy.
• May cause contact dermatitis.
• Usnea has been found to readily absorb heavy metals in potentially toxic amounts. This has been noted as particularly problematic in extreme northern latitudes. Generally, the amount of Usnea taken internally will not contain sufficient amounts of heavy metals to present a problem. In order to avoid toxicity, harvest Usnea at least 300 feet (90 m) from roads, factories, and polluted areas.
• Note: There has been concern expressed about the toxicity of usnic acid. This issue has arisen through the improper use of an isolated constituent for weight loss. This has led to calls for the banning of Usnea as an herb in the United States. The promoters of the isolated constituent for weight loss were engaging in practices that are highly questionable ethically. Usnic acid in isolation and in large doses is very toxic to the liver. Several people died, others needed liver transplants. As a result, the National Toxicity Program recommended a review of the toxicity of not only usnic acid but also Usnea barbata. Unfortunately,it is likely that Usnea barbata will also be found to be unsafe for general use—when it in fact is not. Usnic acid should never be used in isolation. The Usnea lichens, however, are extremely safe for herbal use.

Drug Interactions: (Buhner 2012)

• Usnea is synergistic with clarithromycin, increasing its effectiveness.

History and Origin:

• Commonly called old man's beard, a name derived from its appearance, Usnea is a lichen that grows on living and dead trees throughout the world. It is quite common in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa (less so in South America and Australia) (Buhner 2012).

Ethnobotany:

• Usnea has been traditionally used throughout the world for skin infections, abscesses, upper respiratory and lung infections, vaginal infections, and fungal infections. The lichen, sometimes soaked in garlic juice or a strong garlic decoction, was an older medical method of treating large gaping wounds in the body.
• Usnea is used for abscesses in veterinary practice in Canada.
• In traditionally Chinese medicine, Usnea is generally called songluo (sometimes haifengteng), and are used to clear heat in the body and to clear the liver of sthenic heat. Usnea is used for the treatment of cough due to hot phlegm, conjunctivitis, headache, carbuncle, lymph node TB. It is considered to be antipyretic, mucolytic, detoxicant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic.
• Usnea is ff ancient use in Europe, but was unknown in the United States until relatively recently.
• Indigenous cultures in the Americas used the Usnea lichens primarily for wound dressings.

Growing Information:

• N/A

Personal Impressions and Experiences:

• Usnea longissima is abundant in the region where I live. It is easy, after a period of windy weather, to collect more than enough Usnea that has been blown down onto the ground for my personal use.

Historical Botanical Illustrations:

Usnea sp. (Christina Brodie)