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Iceland Moss
"What, moss?" Don't worry! Even if you mostly know "Iceland Moss" in this country from model railway scenes, where the cute shrubs and bushes often consist of dried Iceland Moss, and it's considered a delicacy among reindeer – you neither have to redecorate your basement with it, nor should you eat it. Unless you want to. Then we recommend the Icelandic specialty "Fjallagrasa Supa". However, you would have to refine it with milk and butter.
No, we are dedicating ourselves to "Iceland Moss" because it is a fabulous medicinal plant that actually occurs not only in Iceland, but is native to almost all Nordic countries up to an altitude of 2,500 meters. In fact, it is not a moss at all, but a cushion-forming shrub lichen. And it is also known as "Cetaria islandica" or "Lichen islandicus". In our country, it is also known as fever moss, groats, or reindeer lichen.
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Iceland Moss was first officially mentioned in a pharmacopoeia, the "Copenhagen Tax", in 1672. There it was called "Muscus islandicus catharticus". Due to their geographical location in the far north, Icelanders probably realized earlier that their native plant was the perfect secret weapon against irritating coughs or bronchial complaints. In any case, "Iceland Moss" quickly found its way to the rest of Europe in the 17th century, where it was used, among other things, against respiratory diseases.
In 2014, "Lichen islandicus" was officially classified as a "traditional herbal medicinal product" by the EU Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. The approved indications here include the relief of dry coughs and inflammation in the mouth and throat, as well as temporary loss of appetite. As a cough tea, Iceland Moss is used purely or mixed; it develops its healing effect best in combination with other high-quality vitamins and trace elements.
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How to use
Iceland Moss grows to about twelve centimeters and has leaf-like shoots, which are however rather rolled up in a tubular fashion. The color varies from a subtle brown-green on the upper side to a more elegant white-green on the underside. The lichen itself tastes bitter – so be careful if you actually dare to try the "Fjallagrasa Supa". For use as a medicinal plant, the so-called "thallus", the lichen body, is used. It contains many valuable substances such as vitamins A, B and B12, lichen acid and mucilages. Lichen acid is attributed an antibiotic effect, but it is the mucilages that make us happy, because they form a film over the irritated mucous membranes in the throat, neck and mouth. And that then naturally helps with breathing difficulties – or with a dry cough.
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