I pulled together herbs known for their astringent qualities for a mouthwash to heal sore gums. Plantain and mullein also have mucilage that helps healing.

Ingredients:

I TB fresh chopped cinquefoil root

1TB dried blackberry leaves

1 TB dried mullein leaves

1 TB dried plantain leaves

Directions:

To begin make a decoction by combining the chopped cinquefoil root with 2 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the leaves. Cover and infuse for 25 minutes.

Strain with a coffee filter to be sure to remove any of the mullein hairs.

To use, swish in mouth for a minute or so and spit out. Repeat up to three times a day. This recipe is high in tannins and could cause stomach upset if swallowed. Refrigerate for up to three days and then throw away any remaining.

This is my first time making this recipe so I will be testing its efficacy the next few days.

Notes: I used sulphur cinquefoil and narrowleaf/ribwort plantain.

This post is to document my own research and is not intended as medical advice. I am self-taught and in no way in a position to offer medical advice to others. I always respect the plants I work with and do research to make sure they are not harmful in combination with any prescription or otc medications I take or with my medical conditions and/or allergies. If you are foraging your plants, do not use unless you are 100% sure of your identification.

Source for decoction and infusion photos:

Working on pressing some more seven finger leaves while I’m working on a decoction of the roots.

Five-finger Grass/Cinquefoil (potentilla)

Famous for the Five Finger Blessings, "where each leaflet represents an area of life you wish to "grasp" or influence”:

Love

Money

Health

Power

Wisdom

Cinquefoil is a significant plant in European folklore and magic, primarily revered for protection, love, and luck. Often hung over doors or used in charms, it was believed to ward off evil spirits, witchcraft, and bring success, particularly in love and fishing. It also symbolized mastery of the five senses.

In Czech folk magic and traditional herbalism (lidové léčitelství), the cinquefoil variation—known as Mochna husí (Potentilla anserina)—is celebrated as a "powerful" herb (from the Latin potentia) with a primary focus on protection and relief from physical and spiritual "cramps".

The "Seven-Finger" Charm

In folk magic, a sprig with seven leaflets (you’ll note that in some of my personal photos I’ve found some with seven) is considered exceptionally lucky and is specifically used to dream of a future lover.

While the base five leaflets represent the essentials of a successful life (Love, Money, Health, Power, and Wisdom), the addition of the sixth and seventh "fingers" elevates the herb's use from physical needs to spiritual advantages:

The 6th Leaf (Luck/Success): Represents gaining an unfair advantage or a "lucky break" in gambling, legal battles, or competitive situations.

The 7th Leaf (Prophecy/Spirit Communication): Connects the practitioner to the spirit world. This is why seven-leaf sprigs are specifically sought after for dream pillows to see the face of a future spouse or to receive warnings in sleep.

In some Southern conjure traditions, finding a natural seven-leaf sprig is treated like finding a four-leaf clover. It is often pressed in a Bible or carried in a red flannel mojo bag specifically to draw "fast luck" that the standard five-leaf version might not reach.

Tip: to find a seven-finger cinquefoil, look for sulphur cinquefoil, and search the bottom leaves, which often have seven fingers. One of mine is currently pressed in my copy of The Secret Garden as my Bible is in storage (something that I really need to remedy). The box that houses my shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help is decorated with a plant that looks very similar to my seven fingered cinquefoil, though the artist probably intended a maple leaf (cinquefoil is in the rose family, so it seems fitting that it houses Mother Mary).

Cinquefoil is an ingredient in this recipe from the royal college of physicians and was used extensively in heraldry.

“In heraldry, the cinquefoil, a five-petalled stylized flower, symbolizes hope, joy, honour, and abundance, and it is one of the most enduring floral charges in armorial design. Its balanced form and clear outline made it especially popular in medieval heraldry, where it was valued both for its decorative appeal and its rich symbolic associations with natural beauty, flourishing life, and noble aspiration. The cinquefoil can also suggest fertility and good fortune, making it a fitting emblem for families or communities that wished to express prosperity, vitality, and established lineage. It appears widely in British and European heraldry, often as a charge on the shield but also in crests and badges, and it is particularly well known in the arms of several notable families and places where floral symbolism carries dynastic or local significance”