Parts Most Frequently Used: Bed of Moss, Clump of Moss

Flavors/Temps: Cool

Caution: Considered safe. Used externally, not typically ingested.

History/Folklore: Mosses have been used by the Norwegian Laplanders and other North American Native Americans as bedding, dressing for wounds, diapers, pads for menstrual fluid, and in basketry. Alpine peoples have used moss for insulation in boots, mittens, and cracks in wooden buildings. Tribes of the Pacific Northwest and Canada have used mosses to clean salmon prior to drying. Baskets for storing food were lined with mosses, and baskets used for steaming foods were also lined in moss.

Decaying moss is a major component of peat, which is mined for fuel and as a horticultural additive for soils.

Moss is better at retaining and distributing moisture than cotton, making it ideal for treating wounds. It is also soft and cool, making it more comfortable and less irritating than cotton.

In Finland, peat moss has been made into bread during times of famine and, in Mexico, moss is used as a Christmas decoration.

Some places consider moss a troublesome weed, as it can inhibit the emergence of seedlings and the penetration of water and fertilizer to the roots of plants. In the damp climate of the Pacific Northwest, it is cultivated in place of grass as a more eco-friendly garden cover. There, grass is considered the weed!

In China, Lycopodium, or club moss is used. Technically, club moss is not a true member of the moss family. It does contain huperzine A, which studies have found may help increase the level of a brain chemical that appears to be low in the patients with memory disorders.