The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
School’s garden of wonders
Naturopathic plant remedies studied at college
BRIDGEPORT — From a distance, the long, narrow spritz of greenery that hugs the southeast corner of the Health Science Center at the University of Bridgeport can be mistaken for weeds.
Eugene Zampieron, keeper of this menagerie of exotic medicinal wonders, does not take that as an insult.
“You know, there is no such thing as a weed,” Zampieron, known to most as Dr. Z, said as the noontime sun baked the garden. “A weed is a plant in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Pointing to some leafy purslane poking out between the garden edging and the pavement, Zampieron declared it very much okra-like, great for digestive problems and not bad in a salad.
Just ask students in UB’s four-year College of Naturopathic Medicine program, who on occasion have been treated to Dr. Z’s cucumber purslane salad with a little oregano and apple cider vinegar.
“It’s got a lot of Omega 3 (fatty acids) which helps our hearts and our brains,” Zampieron points out.
There are more than 100 species of herbs, flowers, trees and plants in this medicinal garden. Point to any one of them and Zampieron can tell you the role it plays in plant-based holistic care.
Bark from the garden’s Medlar tree from Turkey is used to treat diarrhea — and its slow-to-harvest fruit can make a pretty good jam. Roots of the teasal plant can tackle Lyme disease. Berries from the palmetto trees are used to shrink enlarged prostrates.
“It is ever-evolving,” Derek Reilly, former president of the college’s garden club, said of the plot that daily leaves him with dirty hands. He considers them badges of honor.
Reilly earned his degree in naturopathic medicine in May and is set to take his boards before setting up a practice this fall in New Hampshire. He can name just about every species represented without consulting the botanical markers placed near their base.
Zampieron started the garden in 2001 to show his students the herbs and plants studied in class.
He chose an overgrown grassy area close to the foundation of the 90-foottall health science building on the side that faces Seaside Park and Long Island Sound. The combination creates a microclimate that keeps roots from freezing.
“Take the fig trees. They soak up the heat from the building. They thrive and are doing great,” said Zampieron. He tried planting a cutting from the same plants at home and said it hasn’t done nearly as well.
Even after Superstorm Sandy, when the area was under water, the garden came back, including a sabal palm that generally doesn’t grow north of Florida.
It’s been outside for 10 years. The Connecticut Botanical Society plans to include it in the state’s Notable Trees Database, Zampieron said.
Frank Kaputa, co-chairman of the notable tree database, confirmed he was very interested in coming out to see the tree, which he understands is wrapped in burlap during winter.
David Yih, another member of the society, said the organization considers UB’s garden quite eclectic.
“Brings to mind the physics gardens of the Middle Ages and later, where herbs and medicinal plants were cultivated,” Yih said. “Physic gardens played an important role in the evolution of the modern fields of medicine and botany.”
Yonghao Li, a plant pathologist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, remained skeptical when told of the palm. He said he finds it hard to believe the tree survives without being brought inside.
Other out-of-their-element plants in the garden include the senna from Egypt that can be used in laxatives. Also, the Astragalus from China, the root of which works to build up white blood cell counts, and the belladonna of Europe and Asia which produces a poisonous nitrate. Used in the right dosage it can also restart a heart or dilate eyes.
Slowly, more edible plants such as kiwi and blueberries are being introduced into the garden. There is a banana plant, a fig tree and some Siberian ginseng, considered great for relieving stress.
Marcia Prengruber, dean of the college, call the garden a great learning tool.
Although nothing in the garden makes its way into the school’s dispensary, students get to work with herbs and seeds and roots in class. The curriculum includes several classes on clinical herbs and at least one on making herbal preparations. All students take turns working in the garden.
Tara Tranguch, a thirdyear student who is taking over as president of the garden club, said it is one thing to learn about plants and their applications in a textbook and quite another to see, touch and smell them in a garden.
Her personal favorite plant at the moment is the Barberry, which is used to treat heartburn and stomach cramps, but which also feels pretty soft.
“Some years things speak to you more than others,” Tranguch said. “I just really love it this year. Also the hyssop. I love the way it smells.”