Lichen aphthosus - The people of Uppsala infuse this into milk and give the concoction to children afflicted with mouth ulcers. Its properties against mouth ulcers appear to be due to the absurd doctrine of signatures.
Lichen barbatus - An astringent, useful for diarrhoea. If soaked in urine with lime it gives a tawny ochre dye.
Lichen candelarius - The people of Småland often use this lichen for dyeing candles and wax a beautiful saffron yellow.
Lichen caninus - A remedy for rabies highly praised by illustrious authorities. However, research has shown that this lichen, and all the other plants recommended by various authors, are useless as remedies.
Lichen coccineus - It has been prescribed, without doubt a little too confidently, for the convulsive cough. It is taken as a decoction. It is also believed to be a febrifuge.
Lichen floridus - A decoction of this lichen is prescribed for colds and catarrhal cough, but the frequent disappearance of these ailments without any remedy obliges us to doubt the anti-catarrhal property of the lichen. It gives a beautiful violet dye.
Lichen furfuraceus - Its bitterness has led to it being used as a substitute for quinine.
Lichen hirtus - Renowned for reviving the skin and a good cure for baldness.
Lichen islandicus - This is bitter and nourishing. It is used against scurvy, catarrh and children's cough. I have seen it succeed against whooping cough in children. Icelanders, when they lack flour, make bread with this lichen after it has been pulverised. It is a good food for fattening horses, cattle and pigs.
Lichen omphalodes - In surgery it used to advantage for haemorrhages. I have used it successfully to stop nose bleeds.
Lichen plicatus - The Lapps use it against tinea and scabies. When soaked with alum it gives a green colour to wool. This plant has a pleasant aroma and the perfumers use it in Cyprus powder.
Lichen prunastri - The Turks prepare their bread with water in which they have boiled this lichen. It gives the pastry a flavour which pleases them.
Lichen pulmonarius - It is highly valued for treating ailments of the chest, liver, spleen and skin. The monks at a monastery in Siberia are reputed to make an excellent beer, for which they use this lichen in place of hops.
Lichen roccella - A source of a violet to purplish dye since olden times.
Lichen saxatilis - Grows on tree trunks, rocks and sometimes in cemeteries on human skulls. The ancients thought it had numerous virtues but one must regard these as superstitions. Included amongst these was the belief this lichen was a sovereign remedy against epilepsy.
Lichen tartareus - The inhabitants of Västergötland make a beautiful red dye from this lichen and they do so in the following manner. They collect it during humid weather, wash it, infuse it a little and then dry it. They put it in a pot, pour urine over it, let it stand for five or six weeks, then add water and boil the mixture. This yields a highly-valued dye, very close to the orchil of the Canaries.
Lichen velleus - The Canadians, when pressed by famine, eat this lichen but after boiling it for a long time in water.
Lichen vulpinus - The Norwegians use it to kill wolves. It is mixed with crushed glass and the mixture is then stuffed into dead meat which is left out as bait when the ground is frozen. This rarely fails to kill them.