Enchanted Forest Stinging Nettle Stew

Here's a lovely recipe Loba and I came up with the other night, in the spirit of our recent Faery Tale inspired meals. Though we're not quite done editing Loba's last cookbook, The Enchanted Pantry, we seem to be well on the way to collecting recipes for a new wild-foods based cookbook. I'll be posting recipes from both books regularly here. To make the Monarda Pesto mentioned below, you can use any good pesto recipe and subsitute fresh Monarda leaves for the Basil, along with a bit of curry powder, and don't forget the Piñon Pine Nuts! This is a great early Spring dish when the evenings are still cool but the greens are popping up everywhere.

Enchanted Forest Stinging Nettle Stew

5 Chicken pieces (though Turkey is lovely too)
1 large Onion, sauteed
10-15 whole Shitake Mushrooms (fresh or dried)
3 TB fresh Ginger sauteed in butter
1 C Tomato sauce or salsa
big bunch of fresh Stinging Nettles
2-3 TB Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Roasted Garlic to taste
Monarda Pesto to taste

Brown chicken, simmer mushrooms and chicken together for two hours. Remove mushrooms and chicken, cut mushrooms into slices, de-bone chicken and add both mushrooms and chicken meat back to broth. Add all remaining ingredients except pesto, simmer for 15-20 minutes. Optionally, serve with chunks of goat cheese or cheese covered toast placed directly in the stew. Garnish with a generous spoonful of Monarda Pesto.

Re-Connecting with Forgotten Friends

I’ve noticed a recent trend towards herbal exploration and re-discovery. Not completely content to defer to America’s most marketed herbs list, we’ve been digging through old books, sifting through the older people’s memories and tasting, testing and playing with every new plant we come across. This isn’t because we don’t already have wonderfully effective allies to work with, but because each bioregion has its own prolific plant communities that are readily available, free of charge and best of all, intimately connected to us through the air we breathe, the earth we grow from and the rain that quenches our thirst.

New herbs have been sifting back into common consciousness through the committed work of many herbalists, and Matt Wood was one of the first to really open my eyes to new ways of working with unusual and non-typical plants. His innovative use of plants like Teasel helped me to be brave enough to go outside and try a taste of various leafy friends who had been calling to me but I was afraid to experiment with (“surely if it was medicinal, it would be in all the plant books, right?”). Another great inspiration has been Jim McDonald’s excellent work with Purple Loosestrife, Calamus, Mullein and Aster.

So this year, as I continue to build on the knowledge of the foundation herbs I best know, I’m focusing on getting to know a few off-brand herbs, like Sweet Clover, Dragonhead, Fireweed, Alder, Speedwell and Wild Peony. I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge about local Gila plants, and I’m especially excited to meet local tonic herbs. Expect to see posts on many of these new friends this growing season.

There’s a myriad of methods to get to know the plants better and I’ve listed some in my previous posts on intimacy and specific medicines. Here I want to mention a few ways to form an introduction to an unfamiliar plant.

1) Be open - listen when a new plant calls to you, even if you don’t recognize it or have previously heard/read it referred to as useless or insignificant.

2) Participate - Once you’ve identified the plant and know the plant is not toxic, taste it and record your impressions. I like to use an energetic basis and include hot or cold, dry or moist. I also note how the plant affects my pulse, state of mind, mood, etc. This is, of course, quite subjective, but repeated experiences will tend to give you an idea of the basics. The most important thing is to let yourself experience the energy of the plant and to participate in the specific dance of that herb. This is a great thing to do with plants you already know too!

3) Research - Don’t limit your herb reading to glossy covered books with the newest studies and constituent lists, remember to read the herbal classics by the likes of William Cook, Culpeper, Hildegard von Bingem and others. These books are oft ignored treasure troves, and many of these out of print books can be found of the web sites of Henriette Kress, Michael Moore and Paul Bergner. Purposely search out books containing information on less known plants, besides the old classics, good ethnobotanical texts and bioregional herbals are great sources of nearly forgotten knowledge.

4) Ask around - Ask the old people in your area what they know about local weeds, start up a conversation with anyone you see harvesting wild plants, you never know what gems and amazing stories they might hold. And don’t forget to ask your own family members, you might be surprised at the healing tidbits Great Aunt Mary has hidden up her sleeve ;)

5) Listen - Don’t just constantly regurgitate what you already know, open your ears around other plant people, even people you consider to be less experienced or knowledgeable then yourself. I’m learned amazing things about plants from children who just thought to try something spontaneously.

6) Share - Making your valuable experience available guarantees that the knowledge will be shared and hopefully help others as well as generate new experiences and information. A huge part of herbalism is still within the oral tradition and the only way to keep that from being lost is to share it with others.

It can be tempting to be discouraged by the seeming lack of information on a certain plant, and you may feel like sticking with more familiar herbs in order to remain in known, safe territory. It takes courage to experiment, experience and then put yourself on the line as possibly crazy when telling others about a strange new green friend. But persevere, and you’ll find a whole new world of exciting possibilities just beyond your back door!

Rain, Wildflowers and Medicine

It's been raining again! A surprise storm hit us the night before last and dumped a significant amount of snow and rain on us. And what a pleasant surprise it was, We in NM have been bracing ourselves against another fairly dry Spring. This new moisture will provide with an extra beautiful show of wildflowers and herbs, and there's talk of yet more rain later this weekend. Many plants have grown visibly in the last 24 hours, sucking down the moisture and shooting skyward. An amazing mist rose off the river early this morning, cloaking the canyon walls in a faery fog while sun rose into the lapiz blue sky above.

A few days ago, my little daughter and I took a good long walk up the large arroyo to find Spring beautifully underway with Wild Grapes already leafing out and the intense scent of Wild Olives, Redroot and Wax Currants filling the air so thickly it made us almost dizzy. Up over sparkling rocks and stone wall waterfalls we climbed, high up into the lush crevice between mountain ridges. We harvested a bagful of Monarda, Dragonhead, Rose leaves, Mountain Valerian, Oregon Grape Root, Western Mugwort and Redroot flowers...

Once home, we proceeded to lay many plants out to dry and to chop up the others for tincture, vinegar and oil. When all was said and done, we had many new quarts of nourishment and medicine.

It's also prime Stinging Nettle season, our patches are vibrant and luxurious this year, providing with almost daily mineral rich meals, and soon we'll be harvesting huge batches to dry for infusions and soups, and some for vinegar and tincture. I'm especially looking forward to working with Nettle seeds this year!

A great benefit of these lovely Spring rains, is how wonderful this year's Medicine Woman's Wild Plant Workshop will be! Though the workshop is always great fun and filled with many plant allies, this year will be an extra treat. To take advantage of all the new growth and unusual species popping up, the workshop will filled with many extended plants walks into the varied environs that make up this diverse riparian canyon that includes montane, foothill, desert and riparian species. We have a few spaces left in the workshop, so be sure to let me know if you're interested!

I've been deepening my relationship with Rose quite a bit lately through some amazing experiences, and find myself in the midst of a very long essay on her beauty and power. I hope to have this finished in the next week, and share it here.

Alder: Tree of Transformation & Healing

You remember that toothache I talked about a few posts ago? Well, despite repeated attempts with various herbs including Oregon Grape Root, Usnea, Redroot, Balsamroot and Echinacea, I was unable to shake the infection that seemed to just roam throughout my mouth. The herbs managed to keep the pain and swelling in check, but never completely resolved the problem. Strange, as I've treated other toothaches and infections with these same formulas many times before. Nevertheless, it provided a valuable opportunity for exploring new herbs for infection and pain.

With no dentist nearby, I sat down to puzzle about what other local herbs might work. I do have a supply of Goldenseal and few other herbs that were applicable to the situation but I was more interested in trying a local herb that I hadn't yet used in this capacity. Alder, a tree who's name means "Healing Woman" by some indigenous tribes, came to mind as a strong antibacterial alterative with an affinity for the lymph system. Since swollen lymph nodes had been part of the toothache's symptoms I figured this made the Alder especially appropriate. I had a tincture I'd made early this Winter of dried bark, catkins and cones (fresh bark can be emetic). While Alder is often called another simple astringent, some herbalists (including Idaho herbalist Darcy Williamson) has found it to be effective against Staph, Pseudomonas and other bacteria. It's also a great allergy preventative, skin healer, general cooling alterative and lymphatic. And it IS astringent, though not as much as say, Dock or Alum root.

So I gave it a shot, taking two dropperfulls 3-4 times a day. And I'll be damned if it didn't decrease the small but steady ache to nothing in three hours, all swelling gone in a day and gum sensitivity disappeared in two days. Seeing how Alder is such a common riparian tree (a far more common plant than Oregon Grape Root) in my canyon home I'm very excited to utilize it more often for various kinds of infection.

It also seems to reduce headache pain, and definitely has a strong effect on the GI system. It tends to be quite cooling and drying and it's emphasis appears to be on moving and balancing fluids through the blood, lymph and immune system. I've found it to work quite well with Sage. Dr. William Cook said:

The bark is the medicinal part, and is readily acted on by water. It is mildly astringent, and slowly stimulating to the cutaneous and renal secretions. It is good as an alterant in the treatment of scrofula, scrofulous and cachectic ulcers. The profession have by no means given to the article the attention it deserves; but have sent abroad for sarsaparilla, when the despised alder at their door is probably quite as valuable, especially when combined with suitable stimulants. A strong decoction of the article is a useful wash in scrofulous and venereal ulcers, and in chronic ophthalmia; and the same has been used as a popular drink in sub-acute diarrhea, and will be found a good injection in leucorrhea..

I've also used the leaves and bark infused into oil with very nice results as a general salve, especially when used for skin disorders like contact dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis as well mouth sores and ulcers. Nice combined with Rose, Sage or Elderflower/leaf.

A member of the Birch family, our Canyon Alder (Alnus oblongifolia) has beautiful silver bark with an underlying skin of blood red revealed by the scratching of bear claws and elk antlers (who are both quite fond of this tree). It lives right on the river bank with its roots dangling in a silver web in and just above the water. This tree has always spoken to me of the balance of fire and water, of rebirth and change. My partner Jesse Wolf Hardin wrote eloquently of Alder's mythological and spiritual aspects in his upcoming novel, The Medicine Bear:

The alder would have felt special to Omen even if she had never learned any of its story, or learned to read by studying its myths. She loved that it had been long known as the King Of The Fairies, that the faces of the Sacred Kings during the Midsummer rituals were painted with the red dye of its inner bark. That the fairies were said to use the Alder catkins to dye their clothes, thereby making themselves invisible to human eyes. That while its wood burned slow, it nevertheless made the best and hottest charcoal, and had once been the choice of medieval warriors for forging their magically imbued swords. That woodsmen would sometimes strike the silvery barked trees with an axe, and then upon seeing the bright red flesh beneath, be reminded of blood and made too sympathetic to continue an assault. For these reasons and more, the alder was considered to embody the power of fire. And because of the way it turned water into steam, it was called the Tree Of Resurrection by Homer. The alder was the botanical Phoenix, Omen had decided... the leaf-feathered firebird of rebirth.

This is a plant with many facets and faces, and one too little explored in modern American herbalism. If anyone else uses Alder medicinally or otherwise I'd love to hear about your experiences. Expect more posts on this remarkable tree in the future.

Resources:
Healing Plants of the Rocky Mountains by Darcy Williamson
Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West by Michael Moore
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rocky Mountains and Neighboring Territories by Terry Willard
Sacred Plant Medicine by Stephen Buhner

Goldenrod Strikes Again

So yesterday I had this nice long walk from the mesa to the road where we park. We normally have a big four wheel drive truck for going in an out through the usually shallow seven river crossings. However, with all the lovely Spring rain we had last week, the river's been too high to drive through. So I was walking, and carrying a few things while I walked (a backpack, and a heavy object in each arm). Now, I'm quite used to carrying heavy things up and down mountains, in and out of the river. Occasionally I'll get sore muscles or tweak my neck a bit from carrying a heavier load than I should but nothing more than that. Imagine my surprise then, when I got home, took of my pack full of groceries and found that I suddenly was unable to move my right shoulder without excruciating pain shooting through my neck and down my arm. Interesting, I thought, and sat down very quickly. My shoulder continued to tighten until I was completely unable to lift the pound bag of sugar with that hand, and my head was screaming with a tension headache. Not good, I thought, and went fumbling to my little wooden medicine box. I promptly dug out the Goldenrod oil, eying it with some doubt. While Goldenrod has worked wonderfully on sore or pulled muscles, I hadn't yet tried it something truly acute. So I applied it liberally to my right shoulder and neck and waited a while. Nothing. So I did it again, more liberally, and then went on my one handed way. An hour later the pain was significantly lessened, by bedtime two hours later, it only hurt when I reached up and out, directly engaging the hurt muscles. By this morning, the headache was gone and there's a minute amount of pain and stiffness in the shoulder.

We have a friend visiting who has had more than his share of horse wrecks and other kinds of accidents that are common on Wyoming ranches. This includes a badly separated deltoid with lots of chronic pain and stiffness with little alleviation from standard alopathic or alternative procedures. One application of Goldenrod oil last night significantly reduced the symptoms. He'll be trying it out more today to see if he can regain more movement and perhaps initiate some long term healing. He also has some badly damaged muscles in his thigh I'm hoping to help with the Goldenrod.

I think I've said it elsewhere but I want to reemphasize how well I think Goldenrod oil externally works with Peony root internally for overtightened, stressed out muscles. Peony is rather cooling, so if you're already the cool type you might try it with something a bit more warming, like Ginger, which is also anti-inflammatory and soothing to riled up musculature. Vervain would be complementary if the muscle problem originates in the neck. And so on...

The benefits of my long walk is that I found just huge amounts of Corydalis growing among the Nettles I stopped to harvest. I was very pleased to see how well it's spreading and thriving. I harvested a bit more, enough to make a little more tincture and to dry some for tea.

Spring Stinging Nettles

The seedlings are starting to pop up, a few salad greens, a few little herblings here and there among the already huge Mugwort, Mullein and Monarda. The rain's stopped, the sun's come back out but the river is still rushing above its banks. It's Spring in the Gila! Have I said that already?

I've been eating and using tender new Nettle greens since December, but it's really lush and vibrant just now, and last week I made a tincture of roots and leaves together to experiment with. I love the look of Nettle tincture, all those beautiful emerald leaves suspended in liquid green.

Besides being incredibly nourishing (all that Magnesium, yum!), Nettle has countless applications as a medicine. I consider it one of my Top Ten Herbs I Can't Live Without, and as prevalent and persistent as Nettle is, I'll probably never have to.

My most recent successful uses of Nettles have been for gout, allergies, psoriasis and low energy related to depleted kidneys (thankfully not all in one person). For the client with gout I recommend consistent doses of Nettle infusion to flush out some of that excess uric acid. For the allergies and psoriasis I use the fresh plant tincture, as it seems to work more reliably and rapidly in that form. In addition to the tincture, I use a Nettle leaf salve or oil directly on the psoriasis (White Sage Oil and Mugwort Oil also work nicely). For the allergies, I also suggest long term Nettle leaf infusion. Either dry or fresh plant seems to work great for the kidneys, as well as for bladder/urinary tract infections. I recommend Nettle soup to EVERYONE.

As Boulder herbalist Paul Bergner has often pointed out, Nettles can be drying to those of us living in the arid Southwest or individuals with very dry constitutions. If you feel that Nettles is too drying for you, try adding a bit of Licorice, Mallow root or Asparagus root to your infusion or formula. It won't improve the taste but it will certainly moisten up the mix.

I'm not going to go into all the uses for Nettles here, because I would be typing all damn night, Nettle is just that good. And besides, it has already been written about extensively by many talented (and infamous) herbalists.

As per Michael Moore and Susun Weed's advice, I prefer to use powdered Nettle rather than other strange green powders such as Spirulina and Chlorella. It has much the same nutritional impact without the price, environmental impact or really weird taste. Anything you've read about adding either of the aforementioned "superfoods" to, try Nettles for instead... The energy kick is great.

I'm looking forward to trying Nettle seed this Summer after hearing from Henriette and Jim McDonald what an amazing adaptogen is. You can read the post that originally inspired me here. I would have tried it this Winter had been able to track down some dried seeds.

Below is the recipe for my favorite soup in the world, created by my dear Loba. It is excerpted from her phenomenal cookbook, The Enchanted Pantry.

Quester's Soup
(Serves 2)

1 big bag of fresh wild nettles
6 cups water (use filtered or spring water)
Butter Toasted Almonds
3 cloves garlic, minced and sauteed till just golden in a little butter
1 big organic carrot, chopped
3 or more tablespoons miso (I use Westbrae Mellow Brown or Genmai)
2 or more tablespoons almond butter (optional)

If using fresh picked nettles, put on gloves to strip the leaves from the main stem. Rinse well if needed. Put the water in a pot over high heat and submerge the greens. Let come to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer the greens until tender– about 10 minutes for nettles. Add the garlic and carrot and simmer for another minute, then turn off the heat and add the miso and almond butter, mashing them with a spoon against the side of the pot and stirring, mashing and stirring until you don’t see any big chunks in the pot and the soup has a creamy texture. Taste often, and add more miso or almond butter as you like. Serve in warmed bowls topped with chopped butter toasted almonds...

Variation:
Add 1 tablespoon fresh grated and toasted ginger when you add the greens.

Resources:
Nettles by Janice Schofield
Healing Wise by Susun Weed
The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism and The Book of Herbal Wisdom by Matthew Wood
Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West and Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West by Michael Moore
Paul Bergner's excellent article on the Mineral Content of Herbal Decoctions

One Herbalist’s Pain is Another’s Gain

It’s been a little while since my last post, mostly due to an ongoing series of illnesses here at home. They haven’t been too much fun for me (except that weird thrill some herbalists get at the opportunity to experiment on themselves and their loved ones), but I thought they might be helpful to readers.

First, my daughter broke out in welts and blisters all over her shoulders that rapidly spread down her torso. It looked a great deal like poison ivy to me, but was actually an allergic reaction to the juniper bark and sawdust (or some bacteria contained therein) she was working with. The rash was radiating huge amounts of heat so we did repeated applications of diluted Rose petal vinegar, and she kept a cloth soaked in it on her shoulders whenever she was outside, and slept with the cloth near her so she could reapply if she woke up itchy or hurting. This stopped the spreading of the rash and immediately relieved a lot of the pain and terrible itching she was experiencing (diluted Mugwort tincture is also great that kind of thing). She also experiences lots of constitutional heat that is especially affected by spicy or warming food, so eliminated all heating foods from her diet and focused on neutral nourishing foods like brown rice and added quite a bit of fresh fruit as well. As the blistering receded, I coated her in a paste made with marshmallow, rose petals, elder flowers, plantain, honey and aloe... it was sticky but very healing. She also took Rose/Mallow tincture internally and ate a paste made of unrefined coconut oil, Marshmallow, Rose petal and honey. I also rubbed small amounts of a soothing cream containing Blue Chamomile and Neroli (thank you, Ananda) onto her shoulders and chest to moisturize the area without holding the heat in. I do think that the diluted Rose petal vinegar played the biggest part in stopping the spread of the rash and soothing it... We’re continuing to maintain a neutral/cooling diet and integrate some cooling/moistening herbs into her food/drinks, though you can’t even see any remains of the rash at this point.

Next, it’s Juniper pollen season here in NM, which many folks have serious allergies too... you can’t walk through the village without seeing many distressed and red faced sneezing people every time the wind blows. I’ve been treating two ongoing cases typified by congested sinuses, sneezing, coughing, itching skin, burning eyes and the dizziness and disorientation that often accompanies respiratory distress. Both individuals are dry, one is hot and one is cold in constitution. For both I recommend facial steams with Monarda and Sage, which eases symptoms immediately if temporarily. I also recommend a Neti pot with salt and a Calendula/Plantain infusion as well as copious amounts of Nettle leaf infusion (with Licorice added for the dry individual. For the cold, dry individual I gave Osha ten drops at a time for when her allergies get really out of hand and the inflammatory response takes over, this seems to help a lot and will sometimes help to clear the sinuses as well. She also takes a strong Fire Cider concoction (Horseradish, Ginger, Garlic, raw Honey and Onion in apple cider vinegar) which symptomatically clears the sinuses. She takes an Ambrosia/Elderflower/Mullein leaf tincture for her burning eyes, dry coughing and general allergy symptoms. She also uses Rose petal infusion as eyedrops which soothes the burning (though the Neti pot is much better at actually clearing the burning from the eyes for a period of time.) The hot individual I give infusions of Mugwort/Dandelion/Lavender/Burdock/Calendula/Nettle and a tincture of Milk Thistle/Dandelion/Rose/Goldenrod because his allergies are directly liver related (well, I think everyone’s is essentially, but he has Hep C with accompanying inflammation and hyperimmune response). I won’t say these treatments resolve severe allergies, because they unfortunately don’t. But they do provide symptomatic relief and often lessen the allergic response significantly. Oh, I also use a nose spray with with Elderflower/Ambrosia/Goldenrod and others depending on the individual. For my own (much lighter) allergies which involve a stuffy nose and burning eyes I use a tincture of Goldenrod/Elderberry/Nettle, this clears me up completely. For a really good treatment of allergies, it’s necessary to look at (and if possible, adjust) the big picture of stress, food allergies, genetics and other concerns. I’ll do a longer, more in-depth post on that in the future, for now, go read Jim McDonald’s excellent article on Sinusitis.

Then I got an abscessed tooth, and of course there’s no dentist in the village right now... so I took copious amounts of Usnea/Oregon Grape root which got rid of swelling and pain, but I still had sensitivity in that area, very swollen lymph nodes and pain that kind of moved around my jaw and head with no direct focus. I then switched to a tincture of Red Root (large amounts, about a teaspoon four times a day), Balsamroot (half a dropperfull four times a day) and Alder (1/3 of a dropperfull four times a day) which took down the lymph swelling and seems to have resolved the remaining infection and sensitivity. It’s only been a week though, so it’s a bit early to tell.

Next I got the single worst bladder infections I’ve ever had, and I’ve had kidney infections and numerous forms of UTIs, but this was truly hellish, with severe stabbing pains in my bladder and urethra, that terrible urgency, burning, scanty urine.… all that, times twenty. Went from feeling fine to being unable to speak because of the pain in six hours. Still not sure what triggered it, but immediately began downing cranberry pills and juice and a tincture of Echinacea/Goldenrod/Yarrow/Monarda, taking two dropperfulls every hour as well as drinking large amounts of water. I also took a dropperfull of Elderberry tincture to support my immune system every hour as well. The pain begin to recede after about three hours but I had still was in enough pain at bedtime to take about twenty drops of Skullcap in order to sleep peacefully (I usually only need 1-5 drops to get to sleep when I’m bothered by anxiety or pain). Three days later, I’m still taking the tinctures (though I’m taking less with more time between) and Cranberry and am nearly symptom free. We’ll see though, these things love to hang on. You may be wondering why I didn’t utilize Uva-Ursi (or its local equivalent, Manzanita), and that’s because (as Henriette so helpfully reminded me), Uva-Ursi works when the urine is alkaline, and Cranberry works when it's acid.... In retrospect, Mallow probably would have helped enormously, and I definitely recommend it for UTIs.

On a brighter note, I gathered Corydalis aurea today, using the whole flowering plant to make a tincture... I’ve harvested it before, but haven’t worked with it much. Michael Moore says that it’s safer and more effective used in combination than singly so will be trying it alongside Skullcap and Mexican Poppy this year for pain, nervousness, trembling etc this year. I also wrote a chapter on Bioregional Herbalism for my book, I’ll post an abbreviated version here sometime soon.

And it’s RAINING!!!! I can’t tell you how excited I am for this sprinkle we’re getting.… the flowers are going to be so happy. In fact, if I stick my head out the door I think I can hear them singing a hallelujah chorus. Big dark clouds so hopefully it will last for a day or two.… Happy Spring Equinox!

Spring Tidbits: New Flowers, Cottonwood Buds & Mugwort Sprigs

It is definitely Spring! The Vervain (see pic to the right), Corydalis & Mountain Candytuft are all flowering their hearts out now. The Monardas, Pennyroyal, Asters, Lupine and a host of other beauties are growing at an incredible pace. Every time I poke my head out the door there's a new leafy face to greet.

Though southern California & southwestern Arizona are already in a severe drought (with parts of Cali already burning), New Mexico still has enough Winter moisture to hopefully give us a glorious Spring flower season with only a moderate fire season. Here's hoping...

Yesterday I gathered the last of the Cottonwood buds for a strong tincture (also lovely as an oil and a vinegar), and the first of the Western Mugwort (assorted Artemisia species), also for a tincture.

Both Cottonwood and Mugwort make excellent liniments for sore or tight muscles, tendinitis and damaged ligaments, I do think they work best when combined with a specific for the exactly condition (Goldenrod for muscle complaints, Comfrey for ligaments or tendons and so on.) They're also lovely for wounds, as they take down swelling and disinfect in an efficient and yummy smelling manner. Another use they share is as a stomach tonic, both very protective and healing for the digestive tract. The Artemisias are very powerful when used in liver bile insufficiency not just as a bitter digestive stimulant but perhaps as an overall liver tonic. It seems to work best if taken before a meal rather than after. A useful quote on Western Mugwort from Arizona herbalist Charlie Kane:

Western Mugwort has a number of effects on the liver. Overtly it is choleretic, increasing bile synthesis and release. If prone to gall stone formation Western mugwort will thin bile enough to diminish precipitants. Deeper, these plants have a cooling, antioxidant effect on hepatocyte function. These liver centered effects tend to reduce elevated liver enzyme levels -- all stress markers evident in viral and general hepatitis. In addition, the plant inhibits glutathione depletion within hepatocytes...

Mugwort is also a fine relaxant nervine (though it can evoke vivid and sometimes unpleasant dreams), and I find it can work wonders in providing a sense of security & well-being for fearful individuals, especially when taken in small doses over a period of time. I have personally found that it is specific for women who have lost their sense of physical and emotional security through being abused by a loved one or physically harmed/betrayed in some way. This coincides quite nicely with Artemis' special protection of women. Mugwort is quite powerful and can even be burned or carried for these specific effects if you find the tincture too strong. This plant has just recently become one of my closest allies, and seems to be one of the single most versatile plants commonly available.

This time of year also reminds me of my great love for intermountain West herb books, especially Michael Moore's Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West, Charlie Kane's Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest & Darcey Williamson's Healing Plants of the Rocky Mountains. They'll be nested in my backpack all growing season.

Happy Spring!

Spring Update

Today I found the first of the sprouting Monarda pectinata up here on the mesa near the cabin. Just a few little green leaves poking out from under the rock walls, but already full of rich lemon-oregano fragrance. I’m so excited about them that I’ve taken to watering them in case the Spring rains are less than abundant this year. I haven’t used M. pectinata much yet, having mostly focused on our M. menthaefolia thus far. But one thing I know both Monardas excel at is treating burns, the fresh leaf poultice of either species is incredibly soothing to sunburns, stove burns and even steam burns obtained in an extra hot sweat lodge.

The Speedwell is popping out everywhere, covering the river banks and providing a refreshing splash of vibrant green. The Mugworts are already small silver shrubs, rapidly covering nearly every sandy spot in the Canyon. The wild Dock is almost eating size and the Mustard is getting more and more leggy as Spring arrives. Still no sign of Watercress yet, but she’s always a few steps behind the Speedwell so I’ll remain patient a bit longer (as if I have a choice). The Nettles are beautiful and we've had several wonderful Nettle soup dinners (with almond butter, miso, toasted ginger and dollop of sour cream, mmmm).

Twelve Tips for Cultivating Intimacy with your Plant Allies

When we use the same plant day in and day out, or when we have a significant experience with that plant we start to feel a strong bond with it, similar to the relationship we might have with a lover or friend. But also very different than any human relationship, the plants may work their way into your dreamtime and inner thoughts, images or voices may appear when you least expect them. The plants are both subtle and terribly forthright,sometimes you have to work hard to earn their trust, and you may be asked to follow certain guidelines in order to be able to work with a certain plant. And sometimes you just have to ask. I recently had this experience with our native Mugwort, though I had used her dozens of times for stomach troubles, cramps, rashes and other general uses, I hadn’t yet experienced her in a powerful or personal way. Not to say I hadn’t tried, I’d slept with her, eaten her (no small task, what with that intense bitterness), spent hours at her side and had even used her in a sacred manner in the Sweat Lodge. And yet, I couldn’t clearly feel the spirit of the plant, she felt distant and removed from me, even while she assisted me each time. Finally, it occurred to me that maybe I should ask her personally for help, instead of just thanking her in advance. And you know, just after I made this request I used her for some painful cramps and suddenly could feel her loud and clear, could absolutely sense the plant in my bloodstream an psyche in the clearest and gentlest way. This experience may sound a bit silly if you’re not familiar with working with plants on a spiritual level, but once you’ve spent time with them in this context, you’ll be able to experience the inner working of the plant world for yourself ☺

Below are a few suggestions for cultivating a deep and meaningful intimacy with your plant allies.

1) Sleep with the herb under your pillow or near you, either as a whole sprig or placed in a muslin bag, NOT in plastic. Go to bed with the intent to dream of the herb, this doesn’t always work but when it does it can be a profound experience.

2) Carry the herb on your body, in a cloth or leather pouch, in a pocket or even tucked into your clothing.

3) Try to find the plant in its still living form to spend time with it. If your plant is so exotic or rare that you can’t find a living plant, consider find a local, more accessible plant. We build the best relationships with plants that live near us and share air and soil with us.

4) Talk to the plant. Yes, I said talk to the plant even if you feel like a fool while doing it. You don’t feel silly talking to your dog do you? I assure you that all plants are at least as sentient as any dog. And anyone who’s ever had a houseplant or garden knows that attentiveness and care truly affect the plant. Talking is a way to focus and express that caring energy. Of course, the effects of this may be more obvious is you’re working with a still living plant body. But lovingly harvested plant material also contains the spirit of the plant.

5) Eat the herb (if safe and sensible), many roots are tasty in soups or stirfries, leaves make lovely salads and flowers can be used to garnish almost anything.

6) Take the herb in tea or infusion form at least a few times, if just to enjoy the intimacy of knowing the full taste and texture of the plant.

7) Ingest the herb during a quiet or meditative time so that you can really BE with the plant without being distracted by outside influences.

8) Next, use the herb when you’re under stress, and in a variety of situations, to see how it helps or hinders you. Also try it when you’re attempting something creative, to see how the plant adds to the experience.

9) Use the herb consistently over a long period of time, as with most human relationships, we know someone better the more we spend time with them.

10) Although anthropomorphizing can limit your scope of vision, imagining the plant spirit in human form can also help you better understand your ally. Just remember that the plants are NOT people and while they are extremely sentient, they do not behave or feel in the same way humans do.

11) Now focus on how the plant is ~other~ than human, experience its unique green energy and non-human spirit. Is it easier to imagine the plant as a person than to confront its differentness? Even if you find it difficult to recognize or feel the ways in which the plant communicates, feels and lives in a different way than you, be persistent in your attempts to observe and participate. Then integrate this consciousness into your own perspective. As humans we tend to be remarkably self-centric, much to the detriment of our environment and plant friends, as well as to our own capacity to interact with other life.

12) After you’ve gotten to know your ally thoroughly through personal experience, read about how other cultures and people have understood and known the plant. If possible, spend time with a group or individual who is also close to the plant, this will help broaden your understanding and knowledge of your ally.

An Introduction to Specific Medicines

We’ve all seen those ads in slick alternative health magazines pushing Goldenseal as an “herbal antibiotic”, and we’ve read those generic herb articles proclaiming the next miracle herb that “studies show” will cure arthritis, build sexual endurance, give you energy when you haven't slept in a week, help you win the lottery and give you a slim, youthful figure. These commercial, and often ignorant, generalizations can make the most tolerant herbalist cringe. What practicing plant people know best is that each herb has an individual spirit and personality that makes it entirely unique unto itself. Sure you can use Cinquefoil instead of Rose to tighten up tissues, as they are both rose family astringents, but on an plant to person level, the effects can be totally different. Cinquefoil is about releasing tension and asserting one’s true self, while Rose helps us open up and cool anger. So in order to best address the ~whole~ person, we search for just the right plant for person and situation.

Modern Western herbalism has been partially built around the allopathic mindset of “this herb for this problem”, touting immune stimulants as the answer cold and flu, and chinese tonic herbs as the herbal remedy for impotence. Sometimes this approach can work, often Echinacea will help someone avert coming down with a cold, or Ginseng will give them the energy boost to keep on trucking through bad jobs, a divorce and bankruptcy but in neither case do the herbs actually heal, because they don’t address the underlying systemic weakness. And in fact, they make actually do harm, allowing a person to do more damage to themselves instead of dealing with the actual state of their whole self. What we’re lacking is an understanding of how to use specific herbs for specific people and specific imbalances. While Goldenseal does indeed act as an anti-bacterial, that doesn’t necessarily make it ideal for treating all bacterial infections. Another example would be of classifying both Boldo and Vervain as “liver herbs”. They both affect the liver, but how do they affect the liver? Boldo stimulates the liver, but Vervain relaxes it, making Boldo useful in cases of a cold, sluggish, underperforming liver that results in PMS, bad skin and digestive headaches. Vervain, on the other hand, is ideal for people with inflamed, overheated livers that cause red eyes, insomnia, nervousness and a tendency to easily anger. In my previous posts on Herbs for headaches and for injuries, I’ve tried to include a few hints on how to most specifically apply each herb. Unlike the “this herb for that problem” style of herbalism where students can memorize charts of illnesses and corresponding herbs, specific medicines require our direct participation in the process. For each person, there is an herbal helper. When we can approach healing from the standpoint of wholeness, we realize we don’t need to worry so much about the definition of the pathology, or the chemistry of the remedy. Instead, we can take the time to focus on the relationship between person and herb, working as a matchmaker rather than a fixer.

Specific medicine has to do with a general sense of energetics and actions, but it has more to do with the very particular qualities of each individual herb. While energetics can teach us how to find a certain subset of herbs for a problem (using pelvic oriented blood movers like Rose or Peony or Salvia root or Mugwort for ovarian cysts), specific medicine can help us find the exact herb for that particular person and problem (using Rose for a woman with ovarian cysts who’s been sexually abused, has an overheated, moist constitution and an inability to express love). While we can generally be assured of overall good results simply using a broadly energetic approach, the most profound results will be seen when we find the “perfect” herb for a person. I think this has been shown most dramatically in flower essences where each essence is accompanied by a clear emotional/spiritual symptom picture, or in the specific indications of the Physiomedicalist’s literature. As an example, here is an excerpt from William Cook’s excellent The Physiomedicalist Dispensatory on Dandelion:

Properties and Uses: The root is a mild laxative and alterant, of the relaxing-tonic grade, slowly and gently influencing the liver, small intestines, and kidneys. It is most useful in mild grades of chronic hepatic obstruction and torpor, with biliousness and weakness of the stomach; in engorgements of the liver and spleen, and abdominal dropsy dependent on these conditions. Though slow. in action, it is well received by the system; and if gathered at the proper season, and used in cases not too degenerate, it deserves consideration, though concentrated preparations are required. When the stomach or bowels are irritable, it should not be employed...

Ideally, we include emotional and spiritual indications as well. We can look to others’ experiences hints and tips on how to approach an herb, and sometimes we can actually get a very good idea of the situation and person who might most need the plant. But to really understand the inner workings and subtle details of each plant we need to interact with the plant ourselves. The best plant to person relationships are built by spending time with the plant, watching it in all seasons, smelling and tasting it, and then trying it over and over again. Most of all, it requires that we listen to what the plant is trying to tell us. There have been many times when I’ve heard the name of a plant over and over in my head even when all my book knowledge and common sense has indicated otherwise. Once, while experience a week long bout of restless insomnia that none of my regular herbal allies seemed to be able to help me with, I got a very strong urge to dig out my one ounce of St John’s Wort tincture, a plant I hadn’t even previously worked with at all, and that is rarely indicated for insomnia. Sure enough, two drops of St John’s Wort allowed me to sleep peacefully all night, and put an end to further instances.

While learning to accurately intuit the right herb for each person can seem intimidating and suspiciously spiritual to some, much of the process is defined by common sense and experience. Most important is the perspective of the practitioner, with a strong focus on intimacy with both plants and people.

A few introductory tips:

1) Intimacy: Get to know just a few plants at a time. As with people, it’s much easier to be intimate with an individual than with a whole dinner party.

2) Exploration: Spend time exploring the subtleties of each plant. Don’t just focus on that plant’s primary strength, or you could miss the larger picture of how that plant might effect someone. You may not think of Sage an herb for anxiety or depression, but she might surprise you.

3) Participation: Connect with the plant on a personal level, and allow that plant to permeate your life, dreams and thoughts. In many ways, getting to know a plant is much like getting to know a lover. And you can’t become acquainted with either from a distance.

4) Wonder: Remember to be amazed. It’s easy for some of us to become cynical or jaded after reading piles of scientific journals, constituent reports and case studies. Cultivate the joy and magic of the plants in your daily life by staying in close physical contact with them through taste, touch and sight. You can’t get to know the plants through books, lectures or the web...

There are no hard and fast rules to herbal medicine but for some excellent guidelines for using specific medicines, turn to the Physiomedicalist/Eclectic herbalists of yesteryear such as John Scudder, Finley Ellingwood, William Cook and T. J. Lyle. Many of their writings can be found at the websites of Michael Moore & Henriette Kress. And for the best modern resource for understanding specific medicines, check out Matthew Wood’s books. Also see my herb links on the right hand bar, as most of my favorite herbalists have a firm foundation in herbal intimacy and specific medicines.

Eat Your Medicine

Why take a tincture when you can have a tasty salad instead? While some situations call for strong doses of an infection-fighting decoction or a sedating tincture, in most cases it's preferable to take your medicine in your food. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but we'll cover a few here.

1) Healing with food is generally a very gentle, safe and slow way of adjusting the balance of the body. You'll fully assimilate needed nutrition and your inner ecosystem will have the opportunity to integrate the medicine of the whole plant. Food is nourishment, and nourishment is always the foundation for vibrant health.

2) You're much less likely to have any kind of negative reaction to the plant or experience any too sudden changes in your body, spirit or psyche.

3) The enjoyment of the texture and the taste of the plant is usually more pronounced in the context of a sensually flavored meal. It's too easy to miss the subtleties of the herb when you're slugging back a shot of elderberry decoction or sucking down a dropperful of chamomile tincture. Take time to savor your dandelion and watercress salad, the burdock stir fry and elderberry wine. This is great way of becoming more intimate with the herbs.

4) All foods are either medicine or poison, and sometimes the same food can be a poison to one person and a medicine to the other depending on constitution, amount and situation. Consciously adding familiar medicine to a salad or soup will help you to make mindful and healing food choices for all your meals. It will also help you to observe what foods best serve your overall health and wholeness.

5) I'm a fan of honoring traditional wisdom wherever it applies. In most traditional cultures medicine was most frequently consumed as a food, from Chinese herbal soups to Ayurvedic medicinal wines to Appalachian cooked greens to just good old-fashioned chicken soup. This is the kind of medicine anyone can take: babies and elders and the bed-ridden alike, unlike stronger medicines that could easily upset the systems of such delicate individuals.

Be mindful of the effects each food has upon your state of mind and general well being. If garlic upsets your stomach or gives you hives, it doesn't matter how healing garlic CAN be, it's probably not what your body needs at that time. Honor basic energetic truths, if you're already overheated and flushed, avoid dense, oily or spicy foods and try heat clearing foods like dandelion greens and kelp instead. If you constantly struggle with overly dry skin and cracked mucus membranes, focus on moist, sweet foods like sweet potatoes and asparagus.

Resources:
Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford (Paul focuses on a vegetarian diet within a Chinese medicine approach to whole foods, I do not in most cases advocate a vegetarian diet, but this is a great resource for healing foods).

Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection by Jessica Prentice (A great traditional foods approach to sustainable foods and our individual connection to healing through foods)

The Herbwife's Kitchen, a blog by Vermont herbalist Rebecca Hartman includes numerous great posts on using food as medicine.

This lupus case study by Paul Bergner is a great example of the amazing healing qualities of food, see his references to tonic soups.

A Simple Belly Brew

Below is a simple recipe that I use for general ~excess~ stomach problems, and for what could be called IBS, although Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a broad name for any otherwise undiagnosable stomach problems. Symptoms might include bloating, flatulence, intermittent diarrhea & constipation, digestive headaches, sour stomach and other damp heat symptoms.

This isn't to be used for people who are cold, weak or generally deficient, this is for ~excess~ type people who need heat cleared in order to re-adjust and heal their digestion. This is a very common ailment for overworked, burned out individuals who's digestion has essentially shut down or works very erratically. Many of these herbs are considered to have Pitta reducing properties, and I do find this brew to be cooling and soothing overall.

These plants help to physically heal the stomach as well as calm the nervous system and act in an overall protective manner. This brew isn't meant to be a cure, but it has a remarkable ability to calm and heal many types of excess stomach problems over a period of time. I generally prepare this as a decoction simmered for about twenty minutes.

My formula is based on a somewhat similar tea found in Paul Bergner's ¨The Healing Power of Ginseng¨on the tonic herbs. I've adapted it to my own needs and have found it most effective.

3 Parts Chamomile
2 Parts Mallow Leaf & Root
2 Parts Dandelion Root
2 Parts Fennel Seed
1 Part Burdock Root
1 Part Licorice Root

If you find this mix a bit too cooling for your taste, try using honey-fried Licorice instead of plain, or adding a bit of Orange peel, Ginger root or other complimentary warming belly healing herb.

Goldenrod - New Uses for an Old Friend

Goldenrod works great on neck troubles, generally loosening up the neck muscles and relieving the tension, but this is primarily symptomatic and won't cure a popped out disc etc., but it'll help take the swelling down and speed the healing process once you've addressed the root of the problem.

It's also helped arthritis for a lot of folks, taking down the swelling and pain. Once again, this is a symptomatic application, not anything like a cure. It seems similar to the regional use of Snakeweed/Escoba de la Vibora in the Southwest. I've noticed Snakeweed tends to be better for arthritis and Goldenrod tends to be better for muscular problems. Funny how they've both got those beautiful golden blooms. As does St John's Wort, who I've used very little but also seems to have lots of similar applications.

Goldenrod's most profound use in my experience tends to be directly on the muscles, healing pulled muscles in amazing time periods with repeated application (every three hours or so), and often soothing strained or spasming muscles with only a single application.

For muscle spasms, I recommend combining Goldenrod oil/liniment with Peony root tincture internally, although Scullcap, Black Cohosh or Betony may be more appropriate depending on the situation and individual's constitution. It might also be worth trying Goldenrod internally for muscular problems, though I haven't personally noted any antispasmodic or similar action. Please let me know what your findings are in this area, I'd love to know.

As a side note to Peony, you can use the common available Chinese White Peony root, or your garden Peony root (make sure it's the old fashioned kind though, and it works better if its run a bit wild rather than being pampered and overwatered) or you can use the native Brown's or California Peony root, all are similar but with their own variations.

I've been getting tons of questions about Goldenrod oil and how to make it, where to get it etc., so here's the info I have.

First off, if you want to buy it, the best Goldenrod oil I've ever tried was created by Ananda Wilson of Amrita Apothecary, I regularly trade herbs and medicines with her, and she makes marvelous, yummy smelling magic. I think she's selling Goldenrod oil right now, though I expect she has a limited quantity.

The way I make Goldenrod oil is using Extra Virgin Olive Oil (as does Ananda), preferably organic first pressing, of course. I fill a pint jar with freshly picked Goldenrod flowering tops, then I fill it again with olive oil, I poke around to get the air bubbles out, put a lid on the jar, and set in the sun for a while, usually about a month. Sometimes I add a shot of Chapparel (Larrea) oil to help preserve it, sometimes not. Store in a dark, cool place. Very simple, old fashioned simpler style.

Tincture seems to work fine as a liniment as well, though I haven't had a chance to really compare results just yet.

It's important to remember that while every herb has its specialty where it really excels, NO plant is the be all end all of herbal medicine. Every plant has its place, and we each have individual connections to the plants. The indigenous people of nearly every land have recognized that some plants do certain things for certain peoples, having an intimate relationship to the individual.

So go out and get to know the Goldenrod living in your backyard and the fields near where you live. It's always amazing to get to know a new side to an old friend.

The Dream of the Earth: A Return to the Wisdom of Roots, Leaves & Flowers

Little could I have known what strange paths I would walk once I remembered the ancient language of Earth and plant and animal and gave myself up to its voice.
-John Seed

A truly human intimacy.... is needed. We are returning to our native place after a long absence, meeting once again with our kin in the Earth community.... participating in the original dream of the Earth.
-Thomas Berry

You've been here before, but you might not remember. Look around and breathe in the sweet vanilla scent of the summer breeze, that's the Melilot. And don't step on those little thorny plants, they're quite sharp. Here, take my hand.

Oh, look at this one! Her flowers are lapiz blue, tiny and tubular. They're so small that we could almost miss them among the more brazen purple Snapdragons and paper white Prickly Poppies. But hear how she calls to us, and see how her vibrant petals draw us down to look more closely. The Earth is always calling us closer to her, we need only awaken our senses to her courtship. As integral parts of her body we are each able to participate in the constant love affair within her. This great dance in which all aspects are at once consuming, creating and nourishing the other parts of the whole.

The plants speak to us through this great romance, beckoning to us to come closer. Inviting us to eat and be eaten, to heal and be healed, to love and be loved. The love of the Earth is consistently honest, passionate and expressive. Not one to hold back her feelings, she surges and quakes, burns and withers in accordance to her motion and emotion. While we cannot trust the Earth to always protect our bodily welfare, we can trust her to act according to need, to promote diversity of life and to express herself in the most unpredictable and beautiful ways. She, and so the plants, are benevolent but not benign.

In the stillness I looked inside and saw the wound laid down within all of us... The wound that comes from believing we are alone amid dead uncaring nature. And then I took a breath and began to share stories of a time when the world was young, when everyone knew that plants were intelligent and could speak to human beings... A time when it was different.
-Stephen Buhner

Our kind is forgetful and has wandered far from the dream of the Earth, leaving many of us lonely and disconnected. We ask questions like "why are we here?", "are we alone?" and "is there any meaning?" Our ancestral mothers knew the land they lived on as their own grandmother, and the green nations as friends and allies. The meaning was in the living, and living was a celebration of both pleasure and pain. How could they be alone when the spirits spoke to them on the wind and the animals came to them in powerful dreams? We say there is no one left to teach us the old ways, but even now, the plants remember and dwell always within the dream of the Earth. It is the reality that we are each born into, and that we often spend most of our lives trying to find a way back to. In the dream of the Earth, we remember that the plants speak to us, that the animals are our kin and that our source is just below our feet. In this reality we are each (plant, beaver, woman and bird) an integral part of the story and every piece contains the necessary magic to remedy the rest, to create wholeness. In this place, our wisdom extends back to our ancestors, when we learned from spirits and badgers and from little blue flowers, just like this one.

Don't you want to know what she's saying? Silly girl, you'll never get to know her from way up there. Come down here, get on your hands and knees, stick your nose in the dirt and look at the underside of a single carefully serrated leaf. Ah, now you are a little bit closer. Let your vision slip out of focus, like you did as a kid, and watch the shifting images of plant and earth and rock and sky until you can see the way the patterns link and fit together. Now you are even closer.

Place your face inside a Morning Glory or one of the Sacred Daturas over there, observe the light that filters through the thin skin of petal and pigment. See the texture, veins, marks and scars that make each flower as individual as your own body. Notice how the pollen of every flower is different, the taste and weight and color of it. Breathe deep, breathe in the flower's breath, you are almost there.

Dig your fingers gently down into the ground. Feel the threads and fibers of the roots below. Sense the life that pulses from the living soil, bacteria and insects, the flow of sap through a thousand roots that tangle and weave, that range over miles, carrying back nourishment from far away. Look! The plants are not still, only subtle. Watch our beautiful little blue one. See how she bends and curves, moves this way and that. How her leaves fold in and expand outwards depending on the angle of the sun, the temperature of the ground, the moistness in the air. She dances an eternal dance that is unique just to her but is also intertwined with the larger dance of this ecosystem, this continent, this planet and the whole of all life.

Lay here for a long time, all night even. Be still until you begin to hear her hum, to feel the vibration in your throat and belly and fingers, until you know this song as your own heartbeat. Until you recognize it as the anthem of the Earth rising up through the plant into you. When this happens, you will have entered into the dream of the Earth, the timeless and cyclic center of all flowering. And you will have a portal, the one door that leads back into your true self. In our hearts, we know that we can only come to know ourselves through our roots, our birthplace, our home.

I remember tasting my first wild mustards, cress and dandelion greens. I knew I was being entered into... While I only half-listened to the to the talk of people, I immersed myself fully in the language of the green... Everything in me felt green. I felt the plants singing in me, making me their song.
-Rosemary Gladstar

There are countless ways of entering this state, many people ingest psycho-active plants to gain easier access to the plant world. Some use forms of meditation or trance, and others, especially children, seem to fall into it without even trying. Often we need a good teacher to show us the way, and sometimes it's easier alone. Once you've re-entered into it, you'll need less help returning each time. Eventually you'll realize that the dream of the Earth is the only reality and it will be impossible to see anything else.

While there's no one right way to initiate a relationship with the green world, certain understandings will help you on your journey. First, recognize that all plants are psycho-active, that all (even maple trees, even marigolds) have a definite influence or action upon the psyche, and it's not always necessary to ingest them. Depending on your own affinities and needs, your entire sense of reality can be changed by a plant as simple as the wild rose, or a common weed such as dandelion. This can occur instantly or over a period of time, what is most important is how you approach your relationship with the plant.

It is not half so important to know as to feel.
-Rachel Carson

Go to the plant with openness and awareness, releasing any preconceived notions of what the plant's "properties" are from your consciousness. Instead, observe how you feel (physically, emotionally, spiritually) when you are near the plant, during harvesting, while burning the plant as smudge, when you eat its body as food or ingest the tincture as a medicine. Cultivate a reverent attitude, for these plants are our teachers. Much older than our own species, they are infinitely wiser than us in the ways of the Earth's dance. They have seen the complex and interwoven web of life develop, expand, change with each generation. They have much to teach us.

Our little blue flowered friend here is a native Gila Sage. Little is written of her in the literature, and though she shares some of their healing properties, she doesn't have the familiar sagey smell or fuzzy leaves of many of her relatives. She has escaped the notice of most, yet I felt her call from the moment I first saw her standing among the mugwort and alders. Like many sages she calms anxiety and relieves feelings of extreme stress, but has a special way all her own of grounding us firmly in the dreaming of the Earth. Not the cold, hard perspective our culture calls reality but the lucid fluidity that forms the molten core of our blessed planet. It is with her assistance that I have healed my once hurt and ungrounded spirit, and it was her calming touch has allowed me to grow into the healer I am becoming more and more each day.


There are holes inside all of us. Holes that can only be filled by certain plants. Empty space needing tree or stone or bear. Emptiness that can only be filled by some of the other life of this Earth...
-Stephen Buhner

Pay attention to your intuition and inner ear. Listen when a plant calls to you, even when it's not the plant you expected, or even wanted. You'd be surprised how often much maligned plants like Ambrosia (also called Ragweed) turn out to be powerful teachers and medicines. Every plant, from the littlest Chickweed to the most volatile Poison Ivy to the oldest Oak has a message to give. The message may be one of simple healing or great love, but it may also be the immense hurt and rage of the wounded Earth rising up to teach us in a new way since we could not hear her gentler messengers. Whatever the teaching, listen closely. We have heard only the roar of human voices for too long, and now is the time to be quiet.

Try not to pick plants that represent what you already know. Don't pick an Oak tree because you think you need to be strong. Forget everything you think you know. Listen. Just listen, because it may well be that instead of strength you need the flexibility of the Willow, the visionary dreams of Skullcap or even Elder's ability to break and regrow from the roots. Let go of everything and let the Earth touch and transform the vulnerable center of you. Allow the plants to recognize you, and with their help you will learn to recognize yourself.

Knowing the plants, and the whole of the Earth, is not just sensation and knowledge, but also commitment. Commitment to keeping your heart open, your senses alive, and to a reciprocal relationship in which you use the wisdom of the plant in a meaningful way. To heal what is broken, to maintain the sacredness of self and land and to protect the interconnective web of life. But most of all, to pass on this precious gift of awareness to our generation and the next. To teach the children to hear the plants again, to return to the dream of the Earth.

The Sap is Running

The Cottonwood trees are budding, the Pink Filaree is already blooming and the Mugwort and Mallow are growing so rapidly I can hardly keep up with them. We had Spring Nettle soup a few nights ago and I'm eagerly anticipating the return of the Watercress (provided the Spring floods don't come early this year). The river is up from recent precipitation in the form of snow and rain, and probably a bit of snow melt from higher up as well.

Of course, I'm already plotting about what new plants I might find this Spring (I know there's Spikenard around here SOMEWHERE), what greens and herbs I want to grow (amazingly hard here on a lot of levels, but worth it) and what plants I need to harvest and propagate. I've got extra help with the gardens this year since I found Lisa Rayner's book Growing Food in the Southwest Mountains, an amazing permaculture guide to arid mountain ecology.

I'm also already planning this May's Medicine Woman's Wild Plant Workshop, a four day intensive on relationship with the plants. I expect this workshop will turn into one long wonderful rambling plant walk. Those interested can write to me or register at the above link.

I'm also leading a plant walk, and teaching a Medicine Woman workshop with my partner Loba at this year's Women's Retreat at 3SidedWhole in the desert outside of Albuquerque in early May.

I love Spring in the Gila!

So Many Mallows: A Native Nourishing Tonic

(Althea spp., Malva spp., Sphaeralcea spp. etc)

Energetics: cool/moist
Primary Actions: yin (fluid) tonic, demulcent, anti-inflammatory, diuretic

This exceedingly common plant manages to grow in near desert conditions, parking lots, gardens and fields. It possesses many of the same valuable mucilaginous qualities that Slippery Elm has gained fame for, but is in much less danger of being overharvested. When in doubt, use weeds!

The most common mallows to the Gila are the Sphaeralcea spp., locally called Scarlet Globemallow or Yerba de la Negrita. This beautiful scarlet to orange flower flourishes through drought and flood, and provides a nice slimy mucilage even in July. We also have many of the Malva spp., often called Cheeseweed or Mallow, or sometimes just “that damn weed” by New Mexico gardeners.

Primarily ignored as a weed in North America, Mallow deserves more attention for it’s many healing talents. Central to it’s abilities is the gooey mucilage in the herb and its roots. The slime has a unique ability to locally stimulate the immune system, provide moisture for the skin and other organ systems, soothe hot, dry conditions, and reliably heal any abraded, irritated surface, inside or out. And here in the hot, dry Southwest, these qualities are of great importance.

Mallow is a perfect Winter plant, remedying the deep dryness that infiltrates so many of us this time of year from the inside out. If you have a tendency towards chronic coldness, try spicing it up a bit with some cinnamon or ginger.

You’d be surprised what a difference this simple plant can make in irritated stomach conditions where many other more popular herbs have failed to make a permanent difference. My standard digestive tea for IBS consists of Burdock, Dandelion, Chamomile, Licorice, Fennel and copious amounts of Mallow root and leaf. This works great to cool down a hot, overworked and under-functioning and belly. Mallow also has a gentle nervine action and this assists in the tension generally associated with IBS.

A classic for hot (notice a trend here?), burning urinary tract infections. I generally blend it with a bit of dried Manzanita or Uva-Ursi for a nasty tasting but very effective tea. Also for hot, irritated kidneys, gallbladder, lungs and so on. Remarkably healing and powerful, you must be patient to gain the full benefits as it’s generally a slow but steady acting plant not meant for acute situations

Mallow poultices are wonderfully cooling for burns, sunburns, rashes and other hot, dry skin conditions. It’s a very drawing substance, and helps pull out splinters, pimples, boils and the like. Also traditionally used on hard swellings, sprains, broken bones and similar swollen, painful conditions. I usually combine it with Mullein or Comfrey for these uses, but it works quite well on its own.

Mallow root oil is lovely and slimy, a great addition to general salves. I often prepare Mallow infusions in my Ginseng Cooker, as it seems to allow for a better extraction of both mucilage and starch, though plain old cold infusions work great to extract the mucilage, and regular hot infusions for the starch. I’ve also made some really lovely honey pastes with powdered mallow root that can be used for an inflamed throat or stomach. It can also be placed directly on burns or abrasions. But recently I’ve been using the paste as a nourishing yin tonic for fluid deficient individuals. I suspect it would be extra nourishing (for the dairy tolerant) taken with raw milk, yogurt or cream and a bit of ghee.

I prepare mallow leaves stir-fried or chopped fine in salads. It does have a peculiar, moist taste that some don’t care for, but I think it’s lovely. And why take medicine when you can eat food?

The Mallows all share a very sweet spirit that attracts gardeners, herbalists and people who just like flowers. While I don’t use flower essences per se, I do sometimes add a bit of Mallow flower tincture to formulas for those who need a little extra nourishing sweetness in their life.


References:
Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West by Michael Moore
The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism by Matthew Wood
Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest by Charlie Kane

Choice Injury Herbs

Living the Southwest means you get injured a lot: volcanic rock, an extraordinarily diverse array of cacti, pokey plants like Yucca, Agave and Nolina and lots of venomous insects like scorpions and spiders makes for good experience in general injury aid. While these herbs are primarily local SW herbs, you’ll usually be able to find local equivalents wherever you live.

White Sage (Salvia apiana) -cold, dry- A powerful disinfectant and anti-inflamatory that seems to share Lavender's ability to take the pain out of wounds, papercuts, cuts and burns. Other odiferous sages will work too, but this one is my favorite so far. I've had great results treating old, inflamed and infected wounds with it. It has a rather amazing ability to reduce pain in a big way (combine with Cottonwood and Pine for best results). For run of the mill scrapes and cuts I use a salve, but for deep infections, puncture wounds or burns in danger of infection I always use the diluted tincture.

Monarda fistulosa var. menthaefolia -warm/cool, dry- Wonderful for burns and any hot, irritated skin condition, rashes or wounds. I recommend using a fomentation or diluted tincture. I do expect that most Monardas would behave in the same way, but as I haven’t tried them, I can't be sure.

Mugwort (Artemisia spp.)-cool,dry- Great for itchy, hot rashes, the very best thing I’ve ever used on poison ivy and contact dermatitis conditions. Also makes a lovely (but terribly bitter) spit poultice for an array of wounds, rashes and other injuries. I’ve used it with very good results on tendonitis, sore muscles and contusions.

Yarrow (Achillea spp.) -cool/warm, dry- Yarrow is such a familiar wound herb I almost feel silly talking about it, but seeing as it’s one of my very favorites I must babble on a bit about it. Great for both deep and shallow wounds, very disinfectant, hemostatic and pain relieving. The roots are perhaps even more powerful than the flowering tops and preferable in the severe pain of toothaches. Spit poultices are phenomenal for insect stings and bites, but it works MUCH better if you add your spit than if you just smush the herb. Tincture & powdered flowering tops are my preferred preparations though I’ve had good luck with the vinegar as well.

Rose (Rose spp.) petal, leaf, bark or root -cold, dry- Excellent for blisters, burns, wounds and sunburns. Rose is a wound medicine of primary importance for many Native tribes. Diluted Rose petal vinegar is a wonderfully soothing way to treat a sunburn, takes the heat out quick. And Rose petal pastilles work great for a sore throat, Rose petal honey is wonderful, perhaps unsurpassed for burn care (I like it combined with Sage honey). Some indigenous people used branch/root ashes for burns too. You can pack wounds with ground Rose leaf and twigs, and fresh rose petals make a handy (and elegant) backwoods bandage (just lick it to make it stick better). And because Rose is such an efficient blood mover, I like to use a fomentation or vinegar on both small bruises and larger contusions, it can be combined with Peony root for even better results. And Rose leaf spit poultices are another great one for insect stings and bites.

Nettles (Urtica dioica) -cool, dry- A lovely and effective hemostatic, do be sure to use the ~dried~ leaves though. A salve made of the fresh plant is wonderful for eczema, psoriasis and other hot, dry rashes. It can also be used on strains, sprains and tendonitis. The fresh plant has been used as a counterirritant for arthritis but I haven’t tried that yet myself.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) -cool, moist- We've all heard about the amazing feats Comfrey has accomplished in the way of broken bones and wounds, but I was still quite shocked at the impressive results I obtained by using a simple Comfrey leaf salve on a knee ligament injury recently. The knee had been bashed in a truck door, severely bruising the ligaments and causing remarkable swelling with great pain and complete immobility. Now ideally, I would add something warming and diffusive to keep the injury from getting stuck and hard, but all I had on hand right then was a large container of comfrey leaf salve. Surprisingly, with each application the injury became noticeably less swollen and painful and eventually mobile. Through the healing process (the last month or so) I've tried various other herbs (liniments with lobelia and cayenne, arnica oil, Mugwort, Cottonwood, Mullein root and so on), the only things that came close were Cottonwood bud oil and Mugwort oil, but they still weren't quite as effective. Now most of you will already know this but I must mention it (no, I’m NOT going to talk about PLAs), but be sure not to use Comfrey on ANY open wound that might have even a TRACE of infection. It may cause the skin to heal so quickly that it closes right over a festering infection, leading to all kinds of systemic nastiness. This is a WONDERFUL herb used properly, but it’s powerful enough that we need to understand where it’s indicated and where it’s not.

Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata) -cold, dry-
Great for scorpion stings, caterpillar hairs in your fingers (you know those little prickly haired caterpillars that crawl into bed with you and then leave their stingy hairs in your hands) and other venomous insects. A generally wonderful herb for all kinds of cuts, scratches, burns, wounds, fungal infections, rashes and just about anything else.

Goldenrod (Solidago spp) -warm, dry- An absolute miracle for pulled muscles, even when nothing else works. Better than ANY other herb I’ve ever used (including Arnica) for pulled, strained or overworked muscles. It works great for any wounds too, as well as arthritic swellings and the like, but it's specialty seems to be in the muscles. This is one of the twenty or so herbs I would NEVER be without, luckily it’s a very common weed in North America. I've used it primarily as an oil, but I suspect a liniment would be lovely too.

Pine (Pinus spp) -warm, dry- Pine resin makes an excellent if messy (ever tried getting melted pine resin out of the bottom of small mouthed quart jar? Impossible!)tincture vinegar or oil. The resin can also be used straight on wounds and burns. Anti-inflammatory, astringent and disinfectant, this is another very multi-purpose herb that can be used for just about any wound, nerve pain, burn, muscular aches or skin condition. Also great as a counterirritant to draw out splinters, boils an other things you don’t want in your flesh. And though I haven’t seen it confirmed in the literature, I find that it is often quite pain relieving. The needles and bark can be used as well but I like the resin best, for a milder preparation I mix all three together.

Cottonwood (Populus spp) -cool, dry- One of my very favorites, with many many applications. I make a vinegar with bark for burns, sunburns and scrapes. An oil of the buds is a great all purpose salve that relieves pain, disinfects and creates a protective coating over the wound. It also works remarkably well on contusions, tendonitis, injured ligaments, and strained or sore muscles. You can also use a high proof tincture of the buds and bark for any of those purposes.

Alder (Alnus spp.) -cool, dry- Astringent and anti-bacterial, Alder makes a wonderful salve, fomentation or liniment for sunburns, burns, all manner of wounds, infections and skin irritations.

Mullein root and flower (Verbascum thapsu) - A first rate herb for swellings, wounds, spinal injuries, bruises, burns, wounds and so on. The root and flower are especially anti-inflammatory though I find the leaves to be more directly healing. All parts of the plant are quite pain relieving.

Elder leaf, bark and flower (Sambucus nigra spp.) -cool, dry- Though a bit strange smelling, these Elder bits works very well for almost any inflammation, infection, rash, wound or pain. That sounds a bit broad, but Elder is one of the most multi-purpose plants I’ve ever worked with, energetically conforming to whatever need is present. I’ve used it for bruises, sprains, arthritis, nerve pain, cuts, infections, sunburns, severe burns and hot rashes all to good effect. I generally mix a little Elder into any wound preparation I’m making, just for good measure.

Mahonia spp -cold, dry- This lovely little berberene containing plant makes a great root powder for all kind of stubborn infections and various first aid needs. I find to work best in a mixed first aid powder containing other wound healing plants.

Plantain (Plantago major) -cool, neutral- The first plant to think of in venomous spider bites, especially those from the brown recluse, use poultices of the fresh plant. Extraordinarily healing and pain relieving for wounds, sprains, cuts, bruises, burns and insect bites and stings. The spit poultice works best, though oil based preparations are effective as well.

Prickly Pear (Opuntia spp.) pads and flowers -cool,moist- An excellent all around anti-inflammatory and wound healer. Of great use on stubbed toes, broken bones, burns or any other kind of swelling that you need to take the inflammation down on quickly. Just be sure not to hurt yourself worse with the stickers which are best burned off.

Vervain (Verbena spp.) -cool, dry- A specific for nerve & muscle pain, the powdered herb was traditionally used but the liniment seems to work very well too. It’s also quite useful for wounds, burns, eczema, sprains and insect stings and bites. For nerve pain, I recommend taking internally as well.

Snakeweed (Gutierrezia spp.)-warm, dry- A resinous and strange plant that populates huge sections of the West as a symptom of the overgrazing so prevalent here. Ranchers, gardeners and even the EPA seems to hate it, but Indigenous and Spanish peoples have long recognized it’s extraordinary value, and even considered to be sacred. The whole plant is very anti-inflammatory and pain relieving and has a long history of use in arthritis. Traditionally the dried plant was used in the bath and drank as a tea at the same time. It’s also effective made into an oil or salve and used on arthritic joints, sore muscles, and wounds. A poultice works very well for insect sting and bites as well as all manner of injuries, including sprains, broken bones and bruises.

Marshmallow, Mallow & Scarlet Globemallow (Althea spp., Malva spp. & Sphaeralcea spp.) -cool, moist- A very soothing demulcent plant, wonderful as a fomentation for burns, scrapes and rashes. Also as an all-purpose wound healer as it stimulates the immune system locally and allows the wound heal quicker. It’s also very drawing for splinters, boils and other things that need to come to the surface. I use as a fomentation, plaster or oil.

Usnea spp. -cool. dry- An intensely antibacterial lichen that can be powdered straight from the tree and used on any irritation, inflammation or infection. A high proof tincture is also effective. Decoctions will work but not all constituents are water soluble.

Cow Parsnip ( Heracleum maximum) seeds and root -warm, dry- A specific for nerve pain or injury and toothaches but useful for all wounds and swellings. I primarily use the diluted tincture.