Gloria picked some of the tansy (tanacetum vulgare) invading her yard and brought it to our permaculture guild meeting for Meg today. I stuck my nose over the bag and breathed in deep--and it smelled incredible! The leaves are feathery and fern-like, and it hasn't gone to flower yet. Gloria said that tansy relieves headaches, and also can be used to keep ants away.
Some sources say it can be tinctured to treat gout, or to treat spasms. It also has a reputation for killing intestinal worms. Susun Weed says that tansy is an abortifacant and emmenogogue.
Sources
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/t/tansy-05.html
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/November04/anti-cancer.htm
http://www.sisterzeus.com/Tansy.htm
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Pay attention!
Today I was playing with my friend's 1 year old in the yard outside Clara's, and I thought I'd bust out one of my godson's favorite games: "Mimi fall down." This game mostly involves me falling down, and then saying in a silly way, "ohhhhh nooo!" This one year old also seemed to be a big fan. So I started getting pretty into my routine of getting up, then dramatically toppling over, when I fell right on top of something prickly. Ouch!
This thing seemed to be trying to get me to pay attention to something, so I figured I'd best do a google image search for "prickly weed." I'm not completely sure, but signs point to Scotch Thistle (Onopordum acanthium). What a lovely find! Scotch Thistle is a heart tonic, and used as a cardiac stimulant. This site has a lot of good advice on how to cook various parts of the plant.
Resources
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/o/onopordum-acanthium=scotch-thistle.php
http://www.weleda.co.nz/scotch-thistle-onopordum/w1/i1003464/
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/weeds/msg091533545748.html
This thing seemed to be trying to get me to pay attention to something, so I figured I'd best do a google image search for "prickly weed." I'm not completely sure, but signs point to Scotch Thistle (Onopordum acanthium). What a lovely find! Scotch Thistle is a heart tonic, and used as a cardiac stimulant. This site has a lot of good advice on how to cook various parts of the plant.
Resources
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/o/onopordum-acanthium=scotch-thistle.php
http://www.weleda.co.nz/scotch-thistle-onopordum/w1/i1003464/
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/weeds/msg091533545748.html
How dry is dry?
Checked on the purple deadnettle I hung up to dry this morning, and it's hard to say if they're dry enough or not. The leaves are indeed dry, but they don't crumble in my hand, so I remember reading they should. Another day or so?
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Violets
I think violets catch your eye because they want you to use them. They want to to stop, and gasp, and think "isn't that pretty." Then they want you to think "...what if I nibbled on one?" Honestly, violets are like those little candies in the store that appeal to children--tiny, bite-size, brightly colored, cute as hell, and just plain full of good cheer.
Unlike most children's candies, violets are packed with minerals and vitamins, like A and C. They are somewhat mucilaginous, and have been said to do wonders for breast health. Violets are alteratives (blood purifiers), and seem to stimulate the lymphatic system, getting stagnant systems going and clearing things out. It is a cooling herb, and said to have a reductive effect on some tumors and cancers. Also known as heartsease or viola, I should have put some in Clara's birthday tea blend to celebrate her love of stringed instruments! With it's heart-shaped leaves, maybe the "heartsease" moniker has to do with its attributes as a heart tonic--even more fitting for Clara, because she is often like a heart tonic to me as well.
Herbalist Jim McDonald has mentioned violets as bitters containing saponins, which are kind of like plant aspirin. It makes sense, then, that violets would reduce pain and headaches.
But what do I want to do with this wild violet bounty? One website suggested a violet syrup, so I found a few pages with instructions on this process. There appear to be two main approaches: one with sugar, and one using honey. The honey syrup seems to be particular useful for treating coughs. The site below lists both, and includes some good tips from experience.
http://eco-chick.com/2010/04/5667/herbs-of-spring-make-your-own-violet-syrup/
Resources:
http://www.susunweed.com/An_Article_wisewoman3e.htm
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Violets.html
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/violasoro.html
Unlike most children's candies, violets are packed with minerals and vitamins, like A and C. They are somewhat mucilaginous, and have been said to do wonders for breast health. Violets are alteratives (blood purifiers), and seem to stimulate the lymphatic system, getting stagnant systems going and clearing things out. It is a cooling herb, and said to have a reductive effect on some tumors and cancers. Also known as heartsease or viola, I should have put some in Clara's birthday tea blend to celebrate her love of stringed instruments! With it's heart-shaped leaves, maybe the "heartsease" moniker has to do with its attributes as a heart tonic--even more fitting for Clara, because she is often like a heart tonic to me as well.
Herbalist Jim McDonald has mentioned violets as bitters containing saponins, which are kind of like plant aspirin. It makes sense, then, that violets would reduce pain and headaches.
But what do I want to do with this wild violet bounty? One website suggested a violet syrup, so I found a few pages with instructions on this process. There appear to be two main approaches: one with sugar, and one using honey. The honey syrup seems to be particular useful for treating coughs. The site below lists both, and includes some good tips from experience.
http://eco-chick.com/2010/04/5667/herbs-of-spring-make-your-own-violet-syrup/
Resources:
http://www.susunweed.com/An_Article_wisewoman3e.htm
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Violets.html
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/violasoro.html
Tinctures
I made my first tinctures on the 23rd, and Jim (as he says on his herbcraft site) is right--it is frightening at first, but for no good reason! I thought making tinctures would be like making a potion, involving bubbling cauldrons and double-boilers. No way! All it takes is proper harvesting and cleaning, chopping, a jar, and some grain alcohol.
There was plenty of plantain and chickweed growing outside, so I harvested those for my first tinctures. I realized I didn't have any liquor on hand, so I ran out to the store and got some Seagram's vodka for about $14. Maybe I should have bought something cheaper? Probably, it's not like I'm making a fancy mixed drink. But, I wanted to do it right the first time, so I spring for the Seagram's.
The vodka was only 100 proof, meaning 50-60% ABV. I went back to the store to get more alcohol for tinctures this evening, and they hooked me up with some everclear for $20, which is 151 proof, or 75.5% ABV. It is illegal to sell 190 proof everclear in Michigan. This might be an expensive endeavor if I don't find a great high proof grain alcohol hook up, because the whole bottle only made me two jars of tincture.
I chopped up the plantain and covered it with vodka in a small salsa jar, and the chickweed went chopped into a large-mouth mason jar. Each let greenish stains on the wooden cutting board--more so than lettuce or other greens seem to leave behind. Jim was right about that too: you really get to know the plants the more time you spend working with them. The plantain, for example, was crunchy, crisp, and strong, and noticeably more demulcent near the base. This may sound weird, but I think the plantain may not want me to use it. Okay, yeah, it does sound crazy. But the jar with the tincture in it fell right off the shelf. It fell a good way to the floor, but didn't crack! The lid somehow flung off upon landing, even though it is a screw-on type, spilling some of the plantain and much of the vodka onto the kitchen floor (also leaving a green hue behind). The glass magically remained intact, so I tried to justify this seemingly negative omen, telling myself that I was lucky to have this small amount left to steep. The glass jar still sits, hardly full, on the shelf, but I don't know whether to keep it or toss it. Tell me, plantain, just what to do.
As I've been typing, I keep hearing gunshots going off. Makes it hard to focus on herbs when the world outside my window is hurting.
Resources:
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/issue-7/how-to-make-a-tincture.php
http://www.herbcraft.org/preparations.html
There was plenty of plantain and chickweed growing outside, so I harvested those for my first tinctures. I realized I didn't have any liquor on hand, so I ran out to the store and got some Seagram's vodka for about $14. Maybe I should have bought something cheaper? Probably, it's not like I'm making a fancy mixed drink. But, I wanted to do it right the first time, so I spring for the Seagram's.
The vodka was only 100 proof, meaning 50-60% ABV. I went back to the store to get more alcohol for tinctures this evening, and they hooked me up with some everclear for $20, which is 151 proof, or 75.5% ABV. It is illegal to sell 190 proof everclear in Michigan. This might be an expensive endeavor if I don't find a great high proof grain alcohol hook up, because the whole bottle only made me two jars of tincture.
I chopped up the plantain and covered it with vodka in a small salsa jar, and the chickweed went chopped into a large-mouth mason jar. Each let greenish stains on the wooden cutting board--more so than lettuce or other greens seem to leave behind. Jim was right about that too: you really get to know the plants the more time you spend working with them. The plantain, for example, was crunchy, crisp, and strong, and noticeably more demulcent near the base. This may sound weird, but I think the plantain may not want me to use it. Okay, yeah, it does sound crazy. But the jar with the tincture in it fell right off the shelf. It fell a good way to the floor, but didn't crack! The lid somehow flung off upon landing, even though it is a screw-on type, spilling some of the plantain and much of the vodka onto the kitchen floor (also leaving a green hue behind). The glass magically remained intact, so I tried to justify this seemingly negative omen, telling myself that I was lucky to have this small amount left to steep. The glass jar still sits, hardly full, on the shelf, but I don't know whether to keep it or toss it. Tell me, plantain, just what to do.
As I've been typing, I keep hearing gunshots going off. Makes it hard to focus on herbs when the world outside my window is hurting.
Resources:
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/issue-7/how-to-make-a-tincture.php
http://www.herbcraft.org/preparations.html
Shopping for greens in the backyard
I started the day in a foul mood, but scrounging around for free food in the backyard with the sun beating gently on my back somehow made those yucky feelings melt away. I had one of those giant mixed organic salad green plastic containers that was almost empty, so I grabbed it and begin filling it with scavenged goodies.These gorgeous flowers started to pop up in our small stretch of back lawn the other day. I thought they might be violets because of their heart-shaped leaves, and the shape of the flowers, but I wasn't sure since they were mostly white, with hints of blues and purples. After willing them to be violets for a day or two, and some internet research, it turns out they are a type of blue violet. On the herbal intensive recordings I've been listening to Jim went on and on about how important eating bitters is, and he gave violets as a tasty and nutritive example. He also talked about how bitters might be good to help clear funks. Did I make that up? Either way, my funk was cleared. It's so exciting to be able to listen to what Jim says on the recordings, and have it finally seem to make sense. Not that it didn't make sense before, but I feel more connected now. To the material, to the world around me--things are just in place.
In with the violet flowers and leaves went hefty amounts of dandelion greens, which although they flowers aren't popping up in my yard yet, I did notice some full yellow heads next door at Carl and Mariuca's. For good measure, I put in a smattering of purple deadnettle and chickweed as I came across it. Also, grabbed some kale that is now looking quite tasty after making it through the winter. The bottom leaves are still covered in aphids and gnats, but the top growth seems to be free of pests. This salad, accompanied with roasted carrots and beets, was the perfect reward after spending the afternoon prepping and planting gardens at Amit's house. Dig in!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Drying herbs
I picked a bunch of purple deadnettle from the garden rows yesterday to dry out for teas, leaving them sitting in a milk crate in the shade until late afternoon/evening when I put them together in bunches. I know harvesting late morning was key, but I think I probably should have hung them right away. I put some together last night into about 9 pieces a bunch, and hung them in the basement. This morning I strung up the last three bunches I'd done and left sitting on the table overnight. The rest I threw out. If I compost weeds, will the seeds spread in the garden? Maybe not if I get it hot enough?This was my first drying experience, so we'll see how it goes. I also harvested way too much for me to use (although there is PLENTY left out there). I was going to eat some, but leaving them sitting all day they weren't really fresh anymore. An interesting note, when I was working with the last of the deadnettle this morning, my nose got all runny and sneezy. This made it hard to work, but since I'd been stuffed up on one side since I woke up, it cleared my sinuses right up. It really illustrated for me what Jim always said about "talking" to plants, and getting to know the herbs. Only by working with them can you really come to know them. And these deadnettle were definitely communicating with me!
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