Nature Writing with Nicole: 2012

A Walk In The Park

Back in April I posted about noxious weeds in the Puget Sound area after wondering about all the weeds in my garden. What I should come to understand about them before weeding them out. My roommate sent me a link to this blog about edible weeds: http://www.eattheweeds.com/ Well this man is working out of FL so obviously the plants will be different. I like his acronym "ITEM" which signifies an ethic toward reasonable wildcrafting.

[I] Identify - the plant (no pretending)

[T] Timing - consider the plant's needs, should you be harvesting right now?

[E] Environment - is right here a proper place to eat from?

[M] Method - be careful (do it for the kids)

I recently went for a walk in the park (Boeing Creek in Shoreline), December 24, 2012 to see what is growing. I brought one of my guide books. Northwest Foraging by Doug Benoliel If it were back in the day and I had to rely on berries, plants and roots, what could I reasonably eat from this park? I was mostly curious about edible greens. I saw a lot of Oregon Grape.

As for environment, I'd harvest from this sweet little, woodland. I used to run these trails back in Cross Country. Here is a nice, historical article about the park: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Creek And atleast one review on Yelp recommends the park for smoking pot and harvesting Indian Plum (not the time of year for that one). But most of all how could I say no to this beautiful log formation?

I saw one plant with enough abundance and large leaves just perfect for a salad. But I didn't know what it was. The book I had with my demonstrated no similar pictures. No answers.

Now King County has a great archive of "noxious weed photographs" http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification.aspx for people like me without a mentor to follow. Though they are largely organized by flower color and now is not this plant's time of year for flowers. You can send them your photos though through email and they will help you identify it.

Needless to say my ITEMs weren't checking out so I left the park with only a few photographs.

Jasmine Dream Medicine

I am drinking Jasmine tea as I write this.

Herbalist Corinne Boyer came into my dream last night with jasmine berries like a gift from God. Before I went to bed I decided I wanted to remember something from my dreams tonight. She had visited our community house and stayed the night. We'd had a huge feast and I was in the kitchen the next morning taking care of a huge pile of dishes. She was attending to my friend Desiree who was getting ready to leave for work and came up to me with a jar of granola she'd made. She told me the berries were jasmine and blueberries. The jasmine was a pink berry. I looked these plants up online because other than knowing blueberries are "superfruits" antioxidants I don't know much about them.

Jasmine is in the olive family (Oleaceae) and is valued for it's perfume and incense. It grows in subtropical and tropical zones but has been naturalized in some mediterranean climates. The flower only opens at night. It is more of a ritual flower than medicine - though rituals are a powerful medicine - in marriages, religious ceremony, and festivals. In Thailand they are a symbol for motherhood. They are the national flower in countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Phillipines. The name is derived from Yasameen ("gift from God") through Arabic and Latin. (Info from Wikipedia...) Check out these beautiful images:

Also the plant is medicinal and is more often used in Women's Health, particularly in Ayurvedic medicine. Some properties include: astringent, antibacterial, antiviral, cooling, bitter. It is said to treat breast cancer, stimulate the uterus, calm nerves and act as an aphrodesiac (probably in aromatherapy). Specifically in aromatherapy jasmine treats depression and is used during childbirth. Because it's said to be an emmenagogue (stimulate blood flow in pelvic area and uterus) an emollient (soothing and softening) and galactagogue (increasing milk supply).

More information: http://www.ageless.co.za/herb-jasmine.htm

Holiday Barter of Herbs

Last night I attended Backyard Barter's Holiday Barter at Sunset Hill Community Center. I was a bit disappointed by the turnout this year but was glad to offer two kinds of salves, an herbal lube (a hot item - I will have to make more of that) and green tomato cranberry chutney.

It was an enjoyable Monday night at the end of November. Tables were set up to fill the perimeter of the room. 2-3 people shared a table; I was next to Bridget's conch mushroom forages and elephant garlic from her garden. Candles were lit throughout the room and a woman was in the back offering reiki healing.

A woman asked me what I plan to do with these products I make and suggested I consider a booth at a Farmer's Market. Since some legislation just passed that allows people to create products and directly sell them to customers without the required use of a certifed commercial kitchen. I am looking into that a bit more but would have to get really organized. I'm not sure I want to sink costs into producing herbal medicines but I'll stay open to the idea. Perhaps I'll chat up some people at the Fremont Market this Sunday. http://www.fremontmarket.com/FAQ_2010.html

Putting the Garden to Bed?

Went to a workshop at Swanson's last Saturday about preparing garden beds for winter. Besides the garlic and other herbs we will not be growing food here. Most of the beds will have cover crop (Faba Beans and Austrian Pea). Other than that I'm collecting the falling leaves to place down as mulch. The mulch will help protect the soil from erosion. So far the rains have been exposing rocks, which has been good to remove from the beds. Better not to encourage too much erosion though. I wonder how long the leaves will last before they decay though.

I wonder if we should transplant the catnip and other herbs in pots. They say it's better to have plants in the ground rather than in pots, which may not survive deep freezes. What will we get this winter?

Here is a nice little chore list for preparing winter: http://gardening.about.com/od/fallinthegarden/a/NovGarden.htm?nl=1

This is the worksheet Swanson's provided last Saturday: http://www.swansonsnursery.com/PDF/1_GENERAL/Putting%20the%20Garden%20to%20Bed.pdf

Herbs With Heart

Poppyswap.com just sent an email out titled "Emotional Herbs" listing products prepared for easing heart pain sure to come in to the winter months. I followed one link to the "Tranquility Tincture" created by Wise Mountain Botanicals so that I can see what ingrediants they are working with. It is a blend of: Lemon Balm, Lavender, Skullcap, Motherwort, and Chamomile. I have these herbs sitting in jars right now that I may as well turn into a tincture. Many of the folks I'm talking to right now are having a hard time emotionally, just like I am. A gift just in time for the holidays.

Herb Digest has been showing posts lately regarding Hawthorn. I went to a workshop recently about the connection between Hawthorn and the heart. It's right there in the rhyme. I recently picked up Traditional Medicinal's "Heart Tea" because it was on sale at PCC for $1. Unbelievable. It's a blend of Hawthorn and Hibiscus, and when steeped produces a beautiful red color. Besides that I have a little bag of Hawthorn berries I've been saving to brew in a kombucha tea.

I am particularly interested in Hawthorn for strong cardiovascular health because heart disease runs on both sides of my family - but also for it's capacity in emotional healing. Hawthorn is said to relax the arteries, stimulating healthy blood pressure. It also acts as an antioxidant and works synergistically with the body's Vitamin E levels. Apparently in experimentally-induced heart attacks in animals, as well as in animals fed high-cholesteral diets, hawthorn use has been shown to protect the liver (aiding detoxification) and to reduce cholesterol levels by 23%.

Here is an article put out by Science Daily regarding the physiological affects of Hawthorn use: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122203321.htm

If the body and mind are intimately connected, then a heart relaxant must certainly help relax one's emotions. I am experimenting with this on my self right now. How is this plant different from the herbs in the Tranquility Tonic or something like St Johns Wort?

Tincture Time

Today is full moon (12:49PM PST) and so is an ideal time to begin tinctures. Just in time for Halloween. Some folks say you should start tinctures on New Moon and steep them for a couple weeks but I prefer the full moon process. Let the moon work it's waning magic then wax into potency. I used Woodinville Whiskey Co. Vodka and am making preparations for Yohimbe Bark and American Ginseng.

The way to make tinctures is by pouring 80 proof + alcohol into an airtight container, covering all of the herb/bark content, with a couple inches of room. http://www.kcweb.com/herb/tincture.htm Remove them from the light (I'm keeping mine covered with a black sweater) and shake once a day, stirring attention.

Why should you believe in the power of tinctures? First you must believe in the potency of plant medicine. The first layer of that depends on the growing conditions of the plant, particularly in the health of the soil. I purchased these herbs from apothecaries, and even though I can have a certain amount of confidence in their "organic" label - I don't really know what the soil conditions are. I also can't be sure of their shelf life, another factor contributing to how effective these tinctures will end of being.

The next layer of potency has to do with the extraction process. Since I am steeping the barks in liquid for one month without heating them, I don't risk destroying volatile oil content. Also the alcohol helps preserve the plant constituents in a way that brewing a tea cannot. The shelf life lasts years longer. Other benefits include lower dosage requirements (a small number of drops compared to however many cups of tea or numbers of capsules) that are assimilated into the body quicker.

Which plants to make tinctures out of? What plant medicine do you need?
Yohimbe http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/759.html
Ginseng http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/967.html

Drying Out Cold Relief

I just spent the evening processing eucalyptus leaves to dry with the rest of my dried herb collection - wildcrafted, or gifts from other gardeners. Some of them are ready to be put to use. Rosemary, two kinds of mint, spearmint, oregano, alder bark, pineapple sage, calendula, and savory.

Not too sure what I'm going to do with each of them. I previously made a tea of rosemary and nettle to settle allergies. That combined with mint could make a great tea. The rosemary (there's a ton of it), oregano and sage will be great for culinary purposes of course. Also oregano, an antioxidant and antimicrobial is said to make a good cold remedy, so will have to be added to that tea.

I'm excited about the alder bark. I harvested it from Enchanted Valley recently. The tree can be found all over Seattle - a sweet native tree. Indigenous use treated poison oak, insect bites, and skin irritations. I've also read it's good for treating colds (and here we are in cold season). Alder contains lupeol, a compound that is antimicrobial, antinflammatory and, apparently, antitumor. I could use the bark to make a tincture. Or a salve.

I've never used savory before, but looking it up now I see it's in the mint family and is typically used as a digestive aid - like mint. A friend recently requested a digestive tea. So perhaps I will combine all the lamiaceae's into a tea (rosemary, oregano, mint, spearmint, pineapple sage, savory). That could be fun. An antimicrobial, cold relief digestive tea. Just perfect to last the winter.

Green Tomato Time

Sometimes you have to make radical changes. I was starting to feel like one of our tomato plants was crowding out the mustard and spinach seedlings so I decided to take the plant out before it's time. There weren't that many tomatoes left anyway, and perhaps some of them would have ripened but now they are good for green tomato recipes. We have four other tomato plants to prepare green tomato recipes for anyway because there will always be green tomatoes at the end of the season. Thanks Black Prince, you've been great, but it's time to make room for the winter garden.

I am not providing you with any recipes you can't find yourself. But here are some I think look worthwhile:

Green Tomato Chutney - just in time for Thanksgiving

Green and Red Tomato and Corn Soup - since it's the season for corn, anyway

"Southern" Fried Green Tomatoes - cornmeal is the key

Green Tomato Salsa Verde - who doesn't eat salsa?

Green Tomato Bread - could be good with squash too

BL-Fried Green T Sandwiches - BLT's were one of my favorites growing up

With all these options perhaps we won't have enough green tomatoes to go around. I'm excited.

Oso Berry Aphrodisia

In one week I'm headed to a conference in Boulder with my cousin titled Reclaiming Aphrodite, which is designed around empowering women's sexuality. The first (and only) time I went to an oyster bar was with my cousin, too, and now we are going to this conference, well how about that. I'm trying to prepare myself emotionally for this by considering my own sexuality. Are aphrodisiacs more powerful than sugar?

I don't know most of the plants or animals listed on the wikipedia page. Who knew arugula was an aphrodisiac? I knew there were greater reasons why I planted a whole bed of them, only to watch them overtake the yard with all those white flowers. Other startling finds include leafcutter ants, spanish fly, duck embryo, and deer penis. The fact that this grosses me out makes me feel really tame.

Other plants I'm more open to include gingko, ginseng, and damiana. But I guess these aren't the most powerful herbs compared to yohimbe, tribulus and maca. Yet they are all exotic plants way out of my country, and I have to draw the line somewhere. Nor are watermelon and avocados in season here in Seattle, but kabocha squash is... I have already some gingko waiting to be made into a salve/lube.

Here are some other resources on aphrodisiac herbal care:
http://www.anniesremedy.com/chart_remedy.php?tag=aphrodisiac
http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/aromatherapyaphrodisiacs.asp
http://www.angelfire.com/fl5/keywest0/LoveFoods.html

If aphrodisiacs are real than every town must have it's own plant verson. One possibility for this area is osoberry/ indian plum - one of the first shrubs to show new leaves in Spring. The baby leaves taste like cucumber. Bark is used for tea, twigs chewed as an aphrodisiac. An easy harvest from Discovery Park.

Hallelujah, Alliums

I'm so excited to plant garlic again, and this image of all the little cloves splayed on the bed is pretty cute - though better in person - I had to take it. These cloves will all be sprouts in a few weeks.

But anyway I'm curious about the effect of planting garlic right off the sidewalk. My roommate does not like the idea of planting food there because she thinks dogs will piss on it. But I think planting root crops there makes sense, and food might as well be grown there, and garlic is oh so useful.

Garlic (Allium family with onions, leeks. We have some chives growing in the garden, and I'd love a little practice growing leeks.) is a wonderful food/medicine. It contains a couple cool compounds - allicin, an antibiotic, and allixin, an antimicrobial and antioxidant demonstrated to have reduced cancer in mice. Allicin is responsible for garlic breath. The medicine is in the poison. I'm eaten raw cloves when I felt a cold coming on, and even though that never fails to give me nausea, it seems to stave off the worse stuff.

Other fun facts: garlic was used to prevent gangrene back in WWI and WWII. It boosts testosterone levels. In folk medicine traditions out of Europe, garlic was hung in windows, or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes to ward off vampires. Perhaps you need to know that.

What To Do With Dill Seed

I just cleared out a bunch of arugula plants from June and noticed the dill is going to seed. The plant is very large and so there will be a good harvest. I will probably harvest dill weed while I'm at it. What shall I do with all the abundance?

Dill, in the carrot family Apiaceae along with parsley, asafoetida, fennel and queen anne's lace (wild carrot) is carminative - helps relieve gas. These are known as being aromatic plants with hollow stems. Somehow this information makes dill pickling seem that much more cool. This wikipedia entry offers many recipe ideas for using dill among different cultures. I must try making Holy Ghost Soup soon, some kind of vegan version.

I like this website's little bits of anecdote. Dill pillows were placed in cribs to lull babies. A pouch of dill worn could lull one's heart and clear the mind. The plant outside our fence functions to protect our slumhouse, of course. According to herb-magic.com, if I soak the seeds for 3 days then take a dill bath with them I will improve the state of my love affairs. Hmmm...

In addition to being carminative, dill seed is said to be mildly antibacterial due to its volatile oils, and is compared to garlic. I do not believe I've seen dill seed essential oil sold in stores though. Dill seeds also contain antioxidant compounds, calcium and iron. A good plant source of iron is important to know. Here is more information about iron for vegan diets. Plenty of necessity in this plant.

What To Do With Dill Seed

Herbal Tooth Care

On our walk today my roommate told me she needs some dental care, but don't have no money. She is losing bits of her teeth due to cavities and gum disease. She said she doesn't brush and floss everyday. Of course the number one prevention piece is to stay clean - beginning with diet! Well we all know that, and do the best we can. So perhaps some fun, fresh cleaning strategies are in order. Herbs to appeal to include those with astringent and antibacterial properties, such as tea tree, or all these listed here.

This article published by the Herb Quarterly in 1998 has some straightforward ideas as well as anecdotal evidence relevant to Seattle. Before toothbrushes people cared for their mouth with roots - marshmallow, licorice, alfalfa, or horseradish. I always chose marshmallow flavor from the dentist when I got cleanings because I figured the consistency was similar to the goo I was about to get in my mouth. I haven't been to the dentist in years.

Bored of brushing? Rinses or herbal packs may be applied. The rinse is like mouthwash except brewed as tea and gentler. A tea of witchhazel (astringent) or chaparral (antiinflammatory) can work. Packs are made with water, oil and powders, tucked over the gums. Some roots may be purchased in the powder form. This particular website recommends a mix five parts alum powder, two parts rock salt powder, three parts black pepper powder, and one part turmeric root powder. Straight out of the kitchen!

I kind of want to start brushing my teeth with roots just to see what my roommates say.

Musical Herbal Hexagrams

On Herb Digest recently I've been seeing posts about the connection between herbs and musical notes. Which caught my attention so I've started reading about that a bit. They are connected by being on a similar vibe or wavelength. Like people connect more strongly with some plants or music over others if they just pay attention.

Yet when I read articles like this one that breakdown the specific relationships so precisely I wonder how arbitrary those details are. According to this writer the musical note Te corrosponds with moon energy, and these plants: Cucumber, Rapeseed, Turnip, Melons, lettuce, linseed. I don't know? I imagine the author is describing the types of connections she has personally felt, but doubt there is universal application.

Moral of the story is I have to pay closer attention to the relationship between music and plants. Such as in the studies desribed in the Secret Life of Plants. Not that I'm about to embarck on extensive studies or anything. Maybe I will have to make room for this kind of information in my dream life.

I like this website that talks about a connection between herbs, music and hexagrams: http://www.onlineclarity.co.uk/friends/showthread.php?t=4371

So I think about dandelion, my "gateway herb". The hexagram works from the base up.
Yin (What kind of plant, root) *Except dandelion is the whole plant, flower, root, leaf, etc.
Changing Yin (What part of plant, root)
Changing Yang (When to harvest, autumn)
Yang (What it affects, solid organs)
Yin (What it produces, devoids)
Yang (What it tastes, bitter)

In the I Ching, this is the 56th hexagram, Sojourning/Quest, Lu (LÜ), "The Stranger", which connotes exile. Read some of that interpretation here.

According to the writer on onlineclarity, the musical corrospondences to dandelion would be:

Yin (percussion, deep and spaced)
Changing Yin (stepping up halftone)
Yang (Non reverberant)
Yang (Higher octaves or female voice)
Yin (Silence)
Yang (Single voice or choir)

What kind of music is this? It's all over my head. I need someone who knows music to help me. I'm quite entertained.

Fertilizer Fun

I picked up some Marine Cuisine from Swansons during one of their sales for 75% off. Not bad! So now I am preparing to place an application on our mildew-infested garden.

This product is made by FoxFarm and is "guaranteed" organic. It's contents are "derived from" Cottonseed Meal, Blood Meal, Earthworm Castings, Fish Meal, Shrimp Meal, Crab Meal, Bat Guano, Seabird Guano, Kelp Meal, Urea, Ammonium Sulfate, Triple Superphosphate, Potassium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Sucrate, and Manganese Sucrate. Some of that sounds pretty fun but those long chemical names are intimidating. The product's note of caution states, "Please keep out of reach of children and pets. Contains manure and other by-products that could make pets sick. After using this product, always wash hands and exposed skin with soap and water." Oh. Should I really be using this stuff?

First I must arm myself with more information, besides just the back of the package. Although I appreciate it directs me to do more research at Association of American Plant Food Control Officials, since I've never checked out that website before. Extremelygreen.com provides a "Fertilizer Guide" I now find myself relying on. And then there's simple google searches. I am learning that many of those listed chemicals are various types of inorganic salts. It's strange to consider applying salt to the garden. But the bigger issue is that if I apply this stuff I won't be able to say I'm growing an organic garden.

But look at that packaging! It looks so harmless! Look at those creature's faces!

Beans, Peas, Seed Conference

My roommate printed out this zine created by the Seed Ambassadors Project all about seed saving. There is a cool organization in Port Townsend dedicated to saving heirloom seeds called Seed Dreams that I mentioned in a previous post. All of this, and it's September so I've got my mind wrapped up in saving seeds. I'll be saving some runner beans and peas from the yard. Honestly I don't really enjoy eating them and just prefer to watch them vine up their tendrils. So I'd rather save them then eat them.

The peas which were planted before I moved in are perfectly dried out on the vine. I will cut them at the soil level and leave the roots in place so that nitrogen is fixed. I will wait until the beans dry out then do then remove those plants so I can put in fall crop. Or perhaps garlic.

Here is one lonely pod of what remains from a planting by the side of the house. The seeds did not take so well there because the soil is in poor condition.

In other news, I'm very excited to attend the Dandelion Seed Conference this weekend, being organized by the Olympia Free Herbal Clinic, where I have secured work trade for the entire cost of participation. Seed saving will not be a topic in those workshops. But I will find so much inspiration there from established herbalists regarding healing and community building, I cannot think of a better way to spend a weekend for learning.

Echinacea Purpurea Dreams

Bouncing around Port Townsend this weekend I purchased a few seed packets at the Food Coop - one for echinacea. The seed company is "Seed Dreams", a producer of heirloom seeds. I'm so excited to plant those. I also just transplanted a coneflower plant I purchased at Swansons during their perennial plant sale.

Of any medicinal plant I'd like to cultivate it would be echinacea. The plant re-seeds in the fall so perhaps I didn't need to purchase seeds. But it's a seed company I can get behind.

Echinacea is a widely accepted method of natural medicine in a world hasty to consume aspirin. Numerous peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated it's efficacy in aiding immunological healing. Of course other studies have shown little to no effect. So what's to believe? It starts with paying attention to the plant's effects on your own body. I was first instructed to drink it in form of tea when I was close to catching a cold. I tried that out and it was fine. Still caught the cold though. A couple years later I was prompted to take it in capsule form and later still, in tincture form. These forms are more concentrated and so you have a higher dose. I found the tincture to be quite useful if I used echinacea at the outset of a cold. Rather than after the damage was done.

Not only does the form of medicine matter, but the part of the plant too. The root of the plant is most commonly used for tea. Now that I am reading about echinacea a little online I'm find that the upper parts of the plant are supposedly more beneficial. -> "In Germany (where herbs are regulated by the government), the above-ground parts of Echinacea purpurea are approved to treat colds, upper respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, and slow healing wounds. The root of the Echinacea pallida plant is also approved for the treatment of flu-like infections."

Read more: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/echinacea-000239.htm#ixzz261TYEBeX

Unfortunately it's recommended that plants aren't harvested for at least 3 years. So I may never get to harvest from the plant I just put in. But I'll get some seeds to save out of it.

September's Vitamin C

With the season changing again, people are going to get sick. Should you take Vitamin C? That is a fallback choice for most people I know - the use of Emergen-C (a powder energy drink that contains 1600% of the USDA recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, 416% of the recommended vitamin B₁₂ daily value, and 500% of the recommended vitamin B₆ value based on a 2000 calorie diet. Seems a little excessive don't you think? Whatever is not used will just be urinated out anyway. And a healthy diet ensures one receives their proper usable amount.) Studies have not demonstrated that Vitamin C enhances the immune system during times of illness, although it exists in high concentrations in immune cells. As yet an arbitrary connection.

But really, what is the purpose of ascorbic acid/Vit C? It aids cell oxidation and helps prevent scurvy. Scurvy leads to the formation of brown spots on the skin, spongy gums, and bleeding from mucous membranes. That's kind of gross and would be nice to avoid. But it doesn't mean you need to take it when you feel a cold coming on. Yet maybe ascorbic acid's role as an antioxidant is more valuable - aiding to fight cardiovascular disease, hypertension, chronic inflammatory diseases, and diabetes. Apparently it is also "pro-oxidant", reducing transition metals in the body.

Vitamin C in it's natural plant forms can be purchased grown or harvested locally. For example:

Plant source	Amount (mg / 100g)
Indian gooseberry	445
Rose hip	426
Blackcurrant	200
Red pepper	190
Chili pepper (red)	144
Parsley	130
Broccoli	90
Loganberry	80
Redcurrant	80
Brussels sprouts	80
Wolfberry (Goji)	73
Elderberry	60
Strawberry		60
Kale		41
Cauliflower		40
Garlic		31
Raspberry		30
Spinach		30
Cabbage raw green		30
Blackberry		21
Potato		20
Tomato, red		13.7
Cranberry		13
Tomato		10
Blueberry		10

Get it in your diet right! The first time!

Falling Into the Garden

Last week the clouds and air temperature started to transition. Time to accept the fall/winter garden will demand it's attention. I've been considering full plans yet I know my patterns. Plans will be abandoned to what I can chore day to day. (How much will I get done this September?) I've been reviewing fall/winter garden guides and have gone through our seed collection. The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide is helping me keep food crops like spinach, lettuce, and alliums on my mind. I recently planted some perennial herbs from a couple different plant nurserys - feverfew, echinacea, thyme, and so forth.

But the real fun comes from throwing down seeds (I also love pushing garlic cloves into the ground) so the other day I aligned a couple rows of mustard and spinach where the kale trees live. Now the great wait to see what sprouts. The mustard green seeds are from 2003.

"Party Safe" Plants

Standing in line at the register at PCC earlier today I saw an herbal supplement for hangovers created by Himalaya Drug Company. I could have used that last Saturday. But didn't purchase it because I don't need incentive to drink more.

Himalaya Drug Co. started in 1930 out of Burma creating and distributing ayurvedic herbal medicine. They launched the first anti-hypertensive drug derived from the plant Rauwolfia (weird name). I know very little of ayurvedic plant medicine. But apparently this plant has been traditionally used to treat anxiety, psychosis, schizophrenia, insomnia and epilepsy. A serious plant drug. Their website is worth checking out because they generally explain each of the plant medicines used in their products.

I wrote down the ingredients of that pill being sold in PCC because I wanted to check out their situations online. The herbal constituents are: Chicory (seed), andrographis, grape (fruit), date palm (fruit), phyllanthus, amla. Sounds tasty.

Chicory I am familiar with as a coffee substitute and for it's beautiful pastel blue/purple flowers. The seeds are said to be a carminative (preventing or expelling gas). Apparently chicory is an acclaimed hepatoprotector (preventing damage to the liver). Studies to demonstrate this have been done on adult albino rats. Chicory can be found along the Burke Gilman Bike Trail! Though in less abundance than the Himalayan Blackberry.

If you are drinking a lot of alcohol I guess you want to consume those hepatoprotectors. Others include almond and castor oils, burdock, astragalus, tumeric, curry, gotu kola, brassica plants (eat your leafy greens), reishi mushroom, licorice, holy basil, and so on. THE POWER PLANTS! Think I'd rather stick to drinking less though.

Warty Herbs

Jon showed us the wart under his foot before he got it lazered off. We were eating then started sharing our wart stories - it was gross. You had to be there. (The only one I got so far was on my knee when I was in elementary school. I had the wart for months and wondered how I was going to get rid of it. Then all the sudden one night I was doing somersaults off the couch, which had wooden arms, and I scraped my knee over one of them, and scraped the wart right off. DIY wart removal.)

At the same time I've been reading posts in HerbDigest about herbal treatments for warts. I read recommendations for iodine (seaweed, cod, yogurt) and antivirals (read this article: Top Antiviral Herbs including echinacea, garlic and onion). Here is a nice overview of what may be causing the problem. According to the article the manifestation of warts illustrates struggling immunity. Therefore the best prevention is to have a plan for enhancing your immune system long term. I'm pretty sure I have posted about that a couple times. http://herbdiaryseattle.blogspot.com/2012/04/what-is-immunity-really.html

What should I have done after I rolled my wart off the couch, back when I was a child? According to that same article suggests topical allium applications. Specifically to tape a garlic clove on top. Or to paint a mixture of salt/onion juice everyday. If that's too weird, then applications of dandelion sap might do the trick. And that would be pretty easy to take care of since dandlions grow everywhere.

Preparing for Perennials

The perennial sale at Swansons officially began yesterday. Today several of the kid's parents and I cleared out a bed of arugula, strawberry and other weeds that are severely dehydrated by Seattle's summer. Also this space has been untouched for over a year and the soil really needs work. There are an infinite number of suckers from the alder tree planted there. I'm working on a small budget for the Advisory Council about replacing that space with native flowering perennials. Then again perhaps all that can go there right now is a cover crop mix.

In my inbox today Swansons sent a notice about their perennial sale and specifically listed good plants to attract hummingbirds, butterflies and for creating bouquets. This past May Day we did an activity of creating bouquets but the flower variety available around the community center was pretty pathetic. This upcoming Spring is gonna be way better.

Here's the list! (I've narrowed down to the plants native, medicinal or presently established to North America) *I'm going to see about planting some of these in our house here in the U District.

ATTRACTING HUMMINGBIRDS

             Beebalm Monarda spp. and cultivars
             Bleeding Heart Dicentra spp. and cultivars
             Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa
             Coral Bells Heuchera spp. and cultivars
             Sage Salvia spp.

ATTRACTING BUTTERFLIES

             Bee Balm Monarda spp. and cultivars
             Black Eyed Susan Rudbeckia spp. and cultivars
            Border Sages Salvia spp. and cultivars
             Coneflower Echinacea spp. and cultivars
             Garden Sage Salvia x superba cultivars
            Lavender Lavandula angustifolia, L. x intermedia, L. stoechas
             Ornamental Onion Allium spp. and cultivars
             Tree Mallow Lavatera spp. and cultivars
             Verbena Verbena spp. and cultivars
             Yarrow Achillea spp. and cultivars

CUTTING GARDEN

             Black Eyed Susan Rudbeckia spp. and cultivars
             Blanket Flower Gaillardia grandiflora
             Bleeding HeartDicentra spp. and cultivars
             Coneflower Echinacea spp. and cultivars
             Goldenrod   Solidago spp.
             Lavender Lavandula angustifolia, L. x intermedia, L. stoechas
             Monkshood Aconitumspp.
             Oregano Origanum spp.
             Sage Salvia spp.
            Yarrow Achillea spp. and cultivars

So many choices, I will have to find a way to narrow down even further. Budgeting won't be easy.

Tisane Time

I'm writing this little blog entry as I sip the Stash brand green/white tea blend. Even though I have these herbal tea concoctions sitting right here. Guess I'm feeling lazy today.

In my inbox arrived a few articles on growing "tea herbs" - just in time as I'm planning garden beds for the BCC garden and Swansons Nursery has a perennial/herb sale August 17-Sep 3. The mint planted next to the house is doing alright (of course it is) but I'm moving out of here in 20 days. Once the tomatoes and corn get harvested in the community garden there's going to be a lot of space to work with. We currently have oregano, sage, curry and rosemary in the garden. There are also four round containers filled with strawberries that would perhaps be better suited to herbs.

But the question is what herbs can be planted now that will be hardy to overwinter? I won't be growing anything indoors. Don't really have space for that, or don't want to bother, or something. Tilth's Maritime Guide doesn't list anything except cilantro. An article from 2006 in Seattle Times recommends bay, rosemary and parsley. Swanson's recommends veggies, cilantro and garlic. Perhaps I should focus on the "Top Ten Herb" list designed by Herb Society of America. If the plant is a perennial, it's worth a try, I guess. Not that I would drink those regularly for tea.

Perhaps each container can have a theme... Hmm... Tisane's gonna be one of them.

Herbal Care for Depression

Many women in my family, and friends I know have been dealing with seasonal or chronic depression for some time. Most people are familiar with St Johns Wort as a supreme herbal treatment for depression. AltMedicine on About.com says studies show the plant works better than a placebo. My friend recently stated St Johns Wort is off limits to her because it can't mix with her pharmaceutical meds. So I was like, I'm gonna look into that. This website talks a little about those potential complications: http://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/herbs-for-depression.html (though it doesn't say exactly why, however, this website lists these side-effects: increased sensitivity to sunlight, dryness of mouth, dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, headache, confusion and sedation.)
Of course there are so many products available in herb stores. But consider concocting your own tea based on these herbs (satisfy your unique composition of tastes and smells!) - listed on herbal-supplement-resource

False Unicorn - (Chamaelirium luteum)
Thyme - (Thymus vulgaris)
Mugwort - (Artemisia vulgaris)
Fennel - (Foeniculum vulgare)
Yerba Mate - (Ilex paraguariensis)
Yellow Dock - (Rumex crispus)
Vervain - (vervain-herbs.html)
Wormwood - (Artemisia absinthium)
Self Heal - (Prunella vulgaris)
Borage - (Borago officinalis)
Sweet Orange - (Citrus sinensis)
Sweet Basil - (Ocimum basilicum)
Blessed Thistle - (Cnicus benedictus)
Bergamot - (Citrus bergamia)
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
Valerian Root (Valeriana officinalis)
Skullcap (Scutilaria lateriflora)

Many of those herbs are also available in essential oil form, which is a strong way to infuse yourself in your bedroom. Some herbs are pricey-er than others. Thyme or Sweet Orange are relatively budget-friendly. Grow Thyme, Fennel and Borage in your garden!!! (We have some volunteer Borage plants in the community center garden right now)

Other websites recently sent my way:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/30604-care-loved-ones-anxiety-/
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/living_depressed_person.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/MH00016/NSECTIONGROUP=2
http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/how-to-help-a-stressed-or-depressed-loved-one/

Nature Writing with Nicole

A Walk In The Park

Jasmine Dream Medicine

Holiday Barter of Herbs

Putting the Garden to Bed?

Herbs With Heart

Tincture Time

Drying Out Cold Relief

Green Tomato Time

Oso Berry Aphrodisia

Hallelujah, Alliums

What To Do With Dill Seed

What To Do With Dill Seed

Herbal Tooth Care

Musical Herbal Hexagrams

Fertilizer Fun

Beans, Peas, Seed Conference

Echinacea Purpurea Dreams

September's Vitamin C

Falling Into the Garden

"Party Safe" Plants

Warty Herbs

Preparing for Perennials

Tisane Time

Herbal Care for Depression

Celebrating Water

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