Thyme for Clear Skin

The Thyme plant in the garden has really spread in the last two weeks. I'm curious to see if this will continue. At the same time I think it's asking for some attention, so I'm harvesting quite a bit to dry, for fresh sprigs for cooking, and for medicinal use. Another thing I'm researching right now is natural, organic skin care. Since skin is the largest organ of the body, and is most important for releasing toxins, if I am dealing with inflammations then I must turn my attention to what is getting in the way of thorough, constant detox. As I write this post I am wearing a French green clay mask! LOL.

Do you drink water, regularly clean yourself, eat fresh food, avoid drugs and processed foods, exercise? You're probably good. Me personally, I like to drink coffee. And although I bike most everywhere, I could sweat more (as the Bastyr doctor put it, "you have to actually sweat"). Internally, the right foods and herbs will aid your liver and kidneys - key for processing toxins. Externally, the right cleaning and herbs will aid your skin. I like all the information about various home remedies.

*Astringent and antispetic plant medicines.* Astringents cause tissue to constrict, so will close skin pores off from external irritants, and internally, will tone organ tissues. Cold water is the most classic astingent! Also oatmeal, yarrow and witch hazel. Antiseptics are antimicrobial and antibacterial, so fight against germs hanging out on the skin or in the body. Although the body produces it's own antiseptics (like gastic acids in the stomach) it's worthwhile to get help from plants. Dill, lavender, oregano, eucalyptus and thyme are all known for their antiseptic properties. If you pay attention to herbal skin products in stores you have seen these plant ingredients at the forefront. I am making a salve of oatmeal, witch hazel and lavender today.

In Medieval Europe Thyme was used to treat epilepsy and depression. Not only is thyme a strong antiseptic, but also an antispasmodic - so good for coughs and releasing phlegm. It's essential oil "Thymol" is antifungal. I wonder how to produce essential oils? I do not have the capacity right now but that would be so interesting to learn. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Essential-Oils Here is a resource about other things to do with thyme: http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhealthinformation/a/thymehealth.htm Lotions, mouthwash, toothpaste, insect repellant. Now I just have to find the time...

Harvest #1

I needed to trim back the very strong mystery european greens that were crowding out my kale transplants (now I know they were improperly placed). I tried them last fall and they are very sour. Dita would use them for soup and no one else in her family likes them. I have a sinkful of leaves to play with.

I have researched "cooking with european greens" and came across this great blog - Vegetable Vagabond! My mission is to find recipes I have never even dreamed of. Also Seeds of Change has produced a "field report" on european greens: an account of nutritional factors, and a bit of history of where various crops like kale, swiss chard and spinach originate. I'm still not quite sure but believe the green I'm working with is a variety of sorrel.

Here is a recipe for Swiss Chard, Potato and Chick Pea Stew - yum!

Vegan Sorrel Soup - sweet

Vegan Sorrel Pesto - oh yes!

Potato Sorrel Salad - nice

"Bottom's Up"

OK this is kind of gross but true. Straw poll: Have you ever had a hemmoroid?  Swollen blood vessels that cause bloody stool or painful bowel movements ("bm")? I think I first learned about those from my grandma, who openly talks about gross body things like this.

First of all you may avoid getting them in the first place. Don't be lazy - don't sit on your toilet. Instead, consider the more traditional way to have a bm, which is to squat over a hole, building those quadriceps. Common for Japanese, Turkish and backpacker cultures. In terms of happy digestion, eat your fiber (whole, unprocessed vegetables and fruits), in addition to fiber supplements like psyllium husk or ground flax. Remember to consume bioflavinoids (Vitamin P), which help maintain blood vessel integrity (the pigments of fruits and veggies, abundant in foods such as bell peppers, citrus, and berries).

But if you get one (oh well) you may do some damage control. Pay closer attention to your consumption and digestion. You may purchase or make your own balm that is both healing and cooling. The herbs calendula and witch hazel are good for this purpose. These same herbs may also be used for an herbal bath. Calendula stops bleeding and heals open wounds (which I have mentioned in a couple other posts). Witch Hazel is an astringent and antioxidant, so is valuable for skin care. Both of these herbs have earned widespread pharmacological approval, and tons of products can be found in stores.

Still it is more fun to make your own medicine. I am making a balm of calendula, lavender and witch hazel sometime this weekend. Good for skin in general, not just hemmorroids.

What Is Immunity, Really?

So I "finally caught that cold that's been going around"? You betcha. Not as immune as I thought.

This past XMAS I blended an "Immunity Tea" for buddies comprised of Mate, Astraglus and Ashwaghanda. Three herbs to build immunity over the long term. Then there's Echinacea for the short term. But what else? I want to learn more. At Dandelion Botanicals there's a class soon on "Herbs for the Immune System" which I would love to invest in. Instead I am researching this online.

Genevieve Kiger says the top 5 herbs are Astragalus, Cat's Claw, Echinacea, Elderberry and Ginseng. Gail Faith Edwards is hailing astragalus, usnea, sage, garlic, honey, shitake and reishi mushrooms, hyssop, and St. John’s wort. Christopher Hobbs touts herbs from the standpoint of Traditional European Medicine (TEM), cateogorizing them into 4 types (tonics, specifics, heroics, protectors/cleansers) according to the degree that they address surface all the way to deep immune ailments. Obviously this cold I'm dealing with is a surface problem that will leave me in a few days. Echinacea would be considered a "specific" (emergency medicine) to use as long as I have this cold "surface ailment". But I should also be using cleansers to help remove toxins from my body, like Burdock. Hobbs says Astragalus and the mushrooms are "deep immune" herbs.
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I have Astragalus, Garlic, Honey, St John's Wort and Burdock all at my disposal. Now I just have to sit and wait it out.

Salves on Sunday

Too sick to go to the April Barter at Seattle Farm Co-op. It would be rude of me to show up with healing herbal teas while emitting cold germs. Kind of funny too, but I'm not going to do it. The clouds broke around noon today. Instead I am making a couple kinds of salves - 1) motherwort / lavender, 2) calendula. I just emptied a handful of baby jars that I was storing old herbal supplements in to store the salves. For some reason that just seems like the perfect little container.

The process involves steeping oil, beeswax and the herb, then pouring that mixture into containers. Really simple. But is it worth it? <By the way when I googled "do salves work?" it brought up a bunch of information regarding slavery. Something I've never actually researched on the internet, although I should have by now> Herbal salves are useful for cold sores, dry skin, bee stings, etc. Depending on the herb base they may be produced for topical application for various internal complaints, like muscle soreness. They are basically the same thing as a balm - and who doesn't carry lip balm around with them?

There is a really interesting article about the use of herbal salves to heal skin cancer in the 19th century here. Called "Black Salve", a paste of bloodroot, zinc chloride, flour, and water applied to tumors was said to destroy them within 2-4 weeks. This process is actually the application of an "eschar" that removes dead skin cells, so is different than the affect I'm going for.

When I give these to friends I will tell them it's natural skin care that's safe and gentle - because they aren't made with petroleum or other harmful chemicals. The power is in the herb. Calendula is widely accepted within complementary medicine as useful for healing wounds. It contains antioxidants and reduces inflammation, nourishing burns, bruises and cuts. There are no known side affects! Motherwort and Lavender are both relaxant/sedatives. All of these plants can be grown here!

Mysterious... Mullein

One plant that is not on the Noxious Weed List (http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/laws/list.aspx) but is obviously a weed in our yard is Mullein. It has somehow resisted making it's way on that list, unconscious to the minds of scientists, for it's medicinal value.

On a farm I worked on Guemes Island (2008) I harvested leaves for a toilet paper substitute. I was asked to crop roots for a harvest the following year (I wonder how that turned out). A friend of mine used to make an herbal smoke with Mullein as the base. He would buy it from the store so one day I gave him some harvested from the yard in Mount Vernon (2009). I need to remove this plant so I'm deciding what to do with the leaves or root.

Mullein is prized for battling pulmonary issues like sore throat and dry cough, because it aids expectoration - the release of mucous. The leaves are hairy though, which can be irritatinng, so tea should definitely be strained.

The leaves (what I am working with, rather than flowers) contain saponins and rotenones. Saponins enhance nutrient absorption and aid digestion in plants, though cause a bitter taste. They are toxic to cold blooded organisms. Rotenone is extracted for use as pesticide and is toxic. It has also been linked to Parkinson's Disease.

The Mysterious Plants

Weed or not weed, what to do about all the plants I didn't plant here? I'm starting to learn the kind of weed management required to keep crop breathing. Not all weeds can go, they have all grown up here for a reason. Not all space can be cleared. That would be a waste of effort. It occured to me I don't know the names of many of the plants I am pulling, although I've heard a rule of thumb - you shouldn't remove any plant you aren't familiar with. Looking around online at the King County Noxious Weed List. It will take me forever to work over this list. Better to learn from a mentor, quicker. For now I have to settle for the Noxious Weed List. As if I should be in school for this stuff.

Day 2 News

I think I'm detoxing because I'm bored. Started the dandelion brew. Researching online how to make herbal salves.  Will be nice because I can't help myself from gardening without gloves, often times. Here is at least one resource although there are many. http://www.naturalhomeandgarden.com/natural-remedies/herbal-salves-how-to-make-a-healing-salve.aspx I will make a medium-sized batch from plants around the North Beach property to distribute to Dita, a few family members and friends. Before I mow the lawn. Also making a batch from dried Motherwort herb, Calendula, and grapeseed oil. Motherwort was traditionally used by midwives as a uterine tonic. Traditional Chinese Medicine regards it as a blood tonic. Calendula is a key herbal ingrediant in most natural wound healing products available at stores. Flower power!

I've also got this quarter oz of Eyebright herb sitting here. Someone I know happens to be dealing with some eye inflammation so I will make some tea today. But other than that - what to do? Not only is Eyebright happy for the eyes, but also allergies. Another compounded tea is on the way, with Stinging Nettle and Rosemary. All from dried plants although now is certainly the time to harvest baby nettle.

Dandy De-Tox

Speaking of dandelion botanicals... http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/dandelion-herb.html

I am weeding a bunch of dandlion plants out of the beds, not using the root because it's not strong enough. But the flowering tops. Oh yes.

Here is a recipe for dandelion fritters, which I've always wanted to try but haven't yet. Still can't because I'm detoxing dairy/eggs out of my body right now. But still worth mentioning for down the line, before I mow the yard. http://www.learningherbs.com/dandelion_recipes.html
http://susan-onedayatatime.blogspot.com/2011/05/eating-dandelion-flower-tops.html

So what am I going to do instead? Another recipe I've always wanted to try is Dandelion Wine. Something that's A-OK for during a detox. http://www.all4naturalhealth.com/dandelion-recipes.html

Class Digest

Because I subscribe to herbdigest I read herbalist's posts about various ailments and remedies, questions and answers. I probably read a quarter of what gets sent around because the conversations aren't presently relevant to me. I'm also on the WA-AHG list and continue to find out about upcoming learning opportunities. I read about them and think how interesting and worthwhile they'd be, but how financially expensive, and the fact that I can be studying these things on my own... Just can't seem to make the commitment yet.

Not in online learning courses. http://herbcollege.com/main.asp

Not in local clinical courses. http://www.clinicalherbalistprogram.com/
http://www.bastyr.edu/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=63

Not at Dandelion Botanical. http://www.dandelionbotanical.com/

Not good enough for me. Apparently. Except I don't have something to show for these interests of mine. Except this damn blog.

Going Out

Just purchased outdoor light from the Re-Store for $1. What a great investment! Just perfect for nighttime activities like weeding or poking cloves of garlic around the perimeter of the beds. I need to figure out a system that gives me more lighting, though, because the one lamp is not quite enough. I'll make do for now though, it's definitely gonna make for some fun... What a godsend.

Peas Please! Please.

Dita! I planted those peas you asked for. I did the crosshatched trellis with sunflower stalks harvested from your crop. Unfortunately I did not get any pea seed from your crop because I improperly dried the pods, but luckily...

Aaron! I planted those peas you gave me. The climbing snap peas from your Territorial crop from 2011. And still have a bunch left for the community center kids.

Please let me have done everything right. Gee.

Trying not to fool around this April...

Yesterday at a baby shower my aunt gave me some resources from her Master Gardner's binder. Perhaps outdated but I'm totally grateful and excited to review them starting now. I will put these in the "Garden Club" binder I'm maintaining at work for the kids. The first document presents information on propagating herbaceous plants from cuttings. * She lives out in Maltby, WA and I visited her home once. She has a thriving garden there. My stepmom and I recieved some herb cuttings.  Thank you for the handwritten note inviting me back to your home, on the cute stationary with flowers, watering can, with a bird perched on its handle. So good.

It's the first day of April, and the kale, asian greens, catnip and sage have been in the ground now for some time. We had a good amount of rain all week  and today is finally sunny. Besides the artichoke, all the plants are looking nourished and happy.

(Catnip! My stepmom asked me why I'm growing it. I've thought about this a little and now believe it's to attract this one particular cat I saw poking around last summer with a beautiful white coat. Come back!)

(Red and golden sage! This woman I went to the plant sale with asked me why I'm growing it and I might as well tell you, it's for biscuits and gravy.)

The next project is to take all the rose cuttings and stick em around the property. I cleared out ivy and need to continue clearing out weeds within the cascading beds, because that will be the best place. Therefore they won't be traveling far from the mother plant. Seems appropriate.

By the way here is one of the mother rose plants 2 weeks after pruning. Do you see the changes??

Ok, ok, it's the differences are subtle... I just have to prove to my roommate I didn't mess up the pruning job... lol.