"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/

Stop & Smell the Herbs

One of the moms at the community center said she'll start helping us garden on weekends. We cleared out one of the bed's yesterday and there's a lot of space around the two kale plants. She suggested we plants herbs. I couldn't agree more! So I'm supposed to prepare a budget for the advisory council to purchase some transplants for next Tuesday. Herbs like sage, curry, rosemary and lavendar. The smell good stuff.

Just received a newsletter in my inbox regarding scented herb gardens. The top ten listed plants are: anise, artemesia, basil, lavendar, lemon balm, mint, catnip, geranium, rosemary, thyme. We currently have oregano flowering, but that's about it. Maybe if we clean up the garden and make it smell good more people will come visit.