| What could be easier than growing an herb | | | | (relieving bug bites, burns, sprains, and sore eyes). |
| garden with no effort? Of course, you'll have to | | | | The leaves, flowers, and bark (especially) of the |
| harvest your weeds, but you would do that | | | | native Hohere (Hoheria populnea) are used in |
| anyhow: it's called weeding.Spring is an especially | | | | exactly the same way by Maori herbalists.Plantain, |
| fertile time for harvesting your weeds - roots and | | | | also called ribwort, pig's ear, and the bandaid plant |
| all - and turning them into medicines. Here then | | | | is a common weed of lawns, driveways, parks, |
| are some tips on how to find, harvest, prepare, | | | | and playgrounds. Identify it by the five parallel |
| and use a baker's dozen (13) of common weeds | | | | veins running the length of each leaf. You may |
| that probably already grow around you.To make | | | | find broad leaf plantain (Plantago major) with wide |
| your medicines you'll need glass jars of various | | | | leaves, or narrow leaf plantain (Plantago |
| sizes with tight-fitting lids. And at least a pint each | | | | lanceolata) with lance-thin leaves. Either can be |
| of apple cider vinegar (pasteurized), vodka (100 | | | | used to make a healing poultice or a soothing oil |
| proof is best, but 80 proof will do), and pure olive | | | | widely regarded as one of the best wound |
| oil (not extra virgin) or good quality animal fat | | | | healers around. Not only does plantain increase the |
| such as lanolin, lard, or belly fat from a lamb or | | | | speed of healing, it also relieves pain, stops |
| kid. You will also want a knife, a cutting board, and | | | | bleeding, draws out foreign matter, stops itching, |
| some rags to mop up spills.In general, you will fill a | | | | prevents and stops allergic reactions from bee |
| jar (of any size) with coarsely-chopped fresh, but | | | | stings, kills bacteria, and reduces swelling.Try a |
| dry, plant material. (Do not wash any part of the | | | | poultice or a generous application of plantain oil or |
| plant except roots, if you are using them, and be | | | | ointment (made by thickening the oil with |
| sure to dry those well with a towel before putting | | | | beeswax) on sprains, cuts, insect bites, rashes, |
| them in your jar.) Then you will fill the jar with | | | | chafed skin, boils, bruises, chapped and cracked |
| your menstruum, that is the vinegar, the oil, or | | | | lips, rough or sore hands, baby's diaper area, and |
| the alcohol. Label well and allow to stand at room | | | | burns.To make a fresh plantain poultice: Pick a |
| temperature, out of the sunlight for at least six | | | | leaf, chew it well and put it on the boo-boo. "Like |
| weeks before decanting and using. (See my book | | | | magic" the pain, itching, and swelling disappear, |
| Healing Wise for more specific information on | | | | fast! (Yes, you can dry plantain leaves and carry |
| making preparations.)A field guide is helpful for | | | | them in your first aid kit. Chew like you would |
| positively identifying your weeds. The one I like | | | | fresh leaves.)To make plantain ointment: Pick large |
| best is: A Guide to the Identification of New | | | | fresh plantain leaves. Chop coarsely. Fill a clean, |
| Zealand Common Weeds in Colour, complied by E. | | | | dry, glass jar with the chopped leaves. Pour pure |
| A. Upritchard. (Available from the New Zealand | | | | olive oil into the leaves, poking about with a |
| Weed And Pest Control Society, P.O. Box 1654, | | | | chopstick until the jar is completely full of oil and |
| Palmerston North) This book even shows you | | | | all air bubbles are released. Cap well. Place jar in a |
| how the weeds look when they are | | | | small bowl to collect any overflow. Wait six |
| emerging.Ready? OK! Let's go outside and see | | | | weeks. Then strain oil out of the plant material, |
| what we can find.Shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa | | | | squeezing well. Measure the oil. Heat it gently, |
| pastoris) is an annual in the mustard family. Cut | | | | adding one tablespoon of grated beeswax for |
| the top half of the plant when it has formed its | | | | every liquid ounce of oil. Pour into jars and allow |
| little heart-shaped "purses" (seed pods) and make | | | | to cool.St. Joan's/John's wort (Hypericum |
| a tincture (with alcohol), which you can use to | | | | perforatum) This beautiful perennial wildflower |
| stop bleeding. Midwives and women who bleed | | | | may be hated by sheep farmers but herbalists |
| heavily during their period praise its prompt | | | | adore it. The flowering tops are harvested after |
| effectiveness. Gypsies claim it works on the | | | | they begin to bloom (traditionally on Solstice, June |
| stomach and lungs as well. A dose is 1 dropperful | | | | 21) and prepared with alcohol, and with oil, to |
| (1ml); which may be repeated up to four times a | | | | make two of the most useful remedies in my |
| day.Cleavers (Gallium aparine) is a persistent, | | | | first aid kit. Tincture of St. Joan's wort not only |
| sticky plant which grows profusely in abandoned | | | | lends one a sunny disposition, it reliably relieves |
| lots and the edges of cultivated land. The entire | | | | muscle aches, is a powerful anti-viral, and is my |
| plant is used to strengthen lymphatic activity. I cut | | | | first-choice treatment for those with shingles, |
| the top two-thirds of each plant while it is in | | | | sciatica, backpain, neuralgia, and headaches |
| flower (or setting seeds) and use alcohol to make | | | | including migraines. The usual dose is 1 dropperful |
| a tincture which relieves tender, swollen breasts, | | | | (1 ml) as frequently as needed. In extreme pain |
| PMS symptoms, and allergic reactions. A dose is | | | | from a muscle spasm in my thigh, I used a |
| 15-25 drops (.5 - 1 ml); repeated as | | | | dropperful every twenty minutes for two hours, |
| needed.Chickweed (Stellaria media) has many | | | | or until the pain totally subsided. St. Joan's wort oil |
| uses, including delicious salad greens. I cut the | | | | stops cold sores in their tracks and can even |
| entire top of the plant and eat it or use alcohol to | | | | relieve genital herpes symptoms. I use it as a |
| make a tincture, which dissolves cysts, tonifies | | | | sunscreen. Contrary to popular belief, St. Joan's |
| the thyroid, and aids in weight loss. A dose is a | | | | wort does not cause sun sensitivity; it prevents it. |
| dropperful (1 ml), up to three times a day.Daisy | | | | It even prevents burns from radiation therapy. |
| (Bellis perennis) is a common perennial weed of | | | | Eases sore muscles, too.Self heal (Prunella vulgaris) |
| lawns and open areas. Quite different from the | | | | This scentless perennial mint is one of the great |
| native daisy (Lagenifera petiolata), the little English | | | | unsung healers of the world. The leaves and |
| daisy is related to feverfew and has similar | | | | flowers contain more antioxidants - which prevent |
| abilities. I use the leaves and flowers to make a | | | | cancer and heart disease, among other healthy |
| tincture (with alcohol) or a medicinal vinegar which | | | | traits - than any other plant tested. And as part |
| relieves headaches, muscle pain, and allergy | | | | of the mint family, self heal is imbued with lots of |
| symptoms. A dose is a dropperful of the tincture | | | | minerals, especially calcium, making it an especially |
| (1 ml), up to twice a day; or a tablespoon of the | | | | important ally for pregnant, nursing, menopausal, |
| vinegar in the morning.Dandelion (Taraxacum | | | | and post-menopausal women. I put self heal |
| officinalis) is a persistent perennial of lawns and | | | | leaves in salads in the spring and fall, make a |
| gardens and one of the best known medicinal | | | | medicinal vinegar with the flowers during the |
| herbs in the world. (The native dandelion of New | | | | summer, and cook the flowering tops (fresh or |
| Zealand - Taraxacum magellanicum - is medicinal | | | | dried) in winter soups.Usnea (Usnea barbata) is |
| too.) Those who love a pure green lawn curse | | | | that many-stranded grey lichen hanging out of the |
| the sunny yellow flowers of common dandelion. | | | | branches of your apple trees or the Monterey |
| But those who are willing to see beauty | | | | pines planted in the plantation over there or in |
| anywhere (such as children and herbalists) | | | | almost any native tree in areas of the South |
| treasure this weed. You can use any part of the | | | | Island Alps, where it is known as angiangi to the |
| dandelion - the root, the leaves, the flowers, even | | | | Maori. If in doubt of your identification: Pull a |
| the flower stalk - to make a tincture or medicinal | | | | strand gently apart with your hands, looking for a |
| vinegar which strengthens the liver. A dose of | | | | white fiber inside the fuzzy grey-green outer coat. |
| 10-20 drops of the tincture (.5-1 ml) relieves gas, | | | | To prepare usnea, harvest at any time of the |
| heartburn, and indigestion, as well as promoting | | | | year, being careful not to take too much. Usnea |
| healthy bowel movements. A tablespoon of the | | | | grows slowly. Put your harvest in a cooking pan |
| vinegar works well, too. More importantly, taken | | | | and just cover it with cold water. Boil for about |
| before meals, dandelion increases the production | | | | 15-25 minutes, or until the water is orange and |
| of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, thus | | | | reduced by at least half. Pour usnea and water |
| increasing bio-availability of many nutrients, | | | | into a jar, filling it to the top with plant material. |
| especially calcium. The fresh or cooked green | | | | (Water should be no more than half of the jar.) |
| leaves are loaded with carotenes, those | | | | Add the highest proof alcohol you can buy. After |
| anti-cancer, anti-heart disease helpers. And the oil | | | | 6 weeks this tincture is ready to work for you as |
| of the flowers is an important massage balm for | | | | a superb antibacterial, countering infection |
| maintaining healthy breasts. (There's lots more | | | | anywhere in the body. A dose is a dropperful (1 |
| information on dandelions in Healing Wise.)Dock, | | | | ml) as frequently as every two hours in acute |
| also called yellow dock, curly dock, and broad | | | | situations.Yarrow (Achellia millefolium) This lovely |
| dock is a perennial plant, which my Native | | | | perennial weed is grown in many herb gardens for |
| American grandmothers use for "all women's | | | | it has a multitude of uses. Cut the flowering tops |
| problems." The Maori call it paewhenua or runa. It | | | | (use only white-flowering yarrow) and use your |
| is another plant that disagrees with sheep, | | | | alcohol to make a strongly-scented tincture that |
| especially when the land is overgrazed. I dig the | | | | you can take internally to prevent colds and the |
| yellow roots of Rumex crispus or R. obtusifolius | | | | flu. (A dose is 10-20 drops, or up to 1 ml). I carry |
| and tincture them in alcohol to use as an ally | | | | a little spray bottle of yarrow tincture with me |
| when the immune system or the liver needs help. | | | | when I'm outside and wet my skin every hour or |
| A dose is 15-25 drops (.5-1 ml). I also harvest the | | | | so. A United States Army study showed yarrow |
| leaves and/or seeds throughout the growing | | | | tincture to be more effective than DEET at |
| season and make a medicinal vinegar, taken a | | | | repelling ticks, mosquitoes, and sand flies. You can |
| tablespoon at a time, which is used to increase | | | | also make a healing ointment with yarrow flower |
| blood-levels of iron, reduce menstrual flooding and | | | | tops and your oil or fat. Yarrow oil is antibacterial, |
| cramping, and balance hormone levels. If the | | | | pain-relieving, and incredibly helpful in healing all |
| chopped roots are soaked in oil for six weeks, | | | | types of wounds.For more information on making |
| the resulting ointment is beneficial for keeping the | | | | preparations and on the uses of specific herbs, |
| breasts healthy.Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) and | | | | consult Susun's books: Healing Wise, Wise Woman |
| Ragwort (Senecio jacobea) are hardy perennials | | | | Herbal for the Childbearing Year, Menopausal |
| that have a reputation for poisoning livestock, like | | | | Years the Wise Woman Way, and Breast |
| their cousin tansy. Although not good for sheep, | | | | Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman |
| these two Senecios are some of the world's | | | | Way.Susun Weed |
| most ancient healing plants, having been found in a | | | | PO Box 64 |
| grave 60,000 years old. You can use the | | | | Woodstock, NY 12498 |
| flowering tops and leaves with your alcohol to | | | | Fax: 1-845-246-8081Vibrant, passionate, and |
| make a tincture which acts slowly to tonify the | | | | involved, Susun Weed has garnered an |
| reproductive organs, ease PMS, and stop severe | | | | international reputation for her groundbreaking |
| menstrual pain. A dose is 5-10 drops (.2-.5 ml) per | | | | lectures, teachings, and writings on health and |
| day, used only once a day, but for at least 3 | | | | nutrition. She challenges conventional medical |
| months. (A larger dose is used to speed up | | | | approaches with humor, insight, and her vast |
| labor.)Mallows (Malva neglecta, M. parviflora, M. | | | | encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. |
| sylvestres) grow well in neglected gardens and | | | | Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and |
| are surprisingly deep-rooted. The flowers, leaves, | | | | enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often |
| stalks, seeds, and roots are rich in sticky mucilage | | | | profoundly provocative.Susun is one of America's |
| which is best extracted by soaking the fresh plant | | | | best-known authorities on herbal medicine and |
| in cold water overnight or longer or by making a | | | | natural approaches to women's health. Her four |
| medicinal vinegar. The starch is extraordinarily | | | | best-selling books are recommended by expert |
| soothing internally (easing sore throats, upset | | | | herbalists and well-known physicians and are used |
| tummies, heart burn, irritable bowel, colic, | | | | and cherished by millions of women around the |
| constipation, and food poisoning) and externally | | | | world. |