My Herbs Blog |
This plant is quite lovely, especially in bloom. Of course it is the tactile feel of the leaves which is most appealing. It does not stun us with fragrance, but feel- "oh my!" Just look at the leaves in the picture, they sure do look like little lamb's ears. This plant belongs to the Stachys family of plants. It is very antimicrobial, which I find extremely interesting, because I would not think it. I usually think of the fragrant plants that are turned into essential oils, oregano, thyme, lavender, etc. as being antimicrobial. My favorite use for this plant is as a bandage, or wrap for external purposes. The leaves work perfectly in a fomentation, or poultice. Instead of using cloth, I love to use Lamb's Ear when it is available. It is necessary to pick fresh and soft, not dried. One of my children recently had a large bruise on his leg, from playing as boys play and climb, and run, etc. (Or as they should in normal conditions). It was uncomfortable enough, that I had him sit with a fomentation of Ragweed Tea and the Lamb's ear as a bandage/ poultice. I love to use herbs in their season and they always seem to be available at just the right time and moment. I had a plethora of Goldenrod, also very good for wounds of all sorts. I brewed a beautiful yellow pot of tea by boiling the water, adding big cuttings of the Goldenrod, and letting it steep with the lid on. Then I soaked the Lamb's Ear in the pot of tea, until they were hot and soft. I carefully removed the leaves from the pot after about a minute of soaking. A tongs works well for this, and you can lay the hot leaves on a ceramic dish. When the leaves were warm too touch, I laid them on his knee, and left there for 10 minutes. I also wrapped the affected area, with another dry towel to keep the heat in. I repeated this 2 more times (10 minutes) each time. We repeated over a few days, and say a great, and fast healing of the bruise. I hate that I have to give a warning here. The way the world is, there is a warning for everything. Use common sense when applying and trying herbs. There are a lot of great books and courses with age old information, passed down. Some day I will write my own courses, and books. For now, I will recommend Rosemary Gladstar, because she has great plant knowledge. Why did I do this? Why not just pop a pill, or rub on some salve? Well- I use intuition as a healer, and experience. It seemed like just what the "herbalist" ordered, when I made the Goldenrod tea, and cut my lamb's ear. Practice. That may be another reason......
9/9/2020
The Humble DandelionAre dandelions really humble? I think so. They are not flashy and temperamental like Roses. They are low to the earth, and unapologetic. They do not mind growing in the most lowly places, and are never the center piece of any bouquet. They lack the delicious fragrance of Honeysuckle or the gorgeous purple Wisteria. In fact they have very little scent at all. Dandelions are accused of being weeds, and sprayed and pulled up in force. Yet they keep growing, reseeding and beautifying any space where they are allowed to grow. I love the Dandelion- Taraxacum officinale. All parts of the plant are used. I even pick the flower tops and dry them to add to my tea blends in the winter. It adds a bit of Spring sunshine to a wintery day. The leaves are delicious in salad greens, and high in Vitamins A, as well as Iron. The roots are where the real magic happens. Dandelion root is very tonifying and strengthening to the liver. After a long, and perhaps sluggish winter, I find it so delightful that God has given us Dandelion to lighten our steps, and spring us into spring. Just as you clean your house and air it out after months of indoor heat, the dandelion leaves and roots will clean up your own "house,"- your physical body. My favorite method of utilizing the roots, is to dig them up from the garden. If you let your dandelions seed naturally, you will find them in the garden, which is the best place to find them. You should have rich, nourished soil, to produce the best dandelions. I wash the roots, and let them air dry for an hour or two. Then I cut the roots into small pieces, about 1/2 inch long. They can be dried even further by placing them in paper bags for at least 2 weeks, or you can make tea with them right away. To make dandelion tea, you will place all of your root pieces in a large pot. (Assuming you have collected a lot). So for numerical purposes, for every 1/2 cup of root pieces, use 2 cups water in a pot. Turn your burner on low/ medium heat and bring to a simmer. Keep the temperature at a simmer for 30 minutes. The water should turn a brown color as the properties of the dandelion roots are pulled into the water. You can add other roots if you have them. I like burdock root especially with dandelion root. Or make it just as it is- the unapologetic dandelion. After the roots have finished simmering. Put a lid on your pot and steep for 15-30 more minutes. Serve in ceramic mugs with a little milk and honey. Delicious! **From The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies p. 69 "Dandelion contains antioxidants, phytonutrients, and essential fatty acids that reduce inflammation in the body. This relieves swelling and related pain in the body. Inflammation is the root cause of many diseases, suich as arthritis." See my video below on harvesting Dandelion roots: Black Walnut, Eastern- Juglans nigra. This wonderful plant is a deciduous tree in the Juglandaceae (Walnut) family. Black walnut trees grow everywhere in the Northeast US. If you go to the country and ask 10 people if they have a Black Walnut on their property, I guarantee 9 times out of 10 you will here- YES! You will also hear how they find the tree to be annoying because it drops (if it is healthy), hundreds of walnut hulls all over the ground. These hulls can be as large as a softball, but are usually more like something between a golf ball and a softball in size. At first they are just a bumpy nuisance for the lawn mower, but as they break down they are a messy black nuisance, that is unless you have learned to harness the beauty of this plant. Every country home we have lived at, had at least one Black walnut tree. I have been amazed at where I find the inner shells, nestled in the ground, far from the tree- ready to burst forth with new life. I imagine that squirrels and other woodland creatures carry them hither and thither around the earth moving them, stacking them, dropping them and replanting this marvelous tree. One year my husband and I decided to gather the hulls not only for the medicinal qualities in the green hull, but for the walnut inside. (I make at least a gallon of tincture every single year. See my video on making Black Walnut Tincture below.) I will never forget that exercise. First we gathered all the green hulls and placed them in our driveway/ parking area. We had a big Black Walnut tree right over a stone parking area at the back of our property. The hulls were conveniently close and nearly dropping on our cars. We made big piles of the the hulls and ran them over with our vehicles to help remove the green part. Then we raked them aside and let them dry in the grass. Mind you everything under the green hull turns black and dies because of the juglone and tannins in the hull, which is the exact part you want for your fungal remedy. Anyway, I believe we let them dry out for about a week, and then we gathered them in big buckets and took them to our basement. Here my husband washed each hull and scrubbed them with a wire brush. This was a time consuming process, needless to say. We then continued to dry them, on some sort of rack or screen; I can not quite remember, but I know that we left them alone for a month or two. They were collected around September and we ate them around the holidays. After all that effort, there is even more effort needed to get to the meat. You need a large, flat board and a hammer to crack open the shell that protects the walnut. These nuts do not crack with your normal nutcracker. The center though, is worth it. The prize is so delicious, almost a delicacy, and packed with flavor. I never tasted a nut that was so tasty. I am actually not a big fan of black walnuts, or walnuts in general but the ones we collected and opened with love and care were the best by far, I have ever eaten. As for the topic of this blog post... I have mentioned that the hulls are used for fungal issues, and boy do they ever work for this problem. I have had skin issues my whole life, not so much anymore as I have gotten to a lot of the root problems, which would require another post another time. When I have a flare up of eczema- which from my research and understanding is really a bacterial, fungal storm, I have found no cream, lotion, potion or anything that works as effectively as the juice from the black walnut hulls (the green hulls). If you go to the video below, and see my Sheep Hill Herbs You Tube page, I also have a video on freezing slices of black walnut hulls. In the fall- I use the hulls fresh and for as long as they last. I will even store them in the refrigerator for a few months. If I have any skin itchiness, or a flare, I cut the hull and rub the juice right on the spot. Most of my eczema has been on my hands, in-between my fingers. The juice stings if you have any skin problem, like ring-worm, or other creepy crawly thing going on. If your skin is healthy, it will stain with no feeling whatsoever. Usually a few applications, over a few days is enough to stop the microorganisms in their tracks and then "it" whatever that it is, fungus, bacteria, or parasite dries up and new skin replaces it. There is a drawback though and maybe you have guessed it, you will stain your skin. It will be a dark yellow, to brown to even black in color where you have applied the juice. Maybe that is why most people do not want to try this method, but I have an interesting theory. If you have a skin issue- such as ringworm, or other infection, even poison or a rash, in many cases it can be contagious. By applying black walnut hull juice to the skin, and having to bear the black mark, you are very likely going to stay home, or want to stay home until the black fades away. I believe that this time is a good time to stay separated from others to avoid sharing the skin issue. It is sort of nature's way of keeping the spread from spreading. This sounds way to much like current events, and I am not at all for hiding at home, or forcing others to stay isolated in illness, but I do believe proper common sense, and the use of old fashioned remedies, lends itself to a "forced" time of separation. Modern medicine, and creams, and pills often cover symptoms allowing people to share their illness. Herbs allow for a time to rest, heal, recover and be better for it.
8/25/2020
Getting Back to Nature It is a new week. I am grateful that you are reading this post. I am so happy to share my passion of herbs and the art of life with you! A lot is happening in the our household right now. I am constantly trying to make sure that I am aligning my life with my life goal. My goal or mission statement is: "I want to inspire millions of people worldwide to restore, mind, body and spirit with herbs, art and nature." I love this quote from Paul Harrison in a paper written on the Native American Indians. "The old Lakota was wise. He knew that man's heart away from nature becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans, too. So he kept his youth close to its softening influence." I am sad at the state of affairs in the world. The many many efforts to bring us into a technological future of science-based everything. Rather than focus on the "evils" of the world and what evil men are doing, I need to stay focused on the beauty and the hope in the world. I do not think that the above quote could be better stated. A true journey of healing, requires a reconnection to the earth and plants, and elements that make up our glorious planet. I do not think healing is separate from nature. It is nature. Our bodies will eventually fail and there is no amount of herbs or chemical medicine that can stop that inevitability. Our spirit/ soul lives on and I do believe our spirit the condition of our spirit has an unbreakable tie to how we treat our fellow human beings and other life on earth- including plants and animals. "A lack of respect or growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans, too..." This all brings me back to my belief that healing is found in the respect, the notice, the care of the living plants and animals in our own personal environment. Where ever you are, you have plants growing. They are so tenacious and unstoppable. A sidewalk, a pavement, a roadside, all gives way to the growth of plants. Trees are amazing, just walk around the edges of your yard and notice. I am amazed at where I see little trees blooming. Their seeds fall and sprout just about anywhere. The earth is teeming with plants and seeds that can be guided and grown into lovely medicine to heal and refresh the mind, body and spirit.
8/2/2020
Getting to Know St. John's WortI have been studying herbs for a long time. It will be 20 years this September. I have been fully incorporating herbs in my life almost as long. I think it was after my first son was born, 13 years ago that I really dived into integrating herbs in my life in a total and complete way. Life is dependent on plants. Do you know that at one time in history- that is how all peoples lived. Everything was obtained from the land, and made from the land. Plants have sustained us, provided for us and given life for thousands of years. Man has of course depended on animal sources for food, but it is the earth, the trees, the plants, the herbs that have made life possible. Thank you Lord! beThis brings me to St. John's Wort- Hypericum perforatum. I of course know this plant and of this plant and have used dried St. John's Wort in preparations. However, you do not really get to know a plant until you search for it. Find it in the wild. Know it's habitat, and pick it and feel it and smell the blossoms, dry it and prepare it for medicine. I believe that an herbalist becomes an Herbalist when spending ample and concentrated time with the plants where they grow. This year was the first year that I got to know Hypericum perforatum. This was the first year where I searched for it in the wild. I was happy to find it growing many places near my property and where we vacationed in Maine. Once you see a plant, and know it by sight, it stands out wherever you go. As we drove the 500 miles to the North coast of ME- I spotted it everywhere, as I did dozens of other plants that I have become very intimately aware of. I think the most interesting aspect of St. John's Wort is that the oil from the petals turns red. In Desk Reference to Nature's Medicine (p. 338)... it states that St. John's Wort was named after St. John the Baptist and the herb is said to bloom on the saints birthday, June 24th and to bleed red oil from its flowers on August 29, the day that John the Baptist was beheaded. It also states that for centuries, St. John's wort was credited with the power to drive away devils. I personally think this refers to the known and tested uses of this plant as one of nature's best anti-depressants. I am currently making St. John's wort oil from the flowers and parts of the leaves. Before I left on vacation I had dried some of the herb and began soaking it in olive oil. I did this however pretty early in the season, and I noticed my oil was not turning red as it should be. I think (according to my research)... that I picked the flowers a little too soon to really extract the red oil from the petals. It is now about 2 weeks since I first picked the flowers and I am on vacation. Every day I have been making herbal tea from the St. John's wort plant. In the morning I go outside and pick some fresh herbs for the day. I have been concentrating on taking St. John's wort by itself to really get a good feel for the plant. When I pick this herb, I cut off about 3-4 inches total from the top of the flowers down the stem. I boil my water on the stove and when it has boiled, I put what would be about the equivalent of 2 Tablespoons of the fresh herb into the pot, remove from heat and cover with a lid. I wait 10 minutes and when I return, the tea is a beautiful red color. So, I know that the red oil is present, but I think it will keep increasing in strength as the month continues. I will need to keep experimenting with harvest time. The tea has been quite delicious. It is hard to define a new taste. I can't really say it tastes like another flavor- for now that I have tasted it fresh from the ground, I would say it tastes like St. John's wort, but to someone who has no reference that is hard to define. It is herby and earthy- with a slight pine or citrus scent. I think that is the closest description I can come to at this time. 😊 As for the effects. I really think that this is the type of herb that needs to be consistently enjoyed to see reap the emotional or spiritual benefits. I must say though- that I have been sleeping very well since we have been on vacation and I have been drinking an infusion of St. John's wort. I do struggle with sound sleep, and I am not sure if it is a number of factors, such as the relaxing bedroom... (my home bedroom needs some more balance), the sea air, the quiet of nature, or the tea). More than likely it is all of these, and what I have learned from this trip, is that I need to create an air of vacation at home. My home should feel like I am on vacation. I want to live my life, as a healer should be one where I am filled up so I can pour out on others. As I learn more about this intricate, beautiful plant- I will post again.
8/1/2020
A field of Queen Anne's LaceNot sure if there is a more beautiful sight than a blooming field of Queen Anne's Lace flowers. It is truly a picture to behold. There are of course many rivaling sights to be seen on God's beautiful planet, but it is one of those marvels. Fortunately you can see this pretty plant bloom almost everywhere, as it has often been considered an invasive weed. Perhaps it seems that way, before the flowers bloom. I know I am often tempted to weed them out of my garden beds, but I hold off. I wait- because I know when the blooms come it will be worth the vision. Gorgeous! Isn't it? The best time of year to witness these blooms is the end of July into August, and they bloom rather long before turning to seed. So you can't really miss it. The story behind the name of this plant is that "Queen Anne of England (who died in 1714) pricking her finger—drawing a drop of blood—while sewing lace." (https://www.motherearthliving.com/gardening/herb-to-know-queen-annes-lace) If you look closely at some of my pictures below you will see the little red dot (dark red) in the center of some of the flowers. I love the name. I love the story. I love the unique red center of this plant. The uses of Queen Anne's Lace are also quite extraordinary. The modern day carrot is derived from this plant. If you dig up the roots, they are not as pretty and "carrot-shaped," but they definitely smell of carrot. You can wash the roots and chew them. They are a little tough, but the flavor is unique. Or you can wash and dry and boil in a decoction. To decoct the roots. You will want to use one, 2-3 inch root per cup of water. Place the clean roots in a pot for boiling/ simmering. Cover with the appropriate amount of water. Turn the heat to a medium temperature, and bring to a low boil/ simmer. Continue to "cook" the roots for 30 minutes, while you have a lid on the pan. When the time has elapsed, remove from heat and let sit for another hour. You can then drink hot- and store the rest in the refrigerator for probably a week before it would spoil. The decoction of wild carrot is known to help with low energy in the gall bladder, and kidneys. It reinvigorates these organs bringing about a cleansing effect to the system. I recommend drinking the decoction with just the Queen Anne's Lace first. Anytime trying a new herb. I do not recommend combining with other plants. You want to get a real feel, and taste for the herb by itself before mixing in other herbs. Companion plant you may want to blend with Queen Anne's Lace are fennel seeds, a touch of lavender, and a bit of chamomile. I like to mix more earthy tasting plants with floral flavors. 🌹🌹🌹 There is some interesting history about the use of wild carrot seeds as a natural contraceptive. I am not going to go into the details on how to accomplish this, but will share my own personal trial with this herb, in this way. You can read more on this here (https://herbalisl.blogspot.com/2009/11/queen-annes-lace-conscious-choice-for.html). I would recommend cross referencing a few sources before attempting this method. For me personally I do not believe in taking any "drug" or hormone related birth control substance. I also do not believe in getting "fixed" and changing the body through surgery, unless there is an absolute need or emergency. I believe in doing things naturally. I also believe in a God that provides natural solutions- if we look for them. Our Father has given us a monthly cycle with a natural rhythm that we can follow with practice and experience. There is a window of days when we as women are most fertile, and very likely to get pregnant. Thankfully it is a window, because it does allow us some choice over our bodies. To me the choice is something you think about before coming together with your spouse. The choice to end another life is not a choice that is a definite destruction of life begun. Besides the natural rhythm method also called Natural Family planning, there are herbs that have been used for thousands of years by herbalist to aid the body in pregnancy, child birth, nursing, post partum, pre-pregnancy and even to discourage pregnancy. I believe that wild carrot seed can be a blessing for a mother who is in need of some personal healing time for herself. Although I believe in big families, having many children in a row can be very hard on the mother. I have collected the seeds in volume in the fall when the heads turn brown. You can just cut them off. Now the first year I did this, I dried the seeds in the umbral. I would not suggest doing this. I plan on collecting this year, and will shake the seeds loose onto trays and then dry further in paper bags. You will need to collect a lot of seeds- because they are tiny, and I believe when drinking as a tea, you will want a teaspoon at a time- so yes that is a lot of seed collection! Thankfully Queen Anne's Lace grows so abundantly it will be no trial to collect enough flower heads for the seeds. Just remember to collect from areas that are healthy, and not in roadside drainage. If you have access to a field- that is the best place for your collection. During times of intimacy- when I know that I have been close to my fertility time, I will drink the wild carrot tea for a few days. I enjoy the taste quite immensely, and I know that I am benefitting my kidneys and gall bladder as all herbs have many functions, many purposes. That purpose could just be to provide some beauty and joy to what may be a dismal day. I was on vacation when I took these pictures. Feeling very sad at the recent loss of my dad. The one morning I had decided that that was enough mourning (for now). I need to dwell on the positives. I woke up and watched the sun rise, and then went down to the field of Queen Anne's Lace growing outside my window. I picked a bouquet of the flowers and placed them on the table with Bee balm and Golden rod. Just the act of picking a bouquet is enough to turn around a sad mood. Would love to hear your experiences with this plant below. Thank you for reading this through. 😊 **Update- I recently came across an article about Queen Anne's Lace by the HappyDIYHome website. It is an exceptionally thorough and well researched article on Queen Anne's Lace, and you will find a lot more information including habitat, growing patterns, and also some look-a-like information as Queen Anne's Lace should not be mistaken with Poison Hemlock. Check out their article! Oxymel- comes from the Latin meaning of 'acid and honey.' When I refer to the term oxymel- I am referring to Apple Cider Vinegar, and raw honey. The old, or ancient recipes called for more honey than vinegar. I prefer to use more vinegar than honey, but that decision is up to you. You can gladly play around with different recipes. The following historical information was gathered from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224834098_Oxymel_in_medieval_Persia and accessed on 6/17/2020 Oxymel- as a medicine has been used for thousands of years. There are many recorded recipes and uses. One of the first recorded uses was by Hippocrates (460-370BC) and Dioscorides (1st century AD). Oxymels were used widely in medieval Persia, and much of their knowledge was gathered from Greek and Roman civilizations. According to the article in Pharmaceutical Historian, March 2012 Oxymel was a kind of syrup which is called traditionally Sekanjabin in Persia. Traditional Oxymel contained 1 part vinegar, 2 parts honey, and 4 parts water. The mixture was boiled, until one-fourth remained as a syrup. There are many many variations to this basic recipe, and the article describes some 1200! I like this simple recipe using pomegranates. Pomegranate oxymel: "Administered in chronic fevers and useful effects on liver and stomach function." Sweet and sour pomegranate juices (200g of each) are mixed with vinegar (100g) and then sugar (200g) dissolved in the mixture and boiled. You can read the full article on www.researchgate.net here: I am kind of new to oxymels- I have been experimenting with different preparations and have found that I like this method best for using fresh herbs. It is summer right now and I am collecting flowers daily and have made a batch of dandelion, Taraxacum officinal and honeysuckle (woodbind), Lonicera periclymenum oxymel. For my recipes I did not boil any of the ingredients. I plan to do so with some dried herbs, to store for the winter, but this batches were meant to be fresh, lighter, and to be enjoyed in this summer season. (As an alternative to tea). Honeysuckle is in bloom right now. Botanical name Lonicera- (sometimes called woodbind). As a kid, we use to stand for hours at the honeysuckle bush, sucking out the little sweet nectar from the trunk end of the flower. I still do this today, but not for hours at a time! Yesterday I picked half a quart jar of the flowers and pressed them down as I put them in the jar. The petals are very light and airy, and you need to gather a lot to fill a jar. I then decided to make an Oxymel- which is a vinegar/ honey preparation. I considered a tincture with vodka (but the state stores are closed)... and I considered soaking them in wine to make a tincture, but finally settled on the oxymel because I thought the honey would be a nice accent. What have honeysuckle flowers been used for- historically? -Common cold -Flu -Headaches -Arthritis -Stomach disorders and more. To make the Oxymel I filled a jar half way with the flowers, pressing them down about every inch of flowers gathered. I then added apple cider vinegar until the liquid filled about 2/3's of the jar. I do not use ACV with the Mother when I make my tinctures. I don't feel like they keep as well. I use the purified ("dead") vinegar because it makes a stronger tincture and lasts longer. Then I added honey to top off the jar, leaving about 1 inch headspace. * Of using a metal lid, place a piece of wax paper between jar top and lid. Vinegar corrodes metal. Cover the jar with a lid. SHAKE well. Shake well 2-3 times a day for a week. After a week, strain and save in a brown glass bottle, in a dark cabinet. Make sure you label and date, and this will last for years. Amounts to take- this of course varies. I like to use energetics to decide how much to take. During a cold/ flu- I would probably take 2 teaspoons a day. Basic recipe with Tools/ Ingredients: 1 cleaned Quart jar with lid 1 piece of wax paper 2 cups fresh flowers (rose, dandelion, honeysuckle, etc.) 2-3 cups Apple cider vinegar. (I do not use the raw vinegar with the mother to make medicines. It preserves better to use vinegar that has been heated. If I did the heating process myself, as some of the ancient recipes direct, I would use vinegar with the mother. This is up to you). 1 cup raw honey wooden spoon 1 label and sharpie marker I press the flowers into the bottom of a clean quart jar. Next I add enough vinegar to cover the flowers, and fill the jar about 3/4's full. I use more vinegar with honey to help with preservation. I also use the finished oxymel for my salads, so that is another reason for more vinegar. Then I add the raw honey and stir this mixture with a wooden spoon. I put the lid on the jar without the wax paper, and shake vigorously. To store, I take the lid back off and wipe it dry. Then I place the wax paper down first and tighten the lid, so not to corrode the metal. I will leave this out about 24 hours before putting in the refrigerator. I will then keep this mixture in the fridge until a week has passed and I am ready to strain. You will need to stir 2-3 times a day to mix the flowers around. This version could be medicinal, but is more of a nutritive recipe. If I were making this for medicine, I would use dried herbs, more herbs, and concentrate the formula with heat. I wanted to make something that was light and airy and reminded me of summer. My dandelion oxymel is very reminiscent of dandelion and when I make salad dressing with it, the salad tastes like it contains dandelion greens. It is delicious! Today- It is summer. One of my favorite times of year. Honestly I can get excited about every season. I do love the summer months when plants are a bloom. Each day is filled with the occupation of collecting herbs, and drying them, making preparations to last the winter. Today was strange. Hot, with on an off showers, followed by a strong storm with hail. The sun peaked out of the clouds for a brief moment, and then it rained and rained some more. We have a creek in the back of our property and one in the front. Both were over flowing, and running like rapids with mini waterfalls. I checked my garden plnts when the rain slowed down to make sure the hail hadn't damaged anything. It hadn't thank God. The herb I focused on today was Red Clover, Trifolium pratense. It is blooming like crazy all over the place. I am trying to collect as much as possible, but my problem is that I do not have adequate drying and storage for as much as I want to collect. Normally I use big paper bags from the grocery store to dry my herbs. I have not been to the regular store for a while to pack my groceries in paper, so I have had to change my approach to drying. The rain has created a very humid environment, and even with the AC and a dehumidifier, I am having trouble drying the flower blossoms. Today I tried laying them on a cookie sheet and putting them in the over when the over was warm. I did this for a few hours and my first batch dried very nicely. The color of the clovers were still intact and bright. They broke apart easily when I crumbled them in my hand, and I felt that the moisture had left. I tried drying a second batch after dinner, and I thought I had let the oven cool enough before putting another tray in, but I think it was too warm because the clovers lost their color and the leaves took an a slight brown tinge. I am still going to keep this batch for my own personal use. I will not sell those clovers in any of my homemade tea batches, but I hate to throw them away. I also picked some Wild Calendula, Calendula arvensis, two days ago. The flowers were oh so pretty and bright. Not sure if this is worth collecting, because it takes so many petals to amount to anything. They shrivel up to small little things when dried. In fact I dried them very quickly but just setting them in a dish with a paper towel on my stove after it had been used. It took all day, but it was still rather quick. I have a very small handful of dried petals, when I started out with two big handfuls fresh. I will look to gather some more and maybe make a small batch of calendula oil for myself. I would like to have extra for other people, but may not have enough flowers from my own gathering. Tomorrow I hope to go to a neighbor's field and gather more Red Clover. Got to come up with a storage option! I love Red Clover, and find it one of the most useful herbs to have on hand. It has blood cleansing properties and I would trust it to keep my healthy and well in the winter months. I also know it to be a anti-cancer herb, meaning it should clean up cancer cells in the body. I drink as a preventative and always want this herb on hand. There is much written about the isoflavones in red clover and the hormonal, phytoestrogen/ estrogen effects of this plant. I do not have a particular experience or story to relate to this benefit from the herb, but may want to pay closer attention. It has been known to limit symptoms of PMS, and I do feel like that has to be tied to it's cleansing abilities. Will write more later. Good night for now. I love to share with people, herbs that are found in your backyard, on a nature walk, just popping up all over the place. First of all- I love the amazement on their face to realize that this "weed" is actually a plant with a name, and a purpose. Second of all, it is great to see their own recognition, or the "light bulb" goes off in their head in regards to seeing that same plant in their own locale. I was recently introduced to Mugwort. Herbalists have a tendency to focus on certain herbs that they like to use best, and this has never been one that I've had personal experience using. I saw a post on Facebook about Mugwort, and knew I had seen that plant on my travels. Lo and behold the next time I took a walk, I found a patch of it. The plant has sort of a musky smell, and a hint of oregano in its odour. It is called Artemisia vulgaris (part of the Aster/ Daisy family). I took my collection of plants home and looked them up in my herbs books, immediately, while the leaves were still full and fresh. I was happy to see that this plant would be a perfect herb in my apothecary, one I truly need. The leaves are edible. I tried a little piece of one raw and found the taste rather unusual. When I try herbs like this and Purple Dead Nettle, which is also edible, and I think, 'no wonder it isn't sold in grocery stores with the other salad greens.' The flavor is strong in Mugwort, and I am not sure if I like it. I have heard it is good stir fried in a Tempura dish, so that will be my next trial. I love how I read that mugwort is excellent when burned in a smudge stick. I use incense on a daily basis, or essential oils in my diffuser. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to one's emotional well-being to breath in the fragrance of plants. To do a quick version of a smudge stick, because I really wanted to try it out, I rolled up a small handful of leaves and placed them in an oven safe container and put the herbs in my oven on less than 200 degrees, to slow dry. I dried them for about 30 minutes, and took the herbs out and set them on my stove in the small dish. The plant was partially dry and I knew would burn a little bit. I lit the most dry part of the quick roll that I had made, and the smoke filtered up into the kitchen, like incense, just a small stream. It smelled so good! I found as I went through my house the rest of the house had the fragrance of mugwort. It is said that mugwort can promote good dreams and clear negative energy. This morning I feel that both of those "predictions" occurred. I often have trouble sleeping, and I slept like a baby last night! Here is a recipe for a Mugwort Smudge stick my friend told me about. Take mugwort leaves attached to the stems, woodruff leaves and stems and mountain mint leaves on stems. Lay the herbs side by side, and push together into one shape, or bundle. Then wrap the bundle tightly with a natural fiber. Take the bundle and hang in a cool, airy location for a few weeks, or until it has dried. When the bundle is dry, you can light one end of the smudge stick and after a few seconds blow out the flame and the smoke will continue to burn as it does for incense. Take the smudge stick and wave around the area you wish to cleanse. **Use caution when working with flame. This is not for children. |
AuthorJenel Schaffer Videos on YouTube Archives
April 2021
CategoriesAll Art & Healing Books Dried Herbs Fresh Herbs Gluten Free Herbal Beauty Herb Consultations Homeschool Positive Mind Recipes Root Herbs Self Care Spirit Tea Watercolor |