Earth Blessings Everyone!!!
This summer has been a whirlwind at our house, but we were able to take a step back and join in a herb walk at The Mountain Top Arboretum. It's a local botanical garden loaded with herbs, plants, mushrooms and trees! It's gorgeous! The walk was led by Dina Falconi.
Dina is incredibly knowledgeable and it was a pleasure and privilege to have her expertise in learning more about herbs I knew as well as learning new herbs!
All the herbs we're going to cover today were not all on our walk, but they are in bloom like crazy right now that I just had to add them.
In the beginning of our herb walk, Dina walked us through the process of Organoleptic Herbalism. It is the process of Macroscopic and Sensory Assessment. This is one of the oldest techniques used traditionally by herbalists to both properly identify and determine the relative quality of a botanical ingredient. You look at it, smell it, taste it, note the color, vibrancy, and overall quality, all of which are a reflection of the chemical profile of the plant. We did all of this! It was amazing to be able to look at herbs in a newer light, using all of my senses, not just my eyes to be able to identify a plant.
Let's dive right in.
The first plant that we covered is one of my favorites!
Yarrow
Yarrow is one of the most used herbs in our house. From bug repellent, to herbal wound repair salves, to cough remedies. We use this all through out the year!
St. John's Wort
This particular plant is moving a little bit past it's prime, but still good for foraging! St. John's Wort is another one of those old herbs that have been used for thousands of years! It's great for menopausal uses, from hot flashes to mood swings. This little herb is great for anxiety, PMS or even Seasonal Affective Disorder. Pick now, and save for those long Winter nights when the lack of sun is just wearing on you!
High Bush Cranberry
This was a new herb for me to learn! YAY! This herb is not usually found growing wild, though if you plant it, it can get very big very quickly. It's also known as 'Cramp Bark' because it is great for relieving cramps, lowering blood pressure and halting early labor contractions! It's best used in a tea or tincture.
Monarda Bradburiana (Bee Balm)
This was another new herb that I learned on this walk! Let me just tell you, the smell is CAPTIVATING!! It was positioned along a spiral labyrinth and I could smell it from feet away! This herb is a perfect decongestant and lung cleanser! (you can literally tell just by smelling it!)
This is not my picture, but the plant had just past it's blooming stage and I just wanted you to see how beautiful the pedals are!
BearBerry, Uva Ursi
We're at our last herb that we went over on our walk that was new to me. This is Bearberry or Uva Ursi. This herb is great for treating Urinary Tract Infections and is a great diuretic. It was also the only herb that I had to spit out, it was not a very yummy tasting plant in my opinion. But if I needed it as a diuretic, which this plant is great for, then I'd have to bite the herb and suck it up!
Cattail
Now that we've gone through the herbs we went over on our herb walk, it's time to add a few others that are in full bloom right now. We've all seen this beautiful tall leggy lady in marshy areas and on sides of roads. But did you know it has a ton of benefits!?! It's great for pain management, bed sores, insect bites, headaches and arthritis! Honestly I should just do an entire post on Cat Tails!
Chicory
Chicory is one of my daughter's favorite herbs to yell out of the car. They are everywhere along road sides! She is most famous for her roots, they make an excellent coffee substitute. Chicory is in the Dandelion family, so it makes sense that her roots would be used in a similar way. (Dandelion roots also make an excellent coffee substitute) While Chicory is in full bloom right now, the roots aren't collected until the Fall. So identify now and forage later!!
Mullein
This biennial herb flowers every other year! Her flowers are great infused in oil and used for ear aches. Her leaves which can be picked in the first or second year of her life span are great in cough remedies or teas. If using in a tea, make sure you use a cotton tea bag, those hairs on her leaves can be irritating.
Queen Anne's Lace
The first thing I want to share about this herb, is make sure you identify this one correctly. There are quite a few poisonous look alikes! But once you do you'll notice that she has been giving her roadside friend Chicory some company. A wild carrot and just as nutritious. Just pull from the base of the plant and you'll see this little carrot waiting to be eaten. Her leaves are also used to treat ulcers as well as made into poultices to treat wounds or sores.
Jewelweed
I have mentioned this herb before, but I love her so much and have utilized her so much in the last week that she just had to make this list. Jewelweed is my go to anti itch ANYTHING!! Especially for bug bites or Poison Ivy. I, unfortunately have a small poison ivy rash up my left arm and a jewelweed infused oil in a roller bottle has been my savior! If you can only identify one herb from this list, let it be Jewelweed!
Comment and let me know what your favorite herbs in the summer are!!
Comments