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