Back Yard First Aid

For most of us, warmer weather means more time outside hiking, camping, gardening, or just hanging out in the back yard. This time to get a bit of sunshine and fresh air also brings summer’s minor irritations, insect bites, bee stings, poison ivy, and rashes. Fortunately, the back yard can also be a source of first aid. Some of my favorite back yard first aid plants are plantain, burdock, and dandelion.

As with all herbs, do a bit of research for yourself and talk to a medical practitioner. Also, make sure that you are harvesting from safe places that are pesticide and toxin free.

Plantain is very easy to recognize and is most likely in your back yard as a weed. I prefer to use the broad leaf plantain or the black seeded plantain for first aid for skin issues.

Here is how I use plantain topically for bites, stings, and scrapes.

You need 1 plantain leaf, and a pinch of baking soda or epsom salts. If you don’t have either of these, table salt will work but it hurts.

1) Pick one plantain leaf and crush it in your hand.

2) Take a pinch of one of the salts and mix it with the crushed plantain.

3) Apply this poultice fresh to the affected area.

4) Cover the poultice with a bandage or a clean cloth for a couple of hours.

5) Re-apply 2 - 3 times a day as needed.

I use this for most insect bites, spider bites, stings, and rashes. I sometimes use it for minor scrapes and cuts to prevent infection.

If you suspect a serious spider bite or allergic bee sting reaction, seek out medical professionals as soon as possible. If the situation gets worse, seek professional medical help.

To read about how I use burdock and dandelion, click on the button to go to the article on Buy Me a Coffee. If you find this useful, leave me a tip to support my efforts.

The Stories We Tell, and Don’t

Stories. We all tell stories. My Grandpa was notorious for his fish stories and tall tales. The picture above was his favorite way to tell us all about his latest “trophy” fish. His grandchildren were all in awe of his incredible skill at fishing. Now, I am in awe of what a master story teller he was. In reality, every story he told spoke a truth about his life, even if you had to read between the lines and the winks to find that truth.

Every single one of us is in an ongoing exercise of master story telling. Everything you say, everything you think, everything you do, tells a part of that story. And we are so good at telling that story, that we believe every aspect of it. Each bit of the story, when taken together speaks a truth that screams so loudly, that those around you can’t hear what it is that you say. It is the story of what you believe in your heart of hearts. Not what you wish to b true, but what you truly believe to be true. And that truth about how you perceive and interact with your environment is a part of your truth in this time and place in your life.

How those interactions, actions, and words change over time also tell a story. A story of how your truth has changed over time. It can be a story of growth or a story of trauma. It can be a story that was imposed upon us, or one that we intentionally mold. How the story and truth of our lives unfolds is in a large part a choice of perception.

As we are sneaking up on the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, it is time to take a few minutes and enjoy the sunshine, warm breezes, and cool shade. It is time to slow down for a bit and look at the world with a heart of a child, willing and open to to see the stories from a fresh perspective. Find that child listening to Grandpa’s fish story. Then look at your own story and find the parts that can be a story of growth, learning, and empowerment for your life.

Observe the world around you. What do you see? Do you see weeds or medicine? Competition or collaborators? Problems or opportunities? Trash or resources? Often times, if like a child, we stand on our heads and look at the world from an upside down perspective, the constraining and limiting story becomes one of learning and empowerment and seeing the resources at hand in a new and novel way.

My journey into herbalism and foraging is a part of my evolving truth. The back yard “weeds”, when I was growing up, were curiosities at best and a problem at worst. Plantain was interesting, dandelion was pretty, and burdock was something to get rid of. The cattail int the ditch was magic, and the linden tree was heaven.

When I became a caretaker of some land, these “weeds told a story of how the land had been treated, where it was damaged and stressed, and where it was thriving.

A few years later, through some traumatic events in my life, I came under hard times. It was a time of survival mode, just putting one foot in front of the other. These plants became my friends, teachers, and healers. They treated infections, cuts, scrapes, and upset stomachs.

Right now, my story is changing again. Every time I do research for an article, I find more dimensions and depth in my old friends that are beyond my wildest dreams. These plants and others hold power that I never imagined.

Being open and working to change the story is not always easy, but it is the way of growth. Every challenge brings with it an opportunity to learn new skills for greater resiliency and sustainability for the future. So after my pity party and temper tantrum, I get to work.

Flip over the obstacle that I tripped over. Find the additional information that I need. Figure out what I need to survive this moment. Find new skills. Find the opportunity in the limitation. Find new ways to use the available resources.

Then I get silly. I stand on my head. Does it look different now?

A Story - Kind of

Normally, I would highlight the artwork and story telling that I love in this space. However, this month, life threw me a bit of a hick up. My friend woke up about three weeks ago with severe allergy symptoms that quickly developed into a full blown upper respiratory disease. So, of course, a few days later, I started with the same symptoms. What looked like an allergy quickly became more than a cold but less than a flu.

Because I was a few days behind her, I had a fortunate heads up. I pulled on all of my herbal knowledge and a bit more research. I turned to my old plant friends to help keep my as strong and functioning as possible. Plantain tea and mint tea were a given. Fruit shrubs with cider vinegar kept me hydrated. Mushroom and chicken broth for nutrition. Horehound soothed the throat and mints calmed the cough. Oh, I added a bit of mullein root tincture for good measure.

The results: I did become ill but I was able to stay on my feet and take care of the basics. I did end up with a mild case of pneumonia, and didn’t have enough energy to work on business. However, I didn’t get as sick as most people have been getting with what is going around.

Here’s the take away: First, do what your body needs from the beginning for resiliency and healing. Second, know what is available to you and keep the basics on hand along with the basic knowledge that will be needed before it is needed. Third, as soon as the disease migrated to my lungs, I was seeing a medical provider within 12 hours of lung issues. Do what you can to keep yourself strong and healthy and use the rescues that are available when the are needed. It took antibiotics, and chicken and mushroom broth, and herbs for my body to heal. Fourth, don’t get caught up in the ego that insists that there is only one way.

The good news: Everyone is on the way to being back to normal and I managed to avoid the curve ball. The newsletter is published on time, even with the challenges of the month. And the elderberry cuttings had a 100% rooting take even with the neglect. I don’t vouch for the quality of the writing this month, but we all work with the cards that are dealt and strive to create a winning hand with them.

Here is my shrub recipe:

And for a little bit more

Events

June 8 - World Ocean Day

June 14 - 16 - ULEN PowWow. I will be out of the office for the week

June 14 - Flag Day

June 19 - Juneteenth

June 20 - Summer Solstice

June 21 - Full Moon

June 22 - World Rain Forest Day

July 1 - Canada Day

July 4 - Independence Day, U.S.

July 5 - New Moon, Next Newsletter published

Plantain

As of the time of this writing, the weather is starting to settle down into the late spring or early summer pattern that is to be expected in my part of North America. It is time to be outside a bit more. With being outside and being active comes a whole host of minor irritations. So, this time of the year, my mind goes to how I am going to soothe those irritations. One of my favorite remedies is the herb, plantain.

Plantain is a member of a family of perennial herbs that has more than 200 species. Eight of the Plantago species are most often used for culinary and medicinal purposes. In the United States, Plantago major, Broad Leaf Plantain, Plantago rugelii, Black Seeded Plantain, and Plantago lanceolate, Narrow Leaf Plantain, are the most common and the most important. The Broad Leaf and Black Seeded are considered to be the most beneficial and look almost identical.

Plantain originated in Europe and North and Central Asia. It seems to have been spread by European colonization in the 1600’s. In general, the plantains are naturalized in USDA zones 3 to 10 in disturbed, compacted, or damaged ground. It seems to like mowed lawns, sidewalks, and the edges of drives. It prefers heat and humidity, but tolerates drought.

This herb is often seen as a bane to the lawn and garden. However, I love having it in the lawn. Plantain is a highly nutritious spring green food crop. It is perfect in a spring salads to help the body recover from the stresses of winter. The leaves can also be steamed or cooked like any other healthy green. Later in the summer, the seed heads can be harvested as a vegetable or they can be harvested when the seeds are mature as a grain substitute.

It is in its medicinal benefits where plantain really shines. It is often used as a tea for respiratory issues, digestive issues, and urinary tract issues. As a salad or a tea, plantain is considered to be an herb of general good health.

Most people who know about plantain use it as a topical remedy. Crushed, it is used as first aid for minor cuts, scrapes, rashes, and irritations. It has been used to draw the toxins out o insect bites and stings and spider bites. It might help with minor skin infections. I have used plantain on spider and mosquito bites and minor infections in scrapes. When I had teeth pulled, I used plantain to soothe the inflammation.

As always, before using any herb or treatment, do some research and talk to a medical practitioner or herbalist. Plantain is generally considered to be safe for consumption. The only cautions that I found are potential allergic reactions. If taken in excess, it may cause diarrhea. Always consult a medical practitioner if you are on medications, especially blood thinners.

My three go to herbals are:

20,000 Secrets of Tea

50 Most Common Medicinal Herbs

Rodale Herbs

The Sacred Clown

As we are coming to the warm time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, this is when we take time out for circuses, parades, and The Sacred Clown. The Sacred Clown is the archetype or symbol that is found in virtually every culture on Earth. It is a symbol or role that goes by a number of different names around the world and stretches back into a time before recorded history.

Whether you know him as Jester, Fool, Mime, Loki, or Heyoka, The Sacred Clown is the contrary story teller. He teaches truth through opposites and by upending societal norms. The jester is the fearless trickster that points out the truth, the ridiculous, and the hypocrisy that is found when people and societies start taking themselves too seriously. The work of this archetype is one way to bring life back into balance and harmony.

To read a longer article about The Sacred Clown, go to Manitu Okahas Studio with the link.

And I'm Not The Only One

Here are a couple of places to find more information.

This month, I am learning from what my body is screaming at me, and what the plants are whispering.

Some one I'm following:

This month it appears that I am naval gazing. Oh well, even curve balls carry lessons.