tobacco offerings
weeding. so much weeding right now. i was deep in the dirt the other day, digging out the velvet grass and tossing back the worms, when i noticed my hands. they were caked in black dirt. they were nimbly working the grass out of the ground, making room for tobacco and mugwort. they were being useful. and in that noticing, i suddenly got hit with the realization that i belong on this earth, with a place and purpose, just like the plants. as a human being, i sometimes wonder if the earth might be better off without us, but in that moment, i realized my usefulness and place among things. it was a potent moment, finding a place for myself among the benevolent plants, the worthy worms, and the dirt that i come from and will someday go back to.
5 easy to grow first aid medicinals
I've been asked often, "what should I have growing for the first aid moments with my kids?" Here's a list I've compiled, and the simplified reason you'd grow it. Hope it comes in handy!
1. yarrow (Achillea millifolium)--the best styptic there is, use for gashes and slices, directly in cut to staunch bleeding and disinfect. easy to grow from seed.
2. plantain (Plantago spp.)--for stings and splinters, pulls out pain and the cause. easy to transplant or grow from seed.
3. black haw (Viburnum prunifolium)--for smooth muscle pain, including cramps, back spasms, pulled muscles. bark used. shrub, easy to find at nurseries as an ornamental. beautiful!
4. st. john's wort (Hypericum perforatum)--for trauma. for blows, bruises, major accident (car, power tool, knife, etc.) easy to grow from seed.
5. boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)--for broken bones, to mend them together--especially helpful when the ER can't do much (fractures, toes, nose, etc.) use as a poultice and tincture. easy to grow from seed.
for medicinal seeds, look to horizonherbs.com
for medicinal plant starts, crimson-sage.com
some other items in my first aid kit: aloe, epi pen, activated charcoal, arnica tincture, lavender essential oil, lobelia tincture, steri strips, Bach flower rescue remedy.
stay tuned for my class this summer on the first aid garden...
dandelion. elderflower. cleavers. chocolate mint. lilac. nettle. rosemary. shooting star.
May the earth's aliveness draw your hands in deep~
frieda kipar bay