Hail Brave Hearts
Enjoy the nutrition of the land and the many medical marvels that it reveals. It’s a new day dawning for the Herbalist. A day of worthy mention. National Herbalist Day! Wow!
The subject matter is superb. Now that spring is here, the welcome backyard medicine cabinet is opening it’s doors. New spring teas from fresh shoots, leaves and plants. Lovely. Fit for any larder, the beautiful abundance of natural goodness is in your yard.
The most obvious, killer weed, that notorious Dandelion. Awesome! The nutritional value of this plant is a keeper.
Plantain, St John’s Wort, Daisy and many more. A special day for those of us, who seek natural remedies for those aches and pains. I’ve been lucky with Nettle, Red Currant, Apple Leaf and Rose Hips, but these are just a few of the many natural wonders of the wild world. Home made salves and soaps, fragrance and tea. Natural healers to boost energy, to calm, to induce sleep, to improve circulation and help achy joints and achy pains. Your garden is an Earthly delight. Those pesky weeds, so hard to get rid of , might freshen your breath, improve your eyesight, add luster to your hair and make it shine. The self indulgent gardener might even find a cure for what ails themselves. There are many good gardening books which will help to plant an herbalist garden.
But are natural remedies important? They are, if you want them to be. Do they actually provide cures? Yes, they do.
To quote Chris Dalziel at Jobillee Farm. who has a book Growing Abundance, the Garden You Harvest in a Week.
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Monday is National Herbalist Day! It’s a day to acknowledge the herbs that keep us well, help our gardens grow better, make our food taste better, and give us abundance. Its also a day to recognize the herbal mentors in our life. Who taught you about using herbs in the kitchen, the garden, and the apothecary? Did you learn from a mother, a grand parent, a neighbor? Are you self-taught from books and the internet? Did you take a class? Or are you just beginning to learn about herbs as an adult? Learn about Plantago major — Plantain I love teaching children about herbs. My 2 year old granddaughter knows to look for plantain (Plantago major) if she gets a bee sting or a mosquito bite. “Plantain” comes from an old French word meaning “sole of the foot”. It grows in compacted areas, where the footprint of humans or animals have compacted the soil. Its a healing plant for the soil as much as it is a healing plant for us. Often plantain is the first herb that people learn to use. It can be an “a-ha” moment, when you hand them a leaf and tell them to put it on the “ouch”. Relief is fast. I’ve had the privilege of introducing plantain to tough motorcyclists, stung on the hand while riding, hikers, farmers, beekeepers, wee toddlers, and grumpy teens, mowing a lawn. Plantain is just one of the many gifts that God gives us to nourish and heal us. |