10 Herbs From My Spring List

Spring will be here soon, even though the cold and rain up here in the PNW this time of year sometimes makes it seem as if it will never come! But, as the sun comes out and begins to thaw the soil, the food and medicines become more prevalent. Here is 10 herbs from my typical list for spring foraging:

1. Yarrow – Used for fever, common cold, hay fever, absence of menstruation, dysentery, diarrhea, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal (GI) tract discomfort, and to induce sweating.
   
   
2. Plantain – Used for bladder infections, bronchitis, colds, and irritated or bleeding hemorrhoids. It is also used to kill germs and reduce swelling.
   
   
3. Dandelion – Treats stomach and liver conditions. It can also aid in the treatment of a multitude of ailments, including acne, eczema, high cholesterol, heartburn, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, and cancer.
   
   
4. Chickweed – Treats constipation, stomach and bowel problems, blood disorders, asthma, obesity, vitamin C deficiency disease (scurvy), psoriasis, rabies, itching, and muscle and joint pain.
   
   
5. Miner’s lettuce – Used to as a gentle laxative.
   
   
6. Clover – Used to treat respiratory issues, skin disorders, inflammatory conditions like arthritis, and women's health problems.
   
   
7. Stinging Nettle - Has been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. Today, many people use it to treat urinary problems during the early stages of an enlarged prostate.
   
   
8. Dead Nettle – A known astringent, diuretic, diaphoretic and purgative. It's also anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal.
   
   
9. Coltsfoot – Has been widely used for multiple indications, including the treatment of bronchitis, lung cancer, emphysema, inflammation, rheumatism, swelling and water retention, and tuberculosis.
   
   
10. Cottonwood/Poplar/Aspen buds - The resins from the buds possess anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties.
    

Keep an eye out on the weather and also at your feet for these medicinal plants and others near you! For a more complete list as well as a map of the U.S. that shows where they grow, check out my review of the book by Dr. Nicole Apelian & Claude Davis on my website -*here*-.

Good luck foraging!

 

Hi, I notice dandelion on your list - one of my reference books suggests using it as a substitute for coffee. Acquired my seeds too late for the planting season, so have not been able to test it yet. Was wondering if you have every used it in that capacity?

 

Not as a sub, per se, but I do grind the dried dandelion roots up in my coffee bean grinder with chicory root and the coffee beans. YUMMY!

 

dandelion grows well in pots indoors too!

 

speaking of chickory, has anyone grown witloof?

 

Excellent, will give that a try

 

People already know about turmeric. Man, do I ever use a lot of mustard! Plus, I take turmeric capsules. When I open a bottle of turmeric, I spend the next few minutes with my big nose down in that bottle inhaling that divine aroma. Holy crap, do I ever love turmeric!

Now, I'm gonna bring up the topic of the spice, cardamom. I'm going to put a link or two or three here. Lord knows how many hits you will get with a search such as: "cardamom health benefits". Went a bit brain-dead at work today, too much technical B.S. , F this!, I'm gonna retire, too g.d. many decades!, pushing the half-century mark in this swamp. I look up cardamom, why, I always put it in my coffee. Turks / Arabians ... other cultures around that area of the planet put it in their coffee. I've known many Arabians and Iranians (lots of Iranians).*

Cardamom in addition to adding a pleasant flavor to coffee and food, also eliminates bloating / intestinal flatulence. It's a miracle-worker for me. "Hey, you old fart!" Kind'a true for us >2/3 century folk.
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"10 Health Benefits of Cardamom, Backed by Science"

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cardamom-benefits

Quotes/excerpts in color yellow-green:

The spice may also enhance the ability of natural killer cells to attack tumors.

In one study, researchers exposed two groups of mice to a compound that causes skin cancer and fed one group 500 mg of ground cardamom per kg (227 mg per pound) of weight per day.

After 12 weeks, only 29% of the group who ate the cardamom developed cancer, compared to over 90% of the control group.

Research on human cancer cells and cardamom indicate similar results. One study showed that a certain compound in the spice stopped oral cancer cells in test tubes from multiplying.

Cardamom is rich in compounds that may fight inflammation.

Cardamom has been used for thousands of years to help with digestion.

...
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https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-cardamom.html

https://ohmightyhealth.com/cardamom/
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* When you find friendly folk from the Middle East and/or Iran, they are THE friendliest. They are THE best hosts. Visiting Persians, always take flowers. This is what one does. Cultural rules are strict with them. Me, I've got zero problems with this because I was raised with Southern Chivalry rules -- very, very strict. As a boy, cross the line and you get smacked up side the head. As an adult, cross the line and you will be rejected / shunned ... or worse ... much worse. Easy familiarity, especially with women, is totally forbidden. Besides, let's face it, such behavior is beyond rude, gimme a break! Muslim cultures find the West beyond decadent. Me too.

If you wish to give another man a hug if you care about him and his family, this is common / quite acceptable. There are zero thoughts about homosexuality. This is beyond one's thoughts, far beyond repugnant; therefore, if you are spiritually connected to a man of honor, then it is what it is. You both love your Creator. You submit to the Will of the Creator. End of discussion. I hug my Muslim, Sikh, Hindu friends. Russian men hold hands. Call them "limp wrists" and see what that will buy you. Hint: lead poisoning.

When addressing a Muslim female, smile and be beyond courteous; complement the food and the evening's preparations ... not them. Keep your eyes off of the women except when speaking directly to them. This is true in Southern culture also -- very true. Up in the mountains of Southern Appalachia, want to get severely injured, disrespect a virtuous female. Assume that all females in a family you are visiting are virtuous ... if you wish to keep your health. Ulster-Scots blood in rural Appalachia is the same as it was 300 years ago -- just throw-in some German and Native American DNA.

Keep these cultural realities in your mind's data-bank. Post SHTF, you may just need them. "Oh, but I live so far away from that sort of world!" Post SHTF, all bets are off. My professional-gambler father taught me better. "What can't happen, routinely happens."

If in your youth or adult years, you've not met the deeply damned, rest assured that post-SHTF you will ... and most assuredly so. I soooooooo wish that this were not true, yet ... . Seen way too much damnation in my life. After this life, I wish to sit down and smoke a hookah pipe with one of God's Prophets or Sufic poets and discuss this topic. Such interactions will constitute "heaven" for me. I need no golden streets.

.