I took a walk up in the hills last weekend with a couple friends. One of my friends was looking for plants to sketch in order to make her own plant oracle cards. I was on the lookout for plants to use in some of my herbal creations. I used my cellphone, so please forgive the shabby pics - but I wanted to show you some of the wonderful things we spotted. Some of the above yarrow came home with me to be used in a salve I was making.
Yarrow can be applied on wounds, used for treating eczema, used in tea form to alleviate a fever, weak stomach and intestinal distress. Unfortunately, being a cousin of chamomile which is itself a cousin to ragweed, it is common to have an allergy to yarrow if you are allergic to ragweed. If you can drink chamomile tea without incident though, you should be happy with yarrow.
Below is a photo of some Indian paintbrush that was scattered over the hills. These flowers are similar to pointsettias in that their bright red 'blossoms' are actually foliage and not flower petals.
This funny blue flower is self-heal. Also known as heal-all or allheal, this lovely plant is known for having an anti-bacterial effect. Used in wound and skin healing it is also supposed to be very good for digestive issues and high blood pressure. Use these flowers & leaves in teas or in poultices and salves. You can also eat the leaves as you would dandelion leaves - as a slightly bitter additive to salads.
One of my favourite healing plants is red clover. Full of natural estrogens, red clover is a wonderful tea herb for women who are going through menopause. I use it as a tea when I'm on my moontime for balancing my system. It is reported to be a blood purifier, good for skin healing and asthma and bronchitis. Red clover is also being researched as a cancer treatment.
This picture was not taken on our walk, but snapped yesterday when I was out for more girl-time with my friends. We were walking into a restaurant when we spotted this beauty on a bush.
Hope you all have been getting plenty of time outdoors this month. Don't forget to look around in your area - you never know what kind of wonderful healing plants are right under your nose!
15 comments:
Beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
Oooh....I really like the first photo a lot. I think that area would make a lovely spot for a bohemian photo shoot! Great information on the herbs and plants as well. Not sure if could drink clover tea. But I do like the name of it! :o)
lovely photos! what a great walk you had :) being on the edge of the east coast megalopolis, it's a bit of a drive before i find such lovelies
What a lovely post! I didn't know that about red clover--I drink raspberry tea around that time of the month usually. I will have to give red clover a try too.
Thank you so much for the wonderful info. I didn't know that about red clover.
We're inside at the moment. The Netherlands are covered with grey clouds and rain. I sure hope Summer is going to return soon.
Have a magical day.
Foraging with you, in the hills, is so fun. I love Indian Paintbrush. We do not have them here.
Happy Summer.
What a beautiful area to walk in...mother nature in her glory. :) Thanks so much for sharing the photos, they really lifted my mood. :)
@Wendy - oh, now I can totally see girls in gypsy dresses in that yarrow field!
@Diana - red clover is a bit tart, but if you pop some nettle or something else sweeter in the tea ball with it, you don't even notice!
We don't have to much around here that grows wild other than wild flowers and they are gorgeous. I have tried several years to grow them and nothing. Keeping fingers crossed that next year there are no problems and I get to have my garden. I will start some herbs inside or in pots and take them in and out. I really miss my garden this is the second year without it. Thanks so much Jen for sharing the pictures, we might not have them here, but it sure is nice to see them in their own environment.
(((HUGS)))
Love this time of year :)
Very nice! Your herbal creations paired with your friend's plant oracle cards would make lovely gifts!
What a great post. It reminds us that nature always has so many surprises in store for us; we just need to go out and find them. Hope you're having a great summer.
I love all of your photos, and you are SO lucky to have Indian Paintbrush growing nearby. It grows naturally further north than where I live, but when I had my native plant gardens, I had some growing in it. I was supposed to be able to gather seeds when it was time, to be able to have some in my new gardens, but the. . I still get too angry thinking about it, to even qualify giving this person a name. .completely tore up ALL of the trees, shrubs, vines, plants, and replaced it all with rolls of turf grass. I have sandy soil too, so the Indian Paintbrush would be ever so happy! So would I!
I love your butterfly! What a beautiful specimen!!
Great photos! And the Indian Paintbrush caught my eye too, because because I grew up in northern BC and miss it since coming to Ontario.
These photos are exquisite and thank you so much for sharing the herbal wisdom.
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