I've just returned home from my camping trip. It was a great time away and I managed to do some walking, reading and some good eating too! I also ended up with a good burn. The second day out, the sun was popping in and out of some cloud cover and the wind was cool. I didn't pay attention to how long I'd been in the sun and ended up with a rather severe burn on my legs and the tops of my feet.
Luckily I had packed a jar of salve I had made with chickweed, plantain and mallow from my yard. These amazing healers are the weeds that people dig out of their lawns and toss away. I just cant part with these plants, and it's a good thing too. My burn went from painful and sure-to-blister, to calm and healing in no time.
Plantain pops up in my yard in both long-leaf and broad-leaf form. It is probably my favourite all-purpose healer. It is touted as a styptic, a blood cleanser, a cooling touch on skin, an itch-remover and is even a great pulling herb (will pull foreign matter from the body - slivers, etc.) I include it in any healing salve I'm making.
Chickweed is also a cooling herb and is very soothing on burns, rashes and cuts.
Common Mallow is another "weed" that pops up all over here. Not only is it edible, but it also has anti-inflammatory properties that make it a wonderful addition to healing salves. If you don't have time to make a salve, simply chew or mash one or more of these plants into a pulp and place them directly on the wound.
With Midsummer's Eve here and summer just starting to heat up, a little sun-preparedness is never a bad idea. Make sure you check your yard for these cooling herbal helpers!
9 comments:
i have plantain all over my gardens but i don't think i have the other two. i am going to dig up the plantain and use it. these weeds are much more welcome when you know you can use them for something!
So that's what the top weed is named! I see it everywhere, but never knew what it was called. Glad your burn is healing so well.
Your weeds are really pretty. Mine don't look anything like this. xo
Wonderful information! Thank you!
Weeds are often plants that work for a living, aren't they? An unsung labour force!
Summer Solstice blessings to you, Rue!
Most little plants have their ways of helping us.Hope your blisters are better xx
I suffered my annual allergic reaction to mosquito bites a few weeks ago while visiting Vancouver. The herbalist at the Finlandia Natural Pharmacy recommended a chickweed ointment which calmed the burning itch and cleared up the ferocious rash in record time.
I didn't know about plantain as a pulling herb. Must try it next time I have a sliver.
Happy to hear you had fun camping. Roughing it to me is staying at a Days Inn with no room service.
It was an amazing moment when I realized what plantain actually was... I don't have nearly enough of it in my yard! I will encourage it to grow more and more.
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