Weeds as MedicineWeeds as Medicine
by
Brenda Guettler, Personal Care Assistant, from the September 2002 Newsletter
Recently, Carrie and I attended the Montana Herb Gathering at the University of Montana's Lubrecht Experimental Forest. The setting was ideal for this group of about 160 herbalists, doctors, and self-proclaimed nature freaks to learn about subjects as diverse as Farming Medicinal Plants and the Chinese Energetics of Western Herbs.
On Friday we were quickly settled in a quaint cabin, which somewhat resembled a box car, nestled among the Ponderosa Pine and had just enough time to take in our surroundings before heading to our first class.
The weather was perfect and so my decision to attend Meryl Kastin-Flocchini's Herb Walk was an easy one. The wooded area surrounding the classrooms turned into a meadow, which made this an ideal setting for an herb walk. We never ventured far because all around our feet were plants that had amazing uses. We talked about Yarrow's antiseptic and hemostatic qualities, Uva Ursi's ability to help with urinary tract infections, and Oregon Grape's seemingly endless uses (truly an amazing medicinal herb). But then something surprised me…we began talking about weeds (gasp!) like Yellow Sweet Clover and Mullein. Throughout the weekend I pondered the benefits of these invasive weeds. I thought to myself," What do you mean spotted knapweed has good qualities?" and, "Surely no one can say anything good about Yellow Dock." Boy, was I in for a surprise. Not only are many noxious weeds good for medicinal purposes, but they can also provide beneficial vitamins and minerals. Now don't get me wrong…I am certainly not suggesting that anyone let these weeds take over their yards/pastures/fields. However, in a world full of so much negativity I found it refreshing that many of these so-called "bad" plants are really quite popular in the world of herbal medicine.
My interest was piqued and I decided to learn a little bit more about the positive sides of these plants that many feel are undesirable. In perusing the spring issue of Whole Earth I noticed an intriguing article by the noted herbalist Susun Weed. (Quite the appropriate name I thought) In her article she extols the virtues of stinging nettle by stating that one-cup of her stinging nettle infusion contains 500 mg of calcium. Quite a positive benefit from a plant that most people would consider a weed. Rodale's Encyclopedia of Herbs also claims that stinging nettle can be used to treat asthma and is a good source of Vitamin C.
During my second Herb Walk of the Gathering, Michael Pilarski, a wildcrafter/organic farmer/herbalist extraordinaire, pointed out that Yellow Dock is a good source of iron and is used for cleansing and healing the blood and liver systems. Yellow dock can also be used as a laxative. Imagine…all these possibilities right in your backyard!
The idea of using "weeds" such as these for medicinal or culinary purposes is not new. Many of us have heard about treating mild depression with St. John's Wort or putting Dandelion greens in our salads. As a matter of fact, these plants and countless others have been used for hundreds of years. I, for one, am looking forward to taking more opportunities to learn about improving my health and well-being with common weeds and plants that might just happen to be growing in the cracks of our sidewalks. If this intrigues you as well, I would encourage you to pick up a book like Michael Moore's Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West to learn more about preparing and using these 'nasty' weeds! Just make sure you know what you're gathering and the safety of taking them internally. Happy weeding!
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