Never ingest anything you have not positively identified.
For practice with proper plant identification, go on a guided plant ramble or use a reliable field guide such as, Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants by “Wildman” Steve Brill, or Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Please harvest responsibly and review this Wildcrafting Checklist by Howie Brounstein who reminds us, “Wildcrafting is stewardship.”
Click on each photo for more detailed information.
November 7, 2012
Sweet Gum Balls (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Called Lu Lu Tong (“All Roads Open”) in Chinese Medicine, these aromatic fruits promote the movement of Blood and Qi. They are used for pain and also to treat allergy. This fall I left a few on the dashboard of my car, and it scented my ride with a pleasant resinous aroma. Harvest when green!
November 7, 2012
Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Pictured here are the balls and the leaves.
Sweet gum is named for the sticky resin that was used as a chewing gum in Appalachia. The aromatic resin is also potent medicine, an anti-infectious “liquid bandaid” so to speak.
Poison Ivy(Toxicodendron radicans)
November 12, 2014
Pretty gorgeous this time of year. You can look, but don’t touch. Even after the foliage is dead, the oils still linger on the vines.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
November 14, 2014
Almost overnight, the gingko drops a puddle of yellow at our feet.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
November 20, 2012
Beautiful, ancient gingko. This tree is interestingly both a peek into the evolutionary past, and also a modernly discovered herb. The leaves are used to improve blood flow, including microcirculation in the small capillaries. Part used is the leaves, collected right when they begin to drop.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
November 20, 2015
Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea)
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)
Oregon Grape (Berberis sp.-- formerly Mahonia)
November 24, 2012
We use the root of Oregon Grape as both an effective anti-infectious agent and a simple bitter tonic. Oregon Grape contains a chemical known as berberine in it’s root, which gives it a distinctive yellow color and bitter flavor. Other herbs with berberine includ goldenseal, yellow root, and coptis.
Oregon Grape (Berberis sp.-- formerly Mahonia)
Oregon Grape (Berberis sp.-- formerly Mahonia)
November 24, 2012
The fall is the perfect time to harvest as the energy of plants are sent back into their roots to overwinter. This makes roots their most potent of the year.