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.
Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea)
October 03, 2014
One of our native passionflowers, Passiflora lutea is seems quite diminuitive and sweet along side the bold and flashy P. incarnata. Reportedly used similarly, but as it seems much rarer than the easy to grow (and takeover) common passionflower, I have never harvested and tinctured it.
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
October 19, 2013
This is the most ancient of trees. There are male and female trees, so this tree I am admiring, is a lady. Her fruits are often reviled by city slickers, due to her aromatics (vomit anyone?) but the nut inside is prized and in China served at weddings and the Chinese New Year.
Broad-Leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius)
October 27, 2013
The sister of better known Yellow Dock, this dock is quite abundant in the Atlanta area. The leaves aren’t as narrow and curly as the yellow dock (aka curly dock). The easiest way to differentiate is by the seeds. The curly dock has smooth winged seeds, while the seed wings of the broad leafed dock are prickly. The leaves are a folk remedy for burns, scalds, and nettle stings. And the root is considered alterative. I am only beginning my experimentations with Broad-Leaved Dock
Hawthorne (Crataegus sp.)
October 30, 2013
This picture shows you from whence hawthorne got its name. The thorns (common in members of the rose family to which it belongs) are quite a site. The fruits of the Hawthorne are referred to as “Haw, ” which might come from the Old English “haga” meaning hedge. And with thorns like these, they make a pretty great barrier.
Hawthorne (Crataegus sp.)
October 30, 2013
The berries are a heart medicine. Balancing to the cardiac muscle, increasing efficiency, but also soothing and protective to the emotional heart. In Chinese TCM, the Hawthorne berry is used in formulas to aid in digestion and eliminate stagnation (particularly where fats are concerned.) They taste delicious, with a nice blend of sweet and sour. These were mild and pleasing. Last month I delighted in the hawthorn berries growing along the Piedra River in the San Juans of Colorado. We are lucky that Hawthorne’s grow abundantly in many places around the world. This is truly sweet, sweet medicine.
Hawthorne (Crataegus sp.)
October 30, 2013
Lovely hawthorne berries against the golden leaves and blue sky of a perfect fall day.