Growing in the Green Craft Lately I have been feeling the restless need to formally expand my herbal knowledge. After much consideration, I applied to an advanced herbal study program beginning early next year. Along with my acceptance into this program came the realization that I would not be able to competently juggle working a full-time job, keeping up with my herbal course work and contributing to Pagan Pages, so I have decided to take a hiatus from The Mugwort Chronicles for 2014. I thought what better topic for this last column than a discussion about available educational resources for the aspiring herbalist. Today the abundance of books, websites, blogs,…

Singing to the Trees The Three Sisters Photo by Louise Harmon Throughout my study of plant medicine I frequently encounter herbalists who describe their ability to receive healing knowledge communicated directly from the plants themselves. As much as I respect intuitive knowledge, I will admit that I was always a bit cynical about such claims. Sure, I have had those moments when I’ve passed by one of my house plants, did an about-face because on some level I felt it was telling me it needed watering-and yes, those feelings were always accurate. Plants are undeniably living creatures, but having the ability to talk to humans…really? Last year at the Portland…

Black Sage ~ White Sage As summer fades into autumn, I have started to prepare the garden for the cold, rainy months ahead. Although most of the herb plants will do just fine left in place, I have a number which need a little extra attention if they are to survive the coming months, including the newcomers to my herbal family, the sages: Salvia mellifera and Salvia apiana.  Planted in glazed pots, the sages enjoyed the sunniest spot my garden had to offer during the summer. As our weather has started to become wetter, they have been moved to our front porch to control the amount of moisture they will…

Cultivating Patience & Boundaries in the Garden This is a bittersweet time in the herb garden as the days grow shorter and temperatures are beginning to cool. The plants which have been attentively nurtured since early spring are now sporting an overgrown and somewhat rangy appearance. Many are yellowing, setting seed, and turning their growth inward to their roots to prepare for the winter respite. This has been a very prolific gardening season for me, re-introducing my herbal plant friends back into their newly expanded garden bed. Two years ago, my husband surprised me with his plan to double the size of my herb garden. Although his intentions were wonderful,…

Oregano (Origanum vulgare)   Outside my patio door stands a huge terra cotta pot brimming over with Greek Oregano. This rugged plant has withstood much neglect over the years, requiring only water, an occasional thinning and repotting, to remain lush and green. Although her growth is somewhat diminished during the winter, she provides enough fresh sprigs during the cold months to season a special meal, although sometimes I need to brush a layer of snow off the pot first! The Oregano that I grow is Origanum vulgare and not its milder cousin, Origanum majorana-Sweet Marjoram- with which it is sometimes confused. Oregano’s genesis is attributed to the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite,…

Feverfew and the Fine art of Tincting Feverfew- Tanacetum parthenium Photo by Louise Harmon It was during an herbal studies class I was taking that another student suggested that the word, “tincting” well described the process of making tinctures. After considerable discussion, none of us were certain if tincting was truly a word. Somewhere in all the clutter filling my brain these days, “tincting” came flitting back as I was preparing Feverfew leaves and flowers for tincture.   A quick on-line search revealed that tincting is an obsolete verb meaning to imbue or to tint with colour or to flavor. Hmmm…it appears that my friend wasn’t really too far afield…

Wild Carrot or Poison Hemlock? Several months ago, my brother and I were discussing our mutual love of the woods and the outdoors. Although he has hunted and fished most of his adult life, he admitted that he really didn’t pay too much attention to the wild greens around him. Somehow, our conversation turned to the subject of Hemlock and my brother was quite surprised to learn that Hemlock trees were not poisonous, but several relatives of Wild Carrot are some of the most deadly plants in North America. Their similarity in appearance to Wild Carrot has resulted in many deaths, including children using their hollow stems for straws or…

Western Coltsfoot Petasites palmatus                              Several weeks ago I enjoyed a day off work by becoming re-acquainted with a lovely state park not far from my house. The day was pleasantly warm and sunny for March. As I wandered alongside the Lewis River, I was startled by the appearance of Western Coltsfoot, right there next to the path. Western Coltsfoot belongs to the Asteraceae or sunflower family and is one of our earliest blooming native plants here in the Pacific Northwest. The plant sends up stalks of white to pink flowers before the leaves make their debut, earning its colloquial name, “son before the father”.  The leaves are basil shaped…

Dry, Draw and Shrink-The Magic of Astringents Recently during a hike to check out the awakening green of Oak Bottom Wildlife Refuge with a few like-minded plant-lovers, our discussion turned to the subject of astringents. Stopping at a young Oak (Quercus garryana), our leader shared how a decoction of Oak bark could be used as an oral rinse for treating mouth infections and bleeding gums. He then asked if anyone could describe how astringents worked. Although I was able to give an adequate explanation of what astringents do, our leader summed up their actions quite succinctly: “dry, draw and shrink”. The word astringent is derived from the Latin word, adstringere…

What’s in a Name? Have you ever wondered just why herbalists refer to plants by both common and Latin names? When I was first learning about the properties of plant medicine, I was often frustrated by references to the long, difficult-to-pronounce Latin names. After all, why not simply say, “Chickweed” or “Dock”? Plants, like trees, animals, birds, fish and everything else in our environment were named by the local people who interacted with them. Sometimes the same name was given to plants that may seem similar but have very different properties. The Hemlock tree (Tsuga) was given its common name due to a similarity in the smell of its crushed…