We will be talking about “useful weeds” on my favorite gardening show,  The Central Texas Gardener, KLRU, starting on Feb 6^th.  I’ll be joining Trisha Shirey in her Backyard Basics segment and would love to have you join me and learn about some important plants sprouting up in your garden and yard this spring.

I have been thinking a lot about our spring “weeds”. They are not weeds. They are plants that we don’t know the use of yet. Or another explanation, they are plants that we do not want in our gardens. Needless to say these little, tenacious plants love to overtake an area for a short time, especially in the spring. They are to be noticed, understood and then harvested for medicinal preparations. At this very moment my yard is a carpet of Chickweed, Stellaria media, and my garden is filling up with Cleavers, Galium aperine. I really love both of these plants, as they are useful medicinals, as well as nutritional additions to your diet with some practical uses as well. Read on and learn about my green friends, Chickweed and Cleavers.

I’ve never planted Chickweed, but it comes up in the planter box and in various pots on my deck. I also see it growing abundantly in the backyard, thick and lush. Like Cleavers, Chickweed is an early spring tonic and can be eaten fresh in salads, combined with Dandelion greens, steamed or sautéed as any other green, or just munched on by itself. It is quite nutritious, containing protein and many minerals, some including Zinc, Magnesium, Manganese, Silicon and Iron.

Chickweed is used medicinally as a Urinary demulcent and a diuretic. It can be used externally for skin irritations, itch and rashes. Hence it is an important ingredient in my Scratch No More Salve, This salve is very effective, safe and quite popular.

An effective cooling herb, Chickweed is used as an anti-inflammatory to reduce the swellings in fingers, hands and feet from sprains, arthritis and gout. Traditional folklore claims to use Chickweed to treat obesity. This may be due to its action as a diuretic, but as an herbalist and a counselor, what I recommend to my clients who want to loose weight is to establish and maintain an excellent nutritional program, frequent and enjoyable exercise and a positive attitude.

By the way, it truly is not a weed that is coming up all over your garden and yard.
It is Cleavers, Galium aparine, commonly known as Bedstraw, Goosegrass, Sticky Willie or Catchweed. It is believed that the bed of baby Jesus was stuffed with Bedstraw. This plant, which acts like a botanical Velcro, is an important and valuable herbal medicine. As a matter of fact, Cleavers stimulated the invention of Velcro. 

It is sticky however, and it grows long and lanky with whorled leaves on long stems. It is a European native and is often found on roadsides, fields and in moist places. It returns every year in early spring to remind us to take our spring tonics and get our blood flowing smoothly and easily. Cleavers is a blood purifier and helps to cleanse the circulatory system after a sluggish winter season.

Cleavers can be eaten fresh in a spring salad and acts as a cooling herb, so it is helpful for fevers. Cleavers is known for relieving swollen lymph glands and supporting the functions of the lymphatic system. I use the aerial parts of the plant as a urinary astringent for treating urinary and reproductive organ inflammations. This fresh herb along with other urinary herbs including Chickweed, Uva ursi, Nettles and Cornsilk make my Kidney Tonic Tea a good choice for urinary issues. Cleavers can also be useful in treating arthritis and as a poultice for burns and rashes.

Cleavers makes a pleasant tasting tea and soon it will time to harvest it and tincture the fresh plant. Herbal tinctures made from fresh plant material are truly the most powerful medicines. Please email me if you would like to special order this potent tincture. Cleavers is also used cosmetically to clear the complexion, control dandruff and as a natural deodorant.

So the next time you want to yank these plants out of your garden, thinking of that four-letter word, remember all the valuable attributes of these common springtime green friends and give gratitude for the many bounties of our Mother Earth.

 

 

It may not have been about herbs very much, but my trip to India in November was about everything.  Plants, people, life, love, community, spirituality, music, yoga, love, generosity and so much more.

We traveled with 8 participants and most importantly our guide, mentor, yoga teacher and dear friend, Jogi Bhagat.  Jogi is a born Indian and now lives in Austin where he teaches yoga to many fortunate students.
Tom and I flew to New Delhi a day early to become acclimated to this wondrous new country and settle in before our tour started, but our journey began right away. We stayed at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in New Delhi where I did yoga everyday, meditated in the large and stunning meditation hall, volunteered in the garden (yes many of the plants at the Ashram were those I knew from Austin. i.e. Lantana, Yellow Bells) and met many interesting and genuinely kind, loving people from all over the world. Before the rest of our group arrived, Jogi treated me to an exquisite henna tattoo on both sides of my right arm. I was a walking work of art ready to celebrate my time in India and the Festival of Lights (AKA Dewali, just a few days away). The next day we started our tour by visiting various historical places, a Mosque, the Parliament and most memorably, The Sikh temple where we heard music and prayers and covered our heads as we worshipped with these generous, spiritual people. We toured the kitchen and learned that the Sikhs feed 1000 people at a time, 25 times a day.  This amazed and inspired me. The generosity and kind nature of people is there in the temple, it’s everywhere, one just needs to look.

After a few days we took our first train ride to Jaipur, the pink city, where we visited palaces, saw a concert of talented Indian performers and did what you do in Jaipur and that is shopped!!! The Indian people are kind, courteous, trustworthy and giving. I found most of the shopping to be relaxed, unhurried and not pushy as it is in so many other countries I have visited. We ate in a lovely restaurant that evening and danced the night away feeling happy and relaxed.

The best part of our trip was yet to come and that was our spiritual pilgrimage to Rishikesh at the foothills of the Himalayas. This small city was alive with chanting, singing and ceremonial fires. I loved just gazing at the mountains and my favorite time was on the rooftop of our hotel where we practiced Yoga at 6:30am, did the sun salutation and watched the sun rise over the mountain. Truly a glorious and miraculous moment.

Rishikesh was alive with merchants, mopeds, tuk-tuks (the Indian taxi) many Indian families also on their pilgrimages, restaurants, holy men, and many Ashrams to visit. I loved crossing over the suspension bridge, gazing down at the blue/green Ganges (yes the river was clean here) and dodging the traffic of mopeds, people, cows and more on the 2-way foot bridge. What fun!!!

The next morning we visited the Shivananda Ashram for a 6:30am service and learned about the Society of Divine Love. This Ashram supports and believes in all spiritual practices and pays homage to the sacred phrases and prayers from religions and spiritual traditions from all over the world. We are all connected, we are all on a journey together discovering God or Nirvana or Peace or however one wishes to define it. We are truly one and Shivananda Ashram brings it all together for us.

Leaving Rishikesh, we journey back to the Ashram in New Delhi where we are honored to have a stimulating teaching by Dr. Ramesh Bijlani. I enjoyed two days of teaching on “Stress Management” as Dr. Bijlani wove together Hindu philosophy and western psychology in a simple, understandable, yet profound way.

That evening we dressed up in our finest new Indian clothes (purchased for us by Jogi’s lovely sister, Sunita), and headed over to her home for a scrumptious dinner, Dewali prayers and celebration and lots of fireworks. Dewali is a perfect combination of Christmas and the Fourth of July with twinkling lights on many houses and hand-made artwork on the ground made from flowers, chalk and candles. What a blessed evening with a loving Indian family that treated us not as guests, but Gods.

The next day we got up very early and began our journey with another fantastic meal at Jogi’s brother’s home on our way to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I am just awed at the graciousness and generosity of the Indian people. They do say that when a stranger enters their homes they are treated like Gods, not guests. And we were. The Taj Mahal was everything I always imagined. It truly took my breath away as I admired the clean, bright marble, the crushed gems in the patterns of flowers, the symmetry, the grace, the design. I learned that the architect who designed the Taj was only 18 years old. Imagine that!!! What a genius.

Finally on our last day I had the surprise of my life as I heard that the Dali Lama was speaking at a Quantum Physics conference just 2 miles from our Ashram. So without a ticket, but with hope and excitement, two of my fellow travelers, and one very sweet Buddhist Nun, hopped in a car and went to the JNU. We were able to register for the conference onsite and as I waited at the top of the ramp (with only about 50 others),  the Dali Lama entered the building and slowly made his way up the ramp. He often stops and and finds a face in the crowd to talk to and he stood directly in front of me, while talking to the fellow next to me. I reached for his hand and he held it for a minute or so. I was in awe. From the moment I saw his approach on the steps under an umbrella, until we were seated in the auditorium, I cried tears of joy as I was filled with the love and kindness and joy that this man emanates.

We are all Dali Lamas, we all are original love, kindness and happiness. We are all here to help one another, support and care for one another. Caring for our fellow humans, our animals, and our plants is not only our desire but the action we take. Everything is sacred.

I have brought India home with me in many ways. I am continuing to practice my skills as an Herbalist, to teach others of the magnificence of our green world and to help my friends understand the importance of this reality as we strive together to create peace, unity and abundant love on our planet.

Namaste, Ellen

Fall has arrived in Central Texas and it is time to plant Texas wildflower seeds, herbs and many fall vegetables. One of my favorite Native Texas wildflowers, Echinacea purpurea, AKA Purple Coneflower, is the world’s most popular herbal medicine. This plant is not only beautiful and useful, but easy to grow and perennial. It is now time to scatter the seeds, along with other wildflowers, just by tapping them into the ground and then wait for the fall rains to help them germinate. If you miss this fall planting, not to worry, you can still scatter the seeds in very early spring.

Fresh Echinacea buds are harvested in the spring and are macerated in your favorite menstruum (I use vodka), to get your Extra Echinacea tincture started. I was fortunate to learn some “million dollar” information a few years ago on a visit to Gaia Herb Farm. It was discovered in a government grant that the early buds of Echinacea are high in a compound that helps to prevent the onset of illness. So I started to tincture those first then add fresh flower petals and leaves in the summer and finally 3-year-old roots in fall. The result is a powerful and effective Extra Echinacea Tincture.

These plants are hardy, drought tolerant and quite beautiful. The leaves can also be used as a fresh plant poultice to minimize pain and inflammation. I made an Echinacea leaf, comfrey leaf poultice along with my own Black Salve to help with an inflamed spider bite. Within 2 days the inflammation was gone and I felt no pain whatsoever.

Echinacea is a tall, stately and valuable plant to include in your medicinal herb garden. The deep pink blossoms will bloom in summer (some of mine are blooming again this fall) and at this time of the season the energy of the plants travel down in to the roots. That is why fall is the ideal time to dig up your Echinacea roots and make tincture for you and your family to have available all winter long. I make an Extra Echinacea tincture made from flowers, leaves and seeds harvested and tinctured in the summer, and then I add the roots in the fall to make a powerful medicine.

Echinacea is an immune system booster. The herb should be taken at the onset on any cold or flu symptom. It will assist your own immune system and increase bodily resistance to infection. It also acts as an Alterative (blood purifier), an astringent and is useful for many inflammatory conditions. I like to take Echinacea tincture as a preventive when I am flying on an airplane, going on vacation or if I am going to be around people who are sick. I take it for about 5 days before I leave for a trip and for the entire time I’m away. I find that the herb works exceptionally well when used preventatively.

Echinacea purpurea is listed as an “At-Risk” plant by the United Plant Savers organization. This valuable plant has been over-harvested from the wild and it is not as readily available and plentiful as it once was. This alone is a good reason to get viable seeds from a friend who has grown the plant, and cultivate it yourself. It is important to put these “At-Risk” plants into our gardens for our own harvest, or to buy only organically cultivated herbs when purchasing Echinacea as a tincture or tea.

When thinking about what to plant in your garden this fall, why not choose Echinacea, as it is beautiful, easy to grow, medicinally beneficial and a native to our state. Echinacea grows easily in most parts of this country as well. So when you think of EZ Herbs, think of easy Echinacea.

Green Blessings,
Ellen

Are Roses herbs?  You may not think so, but Roses are edible, medicinal, fragrant bouquets, used for cosmetics and easy to grow.  The Rose, Rosa spp. is not only a gorgeous and fragrant flower, but it is also used to make cosmetics, cookies, ice cream and lemonade, and as a tincture, it is useful to alleviate depression and heighten one’s mood.

I have 18 antique roses in my garden and I know all of them by name, their color, when they bloom and if they produce rose hips. Rose hips are a high natural source of Vitamin C and they are quite delicious, particularly when combined with Lemon balm, Chamomile or used in a Respiratory Tea for cedar fever or allergies. You can drink a tea made from the hips or the hips can be made into syrup.

Awhile back I made a Vitamin C – Rose hip cookie using dried rose hips, powdered vitamin C, rosewater, rose petals and buttery cookie dough. They came out healthy and delicious and won a prize at The Crossings Rose Bowl party.  The excellent chefs at The Crossings judged this contest, so I am very honored to have my cookies become an AWARD-WINNING dessert.

I use fresh rose petals in my Rosewater in my Perfect Cream and Queen of Hungary’s Water, and I frequently use dry rose blossoms in herbal steams and my Miracle Grains (a facial cleanser).

Rose petals are velvety soft and high in mucilage.  Rose petals are often used in cosmetics, for the face and body, as they are nourishing and moisturizing for the skin. Fresh rose petals can be made in to a tasty tea and used as an astringent to help alleviate heavy bleeding.  In Belize, the petals of red roses are frequently used during childbirth to control any hemorrhaging (Herbal Remedies of the Rainforest by Rosita Arvigo). Roses are also “cooling” for fevers, and are used as an astringent for infantile or childhood diarrhea.

With the abundance of delightful rose petals in my garden last spring, I made a delicious fresh Rose Tincture, which is available for purchase. Used daily it helps to elevate your mood, keep a smile on your face and just help you feel good.  Look at a blooming rose anytime and tell me how you feel.

Roses speak the language of love and are frequently given to those we cherish.  Roses signify romance and seduction.  Not only a symbol of love, friendship and passion, but growing roses and using the flowers, leaves and hips can be rewarding for use in cosmetics and medicine. In old-fashioned “tussie mussies”, red roses signify everlasting love, pink roses signify sweet affection and white roses signify the purity of romantic love. Cleopatra had her servants gather rose petals to scatter in her boudoir to entice the affections of her chosen one.  Legends have it the couple would stand knee deep within the deep fragrance of the blossoms, swooning from the erotic aroma.

For fragrance, cut flowers, cosmetic preparations, yummy culinary additives and medicinal use: plant roses, lots of them.  You’ll treasure them always.

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Purchase these ROSE products now: All are made from the fresh, fragrant roses in EZ Herbs garden.

2 oz. $26.00  Rose Tincture
4 oz. $15.95  Rosewater Limited Supply!
2 oz. $12.50 Miracle Grains
4 oz.  $16.95 Queen of Hungary Water
1 oz. $15.95  Perfect Cream