Discover 16 medicinal treasures in your yard
Spring is just around the corner. Daffodils are popping up all over the place, and the sun is starting to overpower the clounds. There's an extra bounce in my step, as well as the the steps of my goats. It's a beautiful time of rejuvination and new growth. Unfortunately, many of us have it engrained in us to have a "perfect lawn", meaning that we have a well-manicured yard devoid of any weeds; remove the weeds at all costs, herbicides included. Why poison our ground, and ourselves with dangerous chemicals, when we could skip the chemicals and view the weeds in a new light? Many of the weeds that pop up in our yards have medicinal benefits. I have included a few of my favorite spring weeds to highlight their benefits so you can view them in a new light. Depending on where you live, you may have additional beneficial weeds in your yard. I encourage you to get out there and start identifying the plants in your yard and learning about their special properties.
Dandelion:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Despite being one of the most vilified weeds, dandelions offer a myriad of health benefits. Their leaves are nutritional powerhouses, packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, in addition to being kidney-supportive. Dandelion roots offer support for digestion and liver health through increasing bile production and gut microflora support through inulin content. Dandelion flowers are edible and can be infused in oil to make a topical antispasmodic for restless legs, or tinctured for mood boosting. Additionally, the sap found in the stem can be used to remove warts.
Purslane:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: A common sidewalk crack weed, purslane is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E. Its anti-inflammatory properties make it a valuable nutritional ally in promoting heart health and reducing inflammation throughout the body. Purslane, similar to aloe vera, soothes irritated skin conditions like burns, insect bites, and rashes. Its leaves and stems can be mashed into poultices or used to create soothing washes or facial masks. Try purslane in your pestos, spring salads, soups, stir-fries, and smoothies.
Chickweed:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: A super plant, nutritionally and medicinally, with a pleasantly mild flavor. Packed full of vitamins and minerals, chickweed is best served as fresh greens in sandwiches and salads, or cooked similarly to spinach for soups and broths. With its cooling and soothing properties, chickweed is a natural remedy for skin irritations when used as a poultice or salve, and aids in digestive and kidney complaints when consumed as food or tea.
Purple Dead Nettle:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Purple dead nettle, a common springtime lawn weed, boasts numerous nutritional and medicinal benefits. While its flavor may not be as pleasant as other spring greens, it can still be enjoyed fresh in salads or incorporated into pestos. A tincture of purple dead nettle can help relieve edema, soothe allergies, and alleviate headaches. Additionally, an infused oil of this weed can serve as a muscle rub or first-aid salve, providing relief for aches and pains while also offering antimicrobial properties.
Stinging Nettles:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Stinging nettles, despite their prickly nature, are packed with nutrients and medicinal compounds. To safely consume them, wear gloves when harvesting and blanch or steam the plant to remove their sting. From allergy relief to joint pain management and diuretic effects, nettles offer diverse health benefits. They can be enjoyed in teas, pesto recipes, or tinctures for seasonal allergy relief. Additionally, nettles' seeds have been utilized to enhance kidney function in individuals with chronic kidney disease.
Yard Daisies:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Don't be fooled by their delicate appearance and use in daisy chain crowns – yard daisies are a potent healer. From soothing skin irritations to promoting wound healing, these little flowers pack a powerful punch. A poultice made from flowers and leaves can work wonders for calming the pain of blunt traumas and bruising. Additionally, the flowers and leaves can be infused into oil to be used directly or as a salve to soothe sore muscles.
Plantain:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Plantain may seem like another lawn nuisance, but its leaves are a treasure trove of medicinal compounds. Both the broad leaf and lancet leaves are equally beneficial, from soothing insect bites to relieving digestive discomfort, plantain is a versatile healer. A tea or tincture using plantain leaves can be employed to support the healing of wounds both externally and internally. The leaves can be prepared for topical use as a poultice, infused oil, salve, or tincture to draw splinters, infection, venom, or even phlegm. The seeds are commonly used as a bulking agent laxative: psyllium.
Self-Heal:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: True to its name, self-heal, also known as heal-all, is a master healer. It proves effective for both external wounds like abrasions, burns, and infections, as well as internal GI tract issues, offering antimicrobial and astringent properties. Its lymphatic benefits extend to combating infections and allergies, making it a versatile choice for overall wellness. Use self-heal as a tea or tincture internally, or apply it topically as a compress, soak, infused oil, or salve.
Lemon Balm:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Lemon balm, with its bright citrusy scent and calming properties, is cherished for its diverse medicinal benefits, including reducing anxiety, promoting restful sleep, and fighting viral infections. It can be enjoyed in teas, lemonades, infused honey, vinegars, tinctures, and oils, making it a versatile addition to both culinary and medicinal preparations. Lemon balm-infused oil is particularly useful for calming massages, baths, and cold sore relief.
California Poppy:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: California poppy, renowned for its vibrant orange blooms, offers valuable medicinal benefits with sedative and anodyne properties. Its flowers are edible and can be added to tea blends to address acute needs such as cramps or insomnia. The roots, leaves, and flowers all possess medicinal properties, so most commonly the entire plant is tinctured. It's important to avoid using this plant during pregnancy.
Red Clover:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Red clover, cherished by both farmers and herbalists, offers a myriad of benefits, including supporting hormonal balance, acting as a mild lymphatic, promoting skin health, and aiding detoxification. As an alterative herb, it supports the body's natural healing processes and is best utilized in tea blends and tinctures.
Wild Rose:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Wild rose, with its delicate petals and sweet fragrance, holds significance in matters of the heart and offers a range of medicinal benefits. Its petals and hips, rich in vitamins and bioflavonoids, are commonly used in herbal medicine for supporting skin health and uplifting the spirits. With cooling and toning properties, wild rose petals benefit various bodily systems, including the digestive, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems, as well as the nervous system. Whether used internally or topically, rose petals and hips provide antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and astringent properties, making them valuable for overall well-being and suitable for tea blends, tinctures, and infused oils. Although the blossoms do not come until summer, and the hips are not available until fall, the leaves are available in the spring. Rich in astringent properties, rose leaves can be utilized in tea blends or infused in witch hazel for incorporation into facial care routines.
Mullein:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Mullein is biennial plant, known for its tall stalk and fuzzy leaves, has a variety of medicinal uses. It's commonly used to soothe respiratory issues like dry unproductive coughs, allergies, and bronchitis due to its expectorant and anti-inflammatory properties. Leaves and roots can be harvested in the fall of the first through the spring of the second year, while flowers can only be harvested from the second year. Mullein leaves can be tinctured or dried and smoked to relieve respiratory congestion and. Mullein tea is used to alleviate sore throat, reduce inflammation in the mouth and throat, and create a calming relaxing effect. The root is tonifying and restorative to connective tissues, including the discs of the spine. Mullein root is supports connective tissues and bladder health; incontinence and frequent urination can be reduced with mullein root tincture. The flowers are commonly infused in oil to provide relief from earaches.
Feverfew:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Feverfew is valued for its ability to alleviate headaches, particularly migraines. It contains compounds that help reduce inflammation and prevent blood vessel constriction in the brain, which are common causes of migraines. It is a versatile bitter herb that may be used to reduce fever, relieve arthritis pain, alleviate menstrual discomfort, improve digestion, and boost appetite. Its antimicrobial qualities make it effective against infections when applied topically. Additionally, feverfew aids in breaking fevers and alleviating allergic responses, making it a valuable herbal remedy for various health issues. Feverfew can be consumed as a tea, tincture, or in capsule form.
Cleavers:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Cleavers, also known as "sticky weed," is recognized for its sticky leaves. Medicinally, cleavers are used to support lymphatic health and promote detoxification. It's commonly used to alleviate swollen lymph nodes, lymphatic congestion, and to support the urinary system. The young plant can be eaten as a tasty salad green. Cleavers is best used fresh, ideally by juicing. Alternatively, it can be tinctured or infused in oil for various medicinal applications. To use topically, you can use a fresh compress or poultice to treat skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. The dried seeds can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute.
Wild Lettuce:
Medicinal Benefits and Usage: Wild lettuce, or prickly lettuce, has mild sedative properties and is used to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. Wild lettuce is most frequently tinctured with fresh plant, but it can also be dried to be consumed as a tea or in capsule form. Wild lettuce is a cooling and calming herb that can alleviate pain, even severe pain that disrupts sleep. Its sedative properties also help with agitation and nervousness caused by pain. The plant's pain-relieving compounds are concentrated in its milky latex, mainly in the stems, emphasizing the importance of including stems in preparations. Additionally, wild lettuce supports digestion by stimulating bile production and possesses antimicrobial properties beneficial for wound care. Individuals with kidney issues should exercise caution due to the herb's sap requiring kidney processing.
As we welcome the arrival of spring and witness the vibrant resurgence of life in our yards, let's also embrace a new perspective on the weeds that grace our landscapes. Instead of seeing them as nuisances to be eradicated, let's recognize them as valuable medicinal allies waiting to be explored. By shifting our mindset and exploring the medicinal treasures right at our doorstep, we are able to unlock a wealth of healing potential for ourselves and our communities. Before you consume any new to you plants, please be triple sure of the plant's identification, and be sure that the plant has not been sprayed with any chemicals.
टिप्पणियां