the Witchen Kitchen Beginner Herbal

tammy July 8th, 2010

I just read over some of the posts I wrote here over the last couple of years, and find myself feeling very sad, even shedding tears.  I think I am mourning the spiritual connection and authenticity that exuded from my writing as I was on the threshold of a major transition in my life.  I seem to have misplaced that connection, along with my writer’s voice, as I have navigated the waters of tremendous change recently, and I long to have it back again.

You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been writing very much here at all the last year or two.  Back when my marriage was ending in 2008, I found that my writing voice was stronger than it had ever been. During that time I was suffocating and needing freedom, and I found space through which to breathe via my relationships with plants and my writing on WitchenKitchen. Oh the dreams I dreamed, the insights I gained, the personal growth I experienced during that time!  I connected to the plants and my innermost self when I couldn’t connect to my partner, and my, how the words did flow!

But when that relationship was actually over, I unexpectedly found myself adrift at sea with nothing but emotional survival on my mind.  I no longer had a home with plants I knew intimately just outside my door, no herb cupboard or kitchen to experiment in.  By my own choice, I moved all my furniture and personal belongings to a hot, musty storage unit, put my jars of tinctures and oils and dried herbs into boxes and stacked them in a spare room at my mother’s house. I knew I would get back to them someday, but for the time being, I could only look longingly at the boxes.

I wouldn’t even open those boxes to get tea ingredients, because I knew I’d only have to pack them up again, and it was all just too, too sad for me.  During this transition, I couldn’t communicate at all with the plants, could barely even go outside and just sit with them.  I could hardly write a word on the topic, save short little snippets on my Facebook page.

Then a little while later, I fell in love and started a new relationship.  Suddenly I was whirling around, caught up in a fantastic and blissful adventure.  You’d think my thoughts would be overflowing and spilling from my pen, but being in love can be one of the most overwhelming things a person can experience.  As we busily went about establishing the foundations for a long term relationship and making a home together, I still could not find my spiritual center, and I could not write.

I tried a few times.  I can’t tell you how many drafts of articles I penned, but ultimately trashed because they had no authenticity.

As my partner and I began our journey together, I unpacked most of my herbs and put them in a cupboard in our home just for them, but I would almost never go get anything out to actually use.  I grew vegetable gardens, but that was hardly a substitute for connecting with wild plants as I had once done.  I would walk around our yard sometimes looking at wild, growing things, but lacked the motivation to go get my books and try to i.d. the unknown plants, or bring any of them into my kitchen to get to know them better. I maintained my interest and a certain longing, but from a distant, uncommitted place.

My priority and focus through all this relationship upheaval has been to re-establish solid human connections…  the plants and my writing, well, they just had to wait.

My new relationship has stabilized and grown a solid base now, and I feel my feet touching the Earth again.  I feel I have regained a home base and roots from which to spread my branches. My heart is telling me that I can now safely turn my attention elsewhere from time to time and be sure that I won’t go spinning off into the unknown, unconnected abyss. I am ready to reclaim myself, my spiritual connections, and my words.

I felt my passion for all things green rekindling during our recent family beach vacation, when the local plants began calling out to me again. I heard them intensely and insistently, and felt a familiar and overwhelming desire to research and write about them again.  Perhaps they have been calling all along, but only now have I come to a resting spot where I can hear them.

I hope you will continue this journey with me, as I find the words to share it with you here.

• Earth Spirituality , Wise Woman Wisdom
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tammy June 26th, 2010

I just returned from a relaxing vacation on the beaches of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and met some sweet new plant friends.  Although I saw many herbs that were new to me, a couple really caught my attention and inspired me to get to know them better. I wanted to share my research with you.

Large-leaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis)

Large-leaf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle bonariensis)
Prolific is the first word that comes to mind when I think of this plant.  Several sources classify this plant as invasive, and I can see why. It was everywhere along the coast, on and near the dunes.

I was attracted to the succulent, brilliant green, and round foliage, with a small, whitish dot in the center. It exudes archetypal wholeness, a sacred naval of the world, appearing to contain a full universe within each perfect leaf. Very plump and moist and healthy, even though it was growing out of dry, hot, sand.

I only know the name of this plant because of a book I picked up at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge we visited while at the beach.  The book is titled “A Guide to Ocean Dune Plants common to North Carolina” by E. Jean Wilson Kraus. None of the other herbal reference books on my shelves (and I have a lot) mention Hydrocotyle at all.

In my internet research, I found very little specific and reliable information on the possible medicinal properties of this plant. The few references I did find, indicated it may have possibly been used as an alterative for various skin and kidney disorders, as well as arthritis.

Not knowing a single thing about this lovely little plant when I discovered it, except that I found it beautiful, I didn’t do very much hands-on experimenting on our first meeting. As I sat with it, I imagined it could bring moisture and coolness to dry, inflamed tissues. Perhaps it could deliver some kind of cosmic energy to a tired spirit, renewing life force in the cells of the body. Its personality seemed to me to be very similar to Chickweed. Roundness, balance, greenness, longevity… these are the words that came to mind.  Since many sources indicated that H. bonariensis is edible, raw and cooked, I will feel safe to experiment a bit more next time I am on the coast.

Other common names I came across for this particular species: Water Pennywort, Beach Pennywort, Marsh Pennywort, Salt Pennywort, Coast Pennywort, Dollarweed, Sombrerillo, Waternaval. I will certainly be looking for more ethno-botanical information under any and all of these names. If you have any tidbits to share, I would love to hear them.

In my next post I want to talk about Fire-wheel, Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella), another coastal plant that captured my heart and imagination while I was in the Outer Banks. 

• Earth Spirituality , Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
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tammy December 9th, 2008

Since the kids have grown up and had kids of their own, it’s very seldom we are all together at the same time for meaningful activities anymore.  But Saturday turned out to be very magical for us in that way.  We got our first real snow (which only amounted to less than an inch, but hey!) while all of my kids were at the house with their children, so we decided to put up the Christmas tree together.

We’ve been using an artificial tree the last few years, but found when we hauled it out of the shed that mice had made their home in its branches this past season and had peed all over it!  Sorry, not putting the lovely odor of mouse pee all up in my house for Christmas!

So it was snowing, all the kids and grandkids were there together… seemed like perfect timing to go out in the woods and find a live tree this year.  And that’s just what we did.  It was a very special memory we made together, all of us bundled up tromping through the woods, AND we found a beautiful, fat cedar in the perfect shape.  It’s bare on one side, but with that side against the wall you can’t really tell.

At first I had a few reservations about cutting down a perfectly healthy and living tree just to indulge our holiday hoopla, but I have since come to terms with that.  Part of being on a spiritual and sacred earth walk means understanding that all living things participate and contribute to the whole of life, sometimes in life and sometimes in death.

We take the lives of plants and animals everyday to sustain and enhance our own lives.  The hard truth of the matter is that no life can continue unless something else dies to feed it.  I also believe that in some mysterious way, when we honor and gratefully receive these gifts, each living being that gives its life does so as a willing participant.  It is good to honor these everyday sacrifices and give heartfelt thanks when we eat a meal, use a plant for medicine, or even cut down a live Christmas tree.

I believe that in the grand scheme of the Universe, this particular tree we brought home grew in that very spot, to just the right size and shape, for just that moment when it gave its life to be a part of our family’s unity and love.  We will honor and embrace that sacrifice.

When I went to put water into the tree stand after we had set it up, one of the grandchildren asked me if the tree was going to keep growing.  I told him, no, it would begin to dry out and it would die within a few weeks.  He was sad about that and thought maybe we shouldn’t have cut it down.  I had to scramble to explain to him the understanding I had come to about life and death and this humble tree, in a way that he could understand.  I also wanted to find a way that we could honor the tree’s life, one that would be meaningful to the children.

What we came up with was that after Christmas, when we take down all the decorations, we will carry our tree to our bonfire spot and have a grand smudging ceremony!  Cedar is a traditional sacred smudging herb, and this seems a fitting end for our lovely tree.  We will thank our tree for being part of our family celebrations and for making our holiday so special.  Then we will burn the tree and watch it’s spirit rise up to return to the Great Spirit, carrying our prayers with it.  The children think this is a great idea and they are excited.

I used to feel so sad when, the week after Christmas, I would drive through my city and see all the dead and discarded Christmas trees lying on the curbs up and down the streets, with stray pieces of tinsel still clinging in odd places, just waiting for the garbage trucks.  The holiday was over and now they were just thrown out like nothing special, the people moving unceremoniously on to the next thing.  I am very glad to have found a way to make the death of our Christmas tree just as meaningful and special as all the rest of our celebrations.

Bringing an evergreen tree into the house to decorate and celebrate around is but one of the many ways to mark the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, with the days growing longer and longer thereafter.  Many religious mythologies symbolize this phenomena of “light triumphing over darkness.” Whether you celebrate the return of the sun to longer days, or the coming of the Son, or something else entirely, may you all find special meaning for this holiday season.

• Earth Spirituality , Wild Crafting , Wise Woman Wisdom
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tammy November 19th, 2008

See that big rock down by woods edge?  It’s a solid piece of quartz, as are all the babies around it.  That’s my future meditation and medicine garden, which I plan to build up come Spring.

The big rock faces East and has a perfect little depression on the top for my behind to rest comfortably.  The babies in front make perfect stepping stones up to it.

When the foliage is gone in the Fall and early Spring, I have often sat there early in the morning to meditate as the sun comes up.  My plan is to clear some space and plant a medicine garden all around it so I can have access all through the Summer too.

Here is a view from atop the rock.  Directly in front there is a huge rose quartz stone embedded in the ground.  If you look carefully you can see the Stone Person in it.

Here is a closer view from a few weeks ago before all the foliage was gone.

It’s a powerful place, and I look forward to spending a lot of time there.

• Earth Spirituality
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tammy October 30th, 2008

After my recent post on Tree Medicine my friend, Sarah Head, suggested I make my own set of Ogham Sticks.  She was even kind enough to send along detailed instructions from the classes she teaches on the topic.  I had not heard of Ogham Sticks before, but was immediately intrigued when I learned they were a divination tool made from trees. Thank you Sarah!  What a creative, healing, and so very appropriate project for me to do over these upcoming Winter months!

As I learned from Sarah, to make a set, you only need to respectfully and reverently collect sticks of the size and shape desired from a variety of trees of your choosing, then polish and decorate the sticks as you like, being sure to mark the name of the tree (or other symbol) so you can remember which stick represents which tree.  The finished product can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. I liked Sarah’s suggestion to take wood from fallen branches already offered by the tree.  If taking from the live tree, she suggests doing so while the tree sleeps during the cold months.

The finished sticks can be kept in a special bag or other container, and then when you need tree medicine, you can “draw” one or more sticks from the bag. Together with an understanding of the symbolism and energy of the tree(s) you have drawn, very useful insight into your situation can be gained. This is similar to drawing Runes or Tarot, or even meditating upon a random Bible passage — ALL spiritual traditions have some means of consulting a higher wisdom through symbols or story for the purpose of growth and understanding in ones everyday life.  It is “Story Medicine,” as Susun Weed calls it.

Though traditional Ogham Sticks can be a part of well-defined ritual and ceremony, where there are the Ogham alphabet symbols engraved on them, a certain number of sticks, and specific types of trees to use, I do not plan to follow those particular guidelines to make mine. At this point in my path, I’m not looking for traditional meanings so much as I am wanting to develop a very personal tool to help with my own growth and understanding of tree medicine, and a way to connect more meaningfully with that wisdom.

Instead of making a traditional set, I will allow my own set to evolve over time from those trees that I develop a special connection to right here in my own backyard, one tree at a time, over as many years as it takes to meet all the Tree People I need to meet!  I think it will be very fulfilling for me to do in-depth research on each tree as I go along (meditative, books, science, all together) and then translate that understanding lovingly into the symbolic form of an Ogham Stick to represent each Standing Person.

I am going to start my set with the lovely Sweetgum, which has star shaped leaves that smell heavenly when crushed.

She really stands out along the edge of the forest in the summer because of the unique shape of her leaves.  She practically shouted for me to pay attention to her as I walked past one day.  She is no less quiet in the Fall.  Just look at that fire!  A good place for me to begin, I think.

• Earth Spirituality
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tammy October 16th, 2008

In the spiritual tradition of my Native American ancestors, the trees are known as the Standing People. They are the great and wise chiefs of the Green Nations.  Their roots run deep into Mother Earth and their branches reach high toward Father Sky.  They are deeply connected to both the physical and spiritual realms, wise and generous.  I spent some time among them this morning seeking wisdom, peace, rest.

As I lay gazing upward at the quivering, multi-colored leaves, an occasional gust of wind would send the brightest ones spiraling down like dry rain to catch in my hair and caress my face.  I tried to get a photo of one of these leaf showers, as it was an achingly beautiful sight, but it was a Zen moment that simply could not be captured.

Here is another view from my hammock instead.

I’ve been feeling generally stuck for some months now in several major areas of my life, desiring a big change, not knowing what to do or how to make myself feel better.  Each small step I have managed forward seems overwhelmingly insignificant compared to the thousands more that must yet be walked.  Lots of thinking going on in my mind these days about what is really important to me and how I want to live the second half of my life. A midlife crisis perhaps?

It must be time for the medicine wheel to turn… a new stage of life approaches.  The Standing People are making this journey now also. They have many lessons for me, I think.

• Earth Spirituality
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tammy September 23rd, 2008

This exquisite flower was my gift from Mother on the fall equinox.  Isn’t it gorgeous?  Its flowers have the most divine scent, not quite like anything I’ve experienced before.

I was walking and enjoying a beautiful equinox day outside when I unexpectedly spotted her.  She called me down to sit a while and visit.  Literally.  I felt compelled to sink down and sit, as naturally as if I had gone to that spot for no other purpose than that.

I have no idea its name yet, but I know it is going to be an important plant for me. These photos aren’t the best for plant ID, but if you know what this is, please let me know!  I only saw the one.  I hope there are more.

• Earth Spirituality , Wild Crafting
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tammy May 4th, 2008

Just a few days ago, I could look throught the forest to the other side.  There was a fuzzy green halo around everything, but I could still see the creek through the trees and the leaf littered ground and the neighbors houses. 

Today I can only see an intricate wall of lovely green.  Isn’t it beautiful?

• Earth Spirituality
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tammy April 22nd, 2008

Most people think of sunny days for gardening. Not me. I like to plant and weed and mulch during the gentle drizzle of a warm Spring rain. Father Sky makes love to Mother Earth and the ground is wet and fertile. The soil is loose and the plants and seeds eagerly take root. Gardening is effortless.

We’ve just had a string of such magical days and I’ve been taking advantage of every one of them to get my baby plants into the ground and the beds cleaned out from the Winter.

While the rain pours down I get drenched to the bone and my toes squish in the mud. I don’t even need a shovel or a spade. I just push my bare hands into the soil and shape an opening to receive the new plants. The smell of the moist earth is intoxicating. I am one with the rain and the dirt, a co-creator in the miracles of Spring.

I’ve got dirt so far under my fingernails it’ll be days before I get it all out, and my muscles are pleasantly sore from the stooping and digging. But my garden is growing and my joy is complete.

• Earth Spirituality , Organic Gardening
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tammy April 13th, 2008

This morning my hands smell like wet spring dirt mixed with sunshine and a bit of sugar… ahhhhh!  It’s the lovely, sharp fragrance of dandelion sap.  I’ve been outside popping flowers from their springy stems all morning.  Before I began, I thanked the plant for all the help its roots and leaves gave me this past winter and asked if I could use its flower medicine (of course!).  Then I hooked my first two fingers just below the bud, pulled gently, and POP, off they snap.  I went all around the yard doing this, and gathered a quart of them to make dandelion flower oil. 

Dandelion is such an incredibly nourishing and healing herb, it is hard to figure out where to start listing its uses.  I’ve used the root and leaves extensively for things like indigestion and acid reflux, water retention, and just plain nourishment.  But I’ve not yet used the flowers specifically.  I’m making this oil to try it out as a breast massage oil, muscle tension reliever, and skin beautifier.  Here’s what a few of my favorite herbalists have to say about Dandelion flowers:

“Dandelion flowers steeped in olive oil are a wonderful moisturizer and a great tension relieving massage oil.  These beautiful golden blossoms possess the ability to help release emotions held in the muscles.”  -Gail Faith Edwards, Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs

“Make a dandelion flower oil and use wiz your Wise Woman touch to ease the pain and help heal those wiz stiff necks, arthritic joints, sinus headaches, back tension, and weepy, swollen skin sores.” - Susun Weed, Healing Wise (Wise Woman Herbal Series)

“The Dandelion is a plant of the sun and has been associated with the sun since very ancient times.  It’s color, disklike shape, and raylike florets resemble the sun in miniature, and the rising and setting of the sun influence the opening and closing of the flowers.” - Maida Silverman, A City Herbal

Since I carry almost all my emotional tension in the muscles of my back, shoulders, and neck I am quite anxious to see if Dandelion flower oil will be able to help me relieve some of that.  I also am attracted to the symbolism and historical lore of this plant.  In addition to being associated with the sun, the name of Dandelion means ”tooth of the lion” and its flower head has been compared to a lion’s mane.  As my sun sign is Leo the lion, I do feel a certain kinship there!

I first learned to make herbal oils by the simplers method: fill the jar with fresh herb, cover completely with olive oil, cap tightly, let sit for 6 weeks or more in a cool dark place.  I’m still following that for most of my herbal oils, however, I’m now reconsidering the “cool, dark” part of it in some cases.  I think some plants, especially those that contain sunshine medicine, like Dandelion, may be more potent if left to brew in the healing rays of the sun.  I’ve heard this over and over from different herbalists regarding St. John’s Wort (that fabulous red color of good SJW oil comes from brewing in the sunshine).  I’ve also discovered that pine oil brews best in the sunshine — the warmth helps pull out all those lovely aromatic resins into the oil much better.

So, since a big part of the medicine I am trying to capture with Dandelion is its living sunshine, I think I’ll sit this one in the window to brew.  I’ll let you know how it turns out!

• Cosmetics, Body Care , Earth Spirituality , Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
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