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 Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:08 pm
July Happy 4th of July, HHG members! ^_^ We have lots of new members in the guild right now, so please stop by and welcome them in.
Also, it's growing season! Gardens are fast on their way to being ready for harvest, and wild herbs and plants are in full bloom. Don't forget that if you want to pick wild herbs, make sure to leave enough for next year's growth.
This month's featured link is the Mountain Rose Herb company, at MountainRoseHerbs.com So be sure to stop and shop there for your herbal needs.
This is a courtesy link, not advertising.
The guild has gotten a little slow recently, so our Captain has made it a Reference Guild, where you can access information you need and discuss questions, ideas, or problems with people who care. But just because we're a Reference Guild doesn't mean that you don't have to visit! 3nodding Please, remember to stop by and check in every so often, new ideas are being posted, but without our members, the guild will die!
Don't forget, we also have a Recruitment Thread located here so be sure to stop by in there and chat with us and those people interested!
We're also always looking for new members, so if you know anyone who is interested in plants, natural or alternative medicine, gardening, or even cooking with herbs, please let them know about us!
Thanks and have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
Your friendly neighborhood Healers and Herbalist Guild mule
~Teranika
You have recieved this newsletter because you are or were at one time a member of the Healers and Herbalist's Guild. If you've recieved this newsletter by accident, please PM me and I'll be sure to remove your name, and sorry for the inconvenience. August Hi, everyone! Welcome to the August Newsletter for the Healers and Herbalist's Guild. In this newsletter, we have the August Spotlighted Herb, some information about the changes in the guild, and an impassioned plea from the captain!
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This month's Spotlight Herb is:*cue dramatic music!*
Garlic!
That's right, garlic- that wonderful little bulb that we use for seasoning our food and driving away unwanted attention. whee
Recently, the Food Network has highlighted garlic in both it's "Secret Life of...." program and in Alton Brown's "Good Eats". For a quick overview, lets look at this delightful little herb!
Description: Garlic is an onion like aromatic plant with hollow, round leaves and umbrella shaped, flowering parts with starry purple flowers. The bulbs are harvested in the summer and stored for use in cooking and to make medicinal products. You can buy garlic bulbs from your local grocery store or natural food store. Garlic is also available as a power or granules, in bulk and in many commercial odor-controlled capsules, either as oil or powder.
Parts Used: Cloves
Uses: Garlic is warming to your digestion and respiratory tract, and is an important antibiotic and anti-viral remedy for colds, flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, and other infections. Consider garlic preparations for protecting the blood and cardiovascular system [against vampires? XD –Captain] With regular use, the herb can help to slightly lower your high blood pressure, reduce high cholesterol, and help prevent atherosclerosis. Garlic is famous for killing and clearing intestinal parasites.
Caution: Avoid the use of garlic if you’re nursing. Raw carlic can sometimes irritate your stomach if you eat too much.
Culinary: Used widely, especially in Mediterranean and eastern cuisines, in butters, vinegars, and garlic salt.
Medical: Colds, coughs, to aid digestion, for high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis.
Garlic has been used as a food and medicine since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians. The Greek historian Herodotus tells us that the slaves who built the Great Pyramid ate great quantities of it. Modern science has confirmed many of garlic’s reputed healing properties. Experiments conducted in India show that eating garlic can significantly lower blood cholesterol and other fats. Research at George Washington Unuversity (USA) shows that garlic can also reduce blood clotting, so making it usedful in cardiovascular disease. Since garlic has also been shown to reduce blood pressure in both animals and humans, it is evidently useful in guarding against strokes, which can occur when pressure is raised or the blood clots in the cerebral arteries.
In both World Wars, garlic was applied to wounds to prevent septic poisoning and grangrene. Garlic has also been used successfully to control diarrhea, dysentery, pulmonary TB, diphtheria, whooping cough, typhoid and hepatitis. It is effective against many fungal infections and trichomonas. It can be used to expel worms. Garlic has been shown to lower blood sugar levels, indicating its use in controlling mild diabetes.
Herbalist consider garlic to be a first-rate digestive tonic, and also use it to treat toothache, earache, coughs, and colds(regular intake can prevent colds and reduce excess phlegm.) Garlic’s folk reputation for treating cancer has received scientific support from two Japanese researchers who showed in 1963 that injections of garlic extract killed tumor cells in rats.
For a scientific tidbit about this unique and very versatile herb, allow me to explain why garlic is so... garlicky. There are two chemicals in the cells that, when released by crushing or chopping, mix to form that uber-garlicky taste and smell. So, the less you chop your garlic, the milder the taste!
There are also odor free garlic pills for those of us who would rather avoid eating the food, for either personal or ... >> Odor-y reasons.
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You might notice, if you visit the main guild regularly, that a large number of older threads are MIA. There's also a new "Archive" subforum. This is where all those missing threads have vanished to! ^_^ They haven't been deleted, but the captain felt it was neccessary to start cleaning the front page, storing old threads for reference use even though they aren't active anymore. She is currently working on updating the Sticky of Doom and it's Cross-reference list, but as you can imagine, that's a lot of information to go through! But everything remains in the guild, I promise.
************************Captain Kyoki Hello, HHG members! This is your captain, and I'm coming to you with a request.
Please, please- don't forget about our guild. I know it isn't as active as others you may be part of, but we do miss you. The guild is very slow, I know- but you can fix that, by coming in and overcoming the slowness! Avoiding the guild because it's slow only leads to more slow.
I'm trying to find more interesting ways to keep everyone entertained, but honestly, it's difficult. I haven't much gold or items for contest prizes, but I know that if we all band together, we can really make the guild jump again. ^_^
Please, come back and join us! We miss you. Sept. 28, 2006 Hi, everyone!
This is just a notice to let you know that now, if you'd like to be added or removed from the newsletter, all you need to do now is add or remove yourself from my friendslist!
Because of the new system in place, I will automatically be added to your friendslist when you choose to add me to yours, meaning that you people who have your PM's set to "friends only" no longer have to worry about missing a newsletter.
Also, when you remove me from your friendslist, it will automatically remove you from mine- no more newsletters you don't want!
So there you have it! That's what the new friendslist options mean for you!
PS: Don't forget, we're always looking for new subscribers and contributors! If you have a short piece of work you'd like to submit to the newsletter for monthly publication, please PM it to me right away!
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Posted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:49 pm
September Hi, everyone! Welcome to the September edition of the Healers and Herbalists Guild Newsletter!
This month we have several new announcements. First, we'll discuss the new HHG store, followed by information on the new layout in the GGN guild. Then we have an open call for writers to make their mark in the upcoming newsletters!
We also have a request from our captain again this month! So lets get on with the news, right? 3nodding Right!
First and foremost, there's a new store in the GGN guild! ^_^ That's right, a new store! I'm announcing my intent to open a store in the guild. With the Daily Chance option available, my account is getting a little full of bugs, trash, and items that I don't need.
To counteract this tendency, I plan on selling the items in my inventory! I will update as often as I am logged into (being a mule).
I will also post items up in the Marketplace, but only after our members have had sufficient chance to purchase these treats at the HHG discount.
Members who are part of the thread but not the GGN guild are welcome to purchase these items as well, but the store is only open in the GGN guild and here via PM, so if you're not a part of the guild or on the mailing list, you might lose out!
If you have junk you'd like to be rid of, please feel free to donate it to my account. I will sell it along with the rest, and the money will be put aside for a purpose to be decided by the guild as a whole- I know our captain has been thinking about a possible charity! But sshh, you didn't hear that from me! wink
Currently Available:
 : Green Flame Shirt
 : Ohh~cean Blue Head Wrap
 : Cola Bottle
[Image Unavailable]: Tokens x 25
[Image Unavailable]: Grasshopper x 1
[Image Unavailable]: Cricket x 2
[Image Unavailable]: Firefly x 1
[Image Unavailable]: Green Dragonfly x 1
[Image Unavailable]: Pink Daffodil x 1
[Image Unavailable]: Blue Ink x 1
[Image Unavailable]: Brown Ink x 1
[Image Unavailable]: Dirty Crumpled Newspaper x 1
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Some of you may have noticed the new layout to the guild, and I'm pleased to say that it will help dramatically with organization. There is now a subforum not only for archive threads (which may or may not remain), but also to allow specialization such as "Spirituality", "Healing and Medicine", and "Home and Beauty", each with their own unique area of study.
Don't be afraid to explore each of these subforums! When in doubt as to what belongs where, each subforum has an introductory thread with information about that forum, what belongs there, and what does not. There are also subforum specific rules listed there.
Come on in and explore our new layout! ^^ And as always, our captain is open to suggestions and ideas!
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The newsletter needs writers! Yes, you heard right. We're looking for articles written by our own members about current events in alternative medicine, about specific plants or healing techniques, and even art and fiction by our members. Anything you want to try is open for submission- just make sure its healing related and accurate!
To submit an article, please write one between 500 and 750 words (I don't count, I go by how easy it is to read... little secret there wink ) about a healing related topic. Topics may include current events in medicine, preferably alternative medicine; an in-depth study of a plant or group of plants, or of a healing technique (such as "Red Clover", "Stomach Soothing Herbs", or "Shiatsu Massage"); or any other well-researched factual topic.
To submit art, please host your own image in a location where it will not change for at least two months. (Tinypic.com is a good location, since it's fix-it and forget it, pretty much.)
To submit fiction, please follow the word limit imposed on articles above, and please make sure your story or poem is related to alternative medicine in some way and that the information contained inside is accurate to life. Stories or poems may be written in any way, but please make sure they are properly spell-checked and grammatically correct. (Poetic license is given, but be reasonable!)
In all submissions, the captain has final say as to what is published and what is not. 3nodding Thank you for your time!
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And now, a word from our captain.Quote: Hello again, members, and thank you for your support of our guild. Last month I put out a call to please, return to the guild and help us resurrect it! Unfortunately, only a few members responded to that call.
We are doing our best to maintain the guild in such a way that it will bring in new members and stimulate old ones, but this is a cooperative effort and we need you, yes -you-, our members, to step up and make things happen! Bring new ideas to the table, discuss things old and new, and make friends! Please, take some initiative and step up with ideas. I need your help to make this guild a success! ************************************** Well, that's all for September, folks! Have a wonderful month and remember to live wisely!
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 6:24 pm
Oct. 6, 2006 Hello, everyone, and welcome to the HHG October Newsletter!
In this edition, we’ll be taking a look at something a little spookier than our usual fare… ninja Alright, maybe not, but our Herb Spotlight this month is on Sage, a plant commonly used in cooking, medicine and spirituality! We also have a listing of October’s Almanac highlights, and information on our new home base in Towns!
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Sage
Common Name: Sage
Latin Name: Salvia officinalis
Common Uses: In cooking, to flavor foods
In medicine, to ease chest congestion, to increase mental capacity, and to enhance longevity.
In health and beauty, sage tea helps reduce body odor, and cleans teeth well.
In spirituality, to cleanse and purify a person, place or thing.
Originating in the Mediterranean, sage was grown there for it’s strong essential oils and it’s rich flavor in cooking. Brought to America, it now grows in nearly all parts of the nation.
A sub-shrub, sage grows to around 75cm high (around 30 inches) and has thick, tough leaf-stalks, unlike most herbs. It also has a distinctive scent that once you’ve smelled it, you never forget it. With violet or blue flowers, it’s blooming phase is beautiful and helps identify this useful herb.
With a rich flavor well suited to most meat dishes, sage is a culinary must-have- and it’s medical properties are astounding as well. Quote: Traditionally associated with longevity, sage has a reputation for restoring failing memory in the elderly. Like other memory-enhancing herbs, it was also planted on graves. It is said that when the British started importing tea from China, the Chinese so valued the herb they would trade two cases of tea for one of dried English sage. There are several species of the sage herb, each with its own characteristics that make them have different uses. The leaves and stems are used in cooking for flavoring sausages, pork, sauces, cheese, dressings and stuffing. Sage is also brewed for tea. Sage herb can be used as an antiseptic and anti-fungal; it improves the digestion, and this is why it is sometimes used with heavy meals. It will also help control diarrhea. The purple variety of S. officinalis is generally used in medicine, and is more effective than the green plant. In China, the root of a related plant, S. miltiorrhiza (dan shen), is used as a tonic herb. The Artemisa variety is very bitter, great as an insect repellant, and can be sprayed with alcohol after the plant is boiled to let all it's juices out. This variety is not intended for cooking. LearningInfo.orgQuote: Many people like to purify by smudging. Sage is a very commonly used smudge. If you can gather and dry your own wild sage for smudging, do so. Just light a sprig of dried sage (You can carry a little tray or saucer under the lit sprig, in case some burning bit drops) and carry it from room to room, visualizing any negativity being replaced by the purifying fragrance of the sage. One can also make a protective sigil at each window and doorway, thus purifying and protecting in one fell swoop! Herb Magick, Wolf Moon Coven website
Sage is an incredibly popular tool for smudging, used by Native Americans to purify themselves or to drive away demons. It’s still used in this way today, being easy to grow or buy and providing a heady “woodsy” smell to a home as well as it’s purifying benefits.
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Almanac Information for October, courtesy of the Old Farmer’s Almanac
As of today, October 10, 2006, there are officially 72 days left until winter!
Sky Highlights
This is the year's worst month for planets. Mars finally reaches conjunction and slips behind the Sun on the 23rd. By month's end, Jupiter will be difficult to view as it vanishes into the Sun's glare, as does Venus. Mercury is barely visible above the horizon, making its meeting with Venus from the 20th through the 31st challenging to view. The Moon is so far south that, when one day old on the 23rd, it sets before the Sun; the two-day-old Moon is equally impossible to see. These are the lowest, hardest-to-see crescent Moons in 18 years. Only Saturn is easily visible, but it doesn't rise until 2:30 a.m. The medium-intensity Orionid meteors add some sparkle to the sky on the 21st. Moon phase times are based on Eastern Time.
Full Moon: 6th day, 23rd hour, 13th minute
Last Quarter: 13th day, 20th hour, 26th minute
New Moon: 22nd day, 1st hour, 14th minute
First Quarter: 29th day, 16th hour, 25th minute
All Hallow’s Eve
October 31 was Samhain for the ancient Celts--the death night of the old year. Druids (priests) lit huge bonfires, while people dressed as demons and witches paraded noisily through the streets to frighten off the roving souls believed to be seeking new homes for the new year.
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We’ve now got a base in Towns, for all of you who like to chat real-time with each other!
2 Barton, 3665 is now the base for the Healers and Herbalists Guild Meeting Hall (which is also my home!)
So if you’re hanging out in chat, and you want a nice place to sit and relax, come on up to 2 Barton and find the Guild Hall!
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Well, that’s all for October my friends, and lets have a wonderful month!
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Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 11:15 pm
December 2006 Hi, everyone! So sorry about missing November's newsletter. The captain of the guild has been busy with moving, and since nobody turned in articles to be published, then the November newsletter fell by the wayside!
Help prevent any more newsletters from being forgotten! Submit your alternative medicine article, anectdote, or work to be sent out with January's newsletter!
In this newsletter, we'll be covering a few things: First, we'd like to wish everyone happy holidays and provide a few seasonal delights that make excellent gifts for both your friends and family, as well as yourself! Then, we'll be giving you the heads up on making your own lip balms, quick and easy!
Rather than an Herb of the Month in this letter, we've included the link to a fun quiz, to test your herbal IQ! Lets see if you can find the answers, but no cheating! ^_^
To wrap it all up, we'll include information on how to submit an article or work for the newsletter!
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Happy Holidays, everyone! Be it Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or any other holiday celebrated by our diverse member base, this is the time of year for friendship and fellowship! To promote that wonderful holiday feeling, we are including a few ideas on gifts from the heart- and the kitchen!
We've collected a few of our favorite holiday gift recipes, and here they are, ready for use!Quote: Peppermint ShortbreadMake sure you include the fresh peppermint — it’s the key to this shortbread’s great flavor. The finished shortbread keeps up to a week. 3⁄4 cup (11⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 9 tablespoons sugar 11⁄2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 egg 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract 3⁄4 teaspoon peppermint extract 2 cups flour 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh peppermint leaves 1⁄8 teaspoon salt Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extracts. Add flour while beating on low speed. Stir in peppermint leaves and salt. Divide dough into three portions. Place on plastic wrap and roll into cylinders, 11⁄4 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or until firm. (This dough can be made ahead and frozen unbaked for one month. Thaw slightly in refrigerator before baking.) Unwrap dough and slice into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices. Place slices close together on baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until bottom edges are just barely brown. Remove to rack to cool. Makes 5 dozen cookies. Quote: English Rose TeaVisions of an English countryside will come to mind while drinking this very delicate tea. 1⁄2 cup dried red rose petals 2 tablespoons dried lemon balm 1 tablespoon dried rosemary Mix well and store in an airtight container. Attach the following instructions on a gift tag: For 1 cup of tea, use 1 teaspoon of herbs in a cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes, strain and sweeten if desired. Quote: Victorian Facial ScrubThis vintage scrub is just as effective today for softening the complexion as it was in the 1890s. 1 cup dried rose petals 1 cup dried lavender 1 cup oatmeal 1⁄2 cup chopped almonds 6 drops chamomile essential oil Grind herbs, oatmeal and almonds in a blender or food processor until very fine. Stir in essential oil and pack in decorative four-ounce glass jars with tight-fitting lids. Attach the following instructions on a gift tag: Rub a handful of the scrub gently into damp skin using small, circular motions. Allow it to dry on the skin for a minute or so, then rinse well.
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For the $3.00 you spend on a tube of Chapstick at the store, you can make around 15 tubes of your own custom blend! That means you can know exactly what's going onto your skin! What an awesome idea!
So, to continue that train of thought, we started looking around for a few handy recipes for lip balm, that are easy-to-make ideas for the new herbalist.
Here's what we've found!
Quote: 1. Coarsely chop or grated your beeswax (vegans may use Carnauba Wax as an alternative), and place it in a small pot or glass pyrex measuring cup with your butters and carrier oils in the top of a double boiler, and melt gently over heated water. Make sure that the water does not boil over into your oil mixture, 1 -2” of water in the bottom of your pot is enough. 2. Once that your beeswax mixture has melted, remove from burner, and add your essential oils. The essential oils will begin to dissipate with the scent, add more as needed. 3. Immediately pour the hot mixture into lip balm containers. If the mixture cools too rapidly while you are pouring, then heat the mixture back up over the double boiler. 4. Allow to cool completely (usually overnight) before placing the caps onto your lip balm containers.
Quote: Cinnamon: Spicy, warming. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong. Clove: Spicy, warming. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong. Ginger: Warm, spicy, and exotic. Great for winter blends. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong. Grapefruit: Fresh, uplifting, light citrus scent. Lemon: Fresh, uplifting, citrus scent. Lime: Fresh, uplifting, citrus scent. Peppermint: Cooling, refreshing, and invigorating. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong. Spearmint: Cooling, refreshing, and invigorating. Use sparingly, as the oil is very strong. Sweet Orange: Refreshing, uplifting, sweet, citrus scent. Blends well with many oils.
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Rather than an HotM this time, we've got a link for you to test your Herbal IQ! Can you guess which spice is said to protect against Crocodiles? Or how about herb in Hamlet is for remembrance? Check here and see if you know as much as you think you do!
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Last but not least, we have the information on how to submit an article for the newsletter.
Did you know that we have over 130 people, who all recieve this letter every month? What a way to reach out for alternative medicine! If you have any article you'd like to submit, simply PM it to me ! From there, the captain and crew can review the article and decide which ones fit best into the next newsletter. So please, submit your herb reviews, book reviews, recipes, articles of interest, or editorials on current alternative medicine events, and lets get this newsletter really rocking! ^_^
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Well, that wraps up December's newsletter, folks! Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful holiday season!
To be unsubscribed from this newsletter, please remove yourself from my friendslist and PM me so I can remove your name as well. Thank you!
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 1:07 pm
Spring Welcome to the Spring Healers and Herbalists Guild Newsletter!
In this volume, we’ll be delving into a few things for the new year, including a glance at the moon this month, and some history behind a favored delivery method of herbal goodness! We’ll also take a look at garlic, that ever-present herbalist’s dream bulb, and since spring is heading this way, we’ll give a look into planting and wild-crafting!
But first, a note from our Captain:
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Hi, everyone. I regret to say that due to the lack of contributors for the newsletter, I’m forced to restrict it to a quarterly basis. That means that every three months, I’ll send out a newsletter.
I’m afraid that between taking care of my own house and garden, I just don’t have time to research and write up the number of articles it takes to make a decent newsletter, and since nobody responded to the call in the last few newsletters asking for assistance, I’m afraid I’m forced to cut back on how often it comes out.
The new newsletter will be sent out in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, or approximately April, July, October, and January. (They may come a little early or a little late, depending on the seasons here in the Pacific Northwest.)
I try to make this newsletter as informative and relevant as possible, but since I live in the Pacific Northwest of the US, I tend to follow the seasons as they happen here… my apologies to all of you who are in different climate zones!
Best of luck this spring, and remember to keep your eyes peeled for wonderful plants you may have missed!
~Kyoki
Captain, HHG
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The Moon This Quarter
(Quick explanation of what that means:
The phases (new, 2nd, full, and 4th) define what the moon looks like, as well as offer a few traits- a new moon is a time of beginnings, a 2nd quarter moon is a time of growth, a full moon is a time of fruition and harvest, and a 4th quarter moon is a time of reflection and disintegration.
The sign is which astrological sign the moon is in at that given point- for more information on that, ask your local astrologist or find a good book on basic astrology. (Or PM Dragonsama, she can tell you what each sign means!)
The Element is which of the four elements- earth, air, fire, or water- that the moon is favoring at that time.
The nature is said to determine how growing things may do- plants, animals and plans alike.
Please also note that this is strictly in fun and guarantees nothing about your garden or your future. ^^ )
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Nectar of the Gods
There is a food, a ‘nectar of the gods’ if you will, that offers not only incredible flavor and sweetness, but also an amazing array of medicinal benefits. Poetically described as “the dew distilled from stars and rainbows”, this food is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral. It contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin K, which reduces the formation of acid bacteria in the mouth, thus preventing tooth decay. It’s also moisture-absorbent and draws dirt from the skin, making it an excellent cleanser and tonic for that vital organ.
Figured out what it is yet?
If you said honey, you’re absolutely right. Beekeeper, translator, and author Marna Pease said: “The more honey is used as food, the less it will be needed as a remedy.”
Bees are one of the most important species on our planet today- in ancient times, it was seen as a sign of the soul or spirit, and evidence suggests that bees have been kept since at least 5000BC, with records to indicate that honey has been used medicinally since at least 2700BC. Rock art images from Spain show men collecting honey from around 13,000BC, and a cave painting from Southern Spain shows a woman with a bee for a head.
Venerated by the ancient Egyptians, bees and their honey were considered sacred. The sticky product was used in medicine, mixed with oil and wax for insect bites, bloodstone for bleeding wounds, fenugreek to induce childbirth, carob or frankincense for burns.
But it wasn’t just Egypt who knew the value of honey. The Greek physician Hippocrates said, “I eat honey and use it in the treatment of many diseases because honey offers good food and good health.”
All the major medical texts, from the ancient Egyptian medical papyri to medieval Arabia and Renaissance Europe, mention honey and its beneficial effects. Even today, some cough drops mirror that old way and contain honey and lemon, a still popular mixture in hot water (or pure!) to soothe sore throats and cough.( FYI: Mix 1tbsp of lemon juice with 2tbsps of warm honey. For a cough or sore throat, take 1 tsp as needed. ~Captain)
So you see, honey has well earned its reputation. Next time you’re reaching for that sugar-container for your tea or oatmeal, take a second and remember the sweet delight that’s actually good for you. ^_^
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Garlic [Allium Savitum]
Main uses: Culinary: Widely used, especially in Mediterranean and eastern cuisines; in butters, vinegars, and garlic salt.
Medical: Colds, coughs, aid digestion, high blood pressure, and arteriosclerosis
Used as a food and medicine since at least the times of Ancient Egypt, this member of the Lily family is renowned for its remarkable healing abilities. The slaves who built the great Pyramid ate great quantities of it, and modern science has confirmed its properties.
Experiments in India show eating garlic can significantly reduce blood cholesterol, and other fats. Research at George Washington University shows it can also reduce clotting, making it useful in cardiovascular disease. Since it’s also been shown to reduce blood pressure in humans and animals, it’s considered useful in guarding against strokes!
In both world wars, garlic was applied to wounds to prevent septic poisoning and gangrene (due to its antibacterial nature). It’s also been used successfully to treat diarrhea, whooping cough, dysentery, pulmonary TB, diphtheria, typhoid, and hepatitis. It’s effective against many fungal infections and trichomonas, and can be used to expel worms. It’s also been shown to reduce blood sugar levels, indicating its use for mild diabetes. (Captain’s note: If you suffer from any of these conditions, consult your doctor before changing any part of your medical regimen!)
Herbalists consider garlic a first-rate digestive tonic, and also use it to treat toothache, earache, coughs and colds. It also has a folk-reputation for treating cancer, with scientific support from two Japanese researchers who showed in 1963 that injections of garlic extract killed tumor cells in rats.
Got a cold? Here’s a quick recipe to help you out: Mix ¼ cup honey with 1 clove of garlic, sliced thin. Simmer over low heat for a few minutes, and then pick out the garlic. Let the honey cool until just warm and still a little runny. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, mix well, and take as needed for cough and sore throat.
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This is the time of year when everyone’s minds are turned to spring, and starting your gardens. However, since some of our members (our Captain included!) have limited space to plant a garden, we’ve come up with a list for you of good container-garden plants!
Angelica: A hardy biennial that can grow five to eight feet tall, with aromatic leaves and large heads of flowers. Best grown alone, in a large tub, it needs moisture retentive soil and full to partial sun.
Basil: A tender annual of great culinary value. The large leaved plant grows up to two feet high- n** the tips regularly to keep plants leafy instead of seeding. It does well when planted with marjoram, lemon balm, and parsley. It loves full sun and warmth, and must be moved inside in winter.
Lavender: An evergreen shrub that grows one to three feet tall, with spikes of blue flowers in the summer. A good companion plant to thyme, rue, or sage. Good in a window box or tub, and needs full sun.
Mint: An aromatic perennial that grows twelve to eighteen inches high. It does best planted alone in moist soil. Grow in a pot with full to partial sun.
Sage: A drought-tolerant evergreen shrub with gray-green foliage. Grows about two feet high. Can be grown with borage, rosemary, rue, tarragon or thyme, in a window box with full sun.
There’s just a handful of good container herbs, but don’t forget that almost any plant can be grown in a window box or a pot on the patio, so don’t think that space constraints make gardening impossible! Remember veggies and fruits that can grow in pots, like strawberries, tomatoes, and even beans or peas, if you give them a trellis to climb!
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For those of you with a black thumb, this is the time of year to start planning for your wild-crafting visits to the forests, fields, and lakesides in the country! Some common-sense reminders for wildcrafters:
1. Never, ever eat anything that you’re not positive of. Ever. Many young plants, especially this time of year, all look the same. That may be wild parsley you’re eating… or it may be water hemlock. When in doubt, -don’t-.
2. Never pick everything you see. A good rule of thumb is “1 of 3.” If there are three plants, only harvest the leaves and flowers of one, and leave all three roots. If there are six plants, harvest the leaves and flowers of two, and if you must, the root of one. Never, ever harvest more than 1/3 of the roots of any group of plants- you may inadvertently kill the entire stock.
3. If you’re not going to use it, don’t pick it. Just because you recognize a plant doesn’t mean you need it. If you aren’t going to use it to prepare something, then don’t pick it- leave it for when you -will- use it… or for someone else who will.
4. Remember to be careful of contaminants when wildcrafting. Plants growing alongside roads, in fields sprayed with pesticides, or water contaminated by run-off just aren’t healthy.
Wildcrafters, remember not to overlook some wonderful plants just because they’re called weeds! Plants like dandelion, burdock, mustard, sheep sorrel, wild lettuce, carrots, and radishes, and yellow and curly dock all grow rampant in most areas, so get yourself a good book on your local flora and see what’s around you! (Gardeners, that goes for you too- don’t be afraid to relocate “weeds” to their own special section of your garden! If you rip them out, you’ll be the one missing out!)
Last but not least, wildcrafters want to remember that some of the most valuable plants are also the most over-harvested. Given a chance, always remember to let those plants grow- they have enough problems as it is. These include American ginseng, black cohosh, blue cohosh, echinacea, goldenseal, pipsissewa, slippery elm, and wild yam. All of these plants can be replaced in your remedies by other, less endangered herbs.
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Well, that about wraps it up for this newsletter, folks! Have a wonderful spring, and please remember to drop Dragonsama a PM and thank her- much of the information in this letter came from her generous gift to our Captain of a wonderful book called the “Llewellyn’s 2007 Herbal Almanac”, which she says she saw and immediately thought of the Captain, the guild, and the newsletter! So don’t forget to give her a huge thank you for her contribution. Have a wonderful spring, everyone!
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