Margaret Fuller: The Prose of Life

I fear I have not one good word to say this fair morning, though the sun shines so encouragingly on the distant hills and gentle river and the trees are in their festive hues. I am not festive, though contented. When obliged to give myself to the prose of life, as I am on this occasion of being established in a new home I like to do the thing, wholly and quite, - to weave my web for the day solely from the grey yarn. ~Margaret Fuller~

John Burroughs: The Healing Power of Nature

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
~John Burroughs~

[Image: sunset from the front of the bungalow]

Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha)

An English tradition exists whereby it is understood the calendrical celebration of Mayday is not as permitted until the appearance of Hawthorn flowers, such is the magical  importance of this small wizened tree. The flowers have an almost quixotic fragrance which serves as an aphrodisiacal medicine in itself, when the meadows and hillsides come alive in spring. (As an aside, I have been observing the coincidence of Hawthorn blossom with calendrical Mayday for over 20 years, and have noticed an uncanny punctuality to this blossoming nearly every year, notwithstanding the weather). In English folk custom, the Mayqueen maiden of the village wears Hawthorn blossom in her hair.

 

The diversity of growth form has been utilised by humans for centuries: constant pruning and clipping produces dwarf forms which are turned into hedges to contain livestock. Out on the hillsides, single trees stand bent and gnarled, known as “flag trees” and used istorically as way markers. Hedges are maintained by hedgelaying, a purposeful cutting of the trunks which leaves a strip of bark & cambium in tact, and bending over of the tree which encourages vertical shoots to form and makes it stock- proof. In this way, a hawthorn hedge could be kept alive indefinitely, and certainly there are many examples of hedges many hundreds of years old, which only stand a few feet high. As its name implies, Hawthorn carries thorns which “seal the deal” as an aid to enclosure. Getting stabbed by the thorns is a more forgiving experience than its sister tree, Blackthorn (which has an unpleasant toxic effect). .

Hawthorn is therefore a significant tree of the woodland edge, and provides microhabitats and “wildlife corridor” for an unlimited array of wildlife. The destruction of Hawthorn hedges is a matter of grave conservation concern. Apart from the habitat destruction, the functional importance of wildlife corridors results in limited adaptive response of the landscape to change, reducing genetic diversity in isolated populations of plants, fungi, mammals, and insects. 

Finally, the berries of hawthorn, which are a vivid red colour and quite beautiful in autumn, attract overwintering birds to the garden. The berries can also be used as a gentle, safe cardiovascular tonic in herbal medicine. They increase the strength and volume of the heart beat, and do not interfere with any known pharmacological heart medicines. This is much safer than using the alkaloids of foxglove, which have an effective dose which is unnervingly close to the fatal dose. 

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

The flowers are fragrant and provide an uplifting splash of colour from mid spring through the summer. Elder is known as ‘the medicine tree’ and all parts of the plant can be used as medicine: root, bark, leaves, flowers, and berries. Whilst the different parts have different medicinal effects, the properties of Elder range from a mild diuretic, to a strong purge to the bowels, which was used frequently in the ‘heroic age’ of herbal medicine. The flowers are an excellent diaphoretic (sweating agent) which can be employed, along with yarrow and mint, during fever. The berries make a delightful ‘rob’, which is a type of runny jam. It can of course be thickened by the addition of pectin, and contains large amounts of Vitamin C.

Elder produces large white umbels which attract a host of insects and pollinators, and thus birds, into the garden. The bark is rough and provides micro- niches for fauna. Often Elder is seed dispersed through bird droppings, so it is not unusual to find a tree by a fence. It propagates vegetatively quite easily. The wood is pulpy and not very good for burning. 

In folklore, the Medicine Crone, or Elder Mother (Hilder- Moer) inhabits the tree. This quote is from Glennie Kindred (who in turn probably discovered this information from Mrs. Grieves: A Modern Herbal):

There are very strong superstitions about not cutting down the elder. Maybe a fear of releasing that malevolent spirit or maybe a deep respect for this tree, which gives so much by way of medicines, food and drink. Early European folk tales tell of a dryad, Hylde-moer, The Elder Tree Mother, who lives in the elder tree and watches over it. Should the tree be chopped down and furniture made of the wood, Hylde-moer would follow her property and haunt the owners. Similar tales tell that if a child's cradle were to be made of elder, Hylde-moer would pinch the child black and blue and give it no peace or rest. Thus it is considered unlucky to make a cradle out of elder wood - birch being the property wood for a cradle, signifying a new start or inception. 

The association of the tree with death is palpable. I accidentally chain- sawed an Elder tree down when I was felling in the woods, and the stench of (presumably), valerianic acid was quite enough to send a shiver down the spine. This, coupled with the formidable 'heroic' herbal medicine applications (encouraging emesis, purgation) during the pyretic phase of fever, and its connection with Halloween and the dark side of the year, are more than enough to instill a supernatural respect.

Red Clover (Trifolium pretense)

Red clover is an excellent permaculture plant, because it has several beneficial uses which occur simultaneously. Red clover can be used as a 'green manure' or cover crop which enriches soil in the cooler months. They can also be grown around and in between vegetable without negative effects. Clover flowers are edible, and the herb is a valuable medicine in its own right.

Clover adds organic matter. A primary reason to grow a cover crop is to increase the amount of organic matter in the soil. Adding organic matter improves the soil's structure, increases its water retention and drainage, and improves aeration. It also provides necessary food for earthworms and microorganisms that increase biological activity in the soil. Increased biological activity in turn helps keep the soil healthy by enhancing decomposition; well-nourished beneficial microorganisms also compete better against disease-causing organisms.

Clover controls erosion. Traditionally, cover crops were used to "cover" the soil during the winter. This prevents erosion and topsoil loss, especially in areas with high winds and inconsistent snow cover.

Cover crops loosen compacted soil generally, and can over time increase aeration, and improve drainage, especially on clay soils such as those encountered in the study area.
 
Clover balances nutrients. Legume cover crops, such as red clover, form a symbiotic relationship with the rhizobia bacteria on their roots, convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form plants can use to grow. When the cover crop is tilled under, the nitrogen is released for the next crop.

They help control weeds. Some cover crops are good weed blockers.Clover is particularly good at this owing to its growth habit, close to the floor, and its somewhat smaller stature compared to other cover plants.

They attract beneficial insects. When native cover crops, such as red clover are allowed to flower, they attract bees and beneficial insects that help with pollination and insect control in the garden.

Red clover as medicine. The blossoms may be dried and used in a pleasant tasting tea. It is often used in combination with other herbs to nourish pregnant and breast feeding women, as well as to treat skin conditions, coughs and blood infections. Red Clover gently purifies the blood, helping to eliminate heavy metals and other environmental contaminants, while nourishing the body with its abundance of trace minerals. It is also mildly antispasmodic, which means it can ease nervous excitability, twitching and spasm. It is gentle enough to give to children who have recurring respiratory problems, such as colds, hay fever, asthma, ear infections or congestion.Traditional Chinese medicine believed that it was a good tonic for colds, to purify the blood, and at one time they burned it as incense. Native Americans used it as a salve for burns, as well as for bronchial problems. Many cultures have traditionally used red clover to treat whooping cough, respiratory problems, psoriasis, eczema and even cancer. Red clover is one of the herbs in Essiac, and grows in many areas around the world.

Edible parts: Although leaves can be tossed into a salad or used in a tea, the preferable part of this wild edible is the flower. Red clovers are the tastiest of all clovers although it is recommended not to eat too many of these as some people experience bloating.

Chickweed (Stellaria media)

Chickweed is exceptionally abundant in towns and country during the spring, autumn, and winter. It will occasionally be found in shadier spots during the summer, but it doesn’t enjoy hot sunshine.This preference, coupled with shallow roots, makes it an ideal understory plant for a vegetable garden. The cover provided by chickweed will competitively exclude other 'weeds' and provide a delicious crop of salad vegetables.

This plant was one of the Victorian’s favourites. The earthy succulence, and soft yet crisp textures, go really well in any salad. When we talk of foraging for alternatives to expensive, nitrate-soaked, plastic-packed salads - then this plant, which grows freely for us, screams out to be used rather than treated as a pernicious weed.

Chickweed also has a long history of traditional uses as an emollient for the skin, helping cases of eczema, psoriasis, ulcers, boils, and abscesses. It can be administered through poultices, compresses, baths and through its consumption in tinctures, fluid extracts in capsules, and as tea. Internally chickweed can be used for rheumatic and respiratory conditions, especially where excessive mucous is present. The17th century herbalist John Gerard recommended it as a remedy for mange. I also make a chickweed ointment in addition to comfrey which is excellent for skin.

S. media contains saponins, which can be toxic when consumed in large quantities. Chickweed has been known to cause saponin poisoning in cattle. However, as the animal must consume several kilos of chickweed in order to reach a toxic level, such deaths are rare. Many such potentially toxic compounds are mitigated against by other factors and phytonutrients in most plants (for example tannins prevent stomach bleeds using White Willow Bark, a main source of salicylic acid (Aspirin)).

The acclaimed Juliette de Bairacli Levy, observed that this plant was employed around the world. She also saw a resemblence between its uses and that of slippery elm: a prized, and also mucilage-rich, digestive and emollient plant. As such, Bairacli Levy rated chickweed as one of the most valuable weeds in the garden. Slippery elm does not grow wild in Britain and is an endangered plant due to the ravages of Dutch elm disease, so we may come to use and cherish chickweed more and more in a post-peak-oil society.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a wonder plant. It is a dynamic accumulator, drawing minerals out of the soil and into the roots and leaves, a compost accelerator, a fine ingredient in liquid manure (comfrey tea, similar to nettle tea below), beneficial insect attractor, mulch, weed suppressant (it can be used as a border around vegetable plots to stop the paths getting overrun with weeds, biomass accumulator, livestock forage, edible, a wound healer and it was traditionally called 'knit bone' by herbalists as it helps heals fractures and soft tissue injuries (owing principally to its allantoin content). It's an ideal permaculture plant.

Even though comfrey has long been esteemed as a vulnerary, it has come under scrutiny owing to its safety in recent years because of the discovery of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids. These are believed to be hepatoxic (toxic to the liver). Using comfrey externally as a poultice or as a compress has always been safe. However recent scientific studies indicate that comfrey, when ingested in large amounts and over long periods of time will cause liver damage. This is because of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids it contains. These pyrrolizidine alkaloids occur in a number of other plants as well, including ragwort, borage, and coltsfoot. In the 1980s there was a research paper that reported liver damage in laboratory animals that had varying doses of these alkaloids injected into them intravenously. This came as shock to the herbalist community because comfrey has long been regarded as one of the safest herbs. I make a comfrey root and lavender ointment, which I have successfully used to treat bruises, greenstick fractures, cartilage, tendon and ligament wrenches, and skin problems. It is also very good for deep tissue massage as it provides a viscous, healing medium which also contains beeswax and olive oil. Whilst the leaves can be used for a great tasting tea internally, the root is best used externally for safety reasons.

In the permaculture design, I have identified a marginal area which would benefit from comfrey cultivation (see above). The soil is damp, rich, and suitable for harvesting roots. Growing comfrey would eliminate other less useful plants owing to its vigour and the size of its leaves. The area is otherwise a 'neutral' space which would be hard to cultivate other plants owing to the low light intensity, and proximity of the greenhouse.

Comfrey has become an important plant for the organic gardening movement. It has thick, far reaching roots which access minerals deep in the soil, making it rich in potassium and nitrogen. The fast-growing leaves can be cut several times a year to make an organic slug control, liquid fertiliser, leaf mould and compost activator.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Stinging Nettle is one of many commonplace plants which are both good for the wildlife garden, and serve as a food & medicine. They are therefore doubly welcome in a permaculture design.

Nettle tea has been used as a medicinal herb for centuries in Europe. An easily made green tea from fresh or dried leaves, nettle tea is loaded with antioxidants and other nutraceuticals that bring benefits to every system in the body. For two weeks in spring while the nettles are young and tender, a cup of nettle tea each day serves as a spring tonic. The vitamins, lutein, lycopene and iron in nettle tea are restorative to the system. Herbalists refer to nettle as an adaptogen, alterative, depurient, or a blood purifier, and it had found a place in many useful formulas, including more recently for hayfever.

Nettles can be used for food, and make an excellent soup although the location of the plant and its growing conditions should determine whether or where it is chosen. I spoke to my landlord once, who had been out on the moors wild- crafting some nettles. He said that evening he made a hearty nettle soup with his wife, and quickly fell into a deep 12 hour sleep from which he felt very refreshed but could remember nothing of the night before. Such reports of mildly sedative properties are not uncommon from wild plant foods. It did lead me to question where he might have picked them from.

As nettle tends to grow around human settlements, and concentrate sometimes toxic residues, care should be taken. In my study area, the nettle stand is next to a farm wall where it appears pesticides are loaded on to tractor booms, so I don't use them for medicine or food, or as fertiliser. They are instead being used as a detoxifying buffer against the wall, and to benefit wildlife.In years to come, and in the absence of any pesticide use at the farm, I would resume using the nettles for food and fertiliser. On the compost heap they supply plentiful ntirogen and silica. Medicines have a higher standard of purity, especially if they are to be concentrated into tinctures or fluid extracts, and I would wait somewhat longer to establish purity of the herbs before making medicines.

Stinging nettles support more than 40 kinds of insects, for whom the sting can form a protective shield against grazing animals.Many nettle patches hold overwintering insects which swarm around fresh spring nettles and provide early food for ladybirds. These same aphids are eaten by blue tits and other woodland birds that dart around the stems. In late summer the huge quantity of seeds produced are food for many seed-eating birds, such as house sparrows, chaffinches, and bullfinches.Nettles are also a magnet for other insect-eaters like hedgehogs, shrews, frogs and toads, at all times of year. Certain moths like nettles, as do many of the UK’s most colourful and best known butterflies, such as the Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock Butterflies. Their larvae feed in large groups in silken tents at the top of the nettle stems.My nettle stand is conveniently out of sight of neighbours who might feel inclined to complain about their untidiness, so can be left to overwinter without a mowing or scything regime.

Nettle can be used as a natural fertiliser in the form of a tea. Fill a bucket with nettle clippings (particularly tops). Add rain water to about 3/4 full. Chop the mixture with hedge clippers. Stir the mixture thoroughly every few days (some say once a day, every day). After about two weeks it is ready to use.When using this mixture, filter out the debris and use only the clearish liquid. The solution is mixed with water in a proportion of 1 : 10 (one part nettle solution to ten parts water). Pour the solution directly at the base of the plants where the roots will have quick use of it. This "tea" is meant as a supplimental feeding for plants that have a high demand for nourishment, such as tomatos, leeks, brassicas, cucumbers and courgettes. Other plants that will appreciate stinging nettle tea include fruit trees and bushes, roses, annuals and perennial flowering plants. It is not really meant to supplement such plants as onions beans and peas.

The Therapeutic Garden

Research is increasingly showing the necessity of a daily connection with nature for public health. In his impassioned book The Therapeutic Garden, Donald Norfolk relates the history of therapeutic green spaces, mentioning that the term paradise comes from the Persian for ‘walled garden’. Norfolk also details the social value of Thomas More’s Utopia, and how town planners were influenced by Ebenezer Howard’s Garden Cities of Tomorrow in providing town parks and designs to make verdant livable towns such as Welwyn. Even the utilitarian Victorians were moved to make beautiful city parks for the urbanized masses, which not only served the purpose of ameliorating air pollution, but reduced crime and promoted wellbeing and social cohesion.

Carl Jung: The Soul of Nature

"Through scientific understanding, our world has become dehumanised. Man feels himself isolated in the cosmos. He is no longer involved in nature and has lost his emotional participation in natural events, which hitherto had a symbolic meaning for him. Thunder is no longer the voice of a god, nor is lightning his avenging missile. No river contains a spirit, no tree makes a mans's life, no snake is the embodiment of wisdom and no mountain still harbours a great demon. Neither do things speak to him nor can he speak to things, like stones, springs, plants and animals."

~ Carl Jung ~

Wendell Berry on Food

“The passive American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared food, confronts inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied, ground, pulped, strained, blended, prettified, and sanitized beyond resemblance to any part of any creature that ever lived. The products of nature and agriculture have been made, to all appearances, the products of industry. Both eater and eaten are thus in exile from biological reality.”

“Eating with the fullest pleasure – pleasure, that is, that does not depend on ignorance – is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. In this pleasure we experience our dependence and our gratitude, for we are living in a mystery, from creatures we did not make and powers we cannot comprehend.”

“A person who undertakes to grow a garden at home, by practices that will preserve rather than exploit the economy of the soil, has his mind precisely against what is wrong with us… What I am saying is that if we apply our minds directly and competently to the needs of the earth, then we will have begun to make fundamental and necessary changes in our minds. We will begin to understand and to mistrust and to change our wasteful economy, which markets not just the produce of earth, but also the earth’s ability to produce.”

“But even in the much-publicized rebellion of the young against the materialism of the affluent society, the consumer mentality is too often still intact: the standards of behavior are still those of kind and quantity, the security sought is still the security of numbers, and the chief motive is still the consumer’s anxiety that he is missing out on what is “in.” In this state of total consumerism – which is to say a state of helpless dependence on things and services and ideas and motives that we have forgotten how to provide ourselves – all meaningful contact between ourselves and the earth is broken. We do not understand the earth in terms either of what it offers us or of what it requires of us, and I think it is the rule that people inevitably destroy what they do not understand.

from The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry

Medicine Wheel Herb Garden

Good Book on designing a Medicine Wheel, and the theory behind it:
The Medicine Wheel Garden: Creating Sacred Space for Healing, Celebration, and Tranquillity by E. Barrie Kavasch

How to Build a Herbal Medicine Spiral: Resources

How- to guides can be found at:
Little Mountain Haven: How to build a herb spiral
The Micro- gardener: 4 steps guide to building a herb spiral

Sprouting for Health

Sprouting seeds, cereals grains, beans and nuts can be an ecological and healthful method of eating. The main sprouts I have used have been alfalfa, aduki, buckwheat, millet, broccoli, chickpeas (garbanzos) and lentils of all types. They are pretty easy to germinate (soak 12 hours, and rinse 3 times a day for 3- 4 days). I use Kilner jars and muslin cloth to facilitate the rinsing. Sprouts are a great source of proteins, live enzymes and micronutrients and add the considerable benefit of raw, live food to a diet. They can be seasoned using Japanese style sushi condiments, added to salads, soups, or to smoothies. They also reduce the cooking requirement in the diet and save on energy, cultivation costs, and are easy to store dry and transport. Watching the minute changes involved in germination has rekindled my interest in being able to develop a self sufficient habit in terms of plant propagation, and I am interested in growing some varieties mentioned above in the garden and using them in sprouting recipes.

Blood Transfusion

2 small beetroot

6 large carrots

4 sticks celery

4 wind- fallen apples

2 inch ginger root

Cauliflower greens