Which Herb, When?

 Carrying on with the question I raised in the last post, how do we know what healing plants can help us? What kind of communication best addresses this need for clarity? As you might have noticed, doctors these days usually scoff at the value of herbs, if not downright warning us to stay away from them. Yet since antiquity, healing herbs have been used with good effect. And they are in general much safer than drugs, mostly nourishing and gently tonifying. I have been fascinated with plants as medicine for many years, and my garden has more medicinal herbs than vegetables. I get such satisfaction in turning those plants into tinctures and teas that are available to people in my community as well as myself. And since winter is coming and most plants have succumbed to the freezing temperatures now, this is the time to make sure the medicine cabinet is full. But there is still the question: which herbs are good for any of us at a particular time? 

I am coming up on a time when this question is very important to me, for I'm going into the hospital for a total hip replacement two days from now. It is to be outpatient surgery, so I'll arrive in the early morning and go home a few hours later. My recuperation will be totally in the home. So I'm preparing myself. I am lucky to have a chiropractor/kinesiologist who not only treats with food and herbs, but also is able to call on her considerable intuition to help. And this intuitive aspect reminds me of how our far ancestors may have known what plants they needed for particular situations. In my case, the two herbs that came up as very important to my recovery are Milk Thistle and Burdock. I thought it might be good to find out a little more about these plants, and here's what I found.

Milk Thistle: The first thing I found out about this plant is that it is targeted for eradication in many places! That's because it's so good at spreading its seeds. A single plant can have as many as six thousand seeds, and they may stay viable for 9 years! But instead of giving milk thistle an academy award for its excellent record in propagating itself, we are trying to get rid of it. Hmmm. Not fun for milk thistle. The plant is a member of the Aster family (Asteraceae) and its flowers are a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. It originally came from the Mediterranean region, and apparently is not found much in Iowa yet. It's easy to grow, very forgiving of soil type or climate, but once it's there, it spreads.

Milk Thistle seeds have been used in traditional medicine since antiquity. There's quite a list of ways it helps our bodies: aids in our metabolic processes, eases digestion, good for blood circulation, breaks down fat, increases energy, and helpful in weight management. But the really relevant benefit of milk thistle for my post-surgical needs is that it filters out toxins (like the anesthetic that I will have in my body Monday morning). In this way, it protects the liver. So I will be taking drops of Milk Thistle extract several times a day once I get home. Thank you, Milk Thistle!

Burdock: I'm already familiar with burdock. I often dig the roots in the fall, and it is growing with abandon at the top of our Prairie Hill land, though it is routinely mowed so does not get to maturity. Now I know that it is native to Europe and Asia. Honeybees feast in the flowers, and moths like to eat the root. And the prickly seed heads that hitch a ride on our clothing were actually the inspiration that led to the invention of the hook and loop fastener in England! In many places, moths aren't the only ones that eat the root. It is a popular people-food in Asia, and is used as a potato substitute in Russia. Some folks even eat the stalks and leaves. In England they have a soft drink made of dandelion and burdock, similar to Hedgerow Mead drunk in mediaeval times. The things you find out on the internet!

Burdock is also a medicinal herb. It is the root of the plant that is most often used for medicine. Burdock is known for normalizing blood sugar as well as purifying the blood in Chinese medicine. The two benefits that seem to indicate why it would be good after surgery are that it helps prevent infections and reduces inflammation. Yes, that I can use! Thank you, burdock!