Elephants hold vigil for human friend

By Jess Zimmerman
14 May 2012


Elephants travel to the Anthony home.
(Photo by Thula Thula Game Reserve)

In case you needed another reason to care about wildlife, here’s one: If you devote your life to elephants, they might come to your funeral. Or anyway that seems to be what happened for conservationist and “elephant whisperer” Lawrence Anthony, who died in March. A few days after his death, two herds of elephants filed through the bush to their friend’s home, where they appeared to stand vigil for two days, according to Anthony’s family.

Anthony had spent time living with the elephants, in order to care for traumatized animals who were considered violent and unruly. But at the time of his death, of a heart attack, Anthony was living in a house on the Thula Thula game reserve in South Africa. The park’s elephants hadn’t visited the house in a year and a half, but Anthony’s son Dylan says that the herds traveled 12 hours to arrive shortly after his father’s death.

If you’re scoffing instead of sniffling right now (BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO SOUL I GUESS) consider this: Elephants are well-known for their grieving rituals when family members die. If they thought of Anthony as a sort of tiny, weird-nosed cousin — and why wouldn’t they, since he lived with and cared for them? — then it makes sense that they would give him the same treatment. And if animals can truly consider us a part of their family, it can mean only one thing: We owe a lot of elephants a lot of birthday gifts.

http://grist.org/list/elephants-hold-vigil-for-human-friend/

Knowth River-Sun

Spring Equinox Sunset on the River Boyne viewed from the Great Mound at Knowth

View of the River Boyne and sunset from Knowth Neolithic Great Passage Tomb, Bru na Boinne, World Heritage Site, Ireland. The Sun mirroring in the River Boyne causing a River-Sun just after the Spring Equinox 2012. The effect is from slower, still water on the inside of the bend. This also mirrors the myth of The Dagda-Elcmar-Oengus (triple god of the Sun) who all have a relationship with Boann (the River Boyne).

 

The River Boyne and Knowth are in Ireland. I was at Knowth in October 2010.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxztnyYdZA4

Sweet Woodruff in the Herb Garden

A fragrant vanilla substitute.

By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors
May/June 1984

Sweet woodruff can spread to make a nice ground cover. 

ILLUSTRATION: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF

Lately, more and more people have begun to understand just how limited — in both variety and nutritional value — our “modern” diets have become. This realization has sparked a new and widespread interest in the culinary and therapeutic uses of herbs ... those plants that — although not well known today — were, just one short generation ago, honored “guests” on the dinner tables and in the medicine chests of our grandparents’ homes. In this regular feature MOTHER EARTH NEWS will examine the availability, cultivation and benefits of our “forgotten” vegetable foods and remedies ... and — we hope — help prevent the loss of still another bit of ancestral lore. 

If you enjoy fragrance, you’ll probably like sweet woodruff (Asperula odorata or Galium odoratum), because its scent has been likened to that of new-mown hay or vanilla. A perennial that thrives in moist woods in temperate climes, sweet woodruff has, for centuries, been gathered and dried for use as — among other things — a strewing herb (the old-fashioned equivalent of today’s air fresheners), a perfume and potpourri ingredient, a tonic tea, and a special addition to the May Day wine (“Maibowl”) with which Europeans celebrate the return of spring. Furthermore, on St. Barnabas’s and St. Peter’s days, bouquets of woodruff, sweet box, lavender and roses were placed in churches.

Sweet woodruff’s pleasing scent only becomes apparent after the leaves have been dried ... but then it lasts for years. The odor is due to coumarin, a chemical also found in tonka beans, sweet clover or meliot, and some other leguminous plants. In potpourris, given it not only adds a fragrance of its own but acts as a fixative for other scents, woodruff’s contribution is twofold. Sachets of the dried herb can be laid among the household linens; in an earlier age, the leaves were even used to stuff mattresses. (In addition to perfuming the bedclothes, the sachets were reputed to repel insects, which must have made the herb a popular commodity in the days when regular bathing was a luxury!)

Teutonic warriors believed that sweet woodruff promoted success in battle, and therefore tucked its green sprigs in their helmets. The origin of this belief isn’t clear: Perhaps it stems from the fact that woodruff leaves are mildly anesthetic and healing when applied externally (thus helping a soldier to ignore his wounds) ... or perhaps it derived from the leaves’ ability to “make the heart merry” when taken in wine.

Be that as it may, this charming little herb can be a vanilla substitute in various sauces and beverages. Marilyn Hampstead, whose Fox Hill Farm is one source of Asperula plants, reports that sweet woodruff can be steeped in milk —overnight or for several days — to make a refreshing drink that’s especially enjoyed by children ... or, to impart a vanilla taste, soaked in whatever liquid is required in a given recipe ... or, to make a delicious glaze for tarts and turnovers, steeped in currant juice and strained out before the juice is thickened by cooking with sugar.

Woodruff grows to an average height of about eight inches from a slender, creeping root-stock. Whorls of six to eight slightly shiny, somewhat rough, pointed leaves surround the square, glossy stem. Small, starry flowers appear in May and June; later, the seeds ripen into little rough balls covered with hooked bristles that cling to passersby. The plants can be propagated by seed, but since the germination period is so long (sometimes 200 days!), more satisfactory results can be obtained by root division in the spring and early summer (right after flowering). The herb prefers moist, slightly acid, humus-rich soil in a semi-shaded location. Woodruff is quite finicky, so its conditions must be met for it to survive ... but once established, it spreads to make a good ground cover. The leaves will be most fragrant if harvested during and directly after blooming. Chop them up and dry them immediately in a warm, shaded area.

Many fine nurseries carry sweet woodruff plants, among them Hemlock Hill Herb Farm, The Rosemary House and Fox Hill Farm. 

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/sweet-woodruff-herb-garden-zmaz84zloeck.aspx

Comment: Sweet Woodruff plants can be found at most nurseries. It is a great long lasting herb in the garden that takes little to no care.

Peppermint Discourages Mice in Walls

   

You may be able to get rid of mice in your walls by scattering about cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil.

By Norm Noe
December 2010/January 2011

I live in a 102-year-old house, on a small acreage, which helps explain why I had a problem and needed to know how to get rid of mice in my walls. (It sounded like they were having a party in there!)

The young lady that works where I shop said she had heard from her grandma that all you need are peppermint-soaked cotton balls scattered about, and mice will split!

So I placed small, peppermint-soaked cotton balls all around the kitchen. I unscrewed two wall plugs and carefully slipped some in behind the sockets and, like magic, no more sounds of mice. Twenty-four hours later, no sign of the mice at all.
Norm Noe
Vancouver, Washington

http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/how-to-get-rid-of-mice-zm0z10zhun.aspx

Comment: I live in a 105 year old house and I don't get mice. But in the past I got lots of rats in the walls. It was not pretty.  I can remember banging on the wall in my bedroom to try to scare them away. No, it did not work! When we did some remodeling we put blocking in so the walls and attic space are not one. This keeps them out of the walls, but we have gotten a couple in the attic since then and catch them with a have-a-heart trap. (they like cheesecake)  Then they have to be transported more than 4 miles away so they can't find their way back. I am wondering if the rats would be offended my the peppermint smell. My spearmint and orange mint plants (which I have plenty of) don't seem to keep them out of my yard though).

GRATITUDE

TEDx San Francisco

x = independently organized TED event
Louie Schwartzberg
Founder, Blacklight Films



MOVING ART by Louie Schwartzberg
www.movingart.tv

Plant Spirit Medicine

We all yearn to be connected to our spirit, a community, and the natural world, yet how often do we give ourselves the time to nurture that pure, heartfelt desire? Our modern lives have become so busy and stressful. We know the pace takes a painful toll, which we try to remedy with healthy food, therapy, a yoga class here and there, or morning meditation. All of these approaches help, yet we still wonder, is there more?

Sometimes an illness, a bad break-up, or the death of a loved one will activate our core of inner wisdom, shaking us up enough to open our hearts and commit to deeper healing.

Could the potency and mystery of ancient-wisdom traditions provide a medicine for the spectrum of illnesses and the alienation of modern culture?

Communities once worked and played together around the fire. People felt connected to each other and to the natural world around them. Healers helped with individual maladies and also maintained the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of the entire village. The medicine of the old cultures was deep and effective. It was more holistic than anything we dream of today. Despite all that modernity has undone, the Huichol people of central Mexico have kept alive their humor, their communities, and their profound medicine.

Eliot Cowan is the author of Plant Spirit Medicine, and a fully initiated Tsaurirrikame (shaman) in the Huichol Indian tradition. He began the study and practice of herbalism in the 1960’s and completed a Master of Acupuncture degree with J.R. Worsley in England in the 1970’s. Eliot subsequently apprenticed with Don Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios, an eminent Huichol Indian Shaman. On the occasion of Don Guadalupe’s retirement in 2000, he ritually recognized Eliot as a guide to shamanic apprentices in the Huichol tradition.

Eliot has shared his gift with many all over the world. In 1989, Eliot was my teacher. My year long apprenticeship program was based at Dry Creek Herb Farm north of Auburn CA. It was a wondrous year, opening me up to many life changing opportunities. The journey has continued to amaze and confirm my belief in this profound medicine.

It is only with the heart that you can see, what is essential is invisible to the eye. ~ Unknown

Woman Shaman

Women spiritual leaders, medicine women, priestesses and shamans from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. From the Women's Power dvd created by Max Dashu of the Suppressed Histories Archives www.suppressedhistories.net/womenspowerdvd.html

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video recorded for TED

In this Steve Jobs commencement speech at Stanford, he shares a story about one of his life experiences, presenting a blessing in disguise. This speech is full of simple messages for living life. And again we are presented with another example of blessings! Enjoy

Stanford University, Filmed June 2005



Steve Jobs, 1955-2011, he was a role model about living.
Follow your heart and stay hungry, stay foolish...

Eliot Cowan speaks about "Blessings"

We all yearn to be connected to our spirit, a community, and the natural world, yet how often do we give ourselves the time to nurture that pure, heartfelt desire? Our modern lives have become so busy and stressful. We know the pace takes a painful toll, which we try to remedy with healthy food, therapy, a yoga class here and there, or morning meditation. All of these approaches help, yet we still wonder, is there more?

Sometimes an illness, a bad break-up, or the death of a loved one will activate our core of inner wisdom, shaking us up enough to open our hearts and commit to deeper healing.

Could the potency and mystery of ancient-wisdom traditions provide a medicine for the spectrum of illnesses and the alienation of modern culture?

Elder shaman in the Huichol tradition (Eliot Cowan) discusses his knowledge of Blessings. What are they? Are they always good? How does one ask for a blessing?

Eliot Cowan is the author of Plant Spirit Medicine, and a fully initiated Tsaurirrikame (shaman) in the Huichol Indian tradition. He began the study and practice of herbalism in the 1960’s and completed a Master of Acupuncture degree with J.R. Worsley in England in the 1970’s. Eliot subsequently apprenticed with Don Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios, an eminent Huichol Indian Shaman. On the occasion of Don Guadalupe’s retirement in 2000, he ritually recognized Eliot as a guide to shamanic apprentices in the Huichol tradition.

--------------------------------
I have a blessing story to tell.

I had been training (on weekends) as an herbalist for several years. When I asked to have Eliot Cowan teach Plant Spirit Medicine in No. CA and when he agreed we found out it was for 3 day weekends for the apprenticeship year.

I was very disappointed, as I knew I couldn't take the training. As a specialist teacher, my students weren't serviced when I wasn't there so I couldn't take off Fridays. Then at this same time my favorite assignments were cut/dropped due to tightening of the budget and I was devastated at the loss of what I loved doing.

I ended up moving to a more traditional assignment where I taught on a regularly/daily scheduled classroom basis which required a substitute when I wasn't there. I soon loved this assignment too and of course I trained with Eliot Cowan and have been a practicing Plant Spirit Medicine Practitioner for 13 years.

Yes, blessings come in many packages.

Herbs & Children: Collecting and Drying Herbs for the Herbal Harvest

IN THE HERB GARDEN

Down and dirty in the garden.

Herbs & Children: Collecting and Drying Herbs for the Herbal Harvest

8/4/2011 3:31:04 PM

by Lisa Kuhlman

L.KuhlmanLisa is a writer, budding photographer and herb enthusiast. She enjoys poking around in the garden, creating in the kitchen and reading a good book (when she’s not answering the call of “Mom!” from her five children).

The twins and I wandered outside the other day to survey the state of the herb garden together. It was humming with bees and naturally decorated with butterflies—delightful! After some discussion, we determined the herbs were ready for a mid-summer haircut. Each girl set to work with a pair of scissors and instructions to cut at about halfway down the plants.

Butterflies and bees are frequent visitors to herb gardens.

Photo by raymondgobis/Courtesy Flickr

As we cut, we put each herb in its own pile. Sometimes they would have to stop and inspect the plants before they added another handful, comparing the shape of the leaves or how the leaves were situated on the stems to be sure it was going to the right place. Every so often we took a break to have a tasting party and decide what kinds of things we might like to make with the herbs we were preparing to dry in our kitchen.

After collecting the herbs, I assigned Claire and Olivia each several piles to divide into handfuls and secure the bunches with rubber bands. They had a little trouble at first, but after I explained it was much like putting a ponytail in their doll's hair, they caught right on and chattered though the hour just like ladies at a salon!

Next, we added a paper clip hook to each bunch, opening the paper clip so it looks like an elongated “S” and hooking one end under the rubber band. Again, this took a couple of demonstrations, but they caught on and we had a nice collection of hangers in no time. 

An opened paper clip attached to a rubberband is an easy way to hang herbs.

Photo by Lisa Kuhlman

My girls love to do crafts, so making labels from slips of paper for each bunch was turned into an artistic endeavor. They wrote out the labels (with a little spelling help from me) and then after taking a close look at the plants, proceeded to add tiny sketches that represented the herb. Since we weren't in a hurry, I let them embellish as much as they wished. Then we slipped the papers under one section of the rubber band on each bunch.

Photo by Lisa Kuhlman

Here is a list of the herbs we gathered this time:

• Lemon balm

• Lavender

• Oregano

• Dill

• Thyme

• Bee balm

• Comfrey

• Plantain

• Spearmint

• Chocolate mint

• Chamomile

• Catnip

• Rosemary

•Sage

Make labels for each herb bunch. 

As you can see, this is a fairly diverse list. As we gathered each herb, it was an opportunity to talk about which parts we use, how they are used (cooking, tea, medicinally, etc.) and whether or not the plants will grow back (perennial, annual, biennial, etc.) I explained there were a few herbs, like basil, cilantro and parsley, that we didn't cut for drying this time because I prefer to use them fresh or frozen. We'll wait until later in the summer to dry or freeze them.

Soon our bunches were ready to hang in the kitchen. In our kitchen, on a wall out of direct sunlight, I have strung a length of beading wire between two nails. We simply hang the bunches on the wire by the paperclip hooks and in a few weeks, they are ready to bring down and put into glass jars. Our kitchen always smells divine! (This line can double as an art gallery, too!)

When it was time to store our harvest, we took down all of one kind of herb at a time, rubbing the leaves off the stem and onto a large piece of paper. Then we picked up edges of the paper and slid the herbs right into a glass jar with a lid. Always be sure to add a label to the jar as soon as you are done with each herb. I can almost always tell the difference between the dried herbs by taste or scent, but plants like plantain and comfrey are very similar to each other in their dried form! Besides, having the kids create a label for even the most distinct herbs (like rosemary or lavender) is good reinforcement for learning about them.

As we worked, we dreamed about making our own herbal tea blends or perfume with floral waters (hydrosols) with the fresh herbs still growing in the garden. We wondered if the fairies that live in the fairy house tucked away to the side of the herb garden would like to collect and dry herbs as well.

It was agreed that they would. Collecting and drying herbs is great fun!

http://www.herbcompanion.com/in-the-herb-garden/herbs-children-collecting-drying-herbs-herbal-harvest.aspx

WOMAN SHAMAN: THE ANCIENTS

The wisdom of the ancients, the ancient wisdom, direct experience of the primordial source, the flow and flicker of spirit moving through us, through earth, water, air and fire. That luminous source that predates religious dogma and transcends all the rationals for domination . . . and scatters them.

The circle of life at which all beings are relatives. The medicine women, oracles, diviners and female prophets.

In a thousand ways they told us that woman like this didn't exist. That there were medicine men, prophets, priests, that ceremony was man's business. That women belonged in the background. This is a lie. We know better.

We remember and the cultural record remains in rock art and ceramic sculpture, bronzes and paintings.

They show us women moving in ecstasy, incantation, in trans-dance.
   

Woman Shaman  the movie pulls back the curtain bringing you the images and stories of woman who chant, dance and pray with their bodies, to deepen and unify their consciousness, to heal and to transform the world.

Woman Shaman: The Ancients.

This is the trailer for the forthcoming movie by Max Dashu on female spiritual leaders, dreamers, drummers, healers, ecstatic dancers, and psychonauts. It gives a global view of archaeology, rock art, and cultural treasures representing women shamans throughout history. See www.suppressedhistories.net for more information and links to contribute to the production fundraising, or visit the Suppressed Histories page on Facebook.

Summer Solstice 2011

This was an extraordinary time coming up to and during this year's summer solstice. The energy flowing around was very very strong and seemed to many to be coming from many directions. Intense? Dysfunctional? Disorganized? Telling? An Alert? Encompassing? Overwhelming? Enveloping?

This year seemed different! Did you spend anytime honoring the change in seasons? Or listening to a message or two? Did you peer inside to see your own reactions and feelings? If not, you still can because we are still under the influence of this change of nature.

Some people have reported unusual events prior to the solstice. Unexplained events that must be presenting us with a message, but opening the key to these messages can be difficult. Some events don't fit in with the normal laws of nature that we embrace. How could that have happened? What other explanation is there? None? How can I take that into my psyche? How can I understand? Why was this event or events presented to me?

I have pondered how and why these events are occurring in different places around the world. I cannot explain the events. I can say that they occurred for a reason. Strong messages like these may be the only way to get the attention of the recipient. They are a gift that needs to be opened, investigated within ones heart, experienced. HONOR THESE GIFTS - even if you don't completely understand the full potential of the message.

So, how do we honor them, other than a ceremony or spending time really looking at the message?

An important way, is to honor oneself, to honor your friends and family, and the other beings living on this earth together with us. This includes all life, from your pets, to the fish in the sea, and the plants as well as the microorganisms in the soil.

Yes, this is and was a powerful summer solstice event!

Red Clover - infusion

Susun Weed talks about the wonderful herb - red clover.
She shares about its immune healing abilities and many important uses for it. It is easy to make a nourishing red clover infusion as you will see in this video.



Susun Weed makes red clover nourishing herbal infusion. Red clover blossom infusion is one of the world's best remedies for infertility, no matter what the cause. It nourishes the health of both eggs and sperm, opens blocked fallopian tubes, adjusts hormones, and generally makes the entire body more receptive to pregnancy. It is also highly regarded as an anti-cancer remedy. It is considered safe for consumption by pregnant and lactating women. The high vitamin content of red clover blossoms, combined with the folic acid in the leaves is especially helpful to sperm and egg production and helps prevent birth defects. Red clover's high mineral and trace mineral content helps restore and maintain good production of hormones. Its profuse and exceedingly absorbable calcium and magnesium help rejuvenate and repair the delicate tissues of reproduction.

An infusion is a large amount of herb brewed for a long time. Typically, one ounce by weight (about a cup by volume) of dried herb is placed in a quart jar which is then filled to the top with boiling water, tightly lidded and allowed to steep for 4-10 hours. http://herbshealing.com/How_to_make_Infusions.htm

Join Susun Weed in the Catskill Mountains near Woodstock NY, view complete schedule of events at http://www.susunweed.com/ join the free ezine, register for the free online course Nourishing Herbal Infusions the Wise Woman Way, view the holistic links directory, ask questions at the Wise Woman Forum, join Herbal Healing Email group, visit five weblogs with Women's Health Q&A database, and so much more...join us at http://www.herbshealing.com

What Are the Health Benefits of Garlic?

5/31/2011 9:25:53 AM
By KC Compton

I’ve heard garlic is good for you, but what exactly does it do? Are there any specific health benefits that come from eating a lot of garlic? 
  

My initial reaction to this question is that even if garlic weren’t healthy, my diet would still be full of the stuff. Just considering that aroma and flavor are part of what makes life worth living, I’d say that garlic is exceptionally good for you. But yes, it does have specific medicinal uses.

Ethnobotanist James Duke, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading experts in medicinal plants, places garlic among the best all-around plant medicines in the world. According to Duke’s seminal book, The Green Pharmacy, garlic is effective for alleviating conditions ranging from high cholesterol and high blood pressure to yeast infections and clotting disorders. Garlic compounds have the potential to help treat more than 200 ailments, Duke says. It’s the best overall plant for stimulating the immune system, the best anti-clotting herb, one of the best anti-fungals, and potentially useful for preventing heart disease and cancer.

When I’m learning about any herb, what gets my attention isn’t the amount of advertising it garners on late-night TV or even in the pages of magazines, but how long it has been in the human medicine cabinet and what its uses have been through the ages. Garlic passes that test with the highest marks. Cultures throughout the world have recognized garlic’s healing abilities. The first-century Roman scholar Pliny the Elder cited uses for it from treating snakebites to dealing with dizziness and intestinal parasites. In China, records show garlic was used as early as the sixth century to treat conditions such as colds and digestive ailments.

For specific information on how much garlic is recommended for a particular condition, check out the articles at The Herb Companion, or read about garlic in The Green Pharmacy, a welcome addition to any home library.

Note: Because garlic is a powerful anti-coagulant (prevents bloodclotting), don’t take it in large amounts if you have a clotting disorder, and consult with your health care practitioner if you take anti-coagulants, such as Coumadin, or therapeutic doses of aspirin. Stop using garlic two weeks before any scheduled surgery.
 Photo Credit: Fotolia

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/health-benefits-of-garlic-zb0z11zphe.aspx

The Mayan New Dawn

This is a new video from Ian Lungold's website mayanmajix.com.

Carl Calleman interviews Don Alejandro, a Mayan shaman about the much anticipated end of the Mayan calendar.

Don Alejandro is traveling the world spreading his message of a new dawn - the new dawn of a time of peace and happiness for all mankind.

What do I do With All That . . . Mint

What do I do With All That . . . Mint
By Amber Royer
June 3, 2011

I just had a gardener give me some very healthy mint plants today. She said she used her mint for making tea, but didn’t know quite what else to do with it. “There’s just so much of it,” she lamented. Sound familiar? Mint is one of those aggressive herbs that tend to take over, if not checked. One way to keep it in its place is to cook it in as many ways as are possible.

One of my favorite ways to use mint is in making chocolate ganache for frosting a cake (or a slightly thicker version for truffle centers, which can then be rolled in nuts or cocoa powder). You need equal amounts of heavy whipping cream and chocolate (add a couple extra ounces of chocolate if you are making truffles) - and a whopping bunch of coarsely chopped mint. Melt the chocolate slowly in the top of a double boiler. Meanwhile, heat the cream in a saucepan together with the mint. When the cream is warm to the touch, turn it off and let the mint steep into the cream, for a minimum of ten minutes. Taste the cream. If the mint flavor isn't strong enough, put a lid on it and keep steeping. When it is done, strain the cream through a sieve into the chocolate mixture, and whisk to combine. Discard the mint leaves. This works with any variety of mint, but you get really nice effects from orange mint (Mentha x piperita f. citrata) and lemon mint (Mentha dulcia citreus).

A traditional way to use mint is in jelly. Take your favorite apple jelly recipe, and add 1 ½ cup of peppermint (Mentha x piperita) or spearmint (Mentha spicata) leaves when you start cooking down the apples. Mint doesn't have the natural pectin required to make jelly on its own, and the apples have a mild enough flavor to blend in behind the mint. Adding the leaves at the beginning of the process will allow plenty of time for the mint flavor to suffuse through the juice coming out of the apples, and when you strain out the solids you don't have any leafy bits to disrupt the texture of the jelly.

If you're having Indian food on the menu, don't forget to turn some of your mint into chutney. It tastes very "green" but goes exceptionally well with kebabs and chicken tikkas. Use either a mortar and pestle or a food processor to grind the following ingredients into a paste:

1 small bunch cilantro (stems removed)
1 whopping bunch mint (stems removed)
1 hot green pepper (stem and seeds removed)
Couple cloves garlic
Salt (to taste)
Half an onion
Juice of 1 lime

Mint is cooling (which may be why the above recipe is so nice with super-spicy Indian cuisine), and the Greek culinary tradition capitalizes on this by adding another cooling vegetable - cucumber - to make tatziki sauce. This can go over gyros, or can be used to dress a salad, where it will add a creamy taste without adding a load of fat. Start with a 16 oz. carton of Greek-style yogurt, and add a peeled, seeded, diced cucumber. Mince a handful of mint leaves together with a couple of cloves of garlic, add that to the yogurt mix, season to taste with salt, really good olive oil (I like using some in which I've infused lemon) and your favorite vinegar. You'll want to refrigerate this for at least a couple of hours to let the flavors mingle before you use it.

Mint also goes really well with both strawberries and pineapple, so try making a minted fruit salad. Add your other favorite fruit (whatever's in season), a handful of finely diced mint leaves and a syrup made by boiling down 1/2 cup lime juice and 1 cup sugar until it is syrupy (which will seal your fruit and prevent it from turning brown - but make sure you let the syrup cool before adding it to the fruit).

Don't forget mojitos! One of the most refreshing ways to enjoy mint is to drink it. Steep the mint as for tea, strain it, add a bit of sugar and an optional shot of rum, and serve over a lot of ice.



These are just a few ideas to get you started. Once you see how the herb works in the kitchen, you'll be making mint pesto, minted lamb dishes, tabouli, mint ice cream, and minty herb seasoning mixtures. Take the time to dry some for later, and to sprinkle a few dried leaves at the back of your cabinets to keep bugs away!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3280/

St. John's wort - a powerful healing herb

St. John's wort tinctures and oils have a long history of healing a variety of physical ailments. Susun Weed told me about the powers of St. John's wort for sunburn many years ago.

St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) tincture is well known as a remedy for depression. The oil, though less well known, is one of the best medicines for regaining and maintaining healthy skin.

Hypericum oil is made by infusing the fresh yellow flowers of St. John’s/Joan’s wort in oil until it turns red. It is not an essential oil. If you live where hypericum grows, you can easily make it. If not, you can buy it at any store that sells herbs.

Because hypericum oil heals burns, I honor it with the name St. Joan’s wort. It is the only one-hundred-percent chemical-free sunscreen I know of. I apply a generous amount to all exposed skin every few hours to prevent sunburn and skin cancer.

Over the last fifty years, the rate of skin cancer in the USA has risen as fast as the usage of sunscreen. Commercial sunscreens encourage us to stay in the sun too long. St. Joan’s wort oil allows a slight reddening of the skin, so we are alerted to the need to get out of the sun, and it protects the lower levels of the skin from mutations that lead to cancer.

Hypericum oil carries its anti-viral activities deep into the nerve endings. Applied at the first sign of an outbreak, it prevents eruption of herpes and cold sores. It eliminates shingles, and eases the pain of chicken pox. Repeated use kills the herpes simplex virus and prevents further eruptions.

St. Joan’s wort oil also helps those with scaly skin conditions ranging from dry eczema to psoriasis. As an added benefit, hypericum oil eases muscle aches.

Plantain: A Weed You Can Eat

Plantain: A Weed You Can Eat
Common plantain is indeed a weed, but it can be so much more if harvested young and cooked like spinach.

By Len McDougall
April/May 2011

Plantain, commonly regarded as a weed, is a nutritious veggie that can thrive in any climate.
PHOTO: AGPIX/GERALD TANG

As a young man living in Grand Rapids, Mich., I would often see hungry people lined up for free food at food banks. What they didn’t know was that the yards, parks and vacant lots all around them were full of free fresh veggies. They may have seen them as weeds, but some of these “weeds” could have been harvested to augment the food bank fare.

One of the most common and plentiful of urban wild vegetables is a weed known as common plantain (Plantago major), which can grow from almost any patch of dirt. Common plantain is not only hardy enough to sprout up from cracks in asphalt and concrete — even gravel roadsides — but it can thrive in any climate.

Nutritionally, plantain is equally amazing. Related to spinach, plantain leaves are rich in iron and vitamins A and C. Plantain may be eaten uncooked, but adult leaves tend to be stringy, and seedpods are a bit tough. Preparation is as simple as boiling washed plants until tender, then serving the leaves as you would spinach, or the seedpods as you might green beans or asparagus. A little apple cider vinegar helps enliven the taste of cooked leaves, and I personally like them served hot with butter, salt and pepper. Seedpods are good in stews, soups and stir-fries, or with melted cheese over them.

Len McDougall
Paradise, Michigan

http://www.motherearthnews.com/modern-homesteading/common-plantain-zm0z11zhun.aspx

A Neighborhood Herb Walk

 Herbal pharmacist Dave LaLuzerne takes you on an herb walk in his neighborhood. Herbs covered include vervain, echinacea, solomon's seal, chicory, red clover, comfrey, spearmint, wild yam, mother wort, burdock, rosehips, burdock, and more.  Guest appearances by herbalist Jessie Conaway and Dr. Bruce Barrett.



Watch A Neighborhood Herb Walk in Lifestyle  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v16953491FGm6TnyR

We are by far not the only incredible species living on this earth!

These are not just various bird songs - Maybe you will be as surprised as I was. And wonder with awe about all the wonderful children in Mother Nature's womb. Enjoy!!!