still here

still here

Walks in Beauty

Walks in Beauty

Margaret pulled weed and
cut flower to make medicine,
medicine filled with blue sky,
from Black Earth and
Hummingbird song.

Medicine that was
her thoughts,
emotions and beliefs
Of the good from Gaia
For your body, mind and soul.

Sun scattered against Rock.
Permeated the green cells
of the living things
and then Sacredly
Absorbed by you.

Margaret died yesterday
a snakebite while
Gathering earthly medicine
of Stars
and Sun and Earth.

Rosemary sings to forget not
what she lived and
how she taught.
Summerland now has
a new flower.

In loving memory of
Margaret J. White

Nov 21, 1946 - August 8, 2005
Herbalist & Friend

Collecting

Working on getting out to collect some more herbs. Anybody interested in going?

Death Valley in Full Bloom

Spent last weekend in fields of flowers in the most unlikely place! Wow!! Pictures will show more than words...

Luna and I in a valley full of sunflowers...



People everywhere, waist deep in flowers.....



Hill and mountain-sides, covered....



Salt Creek, in the middle of the valley, running with water. Guess who played in the mud?



Yes, that's correct. A LAKE!!! Badwater is about 2 feet deep in some spots right now.



There is still LOTS of sand......

Yerba Mansa....

Here's a picture of one of my herb shevles in my kitchen. The Yerba Mansa leaf is dried and in the big jar on the top left. The root has already been tintured.

Constituents: Methyleugenol (antispasmodic), esdragole, thymol methylether, linalool, P-cymene, and asarinin.

Medicinal Properties:
Properties: Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, diuretic and blood cleanser.

Main Uses:
As an anti-inflammatory, it relieves irritated mucous membranes and helps to prevent tissue damage that may happen during inflammation. It can be useful for acute or chronic throat, lung, and sinus irritations. It helps colds, sore throats, periodontal disease (pyrrhea), colitis, Crohn's disease, bladder and kidney infections, and it is also effective as a douche for yeast infections. It is also used to treat urinary tract infections, stomach and duodenal ulcers, wounds, bruises, diaper rash, skin inflammations, arthritis, aches and pains. It can be used as a sitz bath for pelvic infections, vaginal warts, fissures and hemorrhoids. Improves lymph drainage in mild colds, sore throats and sinus infections; also in subacute colitis and cystitis. It is also useful for arthritis because it stimulates the excretion of uric acid and has an anti-inflammatory effect. It is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, so it is useful for skin infections also.

Collection: The roots are gathered in the fall and winter, when the foliage has died back. Wash them well and allow to dry for several weeks, then slice into sections and allow it to finish drying. When totally dry, grind into a powder. The fresh roots are also as a tinture and the leaves are dried to be used in salves.

Yerba Mansa Gathering...

I'm off to gather Yerba Mansa in the desert. See you next week. It will be very nice to get away from the computer screen. It really takes time to set up the blog, but what a wonderful way to share information. I'll have lots of 'how to avoid the flu' tips when I get back.