Class Notes:

LOCAL EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL WILD PLANTS

Nathaniel Whitmore

Some Celebrated Edibles:

RAMPS / WILD LEEKS (Allium tricoccum), POKEWEED (Phytolacca americana), BLACK WALNUT (Juglans nigra), BIRCH (Betula lenta), BLUEBERRY (Vaccinium spp.), ELDERBERRY (Sambucus canadensis), CHANTERELLE (Cantharellus lateritius)

Some World-Renowned Medicinals:

GINSENG (Panax quinguefolium), REISHI (Ganoderma lucidum and G. tsuge), DANDELION (Taraxacum officinale), HAWTHORN (Crataegeus spp.), GOLDENSEAL (Hydrastis canadensis)

IDENTIFICATION:

-Kingdom, Division (Phylum), Class, (Subclass), Order, Family, (Subfamily), (Tribe), Genus, Species, (Hybrid), (Subspecies), (Variety)                     -binomial nomenclature

-Fungus have own kingdom. 

-Lichens are symbiotic relationships between fungus and algae.  Classified as fungus.

-Divisions of the Plant Family:

                Algae- single celled

Ferns (and Fern Allies) - reproduce by spores, have vascular system

                Mosses and Liverworts- reproduce by spores, no vascular system

                Naked Seeds- mostly coniferous, also gingko and ephedra

                Flowering Plants- herbs, grasses, deciduous trees

-Flowers are used to classify and identify

-Example: HORSETAIL – Fern Division (Pterophyta) or its own Division (Sphenophyta), Sphenopsida Class, Equisetales Order. The Equisetaceae Family has only one Genus, Equisetum, which has 23 species.  Equisetum arvense is commonly used medicinally.

-It is generally sufficient to focus on Family, Genus, and Species.  The scientific classification is useful, but often identification in the field can be made certain without too much technicality.

 -Be cautious as a beginner.  Mistakes can be made.  It takes time to get familiar with the details of identification.  Learn the poisonous plants early.  Ask others with experience.

ETHICAL HARVESING (WILDCRAFTING):

- Know what plants are native, what plants are naturalized (wild non-natives), and what plants are invasive (non-natives that spread easily and invade native’s habitat).

                -Harvest native plants with care, only when they are growing in abundance

                -Harvest naturalized plants with mindfulness of others who might want them also.

                -Harvest invasive plants for the sake of the natives (even if you don’t need them).

-Know what stage of plant growth or what season is appropriate for harvesting.

Many plants are less potent medicinally at certain stages of growth or times of year.

Many plants are more potent (to the point of toxicity) at certain times.

-Have respect for the plant.  Love it.  This is good medicine.

-Example: GOLDENSEAL (Hydrastis canadensis)- Do not wildcraft this plant.  Grow it.  Also, do not buy wildcrafted goldenseal.  Buy organically cultivated.  This well known plant contains berberine, a constituent that is considered responsible for the medicinal activity and the yellow color.  Most cultures worldwide used berberine containing plants for the same uses, basically as an antibiotic.  The Chinese use Coptis (Coptis Chinensis) and we have a native species (C. trifola).  Ayurveda employs Tree Turmeric (Berberis aristata).  Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis califonica) is a traditionally used native of the Southwest.  Oregon Grape Root (Berberis aquifolium) grows abundantly in the Northwest and is quite common in health food stores.  Perhaps the best berberine plant for us to use in this area is BARBERRY.  We have three species in this area:  the native (Berberis canadensis), one from Europe (B. vulgaris), and one from Japan (B. japonica).  The non-native wild species are quite invasive.  People also put cultivated species in their landscapes because they are deer resistant.  The berries of barberry are edible.

COOKING:

-Many wild plants must be cooked.  Some are great raw, others need various degrees of cooking.

-Plants that are good RAW: Chickweed, Sheep Sorrel, Wood Sorrel

-Plants that are good STEAMED or LIGHLTY COOKED: Nettles, Violet

-Plants that are good BOILED or COOKED LONGER: Wintercress, Burdock, Wild Carrot

-Plants that require BOILING IN SEVERAL CHANGES OF WATER:  Poke, Milkweed, Acorns

-Plants that should be DRIED thoroughly: Skunk Cabbage, Jack-in-the-Pulpit

-Mushrooms should always be cooked.

-Variety is the spice of life.  Seasonal wild foods provide a variety that surpasses that of the vegetables found in most grocery stores.  Learn to enjoy the diversity found in nature.

-Wild vegetables are generally more nutritious than their domestic relatives.  As with any vegetable, wild or domestic, we must consider the effects of different cooking times.  The benefit of raw foods is that they contain some enzymes that would be destroyed be cooking.  The benefit of cooking is that it breaks down the relatively tough structure of the plants, making nutrients more available.  There is, of course, a spectrum from raw, through degrees of light cooking, to degrees of longer cooking.  The condition of those that are being cooked for must also be considered.  Those with weak digestion (or otherwise weak conditions) generally need to eat more cooked food.  Those in need of cleansing can benefit from lighter, raw foods.  As with ingredient selection, variety is also important regarding the type of cooking used.

-Sample some of the plant before making an elaborate dish with it.  Many plants become more bitter as the season goes on.  Even if you are familiar with the plant, the taste can change.

-Have lots of gratitude for the food that you harvested.  Maintain a sense of wonder as you prepare the vegetables.  Consider how amazing it is that nature provided you with such life giving food.  This will make you happier, make the food taste better, and increase the health giving properties of the meal.

MEDICINE MAKING:

-The main forms of medicinal herbs for internal use are teas and tinctures.

-For external use herbs can be made into poultices, washes, and salves.

-Tea:       -Many herbs can be picked and made right into tea.

                -INFUSIONS are done with more delicate plant parts and are made by steeping herbs in hot water.

                -DECOCTIONS are done with thicker, woodier plant parts and are made by boiling herbs.

                -COLD INFUSIONS are made by soaking the herb in cold water for a long period of time.

                -Drying herbs for future use should be done with care, or the herb’s quality can be compromised.

-Tincture:  Made by soaking the herb in high-proof alcohol.  Vegetable glycerin can also be used.

-Some herbs, such as wild cherry bark and blue cohosh, need to be dried before making into medicine.

-Example: PLANTAIN (Plantago major & P. lanceolata) is a very common plant in yards and waste places.  It is great to use on bee stings, cuts, scrapes, rashes, and the like.  It is soothing and inflammatory and promotes the healing process.  A simple poultice can be made by chewing the leaf and applying it to the affected area.  A salve could also be prepared and stored for such uses by infusing plantain in olive oil and mixing with bee’s wax.  For this use comfrey, St. John’s wort, and other herbs could be added.  Plantain is also edible.  It is best when young and tender.  Broadleaf plantain (P. major) usually has nice tender leaves in the beginning of the year.  The young flower stalks can also be eaten when tender.  Narrow-leaf plantain (P. lanceolata) has tougher leaves and a smaller tougher flower head and is not usually eaten.  It is, however, commonly considered the more potent species to use medicinally.  Plantain is also used as tea or tincture as a diuretic and a “heat-clearing” herb.

-Example: Plants like YELLOW DOCK (Rumex crispus & spp.) should be decocted so that the constituents can be drawn out of the thick woody roots.  Yellow dock is bitter and by boiling down the water volume one can decrease the amount of fluid that needs to be taken (thereby decreasing the amount of time that the strong tasting beverage spends in the mouth).  Like many other bitter herbs, yellow dock is used to clean the liver and promote bile flow.  It is also used to cleanse the skin.  Because of its iron content, it is used for anemia.  And, it is a mild laxative.  Yellow dock leaves are edible when young, but are also quite bitter.  To dry the roots for storage, slice the roots while they are still fresh.  This will make them easier to use once dried and will make the drying process easier.  Yellow dock roots, like most roots are best dug in the fall or early spring when the upper plant growth is not very active.  Often, yellow dock is dug in the spring and used as part of a spring cleanse.