RE: Re: St swork -

[Guest guest]

I found a gold mine of jewelweed so I would love some info on taht too!

Thanks soo much ! I picked some SJW flowers this morning and put

them in some olive oil. I will add to it as they bloom and let it soak.

Yep the plant had tiny holes in the leaves.

Thanks so much !!!

Shaye

Re: St swork -

> Hey! guess what I think I have St swort growin in my garden

what to do with it? How can I tell for sure for

> sure thats what it is?

>

Hi Shaye, I think your questions have been answered, and

correctly. Sorry I've been absent---just swamped at work but

getting a new hire starting Tues. Hope he's a fast learner.

You can positively identify the SJW by the perforated leaves. Just

hold one of the tiny leaves up to the light, and it will look like

it has pin pricks all over it. Also, when you pinch the flowers,

your fingers will be dark red/purple. To infuse them for soap,

lotions, etc. just pick the flowers (a little of the greens is ok,

but mostly just the yellow part is best) and drop them in a jar of

oil. I use EVOO usually, but also use OO. This morning I made a

jar with fractionated coconut. They looked beautiful as that oil is

so clear, and the flowers so yellow. Just hope it turns red! Set

the jar out in the sun for several weeks---until the oil turns dark

red. Then strain it through cheesecloth and/or unbleached coffee

filter. I put a piece of plastic wrap over the jar before putting

the lid on, put a label w/SJW and name of oil and date on top of the

lid and cover all with the ends of the plastic wrap. Since it will

sit outside for several weeks, we might get rain. I want to still

be able to read the label and don't want the lid to get rusty.

This oil is great for bruises, aches, arthritis, sciatica....

You can also tincture the flowers in an alcohol medium. Use grain

alcohol (Everclear), vodka, brandy; if you are making it for

children or just don't want to use alcohol, you can use apple cider

vinegar or glycerin. If you're traveling to Canada, the Duty Free

Shop has the best prices on good alcohol. If you use Everclear,

write me for instructions on the dilution rate. Each plant requires

a different dilution ratio to make the solution " standardized " .

People in the medical field who are opposed to medicinal herbal

products always use " you can't tell how much of the active

ingredients are in the product " . Well, that is true, but I wouldn't

expect one to OD on herbal products. But, you can follow the

formula for each plant and make a standardized product which is just

like a perscription. If you check the prices of tinctures in a

healthfood store, you will most likely find the " standardized " ones

to be a bit more expensive. I have used this tincture, but do not

sell it because it can be used for depression, and you have no

guarantee what else someone may be taking if they are depressed nor

how much they will take.

> Also can you give me suggestions for Horstail (which runs rampet

in my

> gardens as well)

As for the horsetail, yes, it's good to get it out of your flowers

because it can become uncontrollable. But the good news is that it

is a very useful weed. A strong tea made with it makes a great nail

soak because of the silica. Can't beat the price of a product that

uses water and weeds! I have a couple recipes using horsetail for

nail products that I will look up and post.

And Red Clover (which also is likes to grow there) I

> guess I really have herbal gardens! with a few flowers I planted

LOL. And

> just didnt know it. Any herbal use for Ostrich ferns??? LOL

>

> Thanks!

> Shaye

Oh, do pick those red clover!!!! That is such a wonderful herb and

loaded with vit. c. You can just pick them and eat them like

berries (definitely not as tasty) as long as there are no pesticides

on them. They are a bit difficult to dry because they have so much

moisture. Try to pick them mid morning after the dew is off them

and put them in a well-ventilated place to dry. The secret is to

get them dried and still hold their color---not brown. Then store

them in a jar and keep it in a dark place. They make a most

nutritious tea. Some day we can talk about tea blends---no reason

why nutritous teas can't taste good too.

Sorry, the only thing I know about Ostich ferns is that they are

lovely. I think ferns make a garden look so peaceful. I will check

my books and let you know if I find anything.

Shaye,I believe you are the person who said they wanted a positive

id for poison ivy. I will try to get a close up picture and also

one of the antidote---jewelweed. We didn't talk about those because

I was going to show those growing in nne's woods and forgot. I

usually use the whole plant of the jewelweed and run it through the

juicer and freeze it in ice cubes. For anyone who doesn't know this

plant, it is in flower now (yellow or orange flowers). It is best

used before the flowers appear, so try to find some now to be sure

what it looks like so you will be able to identify it without

flowers. The leaves are water repellant and the stems are hollow and

just filled with liquid, so it is a difficult one to keep. This

spring when I juiced some plants, I put some preservative in some of

it and put it in the refrigerator. A couple nights ago my husband

had a few spots of poison ivy on his forearm and asked me if I had

any of that " green stuff " . I used the supply in the refrig. and he

never got the blisters, so, I think it's still effective and for

ease of use, I'm thinking preservative.

Oh, sorry I got carried away here. Have a great weekend and next

week I'll get the gathering pictures posted.