Some of the key skills for Wilderness Survival are: navigation, signaling, wilderness first-aid, and survival. We can delineate survival out into knowledge of fire, food, shelter, and water. The energy of all of these skills is to do enough to make something functional while using as little energy as possible. The key concept is conservation of energy.

In a Wilderness Survival situation you need to be aware of your priorities. What is most likely to kill you? You need to be thorough, but efficient with this assessment. An acronym you can use in a survival situation is S.T.O.P.

Stop
Think
Observe
Plan

When you realize that you are lost, injured, stuck, etc. it is essential to take a deep breath, stop what you are doing and gain your composure. Having gone to your sit spot and having that experience in your body is an incredible tool for this. You know what it’s like to sit still, find that inner silence, and listen to the important voices. Panic begets trouble. Once you’ve stopped. It’s time to think and observe.

What materials do I have? What can I make out of these things that will help maintain my core body temperature? Should I wait for someone to find me or should I look for the trail? These are all important questions to think about and try to answer. Using your intuition can save your life.

Alright, you’ve become lost on a dayhike in the mountains. It’s late winter and temperatures will dip below freezing. You have 3 hours of daylight. You backpack contains a small first-aid kit, a Snickers bar, half a liter of water, a rain-jacket and an extra pair of socks.What should you do?

Make a plan. What do you have in your backpack? What trees and shrubs are prominent in the area? Maybe you want to try and see if you can find the trail. Make a mark on a prominent tree so you can trace your path – it is not uncommon to walk in circles when you are lost. This can be a terrible feeling, but it is important to gain your bearings. Your plan can be to look for the trail for 1.5 hours and then you have to start building a shelter and fire. Whatever your plan is stick with it.

Survival Priorities

You basic survival priorities are fire, shelter, water, and food. Depending on your environment and your supplies, these priorities likely need to be addressed. There is no specific formula to cover all these for every environment. Typically shelter comes first. Hypothermia is the biggest killer in survival situations. Dehydration is high on the list of conditions that will affect your survival. Drinking water is a high priority in a survival situation. If you don’t have chemicals or a water filter, boiling is your most reliable option. To boil water you need a container and a fire.

The lowest on the priority list is food. You can survive a month or more without food. Now this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t eat when given the opportunity. This, again, is where your naturalist knowledge can be a life-saver. You do not want to experiment with foods in a survival situation. Adding poisoning to your list of concerns is not helpful. But gathering chickweed, or dandelion, or wood sorrel while you are building a shelter can boost your energy. But if you don’t feel confident, it is better to fast.

Survival Kit

There’s a saying in survival that goes “The more you know, the less you need”. That said, a few items in a survival kit can be the difference between life and death. Having several ways to make fire, some water-purification tablets, a knife, a compass, a lightweight reflective blanket, and a signal mirror can save you a lot of time and energy. The key with these items is that they are sturdy, light, waterproof, and compact. This can be something that you carry with you on all of your adventures. It is essential that you practice with these items before you need them to help save your life!

Big Picture

There is much more to discuss about Wilderness Survival. This is just a start of the conversation. Your experience with doing Kamana is a huge step towards getting yourself out of a survival situation. Knowledge of trees, shrubs, plants, mammals, insects, and birds will be extremely helpful.

But the biggest advantage you will have is the ability to go back to all that dirt-time of being outside at your sit spot. Your sit spot will help you confront challenges like being cold, wet, dirty, scared of the dark, etc. in more bite-sized chunks. This experience is invaluable.

Part 2 will discuss Primitive Living and how it compares and contrasts to Wilderness Survival.

Relevant News Article: 5-day survival ordeal by an 84 year old man

This plant grows in the dark, moist forests here in Western Washington, up into Canada and into southern Alaska.  It likes the rocky areas near stream banks and cliffs in the spray zone of waterfalls.  I have found it up to middle elevations, in shady, sheltered, rich loamy sites.  It has long, delicate, dark stems that divide into two stalks then divide again and which resemble a hand or “palmate.”  The delicacy of this plant is sure to catch your eye.  With its fine leaflets that are oblong, alternate and are cleft into rectangular lobes, it will cause you to stop and catch your breath.  Every time I find this plant in the woods, it is a reminder to stop and smell the air, to admire its simple beauty and note the colors on the stalks.

The stalks are used for design in baskets.  When they are fresh, the stalks are split, the pith removed and the fragile stalks are then woven into the basket as an overlay.  When they are dried, the stalks need to be soaked for a time in order to make them somewhat pliable again.  The native peoples used them in beautiful, intricate basket designs.

I am told the leaves were used by many native peoples here in this area (Northwestern Coastal First Peoples) as a hair rinse.  One method was to soak the leaves for an infusion and another was to use the ashes from burnt leaves on the hair to make it shiny.  Today, when combined with yarrow or chamomile and made into a tea, the results are luster and shine and will surely have people asking what shampoo and rinse you use!!

In Europe and Latin America a related species has been used for stimulating slow and crampy menses and helping the menses become more regular.  It is very useful in young women for regulation after childbirth and also for nursing mothers.

This herb has a very subtle strengthening effect on the connective tissues, especially those under chronic stress.  When combined with other herbs that contain silica, it helps to clean the filtering organs, such as the kidneys and liver.

The most common use today is for coughing and lung ailments because of the mucilaginous and tannic properties.  It has proven helpful to drink a cup of tea each day if you are exposed to air pollution or smog.  This herb has subtle effects and should be used when you think maybe you might be getting a small cough or irritation.  It is more for a preventative soothing tea than for use during the height of cold.  Also, I am sure it will help at the tail end of a cold to cleanse the tissues of the lungs and soothe the throat and airways.

One of the changes I made was to gather this herb in the neighbor’s garden.  I have discovered that when I find it in the wild, it is a rare beauty and is there to admire.  I have also found that it is not always in abundance – just a plant or two that should be left to spread and grow.  My neighbor knew that I wove baskets and asked if I would like to harvest her plant because she was going to transplant it in the spring to another location.  I was delighted.  I cut the stalks low to the ground, bound the ends and hung them to dry in my kitchen.  I found them to smell like the rich loam of the forest as they dried, but after they dried, they smelled like cat urine.  So I completed the harvest, put the stalks in a dark cool place, so the color wouldn’t change and am making tea from the leaves for external and internal use.

When you are out wandering, thinking of the changes you have made, take note of Adiantum pedatum. This is the plant that made the Maiden’s Hair so beautiful and lush.  Get to know Maiden Hair Fern.

Remember to keep things simple.  Happy New Year!

Herbalist Susun Weed recognizes the possibility of biological warfare and she is ready to cope with it. With her help, you too can be prepared with herbs and home remedies that you can use now to help avoid infection and to build a strong immune system. You can feel safer in these troubling times by learning about herbs that are effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and that can be used as natural antibiotics in conjunction with, or in place of (should there be a lack), modern antibiotics.

Anthrax bacteria (Bacillus anthracis) enter the body through breaks in the skin or through the nose and lungs. Early symptoms (which may take up to a week to occur) include reddish-black sores on the skin or in the lymph nodes around the lungs. Hemorrhagic fever and death follows. Treated early, anthrax succumbs to antibiotics and most people (75-80 percent) recover completely.

Even without treatment, according to some sources, more than half of those infected survive. (Genetically-engineered varieties may kill up to 90 percent of untreated victims.) The inhaled variety is more lethal because the early symptoms of infection are easily ignored, delaying treatment past the point of most effect, and because pneumonia infections frequently complicate the recovery. Anthrax is not contagious; that is, it is not passed from person to person.

The antibiotic Cipro is the treatment of choice for those definitely exposed to anthrax, but neither it nor any other antibiotic can prevent infection. It is dangerous to take antibiotics “just in case” for then they may not work when actually needed. Instead, try these home remedies and natural antibiotics.

Salt is lethal to bacteria. The simplest home remedy for those worried about exposure to anthrax is to rinse your nose with salt (any kind will do) mixed into water. Taste your mixture to be certain it is very salty. Getting this up your nose can be accomplished by putting your nose into the salt solution and snorting it in, or you may wish to buy a “neti pot,” a device from India used to rinse the nasal passages. Afterwards, blow your nose and spit out any residue that runs into the mouth.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has been scientifically shown to kill all gram positive and gram negative bacteria. A small spray bottle of the tincture of the flowering tops can be used to spray the inside of the nose, killing any bacteria lurking there. Spraying tincture in your nose does sting a little and makes the eyes water, but don’t dilute it, the alcohol is antibacterial too.

Garlic has been used to prevent infection for thousands of years; and it still works! No need to upset your stomach (and loved ones) by eating it raw; cooked garlic retains its antibacterial powers, so long as you eat enough of it. During plague times, healers in some areas wore a “bird’s beak:” a stiff cone was made of paper or bark, stuffed with garlic and spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg), and tied on over the nose to help prevent contagion. That’s a little cumbersome for modern times, but inhaling the aroma of a cup of spicy tea (there are many blends available, or make your own) could help forestall anthrax.

Medicinal mushrooms are not only immune system tonics, they possess antibacterial properties which make them ideal for preventing anthrax infection, according to expert Paul Stametes. A tincture or strong infusion of any shelf fungus with pores can be used, he says. If you prefer to buy your mushrooms, rather than hunt for them, look for reishii (Ganoderma lucidum) or shiitake (Lentinus edodes). Both are adaptogenic, revitalizing, regenerative, and able to directly suppress infection. Side effects, even from large doses, are rare.

Essential oils are antibacterial, and some sources suggest rubbing them inside the nose or spraying the air with these extremely concentrated oils to counter anthrax infections. I don’t. Essential oils are likely to cause a variety of side effects (such as damage to the mucus surfaces of the nose and lungs, and stress to the lymphatic system) that could, paradoxically, make infection more likely and more virulent.

Cayenne and golden seal are antibacterial, but too strong to be used as preventatives. Snuffing hot pepper up your nose would kill anthrax, but at the risk of irritating your nose and respiratory passages, damaging their protective mucus surfaces, and stressing your immune system. I rarely use golden seal, not only because it can cause severe side effects, but also because it is approaching extinction in the wild.

I prefer safer antibacterial herbs such as echinacea, usnea, or poke root, which not only kill infection, but also help us keep our immune systems strong. That, of course, is the desired result from immunization: to strengthen the immune system and alert it to the possibility of anthrax infection. Anthrax vaccines currently available for animals are not suitable for humans, and one prepared for people is in short supply (and only 93 percent effective). To achieve full immunity, one must have immunization shots every two weeks for six weeks, then again at 6, 12, and 18 months. Given that, herbs seem a superb alternative: They have an extensive history of countering resistant bacteria and strengthening the body’s natural defenses.

Echinacea root is the all-American immune system strengthener. It triggers production of white blood cells, interferon, leukocytes, T-cells, and B-lymphocytes, as well as directly inhibiting the growth of most bacteria and viruses. Peter Holmes, author of Energetics of Western Herbs, cites it as being effective against anthrax. Echinacea tincture is my first choice for countering infection. (Capsules and pills of echinacea, if used for lengthy periods, may be counterproductive.) A dose of the tincture is one drop for every pound of body weight. I take this several times a week as a preventative, several times daily when there is active infection. If I were exposed to anthrax, I would take a dose every hour for at least ten days.

Usnea, a common lichen, is especially rich in a powerful antibacterial bitter called usnic acid (also usinic acid). I use the tincture of Usnea barbata (a dose is 1-2 dropperfuls), but other lichens show similar immune-enhancing and tonifying properties. There are no side effects reported from use of even large amounts of usnea tincture.

Poke root tincture (Phytolacca americana) kicks the immune system into gear incredibly fast. I’ve seen chronic infection of many years’ standing resolve after only one dose, and acute infection subside in a matter of hours. Poke’s effect seems to be focused on the lymphatic and glandular tissues of the throat and chest, making it the perfect counter to inhaled anthrax, which attacks the lymph nodes around the lungs. Poke is a specific against pneumonia and a protector of the lungs. It contains an antibacterial alkaloid and a special antiviral protein. It is magnifies the effects of echinacea and they work wonderfully well together.

Poke root is powerful medicine, in fact, a potential poison, and the dose is very small. One drop of poke tincture may be taken daily for no more than three months as a counter to possible infection. Those with a positive diagnosis could use a single drop as frequently as six times a day. Alkaloids in poke root tincture can accumulate in the kidneys, making extended use risky, though some people have taken doses of 15 drops a day for a year or more without apparent harm. Caution: You can feel spacy and out of your body when taking poke, especially at higher doses. The first few times, take it after dinner and stay home so you can judge your reaction.

To be assured of a supply of poke tincture, you may need to make it yourself, as it is rarely found for sale. Poke is a common garden and roadside weed of northeastern North America, tall (5-7 feet) with conspicuous dark purple berries and magenta-hued stalks. Dig roots after hard frost, when tops are dead and yellowed, and tincture, fresh, for six weeks in 100 proof vodka

Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus) is widely considered the single most effective immune tonic and adaptogen in the herbal realm. Safe and inexpensive, it helps the immune system respond quickly to infection and mitigates the effects of stress. Astragalus root is also an excellent ally for building powerful immunity. Both, or either, may be taken daily for extended periods with no ill effects. I throw several pieces of these roots in every pot of soup I cook. Tincture is less effective as a tonic; and I avoid capsules completely.

Ginseng root (Panax quinquefolius or Panax ginseng) is another exceptional ally for the immune system, especially when there is physical or emotional stress. In any form (tincture, tea, extract) it nourishes production of interferon, phagocytes, antibodies, and killer T-cells. So long as you need ginseng, there’s no overdose; if you take it when you don’t need it however, it may produce an unpleasant, jittery, speedy sensation.

But herbs alone are not enough. What we think, and what we consume, are also important parts of building strong immunity. Candace Pert, visiting professor of neuroscience at Rutgers University, has proven that every cell of the body participates in the immune system through an integrated network of chemical, electrical, and hormonal signals. The immune system is a network, she says, which resonates with the vibrations that surround it. It is as affected by emotions as by bacteria, as impacted by thoughts as by drugs.

Long-standing low-level depression, smoldering anger that is never expressed, bitterness and vengeance projected into the future are all known to depress immune functioning. Prayer, affirmations, positive thinking — no matter what you call it, talking lovingly to yourself builds powerful immunity. One of the fiercest old women I know, healer Margo Geiger, taught me to not only think good thoughts but also to unthink immune system stressing phrases like: “This is killing me,” or “I’m dying to . . .” (“Let’s live for it!” she’d say.)

Specialized cells which eliminate bacterial and viral infections are made as needed by the immune system. Richly supply your immune system with nutrients, and it easily counters infection, building healthy white blood cells to kill anthrax and other germs. Starve your immune system and it will falter, leaving your lymph nodes and other tissues open to infection and destruction.

My favorite foods for nourishing the immune system include beets, carrots, garlic, medicinal mushrooms, seaweeds, and dark leafy greens (including nettle infusion). For rapid results, try miso soup with seaweed and wild mushrooms. Try Immune A Go Go Soup from Susun Weed’s book Breast Cancer? Breast Health!

Carotenes strengthen and activate all parts of the immune system, especially the thymus (the “master gland of immunity”). A half-cup of dandelion greens, two cups of nettle infusion, a small baked sweet potato, or two large cooked carrots or beets is a “dose;” but ten times that much can be consumed safely. Repeated doses provide a cumulative effect starting about a week after you begin.

Selenium is a trace mineral with special abilities for building a healthy immune system. Best sources are organic garlic, medicinal mushrooms, and astragalus. Zinc helps build energetic white blood cells (which eliminate bacterial infections). Best sources are echinacea, nettles, and seaweed.

The B-vitamin complex, especially B6 (pyridoxine), is critical to immune system health. Best sources are potato skins, broccoli, prunes, and lentils.

Virtually all drugs depress the immune system. This includes caffeine and nicotine, alcohol, prescribed drugs, “recreational” drugs, and vitamin/mineral supplements. For a healthy immune system, eat nourishing food and forgo the pills.

Both light and dark are necessary for a strong immune system. For optimum immune system strength, sleep in a totally dark room at night, and spend at least 15 minutes a day outside without glasses or contacts. Full spectrum sunlight is needed to trigger the production of important immune system components.

Exercise is an excellent way to tonify the immune system. A number of clinical trials have shown regular exercise to be strongly linked to heightened immunity. The emphasis is on regular. It is better to walk one mile four times a week for a month than to jog 16 miles once a month.

In Summary, strengthen you immune system with a good diet, adequate sleep, regular physical activity, emotional well-being, and a few of the recommended herbal allies of your choice. Always remember to use herbs and herbal preparations simply and safely. Avoid immune compromising substances such as coffee, tobacco and medications. With a strengthened immune system you will not only enjoy better health, but you will be less likely to be susceptible to infection and possible death from bacterial and/or viral invasions. Faith in your body’s ability to protect itself will continue to bolster and reinforce the immune system as your mental well-being improves.

Ms. Weed prefers safe antibacterial herbs such as echinacea, usnea, or poke root, which not only kill infection, but also help us keep our immune systems strong. These herbs have an extensive history of countering resistant bacteria and strengthening the body’s natural defenses. She also recommends medicinal mushrooms, garlic, and ginseng to help you during the winter season. And, she reminds us that our thoughts affect our health too!

Echinacea root is the all-American immune system strengthener. It triggers production of white blood cells, interferon, leukocytes, T-cells, and B-lymphocytes, as well as directly inhibiting the growth of most bacteria and viruses. Peter Holmes, author of Energetics of Western Herbs, cites it as being effective against anthrax. Echinacea tincture is my first choice for countering infection. (Capsules and pills of Echinacea, if used for lengthy periods, may be counter-productive.) A dose of the tincture is one drop for every pound of body weight. I take this several times a week as a preventative; several times daily when there is active infection.

Usnea, a common lichen, is especially rich in a powerful antibacterial bitter called usnic acid (also usinic acid). I use the tincture of Usnea barbata (a dose is 1-2 dropperfuls), but other lichens show similar immune-enhancing and tonifying properties. There are no side effects reported from use of even large amounts of usnea tincture.

Poke root tincture (Phytolacca americana) will boost your immune system into gear incredibly fast. I’ve seen chronic infection of many years’ standing resolve after only one dose, and acute infection subside in a matter of hours. Poke’s effect seems to be focused on the lymphatic and glandular tissues of the throat and chest, making it the perfect counter to inhaled anthrax, which attacks the lymph nodes around the lungs. Poke is a specific against pneumonia and a protector of the lungs. It contains an antibacterial alkaloid and a special antiviral protein. It magnifies the effects of Echinacea and they work wonderfully well together.

Poke root is powerful medicine – in fact, a potential poison – and the dose is very small. One drop of poke tincture may be taken daily for no more than three months as a counter to possible infection. Alkaloids in poke root tincture can accumulate in the kidneys, making extended use risky. Caution: You can feel spacey and out of your body when taking poke, especially at higher doses. The first few times, take it after dinner and stay home so you can judge your reaction.

Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus) is widely considered the single most effective immune tonic and adaptogen in the herbal realm. Safe and inexpensive, it helps the immune system respond quickly to infection and mitigates the effects of stress. Astragalus root is also an excellent ally for building powerful immunity. Both, or either, may be taken daily for extended periods with no ill effects. I throw several pieces of these roots in every pot of soup I cook.

Ginseng root (Panax quinquefolius or Panax ginseng) is another exceptional ally for the immune system, especially when there is physical or emotional stress. In any form (tincture, tea, extract) it nourishes production of interferon, phagocytes, antibodies, and killer T-cells. So long as you need ginseng, there’s no overdose; if you take it when you don’t need it however, it may produce an unpleasant, jittery, speedy sensation.

Garlic has been used to prevent infection for thousands of years; and it still works! No need to upset your stomach (and loved ones) by eating it raw; cooked garlic retains its antibacterial powers, so long as you eat enough of it. During plague times, healers in some areas wore a “bird’s beak:” a stiff cone was made of paper or bark, stuffed with garlic and spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg), and tied on over the nose to help prevent contagion. That’s a little cumbersome for modern times, but inhaling the aroma of a cup of spicy tea (there are many blends available, or make your own) could help prevent colds and flu.

Medicinal mushrooms are not only tonics to boost your immune system, they possess antibacterial properties which make them ideal for preventing anthrax infection, according to expert Paul Stametes. A tincture or strong infusion of any shelf fungus with pores can be used, he says. If you prefer to buy your mushrooms, rather than hunt for them, look for reishii (Ganoderma lucidum) or shiitake (Lentinus edodes). Both are adaptogenic, revitalizing, regenerative, and able to directly suppress infection. Side effects, even from large doses, are rare.

But herbs and medicinal foods alone are not enough. What we think, and what we consume, are also important parts of building strong immunity, and helping to prevent colds and flu. Candace Pert, visiting professor of neuroscience at Rutgers University, has proven that every cell of the body participates in the immune system through an integrated network of chemical, electrical, and hormonal signals. The immune system is a network, she says, which resonates with the vibrations that surround it. It is as affected by emotions as by bacteria, as impacted by thoughts as by drugs.

Long-standing low-level depression, smoldering anger that is never expressed, bitterness and vengeance projected into the future are all known to depress immune functioning. Prayer, affirmations, positive thinking – no matter what you call it, talking lovingly to yourself builds powerful immunity. One of the fiercest old women I know, healer Margo Geiger, taught me to not only think good thoughts but also to unthink immune system stressing phrases like: “This is killing me,” or “I’m dying to . . .” (“Let’s live for it!” she’d say.)

Specialized cells which eliminate bacterial and viral infections are made as needed by the immune system. Richly supply your immune system with nutrients, and it easily counters infection, building healthy white blood cells to kill anthrax and other germs. Starve your immune system and it will falter, leaving your lymph nodes and other tissues open to infection and destruction.

My favorite foods for nourishing the immune system include beets, carrots, garlic, medicinal mushrooms, seaweeds, and dark leafy greens (including nettle infusion). For rapid results, try miso soup with seaweed and wild mushrooms. Try Immune A Go Go Soup from Susun Weed’s book Breast Cancer? Breast Health!

Carotenes strengthen and activate all parts of the immune system, especially the thymus (the “master gland of immunity”). A half-cup of dandelion greens, two cups of nettle infusion, a small baked sweet potato, or two large cooked carrots or beets is a “dose;” but ten times that much can be consumed safely. Repeated doses provide a cumulative effect starting about a week after you begin.

Selenium is a trace mineral with special abilities for building a healthy immune system. Best sources are organic garlic, medicinal mushrooms, and astragalus. Zinc helps build energetic white blood cells (which eliminate bacterial infections). Best sources are Echinacea, nettles, and seaweed.

The B-vitamin complex, especially B6 (pyridoxine), is critical to immune system health. Best sources are potato skins, broccoli, prunes, and lentils.

Virtually all drugs depress the immune system. This includes caffeine and nicotine, alcohol, prescribed drugs, “recreational” drugs, and vitamin/mineral supplements. For a healthy immune system, eat nourishing food and forgo the pills.

Both light and dark are necessary for a strong immune system. For optimum immune system strength, sleep in a totally dark room at night, and spend at least 15 minutes a day outside without glasses or contacts. Full spectrum sunlight is needed to trigger the production of important immune system components.

Exercise is an excellent way to tonify the immune system. A number of clinical trials have shown regular exercise to be strongly linked to heightened immunity. The emphasis is on regular. It is better to walk one mile four times a week for a month than to jog 16 miles once a month.

In Summary: Strengthen you immune system with a good diet, adequate sleep, regular physical activity, emotional well-being, and a few of the recommended herbal allies of your choice. Always remember to use herbs and herbal preparations simply and safely. Avoid immune compromising substances such as coffee, tobacco and medications.

With a strengthened immune system you will not only enjoy better health, but you will be less likely to be susceptible to infection and possible death from bacterial and/or viral invasions. Faith in your body’s ability to protect itself will continue to bolster and reinforce the immune system as your mental well-being improves. Enjoy the upward spiral of health as you follow the path of the Wise Woman Way.

The first time I recall encountering a raven, I was a small child walking with my parents through the woods on West Thurlow Island, in British Columbia. The trail was smooth and carpeted with needles of Douglas-fir and western hemlock, and the trees were large and somber. As we walked, a big black bird flew from somewhere in the forest to land on a large branch above the trail, just as my father was about to walk under. The bird opened it’s wings a little bit, bobbed it’s head up and down with it’s neck stretched out, and made a sound like a crow gargling. For some reason my father made the same sound back at the bird, standing there looking up at it on its branch. The bird made the sound again. This probably went on for less than a minute before it flew off again through the cathedral-like forest, and my parents and I continued down the trail. While my father continued to make raven calls, I eagerly joined in. Making raven sounds became something we did. It was interesting to try to mimic them — easy to get close, difficult to get exactly right. There did not necessarily need to be ravens about to initiate our quorking and gargling and glugging, but when we were in B.C., there were plenty of ravens about that would sometimes respond to our noises — or at least make noise in close proximity to our noises!

For many years, my personal mythology of ravens was that they are the birds who talk — to me and my father, specifically. Ravens entered my awareness again when I was on a college field trip to Yellowstone National Park in the late 1990’s. It was winter, and wildlife and researchers nearly had the park to themselves. This was a few years after the reintroduction of wolves, and we were in the Lamar Valley where several wolf packs made their homes. In that wide-open landscape it is not uncommon to see the carcass of an animal (often an elk) that has been brought down by wolves. One of the best ways to spot a carcass in that expanse is by looking for groups of large black birds gathered around a certain area, flying to and fro from a specific point, rising in columns into the sky, or perched in surrounding trees. There is something to the mythology of Raven as harbinger of death and destruction after all. Our field trip to Yellowstone, for a class about ecosystems of the northwest, quickly became a raven-seeking mission. Find the ravens, and you might find the wolves….

After a week in the park following ravens to carcasses left by wolves, I found myself permanently prone to chasing after ravens. Across islands or down the beach in B.C., turning off the interstate to follow logging roads in an attempt to get closer to that column of birds in the distance, or striking off-trail in the mountains. Only once outside of Yellowstone can I recall a raven-chasing episode that led me to a dead animal. Southwest of Mount Rainier, I was hiking with a friend along a high ridge above tree line. Suddenly a column of ravens rose up just ahead of us on the other side of the ridge. I was pretty dang excited, and drug my companion up over the rocks to a point where we could peer over the ridge. More ravens were perched on the snow below, at the edge of a cleft formed between the snowfield and the rock above. Down inside this wedge was the carcass of an elk. I scrambled down on to the snow for a closer look. The ravens had clearly fed on the animal, but they had not been able to access much of the meat. I still wonder how that animal got into that crevasse — what it was doing so high on that ridge, and why it fell — as it seemed more a habitat for mountain goats than elk. While the story of what happened there is curious to me, what I remember most about that encounter was the ravens — the way their presence seemed to call to me, “Look at this! Look at this!”

This past spring I had the opportunity to spend a couple of cloudy, drizzly days in the northeast corner of Washington in the vicinity of a pair of ravens. These ravens spent a good amount of time in the trees on the hillside above our photography blind, or in the trees along the ravine below us. While the area in which our blind was situated was relatively open, the areas in which the ravens stationed themselves were quite densely vegetated — we could see the ravens in and around the trees as well as hear them from where we were, but we could not see into the forest. These ravens happened to be hanging around the two locations from which we regularly heard howling wolves. We never saw the wolves, and at first could only determine their location with certainty by their vocalizations. Soon, though, we started to notice a pattern: Often the howling of the wolves was preceded by the ravens making a racket in the same area. Sometimes we noted the alarm calls of Douglas squirrels that would progress through the forest either towards or away from one of these areas of activity. Often these alarms occurred in proximity in time to an episode of howling, raven exclamation, or both.

Extrapolating upon my experiences with following ravens to kill sites in Yellowstone, then for the most part after that following ravens to nothing, I would guess that my experiences in northeastern Washington should not lead me to assume that when I go to where ravens make a fuss, there shall I find wolves. It does add to my growing personal mythology (though it’s not my unique mythology) that ravens “talk to” or “about” the world around them. This also gets me thinking about the idea of raven as trickster. Raven’s are extremely intelligent birds, and because of this they are very adaptable to their surroundings. Unlike the chickadee, which will forage in much the same way wherever you see it, a raven’s behavior and approach to survival is more varied depending upon it’s surroundings, and perhaps the other creatures in it. When I expect a vocal concentration of ravens to lead me to a carcass — because that’s what I experienced such groups of ravens to “always” mean when I was in Yellowstone — I feel misled, or tricked, when a group of ravens acting that way leads me to nothing. Hmmm.

A reminiscence of talking ravens, or any ravens for that matter, would feel incomplete to me without mention of the ravens of Petersburg, Alaska. Home to three canneries, the town harbor provides an abundant food supply for scavengers, including a thriving population of ravens. Wandering through the waterfront town on a midsummer day, the ravens seem an integral part of the scene. Perched on every roof and light post and railing, they remind me of so many old men, sitting on the front porch of a general store somewhere, telling tales and talking over each other. All the familiar raven sounds were present, as well as vocalizations that I had never heard before, nor heard since. In a town that provides such a rich feast for the taking, what else would ravens do besides sit around and yap with each other?

I thought that a perusal of the internet to find the origin of the Latin name of the species might enlighten me somehow as to the essence of this bird (I’m not sure why I thought that, if I truly believe that the bird is not it’s description nor it’s mythos…). According to The Free Dictionary by Farlex, I find that Corvus corax means “large black bird with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail.” Since this is essentially the same as the field guide description, I don’t feel that this is particularly helpful…. I am beginning to feel somewhat … tricked. So, I look up corvus and corax separately, and can hardly believe what I discover….

The word corvus comes from the Latin word meaning raven. I’m not surprised yet. Then I look up corax, which comes from the Greek word korax, which means raven. This is not helpful. Or is it? The raven is a large black bird with a wedge-shaped tail, with varied vocalizations. The raven talks to my father, talks to me, talks at other ravens and about wolves, and can probably talk to you too whether or not you understand. The raven is intelligent, the raven flies over the field behind my house, the raven tricks me in the woods and in the words … the raven is Raven.

This month, the Fall Equinox is celebrated around the world in many native cultures.  It is the time of equal night and equal day and marks the beginning of death of Grandfather Sun as the legend is told.  It is the time to gather the harvest and reap what we have sown in the spring.  There is a sense of abundance from the harvest, but also it is our sense for the preparation of the dark, cold winter and the apparent death of nature.  It is a time of going within ourselves and making preparation for our survival, physically and spiritually during the winter months.

Have you noticed the plants are dying back and some leaves have been falling?  The grass is all but brown in most areas and the tomatoes are coming on strong.  There are still many flowers blooming and bringing fall colors to the season.

I recently had the opportunity to travel down the Oregon Coast for my annual Karate (Tang Soo Do) Seminar in Coos Bay.  The weather was beautiful and warm, the Pacific Ocean still as expansive as ever.  I was aware of how just watching the waves come and go, how I could find that calm place inside that my secret spot brings me.  Water is a powerful essence.  Well, on our journey I kept my eye open for a plant that spoke to me.  This beautiful “weed” grows along the roadsides of waste areas and disturbed sites.  It grows in dense patches and is sometimes interspersed with another of its family that looks similar but yet very different.

This weed grows also in pastures, and moist clearings, at low elevations.  It is a biennial that grows up from a whitish, bitter taproot to about 20-120 cm tall.  The leaves are medium sized and fern-like and lacy with small narrow segments.  The flowers are white or yellowish white, small and bloom in late summer.  They grow in small numerous compact heads that when fully bloomed resemble an umbrella shape.  And in the very center of the umbrella is an “umbel” (one single raised flower) that is black to burgundy in color.  My children make it a game to find the little black flower in the middle.  Under the flower are a layer of lace like leaves that give the appearance of “celery leaves under a bed of cottage cheese.”  Use your mind’s eye for that one.  The great part about this flower is the root.  The Native People dug up this root and steamed it as a vegetable, it has a carrot like flavor, only a little bitter.

Now, there is a danger with identifying this plant.  There are at least two other plants that are very similar in appearance that I will mention here.  One plant is called Cow Parsnip.  Heracleum lanatum, and grows in similar areas, usually grows 1-3 cm tall and will be found up to supalpine elevations.  This plant is much taller and larger umbrella flowers.  It has a strong odor but the inner young stalks were eaten as a green vegetable by the Northwest Coastal People.  This plant also has furanocoumarins (a colorless, volatile compound) found in the outer skin and too much handling can cause phototoxicity and was considered poisonous by some groups.  The other which you should know from studying Kamana is the Poison Hemlock, Conium maculatum.  This one is the extremely poisonous plant that killed Socrates in 399 BC.  This plant looks VERY similar to the “weed” I have described earlier.

A few hints to tell the difference between Poison Hemlock and Queen Anne’s Lace are:

1. You won’t find the little colored flower in the middle of the umbrella
2. The root has a very disagreeable odor when crushed and does not smell like a carrot
3. The leaves under the flower head do not appear as celery leaves, they are very small and close to the stem
4. I have found the umbrella shape flower head of the hemlock to not appear as elegant and close together as the one mentioned earlier.

Here is the WARNING: DO NOT EAT ANY OF THESE PLANTS! I wanted to compare some common plants that look similar and are unique.  I am not recommending to go out and dig up roots to put into your salad.  Even if you are an expert herbalist, please ALWAYS use caution.

What inspired me to write about Daucus carota was that it is in bloom this month when a lot of other plants are dying back, getting ready for the winter.  I saw Queen Anne’s Lace blooming next to brown, dried stalks of Cow Parsnip and felt a little rebirth of spring hanging on in my neck of the woods.  Soon everything will be withered and sending energy to the roots to hold till next year’s cool, moist spring returns…as it always will.

Part One of this article explained herbal vinegars’ many potent qualities as herbal home remedies, and reviewed the basic tools and simple process of making herbal vinegars. A journey into the author’s garden illustrated how we can reap nature’s rewards and harvest numerous herbs for herbal vinegars. Now, we get to the root of making herbal vinegars: roots! We’ll also review some helpful tips for making vinegars, and review a list of plants that make for tasty vinegars and for herbal calcium supplements.

The main work of this frosty fall morning is to harvest roots: dandelion, burdock, yellow dock, and chicory roots. I’ve been waiting for the frost to bite deep before harvesting the nourishing, medicinal roots of these weeds. With my spading fork (not a shovel, please) I carefully unearth their tender roots, leaving a few to mature and shed seeds so I have a constant supply of young roots. I love the feel of the root sliding free of the soil and into my hands, offering me such gifts of health.

Burdock I admire especially, for its strength of character and its healing qualities. I settle down to do some serious digging to unearth their long roots. For peak benefit, I harvest at the end of the first year of growth, when the roots are most tenacious and least willing to leave the ground. Patience is rewarded when I dig burdock. Eaten cooked or turned into a vinegar (and the pickled pieces of the root consumed with the vinegar), burdock root attracts heavy metals and radioactive isotopes and removes them quickly from the body. For several hundred years at least, and in numerous cases that I have witnessed, burdock root is known to reverse pre-cancerous changes in cells.

Dandelion and chicory are my allies for long life. They support and nourish my liver and improve the production of hydrochloric acid in my stomach, thus ensuring that I will be better nourished by any food I eat. I make separate vinegars of each plant, but like to put both their roots and their leaves together in my vinegar. A spoonful of either of these in a glass of water in the morning or before meals can be used to replace coffee. Note that roasted roots used in coffee substitutes do not have the medicinal value of fresh roots eaten cooked or preserved in vinegar.

Yellow dock is the herbalist’s classic remedy for building iron in the blood. Like calcium, iron is absorbed better when eaten with an acid, such as vinegar, making yellow dock vinegar an especially good way to utilize the iron-enhancing properties of this weed. (It nourishes the iron in the soil, too, and is said to improve the yield of apple trees it grows under.)

And at that thought, I awaken from my reverie and return to spring’s sunshine with a smile. The white cat twines my legs and offers to help me carry the basket back inside to the warmth of the fire. The circle has come around again, like the moon in her courses. Autumn memories yield spring richness. The weeds of fall offer tender green magic in the spring. What I harvested last November has been eaten with joy and I return to be gifted yet again by the wild that lives here with me in my garden.

NOTES ON MAKING HERBAL VINEGAR

PLANTS THAT MAKE EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD-TASTING HERBAL VINEGARS

PLANTS TO USE WHEN MAKING AN HERBAL CALCIUM SUPPLEMENT

HERBAL VINEGARS WHERE YOU EAT THE PICKLED PLANTS, TOO

This guide is meant to be a general overview of the basics of using a compass, with or without a map. There are only a few key things to keep in mind, and once you have grasped these fundamentals, the realm of compass navigation will be open to you forever.

Compass Basics

First of all, what exactly does a compass do? In short, a compass is a fixed housing containing a free-floating metal “needle” able to align itself to the Earth’s magnetic field. One end of the needle will always point towards the north magnetic pole. An important fact to mention here is that magnetic north is not the same as geographic north. A map will make reference to geographic north, i.e. the North Pole, a fixed point on the Earth’s surface, whereas magnetic north fluctuates in position over time. This is known as magnetic declination. I’ll come back to this in a moment.

In addition to the floating needle, a compass may have a myriad of other features, but only a few are really relevant to basic orienteering. The first, and most important, is the rotating bezel on the face. The bezel contains the 360 degrees of a circle, or the azimuth. Another often-used term is bearing. So the bezel allows the user to “dial-in” his or her desired direction of travel simply by rotating the face.

Let’s say for example that you know your home base is in a southeasterly direction, ~120 degrees of azimuth. If you wanted to make sure you traveled in that direction, you would first orient yourself so that the red (north) end of the compass needle is aligned with the N (0°) mark on the bezel. Next, you would rotate the bezel until the needle pointed to 120°. Finally, you would simply rotate yourself so that the needle once again pointed to the N (0°) mark. And voila, you now have your bearing.

Magnetic or Geographic?

There is one catch, though. Remember what I said about magnetic north not being true or geographic north? Well, the difference between the two is determined by your location on the Earth’s surface, and it’s enough to really throw off your bearing and put you into the nearest swamp. Luckily, the bezel holds the key once again. Once you know your magnetic declination, you simply rotate the bezel according to that number. For instance, let’s pretend you live in Seattle, and know your magnetic declination to be 16° 51′ E. In this case, the difference is ~ +17° from true north, so we need to subtract that from our current bearing by rotating the bezel to the right. So with our compass needle now pointing north again, our housing (and thus our direction of travel) will be oriented to 343°. Confused? Not surprising. But take heart, it is much easier to understand once you have your compass in hand. (Note: If you need help determining your declination, NOAA offers this handy tool.)

How to Choose a Compass

Finally, you might be asking, “How do I choose the right compass for me?” While there are lots of compass models on the market, the best ones will not be overwhelming with features nor so bare bones that they lack even a rotating bezel. My personal recommendation is to go with a standard, liquid-filled orienteering compass such as that made by Suunto or Brunton. Stay away from “button” compasses or those found in the hilts of knives. They are largely inaccurate and will not help you in the long run. Once you grasp the basics of using your standard compass, you can graduate to one with more advanced features. That being said, as long as your compass has a rotating bezel and can reliably point to magnetic north, you have everything you need to find your way. And will just a little practice, you’ll be amazed how easily you can do just that.

A pantry full of herbal vinegars is a constant delight. Preserving fresh herbs and roots in vinegar is an easy way to capture their nourishing goodness. It’s easy too. You don’t even have to have an herb garden.

BASIC HERBAL VINEGAR

Takes 5 minutes plus 6 weeks to prepare. You will need the following:

2. Pour room-temperature apple cider vinegar into the jar until it is full. Cover jar with a plastic screw-on lid, several layers of plastic or wax paper held on with a rubber band, or a cork. Vinegar disintegrates metal lids.

3. Label the jar with the name of the herb and the date. Put it in some place away from direct sunlight, though it doesn’t have to be in the dark, and some place that isn’t too hot, but not too cold either. A kitchen cupboard is fine, but choose one that you open a lot so you remember to use your vinegar, which will be ready in six weeks.

Apple cider vinegar has been used as a health-giving agent for centuries. Hippocrates, father of medicine, is said to have used only two remedies: honey and vinegar. A small book on Vermont folk remedies—primary among them being apple cider vinegar—has sold over 5 million copies since its publication in the ‘50s. A current ad in a national health magazine states that vinegar can give me a longer, healthier, happier life.

Vinegar has many powers: it lowers cholesterol, improves skin tone, moderates high blood pressure, prevents/counters osteoporosis, and improves metabolic functioning. Herbal vinegars are an unstoppable combination: the healing and nutritional properties of vinegar married to the aromatic and health-protective effects of green herbs (and a few wild roots).

Herbal vinegars don’t taste like medicine. In fact, they taste so good I use them frequently. I pour a spoonful or more on beans and grains at dinner; I use them in salad dressings; I season stir-fry and soups with them. This regular use boosts the nutrient-level of my diet with very little effort and virtually no expense. Sometimes I drink my herbal vinegar in a glass of water in the morning, remembering the many older women who’ve told me that apple cider vinegar prevents and eases their arthritic pains.

I aim to ingest a tablespoon or more of mineral-rich herbal vinegar daily. Not just because herbal vinegars taste great (they do!), but because they offer an easy way to keep my calcium levels high (and that’s a real concern for a menopausal woman of fifty). Herbal vinegars are so rich in nutrients that I never need to take vitamin or mineral pills.

Why vinegar? Water does a poor job of extracting calcium from plants, but calcium and all minerals dissolve into vinegar very easily. You can see this for yourself. Submerge a bone in vinegar for six weeks. What happens? The bone becomes pliable and rubbery. Why? The vinegar extracted the minerals from the bone. (And now the vinegar is loaded with calcium and other bone-building minerals!)

After observing this trick it’s not unusual to fear that if you consume vinegar your bones will dissolve. But you’d have to take off your skin and sit in vinegar for weeks in order for that to happen! Adding vinegar to your food actually helps build bones because it frees up minerals from the vegetables you eat. Adding a splash of vinegar to cooked greens is a classic trick of old ladies who want to be spry and flexible when they’re ancient old ladies. (Maybe your granny already taught you this.) In fact, a spoonful of vinegar on your broccoli or kale or dandelion greens increases the calcium you get by one-third.

All by itself, vinegar helps build bones; and when it’s combined with mineral-rich herbs, vinegar is better than calcium pills. Some people worry that eating vinegar will contribute to an overgrowth of candida yeast in the intestines. My experience has led me to believe that herbal vinegars do just the opposite, perhaps because they’re so mineral rich. Herbal vinegars are especially useful for anyone who can’t (or doesn’t want to) drink milk. A tablespoon of infused herbal vinegar has the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk.

So out the door I go, taking a basket and a pair of scissors, my warm vest and my gloves, to see what I can harvest for my bone-building vinegars.

The first greens to greet me are the slender spires of garlic grass, or wild chives, common in any soil that hasn’t been disturbed too frequently, such as the lawn, the part of the garden where the tiller doesn’t go, the rhubarb patch, the asparagus bed, the coven of comfrey plants. This morning they’re all offering me patches of oniony greens. Snip, snip, snip. The vinegar I’ll make from these tender tops will contain not only minerals, but also allyls, special cancer-preventative compounds found in raw onions, garlic, and the like.

Here where tulips will push up soon, in a sunny corner, is a patch of catnip intermingled with motherwort, two plants especially beloved by women. I use catnip to ease menstrual cramps, relieve colic, and bring on sleep. Motherwort is my favorite remedy for moderating hot flashes and emotional swings. They are both members of the mint family, and like all mints, are exceptionally good sources of calcium and make great-tasting vinegars. Individual mint flavors are magically captured by the vinegar. From now until snow cover next fall, I’ll gather the mints of each season—peppermint, spearmint, lemon balm, bee balm, oregano, shiso, wild bergamot, thyme, hyssop, sage, rosemary, lavender—and activate their unique tastes and their tonic, nourishing properties by steeping them in vinegar. What a tasty way to build strong bones, a healthy heart, emotional stability, and energetic vitality.

Down here, under the wild rose hedge, is a plant familiar to anyone who has walked the woods and roadsides of the east: garlic mustard. I’ll enjoy the leaves in my salad tonight, as I do all winter and spring, but I’ll have to wait a bit longer before I can harvest the roots, which produce a vibrant, horseradishy vinegar that’s just the thing to brighten a winter salad and keep the sinuses clear at the same time.

And what’s this? A patch of chickweed! It’s a good addition to my vinegars and my salads, boosting their calcium content, though adding scant flavor. In protected spots, she offers year-round greens.

Look down. The mugwort is sprouting, all fuzzy and grey. I call it cronewort to honor the wisdom of grey-haired women. The culinary value of this very wild herb is oft overlooked. I was thrilled to find it for sale in Germany right next to the dried caraway and rosemary, in a little jar, in the supermarket. Cronewort vinegar is one of the tastiest and most beneficial of all the vinegars I make. It is renowned as a general nourishing tonic to circulatory, nervous, urinary, and mental functioning, as well as being a specific aid to those wanting sound sleep and strong bones. Cronewort vinegar is free for the making in most cities if you know where this invasive weed grows.

To mellow cronewort’s slightly bitter taste and accent her fragrant, flavorful aspects, I pick her small (under three inches) and add a few of her roots to the jar along with the leaves. I cut the tall flowering stalks of this aromatic plant in the late summer or early autumn, when they’re in full bloom, and dry them. The leaves, stripped carefully from the stalks, provided stuffing (and magic) for our winter dream pillows; they are said to carry one into vivid dreams and visions.

The sun is bright and strong and warm. I turn my face toward it and close my eyes, breathing in. I feel the vibrating life force here. Everything is aquiver. I smile, knowing that that energy will be available to me when I consume the vinegars I’ll make from these herbs and weeds. As I relax against the big oak, I breathe out and envision the garden growing and blooming, fruiting and dying, as the seasons slip through my mind’s eye….

The air grows chillier at night. The leaves fall more quickly with each breeze. The first mild frosts take the basil, the tomatoes and the squash, freeing me to pay attention once again to the perennial herbs and weeds, and urging me to make haste before even the hardy herbs drop their leaves and retreat to winter dormancy.

The day dawns sunny. Yes, now is the time to harvest the last of the garden’s bounty, the rewards of my work, the gifts of the earth. I dress warmly (remembering to wear red; hunting season’s open), stash my red-handled clippers in my back pocket, and take a basket in one hand and a plastic tub in the other.

Then I’m out the door, into autumn’s slanting sunshine and my quiet garden. My black cat bounds over to help me harvest and, after a while, the white cat emerges from under the house to purr and signal her satisfaction with my presence in her domain this morning.

My gardening friends say the harvest is over for the year, but I know my weeds will keep me at work harvesting until well into the winter. In no time at all my deep basket is full and I’m wishing I’d brought another. Violet leaves push against stalks of lamb’s quarter. Hollyhock, wild malva, and plantain leaves jostle for their own spaces against the last of the comfrey and dandelion leaves. (I think dandelion leaves are much better eating in the fall than in the spring, much less bitter to my taste after they’ve been frosted a few nights.) The last of the red clover blossoms snuggle in the middle. Though not aromatic or intensely flavored, a vinegar of these greens will be my super-rich calcium supplement for the dark months of winter.

My baskets are overflowing and I haven’t gotten to the nettles and the raspberry leaves yet. They’re superb sources of calcium, too. Ah! The gracious abundance of weeds, or should I say “volunteer herbs” – I actually respect them more than the cultivated herbs; respect their strident life force, and their powerful nutritional punch, and their added medicinal values that help me stay healthy and filled with energy.

Vinegars, as we’ve read, can be our allies by (among other things) lowering cholesterol, improving skin tone, and metabolic functioning. With a few simple tools, we easily can harvest herbs right in or around our yard to make some yummy, healthy vinegars.

Part two of this article reviews the importance of harvesting the right roots, offers some helpful pointers for making vinegars, and provides an indispensable list of plants that make for tasty vinegars and a list of plants for herbal calcium supplements.

I have many favorite plants, as you have guessed, and this particular one I am going to share has a high rating on my list.  I learned the most about this plant from my friend and herbalist, Eaglesong, who first introduced me to it during the summer.  June happens to be the time this plant flowers.  It will be easiest to remember this plant by associating it with Summer solstice because that is when it begins to bloom.  Summer sun – South – heat – hard work – yellow sun – yellow flowers.  I remember it that way, I don’t know if it helps you.  This plants flowers are small, maybe 2 cm across, has 5 sepals, triangular to egg-shaped, with dark dots.  There are 5 petals with fine teeth along the margins.  The stamens are showy and numerous.  The flowers are concentrated in several groups and grow in clusters atop the stems.  They are very intricate when you really look at them.  The flower buds are bronze colored before they open, and if you take a bud and squeeze it, a beautiful reddish-purple oil oozes onto your fingers.

The leaves of this wonderful medicine give away its name if you know your Latin.  They are opposite, narrow lance-shaped, clasped at the base.  The wonder with these leaves is that if you hold one up to the sunlight, you can see many small holes in the leaf.  This plant loves to grow in waste areas, pastures and road sides.  My favorite place to gather this herb is right off a freeway (at least 50 feet off the road).  It loves sun, so look for those dry “weedy” places.  Places you wouldn’t usually think of looking to gather precious herbs.

The active constituents (resin, tannin, and alkaloid) that comes from the buds can be used for many things.  I make a tincture in the summer and take it internally all winter.  It has the ability to lighten those long winter blues with its anti-depressant effects.  I have heard it is beneficial in helping people with Seasonal Affective Disorder.  It has a sedative and pain reducing effect which can help treat neuralgia, anxiety, tension and similar problems.  It is a highly regarded herb when menopausal changes trigger irritability and anxiety.  In addition to the neuralgic pain, it will ease fibrositis, sciatica and rheumatic pain.

An oil can be made to use externally and is wonderful for sunburns.  The oil or lotion can be used to heal wounds and bruises, varicose veins and muscle or joint inflammations.  If you are sensitive to this plant, you could develop skin burns and dermatitis and also be sensitive to sunlight, so try a little at first to see if you react.  I do not know of anyone who uses this herb to be sensitive to it.  It has also been shown to have anti-viral effects and is said to be used in treating people with HIV.

This is such an interesting herb, not only because of its unique appearance, or its reputation as a weed, or because of its many uses.  This plant has much history and medicinal and magic lore around it too.  This plant was introduced to the west coast from Europe through California and it was called “Klamath weed.”  It is found from California north through the Fraser Valley and on Vancouver Island, in Canada, but can be found in most places across the country and in the East as well.  It was used in Europe as a medicine since ancient times.  There is a distinction here among the local herbalists, who have given it a new name to denote its medicinal significance and difference between the ordinary garden variety, which most people think as a weed and is not medicinal.  The garden variety is called St. John’s Wort and grows as a ground cover in gardens, again it blooms in the summer but the leaves and flowers are very large in comparison to the more feminine plant called St. Joan’s Wort.  This helps those tell the difference between the medicinal variety and the ground cover.  The name St. John’s Wort owes its name fame to the fact that it begins to flower around St. John’s tide, the Summer Solstice.  The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem used it to treat wounds on Crusade battlefields.  It was also believed to dispel evil spirits, which is why the insane were often compelled to drink its infusions.

So, while out driving, or wandering through pastures or open fields, look for this plant.  It grows about knee high and will look like little dapples of sunlight near the ground.  Don’t forget to check the leaves, that is the giveaway for its Latin name – Hypericum perforatum.