November Newsletter

 HERBS AND HEIRLOOMS

November, 2010 issue

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herbs for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth...

Plantain

From The Herb Patch

Howdy Folks!!  Once again it’s time for a new “Newsletter”.  Thought you might want to know that fall is my favorite season of all, besides spring, of course. Anyway, I love the weather getting cooler at night and the leaves falling to the ground in such beautiful colors of yellow, red, and sometimes “brown”.  There is a special smell here when the leaves lay on the ground for a while.  When the weather permits, the fall colors are just gorgeous.  Today I drove to the nearby city of Lynchburg and greatly enjoyed the fall scenery.  Just the other day I decided to lay a blanket outside and lay down on the ground under some trees and just rest outside.

But, you say what has that got to do with plantain?  Well, fall time just happens to be the best month for this herb, because it grows so much lusher as long as it is not mown down by the lawn mower.  Our property has plantain growing in the far back corner where our garden is.  If left alone, it is quite lush and beautiful.  But, my husband has a terrible time allowing these “weeds” to grow so that I can get some very good specimens to dry for medicinal purposes. Right now, due to it being fall and we are trying not to cut the grass again, especially since we will have a heavy frost this month, the plantain is flourishing.  I will need to get out back and (with my scissors) cut as much of the leaves as I can.  Then I will bring then inside to dry.  Of course, one of the best times to do this is after a good rain so that the leaves have been cleaned naturally. If possible, allow the leaves to dry first, before cutting them.  Then, I bring them inside and carefully sort through them to make sure they are clean and not gritty.  I then lay them somewhere it is warm and dry, not humid.  Paper towels or some type of plain paper is good to lay them on.

So what’s so great about plantain?  Plantain (Plantago major) is not the edible crop and member of the Banana family.  It certainly doesn’t look anything like a banana!  Its dark green, four-to six-inch leaves form a tight rosette low to the ground.  A flower spike eight to twelve inches tall and covered in tiny yellow-brown flowers emerges from the rosette’s center.  Throughout most of the country, plantain is considered an obnoxious weed.  Originally a European and Asian native, it prefers disturbed soils, pastures, and grasslands—such as your lawn.

Count yourself lucky if your landscape contains this useful plant.  “Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs” suggests crushing the leaves and applying them to bee stings for soothing relief.  James A. Duke’s book “The Green Pharmacy” recommends applying juice from the leaves to relieve minor burns, poison ivy rashes, sunburn, and dandruff.  Soothing properties are attributed to the allantoin content and this is why a number of herbal salves include plantain as an ingredient.  And so it is one of the ingredients in my Me Me’s Butt Salve!

Another great herb in my butt salve is Echinacea or Purple Coneflower.

As a garden plant, it is widely available from nursery and seed sources.  The seeds germinate readily, and this species can be propagated by dividing the roots.  It does well in any well-drained garden soil, will tolerate up to 50 percent shade, and is remarkably drought-resistant.

Based on extensive research in Germany over the past fifty years, extracts, tinctures, ointments, salves, and other preparations of this flower are used as nonspecific stimulants to the immune system.  Echinacea acts by stimulating the body’s own defense systems, such as white blood cells, against certain viral and bacterial invaders.  Now it has become part of the modern American lexicon—most people are aware of the use of Echinacea to prevent or treat cold and flu symptoms.  Echinacea can also be used for sore throats, canker sores, minor infections, hard-to-heal sores, and other ailments.

MORE ABOUT ME ME’S BUTT SALVE

As I stated in my last (October) newsletter, last year I decided to make a salve using the calendula and marigold flower and this salve turned out to be the best thing going for babies who had diaper rash and actually became inflamed or “chafed” from diapers or maybe too much juice (acid drink).  At first I thought to name this product Calendula/Marigold Salve, but I kept asking the Lord to give me a good name.  I know it is hard to believe that He told me to call it Me Me’s Butt Salve—just what everybody was calling it anyway.  Knowing how offended people get at something like this, I had to pray more about it.  So, I will stick with the name.  The Lord definitely has a sense of humor!

Now for a look at Me Me’s Butt Salve and a testimonial from my daughter Beth who featured it on her Blog!

Monday, October 18, 2010

MeMe's Butt Salve

This stuff is great. My mom jokingly named it Me Me's Butt Salve because we originally tried it for diaper rash. It works great! My cousin uses it (she baby-sits) and loves it, too. It is really an all purpose cream....we have used it on Todd's burn scars (old injuries), rash breakouts, skin breakages...you name it, we've slathered it on.
It contains:  marigold—heals wounds, burns, and abrasions; Echinacea—powerful  antibiotic; plantain—an all around first aid herb, in a base of: vitamin E oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and beeswax.

It is $12 for a 4 oz. can....you can email my mom at alice_forwork55@yahoo.com.

**A note on this.  You really don’t have to slather the new salve on because I made it more concentrated and it doesn’t take as much.  It goes on very smoothly.

Last year I decided to try and make a natural immune tincture for my grandchildren.  I studied Dr. Schultz’s information on his children’s immune formula as well as reading behind those who had created their own medicine.  After much research, I formulated what I call Children’s Immunity Plus, which contains Echinacea, wild cherry bark, dried lemon peel, elderberry extract, and anise seed in a base of vegetable glycerine and maple syrup for a great tasting children’s immune formula.  More on this next month...

November just happens to be the month for my favorite holiday—Thanksgiving!  I always look forward to the time spent with family and friends, especially the grandchildren who like to play games.  My daughter Beth just happens to be the best “pie maker” I’ve ever seen.  She always makes the traditional sweet potato pie and pumpkin pie, but she goes a step further and makes her own delicious pie crust.  Her food is made from scratch!  Not many women these days can boast of that.  Even I don’t make my own pie crust, but I intend to work on doing it.  All my attempts in the past did not turn out well, but I need to keep trying.  Hope you all have a nice holiday!

Visit me on my blog, “A VISIT WITH ALICE”, at www.avisitwithalice.blogspot.com

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!