I say that being a mom is similar...; )
The info you posted on being a wildcrafter is interesting. I mainly drink peppermint tea these days as it's good for the digestion too isn't it? My daughter uses lavender on her forehead to help with migraines...
I also found what you were saying about the fibres in milkweed interesting...can it be spun? I can do very basic spinning...with wool/angora but have tried making cord out of plant fibres. My sister did a basketweaving course where they used plant fibres to make the basket. I've always wanted to try something like that...
Yes, peppermint can help with things like bloat, stomach gas, and just plain "who stunk up the room now?!" gas.
It's got some antispasmodic properties as well. Additionally, it's capable of nudging the gallbladder's activity as well; it can help increase the flow of bile to the liver and all of that, which helps with digestion of fats. I know some folks will tout that it has a potential detoxifying effect where the liver is concerned, but I wouldn't put a lot of stock in that part of things. For me, what I've seen it personally do is help with the digestive process of food, and mild painkilling. It's also good for clearing a stuffed nose, if you do the peppermint tea bags in a pot over the stove and breathe the vapors in. The concentrated vapors can help clear the stuffed nose, they also have a little bit of a cooling effect, so inflamed sinuses or agitated eyes can sometimes benefit from just taking the vapors in also.
Regarding the milkweed fibers... I have never attempted to spin it myself. I can't imagine that it would be too much trouble for someone who's used to spinning fibers into thread. It would just be that they're using the milkweed fibers instead of cotton or wool fibers, I would think. Personally, I don't really do a lot of weaving, and I'm not good enough at it yet to spin my own yarns and spools. So I can't say for sure. I've done some basketweaving, and some of that we used cedar... I love cedar, I miss smelling the cedar on this coast! LOL Anyway! I can't see why milkweed fibers would be a problem to spin. We're winding them together when we make cordage as it is.
The trick with working with milkweed fibers is you have to harvest the plant at the right time of year, and the right age. You don't want a first-year plant; you want to harvest preferably from a second year or older plant, and you want to catch it in the early to mid fall, just as the stems are starting to dry out. If you wait until the whole thing is completely brown for the winter, you won't have much luck getting the fibers out of the stalk, or if you do, they'll often be too brittle to be wrapped into cordage.
Very, very informative. I don't think we have dogweed in NZ, but we do have a milkweed, commonly called puha. It's a staple in Maori cooking...they do a boilup called pork and puha...I love the pork part but the puha makes me shudder, too much like spinach or silverbeet for my liking. I do some foraging but only for food.
I had to look up what Puha was, as I'd never heard of it before. LOL - No wonder it tastes like spinach to you. We call it dandelion on this side of the big pond!! From everything I could find, it seems to be either the exact species of dandelions I'm familiar with, or something that is closely related to it. Dandelions DO taste a lot like spinach when boiled. I frequently cook them in a similar manner, actually... usually serve them with a touch of vinegar, or use them in soups the same way spinach would be used.
Yeah, if you don't like the taste of spinach, you will NOT like that plant either!
Seliah, that is really interesting to learn.
I sometimes uses various teas to try and feel a little better.
A book I have (put it up and forgot where) listed which is used for what so I bought a box of mixed flavors at the store and tried them.
Chamomile does help my headache and aids in sleeping.
Thanks for the link to that morph pack...it is now in my wish list for when I get lucky on some cash.
You're welcome for the link, FL.
As far as the teas... I started learning this stuff when I was little, so I've been doing it a lot of years now. It's second nature to me, and I am pretty good at being able to tell when I can handle something versus when it's something that's out of my scope... in which case I drag them to the doctor.
