Tag Archives: Susun Weed

Share Everything!

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Remember the poem by Robert Fulghum, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten?” It was a list of lessons that everyone should have learned in kindergarten and first on the list was ~ Share Everything! Another biggie is “don’t take things that aren’t yours.” And of course, we can’t forget, “say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.”

This poem has always resonated with me, as I really like to share. Whether it’s an herbal remedy I have that will ease your discomfort or the French fries on your plate, it really doesn’t matter ~ I love sharing.  I’ve always felt more comfortable sharing than keeping things and thoughts to myself; it’s just the way I’m wired. Lucky for me, there are others that roam the earth that feel the same way. I think that is why it felt so effortless to ease myself from exploring the natural world on my own to become a welcomed member of the herbalist community over the years. I cannot even tell you the moment it happened it was so natural. I found my tribe. I like to think we use the plants as our mentors who set an excellent example for us. The plants openly offer us all the information and support we need to survive, heal and thrive in this world if we just observe, pay attention and share.

When I first heard Susun Weed use the phrase, “Herbalism is the people’s medicine,” it floored me. It was perfect. Herbalism is accessible to everyone! Anyone, anywhere can use it. They simply need to learn by experimenting, watching, reading and exploring ~ all the information is out there. And for the most part, the herbal community is awesome at sharing. It is common for herbalists to share their remedies, recipes and experiences. Some recipes have names and each individual puts their own spin on it, like pot roast or bouillabaisse. Herbalist share and sometimes adapt their own recipes. We all learn from each other. Nevertheless, as with any community, there are individuals that don’t play well with others and want to take the game ball home with them in the middle of the game.

Currently, there is one company that obviously never learned the virtues of sharing in kindergarten and are trying to take the game ball (which never belonged to them) home with them. Shire City Herbals (SCH) decided to trademark a name, Fire Cider for a recipe that was not theirs but was created by beloved herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, who has been sharing it since the 1970s. Not only did they trademark the common term Fire Cider but have actually issued Cease & Desist letters to small herbal businesses, and have forced several of them to stop using the name Fire Cider even though they have been selling it for years before SCH was even a business. The herbal community has banded together to fight this wrongful trademark and as a result SCH is suing the three community herbalist organizing Free Fire Cider for $100,000, which is a tremendous amount of money for them. On May 12, 2016, the federal court in Massachusetts dismissed five out of the ten claims that SCH had brought against the 3 defendants but the legal battle continues. This is obviously a short synopsis of the ongoing saga of Fire Cider, for a more in depth history; please head to FreeFireCider.com to hear Rosemary Gladstar’s balanced account of the Fire Cider story. I am confident that SCH will lose their undeserved trademark in the end. But will they remember to say they are sorry to all the herbalists that they have hurt through this process? I hope so.

So what is Fire Cider? Well, it’s a hot and spicy tonic that helps boost the immune system, stimulate digestion, and warms you on cold winter days. Like most folk recipes, it changes with the availability of ingredients and at the maker’s whims. Nevertheless, it is basically apple cider vinegar infused with powerful immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, decongestant, and spicy circulatory movers, along with potent antioxidants and warming spices to support digestion. It is an ideal winter tonic to help prevent cold and flu symptoms and can shorten the duration if you do get a bug.

Fire Cider is very versatile; many people take 1-2 tablespoons daily throughout the cold weather months as a preventative measure, or every three to four hours if symptoms arise. It’s great to use as salad dressing or add to a smoothie or stir-fry and other dishes, options are limited by one’s imaginations and palate.

Last year, I decided to make my own Fire Cider and poured over numerous recipes. I loved how it came out; unfortunately, it is so yummy there wasn’t enough to last the winter. So this year, I doubled the batch. I wonder if it will be enough?

Fire Cider (1 gallon)

Put each ingredient into a food processor to shred them first before measuring

  • 1 cup packed peeled organic ginger root
  • 1 cup packed peeled organic horseradish root
  • 1 cup packed peeled organic turmeric
  • 1 cup packed organic onion with its juice
  • 7 organic cloves = ½ cup
  • 3 chopped organic jalapeno peppers
  • 2 organic lemons (peels and all)

Pour over top, covering all ingredients

  • organic raw unpasteurized apple cider vinegar

After 4-8 weeks, filtered and add

  • 1 cup raw honey (to taste)

Filled a clean jar with all the solid ingredients and then cover with organic apple cider vinegar. It is a good idea to weigh down ingredients with a cheesecloth bag full of marbles or something similar. Do not use a metal lid with any vinegar. It will corrode the metal. Use a plastic lid or cork. If you need to use a metal lid, line it with plastic wrap or wax paper before screwing it on.

Store for at least 4-8 weeks, shaking it daily, giving it lots of love and intention. Filter through a cheesecloth lined stainless steel strainer. Save the marc for making chutney or adding to dishes.

Gently warm honey so it will mix easily with Fire Cider, add to taste. You want a hot, spicy and sweet tonic. Make sure not to heat honey over 120° F, as it will kill the wonderful enzymes and bacteria that are so rich in healing properties.

Fire Cider will keep for several months unrefrigerated, if stored in a cool pantry.  But it’s better to store in the refrigerator.

Make your own Fire Cider and remember to always share it.

Enjoy and share!

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Harvesting some nourishing Burdock

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I love eating my medicine. One of my favorite plants to forage is Burdock (Arcticum Lappa) because it happens to be both delicious and beneficial to almost all the major organs of the body. Burdock is rich in vitamins A, B, C, and E, as well as protein, iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, phosphorous, tannins, and fiber.  Burdock’s action is most profound on the liver, making it one of the best blood purifiers in nature. It also works with lymph, sweat and oil glands, as well as on the lungs, kidneys, stomach, uterus, and joints. Take note that Burdock is not for people in hurry, it works slow and thoroughly as a cleanser and tonic.

Burdock has a high inulin content, and can comprise up to 50% of the plant’s total mass. Inulin is a prebiotic; it is not digested or absorbed in the stomach and goes to the bowels where bacteria are able to use it to grow. It supports the growth of healthy bacteria, improving digestion and absorption of nutriments. Inulin decreases the body’s ability to make certain kinds of fats and is a valuable substance for people with blood sugar issues as it may act as a buffer, preventing blood glucose levels from fluctuating erratically.

Let’s look at its many properties. Burdock is an alterative, which speaks to its ability to promote a gradual and beneficial change. It is anti-inflammatory, aphrodisiac, astringent, antiscorbutic (counter acts vitamin C deficiencies), bacteriostatic (stops bacteria from reproducing), carminative (relieves gas), demulcent (soothes irritations), diuretic, fungistatic (stops spread of fungal infections), nutritive tonic, and rejuvenative. Its ability to move waste can be noted by its antipyretic (cools fevers), diaphoretic (promotes sweating), febrifuge (reduces fevers) actions.

I think Jim McDonald captures Burdock’s essence beautifully.

“Running throughout the physical actions brought about by the use of Burdock are the themes of normalization and the restoration of balance. Burdock does not force its virtues upon us; it simply aids us in recovering our own when we lose touch with our well-being and fall into imbalance. It understands the importance of slow and subtle resolve and the benefits of gentle but consistent action. In the wild, Burdock grows on disturbed and injured soil, drawing nutrients from deep within the ground to replenish and heal the disturbed earth. It performs this same healing for us, drawing our own medicines from deep within our being to restore the conditions necessary for healing to occur. By recognizing such themes, we can better understand the use of an herb, and when it is indicated as a remedy for ourselves or another.”

Burdock is one of those special kinds of plants that offer both nutrition and healing benefits. Though western cuisine has largely ignored this wonderful herb, the Japanese truly appreciate Burdock as a wholesome, medicinal food – they even produce it commercially and sell it at market under the name of ‘Gobo’. The key to its popularity among the Japanese may lie in the well-kept secret of Burdock’s lesser known qualities: It is rumored that Burdock gives strength and endurance, especially with regard to sexual stamina. This has earned it a reputation as an aphrodisiac. However, it is important to note that the fresh herb/root is infinitely more powerful than the dried material. Fortunately, finding wild burdock, or even cultivating it yourself, is very easy.

I use Burdock roots and stems mainly in soups. Because of the high inulin content, it is important to cook it well. Be forewarned: inulin can cause excessive gas if not  cooked thoroughly.

First year Burdock growth

Harvesting Burdock                                                                                                 When you decide to make use of the roots, leaves, stems, and seeds of the Burdock plant, it is important that you harvest them during its peak. Roots, when all the vital energy is most concentrated within and being sent down into the roots ~ before the plant’s stems and flowers have developed. Collect the aerial parts while the vital energy is rising, but before flowers develop. Finally, the seeds after the plant have finished its growing process and starting to go back to the earth.

Burdock is a biennial plant, meaning it takes two years to complete its life cycle. It can grow more than 5 feet tall and its huge, expansive, heart-shaped leaves can reach over a foot in length. Burdock certainly ranks among the tallest and most space consuming herbs, sporting extraordinarily big leaves as well as the stickiest burrs.

First year plants have a rosette of large dusky green, heart-shaped leaves with a gray fine wooly mass down underneath. First year Burdock resembles and is often mistaken for rhubarb, so get out your field guide and make sure you identify it properly. It has a long tapering root with a white inner pith. In its second year, the plant grows to a large size, measuring from 3 to 7 feet in height. The stem is round, fleshy, and with many branches. The lower branches frequently measure 18 inches in length. The flowers are purple, in small-clustered heads armed with hooked spines, and the spiny burrs formed attach themselves to clothing and the hair of animals. The lower leaves are very large, on long, solid footstalks. They are furrowed above and frequently more than a foot long. The upper leaves are much smaller, more egg-shaped in form and not so densely clothed beneath with the grey down.

Burdock root

Harvesting Roots                                                                                           

You want to harvest first year roots in the fall or the following spring before stems start to develop. A 4-tine spading fork is your best friend for removing the plant roots from the soil. Susun Weed suggests that it is best to start on the east side of the plant, and then move around the plant, working the spading fork at each of the four directions. Plunge the spading fork in and rock it back and forth, continue until you have loosened the soil all around the root and then use a small spade to remove the loosen soil.  As a rule, the roots are 12 inches or more in length and about 1 inch thick, sometimes, however, they extend 2 to 3 feet, making it necessary to dig by hand. Some suggest peeling the root, but I find simply scrubbing the soil off the root until I get to the root white, works just fine. They are delicious in soups and stews.

Harvesting Stems   

Like the roots, you want to harvest the stems when they are most concentrated with the plant’s vital energy: before the flower develops. The outside of the stems have a bitter taste, so peel the green outside until you get to the white center. I soak the inner white stems in a cold-water bath and change the water several times to remove any bitter residue, so what is left is a sweet inner stem. Take a nibble to test to see if all the bitterness has been removed.The stems can be chopped up and added raw to salads, or cooked in soups and stews.

                                            Debbie’s Nourishing Root Soup

 (portions are up to you and how much you want to make)

  • Dig up equal amounts of Burdock and Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale) (keep Dandelion leaves but compost Burdock’s) you can also use Burdock stems instead of the root.(It is important to harvest equal amounts of dandelion and burdock. Eaten alone Burdock encourages the body to cleanse the body’s toxins through the skin, but when combined with Dandelion, toxins are released through urine. I think it is a much better way to eliminate toxins. Since, if you have too many toxins being released through your skin, it may result in pustules ~ yuck. Please never forget to add Dandelions when eating Burdock.)
  • Harvest Stinging Nettles (Uritica dioica)
  • Sauté chopped Onions in Olive Oil. When Onions are translucent add lots of chopped Garlic (at least 5 cloves) and wait a couple minutes
  • Add peeled and chopped Ginger root, wait a couple minutes
  • Add chopped Shitake mushrooms, wait a couple minutes
  • Add  1 – 2 tsp Turmeric powder (use fresh if you can find it)
  • After a couple of minutes add broth (veggie or chicken) or water (4 – 6 cups)
  • Add chopped roots: Burdock, Dandelion, Beets (keep tops for later), Carrots, Sweet Potato, Potato, Turnip, or whatever floats your boat (I like to add sweet veggies to balance the bitterness of the Dandelion)
  • Simmer for at least 45 mins.
  • Add chopped Stinging Nettles, Dandelions & Beet greens
  • Simmer for 15 mins.
  • Put in blender or not (I blend it so Mathew eats it without picking out veggies but it tastes great either way)
  • Add 1 tsp. of miso to bowl
  • Pour soup over miso
  • Add hot pepper to taste

ENJOY!

All information is shared for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.