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Herbal Ally - Glorious
Goldenrod
an article by Susun S. Weed
I
love autumn, don't you? The days shorten and fall colors thrill my
senses. Perennial roots get busy storing nourishment that will last
them through the winter. And the meadows bloom with purple asters and
riotous goldenrod flowers.
Goldenrod (the Solidago genus, Asteracea family) is one of my favorite
plants, and hopefully, soon it will be one of your favorites too.
Before you complain that goldenrod is a pest and you're allergic to it,
let me set the record straight: You aren't. No one is, no one can be,
allergic to goldenrod pollen. Why? It has virtually none. What little
pollen it makes is sticky, all the better to stick onto insects who
pollinate the goldenrod. Only wind-pollinated plants - like ragweed
(Ambrosia artemisifolia), which blooms at the same time as goldenrod,
and has an especially irritating pollen - make enough pollen, and
spread it widely enough, to cause allergic reactions.
Set aside your mistaken bad thoughts about lovely goldenrod, and, if
you can, visit a patch. Goldenrod is a wide-spread wild plant in North
America (found from Florida to New Hampshire and west into Texas),
Europe, and Asia. Goldenrod is also treasured as a garden plant from
New Zealand to Germany, and has become a highly-successful weed in
Japan. So, no matter where you live as you read this article, it is
likely that you can find a patch of goldenrod.
It is rare to see one goldenrod plant growing alone; it multiplies by
sending out root runners, so there are usually dozens of plants growing
densely together. Notice all the bees and insects happily crawling
about on goldenrod's numerous small yellow flowers.
There are many types of goldenrod, and you are likely to find several
kinds if you look around. The species Solidago canadensis and S. odora
are considered the most medicinal (and the tastiest), but all species
of goldenrod are safe and beneficial and can be used to help the immune
system get ready for winter.
Goldenrod tonics are easy to make. Harvest any goldenrod by cutting the
top third of the plant in full flower on a sunny fall day. Or,
respectfully pull the entire plant, roots and all, in the late autumn
or early winter. Then follow the simple directions below. Note: You can
use any size jar when making a vinegar or a tincture, so long as you
fill it full.
To dry flowering goldenrod :
Bundle 2-3 stalks together and hang upside down in a cool, shady room
until thoroughly dry. When the stalks snap crisply, store the dried
herb in brown paper bags. One or two large handfuls of crushed leaves
and flowers, steeped in a quart of boiling water for 30 minutes makes a
tea that can be used hot, with honey*, to counter allergies (especially
pollen allergies), fevers, sore throats, coughs, colds and the flu; or
taken cold to relieve colic in babies, and gas in adults. Dried mint
and/or yarrow are tasty, and useful, additions when making goldenrod
flower tea.
To dry goldenrod roots :
Rinse dirt off the roots, then cut away all the stalks, leaves and dead
flowers. If possible, hang your roots over a woodstove to dry; if not,
place them on racks and put them in a warm place to dry until brittle.
Store in glass jars. Depending on the difficulty you are addressing,
goldenrod root tea may be made with large or small amounts of the roots
brewed or decocted in boiling water. Or the roots may be powdered,
alone or mixed with flowers, and applied to hard-to-heal wounds and
sore joints.
To make a goldenrod vinegar :
Chop the goldenrod coarsely, filling a jar with chopped flowers,
leaves, stalks (and roots if you have them); then fill the jar to the
top with room-temperature, pasteurized, apple cider vinegar. Cap it
tightly with a plastic lid. (Metal lids will be eroded by the action of
the vinegar. If you must use one, protect it with several layers of
plastic between it and the vinegar.) Be sure to label your vinegar with
the date and contents. Your goldenrod vinegar will be ready to use in
six weeks to improve mineral balance, help prevent kidney stones,
eliminate flatulence, and improve immune functioning.
To make a goldenrod tincture :
Chop the goldenrod coarsely, filling a jar with chopped flowers,
leaves, stalks (and roots if you have them); then add 100 proof vodka,
filling the jar to the very top. Cap tightly and label. Your goldenrod
tincture will be ready to use in six weeks, by the dropperful, as an
anti-inflammatory, a sweat-inducing cold cure, and an astringent
digestive aid. Medical herbalists use large doses (up to 4 dropperfuls
at a time) of goldenrod tincture several times daily to treat kidney
problems - including nephritis, hemorrhage, kidney stones, and
inability to void - and prostate problems, including frequent urination.
The colonists called goldenrod tea "Liberty Tea" for they drank it
instead of black tea after the Boston Tea Party. In fact, Liberty Tea
proved so popular, it was exported to China! Let goldenrod liberate
you, too. Herbal medicine is people's medicine, a gift from Mama Earth
to us. Green Blessings.
*Note: Do not give honey to babies under 12 months old.
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498
Fax: 1-845-246-8081
Visit Susun Weed at: www.susunweed.com and www.ashtreepublishing.com
For
permission to reprint this article, contact us at:
susunweed@herbshealing.com
Susun S. Weed is the author of four highly-acclaimed books on herbs and
women's health: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year, Healing
Wise, New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way and Breast Cancer? Breast
Health! the Wise Woman Way. Ms. Weed lectures world-wide on women's
health and herbal medicine. From her home in New York State's Catskill
Mountains, she directs the activities of the Wise Woman Center, acts as
editor-in-chief of Ash Tree Publishing, personally oversees the work of
400 correspondence students, and trains herbal and shamanic
apprentices. Susun has lived the simple life for nearly 40 years as an
herbalist, goatkeeper, homesteader, and feminist. She has been called
"a true radical - deeply rooted," "a modern pioneer," and "one of the
founding mothers of herbal medicine in the United States†. |
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