Saturday, March 23, 2013

A Path to the banks of the Northern Cowlitz River

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Northern Cowlitz River


This is sand is mostly ash from Mt. St. Helen's explosion in 1980.
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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Cleavers; or as Clivers. where it took me a while to find in her book's 'A MODERN HERBAL' mRS. GRIEVE TALKS FOR 2 PAGES ON..Of IT'S AROUND 3000 SPEICIES..."Many of these are of highest utility to man..."

Cleavers
Clivers 
                       HAPPY EQUNIOX AND SPRING HERE IN THE NORTHWEST HEMISPHERE

baby cleavers grew arms! 3.20.13

I celebrated the equinox with a small cup of pressed juice (about 1/10 ounce in water and some of it's maceration topically), a good book, and with a good sage smudge and a little A.H.  ...  very nice ... says Allison :D
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In her book, A Modern Herbal, Dover Publications Inc., 1971 from her work published by Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1931,
I found some interesting information.


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Some of the excerpts and my thoughts...

Her Seeds....
...best substitute for coffee....
~~~dry and simply roast on the fire~~~

Dioscorides said that the Greek shepherds used the stems to make a rough seive to strain milk and this is still done in Sweden today. Notes Mrs. Greive.

She says that the dry herb is good for insomnia.
..and the expressed juice is 3 oz. 2 times a day (but cautions it as a 'poweful' diuretic, and so diabetics should not use it), {and I would say that if you are having regular issues of digestion that you look at that first before using this} but it is used this way for scurvy, scrofula, psoriosis, and skin diseases and erruptions.
It is considered a purifier of the blood.

She says that,,, 'the roots will die red and that if eaten by birds will tinge theie bones."
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I also found some wonderful etymology of my friend, Cleavers, in her wonderful account of the herb.


Origin of it's name;

"...very old origin,.."
Anglo-Saxon
Hedge-rife

Greek
Plianthropon

Greek
aparo(to seize)

"Specific Name"
aparine  {derived from the Greek name)

Loveman {is the Anglocized version of the Greek as well)

Goosegrass is in reference to the fact that it is known to be a fond food of theirs and other animals.

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Mrs. Greive's says that, "the valuable drug, quinine,{a link with some caution info;http://www.ehow.com/about_5380885_benefits-quinine.html } , is furnished by several species of Cinchona, a Sourht American genus,"

She has much information on several varieties and looks to me as though it was widely used as such in her time and before.
The British version is of a different character, sounds like the cleaver that I know of.
Mrs. Greive says that,  '...the British representatives are all herbaceous plants, with slender, angular stems, bearing leaves aranged in whorls, or rosettes and small flowers. From the star-like arrangement of their leaves, all these British species have been assigned to the tribe Stellatae of the main order 'rubiaceae. All the members of this tribe, numbering about 300, grow in the Northern Hemisphere.
   Of the 15 British representatives of the tribe Stellatae, eleven bear the anme of Galium (the genus of the Bedstraws), and perhaps the commonest of these is the annual herb Galium aparine, familiarly known as Clivers or Goosegrass, though it rejoices in many other popular names in different parts of the country." (p.206)

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Thursday, March 14, 2013

CleaveR Babies; A much betteR pictuRe, I have a few fRom last week that aRe exquisite, but am keepiNg them foR my peRsonal scRap BooK

baby cleaver buds among dew dropped grass blades...
 

CLEavERs
{TWoH}
PARTS USED; Aerial portions
ENERGY & FLAVORS: bitter, cool
SYSTEMS; AFFECTED: bladder, gallbladder
BIOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS: A glycoside, asperuloside and other iridoids{...a class of secondary metabolites found in a wide variety of plants ...} also anthraquinone{is an aromatic organic compound with formula C14H8O2.} derivatives
PROPERTIES: Diuretic, alternative, aperient, mild astringent
...one of the most effective diuretic blood purifiers known...
...treatment of all urinary, reproductive-organ inflammation, as well as hep., and vd...enlarged lymph glands, cystitis, psoriasis, and skin dis-eases and eruptions..."
the way of herbs, byMichael Tierra, C.A., N.D. 1980,1990 pocketbook health

my same baby cleaver patch today! ~~
 




 I believe that,,,,
Benefits of a given herb, or health/healing matter, written down from yesteryear onto the present per personal testiment; have different perspectives from different sources and their own little maps and lives and journeys. This intrigues me. I always love to map out the contrasts(to a point of conclusion or question answered, not to do it for sport). Their etymologies, as it were, with, not only it's(and all herbs', not to mention the links with creations and energies) name and origin, but with it's etymological development or demographic of sorts.
So, Mrs. Grieve, D.C. Jarvis, Jethro Kloff, Cascade Anderson Geller, J.D., John Kallas, Lee DuBelle(on eating style), several local herbalist and spiritual sources have helped develop my way of looking and have formed my personal etymology. {the list is not complete, just a top of my head way}.
SIDEBAR: and so the journey of me....I find this...{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylogenetic}...during my rewrite to add definition and source to my study....
One of the most important progressive word style and usages that I circumvent as a stand toward a new way of communication,,, the not said,,,which is a form/development of MY etymology, and, for what ever it is worth, my cleavers have been around a long time and so has it's use. From then to now is my process and the magic flows like this beautiful photo!  


The 1910, 1st edition, People's Home Library, The R.C. Barnum Co, Toronto, Canada
Cleaver p.319-320
"Action,--Diuretic, Aperient,
      Anti scorbutic"
            "{http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Anti-scorbutic}"

"Uses--Suppression of Urine, Kidney Troubles, Gravel, Tumors, Freckles, Erysipelas, Scarlet Fever, Measles.
 ...one and a half oz. herb to a pint of water, steep 2 hours. Take 2 to 4 ounces 3 to 4 time a day. Can be sweetened with honey or sugar. Take equal parts of cleavers, maiden hair, and elder blows (blossom) and steep in warm water for 2 to 3 hours and when cold drink freely for erysipelas, scarlet fever and measles. The tea made with cold water is good for freckles when applied locally several times a day."
Green praises to you Miss Green Cleaver~
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Banana This; Recycle Old Peels~ fertilizer or silver polish

There are things you can do with that old peel.

1. Do you have a green thumb? House hold plants and outside gardens require fertilization. A great way to give your plants nutrients is with a banana peel. The banana peel is very rich in potassium and phosphorus, which give that added boost to your plants soil, especially so with roses. Here is how to use a banana peel to fertilizer your soil for your plants. Remove the peel from the banana. Place the banana peel on a cookie sheet to let it air dry. Grab a paper bag or envelope. Crumble the dried banana peel and place it in the bag. Let the banana sit at room temperature for about two days. When your caring for your plant, give it a potassium treat of crumbled banana peel. Mix well in the soil to ensure the roots are fed evenly.
2. Have you been thinking about pulling out that old silver? Well there is no time like the present. Bananas peel can also be used to polish silver. Yes, polish silver. Take the old peels and place them in a blender. You want the peels to become smooth and creamy. Once they have, grab a cloth and small amounts of the creamed banana peel and begin polishing your silver. The shine will be breath taking.

SOURDOUGH STARTER with WILD YEAST

SOURDOUGH STARTER with WILD YEAST
Wild yeasts exist in the air around you and to some extent on the wheat berries. There are wild yeasts on grapes (unsulphured) and apples and other fruits. It is those wild yeasts which are 'captured' to make a sourdough starter. The process takes from 3 to 5 days. I wish I had specific amounts for you, but you could start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour and mix in enough warm (not hot) water to make a thin paste. DO NOT make it too soupy. That, in fact, is the trick to a good starter, according to the French bread makers, and I think they should know. And after you've fooled around with the flour and water thing, you might wish to branch out into adding those unsulphured grapes, apples, sour milk, etc as a catalyst in order to capture other strains of yeast. Each of these strains has a slightly different taste. In fact if you move to another area, you might end up with a starter that produces an entirely different flavor. For instance, San Francisco sourdough bread is well known and has a distinct taste due to the wild strains in the air there. On day one you mix the flour and water (and add any catalysts to encourage fermentation) and place in a warm spot. After 3 days, the dough should be moist, inflated, and slightly sour. More flour and water is added (mixed in) and left to sit in a warm spot. After 2 days the process is repeated. Then the next day it is done again. Note the order: 3 days, 2 days, 1 day. At this point you should be able to make a loaf of bread using part of the starter and adding back what you took out in the form of more flour and water. Rule of thumb: Use about 10% starter to size of loaf. In the case of a 2 lb loaf this is a bit over 3 oz of starter (3.2 to be exact). For a 1 lb loaf 1.5 oz would be used. A book that describes this process in great detail is The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz, copyright 1993, published by Ten Speed Press, Berkley CA. If it's not still in print, try the used books stores, that's where I got mine. Or try your local library. If they don't have it, they might be able to get it for you. ©2008 by Ernestina Parziale

Thank You For Visiting!

Thank You For Visiting!
Have a Great Day!