What I Learned in an Outdoor Pharmacy Class

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What I Learned in an Outdoor Pharmacy Class

 

For our family, part of being greener is learning more about the plants God created and how to use them safely. I should add the disclaimer, “our family” really means me. Brian and Connor tolerate my musings and are hesitant to use anything I make. CarliAnn and JaeLyn are more interested in the health benefits. Brian teases me that I may need to start growing dreadlocks and stop shaving my armpits. Aren’t stereotypes interesting? I prefer to think that I don’t fit into any stereotype and don’t feel there’s anything wrong with someone choosing to grow dreadlocks or a woman not shaving their armpits. Not sure I would personally ever go there but kudos to those who choose to. OK, so I’ve gone down a rabbit trail and it’s time to get back to the topic at hand. I recently attended a class at a local growing co-op about outdoor pharmacy options in my area. It was encouraging and fascinating.

Before I go any further, I need to give a shout out to the instructor, Elise. She is a clinical herbalist and has an amazing blog. For more information, recipes, etc… please visit her.

Did you know that plantains (Plantago Major) are super versatile and have spread throughout the World? I didn’t even know the name of this common plant and I think of the plantain fruit, which is a completely different species. I’ve always viewed plantains as a weed but the Plantago Major has great healing qualities. A local Native American tribe calls it Frog Leaf based on a story about a frog being healed by the plant. I love when my perspective is changed by new information! Don’t you?

We also explored alder bark, comfrey, yarrow, horsetail (I harvested some of this) and chickweed. During the class we made chickweed pesto, which was very good and a salve for rashes, bruises and irritated skin. This is one more way I can eliminate unnecessary chemicals and petroleum- based products in our home.

 

 

The salve is made with calendula, yarrow, comfrey and plantain. The base for it is organic Olive Oil and beeswax. Olives grown in California are heavily sprayed with pesticides so if you use domestic olive oil, buy organic if possible. This salve is bright green and  also has lavender and helichrysum essential oils in it. Both of these oils are good for soothing the skin, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and have some pain relieving qualities. I use essential oils  for many health enhancing needs. I’m excited to use this salve instead of over-the-counter products with petroleum and chemicals in it.

Getting to a point where I’m comfortable making a salve from “weeds” picked along a trail has been part of my journey. Even a year ago, I’m not sure I would take the information learned in this class and actually use it. I count this as one more step in Our Journey to Greener. Now I just need to find some chickweed and make pesto for the guys!!! Would you explore your regional area for the outdoor pharmacy it offers?

Thanks for allowing me to share and looking forward to hearing from you.

Have a great day,

Kelli