Next is a short review of the salad components, if you want a quick vid instead of a plant walk.

Below is the final arrangement of washed delicacies, which is no more, because I ate it.

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I normally eat the petals of the day lily blooms, leaving behind the centers, if I eat more than 1 of them. I’ll eat a few whole yucca blooms, but will switch to just petals if I eat a lot. The petals are milder. Some people don’t tolerate the reproductive parts.

Almost all the salad bowl contents, are featured on the weedom substack. Below are links to weedom articles for all who want to read or review the details about each plant and determine the applicability to your own needs.

Plantain

Ground Ivy

Lamb’s quarters

Giant Ragweed

Smart Weed

Marshmallow leaf and bloom

Red Clover

Day Lily

Heal All

Sassafras

Mulberry leaf

Yucca

Lemon Balm

Wild Violets

Bee Balm

Medicinal plants below were mentioned in the vid but not added to the salad.

Valerian

Catnip

Curly Dock

Elderberry

Jewelweed

Elecampane

Spanish needles (also edible)

Comfrey

Burdock

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The weedom stack will probably remain mostly text and still photos, but let me know whether you think it’s useful or fun for me to throw in a video once in awhile. I’ll practice pointing the phone-cam more accurately as I pick the weeds. Multitasking is rough :-D.

Mulberry and Sassafras are the most polymorphous leaves in the salad. Both of these trees put out lobed and ovate leaves. Knowing the young mulberry trees takes some practice.

What wild greens are you adding to your salad bowl, or cooking up?? This inquiring mind wants to know.

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Violating the order of my older sibling’s well manicured lawn is an oval of feral Ajuga reptans, or bugle weed, which likely escaped cultivation decades ago.

A more extensive and wilder stand is firmly established on the East side of the gravel road of weedom, which is very likely responsible for said encroachment.

Weedomland has so much variety to offer to anyone’s yard. From the seams and crevices of my footwear and outerwear, botanical wonders are surreptitiously transported to the HOA controlled areas of this region. I would like to spread them much further.

This purply blue flowered plant, Ajuga reptans, of the mint family, Lamiaciae, found its way to North America from Europe and is extensively naturalized. Having earned the appellation invasive, it is a properly certified weed, and therefore deserving of all the associated honors. It is edible, and a traditionally medicinal weed, with the bulk of its currently recognized utility in the topical category.

Before going further, I should distinguish Ajuga from a much taller “bugle weed”, native to North America, known as Lycopus virginia, which is traditionally used to address hyperthyroidism. This plant is also a mint, with a true square stem, that stands about 2 feet, (0.6 m). You’ll never mistake 1 plant for the other, when looking at them, but since they share the bugle weed common name, people far and wide have been confused by discussions of the medicinal properties or when obtaining herbal products from producers.

The Ajuga genus contains 50+ species, though claims run as high as 200. Kew, Royal Botanical Gardens acknowledges 64 species. Many cultivars also exist since Ajuga species, especially reptans, have been favored in landscapes as ground cover. The Mediterranean region seems to be a pleasant home to 30 or so of these species. The genus is considered native to Europe, Southern parts of Asia, Eastern Australia, Northern and Eastern Africa, and an import to North America. Here, Ajuga reptans is almost the exclusive species which has extensively taken over within the U.S.A.

Ajuga reptans is found in moist but well drained soils, and will adapt to both shade, and full sun in most areas. It will grow in USDA zones 3a to 10b. In northernmost zone 6 of weedom, this plant retains some green visibility year round, and snaps back to full strength early in spring.

Do the Botany and Find the Weed

Most of the year, bugle weed presents itself as a little rosette, with semi-gloss, paddle shaped leaves. The plant is considered acaulescent, no stem, with the leaves emerging directly from the root base. Each leaf is oval or spoon shaped, with irregular, rounded teeth. Leaf tissue continues in winged fashion, all the way down the petiole to the base of the plant. I would call the edges wavy, rather than crenate. The youngest ones are more green and they seem to acquire a bronze sheen, and then darker or purple coloration with age. The leaves of our weeds often have some bumpy short hairs, somewhat similar to ground ivy. The underside of the leaves is lighter than the upper side, and veins appear irregular, though secondary veins do arise alternately from a central vein.

In the Spring, bugle weeds send up their blooming peduncles, which are square, like a mint, and with the familiar, oppositely arranged small leaves and whorls of tubular blooms. The flowering portion is classed as a raceme. Flowers have 2 petals or lips, a smaller top one with 2 lobes and a larger lower one with 3-4 lobes, depending on how you regard the more shallow division of the central lower lip. Profuse hairs populate the stolons and the sepals that surround each bloom. The flowering spikes rise about 6 inches (15 cm) above the rosettes. Flowers, possessing both male and female structures, give way to fruits, each with up to 4 brown, oval nutlets with pitted surfaces. Richo Cech reports that these are often sparsely produced, but not too small, (700 seeds per gram) considering the tiny size of the plant.

Bugle weed reproduces most efficiently by sending out stolons, horizontal stems that root at the nodes to produce new plants. A single plant can thereby spread to become a patch, then slowly take over the world.

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Working with bugle weed

Our USDA sites seem to regard the short Bugle weed to be mostly unpalatable to animals and humans. However, bitters are the rage, and we are eating it, but not in bulk quantities. It’s definitely not the whole salad or plate of greens, but rather a flavorful additive. I would place it in the realm of purple dead nettle, and ground ivy, but it tastes better than those. To my personal taste buds, it is less bitter, and has a distinct overtone of hickory nut flavor. Herbalists consider Shizandra to have 5 flavors (sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and pungent). Our Ajuga reptans is similarly complex, with at least 4 flavors. I pick up sweet, bitter, sour, pungent, and would bet that the ones growing around the Mediterranean are salty too. The flowering stalks are the sweetest part.

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Modern herbalists seem to be ignoring Adjuga reptans and its many relatives lately. Perhaps it’s too common and ubiquitous. People are drawn to the exotic, not their neighbor’s ground cover weed. However, it’s becoming of great interest in the cosmetic industry and for use as a medicinal food to the extent that it’s being tissue cultured on an industrial scale, and optimized for the production of numerous useful secondary metabolites. About 8 or so Ajuga species are on the radar for this kind of production. Wandering through the literature led me to a European patent for production of an Ajuga reptans compound that was a remedy for male pattern baldness. Dihydrotestosterone is blamed for this problem as well as for benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH. The Ajuga constituent, teupolioside, appears to be a solution for both problems, and there’s enough of this phenylpropanoid glycoside in our little weed to make it a prime industrial source. In a similar way that I used to culture a fungus to make drug precursors, and alter it for higher production, an Italian company is firing up the A. reptans tissue cultures to do the same for making teupolioside. This compound has long been under study for mitigating inflammatory bowel disease, as an anti-arthritic, anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant, and to address the travails of BPH by a different mechanism than the usual inhibition of 5 alpha reductase. Teupolioside is shown to be strongly anti-inflammatory, and is claimed to increase the oxidation of NADPH as an alternate means to lower levels of dihydrotestosterone, and thereby decrease symptoms of BPH.

Some additional Ajuga reptans compounds of interest:

• Harpagide and 8-O-acetylharpagide are iridoid molecules credited for anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and analgesic properties of these plants. For those who can’t go to Southern Africa, or import adequate devils claw (Harpagophytum procumbens), Ajuga offers similar chemistry for wound healing and relief of pain.

• 20-Hydroxyecdysone one of many plant steroids found in A. reptans which imitate the functions of insect hormones. In humans they are studied for adaptogenic, anabolic, and hypoglycemic effects. In insects this class of hormones is involved in the timing of the processes of molting and metamorphosis. This particular compound is marketed to the body builders for adaptogenic and for anabolic effects.

• Apigenin and luteolin are major flavonoids which contribute to anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and analgesic effects. Apigenin in particular seems to influence a wide variety of biochemical processes, showing salutary effects in hyperglycemia, dementia, depression, arthritis, insomnia. etc.

• Astringent tannins are responsible for some traditional uses in staunching blood flow and in wound healing. Ajuga reptans is fairly effective in reducing the bleeding time, (by 40% in one animal model, using a water extract.)

Bugle weed demonstrated hepatoprotective effects (from exposure to chemical toxins) in animal models. Antifungal and anti-bacterial properties (weighted more against gram positive organisms) have been shown in numerous studies.

Herbal applications

A bitter infusion can be made with fresh or dried leaves by placing 1-2 teaspoons of dried leaves, or a small handful of fresh leaves per cup (237 ml.) of water to produce a dark and astringent tea for internal use. Mrs. Grieve, in A Modern Herbal recorded that bugle weed (a.k.a. common bugle) been traditionally used for sore throats, cough, tuberculosis, as a nervine or relaxant, to lower the pulse and strengthen it (similar to digitalis), as a diuretic, for gall bladder congestion, and all sorts of wound healing. It was regarded as “one of the best and mildest narcotics in the world” and useful for those who suffered negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

This potent herb, with its various hormonal type influences, is not recommended for internal use by pregnant and lactating women.

A stronger infusion with 30 grams of dried herb in a pint (473 ml) of water can be used topically. Similarly ointments have been made for external use on cuts, road rash and bruises. Think of combining this with such herbs as comfrey, plantain or heal all to address the bumps, stings and cuts of summertime. Leaf poultices, ice cubes of a strong infusion, or ointments and lotions can be made with ajuga alone, or in combination with those other herbs.

Although I am able to graze a bit on the Ajuga (not large quantities), most will prefer to use this as a flavorful additive or spice in their salads, teas, soups, etc. Unlike the related herb known as heal all, Prunella vulgaris, the medicinal compounds are more concentrated in bugle weed. So this is not a bulk salad green. You can throw some leaves into the mix of salad or cooked greens for flavor and contrast. It also serves as a good additive to fermented greens or kimchi. Hide some in a smoothie to add a complex and somewhat nutty taste. It’s very easy to harvest and dry some leaves, which can be crushed or powdered, and utilized to spice up numerous types of food.

Spring is the time to easily locate some flowering bugleweed, so that you can access the plant anytime its needed. You can check the ground cover in some nearby landscapes to familiarize yourself quickly, then spot the feral plants that are available for harvesting.

Your thoughts, experiences and questions are always welcome.

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Where We Dig

1. Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Stone Basin Books; 1931.

2. Ajuga L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science. Plants of the World Online. Accessed April 29, 2026. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:20646-1

3. Ajuga reptans (Ajuga, Blue Bugle, Bugleherb, Bugleweed, Bugle Weed, Carpet Bugle) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed April 28, 2026. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ajuga-reptans/

4. Ajuga reptans extract | Teupolioside | ABResearch. ABR. Accessed April 29, 2026. https://www.abres.it/en/ingredienti/ajuga-reptans/

5. Maliuvanchuk S, Grytsyk A, Popadynets O, Kotyk T, Raal A, Koshovyi O. Ajuga reptans L. Herb Extracts: Phytochemical Composition and Pharmacological Activity Screening. Plants (Basel). 2025;14(2):219. doi:10.3390/plants14020219

6. Toiu A, Mocan A, Vlase L, et al. Comparative Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and In Vivo Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Different Extracts of Traditionally Used Romanian Ajuga genevensis L. and A. reptans L. (Lamiaceae). Molecules. 2019;24(8):1597. doi:10.3390/molecules24081597

7. Composition based on vegetal extracts of ajuga reptans for preventing hair loss, stimulating the growth of hair, regulating the production of sebum. - Patent EP-1863430-B1 - PubChem. Accessed April 29, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/patent/EP-1863430-B1

8. Muraca L, Scuteri A, Burdino E, et al. Effectiveness and Safety of a New Nutrient Fixed Combination Containing Pollen Extract Plus Teupolioside, in the Management of LUTS in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy: A Pilot Study. Life. 2022;12(7):965. doi:10.3390/life12070965

9. Muraca L, Scuteri A, Burdino E, et al. Effectiveness and Safety of a New Nutrient Fixed Combination Containing Pollen Extract Plus Teupolioside, in the Management of LUTS in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy: A Pilot Study. Life. 2022;12(7):965. doi:10.3390/life12070965

10. Adamant A. Foraging Bugleweed (& Ways to Use it). Practical Self Reliance. April 2, 2023. Accessed April 28, 2026. https://practicalselfreliance.com/bugleweed/

11. Cech R. Growing Plant Medicine. Vol 2. Herbal Reeds, LLC; 2024.

12. Popova E, Titova M, Tynykulov M, et al. Sustainable Production of Ajuga Bioactive Metabolites Using Cell Culture Technologies: A Review. Nutrients. 2023;15(5):1246. doi:10.3390/nu15051246

13. Toso RD. Teupolioside, a phenylpropanoid glycosides of Ajuga reptans, biotechnologically produced by IRBN22 plant cell line, exerts beneficial effects on a rodent model of colitis. Biochemical Pharmacology. Published online January 1, 2009. doi:10.1016/J.BCP.2008.11.010

There are dandelions next to the valerian,

between the plantain and purple-blooming ground ivy,

under the baby teasel rosette (Dipsacus),

in front of the comfrey,

and everywhere else I look. There’s only one thing to say about these ubiquitous yellow blooms.

Shame to waste!!

It’s time to take another crack at the wine making. Last Spring this former home beer brewer made wine for the very first time. The product was quite drinkable, and truly welcome when I was done-with-a-capital-D with Winter.

I had been inspired by over at Practical Self Reliance and her huge collection of wine recipes which required not too much else besides the natural products, some sugar, water, yeast, and yeast nutrient. She makes dandelion wine and a zillion others by the quart, gallon and carboy. Click those links if you want to learn a lot.

Additives to clarify the wine are not a necessity if you have a siphon to skim the clear liquid into another container or the wine bottles without disturbing the sediment. A little sediment won’t hurt, but people seem to prefer wine that’s not cloudy.

It’s very easy to make decently drinkable dandelion wine, or any other fruity floral mix if you pay attention to the basics. It’s a low cost hobby if you pick your own ingredients, and recycle the glassware. Taking this step requires leaving brand influence behind, and jumping into the wild traditions of Redneckia. In rural, flyover U.S.A. you might be offered a home made wine at any gathering. It’s an oenophilic adventure, no more dangerous than drinking from the garden hose for most, and often it’s quite nice.

Last year I entered the wine making hobby for less than $100 by purchasing the following, mostly from the FastRack store:

• a cheap wine corker tool, and some corks,

• a couple 1 gallon glass jars.

• matching wide mouth lids with an opening in the center

• a siphon tool

• plastic fermentation locks

• 1 Step percarbonate sanitizer

• Red Star wine yeast sampler

I cleaned out 4 used wine bottles to save the cost of buying new. If you want to start small, you can ferment in 1 or 2 quart mason jars. If you can cut a round hole in the lid, air locks and rubber corks (bungs) are very cheap. Any tube is a siphon if you can attach a mouthpiece that you can pull off before the liquid gets to the end. You don’t want your personal flora in the wine.

Now comes the sanitation talk. It’s not as shocking/fascinating as the birds and the bees talk, but might be nearly as transformative.

Brewers and winemakers endlessly debate the procedures of sanitation, and the governments have impinged heavily on their industries. But humans have preserved food and drink through fermentation for eons without the modern microbe mitigation that we have today. The natural products that are placed into fermentation are themselves rife with microorganisms. Having spent much time peering into microscopes, I can guarantee this. The liquid at the bottom of the salad bar trays is almost as alive as any pond water, but hopefully without the Naegleria. Numerous insects have trod upon the dandelion blooms, the oranges, and the lemons that go into this wine leaving microbial trails that we might wish not to ponder. When we ferment, the job is not to be sterile, or to have monoculture, which is utterly impossible, but it is to be clean enough that the favored yeast massively overwhelms all microbial competitors. Acidic pH helps the yeast to dominate the bacteria, hence acidic fruits are added to wines that might otherwise insufficiently favor yeast growth. If you don’t have your hot water tank cranked to pasteurization temperatures as I do, you can use boiled water to final rinse your glassware and siphon tubes. “1 Step” cleaner is a product that many home fermenters use as a final rinse. Most agree that it does not contribute any funky flavors to the fermented product. Good cleaning, rinsing and proper fermentation temperatures will bring you the best results.

This year, dandelion time came on U.S. tax day. The plan was simple, but had to be executed in a specific sequence to capture the maximum bloom essence. I ran a dishwasher cycle on the glassware of the day while I collected blooms outside. It takes about 2 or 3 quarts of blooms to get a quart (~960 ml.) of petals, depending on bloom size and how fast I work. The yeast, Red Star’s premier Blanc, was set out, as well as a manual citrus juicer, and a cheese grater. (Last year I used very aggressive champagne yeast.) I set 3.5 quarts of carbon filtered tap water and 3 cups of sugar on the stove to boil. (Next time I might just use 3 quarts of water.) I scrubbed 3 oranges and a lemon, then zested them all into a bowl. Then I cut them all in half and juiced them, obtaining a lot more liquid than I expected.

I took the boiling sugar water off of the stove and allowed it to cool.

The race was on to remove the green calyces from the base of the blooms. The green stuff is bitter and contains a bit of that famous milky dandelion latex that leaves a dark stain under the fingernails. Petals and interior parts are collected until a quart of them is obtained, which is sufficient for the gallon sized (3.7 L.) batch of wine.

Dandelion blooms (as is the case for many Asteraceae species) tend to close, and transform to white fluff once they’re removed from their stems. So the process of plucking and separating the petals must be quick. Sometimes it will make sense to pick half of the needed blooms and separate, then go pick the other half, depending on how fast you can do this work. It takes about an hour. The petals can be frozen, but fresh is best.

I had to dunk my pot of boiled sugar water into ice water to finish cooling it to a luke warm temperature. The lemon and orange zest plus juice were poured into the 1 gallon jar. Then I added the 1 quart of yellow bloom parts. The packet of wine yeast was rehydrated for about 5 min in lukewarm water. I poured in the now lukewarm sugar water, and stirred, giving time to wet the petals well. The yeast mixture was added, and the whole mix stirred very thoroughly to comingle it with other ingredients.

I topped the jar with the lid and the water lock, and screwed it on tightly. As with last year’s batch, the jar went down into the questionable, mysterious and dark cellar of weedom. Photons are a challenge to plant chemistry, and the cool recesses of the cellar are the safest space for fermentation during this unusually warm spring.

In two weeks, I will skim off the blooms and citrus zest, siphon the liquid into a second gallon jar, and cap it with a lid and waterlock. This is called the secondary fermenter which I will allow to remain in the cellar for at least 6 weeks. At any time thereafter, the liquid can be carefully siphoned directly into clean wine bottles and corked. Age it in the bottles for 2 months or more. We uncorked our dandelion wine in February with good result. It was a welcome taste of spring right before our spring peepers wound themselves up, which was 2/17 this year, by the way.

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Here’s a bottle from last spring’s batch of dandelion wine, held up against what I’m writing. It’s pretty clear from the effort of siphoning, with no clarifying agents used. Just a few little floaties, no worse than what’s in the vitreous humor of my eyeballs, for sure. By the half year point the 2025 batch had acquired a terrific floral bouquet and a fairly smooth taste. I like it, but would say that it’s not the kind of wine to age for many years, because many citrus and floral compounds don’t last forever. The remaining 2 bottles will likely be gone before summer.

This year I hope to finish 2 or 3 gallon sized batches, each of which actually yields up to 4 x 750 ml bottles at most, considering that some is lost with the removal of solids, and siphoning away from the sediment twice. Maybe your dandelion blossoms are calling to you. I might try some of the wine in cooking, and am thinking it could do something for sushi :-D

Please weigh in with your dandelion culinary creations. I’m hoping to hear and learn from home wine makers among the loyal readers of weedom, and will be happy to answer any questions about the novice wine making experience.

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Krishna Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) is a tropical plant, on the other hand, and might take close to 3 weeks to germinate. It requires 5 months to reach maturity and grows 2-3 feet (0.6-0.9 meter) in height. As with most basils these plants like plenty of water, but need good drainage. They will tolerate more dryness than some other Ocimum species, and will grow in full sun to part shade in our temperate climate of northernmost USDA zone 6 of flyover country. A little shade in the hottest part of the day would help if you’re in a tropical area. More sun will bring the purple color to Krishna. Overall, the Ocimum africanum will tolerate more shade, and the true Tulsi, Rama and Krishna will want more sun. Rama is a taller plant, 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall, or up to 6 feet (2 meters) in tropical climates. Both Krishna and Rama are perennial in zones 10-12. Those of us in the north might get an overwintering in a heated greenhouse if we’re lucky, but in much of India, these plants are perennial, surviving for 5 or more years in good conditions. They become woodier with age and the stems are used used to make the mala beads that are used for meditative prayer throughout southern parts of Asia.

Those charts in the books, which tell you how much sun a plant wants, are always relative. Just remember that whoever made the chart is using experience in their own climate. So if someone from northern latitudes says a plant likes full sun, that’s won’t be the same story in Florida, Mexico or Saudi Arabia. Over the years, plants will adapt to acquire maximum hardiness where they are. If Tulsi became adapted to cultivation in flyover U.S. it would require several growth cycles to enjoy the full sun in India once more. If you’re a seed saver, you’ll find that what you grow gets stronger with each generation in your location, while the same species that is shipped in from another latitude won’t do as well.

Comparatively the Rama and Krishna varieties are harder to grow from seed than the Africanum. Germination is light dependent. The challenge is to achieve the right balance of moisture and light so mold doesn’t kill the seeds in the up to 3 weeks needed for germination. The little seedings will need plenty of light to push out their leaves and plenty of warmth in the soil to survive transplanting to the garden. I have experienced similar issues with growing other herbs that are native to warmer climates (oregano, rosemary, etc.) from seed.

I am seeing reports that essential oils of Tulsi cultivars identified as Amrita and Krishna contain more methyl eugenol than any other constituent. That would tend to exclude these varieties from chronic use as “adaptogens”, since the methyl eugenol may be metabolized to a genotoxic constituent. Small amounts of methyl eugenol are detectable in the bloodstream of anyone who eats herbs and spices. Greater caution is to be taken by those who handle the essential oils of any kind of basil, tarragon, oregano, marjoram, cloves, anise, fennel, etcetera. (I use nitrile gloves when handling essential oils in soap making.) Use of the whole plants is much safer, as most of the mint family produces fairly low yield of essential oils. Krishna and Amrita are stronger medicine for addressing more acute conditions. They’re not salad! I rate Rama as a more intermediate cultivar, milder than these 2, and more suitable for regular usage.

Analyses reveal that the essential oils of O. Africanum, the temperate or “Kapoor” Tulsi freely cultivated in the U.S.A., contains less, but still a good deal of eugenol, and lower amounts of the problematic methyl eugenol, and more of the estragole that is prominent in sweet basil, O. basilicum. This plant also offers the rosemarinic acid, apigenen, ursolic acid, and flavonoids which render so many of the salutory effects associated with holy basil. Owing to its citral constituents it smells and tastes fantastic. This plant is more of a daily driver, since its proportion of potentially problematic constituents is lower than the more medicinal strains of O. tenuifolium.

The differences between food, medicine and poison is the dose. This is the north star of maintaining health through what we eat, amid the onslaught of fear porn generated about plants that have been our food, spice, and medicine since pre-history.

Most people have heard of chia seeds, and psyllium seed, but not basil seeds. Basil seeds, a.k.a. sabja or tukmaria, are widely used in South Asia as a nutritious drink which contributes demulcent qualities, fiber, minerals and fatty acids to the diet. This product is usually produced from certain types of sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum. In India the sweet basil growing in the north is called marua, and in the south it is called rudrajada. Most sources clearly distinguish this sweet basil from holy basil. However, one can find such products called holy basil seeds sold for edible use on Amazon and Etsy. These have conflicting labels and descriptions, and are likely the seeds of sweet basil varieties. If you get a chance to see the mechanized harvest of sweet basil, you’ll observe mown tops of the plants deposited in huge bins and carted off by the truckload. Mass harvesting of these plants, particularly where they are perennial, can’t be synchronized perfectly, so what’s going to collect at the bottom of the bins? Zillions of tiny, hard, brown seeds. Shame to waste!!! Those seeds have become a popular nutritional supplement in many parts of the world.

In India, the holy basil is grown in gardens and pops up everywhere. So it’s not in such massive agribusiness production as one might think it would be, and therefore you are not as likely to find huge aggregates of seeds that can be bagged up and sold as palliatives for the digestive tract. Nevertheless, holy basil seeds have been utilized as a source of demulcent mucilage, like the seeds of sweet basil. Traditionally they have been used to soothe ulcers, diarrhea and vomiting. Anti-oxidant effect and anti-inflammatory effects are attributed to linolenic acid found in both sweet and holy basil seeds. They are a source of prebiotic fiber. Like other good sources of fiber, they’ve been credited with toning the gut flora, encouraging weight loss, and stabilizing blood sugar.

Preparing basil seeds

Using a fine strainer, quickly wash basil seeds to remove any foreign material. The seeds must be placed in warm water, then allowed to soak, for 30 minutes to preferably several hours until they expand to form gelatinous pearls with dark centers. (They truly look like tiny fish eggs when ready to drink.) A half cup of warm water will hydrate about 2 teaspoons of basil seeds fully. The hydrated seeds can then be mixed with lemon, calamansi, or mango juice for a drink, or mixed with yogurt and consumed as a pudding.

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Zen Basil is a Sabja seller which has gone to war, claiming that the Holy Basil seeds can’t be eaten and are not safe. The company cites a publication of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, a risk assessment of O. tenuifolium, which discusses constituents of the whole plant, though most have not been demonstrated as being present in the seeds in appreciable quantities. The conclusion is that the holy basil seeds are unsafe for consumption, because they have not been proven to be safe, citing all the compounds that people have been eating with sweet basil and consuming as tea and medicine with holy basil :-D. Now the biggest bogeyman of holy basil is the beastly, potentially carcinogenic, methyl eugenol. But sadly for Zen Basil Company the essential oil of sweet basil is full of estragole, (of similar carcinogenic potential) which adds wonderful anise like overtones to the flavor of this herb. Folks at the European Medicines Agency suggest that adult humans should limit themselves to 0.5mg daily of this ubiquitous herbal constituent. Therefore Zen’s sabja exists under a similar western pall of “toxicity” that the company wished to confer upon holy basil seeds. However the Zen Basil company could be correct that much of what is sold as “holy basil seeds” (Carrington, Rani and possibly Yuvika, for examples) are mis-labeled. They might be selling a type of sweet basil (O. basilicum) seeds.

In reality, the greatest danger coming from basil seeds is if they are consumed dry, with insufficient liquids, and produce an obstruction in the G.I. tract, as has occurred with the incorrect use of psyllium, which is sold at almost every drug store in the U.S.. Drinking down a tablespoon full of basil seeds, that have been properly hydrated to fish egg configuration in a glass of water, is very unlikely to bring about disaster. Some may experience issues with the texture, but it’ll be no problem at all for okra eaters. Those who are especially sensitive to plant lectins might prefer the basil seeds over chia seeds as a fiber source.

Wandering the world of Tulsi literature for about a month has pulled up amazing stories. My current favorite is the program to plant Tulsi around the Taj Mahal in order to help save the structure from the damaging effects of pollution, which have yellowed and pockmarked the exterior. The idea of planting a Tulsi green zone popped up in 2008 as a means to preserve the world famous ‘monument of love’. Among the claims that Tulsi purifies the air, (it smells great, and is a bit of a bug repellant), arose the novel idea that it produces ozone for 4 hours per day. An enzyme, cyclooxygenase, was credited with this marvelous schedule of gas production, per the Times of India. I’d give that ozone tale a big negatori, but will go with the rest of the purification story. As with many other plants, the generous root system will sequester unwanted ground pollutants. All plants are catchers of dust and particulate matter, and any green zone sequesters water, and replaces an asphalt heat sink. Plus, the idea of aromatic Tulsi claiming territory has not escaped notice :-D

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Making a Glycerite

Once you have planted your Ocimum Africanum and Ocimum tenuifolium, and and they have colonized your growing space, you might have more herb than you can use. It’s time for making glycerite. This is a way to extract herbs for longer term use, particularly for people who want less or no alcohol.

You can obtain glycerin USP grade (greater than 99.5 % pure) online or from a drug store, or from a soap and cosmetic supplier. USP grade glycerin is considered FCC food grade by definition. It’s tested to ensure exclusion of heavy metals. You’ll often see both labels on the products, but sometimes not. Glycerin signifies higher purity than glycerine, which may be only 95% pure and not USP and food grade. Use glycerin USP /food grade if you are making medicine.

A glycerite, made correctly can be stored for about a year. It may last longer in a refrigerator. For stability, glycerin has to be present as 55% of the mixture. If you keep your mixture as 2 parts glycerin, and 1 part fresh herb by weight, this will usually guarantee that the final product will be above 55% glycerin. During the extraction, glycerin draws water out of the plant, which dilutes the 99.5 % glycerin with which you started. Another way to reduce water in the extraction is to chop and allow the plant material to wilt in the shade for an hour before adding it to the glycerin. That would not be necessary with holy basil. The more finely you macerate the plant, the more efficient extraction will be. Some herbalists will grind the plant material and glycerin in a blender. Expect uncrackable emulsions and very long separation times when you do that. I have stories from the research days :-D

Combine 2 parts glycerin by weight and 1 part finely cut, fresh plant material by weight. Mix thoroughly. Store the mix in a sealed labelled jar away from light. Visit it 1 or several times daily to shake it. In a week or 2, pour this into a filter cloth and squeeze it through. You’ll notice the glycerin is thinner, having taken up water from the plant. (Another method to speed up extraction is to seal your jar with plant plus glycerin, and heat it in a water bath, simmering it for an hour or so. Let it cool before squeezing the mixture through a cloth.)

Store the filtered glycerite in a jar out of the light to let it settle. Pour off, or pump off the clear liquid from the top, leaving the solids at the bottom. Running the final glycerite liquid through a cheesecloth might help .

Thoroughly label and store the glycerite away from light in a cool place.

A general rule of thumb is that 2:1 glycerite doses, made with fresh plant can be twice as much volume as ethanol tincture doses made 5:1 with dried plant. This is based on general extraction efficiency as well as the water content of the fresh plant.

I’m planting my Krishna and Rama seeds as well as temperate Tulsi seeds into some flats within a week or so. That way they’ll have a sufficiently warm place to land when I transplant them. I’ll leave a place in chat for the faithful readers to comment or ask questions about glycerin and glycerites. There are many glycerite making methodologies based upon whether dry or fresh plant is being extracted.

Where We Dig

1. Zhang X, Felter SP, Api AM, Joshi K, Selechnik D. A Cautionary tale for using read-across for cancer hazard classification: Case study of isoeugenol and methyl eugenol. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. 2022;136:105280. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105280

2. Bhattarai K, Bhattarai R, Pandey RD, Paudel B, Bhattarai HD. A Comprehensive Review of the Phytochemical Constituents and Bioactivities of Ocimum tenuiflorum. ScientificWorldJournal. 2024;2024:8895039. doi:10.1155/2024/8895039

3. A Public Warning: “Holy Basil Seeds” Are Not Edible — And Americans Deserve to Know the Truth — Zen Basil | Organic Basil Seeds | High Fiber Superfoods. Zen Basil. November 4, 2025. Accessed March 30, 2026. https://zenbasil.com/blog/a-public-warning-holy-basil-seeds-are-not-edible-and-americans-deserve-to-know-the-truth

4. Calderón Bravo H, Vera Céspedes N, Zura-Bravo L, Muñoz LA. Basil Seeds as a Novel Food, Source of Nutrients and Functional Ingredients with Beneficial Properties: A Review. Foods. 2021;10(7):1467. doi:10.3390/foods10071467

5. Joshi RK, Hoti SL. Chemical composition of the essential oil of Ocimum tenuiflorum L. (Krishna Tulsi) from North West Karnataka, India. Plant Science Today. 2014;1(3):99-102. doi:10.14719/pst.2014.1.3.52

6. Cech R. Growing Plant Medicine. Vol 2. Herbal Reeds, LLC; 2024.

7. Groves MN. Holy Basil: The Zen Herb – Mother Earth Gardener. Accessed March 3, 2026. https://www.motherearthgardener.com/plant-profiles/holy-basil-plant-zm0z17szfis/

8. Sharma S, Rolta R, Salaria D, Dev K. In vitro antibacterial and antifungal potentials of Ocimum tenuiflorum and Ocimum gratissimum essential oil. Pharmacological Research - Natural Products. 2024;4:100065. doi:10.1016/j.prenap.2024.100065

9. Cech R. Making Plant Medicine. Fourth edition. Herbal Reads; 2016.

10. www.wisdomlib.org. On the method of worship of Tulasī Devī [Chapter 25]. May 15, 2013. Accessed March 4, 2026. https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/devi-bhagavata-purana/d/doc57338.html

11. Malav, P, Pandey A, Bhatt K, Bisht I, Krishnan S. (PDF) Morphological variability in holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum L.) from India. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 2015;62:1245-1256. doi:10.1007/s10722-015-0227-5

12. Nisar MF, Khadim M, Rafiq M, Chen J, Yang Y, Wan CC. Pharmacological Properties and Health Benefits of Eugenol: A Comprehensive Review. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2021;2021:2497354. doi:10.1155/2021/2497354

13. Mulugeta SM, Pluhár Z, Radácsi P. Phenotypic Variations and Bioactive Constituents among Selected Ocimum Species. Plants (Basel). 2023;13(1):64. doi:10.3390/plants13010064

14. Steffensen IL. Risk Assessment of Holy Basil (Ocimum Tenuiflorum L. and Ocimum Sanctum L.) and Some of the Component Substances Used in Herbal Teas and Food Supplements. Norwegian Institute of Public Health; 2023. Accessed March 31, 2026. https://www.fhi.no/contentassets/f08343d5155e413284f5c31a6b415b51/fhi-report-holy-basil-271123.pdf

15. Jamshidi N, Cohen MM. The Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Tulsi in Humans: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2017;2017:9217567. doi:10.1155/2017/9217567

16. Bhamra SK, Heinrich M, Johnson MRD, Howard C, Slater A. The Cultural and Commercial Value of Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum L.): Multidisciplinary Approaches Focusing on Species Authentication. Plants (Basel). 2022;11(22):3160. doi:10.3390/plants11223160

17. Liu WN, Shi J, Fu Y, Zhao XH. The Stability and Activity Changes of Apigenin and Luteolin in Human Cervical Cancer Hela Cells in Response to Heat Treatment and Fe2+/Cu2+ Addition. Foods. 2019;8(8). doi:10.3390/foods8080346

18. Tulsi (Holy Basil) Type Comparisons. Richo’s Blog. April 19, 2017. Accessed March 3, 2026. https://blog.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/tulsi-holy-basil-type-comparisons/

19. Tulsi has environmental benefits too - Times of India. Accessed March 31, 2026. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/tulsi-has-environmental-benefits-too/articleshow/12574905.cms

20. Yadav R, Fatima SK, Dhawan SS. Unlocking the medicinal potential of Ocimum africanum: A review of its phytoconstituents and pharmacological activities. South African Journal of Botany. 2025;184:617-630. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2025.06.020

21. Use of herbal medicinal products containing estragole - Scientific guideline | European Medicines Agency (EMA). November 23, 2005. Accessed March 30, 2026. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/use-herbal-medicinal-products-containing-estragole-scientific-guideline

22. Pisutthanan N, Pisutthanan S. Variability of essential oil constituents of Ocimum africanum. Naresuan University Journal. 2009;17(3):269-274. https://www.thaiscience.info/journals/Article/NUJ/10896574.pdf

23. Jan 7 U:, 2019, Ist 13:40. What are sabja (basil) seeds? Their health benefits and tips to eat. BombayTimes. Accessed March 31, 2026. https://recipes.timesofindia.com/what-are-sabja-basil-seeds-their-health-benefits-and-tips-to-eat/articleshow/65054694.cms

24. Fuller NJ. Yield and Essential Oils of Holy Basil (Ocimum Tenuiflorum l., o. Gratissimum l.): Varietal Comparison and Analytical Methods. University of Georgia; 2017. Accessed March 28, 2026. https://openscholar.uga.edu/record/11116

Tulsi, the common name for holy basil, comes from Tulasi, an avatar or incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. Tulasi is believed to grace planet earth within the form of this plant. The circumstances by which this came about, and the exact chronology vary among the tellings, but they contain much drama and transformations of Tulasi’s circumstances during battles between deities and demons. In extreme brevity, Tulasi is regarded as paragon of purity and holiness. The plant which bears her name is as sacred as it is medicinal, and is employed particularly in honoring Vishnu (preserver) a member of the Trimurti of Hindu deities which also includes Brahma (creator) and Shiva (destroyer).

The minty Ocimum members of family Laminaceae, now encompassed by the name Tulsi or Holy basil, contain natives of India and Africa as well as other parts of South Asia. There are three main species and a number of varieties to be addressed here, starting with those of uppermost repute.

The holiest basils are cultivars of Ocimum tenuiflorum, seen in India, S.E. Asia, and E. Africa. Top among these is the purple stemmed and purple leafed and flowered Krishna Tulsi or Shyama Tulasi. It has been called “The Lord’s favorite”, and is associated with darkness and mystery. It’s cultivated for Temple usage and for medicinal use. If given enough sun the leaves become dark purple, but may be lighter or mottled if growing in the shade. This plant is regarded as potent and sharp, and for more acute medicinal use. It is used in Puja worship ceremonies to Vishnu, and to his Krishna incarnation, and to Lakshmi.

Another top cultivar is Rama Tulsi, or Shri Tulasi, a greener, milder plant with green to purple stems, purple flowers, and usually green leaves that might pick up a little purple. It is called the bright or royal Tulsi, signifying clarity and purity. It is seen in more household gardens and is applied more for domestic worship purposes, coming of age ceremonies. Medicinally it is used when a mellower effect is sought. It tends to be more for chronic and ‘adaptogenic’ application.

Amrita Tulsi is a type of green tulsi that might reach 4 feet high in the right location. It might be regarded as a more potent and vigorously hardy form of Rama tulsi. The name Amrita is comes from the Sanskrit word for immortality, which is fitting for this tenacious, subtropically perennial plant.

Vana Tulsi is a tall green plant which is actually a another species, Ocimum gratissimum. It has a very strong scent, green stems and leaves, and white flowers. It’s used mainly for medicinal purposes. The concentrations of main constituents differ considerably from O. tenuiflorum varieties.

It’s been determined that much of the ‘holy basil’ in frequent commerce throughout the U.S., called Kapoor Basil, is not a type of Ocimum tenuifolium. Tests of the “Kapoor” Tulsi apparently are matching those of Ocimum x africanum, so that recently a lot of seed renaming and catalog correcting has been going on. Here’s the scoop, as far as I can discern. Ocimum x africanum has that little x in the name because it’s a natural hybrid. The involved parent species are Ocimum basilicum and Ocimum americanum, which does not come from America. The latter species contains a lot of citral in its essential oil, and has a more citrusy flavor. The hybrids vary quite a bit in their essential oil chemistry, with some being fairly lime tasting, in Africa and North India, and others (containing more iso-eugenol) in Brazil and East Europe being more clove or camphor tasting. The hybrid, Ocimum x africanum has a variety of chemotypes, but in general it has a lighter flavor with more citrus overtones, than the other types of Tulsi. “Kapoor” itself is a word that evokes the camphor/eugenol range of flavors, and ethnobotanist, Richo Cech, it’s not an accurate name for this rather variable hybrid. He has been calling it “temperate tulsi”, because it grows well, and can reseed profusely in that kind of climate.

These volunteer plants pop up in late spring to early summer and are right at home at weedom. We find that the mild Ocimum x africanum germinates and grows easily here, though we have had the spicy, and more tropical Krishna and Rama types of Tulsi in our gardens too. (Unfortunately the only picture I could find of those plants is not very good. ) All varieties are annuals in this northernmost zone 6 climate though we successfully preserved some through the winter inside to be replanted in the spring, and experienced more woody growth habit in the second season.

In spite of what I have unearthed about the traditional applications of Tulsi, we will still see the Ocimum x africanum being marketed as Tulsi and as holy basil. However it’s a good plant, and is fine to use for many culinary and medicinal applications. Many of the tonic and the relaxing constituents are present in good quantity, and you can use this mild and easy to grow plant for flavor and for more regular medicinal use. Our specimens this past summer had a mild clove and spice flavor, the leaves made great tea, and I dried some for storage. Richo Cech, the likely source of this cultivar, had his own plants tested, and reported 0.74 mg eugenol, and 5.53 mg rosmarinic acid per gram of dried leaves.

Turning to the main constituents of these plants, we’ll finish off with the trends of relative quantities to expect in each kind of Tulsi. This might help you choose which cultivar to grow for particular reasons.

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Tulsi is the everything plant. It contains generous amounts of powerful phytochemicals which are highlighted below. From brain, liver, and immune support to addressing infections, blood sugar issues, and pain, this plant “does it all”. And it tastes good.

Volatile oils:

• Eugenol makes up 40-70 percent of O. tenuifolium oil, and is analgesic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory. The main source of clove like odor.

• Beta- caryophyllene is an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective sesquiterpene having non-psychoactive cannabinoid effects.

• Elemene is a sesquiterpene well studied for antitumor effects

• Methyl-eugenol gives a sharp clove like smell, but can be metabolized to a carcinogenic compound. It is a significant dose limiting compound of plants which also gives off the clove odor.

• Iso-eugenol, like eugenol contributes to the clove like odor and is particularly found in some kinds of O. africanum.

Phenolics and Flavonoids

• Rosmarinic Acid is a potent antioxidant, preservative, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective compound.

• Apigenin is a flavonoid with well studied anti-anxiety and anti-inflammatory effects.

• Luteolin is very similar to apigenin but not as well absorbed from the G.I. tract. It helps to modulate immune responses, and shares much of apigenin’s utility, but it is not as available in the central nervous system.

• Ursolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpene acid which is hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic and and anti-cancer. It’s also anti-fertility in large doses.

• Oleanolic acid often accompanies ursolic acid in the plant world, and is likewise hepatoprotective, also anti-inflammatory.

Other Constituents

• Beta-sitosterol supports immune function and management of cholesterol.

• Alkaloids, Glycosides and Tannins are included in a vast array of less dominant secondary metabolites that contribute to the efficacy of the major, well studied constituents above.

When extracting Tulsi for its medicinal constituents, eugenol and ursolic acid have been commonly used as markers for assessing the potency and efficacy of the Ocimum tenuiflorum extracts. Rosmarinic acid is another useful marker.

The hepato-protective ursolic acid most notably has been shown to reduce number and swimming ability of sperm when given in food-like doses. There can always be too much of a good thing.

I asked my privately rented AI to produce a relative comparison of selected compounds within the 5 types of ‘holy basil’ including the ‘temperate Tulsi’. The result shown below is a sensible comparison from what I have seen, though I think the rosmarinic acid content of the temperate Tulsi is underrated with respect to the others. This chart should be be considered a generalization, since environments and plant chemotypes are variable. It does show the increased potency of the Amrita Tulsi, which has been selectively bred for increased production of medicinal compounds. It shows the differences of Vana Tulsi, O. gratissimum with its beta caryophyllene and the ‘temperate tulsi, O. x africanum which is mild in all regards. Note that the very similar compounds, apigenin and luteolin are combined.

This generalized chart is useful in choosing the Tulsi that fits your priorities. Lower eugenol varieties will tend to be less warming. The milder ones become more food-like, particularly O. x africanum. Ours gives a fruity /clove scent which aids in balancing the flavors of less palatable herbal teas. Need to destress and relax? The Amrita could have enough apigenin and rosmarinic acid for you, while beta-caryophyllene rich Vana might be better to take the edge off of muscle and joint pain. Amrita and Krishna are probably best for acute conditions, while Vana and Rama and especially the O. x africanum are more suitable daily drivers. Amrita would be off the list for those who have fertility concerns, due to the ursolic acid content, but for liver support it would be prominent.

In Ayurvedic medicine, Tulsi qualities are pungent Katu, and bitter Tikta and has warming Ushna potency. Krishna Tulsi is more intense and is favored for respiratory ailments such as chronic bronchitis and severe infections of the throat. It’s added to medicinal formulas for clearing mucus congestion. Less warming than Krishna, Rama Tulsi is applied often for stress management and for metabolic health. Its milder character is more suited for daily use. It might be substituted for Krishna if a less harsh effect on the digestive system is needed. Rama is preferred for managing psychological stress and for immune support.

If you grow your own Tulsi, you will get to know its potency as you experience it. It’s completely worth doing if you want the top potency and flavor that a plant can deliver. Home grown looks better, especially fresh, and when dried in a darker airy room. Even our little O. x africanum smells and tastes terrific, fresh or dried. It’s good enough to garnish salad and fruit and it makes super tea. Extracting this plant into syrups and honey is becoming popular.

Be sure to weigh in with your Tulsi experiences and information. It would be great to hear from our readers with Ayurvedic knowledge, and from those who interact with Tulsi in their spiritual practices.

The spiritual interface with healing is an observable reality which has been called miracles, woo, placebo effect, or doctors-don’t-know-how-the-tumors-disappeared, for examples. Our Creator is behind these unexplainable occurrences, I’m convinced.

Readers weighing in will shape how I construct the next Tulsi post, and could very well prevent me from burying everyone in studies and chemical mechanisms :-D

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Where We Dig

1. Zhang X, Felter SP, Api AM, Joshi K, Selechnik D. A Cautionary tale for using read-across for cancer hazard classification: Case study of isoeugenol and methyl eugenol. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. 2022;136:105280. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2022.105280

2. Bhattarai K, Bhattarai R, Pandey RD, Paudel B, Bhattarai HD. A Comprehensive Review of the Phytochemical Constituents and Bioactivities of Ocimum tenuiflorum. ScientificWorldJournal. 2024;2024:8895039. doi:10.1155/2024/8895039

3. Cech R. Growing Plant Medicine. Vol 2. Herbal Reeds, LLC; 2024.

4. Groves MN. Holy Basil: The Zen Herb – Mother Earth Gardener. Accessed March 3, 2026. https://www.motherearthgardener.com/plant-profiles/holy-basil-plant-zm0z17szfis/

5. www.wisdomlib.org. On the method of worship of Tulasī Devī [Chapter 25]. May 15, 2013. Accessed March 4, 2026. https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/devi-bhagavata-purana/d/doc57338.html

6. Malav, P, Pandey A, Bhatt K, Bisht I, Krishnan S. (PDF) Morphological variability in holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum L.) from India. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 2015;62:1245-1256. doi:10.1007/s10722-015-0227-5

7. Nisar MF, Khadim M, Rafiq M, Chen J, Yang Y, Wan CC. Pharmacological Properties and Health Benefits of Eugenol: A Comprehensive Review. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2021;2021:2497354. doi:10.1155/2021/2497354

8. Bhamra SK, Heinrich M, Johnson MRD, Howard C, Slater A. The Cultural and Commercial Value of Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum L.): Multidisciplinary Approaches Focusing on Species Authentication. Plants (Basel). 2022;11(22):3160. doi:10.3390/plants11223160

9. Liu WN, Shi J, Fu Y, Zhao XH. The Stability and Activity Changes of Apigenin and Luteolin in Human Cervical Cancer Hela Cells in Response to Heat Treatment and Fe2+/Cu2+ Addition. Foods. 2019;8(8). doi:10.3390/foods8080346

10. Tulsi (Holy Basil) Type Comparisons. Richo’s Blog. April 19, 2017. Accessed March 3, 2026. https://blog.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/tulsi-holy-basil-type-comparisons/

In addition to animal and in vitro studies, a fair number of human trials have taken place in China, which support the 3000 year food and medicine history of goji, but comparatively little study has taken place in the Western world.

The primary and secondary research I have found are mostly from work done in China, and the human trials are mostly done on Chinese people. We know from pharmacogenomics that they might metabolize some compounds differently than other demographic groups. For example, with respect to ethanol, think pink, due to differences in aldehyde dehydrogenase, which does not clear acetaldehyde, (a toxic ethanol metabolite) as quickly as that of most Westerners. They also might metabolize some benzodiazepines more slowly. But in general the Chinese have shown that Goji is super food, with a very low chance of untoward side effects. And plenty of people in the West have been using Gogi without difficulty. Due to vitamin K content, it may mildly affect the anticoagulant potential of warfarin (slightly undoing the blood thinning warfarin is intended to do). Goji may also mildly slow the metabolism of flecainide, an antiarrhythmic heart medication, making it more potent. Rare food allergies are reported, particularly for people allergic to other plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae.

The 2 most inevitable calamities of our existence are death and taxes. Although our time on planet Earth must end, it is sensible to eat good food, so that we can be the most fully functioning and healthy up until the time we keel over. Instead of anti-aging, I will speak of some life enhancing constituents of Goji.

Lycium barbarum glycoproteins are a purified fraction of gogi (making up to 2 % of dried fruit) which have been shown in animal trials to be neuroprotective and to reduce injury of the retina of the eye by glaucoma, diabetes, and hypertension as well as a lifetime of UV exposure. A double blind, placebo controlled, 12 month study of humans showed that extract of Goji berry delayed macular thinning and cone deterioration in retinitis pigmentosa. Even the Lycium barbarum polysaccharides themselves have been shown in a 6 month human trial to slow the formation of Drusen bodies in early, age-related macular degeneration.

Since the 1950s or so, the polysaccharides of mushrooms have gotten people very excited about their immune enhancing abilities and helpfulness in fighting infectious diseases and cancer. Compared to the more homogenous fungal polysaccharides, those from plants offer much more structural variety. Of intense interest are the Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs), to which all sorts of immune modulating properties have been attributed. They have application in inflammatory diseases, cancer prevention and enhancement of treatments, in neuroprotection, cardioprotection, etc. The LBPs are produced by removing much of the proteins that are bound to the large sugar polymers (10-500 K-Dalton macromolecules). These polysaccharides are largely composed of the following sugar moieties: rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, and xylose, and the purified LBPs comprise about 0.8-1.5% of the total of dried goji berries.

It’s big fun to think that polysaccharides, made out of sugars, including glucose, exhibit hypoglycemic effects in the body. So you can basically eat sugar polymers to lower your blood sugar. (Remember dandelion and burdock roots?) Gogi polysaccharides are comprised of “real” sugars, Not the indigestible polyol sugars (mannitol, xylitol, etc.) known for producing massive flatulence that can’t be trusted. :-D The anti-diabetic effect is pretty strong in animal models that employ streptozocin or alloxan to produce the symptoms. Effect in humans with type 2 diabetes is milder (10-18%) but significant using LBP doses of 500 mg per 24 hrs. That’s reasonably obtainable by eating goji berries, by the way, which might become food if one’s blood sugar is getting borderline. For type 2 diabetics, hypoglycemic effects are additive with pharma products so monitoring must happen. Antidiabetic mechanisms of gogi polysaccharides are both mild and multiple, enhancing glucose uptake by cells, antioxidant protection of pancreatic cells and prevention of apoptosis, reduced insulin resistance via anti-inflammatory means, reduction of glucose production in the liver, modulation of the gut microbiome, and stimulation of GLP-1 release.

Phenolic compounds—phenolic acids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, coumarins, lignans, and their derivatives. These account for antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. These are most concentrated in the pulp of the fruit, in comparison to the whole fruit or the seeds.

Zeaxanthan and carotenoids of L. barbarum produce the orange red colors, and are present in higher amts than egg yolks and many other foods sought out for these nutrients. These molecules elicit antioxidant and protective effects to address age related macular degeneration, and to support eye health in general. This product has shown success orally in addressing dry eyes via anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Betaine is regarded as another contributor to this effect.

Betaine is trimethyl glycine. This little molecule serves (for example) as a methyl donor to aid the conversion of homocysteine (which you need in your metabolic pathways, but which you don’t want too much of) to methionine, which is an amino acid used in protein synthesis, etc.. Betaine as a nutrient is responsible for bodily fluid and osmotic regulation, and is vital in keeping your necessary metabolic storage and transfers of sulfur and methyl groups in order. (We could be buried in biochemistry if I detail this.) The maintenance of these metabolic functions impinge upon just about everything else your body does. Betaine helps to protect against fatty liver disease, whether induced by alcohol or not. It influences the gut microbiome, intestinal wall cellular integrity and transport, the production, oxidation and transportation of fat within the body, inflammatory processes, pain perception, brain function, and a whole lot more. This vital compound is manufactured in the body, and is found in whole grains, beets, leafy greens and in goji. Betaine is used as a gogi quality marker, and if you pay attention to certain hallucinatory literature summaries, you might be led astray as to how much betaine is in normal servings of goji. This amount can provide a good dietary contribution, but it is not nearly sufficient to address the metabolic insufficiencies for which some people are seeking extra betaine supplementation. (The massive byproducts of beet ethanol production are being extracted to produce naturally occurring betaine for animal feed and human supplementation. Betaine is also produced by various synthetic procedures.)

The antioxidant properties of L barbarum are higher than such foods as kiwifruit, raspberries and oranges but lower than blueberries and black currants. The dark berries of L. ruthenicum are more like the blueberries, and their anthocyanins have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, somewhat anti-lipidemic and weight controlling properties. A variety of L. barbarum, called auranticarpum, has yellow fruit. It possesses a higher level of the anti-inflammatory flavonoids. It’s evident that gogi plants can be malleable to address different health priorities.

Good portions of whole gogi berry products: Dry powder: is 6-10 grams per 24 hours. Reasonable consumption of the dry berries is 10-30 grams per day, with costs and usefulness both under consideration. Goji berries are a great way to obtain the beneficial, berry associated nutrients minerals and carotenoids while obtaining comparatively more protein and less sugar.

When cooking, you can add or substitute dried gogi berries wherever the dried fruits, raisins, dates, cranberries, cherries would go. Expect less sweetness and more tartness. But you should rehydrate them first for chewability and palatability. Soak the berries in water until you like the consistency. Soak a little longer if you’re baking with them to prevent them from drying out a recipe.

In TCM, the liver meridian is connected with all sorts of things that Westerners don’t normally associate with the liver organ, including mood and vision. (But in truth, the metabolic, digestive and immune functions of the liver influence every bodily system.) The Chinese will ‘cool down the liver heat’ to address irritability and mood swings as well as dry eyes and blurred vision. So goji berries and chrysanthemum are combined for that, and as is the usual case in TCM, they don’t fool around with the quantities. One cup of tea is made with 3-5 grams Chrysanthemum morifolium flowers and 2 tablespoons (13-15 grams) of dried goji berries steeped in hot water for 5-10 minutes, for a good, strong drink. (And I eat those wet berries, shame to waste :-) Sometimes a little licorice root or honey can be used to balance and sweeten the essential ingredients. If you’re drinking for flavor and not specifically for the herbal benefits, lower the amounts of both ingredients to suit your taste. In China there are various cultivars of Chrysanthemum with sweet to bitter sweet flavor, suitable for daily use. Some are so domesticated that they are no longer propagated by seed, but by division. There’s a nice one at weedom, gong ju hua, a November bloomer, which will be become a future topic.

If you’re using a Goji berry related product, or are growing your own, and feel like sharing, we’re all eyes.

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Having learned the degree to which Western medical and scientific literature is curated by non-science interests, assembling information from many alternative sources from around the world seems the most sensible thing to do. One can’t assume that any particular group is using superior curation and determination of which scientific research is worthy of publication. More than ever, we are on our own, educating ourselves for our own decisions.

It has become advantageous to use AI searching and translations to find natural products information, particularly since so much research is done outside the U.S.. This also bypasses lots of ads and sellers that are encountered in usual searching. I will continue to concentrate my writings on the plants which I can experience directly, such as weedom’s very own Goji bush, though once in awhile I’ll stray to imported plant products in Winter. I will search for additional information using AI resources, but will continue to make sense and summarize what is found online, my library, and primary resources using my own little brain, and writing it the old way. Therefore the output will remain slower, and (fortunately) less voluminous. If you prefer human-brained :-D info about the weeds this is where to be. I chose a different type of AI resource for searching rather than the ones that seem most well known. I believe this choice is the right one for continuing to convey my own thinking and pattern recognition, rather than churning out overwhelming volumes of verbiage.

Where We Dig

1. Hunan Zhong yi yao yan jiu suo, ed. A Barefoot Doctor’s Manual. Rev. & enl. ed. Cloudburst Press ; distributed to the trade in the U.S.A. by S. Greene Press; 1977.

2. Arumugam MK, Paal MC, Donohue TM, Ganesan M, Osna NA, Kharbanda KK. Beneficial Effects of Betaine: A Comprehensive Review. Biology (Basel). 2021;10(6):456. doi:10.3390/biology10060456

3. Juan C, Montesano D, Mañes J, Juan-García A. Carotenoids present in goji berries Lycium barbarum L. are suitable to protect against mycotoxins effects: An in vitro study of bioavailability. Journal of Functional Foods. 2022;92:105049. doi:10.1016/j.jff.2022.105049

4. ethnoagriculture. Chrysanthemums in Traditional Medicine: Ancient Blooms with Modern Healing Power. Ethnoagriculture. November 16, 2024. Accessed February 16, 2026. https://ethnoagriculture.com/chrysanthemums-in-traditional-medicine-ancient-blooms-with-modern-healing-power/

5. Chan HH lung, Lam H i, Choi K yip, et al. Delay of cone degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa using a 12-month treatment with Lycium barbarum supplement. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2019;236:336-344. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2019.03.023

6. Goji berries, dried - Nutrients - SR Legacy | USDA FoodData Central. Accessed January 29, 2026. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173032/nutrients

7. Noreen S, Niazi MK, Arshad MT, Ikram A, Gnedeka KT. Goji berries: a review of their bioactive components and health-promoting properties. Int J Food Sci Tech. 2025;60(2):vvaf232. doi:10.1093/ijfood/vvaf232

8. Karp D. Goji taunts North American farmers. Los Angeles Times. August 5, 2009. Accessed January 29, 2026. https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-goji5-2009aug05-story.html

9. Vidović BB, Milinčić DD, Marčetić MD, et al. Health Benefits and Applications of Goji Berries in Functional Food Products Development: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022;11(2):248. doi:10.3390/antiox11020248

10. Vidović BB, Milinčić DD, Marčetić MD, et al. Health Benefits and Applications of Goji Berries in Functional Food Products Development: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022;11(2):248. doi:10.3390/antiox11020248

11. Wenli S, Shahrajabian MH, Qi C. Health benefits of wolfberry (Gou Qi Zi, Fructus barbarum L.) on the basis of ancient Chineseherbalism and Western modern medicine. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2021;11(2):109-119. Accessed February 12, 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8051317/

12. Xiao Z, Deng Q, Zhou W, Zhang Y. Immune activities of polysaccharides isolated from Lycium barbarum L. What do we know so far? Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2022;229:107921. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2021.107921

13. Lycium (Goji) | East West Healing Academy. White Rabbit Institute of Healing. Accessed January 28, 2026. https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/lycium-goji/

14. Shunkai H, Yiting X, Shadrack SM, et al. Lycium barbarum (goji berry): A comprehensive review of chemical composition, bioactive compounds, health-promoting activities, and applications in functional foods and beyond. Food Chemistry. 2025;496:146588. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.146588

15. Zhang T, Alexa EA, Liu G, Berisha A, Walsh R, Kelleher R. Lycium barbarum for Health and Longevity: A Review of Its Biological Significance. Obesities. 2025;5(2). doi:10.3390/obesities5020035

16. Lakshmanan Y, Wong FSY, So KF, Chan HHL. Lycium barbarum glycopeptide promotes neuroprotection in ET-1 mediated retinal ganglion cell degeneration. J Transl Med. 2024;22:727. doi:10.1186/s12967-024-05526-8

17. Masci A, Carradori S, Casadei MA, et al. Lycium barbarum polysaccharides: Extraction, purification, structural characterisation and evidence about hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic effects. A review. Food Chemistry. 2018;254:377-389. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.01.176

18. Liang J, Ga Z, Wu J, et al. Lycium ruthenicum Murray Anthocyanins Alleviate Aging Through SIRT1/P53 Signaling Pathway. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(10):4510. doi:10.3390/ijms26104510

19. (PDF) Nutritional evaluation of fresh and dried goji berries cultivated in Italy. Accessed January 30, 2026. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321007006_Nutritional_evaluation_of_fresh_and_dried_goji_berries_cultivated_in_Italy

20. Yao R, Heinrich M, Zou Y, et al. Quality Variation of Goji (Fruits of Lycium spp.) in China: A Comparative Morphological and Metabolomic Analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:151. doi:10.3389/fphar.2018.00151

21. Henriques JF, Serra D, Dinis TCP, Almeida LM. The Anti-Neuroinflammatory Role of Anthocyanins and Their Metabolites for the Prevention and Treatment of Brain Disorders. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(22):8653. doi:10.3390/ijms21228653

22. Zeng S, Lin S, Wang Z, Zong Y, Wang Y. The health-promoting anthocyanin petanin in Lycium ruthenicum fruit: a promising natural colorant. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2024;64(28):10484-10497. doi:10.1080/10408398.2023.2225192

23. Liu C. The Ultimate Guide to Chinese Chrysanthemum Tea. Red Rock Tea House. February 22, 2025. Accessed February 16, 2026. https://www.redrockteahouse.com/blogs/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-chinese-chrysanthemum-tea

24. Liu C. The Ultimate Guide to Dried Chrysanthemum: Benefits & Uses. Red Rock Tea House. February 20, 2025. Accessed February 16, 2026. https://www.redrockteahouse.com/blogs/articles/the-ultimate-guide-to-dried-chrysanthemum

25. Yao R, Heinrich M, Zhao X, Wang Q, Wei J, Xiao P. What’s the choice for goji: Lycium barbarum L. or L. chinense Mill.? Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2021;276:114185. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2021.114185

Fear of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), and sometimes allergy, drives off some people who might also reject tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, peppers, etc, and this presents an unfortunate roadblock to getting enough veggies. For all who are able to eat the nightshades, goji is an exceptionally strong source of nutrients.

Goji is the anglicized version of the Chinese gouqizi. The written gou character means wolf, leading to the alternate names wolfberry or wolf barberry. Some other common names are boxthorn and matrimony vine. In contrast to other cultures many Northern Chinese see positive attributes in the wolf such as strength, community, and courage, lending to goji marketability under that name.

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Goji belongs to the genus Lycium which contains about 100 species. Though South America claims the largest number of these species, which inhibit temperate plus subtropical places, those focused upon here are thought to be native in China, S.W. Asia and S.E. Europe. About 30 of planet Earth’s Lycium species have been employed as food or medicine, including some in North America and in the Mediterranean. Berries, leaves and root bark have been employed in this capacity. The recognized goji berry species are fortunately able to grow in many areas from USDA zones 4 to 9, including Midwest flyover U.S.A., the home of weedom. The search for improvements of flavor, size and juiciness, has lead to the creation of innumerable cultivars and hybrids.

Many U.S. customers want to hear that their goji comes from the mountainous Tibet, but the major areas of cultivation are north of there. Ningxia Hui, an autonomous region in Northern China near Mongolia, is a huge producer of Lycium barbarum, which is known for larger, juicier, orange/red ellipsoid berries that are the most suitable for eating. The so-called Tibetan goji berries are heavily marketed in the U.S. , but almost all are actually from Qinghai provincial part of the “the roof of the world”, a very high plateau that includes that province of China as well as part of Tibet (or Tibet autonomous region).

There is a daodi concept in Chinese herbal medicine in which a place, through long tradition gains a reputation as the source of highest quality medicinal product for a given species and application. Ningxia is a daodi place for goji, alternatively considered a “home” of goji, of which there are apparently 9. These special locations occupy an eastern monsoon region, the afore-mentioned high plateau, arid, and semi arid regions. So goji is adaptable to widely varying climates. Ningxia produces most of of China’s output of the berries. China overall produces about 80% of the global total output, which is estimated at about 200,000 tons of the multi-billion dollar market.

Depending on the source, you might hear that the Chinese started farming the goji in the 1950s, but that’s not what they say in China. The Lycium genus has been mentioned as medicine in the Book of Songs (a collection of poetry that predates Confucius), placing its use as far back as a 3000 years ago. Ancient herbals note actual cultivation of L. chinense in Changshan as of 100 A.D., in Tangyi, as of 500 A.D., and the sweeter L. barbarum was cultivated in Ganzhou, Yecheng, Lanzhou, Jiuyuan, and Lingzhou as of 682 A.D., as described by Sung Simiao. In general, cultivation of goji drifted from eastern China towards the more arid western regions, and finally expanded to ginormously exportable agribusiness in the 1960s.

In recent years, the comparative study of goji’s contents has been taking place with species delineation and quality being determined from relative amounts of chemical markers. Such markers include antioxidant capacity, betaine, flavonoid and carotenoid content, sugar and total carbohydrate content. The daodi concept is being gradually replaced by chemical analysis to determine which goji is best for particular applications. Generally the sweet fruits of Lycium barbarum are directed towards dried fruit and juice, while the generally smaller, less sweet fruits of Lycium chinense, (native in China, Japan and Taiwan) for example, relegated to medicinal use. The fruits of L. barbarum and L. chinense are not reliably distinguished by appearance alone, so that chemical fingerprinting is used. Another species, black goji or Lycium ruthenicum (native to China and Russia) has rounded black berries, which seem to flunk taste tests in the U.S. when raw, but are reported to be more palatable when dried. Some compare the taste of black goji berries to that of black night shade berries. These particularly anthocyanin rich fruits are generally used and studied for medicinal purposes. (I have not personally tasted the Lycium ruthenicum nor chinensis fruits.)

Thus far, it appears that of China exports only a minor portion of the goji which it produces, keeping most for its own billion plus people. Because the Chinese Pharmacopoeia now recognizes only the L. barbarum as medicinal, that species is most cultivated in mass production. L. chinensis continues to be locally cultivated. The Korean FDA and the Japanese Pharmacopoeia editorial committee have regarded the 2 species to be interchangeable for use, though the plants do put out different proportions of useful compounds.

The world is sucking down goji juice and tea, and munching the berries in order to obtain a unique and potent array of nutrients. 28 grams of dried berries contains:

• 3 grams protein, (18 amino acids, 8 essential amino acids)

• 3 grams sugar

• 3 grams dietary fiber (18 grams total carbohydrate)

• 1 gram fat

• 840 mg. potassium (a lot)

• 59 mg. sodium

• calcium, magnesium, iron

• vitamins C, A (beta carotene, beta cryptoxanthin), and various B vitamins

• zeaxanthin, betaine, flavonoids, lutein, lycopene,

Find a USDA evaluation of the nutrients in 100 grams of dried goji berries here. Those who don’t want to rely on pharma for nutritional support of vision and eye health might choose to eat their greens and some goji berries regularly. As is the case of mushrooms, the polysaccharides of goji berries are being credited with immune modulating properties.

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Weedom’s single goji bush, a type of L. Barbarum, was installed about 12 years ago. Hardy from zones 5-9, per the producer, it is getting a test this winter which is probably the coldest overall since we planted it. It likes neutral to slightly alkaline soil, and has been on the struggle bus here since our soil runs a bit acid in the area where it lives, south of some pine trees. Despite this, the plant survives, looking fairly sparse until the end of the summer, when the leaves seem to suddenly sprout in profusion and become more vigorous. It tends to put out more blooms at this time, though these can start earlier in the summer. The significant fruit is produced in the fall, all the way until frost. Our plant has survived 3 drought years with maybe one deep watering per summer as time allowed.

The producer is no longer selling our cultivar, however they appear to have claimed patent protection at the time of sale, so reproduction is not allowed. It seems that people want to tell mother nature what to do. :-D

The fruit of this plant is pretty decent, juicy and seedy. In the fall it’s a little bit sweet to my taste. Some others compare the goji fruit to sweet (not hot) peppers in the range of taste.

Likely you will encounter the goji berries in dried form, with consistency much like that of raisins but chewier. Eating them inspired me to grow our own, and the effort has been rewarded, as I find the fresh ones to be more satisfying.

In Chinese medicine, the bark of the root, the leaves and the berries are used for different purposes. Lycium chinense is entry 303 in the 1977 translated Chinese Barefoot Doctor’s Manual, as chou-ch’i and a number of other synonyms, the most interesting of which is shua-ya lan, or duck killing orchid. Another is shih shou-shu, or rocky longevity tree. It’s described as a small deciduous shrub, with short thorns found along the village outskirts and road sides. The slender stemmed bush reaches 1-2 meters in height. Along much of the stems, leaves are alternate, but like the L. barbarum at weedom, the leaves also emerge in clusters. Light purple flowers are borne in the leaf axils in the summer. Flowers are bisexual, and only a single bush is required for fruiting, though some suggest that having multiple bushes is better for yield. Berries are smooth, elongated, with a somewhat waxy surface, and transform from green to orange-red as they ripen. They contain numerous yellowish seeds. Lycium barbarum berries may be more orange colored, but among all the cultivars the berry appearance is not a definitive way to distinguish them. The berries of Lycium barbarum are more palatable. Drying the berries is a challenge due to the waxy coating, and numerous industrial treatments and technologies have been developed to overcome this.

In choosing your goji, bear in mind that the products from more humid, eastern areas (Hebei, for example) have been sometimes treated with sulfur to inhibit mold degradation, particularly when sun drying was necessary. This produces a brighter red dried product. The use of large scale drying rooms is gradually replacing the sun-drying (which tends to degrade beneficial compounds), as well as lowering the need for sulfur use.

Medicinally the Goji fruit is neither hot nor cold, so it has wide applicability in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Barefoot Doctors Manual suggests it for supporting the kidneys, for restoring semen, liver support and to ‘clear’ the vision, most particularly the night vision. Root bark is cooling and bitter. It’s used to clear pulmonary heat, purge fire, cool the blood, and is used to address hypertension, pneumonia and pulmonary tuberculosis. Each dose is 9 to 15 grams of the dried material in decoction. In China, goji is said to brighten the spirit. Good nutrition does that, though other factors can be at play. A popular tonic is the combination of schizandra berries (a.k.a. Chinese Prozac) and goji berries. Expect a complex flavored drink if you try it. There’s nothing that tastes like the “5-flavor” schizandra berry.

As a grower, I found the production of the highly nutritious goji to be endlessly fascinating, and hopefully loyal readers of weedom gain some take home benefits from the info. Goji can live as a container plant on your porch or balcony, as well as in any unsprayed property that gets a half sunny day or more. While the Chinese are doing their best to give themselves some good goji, we can’t forget that they’re under an industrial revolution, firing up coal plants at a rapid pace, and the air and water quality are not so great. Organic claims do not address heavy metal content. So there is nothing better than growing your own goji if you have space for a bush or 2. The industry in the U.S. has not taken off because harvesting remains laborious. Elon et al might be putting out goji grabbing robots someday :-D. Goji Farm U.S. is selling freeze dried goji berries at boutique prices, close to $100 for a half pound. Even with tariffs, China is crushing those prices for the conventionally dried products at about $15 per pound. (It’s much more affordable despite considering that freeze drying removes another 20% or so of water.)

Maybe hunt up some seeds or plants, while I line up another article delving into the powers of the little Goji berries. If you’re already growing and/or using some gogi, share the fun!

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Where We Dig

1. Hunan Zhong yi yao yan jiu suo, ed. A Barefoot Doctor’s Manual. Rev. & enl. ed. Cloudburst Press ; distributed to the trade in the U.S.A. by S. Greene Press; 1977.

2. Goji berries, dried - Nutrients - SR Legacy | USDA FoodData Central. Accessed January 29, 2026. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173032/nutrients

3. Karp D. Goji taunts North American farmers. Los Angeles Times. August 5, 2009. Accessed January 29, 2026. https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-goji5-2009aug05-story.html

4. Vidović BB, Milinčić DD, Marčetić MD, et al. Health Benefits and Applications of Goji Berries in Functional Food Products Development: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022;11(2):248. doi:10.3390/antiox11020248

5. Lycium (Goji) | East West Healing Academy. White Rabbit Institute of Healing. Accessed January 28, 2026. https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/lycium-goji/

6. Liang J, Ga Z, Wu J, et al. Lycium ruthenicum Murray Anthocyanins Alleviate Aging Through SIRT1/P53 Signaling Pathway. Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(10):4510. doi:10.3390/ijms26104510

7. Yao R, Heinrich M, Zou Y, et al. Quality Variation of Goji (Fruits of Lycium spp.) in China: A Comparative Morphological and Metabolomic Analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:151. doi:10.3389/fphar.2018.00151

8. Henriques JF, Serra D, Dinis TCP, Almeida LM. The Anti-Neuroinflammatory Role of Anthocyanins and Their Metabolites for the Prevention and Treatment of Brain Disorders. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(22):8653. doi:10.3390/ijms21228653

9. Zeng S, Lin S, Wang Z, Zong Y, Wang Y. The health-promoting anthocyanin petanin in Lycium ruthenicum fruit: a promising natural colorant. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2024;64(28):10484-10497. doi:10.1080/10408398.2023.2225192

10. Yao R, Heinrich M, Zhao X, Wang Q, Wei J, Xiao P. What’s the choice for goji: Lycium barbarum L. or L. chinense Mill.? Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2021;276:114185. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2021.114185

Your time invested outdoors will gradually give you the ability and confidence to identify and munch this food most or all of winter. Don’t be in a hurry. Even you gain full knowledge of just 1 or 2 weeds a year, you’ll gradually be able to gather winter greenery, and enhance your nutritional status in good times and in bad. Habitual foragers gather these plants because incorporating the nutritious variety of wild food in their diet makes them feel better. The mustard family Brassicaceae, will provide a significant portion of your cold weather greens. The pungent little rosettes will confirm their identity to your nose, and (like collards and kale) will offer their best flavor during cold weather. Look for this bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) , below, and wintercress, (Barbarea vulgaris) and any tasty wild mustards of your area.

Some of our readers haven’t gotten their own piece of land yet, and some might not choose to do so. But this isn’t a limitation. Find a friend or relative with a patch of land that’s not being sprayed with herbicides all the time. Do they need help weeding a garden or getting it ready for spring? Free food! The upper age group of our population is most likely to have more land than they can maintain to their own satisfaction. Building relationships with this generation can bring you more greens than you can eat. Some of them know the weeds well and will help you learn the identities, even if they don’t know the full utility of each plant. On public lands, you might obtain permission to harvest whatever is considered invasive, and then some. There are plenty of non land-owning herbalists who have been able to legitimately gather a good harvest year round.

Many foraging sources will caution you that gathering near farms, ditches, roads, etc. will cause you to curl up and die. Just remember that our food comes from places which are called farms, and are accessed by roads and irrigated via ditches. Don’t lose your mind by fearing less than pristine wild food, because none of the food we eat is totally ‘clean’. Much of organic certification is accorded to hydroponics, which are artificially grown using imported, processed (not natural) nutrients. The best protection from toxicity is from avoiding really nasty runoff areas, or raw sewage drains, gas station lots, and by harvesting a variety of food from a variety of locations over time. Learn from the rats and the wildlife. That’s what they do. A good bit of malnutrition and poor health in our population is caused by the fear of eating less than perfect food. Get used to sharing your greenery with the wormie looking insect larvae. If your leaves are a little bug eaten, that means less or no insecticides, which is great. Flick off the extra protein, and wash off the bug poop (a.k.a. frass) . Cooking will allow you to tolerate some of these imperfections more easily.

Some people like to eat the extra protein, but mostly I’m not a fan.

Links in this post will lead you to detailed weedom info about most of the plants should you want a review, or for our new readers. You could go at this all day. :-D

Despite the early cold snap at weedom, a surprising array of greens are still showing themselves in mid January, a few of which actually taste great.

Shepherd’s purse microgreens remain in abundance. Garlic lovers especially can dig into this greenery for both food and medicine. This weed supports the action of blood clotting nutritionally via vitamin K, and as an oxytocic to constrict smooth muscle. At this size, the shepherd’s purse is fantastic, raw or cooked.

A surprising amount of catnip is still sprouting to a good size, near the compost heap, and also out in the open. With this plant is a good deal of ground ivy and Gallium mollugo. Catnip is dead center, the semicircular leaves above are ground ivy and the radially arranged leaves belong to the Gallium mollugo, a.k.a. false baby’s breath. In the archives are 3 articles extolling the many virtues of catnip, which is for people too.

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Hiking out in the fields, we have been spotting more than the usual amount of yarrow, another hemostatic weed which works in an astringent way to stop bleeding. It’s complementary and additive to shepherds purse for hemostasis. The roots are anaesthetic. Plenty of anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activity add to the the wound healing power of this medicinal weed.

Ground ivy is a digestive bitter than can help you process the heavy food of winter. Chewing a little bit of it before a meal will stimulate your digestive juices. This herb is medicine, with a zillion components that are best in lower quantities. It is added to alcoholic beverages for flavor, and was a beer additive and preservative before hops became popular in Europe.

Purple dead nettle in the center below, isn’t very purple this time of year, but it’s milder, (less bitter) and you could enjoy a more of this fuzzy little weed in your greens mix at this time of year. There is bittercress and ground ivy with the grass, hiding in this mix too. The deep venation of the leaves and increased hair distinguish the baby, purple dead nettle at this stage of development. And gradually your nose will make you certain of this weed’s identity.

The scourge of winter and northerly climates was scurvy, a potentially fatal connective tissue disease that resulted from shortage of vitamin C. Dogs can make their own, but humans cannot, so we need to eat it. Remember that vitamin C can be found in pine needles and in rose hips, including wild roses, and invasive multiflora roses which have taken over in some areas. Notice the knobs on the ends of these fruits which each contain 2 light colored seeds. All the vitamin C is in the thin outer coating. I chew them up and spit out the seeds. This time of year the tiny fruits have become sweet, almost like cherries. In a month or so, desperate wildlife will have cleaned up these little things, but there is a good amount in the first half of winter here.

Yaaa, wild rose hips are teeny. But they taste great in the cold weather.

Be sure to distinguish the rose hips from the Asian imported honeysuckle berries. These honeysuckle bushes have taken over a lot of our land. It’s easy to tell the fruits apart, even though they’re about the same size and color. There is no prominent knob on the end of the honeysuckle berry, and the branch that bears them has NO thorns. Always pick your wild rose hips from a thorny branch!

Your best weed buddy doesn’t know all of them, and here’s an example of one that keeps showing itself in the same spot every winter, on a north facing hillside of our Midwest, USDA zone 6, flyover U.S.A.. In my dreams, I’d get the genus and species name of this little wild mint. It’s a Mentha something or other, such as arvensis or canadensis or whatever hybrid. This little thing has plenty of hair on the stems and leaves and puts out a strong minty odor. Got any ideas? The mature plants get buried in vast underbrush every growing season so I have yet to see it flower. It’s been a faithful, cool weather friend.

Last but not least on our winter tour of weedom is the fertilizer which makes the world go ‘round. The land needs both the plants and the animals to keep its cycles going.

And the chefs who produce the pies, are pictured below in their luxuriant winter coats. 😎

Hope you have enjoyed the winter tour of weedom, though the pics have extended length beyond what G-mail likes. The bovines are too excellent to leave out.

Let us all know the winter favorites that you encounter in your outdoor wanderings. The learning never stops. Thanks for hanging out with us, and be sure to dip into the open archives of weedom to enjoy what all the growing seasons will bring.

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Bitterly full of of saponins, our buckeyes are not the famous nuts of Christmas seasonal lyrics. Although the fruits of many Aesculus species can be processed into a somewhat edible state for humans, it takes a lot of work. However some very hungry groups of people have taken the trouble to roast and chop the innards of buckeyes, and soak them for prolonged periods in water or limed water to remove some of the bitter toxic elements, and eat them. They have also been processed by heating, soaking and grinding, and used in limited quantities to feed to livestock. Pigs have been said to reject this product entirely. Some are of the opinion that after sufficient cooking and rinsing to render the buckeyes palatable, little is left of the nutrients, and the remainder is mostly starch. Among wildlife, it is said that squirrels are fairly tolerant of them, but it’s not their number one food. Conflicting reports about deer eating buckeyes or hating them might be due to confusion between buckeye and the related, sweet chestnut trees (Castanea species) which yield the nuts for roasting. However the squirrels must have been extra hungry this fall, because I’ve been seeing empty outer shells but no buckeyes on the ground. The ravenous squirrels have also braved the territory of the cats of weedom to gather black walnuts during the last few years.

Just about every plant which is unpalatable or inedible has medicine in it, and the horse chestnut and buckeye trees are no exception. The bark, leaves, roots and flowers have all been employed medicinally in various parts of the world. In the U.S., a well known supplement called Venastat was comprised of an extract of the seeds of Aesculus hippocastanum from which the aesculin had been largely removed. The primary active constituent is a mix of triterpene saponins called Aescin. This substance works by various mechanisms to support the integrity of blood vessel walls. It is available generically and under many brand names as an orally available supplement or for topical application.

The temperate regions of the the northern hemisphere , (USDA hardiness zones 3 to 9) support members of the Aesculus genus, recently adopted into the Sapindaceae, a.k.a. soapberry family. Six Aesculus species are native to North America, and 7-13 more species occupy Europe and Asia, along with some hybrids. The Acer, or maple genus, with over 100 species, has also been added to the soapberry family. In the western world, Aesculus hippocastanum, the horse chestnut of Europe is perhaps most famous of its genus. It is thought to have traveled from northern or central Asia through Europe and made a comfortable home for itself in the UK. Traditional medicinal uses likely propelled the migration of this tree to it’s cushy home, with sun, but not too much.

Buckeye trees like morning and evening sun most, but when growing without some cover, tends to get leaf scorch in summer that we see on our trees at weedom. They turn brown and give up early, rather than developing yellow shade that might otherwise occur in the fall.

Our main species is Aesculus glabra, the Ohio buckeye, which occupies much of midwestern U.S. flyover country, and can hybridize with the larger Aesculus flava, yellow buckeye. Our local tree grows to 20-40 feet (6-13 m.) while yellow buckeye reaches 40-60 feet (13-19m) and the hybrid is a variable 30-70 feet (10-16m.) at maturity. A. hippocastanum, the horse chestnut, is as tall as the yellow buckeye tree.

As the name A. glabra implies, the palmately compound leaves of the Ohio buckeye are hairless with usually 5 leaflets, which have pinnately arranged veins, and finely serrated margins. Leaves of A. flava are similar but tend to be larger, as are those A. hippocastanum, which may more frequently show up to 7 leaflets. Crushing the leaves of the Ohio buckeye produces an unattractive “fetid” odor which is not such a prominent feature of the yellow buckeye tree.

Our spring-blooming tree puts out sweet scented, tubular, 4 petaled flowers arranged on panicles at the tips of the branches. Flowers at the top of the panicle are male, and the lower blooms have both male and female parts. Four stamens protrude from each creamy or yellowish green bloom. (The stamens of yellow buckeye, as well as the hybrid, do not protrude from the blooms.) The panicles may be up to 8 inches (20 cm.) long, while the blooms are 1 -2 inches (2.5-5 cm.) in length.

Fruits are yellowish to brown, leathery and may have warts as ours do, or short spikes like those of horse chestnut. Each 2-3 inch diameter fruit capsule opens in fall to reveal 1-3 shiny dark brown seeds. A prominent lighter colored scar on each seed marks where it attached to the interior of the fruit. .

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While all the parts of this tree have had traditional medicinal use, the fruits seem to remain of highest interest for obtaining extracts used in supplements.

The bark of the tree is distinctly grey, and develops prominent fissures as it ages. Bark of this tree has been traditionally used as a tea to treat malaria, dysentery, and skin ulcerations. The wood of the Aesculus trees is easily worked and light, but not suited long term for heavy structures. So it has been used for artificial limbs in the past, and for constructing smaller items, carvings, and packaging.

Plant saponins from this tree have had application as a soap substitute, but the characteristic odor of certain species prevented this from being a favorite application.

Medicinal applications of our New World buckeyes have been similar to those of A. hippocastanum in Europe, owing to their similar array of constituents. Kings American Dispensatory (Felter and Lloyd) regarded the Ohio buckeye as a generally stronger version of horse chestnut, with applications in non paroxysmal asthma, bronchial irritation with constriction, hepatic congestion, intestinal irritation, chronic constipation, rectal tightness, and hemorrhoids. The older references refer to an opiate like substance within Aesculus bark or the rind of the fruit, even suggesting that it is about 1/3 the strength of opium. A search of the constituents hasn’t revealed one which acts upon recognized opiate receptors. Perhaps the analgesia caused by other mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory activities was confused for opiate action in a time when much of the population was freely partaking of opium derived substances.

Horse chestnut, A. hippocastanum bark extract has made its way into the cosmetics industry to address cellulite, as a skin protectant and for “cellular renewal”. The seed extract is used topically to heal skin, as an astringent and antioxidant, and to strengthen skin capillaries due to its anti hyaluronidase and anti collegenase activities. In other words, the enzymes that break down the intracellular matrix of skin and blood vessel walls are inhibited, thereby preserving structural integrity.

Jump up and down for joy, because the most studied buckeye tree molecule that contributes to its efficacy, as well as the one which is removed from commercial extracts will be presented. :-D

First let’s ponder the Aesculin or esculin which is the troublesome molecule that is normally removed from final products derived from Buckeye. This has a coumarin type of structure which inspires all sorts of warnings that it could interact with blood thinning drugs. The molecule is related to those warfarin type blood thinners which affect vitamin K mediated blood clotting mechanisms. Though Aesculin has a huge array of medicinal effects of its own, (including the reduction of insulin resistance, antimicrobial, anti-cancer and sunscreen properties), it is not as well studied in humans as Aescin. Eliminating this from medicinal extracts of the horse chestnut avoids significant drug interactions and issues with blood thinning.

The most favored substance among numerous useful constituents is aescin or escin, which is a mixture of fairly large, pentacyclic (5 ring), triterpenoid (30 carbon atoms), saponin isomers. The most active isomer is beta-escin, and another less active one is kryptoescin. A trisaccharide, comprised of glucose, galactose and xylose, is attached to the 3 hydroxy end of the triterpenoid structure. The 22 and 21 positions on the other end are esterified with angelic, acetic or tiglic acids. So a variety of closely related molecules are extracted together, and utilized as a supplement with the most active constituent being the β-escin, which has acetic acid and tiglic acid at the 21 and 22 positions. This is a fairly water insoluble molecule of 1131.27 molecular weight. Though absorption of these large molecules from the GI tract is fairly low, their activity to counteract damage, and to increase the integrity of blood vessel walls is significant. Saponins are known in high doses to cause hemolysis due to membrane effects upon the red blood cells. Though this is not a common issue at therapeutic doses of the escin extracts, it is a very serious reason to avoid too much of a good thing.

Escin acts to

• inhibit release of inflammatory mediators after blunt force trauma or injury

• modulate sensitivity of smooth muscle to calcium ions and increases blood vessel tone and sealing of capillary walls

• reduce pain via anti-inflammatory effects

• inhibit the enzymes hyaluronidase, collagenase and elastase, thereby preserving intracellular matrices

• increase integrity of vascular walls, thereby decreasing permeability from effects of bradykinin.

By the above mechanisms, damage, swelling and pain from injury are decreased. These mechanisms also contribute to the demonstrated efficacy of Escin in addressing leg pain and swelling from chronic venous insufficiency. Numerous products that are touted to be Aesculin free are available on the market. Most standardized to 16-22 percent Escin extract. A dose of 300mg twice daily of a 16.7 % product will deliver 50mg twice daily of Escin, for example. For issues with venous insufficiency and leg swelling, pregnant women should avoid this product and stick with the support hose.

Topical products containing 2% escin extract are also available for such conditions as hemorrhoids, skin trauma, and for cosmetic purposes.

Hope you enjoyed a foray into the chestnut relatives that you won’t be roasting over an open fire. Remember medicine is almost everywhere, and that the difference between medicine and poison is the dose.

Wishing you Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, excellent New Year from snowy and wet weedom-land.

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Where We Dig

1. Aesculin - (Horse Chestnut). Accessed December 18, 2025. https://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/~paulmay/webprojects2001/gerrard/aesculin.html

2. Aesculus flava (Big Buckeye, Sweet Buckeye, Yellow Buckeye) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed December 18, 2025. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aesculus-flava/

3. Aesculus glabra (Buckeye, Fetid Buckeye, Horse Chestnut, Ohio Buckeye) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed December 18, 2025. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/aesculus-glabra/

4. Aesculus hippocastanum. The Naturopathic Herbalist. October 19, 2011. Accessed May 6, 2025. https://thenaturopathicherbalist.com/herbs/a-2/aesculus-hippocastanum-horse-chestnut/

5. Aesculus hippocastanum Horse Chestnut, European Horsechestnut, Common Horsechestnut PFAF Plant Database. Accessed December 18, 2025. https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Aesculus+hippocastanum

6. Owczarek A, Kołodziejczyk-Czepas J, Marczuk P, Siwek J, Wąsowicz K, Olszewska MA. Bioactivity Potential of Aesculus hippocastanum L. Flower: Phytochemical Profile, Antiradical Capacity and Protective Effects on Human Plasma Components under Oxidative/Nitrative Stress In Vitro. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021;14(12):1301. doi:10.3390/ph14121301

7. Gallelli L. Escin: a review of its anti-edematous, anti-inflammatory, and venotonic properties. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2019;13:3425-3437. doi:10.2147/DDDT.S207720

8. PubChem. Esculin. May 6, 2025. Accessed May 6, 2025. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/5281417

9. Hippocastanum.—Horse-Chestnut. | Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. Accessed December 18, 2025. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/kings/aesculus-hipp.html

10. Horse Chestnut – Herb Uses and Benefits. The Herbal Resource. June 19, 2019. Accessed December 19, 2025. https://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/horse-chestnut-herb-benefits.html

11. Cai T, Cai B. Pharmacological activities of esculin and esculetin: A review. Medicine. 2023;102(40):e35306. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000035306

Our most ancient one has completed his rough ride from this world into freedom and the care of the Creator. A 21 gun salute accompanied the otherwise quieter style of memorial that is typical for those who have outlived almost all of their peers. Some weedom trackers may randomly see or hear stories of how his prodigious nerd power was applied in the field of satellite radio communications. Towards the end of his days we would regularly keep count of the “seeds of infinity”, a term he once applied to his widely scattered great grandchildren (25 so far). He had his much more gregarious, 1-and-only wife to thank for sparking such long term productivity.

It seems that fitting signs can accompany the deaths of our loved ones. On his day of passing, on either side of the event, A deer struck the side of my car, and our youngest kid also grazed a deer with his vehicle. Shoulder bumps from our most ancient, perhaps? Both were fairly light hits. On the other hand a pair of heart shaped clouds and an unbelievably huge gathering of vultures had accompanied the passing of his 1-and-only, which matched her style of humor from years in the nursing profession. I believe our Creator allows us to make these connections so as to appreciate the continuum of life here and thereafter.

We are all so much more than worm food.

Weedom is for taking good care of ourselves and each other while we inhabit planet Earth. So now that it’s cold in the Northern hemisphere, we need to attend to the symptoms that erupt as we gather, and pass around our respiratory viruses. You can find in the archives a 2 year old post (12/6/23) that should be reviewed by all who suffer nasal congestion from a cold or flu. Your common kitchen spices can be mixed up with honey and used for hot tea to help sooth the sinus cloggage. A follow-up to that post is now offered to handle the cough that won’t quit. There are more kitchen spices to sooth the membranes of the throat and alleviate the irritation that stimulates incessant cough.

Over the counter and prescription cough remedies are fairly disappointing in their effects. Rather than taking enough dextromethorphan to hallucinate, or taking outright opiates (codeine and hydrocodone) so that you don’t care if you cough, it makes sense to address the irritation itself. (Besides, it’s pretty hard to acquire those two, lower strength opiates anymore, so people have gone to running after the 7-hydroxymitragynine (from kratom) instead.)

When you have chunks which must be coughed up, it’s best to concentrate on the consumption of adequate fluids, and use of expectorants. Consider the roots of the long neglected elecampane herb for such needs, and check out that post from the archives.

For the irritating cough that interrupts your sleep as well as your flow of speech, you can direct your attention to the hack tea recipe presented below. As with the prior Snot Tea, post we are going to promote the site of Kami McBride who utilizes classic kitchen spices in a lot of her herbal concoctions and remedies. This recipe is derived from her work, but I prefer adding an ultra-demulcent ingredient for greater soothing of mucous tissues. Here’s a short tour of the ingredients so you can work up this winter spice mix for yourself, family and friends. If you like the flavor a lot maybe spice up some cookies with it too.

Fennel

You have likely experienced the seeds of fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, in baking and in Italian sausage or hiding in innumerable Mediterranean foods. These seeds are also used to fix up the flavor of various herbal teas that would not taste so great on their own. This member of the carrot, Apiaceae, family has many relatives, both culinary (anise and cumin and dill) and do-not-eats such as poison hemlock. Both the seeds and the aerial parts of the fennel plant are edible, with some parts becoming a bit too chewy and fibrous with age. The above ground ‘bulb’ of the plant is an epicurean delight found in many middle eastern foods. The plant has numerous medicinal applications in far flung parts of the world from China and India to North America. Usages range from addressing kidney stones, and digestive disorders, to eye and respiratory health. For the current application, the smooth muscle relaxant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties are of greatest interest. Tracheal smooth muscle relaxation seemed to be mediated by potassium channel opening rather than effects upon the calcium channels, with ethanolic extracts and essential oils of fennel exhibiting the most effect experimentally. Trans anethole and fenchone make up the bulk of the essential oil of fennel, which exhibits antimicrobial and analgesic activity as well.

Star Anise

Star Anise, or Illicium verum, from the gamily Magnoliaceae, is an industrially important source of over 200 chemical constituents. Many of them exist in the star anise essential oil, and one significant drug precursor, shikimic acid, is used in the production of a oseltamivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor used to treat influenza. Trans anethole is a significant among the 158 volatile oil components found in this popular culinary and medicinal herb, which is produced mainly in Eastern China, as a spice since the Song Dynasty beginning in AD 960, and as a medicine since the Ming Dynasty beginning in 1368. In TCM this herb is classified as a Yang, warming herb which disperses cold, regulates Qi and relieves pain. Star anise possesses antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities. Other compounds within the plant appear to exhibit stronger anti-influenza A activity than oseltamivir. Dose limiting components anisatin and veranisatin A, B and C within star anise have been found to produce convulsive effects. so that there can be too much of a good thing. The main source of the oil has traditionally been from the star shaped fruit which bears usually 8 seed pods, however the leaves have more recently been extracted by steam distillation, CO2 extraction and supercritical fluid extraction, which have yielded a greater array of constituents. This evergreen, small to medium sized star anise tree is now grown in South East Asia, the Philippines, Mexico, Florida and Haiti in moist, shady to partly shaded areas.

Ginger

Ginger, Zingiber officinale, has top billing in the Ayurveda world of medicine, TCM and in Western herbalism as a strongly warming, drying and anti-inflammatory spice. The rhizome has been used fresh or dried in food and medicine throughout Asia and the Western world since times prior to written history, and has been cultivated for so long that no one is sure where it originated. It has salutary effects on circulation, respiration and digestion, and it tastes great. When using ginger and fitting it to your constitution, remember that the dried ginger is hotter, and fresh ginger is considered merely warm. Ginger dilates blood vessels allowing diaphoresis, and stimulating circulation and fluid movement within the body, It’s used as an additive to many herbal formulations to enhance the activity of the other ingredients. Ginger has anti-microbial properties which may inhibit secondary infections that sometimes occupy cold-virus ravaged territory. Ginger may inhibit streptococcal throat infections, some intestinal infections and some fungal pathogens. For antimicrobial potency, the fresh ginger is preferred, but dried ginger retains the anti-inflammatory and fluid moving properties needed for cold and flu symptom relief.

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Black Pepper

Black pepper, Piper nigrum of the family Piperaceae accounts for about 20% of the world spice trade. Its use likely began in India over 4 millennia ago and moved to the West in trade over 3000 years ago. Peppercorns are the mature dried berries of this plant which sometimes appear in their fresh, green form in Thai food. Yum! The various colors of dried pepper are from different ways of processing the same kind of berries. This digestive stimulant enhances the absorption of nutrients in food, and is said to increase bioavailability of beneficial turmeric constituents up to 20 fold, perhaps by enhancing circulation or by modulating membrane permeability. (The medicinal curcumin of turmeric is not well absorbed, and black pepper is therefore a needed additive to turmeric supplements.) This spice also enhances availability of echinacea, goldenseal, Co-enzyme Q-10, beta-carotene, B vitamins, etc. The piperine in black pepper inhibits p-glycoprotein and CYP3A4 enzymes in intestinal cells and in the liver, which may account for much of the interplay among these herbs, supplements, and drugs, and their metabolism and bioavailability. Those on digoxin, phenytoin, tacrolimus etc. might wish to avoid huge changes in the amount of black pepper in their diet. Black pepper acts as a stimulating expectorant to move stuck chunks of mucus produced during respiratory infections. It also serves as an antimicrobial, circulatory stimulant, anti-spasmodic and carminative. Use freshly ground pepper whenever possible, as the powder loses potency when stored for prolonged periods. Therapeutic doses are between 1 and 15 grams.

Hack Tea Spices

• 6 parts ground fennel seed

• 2 parts ground, dried star anise pod

• 2 parts ground, dried ginger root

• 1 part ground black peppercorns

These proportions are by volume of powder rather than weight. It’s best to grind the spices immediately before mixing them with honey or use the freshest powder. After combining the above 4 ingredients and mixing them, 2 tablespoons of the combination can be stirred into a jar containing 4 oz. by volume of honey. This mixture can be capped and stored in a dark cabinet for a year. Stir before use. If you don’t mind a bit of grit, you can take a teaspoon of this mixture by mouth up to 4 times a day. But it’s much better to stir a teaspoon of this into a cup of hot water and drink it as a tea.

At weedom, marshmallow goes everywhere, almost :-D. Therefore the ultra soothing, demulcent alternative is to make some marshmallow root tea, and then stir in a teaspoon of this hack tea spice and honey mixture.

Many herbalists prefer to infuse the marshmallow root in water at cooler temperatures for longer periods, and will make a day’s supply at at time. Less heat preserves the mucilage, but definitely cuts extraction efficiency, so that longer infusion time is needed. So you could make a quart of marshmallow tea that can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple days and use it in combination with the hack tea mixture. Remember that if you don’t have marshmallow, the mallow (malva neglecta) weeds are growing wild in almost every unsprayed yard and field, and those roots work too. At weedom we are prone to adjusting any herbal tea temperature to a satisfying, drinkable warmth with a zap in the microwave, but any suitable combination of cold and heated water can do the same for you.

Almost any herb lover has a favorite hot tea for cold weather. What’s yours?

Let us know what you’re mixing up for the season, and what you think of this mixture.

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Why would you give a gift subscription to a publication which has full access for free? Because it’s an easy way to $upport weedom in a 1 shot way without the fear of auto renewed subscription for either yourself or your gift recipient. And you can turn your friends onto this cool herbal resource with the fully open archive.

Weedom is the gift that keeps on giving.

The proper thing to do with this 18 month old is to get him outside to explore, and follow close behind to prevent any brain injury or inappropriate ingestion of flora, fauna and minerals. After he spins off the energy, I continue with a guided tour via stroller, which of course includes weed instruction. This results in a kid who’s ready for a good nap. 😎

While these times are extra special and not to be missed, they do take ‘nerd-power’ away from generating comprehensive reports for you from the wonderful world of weeds. Therefore it’s time to do autumn at weedom, and top it off with introduction to an unobtrusive edible fruit.

The Spring calves have reached the age to be weaned from their moms in the Fall, and none of them like this. The cacophony from both moms and babies goes on for 2-3 days, and we sort of deserve the loss of sleep for doing this dastardly deed. Audio is available here.

However they are adapting.

The crew from Spring of ‘24 now occupy the north part of the farm, and visit for their hydration and some supplemental grain. One of them is below. Behind him some cypress trees are firing up by the creek.

October to November in our climate brings the return of a number of our spring edibles, giving us a second chance for some potent greenery. After I cleared an outer garden for a layer of mulch, a near mono-culture of shepherd’s purse microgreens appeared. I chopped bunches of the tiny plants with a scissors, and we had quite a few meals featuring this harvest. This stuff tastes great raw or sautéd or steamed. It helps to remember where the plants went to seed last spring to know where to look in the fall, as well as next year. The flavor and smell when picked is unmistakably mild with a hint of garlic.

The spring bitters have also reappeared in force: ground ivy, and purple dead nettle and dandelions. Still waiting on the chickweed, wintercress and other mustards. The latest lawn mowing gave forth the aroma of wild garlic which typically is the last green “grass” in the yard.

It appears that our growing season might not be quite long enough for full passion fruit power. But we got a few which actually ripened to edibility before it got too cold. It’s mango-citrus to me. Yum!

The cold brings an end to the bugs every year, but I’ve never witnessed more bumble bees at their actual demise prior to hosting passionfruit and sacred basil.

Sunday night, the first snow arrived, and it continued into Monday, leaving about a 2 inch blanket on the grass which didn’t last long. In the morning, our gray cat, Renob of weedom requested to be let out. I opened the door to the front porch and he darted out, saw snow, screeched to a stop, and gave me an indescribable look of annoyance.

Not my fault, kittie. Deal with it.

After about an hour, he reappeared on the cistern top, wanting back in. Cats hate change.

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Onto the Ground Cherry.

Some of our readers still have a chance to harvest our featured weed, the ground cherry, but the cold front that brought a bit of snow to zone 6 of midwest U.S. flyover country has frozen much of the more northerly regions. Still you will see the remnants of this wild, mini-tomatillo plant, and will know where to look next year. These plants pop up, unbidden in our gardens, hayfields, and most recently have established themselves by the north west corner of our house. Ground cherries belong to the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, along with the potato, tomato, peppers, goji berry, eggplant and Jimson weed.

There are 80 or more species in the Physalis genus, most of which produce edible fruit. The tomatillos are most famous cultivated species, which produce fairly large fruits used in salsa verde recipes. There are also some cultivated ground cherry species, which are selected for larger or sweeter fruits. There are about 30 species of wild ground cherries in the U.S. which produce fruits from about 8 to 18 mm, or 0.25 to .75 inches. Some green and some sweeter purple tomatillos have been grown at weedom, and the fruits tend to fill up and eventually burst the papery husks that surround them. In contrast, the green ground cherry husks remain much larger than the fruit inside, and dangle like paper lanterns from the plants until they ripen. By then the covering lightens to a parchment color, and the whole wrapped fruit drops from the plant. Gathering from the ground assures that you’ll be collecting the ripest, sweetest fruit. The green color will be mostly replaced by a yellowish to golden or orange color. There are some species in existence which produce a red fruit.

The fruit of some of the species can be eaten when green, but that of certain hairier species should only be eaten when fully ripe. Sam Thayer considers the fruit of one of these species, Physalis heterophylla, (also called clammy ground cherry) to be the best tasting of all. You’ll know clammy ground cherry by the sticky, glandular hairs that cover the stems and leaves of that plant. General advice is to avoid eating quantities of the green bitter tasting fruits, which are more toxic. Remember these plants are in the nightshade family. The leaves and stems of most of these plants generally contain more of the bitter steroidal and/or tropane alkaloids characteristic of the Solanacae, and therefore are not food.

Star shaped flowers of the ground cherries have 5 petals, 5 stamens, and 5 conjoined sepals forming a calyx that persists and swells to form the husk around the fruit which is botanically classed as a berry. These small blooms dangle singly from the leaf axils and range in color from brownish to cream colored or yellow in color, with darker patterns in the center.

Pondering the hairless ground cherry plants at weedom, I have concluded that they’re a type of Physalis longifolia. I’ve been finding and nibbling on the berries since I was a kid. A childhood friend’s father was quite the gardener and forager, and had educated us on palatability of this fruit. Our plants have elliptical leaves with veins that protrude on the underside. The manner of growth and emergence of the leaves, from the stems are reminiscent of skeletal tomato plants. They truly are miniature tomatillo plants. When young, they might be confused with black nightshade (which produces black (edible) berries. Another nightshade, the Carolina horsenettle produces similar colored berries as the ground cherry, but without husks. The horsenettle berries are a do-not-eat, as they seem to become more toxic as they ripen. Those plants look like miniature eggplants with thorns, and the berries have no husks.

Grazing the berries reveals that bitterness fades as the green fades. I haven’t keeled over from nibbling a few greenish ones :-D. At yellowish green they are an interesting mix of sweet and bitter. At orange or yellow, like the one below, in the open, light colored husk, the berries are mostly sweet with a mild sourness. Those are the tasty berries which should predominate in your harvest. Again, the fruits are the best after they drop to the ground, just like American persimmon.

Inside each fruit are numerous tiny soft seeds, so small that you’ll likely swallow most of them whole. If you allow the fruit to desiccate and spread the seeds, leave them exposed to light in moist soil. Like the chamomile plants, the seeds need sun exposure to germinate.

These berries yield a pretty clean harvest, although they are a little bit sticky on the surface. The husk provides good protection. So they’re convenient for directly picking and eating on the trail when you get hungry, even though unwrapping is a bit laborious. There are not many other edibles that can stay clean after they drop into the mud. Jellies, jams, pies, fruit turnovers are calling for the ground cherries. You can combine them with other fruits as your tastebuds dictate or throw them directly onto salad, on your yogurt, into your smoothie. The most notable nutrients you’ll be adding to your life are considerable amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C and phosphorus.

There are probably some ripe ground cherries still available for many of our readers. What are you doing with yours?

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The genus name Bidens refers to a tooth (dens) shortage. Only 2 (bi) to be exact. But it turns out that there are exceptions to that rule. Each of the seeds has 2 prominent barbed teeth that cause the seeds to travel home with you on your clothing, and in the fur of your pets. If you walk in the weeds in the fall, you’ll have them, guaranteed. However many of the seeds have at least 1 additional shorter tooth, making removal an even more tedious job. Although the diverse Bidens genus (of the massive family Asteraceae), is widespread and famous, the taxonomy has remained a bit of a mess.

Being widespread to the point of invasiveness means that the Bidens genus of weeds is both a nuisance and a gift. It seems that many of these plants are known for ability to heal and tone the mucous tissues, which is a job formerly assigned to such rarities as goldenseal and yerba mansa. Those weeds are over harvested and therefore threatened, and so it’s a relief to know that the massively abundant Bidens genus can take over these functions. Those who have seen our haul of the invasive garlic mustard should know that it was dwarfed by this harvest, which could have fed plenty of chickens goats and other animals. Not to worry. Plenty of seeds were spread so they’ll be back.

Delving into the supposedly insecure regions of the web has turned up a treasure trove of traditional uses of these plants. In the Western world, Bidens alba, (white petaled blooms) and Bidens pilosa, (fine, soft hair), which are both warmer climate species, have been most popularly used as food and medicine. It seems that the distinctive Bidens bipinnata species which owns weedomland has been in extensive use in mainland China, where it is called nianshencao, or stick to the body weed. It’s also seen as grouped with other Bidens species as guizhencao. This name combines the meanings demon-gui, spike-zhen, and cao-plant, with which plenty of people heartily agree after spending hours removing the sticky seeds.

Among the western, common names for these plants are Spanish needles, bur marigold, cobblers pegs, devil’s beggar ticks, (particularly Bidens frondosa) or just simply beggars ticks.

In case your most unfavorite political party leaves you in a state of famine and starvation the bidens weeds are your friends. Many of the plants are edible, from the leaves, to the flowers. The best eating are the young leaves from the early shoots of the plants, and the blooms are tasty too. As the leaves mature, they become chewier and more strongly flavored. You can choose when that quality has gone to far for food purpose, and then reserve them for medicine. The good thing about these plants is that they keep putting out new leaves into the mid-summer and sometimes later, so that parts of them remain good eating when other greens have gone past their prime. A few stalwart souls are chewing the seeds, which, though surely a great source of fiber :-D are fairly offputting based upon their external characteristics. I find the seeds to be far too much work, but the blooms and leaves of our Bidens bipinnata are good. They’re a bit astringent, but have a nutty / mildly piney flavor that’s pleasant, but hard to describe. Grazing the raw weeds for awhile leaves a slight puckery feeling in the mouth. Cooking the leaves mitigates this. Bidens species with edible leaves include B. alba, pilosa, bipinnata, frondosa, tripartita, odorata, parvifolia, laevis and likely many more. For weedom readers in far flung regions: think about locating those weeds that are leaving you covered with elongated, barbed seeds, then see if they belong to one of these known food species.

The Bidens genus may include ~ 240 or more species, though, as usual, the delineation between them is often a matter of debate. Many of the species have multiple synonymous names.

Here’s some botanical detail of our Bidens bipinnata, which is very comfortable in our USDA zone 6, as well as much of North America, Asia, and Europe. It also has footholds in South America, Africa and Australia. Preferring at least partially shady areas, this plant is a colonizer of disturbed places, often appearing to heal the soil after fires and other disturbances.

Leaves (2-8 inches (5-20cm) in length, are smooth, and 2-3 times divided into pinnately arranged lobular segments giving a fernlike appearance. Leaf petioles are concave on the top. Stems are widely and oppositely branched and usually hairless in appearance. Wander back to the Ambrosia artemisiifolia, ragweed article to see some side by side pictures of the lookalikes.

Blooms are composite with tubular disk flowers, arranged in a 1/4 inch, (6 mm) head, and often surrounded by up to 5 short ray flowers. Sometimes these ‘petals’ are absent or irregular in number. 2 series of very narrow bracts surround the base of the flower head as seen below.

The fruits are long, very narrow achenes with 2-4 barbed spikes (awns) on 1 end, which easily cling to passers by, and are removed only with difficulty.

As is the case with other edible weeds, the medicinal qualities are obtained by using high doses. Chinese formularies specify uses of these cooling and drying weeds to clear superficial heat, addressing such maladies as colds and flu, clearing heat and toxins to address sore throat, insect bites, and snake bites, and appendicitis, and clearing away damp heat to address GI ailments such as dysentery and diarrhea. Naturally the cooling weed is also used to address inflammations such as rheumatoid arthritis. Doses in Traditional Chinese Medicine have ranged from 15 grams dried material per day for common cold to a bulky 60 to 120 grams daily in 4 divided doses in aqueous decoctions for acute appendicitis. The fresh herb is prepared in boiling water to produce washes for external wounds and used topically for bacterial and fungal infections. Kiva Rose touts the herb particularly as a soothing and tightening to inflamed mucous tissues, and considers it a vital addition to relieve inflamed bladder tissue, during and after the treatment for infection. The astringency helps to reduce blood flow. This herb has also been applied for the healing of ulcers. It has been used along with saw palmetto and white sage to address benign prostatic hypertrophy.

The extracts of Bidens species have been shown to inhibit bacteria, fungi and viruses, and to exert anti-inflammatory activity. Compounds of interest within the flavonoid, sesquiterpene and polyacetylene classes have been studied for antimicrobial, anti diabetic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. Also found within Biden species have been various alkaloids, volatile oils, tannins, saponins and cyanogenic glycosides. Because of this medicinal chemistry, there can always be too much of a good thing.

Bidens pilosa has been used in the Amazon regions to address malaria. The polyacetylene extracts of this plant appear to be photoactivated by exposure to UV light, and rendered more potent against the malarial parasite. Enhanced antimicrobial activity of these compounds has also been observed with exposure to light as compared to usage in dark conditions.

Nutritionally the edible Bidens are considered nutritionally superior to cultivated spinach. These plants do have generous root systems which can tap into the minerals. They are effective as a cover plant and source of compost to enrich the soil. Jon Jandai notes that Spanish needles has recently become abundant in his part of Thailand, and he’s been chopping and dropping his plants to protect and feed the soil, as well as eating them. He’s quite the chef, and has a method of briefly boiling the leaves for about 2-3 minutes. He then rinses them immediately in cool water to better retain the green color, flavor and texture, so that it’s sufficiently attractive to be plated at a fine restaurant. His crop has white flowers, and looks a good deal like Bidens alba. It’s interesting that he doesn’t spice up his weeds. They have such a prominent flavor so that little augmentation is needed.

In my thinking, a bit of oil, cheese or nuts will compliment the flavor of the Bidens bipinnata that I’ve been grazing. Pesto and cheesy spanish needle dip are what’s on the agenda for me.

Lastly, for all who made it to the end, Bidens pilosa has become famous in the cosmetics industry. It seems that people have gotten tired of retinol containing, anti wrinkle creams because they redden the skin, and cause worse problems with exposure to sunlight. Plant derived substitutes are the rage, and a phytol containing extract of B. pilosa seems to have a salutory effect on collagen and elastin production similar to retinol, but with fewer liabilities and contra-indications. Supposedly the plant extract is safer for use while breastfeeding.

Have you found a suitable Bidens species in your neighborhood, and do you have plans for it? Inquiring minds want to know.

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Where We Dig

1. Bidens tripartita (Three-Parted Beggarticks). The Belmont Rooster. November 24, 2022. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://thebelmontrooster.com/families-of-familiar-plants/asteraceae-compositae-family/bidens-tripartita-three-parted-beggarticks/

2. Spanish Needles - Plant Identification by Pamela Borden Trewatha, Ph.D. - Darr College of Agriculture - Missouri State. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://Ag.MissouriState.edu/PBTrewatha/spanish-needles.htm

3. Bidens tripartita (Three-lobed Beggarticks): Minnesota Wildflowers. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/three-lobed-beggarticks

4. Bidens in Flora of North America @ efloras.org. Accessed September 30, 2025. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=103917

5. Bidens bipinnata Spanish Needles PFAF Plant Database. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Bidens+bipinnata

6. Bidens bipinnata (Spanish Needles) - FSUS. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/show-taxon-detail.php?taxonid=5799

7. Bidens. Accessed September 29, 2025. http://www.itmonline.org/arts/bidens.htm

8. Beggarticks: Pictures, Flowers, Leaves & Identification | Biden frondosa. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.ediblewildfood.com/beggarticks.aspx

9. Wang XY, Chen GR. (PDF) [Chemical constituents from Bidens bipinnata]. Phytochemistry Letters. Published online July 2014:198-201. doi:10.4268/cjcmm20141017

10. Rose K. Spanish Needles Plant Healing Power – Mother Earth News. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/herbalist-spanish-needles-ze0z1402zjhar/

11. Murtaza M, Asif M. A Review on Phytochemical & Pharmacological Properties of Bidens Bipinnata 1 MedDocs Publishers. Ann Pharm Sci. 2025;1(1):1001.

12. Dieamant G, Pereda MDCV, Nogueira C, et al. Antiageing Mechanisms of a Standardized Supercritical CO2 Preparation of Black Jack (Bidens pilosa L.) in Human Fibroblasts and Skin Fragments. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:280529. doi:10.1155/2015/280529

13. Deane G. Spanish Needles, Pitchfork Weed. Eat The Weeds and other things, too. September 24, 2011. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://www.eattheweeds.com/spanish-needles-pitchfork-weed/

Such a consequential social irritant as ragweed is worth highlighting in its season of glory, and we can take an opportunity to look on its bright side.

You can go back to 2023 in the open archives of weedom to see a prior article about this bitter flavored ragweed as well as the larger Ambrosia trifida with its milder, 3 lobed leaves. For the non-clickers, I'll touch on the botany by repeating myself a little bit.

A main thing to remember is that Ambrosia trifida is called giant ragweed for a reason. It gets really extremely tall, 8 or more feet (2.5 - 3 meters) treelike, with ribbed fibrous stems that can really take the wind. Ambrosia artemisiifolia is 3 plus feet tall (1 meter) with often purply pigmented and very hairy stems. The hair lets you know right away that it isn't poison hemlock. The purple lets you know it's not Spanish needles (Bidens bipinnata)

Our 2 ragweeds (among about a dozen U.S. species) have very different leaves, which give them their species names. Three lobes on the giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida leaves. The common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia are divided similarly to the plants of the Artemisia genus. Pay attention to the hairy stems so you’ll know the ragweeds from the bottom 2 weeds. Poison hemlock has finely divided leaves which are hairless and somewhat shiny, with zero hairs on the stems. and Spanish needles likewise has bipinnately divided leaves, which are also hairless and shinier than ragweed. It takes some practice to distinguish these plants when they’re young. The smell of each will help you a great deal. Poison hemlock stinks when you crush it. Ragweeds, especially common ragweed, smell a bit sharp but not unpleasant. Keep watching these weeds through their growth cycles. Finding them as they bloom is easiest, then come back to their location in the following year to see their early stages of growth, so you’ll know them anywhere. Rub the leaves so you learn their distinctive smells, and you can decide whether to remove them or use them.

Ragweed might not be more of a potent allergen than any other of the huge Asteraceae family of plants. But it has light, windborne pollen from zillions of downward facing male flowers borne on the topmost tips of the plant that is blown everywhere, including towards the female flowers down lower in the axilla (armpits) of the stems, and facing upward. This plant is well adapted for getting pollen up your nose. Our common ragweed has tiny creamy colored male flowers facing down, with the sepals above, so that the flowers appear inconspicuously green. (Giant ragweed is similar, but with yellowish blooms).

Ragweed is a monoecious, with male flowers and female flowers on the same plant, which are arranged like maize, Zea mays, which has male flowers as tassles above, and female flowers that become the ears of corn growing between the stem and leaf axilla.

Both A. trifida and A. artemisiifolia produce substances which can impede the germination of their own seeds, and inhibit the growth of new shoots. This prevents excessively dense germination and mass die-off. The main compounds to which this autotoxicity has been attributed are chlorogenic acid, vanillin, caffeic acid, and p-coumaric acid. It's possible for each Ambrosia plant to produce from 2000 to 60,000 seeds, which can survive in the ground up to 80 years. The autotoxicity, (which decreases with water rinsing, and lower seed density), serves to preserve the seed bank for gradual germination and extended survival of the species in any give area.

Ophraella communa, the ragweed leaf beetle is native to North and Central America, but migrated to Europe around 2013. Its arrival was celebrated by sneezing people who had suffered the travails of hay fever from the earlier (accidental?) migration of the ragweeds from the Americas.

A group of investigators communicated to the journal, Nature in 2020, an estimate that over a billion dollars yearly in health care costs would be saved (out of 7 billion estimated cost) in Europe due to the new presence of these ragweed eating beetles, which were reported to have destroyed 82% of A. artemisiifolia in the fields of Italy. A corresponding seasonal reduction in pollen counts was observed at the expected times of ragweed blooming. Maybe the authors of this report will be celebrating with annual beetle festivals at Summer's end.

People have expended a lot of hate on ragweed for its pollen producing talents, but there is a bright side to this plant.

Like all the other weeds, it is packed with amazing biochemistry, and it even has some food value too.

It seems that ragweed was cultivated up to about 600 years ago, when it was replaced by corn. Seeds of Giant ragweed, A. trifida have been found in archeological digs of U.S. first immigrants from 900 or more years ago. These seeds of the cultivated plant were much larger than those of todays usual weeds according to some stories which are fading from the web. One of these is the Tree of Life (tolweb.org) which even gives this Lakota name for the plant: caŋĥlóĝaŋ paŋśpaŋjela, and some traditional uses. This name describes a bulky seeded soft weed, per the speaker. One could argue whether seed collection was for food or medicinal use, given the difficult work of collecting them from the female flower pods, and we are left guessing. Seeds of A. trifida are edible and quite nutritious, with respect to protein and fat content, for those willing to do the work.

The leaves of our two ragweeds are edible, if harvested when they’re soft and young. Even most people who are allergic to the pollen could eat the leaves, but would be not be inclined towards those gathered during the blooming season! Also, this is a medicinal plant, with plenty of active chemistry that inhibits some animals from eating it, yet encourages others to eat it. The main take home is that it is not to be eaten in large quantities, and the taste of it will guide you. Boiling removes some of the bitter components, and increases the edibility. Young leaves can be simmered for about 5 min, then stirred in with some sauteed onions or garlic, and some ginger if you like. This prep suggestion comes from Vermont Pure Herbs. Expect a piney bit of flavor especially from the common ragweed. The stems are fibrous, so leave them out. If you wish to cook up the giant ragweed, you won’t need the ginger because those milder trilobed leaves possess that flavor element inherently. The anti-inflammatory compounds within these leaves do what all the best greens do: lessen the severity of pain and allergies. Most traditional sources don’t seem to mention eating the leaves of Ambrosia as food, which is odd, because the genus name itself means “food of the gods”. Consuming leaves seems to be increasing in recent years, perhaps due to people taking a cue from the livestock and conducting their own taste tests as I have done. Marie Viljoen at Gardenista is creating delicacies with the leaves of both species, and even using male flowers! of A. trifida in seasonal recipes. Those going beyond the garnish and spice levels in culinary practice, or using internally as medicine should avoid this while trying to get pregnant or during pregnancy.

There exists one European study involving a small group of rats, which showed no overt toxic effects from feeding the leaves of A. artemisiifolia in sugar cookie dough for 28 days. However it did note lab changes indicating a possible effect on liver enzymes, lowered triglycerides (which people take fenofibrates to achieve) and lab results related to kidney function.

Horses and cattle will eat these 2 ragweeds, most particularly when the plants are young, but even older plants of the milder, giant ragweed will be eaten by the cattle, These grazing animals don’t seem to like the lance leafed Ambrosia bidentata of the Mississippi valley, however sheep will tolerate that more resinous species, apparently. Greg Judy, (Regenerative Rancher) reports that his cattle go after the young giant ragweed even before they’ll eat clover, and I’d agree with his bovines on that matter :-D The ginger flavor is pretty nice.

The fastest way of self help for pollen allergies is directly eating the leaves, but some people like ethanolic tinctures. This, of course amounts to a significant dose reduction. Those with severe ragweed allergies or with homeopathic tendencies (wanting tiny doses) might prefer a slow introduction of ragweed to their lives for the goal of desensitization. Matthew Wood recommends just a bite of a the leaf, to be introduced during a hayfever sneezing episode, or a few drops of the 1:2 ethanolic tincture of fresh plant, and evaluating the reaction before scaling up the dose. Herbalists recommend that people with more significant allergies use a skin test with the young leaves, applied topically on the inner elbow, to check for a reaction before trying any internal usage.

The astringent qualities of Ambrosia can be noticed by the drying effect that is produced when chewing the leaves. The ‘hairy tongue’ feeling is milder than that from eating an underripe American persimmon. This astringency contributes to its abilities to stop bleeding of wounds. The astringent plus the anti-inflammatory effects allow ragweed leaves, or an infusion from them to be used topically for hemorrhoidal relief, and to soothe bug bites and stings. The tea has also been used to relieve sore throats and respiratory ailments such as pneumonia. It serves also as an anti-diarrheal and to treat fever. The wide ranging anti-microbial properties of Ambrosia allowed for its usage as a poultice for purulent wounds.

The sesquiterpenoid compounds of Ambrosia have been of particular interest to our pharmacognosy friends who have more recently been subjected to the onslought of ragweed pollen. An extensive array of these active compounds has been elucidated within A. artemisiifolia and other ragweeds. For just one example, ambrosin, a pseudoguainolide sesquiterpene lactone, with recognized anti-cancer activity, has also been found to inhibit NF-κβ. It has greater bioavailability than curcumin, and therefore more neuroprotective potential within the CNS by addressing the inflammation processes that can lead to plaque formaton and Alzheimers dementia. It performed well in a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide induced memory impairment, showing biochemical, histological and behavioral evidence of neuronal protection, opening different avenues to address Alzheimer’s disease and providing a molecular model for new potential preventions or treatments.

Very possibly, the rest of the world will come to appreciate the plus side of Ambrosia, the famously irritating gift from the Americas.

Do you have any personal encounters and adventures with ragweed that you’d like to share?

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Where We Dig

1. (PDF) Common Ragweed—Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.: A Review with Special Regards to the Latest Results in Biology and Ecology. ResearchGate. Published online March 30, 2025. doi:10.3390/agronomy14030497

2. Ragweed – Ambrosia Artemisiifolia: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Sneeziest of Wild Plants - Song of the Woods. July 23, 2021. Accessed August 29, 2023. https://www.songofthewoods.com/ragweed-ambrosia-artemisiifolia/

3. Ragweed Monograph - Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine. September 5, 2017. Accessed September 4, 2025. https://eclecticschoolofherbalmedicine.com/ragweed-monograph/

4. Experimental Ragweed Therapy Offers Allergy Sufferers Longer Relief with Fewer Shots. National Institutes of Health (NIH). January 7, 2016. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/experimental-ragweed-therapy-offers-allergy-sufferers-longer-relief-fewer-shots

5. Is Rancher’s Success Against Ragweed Really a Win? On Pasture. April 22, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://onpasture.com/2014/04/21/is-ranchers-success-against-ragweed-really-a-win/

6. Ambrosin, a potent NF-κβ inhibitor, ameliorates lipopolysaccharide induced memory impairment, comparison to curcumin | PLOS ONE. Accessed August 29, 2023. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0219378

7. Ambrosia artemisiifolia (American Wormwood, Bitterweed, Blackweed, Carrot Weed, Common Ragweed, Hay Fever Weed, Ragweed) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed September 4, 2025. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ambrosia-artemisiifolia/

8. Wood M. The Earthwise Herbal. A Complete Guide to NEw World Medicinal Plants. North Atlantic Books; 2009. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL22552057M/The_earthwise_herbal.

9. Let’s Eat Common Ragweed and Make a Tincture! 🌿 (Ambrosia Artemisiifolia).; 2024. Accessed September 8, 2025. www.youtube.com/watch?v=08-MqabHCEo

10. Su P, Liu X, Wang R, et al. Autotoxicity of Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Ambrosia trifida and its significance for the regulation of intraspecific populations density. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):17424. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-21344-8

11. Schaffner U, Steinbach S, Sun Y, et al. Biological weed control to relieve millions from Ambrosia allergies in Europe. Nat Commun. 2020;11(1):1745. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-15586-1

12. Kiss T, Szabó A, Oszlánczi G, et al. Repeated-dose toxicity of common ragweed on rats. PLoS One. 2017;12(5):e0176818. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0176818

13. Iamonico D. Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed). CABI Compendium. 2016;CABI Compendium:4691. doi:10.1079/cabicompendium.4691

14. Holland J. Ragweed: This Foe May be a Friend Too. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. August 11, 2012. Accessed September 4, 2025. https://www.lewisginter.org/ragweed-this-foe-may-be-a-friend-too/

15. Henofthewood. The Foraged Foodie: Edible Giant Ragweed Foraging and Identification. The Foraged Foodie. May 3, 2025. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://foragedfoodie.blogspot.com/2025/05/giant-ragweed-identification-foraging.html

16. Deane G. Ragweed. Eat The Weeds and other things, too. September 13, 2019. Accessed September 4, 2025. https://www.eattheweeds.com/ragweed/

Cattails have been used both traditionally and on industrial scale as stuffing for mattresses, quilting, jackets and coats. People took a page from the wildlife and insulated their 'nests' with this material as well. The fluff of these sausages of the swamp, being somewhat able to entrain liquids, was used externally for diapering babies, and as feminine hygiene products. Despite the evocative shape (after trimming above and below) no way is the cattail employable as a super +++ ultra tampon for human nor beast. The 2nd pic will fully illustrate why.

For awhile during WW2, the supply of Kapok fiber (still used as natural stuffing for pillows, beds and upholstery) was cut off by Japan. So cattails were briefly used as a substitute. It was found that the “sausage” fiber was washable and retained buoyancy even when water soaked, so it was usable for lifejackets, etc. The Germans pressed cattail fibers from the leaves into sound insulating boards for construction. Though the commercial use of cattails has faded again (perhaps due to the swampy work of harvest), it remains a useful commodity. Harvest of suitable stuffing can occur from late summer to early spring, as long as the 'sausages' are intact, and a good source of clean fibers. One major caveat, if you're worried about sparks and fires, this stuffing is flammable. Maybe it’s best for non smoker households.

This brings us to torch production and fire starter. Just like using dryer lint, you can get a fire going fast with cattail fluff. Cattail ‘sausages’ can be dipped into some melted saturated fat, then lallowed to solidify, and used as a torch. It’s not super long lasting, and you would need to watch for drips, but it might serve as a short term light source, or perhaps a flaming arrow if you leave the stem attached.

In contrast, the leaves don't share such a flammability problem as the seed bearing fluff of cattails. Each leaf is divided into many longitudinal channels which add rigidity and allow the leaves to stand erect, though they are quite thin. This quality lends to their usefulness in engineered construction material which can be both load bearing and with good insulating qualities. These boards are also quite mold resistant due to the natural antimicrobial constituents in the plant material.

From the 1970s to about 2015 a lot of interest in using cattails as an alternative fuel /ethanol source was generated. This seems to have fizzled a bit. A fair amount of starch is accessible from the plants and further fermentation of cellulose could increase the efficiency. Estimates are that the ethanol yield from cattails per acre could greatly exceed that of corn, and rival or exceed that of sugar cane. Non arable land, swamps and sewage treatment areas, (even where cattails are used for remediation of contaminated land) could be utilized for this energy production instead of otherwise useful farmland. Some added processes to break down the cattails such as sonication or digestion with weak NaOH solution might be needed before a mix of such organisms as Saccharomyces and E. Coli species are utilized for the fermentation process to produce ethanol. This would solve the problem of cattail invasiveness, while simultaneously freeing up non-swamp farmland for production of food crops.

Cattails roots are known for taking up some minerals and metals quite efficiently from the water. They particularly seem to entrain iron, manganese and zinc, the latter being fairly efficient, while elements as cadmium and chromium seem to taken up more by the swamp substrate than the cattails. A main reason to choose unpolluted areas for harvesting cattails is that these plants also efficiently take up arsenic.

Older references often state that cattails contain gluten, possibly because roots could yield a somewhat sticky flour. However this is not correct.

Gluten has some smaller protein molecules called glutenins and some larger chain proteins called gliadins. The latter proteins are implicated in causing troubles for people with celiac disease.

Recent research has found that cattails, most specifically T. angustifolia (narrow leaf type) lack these gliadins, and therefore constitute a dietary option for people with celiac disease or who are otherwise intolerant of gluten.

Research in the Western world on cattails’ various uses was quite vigorous until about 2015, at which time it seeed to have dropped off precipitously. For a plant with extensive traditional medicinal use it has a surprisingly small amount of academic research efforts (in the Western world) dedicated to it. Likely this is because people have to go to the swamp in order to harvest the material. :-D

Each part of the cattail has its own array of useful medicinal qualities. For example, the constituents of the magically soothing gel that exists between the lower leaves of these plants is elusive information. Accounts abound from people collecting and using the gel to relieve skin wounds, bites, burns, etc. A few have attempted to mix this gel with oil or glycerin and to store it in the refrigerator. Most others have concluded that this gel does not preserve easily, so it’s more of a seasonal remedy to use from spring to fall. Some people report an anaesthetic effect of this gel, and compare it to oral pain relief products. I find it to be somewhat cooling, very soothing, but not strongly numbing on the skin or inside the mouth. I’d consider it the aloe gel of the North, and then some.

The Chinese, with their long history of working with the weeds, have figured out that cattail pollen works in opposing ways with respect to blood coagulation. The toasted pollen, p’u-huang, can be used to reduce bleeding externally and internally. On the other hand, raw pollen works oppositely, to break stagnation and as an anticoagulant to encourage blood flow. Raw pollen is therefore used as an emmenagogue, for example, (and therefore not for pregnant women). Various flavonoids such as quercetin and its metabolites isorhamnetin and tamarixetin exhibit antiplatelet activity, which should be borne in mind when using raw, natural products which supply large quantities of them. Cooking the cattail pollen as discussed in our prior article mitigates this effect.

The hemostatic dose of toasted pollen is from 2.5 to 9.3 grams. It can be taken as a capsule or a decoction internally, or applied externally. Naturally there’s been some interest into what causes the hemostatic effects. It seems that Pollen Typhae Carbonisatus (the formal name of the heated pollen of cattails) owes activity to the formation of compounts huaicarbon A and B which form when rutin, a.k.a. quercetin-3-O-rutinoside, is heated. Too much heating, beyond 25 min at 200 degrees centigrade, is counterproductive and degrades the huaicarbon compounds. The hemostatic compounds have been been artificially produced by combining quercetin and rhamnose sugar in 1:3 molar ratio and heating them. Sophora japonica, another well known and generous source of quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside and quercetin itself, is also a known hemostatic product. The proposed mechanisms are via enhanced intracellular accumulation of Ca++ ions, and stimulation of collagen dependent coagulation mediated by the platelet glycoprotein VI receptor. Antagonists of this GPVI receptor block the hemostatic effects of the huaicarbons A and B.

Orally available hemostatics are a rarity from big pharma. Tranexamic acid (an antifibrinolytic drug) comes to mind. When very fast hemostasis is needed under specific conditions, some extremely expensive biological products are employed intravenously. So this activity of toasted cattail pollen is of vital significance.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Cattails are regarded as neutral with respect to the Yin and Yang characteristics, making it fairly useful in the food category as well as as additions to various herbal formulas. It’s considered sweet and pungent and can be employed as a tonic. Western herbalism placed cattails in the cooling and drying category, and made use of the fluff of the mature seed bearing portion for stopping blood flow externally.

Lastly, I’m never tired of pounding the idea that most chronic health difficulties are due to a dietary shortage of anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and mucilaginous stuff from the weeds. From a medicinal study of the flour from the rhizomes of cattails, (Typha angustifolia) it seems that feeding rats this flour as 10% of their diet mitigated the inflammation and damage of the intestines from trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid induced colitis. This is basically an experimental model of inflammatory bowel disease. The cattail flour diet exhibited antiinflammatory activity and reduction of damage to the colon equal to that of prednisolone. For any person who likes bread, pancakes and crackers, a diet with 10 percent cattail flour is feasible, and preferable to taking steroids chronically.

To this end, we’ll conclude with a cattail flour recipe. It’s best to collect cattail rhizomes in the cool weather and peel them down to the cores. Cut the cores into small pieces to dry. These dried root pieces can be ground up in a flour mill, pounded or perhaps chopped in a food processor. The flour should be sifted from the fibers using a fine screen sieve or cloth bag. This dry method of producing the flour leaves a mucilaginous, gluten free product that can be added to other types of grains to make tortillas, crackers or used to thicken soups. It doesn’t behave like wheat flour, so it can’t be baked on its own too well. Sneak 1/4 to 1/3 part of cattail flour in with 3/4 to 2/3 of normal grain flour for any baking recipe, from pancakes to biscuits to breads. If you need to avoid gluten altogether, you could use corn flour and/or a light, gluten free flour mix with 1/4 part of cattail flour.

For example, to make a fluffy corn bread, devoid of gluten, combine

• 3/4 cup(180 ml) gluten free flour, 1/2 (120 ml) cup cattail flour, 3/4 cup corn flour (not corn meal) to make 2 cups total of flour mixture.

• 2/3 (160ml) cup sugar (substitute honey, etc. if desired)

• 2 tsp baking powder

• pinch of salt

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup (240ml) milk

• 1/3 cup (80 ml) butter, melted

Sift all the dry ingredients together,

Beat the eggs and combine them with all wet ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and thoroughly mix.

Pour the resultant (fairly runny) batter into a greased 8 x 4 inch bread pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.

You’ll get a fluffy, not stuffy bread that tastes nice and leaves sensitive intestines in a happier state.

We could write a cattail book, especially if you weigh in with your own experiences. 😎

Questions or comments? Tell us what you’re finding out there in the weeds.

Thanks to you all for hanging out at weedom.

Leave a comment

Where We Dig

1. Allen M. Cattails Plants Against The Cold – Mother Earth News. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/cattail-plants-zmaz80jazraw/

2. Bax. 50 Cattail Uses and Recipes. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://www.dailysurvival.info/2025/07/50-cattail-uses-and-recipes.html

3. Bergo A. Foraging and Cooking Cattails. Forager | Chef. June 21, 2025. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://foragerchef.com/edible-cattails/

4. Demara F. Eating Cattails: An Essential (and Tasty) Foraging Skill – Mother Earth News. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/eating-cattails-ze0z1211zgar/

5. Fruet AC, Seito LN, Rall VLM, Di Stasi LC. Dietary intervention with narrow-leaved cattail rhizome flour (Typha angustifolia L.) prevents intestinal inflammation in the trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid model of rat colitis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012;12:62. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-62

6. Gonnuri B, Guo L. Metal accumulation in cattails cultured in soils flooded with artificial wastewater of varying pH and different levels of metals (Cr, Cd and Zn). Int J Phytoremediation. 2024;26(14):2290-2300. doi:10.1080/15226514.2024.2389184

7. Jordan D. Eat the Weeds: A Forager’s Guide to Identifying and Harvesting 274 Wild Foods. Adventure Publications; 2023.

8. Keswani A. B^oori~Boorani Mitti |. May 21, 2017. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://sindhirasoi.com/2017/05/booriboorani-mitti/

9. Osorio CE, Mejías JH, Rustgi S. Gluten Detection Methods and Their Critical Role in Assuring Safe Diets for Celiac Patients. Nutrients. 2019;11(12):2920. doi:10.3390/nu11122920

10. Sharp JEM. The problem with cattails. Hoosier Gardener. September 16, 2017. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://hoosiergardener.com/12503/

11. Thayer S. The Forager’s Harvest - A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants. Forager’s Harvest Press; 2006. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL8588402M/The_Forager's_Harvest

12. Thayer S. Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern & Central North America. Forager’s Harvest; 2023.

13. Yu H, Chen Y, Wu H, Wang K, Liu L, Zhang X. Synthesis of huaicarbon A/B and their activating effects on platelet glycoprotein VI receptor to mediate collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Am J Transl Res. 2017;9(2):499-506.

14. Zhou B, Tu T, Kong F, Wen J, Xu X. Revised phylogeny and historical biogeography of the cosmopolitan aquatic plant genus Typha (Typhaceae). Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):8813. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-27279-3

15. Cattail. White Rabbit Institute of Healing. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/cattail/

16. Cattail - Herb Database + Images. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://earthnotes.tripod.com/cattail.htm

17. Cattail pollen - Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://christopherhobbs.com/herbal-therapeutics-database/herb/cattail-pollen/

18. Cattails - Narrowleaf and Hybrid. WNY PRISM. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.wnyprism.org/invasive_species/cattails-narrowleaf-and-hybrid/

19. In my Iraqi Kitchen: Recipes, History and Culture, by Nawal Nasrallah. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://nawalcooking.blogspot.com/2013/03/khirret-cattailtypha-pollen-gift-of.html

20. Typha latifolia (Broadleaf Cattail, Bulrush, Cat-O’-Nine-Tails, Common Cattail) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/typha-latifolia/

21. Typha latifolia Reedmace, Broadleaf cattail, Bullrush, Nailrod PFAF Plant Database. Accessed August 18, 2025. https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?LatinName=Typha+latifolia

22. Content of Gluten in Rhizome of Narrow Leaved Cattail (Typha angustifolia). Zywnosc Nauka Technologia Jakosc/Food Science Technology Quality. 2010;85(1):1-13. doi:10.15193/zntj/2010/72/085-092

23. Southern Cattail. Nature Collective. April 16, 2019. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://naturecollective.org/plant-guide/details/southern-cattail/

Remember where you see the sausages, because this is the fastest way to distinguish cattails from various inedible irises, which are normally much shorter plants.

You don’t have to develop a taste for this plentiful wild food. Cattails taste great. Not the sausage, (which is better for insulation or mattress stuffing), but the lower shoots of the young plants from spring through early summer. If your area continues to produce young plants, you can continue to find edible shoots even longer. This plant also offers quality edibles from the numerous root and rhizome structures in the coolest months, as well as the pollen during the flowering season in late spring. Cattail pollen can be used to elevate the flavor of flat breads and baked goods by cutting at least 50 percent with wheat flour. Similar things can be done with dried starch from the rhizomes collected during the cooler months.

Unlike many other wild foods, it’s fairly easy to get a lot of product from the cattails without threatening their existence. In fact it’s really hard to wipe these plants out. Once you split a sausage and see the massive seed production, you’ll know why. Years ago, we scraped out the bottom of our swamp in order to increase its depth, and a full crop of cattails returned the next spring.

Our cattail crop is not as accessible as one might think by looking at it, because the swamp is beginning to dry up, as it does at the end of every normal year when the rains slow down. Interspersed with the cattails is jewelweed to the south, a few willow-bushes to the west, and poison ivy all around. Digging the rhizomes is hard work. Those who can approach cattails from a deeper side of an actual body of water can harvest the products from underground or underwater parts of the plants much more quickly and in large quantities. If you come across a floating mat or clot of cattail plants that has broken off from a marsh colony, you can flip it over and obtain a lot of good food fast, with minimal cleaning effort. At weedom, our main interest is in the central core from the lower part of the plants before they flower. It’s more accessible to us, and totally worth the effort, because it tastes like a lightly nutty flavored cucumber. It can go into tons of Asian recipies and elsewhere too. For most people it’s edible raw. For some the raw core, which forager Sam Thayer calls cossack asparagus, can leave a tingle or irritation in the mouth or throat, so they steam or stir fry it before eating. Another good reason to cook what you pull out of any wet area is less than pristine quality of the water.

It’s pretty easy to get to this lower stem portion of a young cattail. I peeled off the 2 outer layers of the stem in this picture and ate the central portion raw. After about 4 inches, I peeled off another layer and kept on munching for a few more inches. At the top of a hill, we don’t have as much water quality issues as might exist in other places. Cattails are known to efficiently take up contaminants, and are used to remediate polluted bodies of water. So consider this when choosing where you will harvest your plants.

The inner yellowish core of a mature cattail rhizome is the best part. The outer layers are spongy. Rhizomes are more often harvested in cooler wetter conditions for a plumper product. But this picture gives a view of the core part that holds more starch and less fibrous material for better eating or flour production.

Four more delicacies come from the cattails which are more easily accessible to those with boats or rafts and larger crops. The first of these is the young, male flowering head of the plant before pollen is produced. The flowering stems have a wide band of female flowers below, which become the sausage when they go to seed, and a similar band of male flowers above which pollinate the lower flowers, then degenerate.

The top, male half of the flowers can be snapped off, steam cooked, and the flowers eaten like corn on the cob, or stripped and used as topping, stuffing, etc. Do this while it’s still green looking, before you see any yellowing or pollen production.

As mentioned above, once the male portion turns yellow, produces copious pollen. At this stage, the male flowers can be stripped off and sifted to leave blooms and fiber and bugs in the strainer, and the fine powdery pollen collected in a bowl below. It’s easier to do that outside if you don’t want a house and nose full of yellow dust. Some people want to shake the male flowers into a bag. This is a frustrating and less efficient way to go, since a lot of pollen is needed to make any useful quantity of food. In addition to its flour extending utility, this product of the plant is about 17% protein, and contains numerous medicinal constituents recognized most particularly in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

If you pull up a whole cattail from the muck, young rhizomes with pointy ends, which are called laterals, can be eaten as the top-rated delicacy coming from this plant. These parts so good that people will get down into the muddy marsh bottoms and feel around for them directly, or harvest the whole plants to remove the rhizome tips. They are perfect raw or cooked, or marinated. A mature rhizome develops quite a bit of fiber in its structure from which starch has to be extracted. It’s no longer a delicacy, though still a great source of starch and minerals. Whether cooked or not, the starch is chewed out of the central core of the rhizome, and the fiber must be spat out.

Lastly there is a highly technical acronym, SLOTSM 😎 for the part of the root ball that’s just underneath the shoot of a cattail plant. It stands for “sizable lump of tender starchy material”, which is what Euell Gibbons called another particularly palatable portion of the cattail plant that could be directly eaten raw, or cooked. This part of the plant discolors somewhat if not cooked quickly and thoroughly. The SLOTSM is reached by trimming all the roots and rhizomes off of the lower part of the plant below the shoot. It might be as small in diameter as your little finger, or maybe up to an inch and a half. If you’ve yanked up a whole cattail shoot by the roots, you might as well go for the gusto and carve out this part. Again, the roots and rhizomes are cooler weather accessible, from fall to mid spring. The stage of the plant’s growth is more pertinant to the quality of eating than time of year, with the lower parts of the plant being best, and most of them truly pleasant eating, prior to the time of flowering.

Cattails, of the genus Typha, belong to the family Typhaceae, which contains only one other genus, Sparganium, the bur-reeds which are also edible. Within the cattail genus are 10-15 species depending on who one believes. Cattails are easy to identify with confidence, particularly because the remains, including the seed sausage of the plants remain recognizable long after the flowering, and often into subsequent seasons. The unique character of the sword-like leaves also aid in distinguishing the cattail species from other inedible plants of the swamp.

The leaves extend from the rounded base of the plant in a continuous erect fashion, and they remain tightly associated with each other up to a height of 2 or more feet from the ground. There is no midrib, no hairs, and the leaf margins are smooth and entire. Potential lookalike plants such as Calamus acorus, sweet flag, are much shorter, with flowers extending from the sides of the leaves about halfway up. The leaves of the various irises grow out of a flattened, not round base, in a much more angular fashion.

Fortunately the most widely distributed cattails are similarly useful and edible, although Typha latifolia, the common cattail, is the largest and most rewarding food producer. This plant grows in any marshy area in continental North America with the exception of places that stay frozen all year. Cattails are widely distributed worldwide, so that most people who read weedom have seen these weeds somewhere. The smaller Typha angustifolia, narrow leaf cattail, is similarly well distributed, but prefers less submerged areas, so more work is often involved in collecting the underground parts. These two species frequently hybridize. One other way to distinguish these plants, besides the narrower, perhaps half inch wide leaves on the T. angustifolia, is that this plant shows a naked band of stem between the male and female flowering parts.

Common cattail may reach up to 10 feet in height, with leaves up to an inch and a half wide. The narrow leaf cattail runs a few feet shorter in height, with correspondingly narrower leaves with somewhat pointier tips. And these species hybridize, so that the swamp sausage crop of weedom is quite a mix. Below is a sausage cracked in half. The seeds aren’t quite mature yet, but you can see that there’s enough to populate many swamps. For germination these plants need exposed soil that’s not covered by water. Cattails are able propagate extremely efficiently by means of rhizomes, should the waters never subside.

In the warmer regions of the U.S. is Typha domingensis the Southern cattail, which inhabits temperate to tropical regions, and has similar food and medicinal uses to the two species above. It is perhaps more well studied by our pharmacognosy friends in the Middle East and Asia. This plant like the other 2 major species can be considered a world wide native plant. It grows up to 12 feet in height, and like T. angustifolia can have a band of separation between the male and female flowers. Like the other 2 major species, it hybridizes readily, creating continuous confusion among the botanists.

One of the most interesting recipes for cattail pollen comes from Iraq. It’s a confection, called khirret or boori combining sugar and the pollen, which is then steamed in cloth bags until it looks like a yellow brick, then broken into smaller pieces and served or sold as a healthy snack. People eat it to relieve indigestion or diarrhea. Due to the cattail pollen ingredient, khirret is believed to be generally good for the colon, the respiratory tract and the urinary tract. Nawal Nasrallah writes about this rare and healthier than normal candy in her blog “My Iraqi Kitchen” but without giving the precise proportions of pollen to sugar. So the forager chef, Alan Bergo went to work on this recipe and established a viable method of production. He used 15 grams (1/4 cup) of pollen, 90 grams (1/2 cup) of turbinado sugar, finely ground, to which he added 15 grams or 1 tablespoon of cooked, riced potato. He steamed this mixture in a muslin cloth bag in a closed container for an hour producing a palatable confection. His alternative method was to place the mixture in a vacuum sealed bag and cook at 180 degrees for 2 hours.

There’s quite a bit more news you can use about cattails uses around the world, which will continue in another post. Hopefully our readers be inspired to dig some rhizomes this fall, and harvest a considerable quantity of shoots in spring, and later some pollen. Meanwhile, after your cattails have begun to go to seed, consider some crafting uses. The leaves are an easy and accessible material to use for basketweaving 101.

Have you been lost in the cattails already? Tell us what you’ve discovered. 👍🏼

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Where We Dig

1. Bergo A. Foraging and Cooking Cattails. Forager | Chef. June 21, 2025. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://foragerchef.com/edible-cattails/

2. Jordan D. Eat the Weeds: A Forager’s Guide to Identifying and Harvesting 274 Wild Foods. Adventure Publications; 2023.

3. Keswani A. B^oori~Boorani Mitti |. May 21, 2017. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://sindhirasoi.com/2017/05/booriboorani-mitti/

4. Sharp JEM. The problem with cattails. Hoosier Gardener. September 16, 2017. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://hoosiergardener.com/12503/

5. Thayer S. The Forager’s Harvest - A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants. Forager’s Harvest Press; 2006. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL8588402M/The_Forager's_Harvest

6. Thayer S. Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern & Central North America. Forager’s Harvest; 2023.

7. Zhou B, Tu T, Kong F, Wen J, Xu X. Revised phylogeny and historical biogeography of the cosmopolitan aquatic plant genus Typha (Typhaceae). Sci Rep. 2018;8(1):8813. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-27279-3

8. Cattail. White Rabbit Institute of Healing. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.whiterabbitinstituteofhealing.com/herbs/cattail/

9. Cattail pollen - Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://christopherhobbs.com/herbal-therapeutics-database/herb/cattail-pollen/

10. Cattails - Narrowleaf and Hybrid. WNY PRISM. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.wnyprism.org/invasive_species/cattails-narrowleaf-and-hybrid/

11. In my Iraqi Kitchen: Recipes, History and Culture, by Nawal Nasrallah. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://nawalcooking.blogspot.com/2013/03/khirret-cattailtypha-pollen-gift-of.html

12. Typha latifolia (Broadleaf Cattail, Bulrush, Cat-O’-Nine-Tails, Common Cattail) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/typha-latifolia/

13. Southern Cattail. Nature Collective. April 16, 2019. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://naturecollective.org/plant-guide/details/southern-cattail/

In her venerable tome, A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve crowned a Monarda species as the single significant North American source of thymol, which has long been recognized for its antiseptic and preservative benefits. Thymol and carvacrol are prominent contributors to the oregano aroma which has been sought for millenia for culinary, medicinal and cleansing purposes. One wonders if Bee Balm wouldn’t have been the weed for purging people and sacred spaces of Biblical times if it had been available, because it’s stronger than the hyssop and oregano candidates for that job. Instead, it has grown plentifully but in relative obscurity in the new world, with only a scant minority of people quietly using the plant for major medicine. And they have stories. People who lived near the earliest immigrant communities of North America heard about bee balm’s medicine and leaked the good news to other herbalists. Two of the more well read leakers are Michael Moore and Matthew Wood, and their books can be found below, “Where We Dig”. Monarda species have spread to Northern Europe, Austria and Bulgaria and some other places for study by our pharmacognosy friends, and for thymol production, so many far flung readers of weedom should not feel left out. There are from 12 to 25 species within the Monarda genus, (depending on who you ask), which exhibit a variety of flavors depending on the species and the area where they are grown.

As a proper member of the mint family, bee balm has an unstable collection of common names, such as wild bergamot, horse mint, oswego tea (usually from Monarda didyma, or scarlet bee balm) as well as formal names. It is able to hybridize, producing such products as Monarda media, a cross of Monarda fistulosa and Monarda didyma, and it’s able to spread by both seed and by rhizome. M. media, and M. didyma, (below) have grown in the past at weedom, but our crop for the last few years has been Monarda fistulosa, which has claimed significant territory near our walls of pole beans, where the monarch butterflies have been observed to fly united. Guess they like our weeds?

Sam Thayer, (in Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants) divides the common names, using ‘horsemint’ to describe the Monarda species which have stacked whorls of blooms at the apex of the branches, (e.g., Monarda punctata and Monarda citriodora). He uses ‘wild bergamot’ to describe those which have a single blooming head atop each stem, such as Monarda fistulosa amd monarda didyma. This seems orderly, so we will go with it. All four of these species have culinary and medicinal use, and share numerous constituents, though in varying proportions.

Monarda didyma has an aroma leaning toward citrus, which people likened to bergamot orange. It was consumed as a tea, by members of Oswego river tribe residing in NY state. This native remedy, which alleviated fevers and upset stomach eventually made its way to Europe, where the plant acquired its Linnean genus name (after a Spanish botanist), and a species name referring to the 2 anthers in each flower. Monarda didyma remains the preferred species used by Cherokee herbalists in present times.

These perennial plants occupy USDA hardiness zones 3-9, and are widely dispersed throughout North America. The plant seen at the top, is Monarda fistulosa, a strongly aromatic plant with pink flowers that some interpret as a light purple. It has classic square stems which are hollow, and from which leaves emerge oppositely, in alternating directions along the the stem. This plant branches profusely at the leaf axils and each branch produces a single cluster of blooms at the top. In this exceptional year for our weeds, many of the bee balm plants have reached 6 feet, (almost 2 meters) in height. Normally they top out at about 4 feet. In the rainy weather they’re spreading by rhizomes more quickly, but they’re are also more affected by the powdery mildew that so often plagues this genus of plants. Monarda species prefer meadows at the edges of a tree line, so as to enjoy partial shade and sufficient moisture. Ours are likely getting more sun than is ideal, and their leaves are a bit lighter shade of green, with the bottom being a bit more silvery than the top.

Mature, elliptical leaves are about 3-4 inches (8-10cm) long, but may reach up to twice that length., with pinnate vein arrangement. Small teeth punctuate the leaf margins. Extremely fine, short hairs are on the upper stems, the leaf petioles and the leaves themselves. Leaf petioles may reach a third of the leaf length, but upper leaves may be sessile - attached to the stem.

Blooms of Monarda fistulosa have 2 lips, a narrow spur above and a broad lip below. Flowers are self fertile, with 2 anthers above and a generous nectar repository to draw bees in below. A lighter colored array of bracts surrounds the single flower head. Blooms appear from June to September, and are usually the above pinkish shade, but may also be lighter to white.

Our pharmacognosy friends have noted a variability in proportion among the essential oils found even within a single species of Monarda. The growing conditions and certainly distillation conditions exert influence on the secondary metabolites of these plants. However they do have many common constituents among their aromatic essential oils. Herbalists such as Michael Moore have noted that more southerly plants tend to have a sweeter array of oils, and the more northerly plants trend towards the spicier and more pungent. Monarda citriodora occupies the southwest U.S. and Northern Mexico, and it’s aroma is quite sweet and lemony. Our Monarda fistulosa, on the other hand is funky oregano, heavy duty, with perhaps a tinge of geraniol aroma. The thymol and carvacrol are strong in the bee balm of weedom, which lends antimicrobial action that is good for poulticing wounds and burns. While some varieties of Monarda have camphoraceous components, these are not prominent in our plants. We would lean towards topical use, and sparing spice use of our potent plants. However it is a candidate for mouth rinses for gingivitis, a scalp treatment for seborrhea and any fungal issues. The plant (particularly flowers) can be extracted into honey and used to address coughs and sore throat in the winter directly as a syrup, or stirred into hot water and consumed as tea. An aqueous infusion is a mouthwash from the garden, to address inflammations of the gums or to assist with thrush (candida infection). Some herbalists suggest a cold infusion of Monarda fistulosa as a douche for vaginal yeast. Many of the species of Bee Balm can act to stimulate menstuation, with some (ours, for example) being stronger than others, therefore they should not be used as medicine internally or vaginally during pregnancy.

Something to bear in mind is that our bee balm, M. fistulosa yields a higher percentage of essential oils than many other members of the mint family: from 2.6 to 4.8 percent of dry weight, with thymol often predominating. It’s a more potent plant for thymol production than most, and it retains a good yield of the compounds of interest through more of its life cycle. For this reason, it’s a great addition to medicinal gardens.

The most prominent constituents, cymene, thymol, thymoquinone and carvacrol are potent antimicrobials with significant activity against major food borne strains of bacteria such as E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staph aureus, etc. While much of the activity of our bee balm lies with the volatile essential oils, this herb contains a generous amounts of polyphenols including rosemarinic acid and apigenin, which might contribute to its calming properties. Some other compounds of significance are flavonoids linarin, prunin and didymin, ther latter of which is generating interest for addressing neuroblastoma and fatty liver disease, while the first 2 are also under study for an array of activities from antidiabetic to cancer inhibition.

Herbalists describe Monarda species functionally as warming, drying, pungent, and dispersive of stagnation. When used to address fevers, it is allocated towards those patients with cold clammy skin. The flowers are seen as the most potent diaphoretic. It is traditionally applied as a spit poultice to inflamed or burned wounds, once the heat had dissipated. Monarda addresses stuck mucus, and has been used as a carminative to stimulate digestion, and even to clear the gall bladder. The steam from a hot infusion can be breathed to open congestion in the sinuses and the lungs. Monarda tea has also been used to alleviate inflammations of the bladder whether from infection or irritation, but is not suggested for kidney infections, which require more immediate intervention. Consider adding mallow root to Monarda when addressing bladder ailments or wound care. Matthew Wood has reported successes treating both tinnitus and Meniere’s disease using a tincture of Monarda, which he, like the earliest immigrants, calls “sweet leaf”.

This is a lower dose herb, because of its strength, so that 2-6 grams total daily of dried plant material is sufficient internally or in an infusion. Divide this over 3 or 4 doses, which would be 0.5 to 1.5 grams per dose. A tincture of dried plant material in 40% ethanol, in a 1:5 ratio can be dosed 2-4 ml, 3 times per day. Some herbalists recommend less of the tincture. Monarda is carminative, and diarrhea is a possibility with excess doses. If you’re distilling this plant for essential oil, that product would have to be diluted to 1 percent or lower in a carrier oil before using topically.

For cooking, consider using Monarda fistulosa wherever you’d use oregano (but use less), and Monarda didyma wherever the orange zest might go. For any other species, crush the leaf and follow the dictates of your nose.

Consider weighing in with your thoughts on this medicinal weed, and which butterflies and bees you’ve seen on the Monarda in your life.

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Where We Dig

1. Ghosh M, Schepetkin IA, Özek G, et al. Essential Oils from Monarda fistulosa: Chemical Composition and Activation of Transient Receptor Potential A1 (TRPA1) Channels. Molecules. 2020;25(21):4873. doi:10.3390/molecules25214873

2. Gontar Ł, Geszprych A, Sitarek-Andrzejczyk M, Osińska E. Influence of Plant Phenology on Chemical Composition of Monarda fistulosa L. Organs and their Bioactive Properties. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2024;79(4):920-925. doi:10.1007/s11130-024-01238-y

3. Grieve M. Modern Herbal. Echo Point Books & Media, LLC.; 2015. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL36722889M/Modern_Herbal

4. Jordan D. Eat the Weeds: A Forager’s Guide to Identifying and Harvesting 274 Wild Foods. Adventure Publications; 2023.

5. Lawson SK, Satyal P, Setzer WN. The Volatile Phytochemistry of Monarda Species Growing in South Alabama. Plants. 2021;10(3):482. doi:10.3390/plants10030482

6. Lawson SK, Satyal P, Setzer WN. The Volatile Phytochemistry of Monarda Species Growing in South Alabama. Plants (Basel). 2021;10(3):482. doi:10.3390/plants10030482

7. Moore M. Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West. 1st rev. and expanded ed. Museum of New Mexico Press; 2003.

8. Wood M. The Book of Herbal Wisdom - Using Plants as Medicine. North Atlantic Books; Distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West; 1997. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL1009748M/The_book_of_herbal_wisdom

9. Wood M. The Earthwise Herbal. A Complete Guide to NEw World Medicinal Plants. North Atlantic Books; 2009. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL22552057M/The_earthwise_herbal.

10. Monarda fistulosa (Appalachian Bergamot, Bee Balm, Eastern Bergamot, Wild Bergamot) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed July 29, 2025. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/monarda-fistulosa/

11. Reflections in Nature: Oswego tea has regional roots. sungazette.com. Accessed July 30, 2025. https://www.sungazette.com/news/outdoors/2021/07/reflections-in-nature-oswego-tea-has-regional-roots/

12. A Review on Pharmacological Activity of Monarda fistulosa L. ResearchGate. Published online April 28, 2025. doi:10.54250/ijls.v4i2.142

This post continues from the previous one:

Will the Real Hyssop Stand Up?

The long-revered hyssop plant has long been in use as a bitter flavoring and medicine for various conditions since times lost in history. Hardy from USDA zones 4a to 9b, the self fertile herb has naturalized in parts of North America, and much of Europe. Hyssopus officinalis has planted itself in India, where it’s called jupha in Ayurvedic medicine. The purple or blueish flowers are common, but since mankind has been messing with this plant for millenia, and carrying it from place to place, bloom colors now range into the pinks and all the way to white.

Pics from our little hyssop patch at weedom will allow you to know this plant when you see it. Both the leaves and the flowers are distinctly aromatic, so that you would not pull out all of such a plant by accident. Hyssop is perennial with a lifespan of about 7 years.

Size of the hyssop plants varies from 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height, and it can spread almost as wide it is tall. In many climates this plant is semi-evergreen, retaining some live green leaves through any mild winters or under snow cover, but much of the upper branches tend to die off after frost in our part of USDA hardiness zone 6. The plants benefit from vigorous pruning. They can be propagated from non flowering stem cuttings in the spring or the fall, by rooting in a sandy mix. Narrow lance shaped leaves are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long emerging directly and oppositely from the stem at each node, and in alternating directions along the stem in the usual mint fashion. New stems emerge from the leaf axilla, and at the top of a flowering spike, blooms arise in similar fashion. Leaves are often smooth at the margins, but some cultivars might have toothed leaves. Generally the leaf surface is smooth, somewhat shiny, glandular and aromatic. Stems of the plant are square in cross section, and become woody at the base, with the youngest stems remaining green and pliable.

Blooms ranging from blue through purple, pink, and sometimes white are tubular with 2 lips, the upper being somewhat shorter than the wider lower lip. Numerous flowers are arranged in whorls on a spike of about 3 inches or 8 cm. in length. Each bloom is surrounded by a calyx of 6 tepals which is about a half centimeter in length. The self fertile blooms (about 1 centimeter in length) have both male and female parts, with the 4 male anthers protruding outward beyond the edges. Seeds are produced in the single pistil structure, and these will require light for germination. Richo Cech, a knowledgable and successful propagator of medicinal plants , recommends that the seeds be scarified with fine sandpaper to increase germination rate.

Hyssop prefers well drained soil, with pH range from 6.6 to 8.5 in a mostly sunny area of temperate zones. In the sunniest climates it might prefer partial shade in the hottest part of the day. Once the plant has become well rooted, it is quite drought tolerant, surviving our driest years without much extra attention. In the raised plot of our herb garden, it’s also surviving our recent rains.

It is thought that the blue to purple flowered species produce the highest yield of essential oils, which vary a good deal by cultivar and by where they are grown. Two main herbal chemotypes, linalool and pinocamphone, are identified based upon their predominant essential oil constituents. Some of the most common of these are pinocamphone and cis-pinocamphone, α-pinene and β-pinene, sabinene , myrcene , phellandrene , linalool , myrtenol, elemol, and germacrene-D. Many of these constituents are shared by other cleansing and antimicrobial species, such as ground ivy, yarrow, purple dead nettle, and artemisia species with which our readers have become familiar.

Traditionally hyssop has been used for its cleansing, antimicrobial properties (largely attributable to the aromatic essential oils), topically for wound healing, for diuresis, as a diaphoretic, carminative, topically and internally for rheumatism, and to alleviate respiratory infections and coughs, and even as a nervine. Older uses have been for liver and urinary health, addressing Bright’s disease (nephritis). It is regarded as a stimulating, somewhat drying and warming herb. It had ancient application to stimulate menstrual flow, and from this is derived the recommendations for pregnant women to avoid medicinal use.

Apigenin 7-O-β-D-glucuronide is a major flavonoid of hyssop. Hyperoside, rutin, vicenin chrysoeriol, vitexin diosmin and isoquercetrin are also significant flavonoids repeatedly found in this species, as well as aglycones quercetin and luteolin. The most abundant phenolic acids are ferulic acid and caffeic acid.

The diterpene lactone, marrubiin, has been credited for the long noted, expectorant properties of hyssop. Marrubin also seems to have some pain relieving (antinociceptive) activity, and smooth muscle relaxant activity. This molecule as well as various flavonoids might support the traditional use of this herb to alleviate rheumatism.

Hyssop is credited with both antispasmodic and anticonvulsive activities (for petit mal). Conversely it is accorded the potential to cause seizures, due to small amounts of thujone present in the plant. (This is possible with bales of the herb, or incorrect use of the essential oil. )

The hyssop flavors have given it a culinary place as a part of bitters for digestive stimulation and relief, as components for the secretive recipes of chartreuse and absinthe liqueurs. Jim McDonald has sussed out the wormwood, anise, fennel, hyssop, and lemon balm constituents which he says are needed for any good absinthe mixture. Perhaps infusing those 5 herbs into some honey would also be good fun, and produce a great flavor.

Honey made by the bees buzzing the hyssop is said to be amazing, but at weedom we have never had huge enough quantities of that herb to determine this for ourselves. Bee keepers of old are said to have applied hyssop to their hives in order to persuade the bees to stay. From our direct observatoins this herb certainly seems to be popular with numerous types of bees and butterflies.

Numerous weeds are able to address insults to the skins such as itchy rash, bug bites, cuts and scrapes. Hyssop is definitely on that list, with either a strong aqueous infusion or juice of the aerial parts of the plant applied directly for relief and healing. A Hollywood (LA) herbalist, Willie Southall, was very enthusiastic about Biblical references to the uses of hyssop and he ran with it. Per John Heinerman Heinerman’s Encyclopedia of Juices Teas and Tonics Mr. Southall advocated the succus or juice of the plant as rapid itch relief, and he produced and sold numerous, hyssop containing topical products. It should be mentioned that both anti-bacterial and anti fungal activity of hyssop extracts have been demonstrated in vitro on a number of Candida species as well as numerous gram negative and gram positive bacterial strains. That and the presence of numerous anti-inflammatory substances within hyssop serve to support his remedies. Mr. Southhall is likely over 90 years of age if he is still among us, but it appears that his once successful business may no longer be active. However he has left a book for us, last published in 2001, that remains available in 2025. In addition, Matthew Wood has memorialized him in The Earthwise Herbal, vol. 1.

(As an aside, I recommend that all people track the treasures that are fading from the internet, and support such preservation efforts as the Internet Archive which stores much of the diverse world of herbalism from when it was curated by humans rather than AI or algorithms. )

For internal use, 2 to 3 grams daily of powdered, hyssop powdered leaves and blooms regarded as a generally safe dose. This amount should be divided into at least 3 administrations. Many people would want to sweeten the infusions of hyssop due to the bitter and spicy flavors. Tea can be made using 2 teaspoons of dried herb steeped in a cup of boiling water for about 10-15 minutes.

A tincture of the dried herb can be made in 1:5 ratio in 45% alcohol can be taken in 1-4 ml quantities, three times a day.

The crushed leaves and flowers, or their juice is best for topical use over a limited area, but a strong infusion will also serve to relieve various skin irritations, as well as wounds and bruises. Hyssop can serve in the place of arnica for pain relief, and for wider applications, (as arnica is for topical use only, and not on open skin).

Producing a syrup using honey and an aqueous extract of hyssop is one way to address congested coughs in winter. Another, for the fans of sweet and sour, is to make an oxymel. Roselee de la Forêt, at LearningHerbs.com, suggests filling up a jar with fresh chopped hyssop, then adding honey a third to half way up the jar, and filling the remainder with apple cider vinegar. Be sure to mix and work out the bubbles, and use a liner if you have a metal lid. This can be left to macerate for 2-4 weeks, then strained to remove the herb. The resulting honey and vinegar infusion can be kept on the shelf or in the refrigerator for half a year or so. Dried herb (a half jar-ful) can also be used for this type of mild preparation, spoonfuls of which can be taken at frequent intervals, with the sweetness being the dose limiting factor :-D.

What are you doing or planning with your hyssop? Inquiring minds want to know. Please share!

1 more cool hyssop pic is way down at the bottom.

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Where We Dig

1. Cech R. Growing Plant Medicine. Vol 2. Herbal Reeds, LLC; 2024.

2. Dekker S. How to Plant and Grow Hyssop | Gardener’s Path. Gardener’s Path. March 26, 2025. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://gardenerspath.com/plants/herbs/grow-hyssop/

3. Editorial. Hyssop properties. Botanical online. January 19, 2019. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.botanical-online.com/en/medicinal-plants/hyssop-properties

4. Grieve M. Modern Herbal. Echo Point Books & Media, LLC.; 2015. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL36722889M/Modern_Herbal

5. Popoola OK, Elbagory AM, Ameer F, Hussein AA. Marrubiin. Molecules. 2013;18(8):9049-9060. doi:10.3390/molecules18089049

6. Sharifi-Rad J, Quispe C, Kumar M, et al. Hyssopus Essential Oil: An Update of Its Phytochemistry, Biological Activities, and Safety Profile. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2022;2022:8442734. doi:10.1155/2022/8442734

7. Wood M. The Earthwise Herbal - A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants. North Atlantic Books; 2008. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL12031143M/The_Earthwise_Herbal

8. Hyssop Monograph. HerbRally. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.herbrally.com/monographs/hyssop

9. Hyssop Uses and Plant Profile. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.learningherbs.com/blog/hyssop-uses

10. Hyssop. | Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://www.henriettes-herb.com/eclectic/hool/hyssop.html

11. Hyssopus officinalis (Hyssop) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed July 7, 2025. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hyssopus-officinalis/

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It was an upright minty looking plant with blooms gathered in a bottle brush looking spike at the terminal ends of each branch. The plant looked good and smelled great, so I bought one and planted it in the garden. Now there are a whole bunch of them and I make great tea from the leaves and blooms. By now many of you are thinking that I’m not talking about an actual Middle Eastern plant mentioned the Bible. Instead it’s Agastache foeniculum, or anise hyssop, which tastes incredible to those of us who are into that range of flavors which runs from black licorice, through sassafras root beer and ends with a little vanilla.

Agastache is a wholly different genus than the ‘real’ hyssop, which also grows at weedom. Hyssopus officinalis is the medicinal hyssop, of much more ancient, historical origins, and which hails from the Mediterranean area. This one has been employed for respiratory illnesses, coughs, and as an anti-infective for thousands of years, and is a much more likely candidate for mention in the Bible.

A third culinary herb, Origanum syriacum might also qualify for Biblical mention, since it is native to the Middle Eastern regions where most of Biblical history occurred. This is the small plant used as the primary flavor of the much sought after Za’atar spice mix. We don’t have this at weedom thus far, though it it a planned addition, even if we have to grow it as an annual. For now, you can get a look at this white flowered species at Za’atar Gardens. This establishment, run by Moses, in USDA zone 9b of Fresno area, California has plenty of this type of oregano and seemingly a very friendly environment where it reseeds profusely. This is his primary Za’atar herb, but he also uses Thymbra spicata, Turkish thyme in his mixes. His vid is below, and well worth a view, because Za’atar is great food.

Possibly, at least some of the references in the Bible mentioning esov, translated to hyssop, are talking about this herb. But it’s not a very large plant. While esov seems to have had ritual use in sprinklings and for burning during the sacrifices mentioned in the Old Testament Books, perhaps something larger and closer to the Hyssopus officinalis was used to offer Jesus a drink of vinegar while he was being crucified.

Theories abound, and no time travel is going to let us know for certain which plant is the true “bible hyssop”, though we should eliminate Agastache foeniculum as a possibility, due to its origins and preferred climate. Origanum syriacum has wide recognition as “Bible hyssop” and might snatch the lead position due to heavy online marketing. :-D

But anise hyssop is a great and flavorful, edible plant that reseeds like a proper weed should, and therefore deserves its prominent place at weedom. It’s a major attractant to the bees and butterflies, and can reach heights of 3 - 5 feet, (1 - 1.6 meters). The spikes bearing whorls of bluish purple, tubular blooms are long lasting and fragrant. Each tiny bloom is bilabiate (2 lips) and has stamens which extend out beyond the lips. Lighter colored blooms occur in this species, as gardeners have been fooling around with it for many years. Leaves emerge on petioles from opposite sides of the stem, and in alternating directions as is classical for a member of the mint family (Laminaceae). The fragrant, spade shaped leaves may reach up to 4 inches (10 cm.) in length. leaf veins extend in alternating fashion from a midvein. Leaves are green above and a lighter, whitish green below, with marginal teeth that are could be called serrate (sharp) or crenate (rounded). Ours are somewhere in between.

This plant is native to Midwestern flyover North America, ranging from the plains to some eastern parts of the U.S. and Canada, and has had a prominent place in indigenous cuisine and herbalism. It has fortunately spread as far as the Middle East and to Eastern Europe, where our pharmacognosy friends study it for its medicinal properties. It is perennial in USDA zones 4a to 8b, with leaves dying off after a hard freeze, leaving bare stems to mark the place of re-emergence in the following spring. A particularly bushy plant may produce up to 90,000 seeds from the numerous blooms, each taking on a small, dark brown poppyseed appearance as they mature. These seeds, which require sunlight to germinate, ensure a permanent place for anise hyssop in your garden forever.

This anise / root beer flavored herb can be used to improve the taste of herbal teas into something more palatable, or can be consumed as tea on its own. Younger leaves can go into salads and soups and vegetable mixes. In culinary usage, and can be applied to fish, chicken, and pork preparations, and anywhere you might use tarragon or fennel leaves. The sweet flavor is much milder and mixed than licorice or anise itself, and is contributed by components in the leaves, blooms and seeds. Estragol (a.k.a allyl anisole, or methyl chavicol), and the clove-like methyl eugenol and eugenol, contribute to the signature taste, as does a bit of limonene, caryophyllene and a number of other minor components. As with all mints, the yield of these aromatic molecules within the plant is very low so that their potential toxicities in the pure state don’t apply to food and herbal useage, The essential oils are entirely another matter, and would require huge dilution. Anise hyssop contains a number of flavonoids (e.g. apigenin ) and phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid) which contribute to anti-infective anti-inflammatory, and perhaps the calming properties of the herb.

Numerous Agastache species found in Asia or Eastern Europe are more extensively studied for medicinal use. The origins of medicinal use of Anise hyssop are with the first immigrants of U.S.A., Tribes from the central U.S. commonly used this plant for teas and to sweeten and flavor various foods. A few of the tribes used it topically to treat burns, and as a diaphoretic and fever reducer. The Chippewa stand out among the other tribes in making use of the roots to treat colds and as an analgesic for associated pain in the chest from coughing. The Cheyenne, in particular, considered anise hyssop a remedy for “weak heart” or as a heart medicine. Interestingly, one of its many flavonoid constituents, tilianin, is being studied for its cardioprotective effects, which occur by multiple mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory, vaso-relaxant, anti-diabetic, and multiple anti-ischemic effects. Tilianin is widely distributed within the plant kingdom, which is just one reason that you really should be grazing your weeds :-D

Since weedom has a world wide readership now, we must give recognition to some Agastache species that more of our readers can access. Agastache mexicana, is an important source of crude tilianin, and has been much more studied for its medicinal benefits than our local weed. Likewise, Agastache rugosa, a.k.a. Korean mint, is a significant part of the herbal formulary throughout Asia. The scent of the Mexican giant hyssop leans towards the sweet lemon citrus, and that of the Korean mint is more like our anise hyssop. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the term ‘huoxiang’ applies to Agastache rugosa, their tall, purple blooming rough leaved plant, and also to Pogostemon cablin, which we know as patchouli. These plants definitely have different aromas, but they are used fairly interchangably to dispel dampness, relieve poor appetite, nausea, and to address fungal infections. The Japanese term Kakko also refers to both of these species, indicating that they serve similar functions. As for the antifungal activity, estragone is a major component which likely contributes to that efficacy.

It’s very hot, even under the fans, at weedom and we’re drinking the anise hyssop iced tea now, because these plants are blooming and buzzing with bees 10 feet away as this is being writtten. We have leaves and blooms drying in the hoops, for year round use. This or the Korean mint is a worthy addition to your garden if you can’t find it wild. If it’s too hot for these two plants where you live, life has given you lemons, and the cardioprotective, anxiolytic, antispasmodic Mexican giant hyssop can become your personal weed.

This post is getting longer than the usual 7 minute read, plus it’s exciting hay season at weedom, so there will be a break before proceeding to ponder The Powers of Hyssopus officinalis and the Weeds of Za’atar. Any interested fantasy writers are invited to take those titles and run with them. :-D

Your questions, comments and additions to these weed meanderings are appreciated and will be addressed with full nerd attentiveness.

Weedom is here for all to access fully. Posts and archives will remain open always. Comments and other less necessary things are fully open and will remain so unless I get so famous 🤣 that I can no longer handle the volume.

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However I, weedom1, do gratefully accept free will funding for caffeine and subscriptions and gatherings of botanical chemists and herbalists, all of which are brain fuel for more posts. Those who desire to contribute in non-monetary ways may share weedom far and wide for the health and well being of all. Thank you for reading and utilizing and adding to the botanical joy of weedom! 😎

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Where We Dig

1. Salehi B, Venditti A, Sharifi-Rad M, et al. The Therapeutic Potential of Apigenin. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(6):1305. doi:10.3390/ijms20061305

2. Harrison RK. The Biblical Problem of Hyssop. Evangelical Quarterly: An International Review of Bible and Theology. 1954;26(4):218-224. doi:10.1163/27725472-02604004

3. Zielińska S, Matkowski A. Phytochemistry and bioactivity of aromatic and medicinal plants from the genus Agastache (Lamiaceae). Phytochem Rev. 2014;13(2):391-416. doi:10.1007/s11101-014-9349-1

4. (PDF) Estragole: A review of its pharmacology, effect on animal health and performance, toxicology, and market regulatory issues. ResearchGate. doi:10.33899/ijvs.2022.135092.2445

5. de la Forêt R. Hyssop Uses and Plant Profile. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://www.learningherbs.com/blog/hyssop-uses#gsc.tab=0

6. Bălănescu F, Botezatu AV, Marques F, et al. Bridging the Chemical Profile and Biological Activities of a New Variety of Agastache foeniculum (Pursh) Kuntze Extracts and Essential Oil. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(1):828. doi:10.3390/ijms24010828

7. Foley M. Anise Hyssop: The Delicious, Prolific Mint - The Alchemist’s Kitchen. September 26, 2020. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://wisdom.thealchemistskitchen.com/anise-hyssop-the-delicious-prolific-mint/

8. Strilbytska OM, Zayachkivska A, Koliada A, et al. Anise Hyssop Agastache foeniculum Increases Lifespan, Stress Resistance, and Metabolism by Affecting Free Radical Processes in Drosophila. Front Physiol. 2020;11:596729. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.596729

9. Nechita MA, Toiu A, Benedec D, et al. Agastache Species: A Comprehensive Review on Phytochemical Composition and Therapeutic Properties. Plants (Basel). 2023;12(16):2937. doi:10.3390/plants12162937

10. Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop, Hyssop) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/agastache-foeniculum/

11. Palma-Tenango M, Sánchez-Fernández RE, Soto-Hernández M. A Systematic Approach to Agastache mexicana Research: Biology, Agronomy, Phytochemistry, and Bioactivity. Molecules. 2021;26(12):3751. doi:10.3390/molecules26123751

12. Palma-Tenango M, Sánchez-Fernández RE, Soto-Hernández M. A Systematic Approach to Agastache mexicana Research: Biology, Agronomy, Phytochemistry, and Bioactivity. Molecules. 2021;26(12):3751. doi:10.3390/molecules26123751

13. A Promising Herb for Respiratory Health & Other Medicinal Uses: Anise Hyssop. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://thenatureofhome.com/anise-hyssop-medicinal-uses/

14. Gast M. 6 Reasons You Should Plant This Underrated Herb. Rural Sprout. August 23, 2022. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://www.ruralsprout.com/anise-hyssop/

If you would like not to wait so long for your roots, or wish to allow the more rare Echinacea species to recover, you could utilize the very weed-like Rudbeckia hirta, or Black Eyed Susan, another North American native of USDA hardiness zones 3-9. This plant has a similar traditional history of use, by the very first U.S. immigrants, and for a similar array of illnesses as those which are addressed with Echinacea. While it has less formal research to bolster these applications, more information is slowly accumulating, and revealing constituents and activities which could account for the use and observed efficacy. Black eyed Susan is a much faster growing and especially faster spreading, short lived perennial weed which can supply plenty of material for medicinal use. Since conservation minded people have been calling for a reduction in the use of E. angustifolia most particularly, you could consider adopting the drought tolerant and prolific black eyed Susan.

The three species used by America’s first immigrants are Rudbeckia hirta, black eyed Susan, R. Laciniata, cutleaf coneflower, and R. fulgida, orange coneflower. R. hirta is a smaller plant, most widely distributed throughout the continent, and so this article will concentrate on that species. There is large overlap of the traditional uses of these 3 species, however. R. fulgida is more easily confused with R. hirta, because they are similar in size. But R. hirta is hairier and it lacks the stolons (above ground rooting stems) of R. fulgida, which allow that plant to spread quickly over the ground. R. hirta relies on seeds for its rapid spread. R. laciniata is a much larger plant with highly variable, pinnately divided leaves. It inhabits wetter areas around waterways and can grow to 10 feet (3 meters) tall.

Traditional uses of Rudbeckia species by America’s first immigrants were compiled from the Native American Ethnobotany Database, and summarized below. Use for snakebite, infections, fevers, colds, overlaps with the applications of Echinacea.

At weedom, there is plenty of black eyed Susan, R. hirta, the most widespread of the genus. From a couple of plants that we obtained from one of our farmer’s market buddies, it has done it’s weed thing, and now occupies numerous spots west of our abode. No drought, nor abuse, nor lawnmower could stop this weed, and we’re happy with that. Like the dandelions, this plant seems to learn how to bloom low when it’s been mowed. It has vastly outpaced our Echinacea, and we have enough to give plants away. In the latter half of the summer, it fills the gardens with blooms which continue until frost arrives.

New plants start out in either the Fall or the Spring as a rosette of green elliptical leaves. These leaves grow up to 3 -6 inches (7-15 cm.) in length and perhaps up to 2 inches (5 cm.) wide. The leaves are covered, above and below with copious coarse hairs, which are rough to the touch. They wouldn’t be fun to eat from a texture standpoint, and the taste is not tempting. Leaves have palmate venation, irregular teeth, and sometimes the larger leaves develop lobes. Hairy and winged petioles connect the leaves to the base of the rosette.

In June, stems emerge from these rosettes, often in the second year, becoming branched and bearing numerous blooms. Everyone has a different story about the longevity of this perennial weed, which often stays green throughout milder winters, or can die back to the ground under more severe circumstances, and reemerge in spring. Some report that it behaves as an annual in more extreme hot or cold regions of its range. We have seen rosettes spread wider into clusters in subsequent years, putting up multiple flowering stems. Our hairy weeds do not spread by stolons so we know that we’re looking at R. hirta rather than fulgida. As members of the family Asteraceae, plants of the genus Rudbeckia produce compound blooms, singly at the top of a stem or branch of the flowering stem.

Daisylike blooms, reaching 1-3 inches (3-8cm.) in diameter, begin with up to 20 sterile ray florets gradually extending from a central brown circle of 50-300 disk florets. Each of these central florets has 5 anthers arranged in tubular fashion around a single pistil. This disk of florets gradually bulges in the center until it becomes more and more conical as the flowers mature and elongate. Ray flowers can be a golden yellow to orange, and there are some cultivars of R. hirta which assume reddish tones. But above is the wild color that we see on roadsides and open areas throughout our region in hardiness zone 6 of flyover U.S.A. The ray flowers have a band of U.V. absorbing color, closest to the disc florets, which bees can see, that helps them to distinguish this species from others. We can observe a darker golden shade on the inner two thirds, and a more yellow shade on the outermost third of the ray flowers.

The tiny seeds of Rudbeckia hirta are four sided, wingless, and each composite bloom is capable of producing up to a few hundred. They’re regarded as anywhere from poisonous to merely inedible depending upon who is pondering the issue. The entire plant is credited with being poisonous to cats. Ours are not at all tempted.

What little information on the constituents of Rudbeckia species dribbles in is nothing like massive controlled trials (which will never happen for these unpatentable herbal drugs). However it does seem supportive of the traditional uses of the herbs. There is good in-vitro inhibition of pseudomonas aeruginosa in isolates of the plant material, and even better inhibition of Candida albicans, that is comparable to fluconazole. This ability to inhibit gram negative bacteria and fungal infections backs up the wound care uses and applications for ear and other infections.

Anti-oxidant activity has been demonstrated in vitro, as has been various demonstrations of the anti-inflammatory activity. including inibition of 5-lipooxygenase, an enzyme that catalyzes a metabolic pathway from arachadonic acid that yields an array of leukotrienes, which mediate inflammation in the body. Mechanistically, this points to very strong anti-inflammatory activity provided by methanol extracted fractions from the flowers of Rudbeckia hirta. Additionally this fraction contains compounds which inhibit haemagglutinin stimulated lymphocyte proliferation. Therefore these plants, with their complex actions, are much more accurately described as immune modulators rather than immune stimulants.

Patulitrin, a flavonoid component of R. hirta, has activity in lowering blood pressure, elicits anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting 5-lipooxygenase, inhibits histamine, and has antimicrobial properties. Rudbeckolide, a recently isolated terpenoid lactone also exhibits strong activity against 5-lipooxygenase.

The mechanism of both Echinacea and Rudbeckia for alleviating snakebite is thought to be through inhibiting the hyaluronidase component of snake venom which degrades the “glue”, containing hyaluronic acid, that holds bodily tissues together. Hyaluronidase inhibitors are widespread among plants.

Hyaluronidase serves to spread whatever other components might be present in the venom throughout the body of the prey. So the plant components, which inhibit this enzyme, tend to preserve the tissue from further damage, as well as reducing the spread of any other toxins. Dr. Patrick Jones, DVM, currently touts this application for both the Echinacea spp. and Rudbeckia hirta plants is naturopathic herbalist who practices in the western state of Idaho. Since poisonous snakes are very rare in the region of weedom, I claim no such experience. Dr. Jones, on the other hand uses the roots of these herbs for snakebites, (of the pit viper, e.g. rattlesnake type) for hobo spider bites and for brown recluse bites, and reports success with both his veterinary patients and human clients. (For other uses, he tends to favor using the young flowers since they are easier to collect than the roots, and perform suitably. Don’t wait till seeds start forming.)

Another western U.S. herbalist who used Rudbeckia interchangeably is Michael Moore, who founded the SouthWestern School of Herbal Medicine. He utilized them as diuretics and weak cardiac stimulants, and wrote that either root tincture of Rudbeckia laciniata or teaspoon doses of the aqueous infusion of aerial parts of R. hirta be used for this application. He found these herbs to have more warming effects than Echinacea, and to not need the addition of stimulatory herbs to assist in their functions.

Some final notes, R. hirta is generally more potent than Echinacea for overlapping purposes. (Echinacea is an herb which requires larger doses than most other herbs in order to work, which is why many people have experienced disappointment with it.) Pregnant ladies should avoid R. hirta.

Here at weedom, we have plenty of Black eyed Susan to harvest, and almost enough Echinacea after numerous years :-D, and are looking forward to some tincture and tea making very soon. We welcome comments and questions, and for you to weigh in on how you’ve been experiencing these excellent weeds.

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Now is planting time, and on the garden side of operations, some serious work is underway. As I was replanting some hot pepper and herb starts, I opted to use a less disruptive watering can over by the catnip plants. The nearest can was sitting in the greenhouse unused since the fall. This was a 2 gallon plastic container with a top handle and side spout with a sprinking head. There were some leaves inside which I opted to shake out, rather than reaching in to find various spiders. I filled it with water and proceeded to empty it on the hot pepper plants which needed a drink. Finding the delivery of water to be slower than normal, I decided to shoot in a little water, and shake some into the spout to loosen any obstuctions. While emptying it, I thought I saw a flash of an object inside, but looked inside and saw nothing. I gave the watering can a shake. No movement, so I refilled it again and headed over to plant a raspberry bush by the frog pond. I dug a deep hole and dropped in this healthy sized plant, packed it into its new home, and proceeded to give it a drink from the watering can. As I poured from the spout, a good sized two foot plus snake bailed out from the top. Apparently he had had enough of my abuse and drowning attempts.

Immediately I whipped out a phone cam and took pictures as he proceeded through the grass. It was time for a vid, even though it’s hard to track a snake. But this guy was plenty aggravated, and wanted me dead. He reared back into attack mode, flicking his tongue, facing my 3 eyed phone cam, and struck. There you have it.

After a couple of failed attempts to chew me, the snake calmed down. I grabbed a stick, and lifted him up to direct him into some bushes where he could hide and recover from the abusive treatment I had accidentally inflicted upon him.

This calls forth the reason that I wanted to use the snake’s watering can home in the first place. Earlier in the planting process, there was a need to clear massive ground ivy from one of the beds. I dug into that job until I reached a catnip plant with a bird’s nest in it. The little bird exited to the west, trying to draw this giant destroyer of worlds away from the 5 eggs in her home.

I pondered her courage, as well as the size of her bird brain. After all, she had chosen a catnip plant for her nest, less than 1 foot from the ground.

Hellloooooo.

Guuuuurl.

What a way to say, “Here, Kitty!”

So I finished clearing the garden bed, mostly, then set up a blind over east side of the nest, with the dried ‘bones’ of a jimson weed, holding a few dried shepherd’s purse stems overhead, and more of those pushed up to the side where I needed to plant. Mother bird eventually returned to the nest after I left. Later, I installed pepper plants on the east side of her home. Whenever I passed too close, she would leave the nest, but we started adapting to each other. When I announced my arrival, and walked a path a bit further away, often she would stay in place. This arrangement served Birdie’s needs for about a week, until Renob of weedom followed me out to the garden.

He immediately walked up to the catnip plant and sniffed, noticing the nest as she exited from the side. I shooed Renob away, and he took a reclining position about 20 feet away, waiting. Proceeding with work on some other beds in the garden, I contemplated the impending fate of the nest, thinking that Birdie is screwed, and so are her eggs.

The latest desperate move is a border fence. There are now small bamboo stakes in a ring around the nest in the catnip bush, spaced large enough for Birdie, but too small for Renob. So unless he wants to get impaled, there’s hope that he’ll leave the nest alone. The little bird has returned to the eggs, even after all the modifications. Fingers are crossed.

This is the second low nest that was disrupted this spring. Another one with even more tiny eggs was resting directly on the ground below a grape plant. I found it as I cleared weeds, and stopped immediately. But this one was too close to Renob’s haunts, as well as where skunks and others hang out. The eggs were gone a couple days later. Tragic.

I have a split mind about the animals that compete with us for the fruits of our labors, but there’s something about their babies, and wanting them to have a chance. I’ll even catch and release some spiders and mud dauber wasps. No sympathy for ticks though. Their direct, blood sucking behavior is too up close and personal, and repulsive. They are toilet bugs. 4 of them got flushed yesterday, and 1 so far today.

Spring is both a beautiful and unsettling season. It’s the season of birth. Half of the viviparous population knows this is not an easy process. It’s the season of rapid change, and crazy, sometimes violent weather. Storms and floods are beating up the Midwest as usual.

And Spring is the season of planting, for all of us who organize growth for food production. This naturally means that living things must be uprooted. It’s a tragedy to have to rip up so many cool weeds to make space in the garden for some cultivated food. We who plant are the giants who screw up the homes and very lives of little ants, pillbugs and worms.

In the hayfields we mow over the homes of larger creatures, squishing the eggs of various ground nesting birds, sending rabbits on the run, and chopping up the ones who aren’t fast enough. The lives of countless animals are messed up or lost, to feed everyone, vegans included. Food producers are the ones doing the “un-aliving” for everyone.

Being close to the land brings the most acute appreciation of life and death, and a resolve that life should not be wasted. So we scan for bunnies and baby deer when working the hayfields, trying to give them a chance to get out of the way. We pack the worms back into the mud when hand digging, and try to dodge the bird nests when we can.

The feeders of the beef cattle get moved to the processor on the morning of their demise, so that they have only 1 bad day.

These gestures are our expression of respect for the living things which die so that we can live.

Thanks to all who visit and comment at this little SubStack. Hope you enjoyed a snapshot of life amid the disorder of weedom. More weed posts are incoming. Wishing you all Spring blessings.

(Newer readers, click those links above if you want to check out some archived weed posts.)

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