Found you just last week when on a coastal Maine island, where my garden hosts herbs both wild (e.g. plaintains, coltsfoot, yarrow, wintergreen, mugwort, comfrey et aliae) and cultivated (common culinary and others); now back home with various collections of culinary and medicinal in the gardens. I used my herbs medicinally (as well as in cooking, wine-making) 25 years ago; now retired, am back to re-establishing what had gone missing during the intervening 25 years. Just delighted to find you with your offering of phytochemical info! Had lately been reading PubMed papers on new investigations into medicinal usage of plants. Your writing is of such value that I would be happy to support financially. Never before made that offer on a first/second-time read!
I sure do recognize your nic, ViaVeritasVita! Thanks so much for your kind note. Looks as though we might have had analogous life patterns with work and family calling us away from the weeds for awhile. (You made wine, and I made beer!) It is lots of fun to be back. The only thing better than a super weed garden is 2 locations, more variety :-D I imagine that Maine might share the UK array of flora quite a bit. It would be great to hear more from you as we are digging back into the natural world, and spreading the joy of weeds.
UK, eh? --daughter and her family just returned this morning to home on the Solent, after 3 wk here with us in Pa and Me. I, too, brewed, beginning that in 2011 (when the elderberries had been completely taken by birds, and I thought, 'whatever will I do?' , and did my brewing with intensity and volume. Oddly, haven't done any batches since 5/20. Maybe my brewing caught Covid? Yes, the two geographic locations, with quite different climate, are allowing me, among other things, to grow the flowers my father did, which I simply cannot in PA (digitalis, delphinium, aquilegia.....) with its hot humid summers. Peas also did wonderfully last year in Me--rarely decent down here near Phila.
Since you offer an open communication line---I used to make elecampane wine (sovereign for bad cough, I found)--made all my "country wines" from English wine books.
And thanks a lot for comment about Chinese medecine depending on infusions--I had been hunting for how they produced their artemisinin meds, given that I do not think they were distilling (!). My absinthium is ready now, today, (almost opening flowers) for picking to dry. Lots of 5-6' artem. annua as well. The irony is that although I enjoy the idea and practice of making herbal 'things', we are so rarely under the weather, husband and I, that the effort is (currently) solely pro forma. Ah well, that's the same reason we buy insurance on homes and cars. In case of need.
I'd bet that your wanderings in the weeds contribute to your good health. And 3 weeks with the grandkids = a good workout.
Years ago a friend of mine in college gave me the Chinese Barefoot Doctor's manual. It's been really useful to understand how they use the herbs, mostly in much larger doses than we do. They're serious about the herbs being the primary pharmaceuticals. So much of the good stuff comes out in hot water, especially if you put a lid on it and catch the essential oils . A few things require extraction in non-polar solvents. Chinese wine infusions involve good sized liquid doses :-D My martial arts instructors had connections with Chinese herbalists too. I learned that when they make tinctures or liniments, they often leave the herbs in forever, while we take the trouble to filter them out. So I have some Chinese style tinctures of Rumex crispus and Dipsacus in the pantry, with roots still in the ethanol. Elecampane wine sounds like a great way to deal with a cough. Do you use wine to extract the root, or do you ferment with the root in the mix?
One day it might be fun to find out what an extra bit of thujone does for an alcoholic beverage. Our Artemisia absinthium comes back year after year, begging for some attention., and we planted the Artemisia annua too, this year.
Are you growing hops? I tried and failed a few years back. Need to try again.
Thanks weedom! Chicory is one of those wild herbs that occurs (introduced) in Oz but hasnt yet been found by the Bush Food forager. Ive been on holiday recently so I'll have some new material for your reading pleasure soon (so many Scaevolas!)
The only other plant that i noticed looks similar is false hawksbit (Crepis japonica etc). Its the only regular edible weed I recognise up here in tropical north Australia where I'm kicking my feet back in a Hilton on the Great Barrier Reef :) Theres not even Sonchus or Bidens up (down?!) here!
I may also have eaten too many sea almonds, but when they grow on every beach who can resist?
Wow, the Great Barrier Reef! Looks like you're warming up, same as a lot of U.S. people do in the winter, except at a world famous place. That Crepis japonica might be almost everywhere. Looking forward to pics from your trip. Have fun!!
I'm not growing it yet but the chopped root is easy enough to buy and low cost.
***
Chicory: Understanding the Effects and Effectors of This Functional Food
...4.1. The Anti-Cancer Effect of the Chicory Roots as Observed in an In Vivo Murine and In Vitro Human Cell Models
A chicory supplemented diet triggered the deregulation of nine genes involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis (Figure 1). In addition, this diet induced an apoptotic effect in HepG2 cells in vitro (Figure 6 and Figure 7).
Yaaaaaaa, that article looked pretty interesting. In the time allotted I hadn't teased out the isolation of 3 mixtures, CGs, STLs and whether FRU was pure fructose or fructose plus oligomers and varying chain length inulins as they exist in the roots. But these 3 classes of compounds are found in numerous plants, and those results add credence to the idea that divorce from natural foods deprives people of a lot of natural protection from cancers.
The CGA caught my eye, and it appears to be almost the essence of coffee. I must admit to being a morning coffeeholic, but the rest of the day is given over to green & herbal teas.
...Chlorogenic acid strongly influences the taste of coffee, such as astringent, sweet, and sour tastes, which change with the concentration. It is also considered to be the origin of the unpleasant complex taste found after prolonged brewing. It forms greenish-black compounds in the presence of Fe(III) ion.
Yep, absolutely, coffee is a wonderful and beneficial beverage. It's the primary fuel of achievement, as well as containing a host of beneficial substances. Likely the reason some docs suggest limits on coffee consumption is for the opportunity to prescribe other stimulants. :-D
Weedom dear,
Found you just last week when on a coastal Maine island, where my garden hosts herbs both wild (e.g. plaintains, coltsfoot, yarrow, wintergreen, mugwort, comfrey et aliae) and cultivated (common culinary and others); now back home with various collections of culinary and medicinal in the gardens. I used my herbs medicinally (as well as in cooking, wine-making) 25 years ago; now retired, am back to re-establishing what had gone missing during the intervening 25 years. Just delighted to find you with your offering of phytochemical info! Had lately been reading PubMed papers on new investigations into medicinal usage of plants. Your writing is of such value that I would be happy to support financially. Never before made that offer on a first/second-time read!
I sure do recognize your nic, ViaVeritasVita! Thanks so much for your kind note. Looks as though we might have had analogous life patterns with work and family calling us away from the weeds for awhile. (You made wine, and I made beer!) It is lots of fun to be back. The only thing better than a super weed garden is 2 locations, more variety :-D I imagine that Maine might share the UK array of flora quite a bit. It would be great to hear more from you as we are digging back into the natural world, and spreading the joy of weeds.
UK, eh? --daughter and her family just returned this morning to home on the Solent, after 3 wk here with us in Pa and Me. I, too, brewed, beginning that in 2011 (when the elderberries had been completely taken by birds, and I thought, 'whatever will I do?' , and did my brewing with intensity and volume. Oddly, haven't done any batches since 5/20. Maybe my brewing caught Covid? Yes, the two geographic locations, with quite different climate, are allowing me, among other things, to grow the flowers my father did, which I simply cannot in PA (digitalis, delphinium, aquilegia.....) with its hot humid summers. Peas also did wonderfully last year in Me--rarely decent down here near Phila.
Since you offer an open communication line---I used to make elecampane wine (sovereign for bad cough, I found)--made all my "country wines" from English wine books.
And thanks a lot for comment about Chinese medecine depending on infusions--I had been hunting for how they produced their artemisinin meds, given that I do not think they were distilling (!). My absinthium is ready now, today, (almost opening flowers) for picking to dry. Lots of 5-6' artem. annua as well. The irony is that although I enjoy the idea and practice of making herbal 'things', we are so rarely under the weather, husband and I, that the effort is (currently) solely pro forma. Ah well, that's the same reason we buy insurance on homes and cars. In case of need.
I'd bet that your wanderings in the weeds contribute to your good health. And 3 weeks with the grandkids = a good workout.
Years ago a friend of mine in college gave me the Chinese Barefoot Doctor's manual. It's been really useful to understand how they use the herbs, mostly in much larger doses than we do. They're serious about the herbs being the primary pharmaceuticals. So much of the good stuff comes out in hot water, especially if you put a lid on it and catch the essential oils . A few things require extraction in non-polar solvents. Chinese wine infusions involve good sized liquid doses :-D My martial arts instructors had connections with Chinese herbalists too. I learned that when they make tinctures or liniments, they often leave the herbs in forever, while we take the trouble to filter them out. So I have some Chinese style tinctures of Rumex crispus and Dipsacus in the pantry, with roots still in the ethanol. Elecampane wine sounds like a great way to deal with a cough. Do you use wine to extract the root, or do you ferment with the root in the mix?
One day it might be fun to find out what an extra bit of thujone does for an alcoholic beverage. Our Artemisia absinthium comes back year after year, begging for some attention., and we planted the Artemisia annua too, this year.
Are you growing hops? I tried and failed a few years back. Need to try again.
Thanks weedom! Chicory is one of those wild herbs that occurs (introduced) in Oz but hasnt yet been found by the Bush Food forager. Ive been on holiday recently so I'll have some new material for your reading pleasure soon (so many Scaevolas!)
The only other plant that i noticed looks similar is false hawksbit (Crepis japonica etc). Its the only regular edible weed I recognise up here in tropical north Australia where I'm kicking my feet back in a Hilton on the Great Barrier Reef :) Theres not even Sonchus or Bidens up (down?!) here!
I may also have eaten too many sea almonds, but when they grow on every beach who can resist?
Wow, the Great Barrier Reef! Looks like you're warming up, same as a lot of U.S. people do in the winter, except at a world famous place. That Crepis japonica might be almost everywhere. Looking forward to pics from your trip. Have fun!!
Thanks! Bookmarked.
I'm not growing it yet but the chopped root is easy enough to buy and low cost.
***
Chicory: Understanding the Effects and Effectors of This Functional Food
...4.1. The Anti-Cancer Effect of the Chicory Roots as Observed in an In Vivo Murine and In Vitro Human Cell Models
A chicory supplemented diet triggered the deregulation of nine genes involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis (Figure 1). In addition, this diet induced an apoptotic effect in HepG2 cells in vitro (Figure 6 and Figure 7).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8912540/
Yaaaaaaa, that article looked pretty interesting. In the time allotted I hadn't teased out the isolation of 3 mixtures, CGs, STLs and whether FRU was pure fructose or fructose plus oligomers and varying chain length inulins as they exist in the roots. But these 3 classes of compounds are found in numerous plants, and those results add credence to the idea that divorce from natural foods deprives people of a lot of natural protection from cancers.
The CGA caught my eye, and it appears to be almost the essence of coffee. I must admit to being a morning coffeeholic, but the rest of the day is given over to green & herbal teas.
...Chlorogenic acid strongly influences the taste of coffee, such as astringent, sweet, and sour tastes, which change with the concentration. It is also considered to be the origin of the unpleasant complex taste found after prolonged brewing. It forms greenish-black compounds in the presence of Fe(III) ion.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/chlorogenic-acid
Yep, absolutely, coffee is a wonderful and beneficial beverage. It's the primary fuel of achievement, as well as containing a host of beneficial substances. Likely the reason some docs suggest limits on coffee consumption is for the opportunity to prescribe other stimulants. :-D