When one problem is actually a solution! You won’t believe what I discovered in my garden…….

 In honor of Earth Day, I want to share a connection relating to traditional farming principles. Traditional farming is a new and often trendy return to ancient food production techniques.

Along with this philosophy comes an honor and respect for working with nature rather than against it.

As it turns out, this may be important during this pandemic time as well!

My Discovery…

I recently discovered a patch of poison oak near my home and in a favorite nature hang out. I’ve tried many natural ways to push it back or to compete with it.

And much to my amazement!

A couple of weeks after the arrival of the poison oak, a set of new plants appeared in this same forested area. I had never seen them before anywhere in my area. The timing piqued my interest!

As it turns out, this mysterious plant is a “Wavy Leaf Soap Plant”.  The Golden Gate National Park Conservancy describes the attributes of this plant as follows:

Both the Native Americans and the early Spanish-Californians found many uses for the bulb or root -- both fresh and cooked: As the name hints, when the coating is removed and the bulb is crushed and rubbed on hands or clothes in water, it creates a fine lather for washing body and garments (including delicate fabrics!). The crushed bulb can be rubbed on the body to relieve rheumatic pains and cramps, and perhaps as a salve for poison oak rashes. The bulbs were also cooked by slow roasting in ground-pits: For the Native Americans, they were a good source of dietary starch. The cooked bulbs contained fiber that could be made into small brushes. The bulbs were made into poultices used on sores…

Amazingly, this multi-functional food plant also serves as a salve for poison oak!

Nature as provider of the antidote

This pleasant surprise of the antidote plant showing up shortly after the poison plant appeared is not unusual. This has been observed by herbalists across many cultures and belief systems.

The principle is that nature will provide the needed plants and herbs in abundance when times of crisis or need arrive. This is a principle that I had studied on paper, but never observed so directly in the past.

Another connection! Lyme Disease and Corona Virus

On a recent ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Disease Society) conference call I noticed another connection.

This special gathering was meant to support medical care providers in sharing specific strategies for their Lyme disease patients. The call to reduce inflammatory processes was the theme, addressed from many perspectives. Respected and prestigious MDs on the call noted the overlap between most Lyme medications and their positive impact, though not curative, on COVID-19 outcomes.

One of the substances noted was Resveratrol. Using this supplement to support the body has value because it modulates cytokine activity, reducing inflammatory processes.

Resveratrol

Resveratrol comes from a plant known commonly as Japanese Knotweed or Polygonum cuspidatum. Interestingly, it is registered on the National Invasive Species registry and is often referred to as “Godzilla Weed” because of its aggressive nature.

As I have studied the herbs that support the body to heal from stealth pathogens, I see this aggressive nature as a common theme. These plants seem to be aggressively attempting to cover the earth right now. They are ‘going viral’ in this viral time!

Is this coincidence or evidence of the deep wisdom of our earth? That is up to you to decide, but it is evident that we need to honor native plants and shift our thinking about ‘weeds’.

What can we do?

We have a voice and we can choose to ask business owners to shift to a clean, organic product model.

We can keep our eyes open to the benefits of the ‘weeds’ that appear in our area. Instead of spraying toxins to kill them, consider learning about native plants that can provide many health benefits.

Quietly, we can each:

Send love and appreciation to our earth.

Respect the documented idea that nature can have profound benefits for our well-being.

Remember that positive emotions benefit our physiological state.

Keep our ‘space ship through the stars’ planet as non-toxic as possible!

Spend time away from chaos and stress, and find a little piece of earth to enjoy!

By Jean Hilton, MA, CNC, HMIP, PDC