This morning we did a steam distillation of coyaye harvested from our front yard. Also called snakeweed / escoba de la vibora / Gutierrezia. Surprisingly this distillation is yielding a decent amount of essential oil, so we’re thinking of using … Continued
Today we saw a plethora of dormilón / cutleaf coneflower / Rudbekia laciniata. It’s pretty common so you’re bound to come across it in the mountains. It’s traditionally used as a remedy for delayed menstruation, birthing contractions, and pelvic inflammatory … Continued
Admittedly, I used to have a strong preference for common names because 1) they’re rooted in place/geography, culture, and language; and 2) let’s face it – they’re way easier to pronounce and remember! But over the past several years as … Continued
Here’s a good example of when poison is also medicine! I came across a huge stand of Red Baneberry (unripened) yesterday, which is also called Red Cohosh (Actaea rubra). Everything above ground is very poisonous, but the roots are known … Continued
Pedicularis, also called Betony, is considered a pretty top notch plant medicine. New Mexico has at least 7 Pedicularis species. Pictured is Pedicularis racemosa. After identifying a few Pedicularis species several years ago, I started digging in to the medicinal … Continued