Beloved Ocotillo
Many moons ago, when I was a college kid I lived in Las Cruces (go Aggies!) for about a decade so I got to know some of the Chihuahuan Desert flora. Most notably of course is ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens), which … Continued
Who needs Echinacea when you got Cutleaf Coneflower?
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
Red Baneberry / Red Cohosh Remedy
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
Soothing Herbal Sedative
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
Fireweed to Help Reduce Inflammation
To me, fireweed is a pretty recognizable mountain wildflower, but most people hiking through the mountains probably have no idea how good it is. According to the late great herbalist Michael Moore, both clinical and animal studies have shown Fireweed … Continued