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Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden : Column Index : 2003 : Oct03
Coming Soon...
Wildcrafting in Hawai`i: Cash Crops Under Our Feet
Weeds! We all battle them and sometimes develop very strong emotions toward them. I curse at them: *%$#@ sleeping grass! No matter how much I pull it out, I'll never get rid of it. And when you don't believe in herbicides, it's a constant struggle.
But have you considered that all plants are "something"? Weeds have botanical names, they're members of large plant families, and occupy a place in the natural world. Many of them have properties that make them useful as plant medicine, for making into fabric or rope, food for animals and so forth. For example, what we commonly call sleeping grass or sensitive plant is a member of the Acacia family: its botanical name is Mimosa pudica. Many people use it for its sedative and nervine qualities. And you can harvest it for free!
I'll talk this month about several plants that we consider weeds. You can help the environment by picking them, and help yourself by using them because of the wonderful properties they contain. Beyond that, there's a potential market for some of our weeds because they are herbs, after all.
Wildcrafting In Hawaii
I haven't heard of much wildcrafting in Hawaii, aside from gathering certain fruit from the roadside. Wildcrafting is a common practice on the mainland: people collect plants that they use as medicine and sell to stores or distributors. Responsible wildcrafting is very important: we must maintain plant populations and not drive certain species into extinction, as has happened with wild ginseng and goldenseal in the forests of the Eastern United States. Just as clearcutting trees is a very bad idea, collecting all of the plants in an area is also not what you should be doing. But with something like sleeping grass, which is an introduced species and very undesirable as a weed, I don't worry about the possibility of eradicating it from the island because it will never happen, no matter how much we pull! For more information about wildcrafting, visit United Plant Savers at www.unitedplantsavers.org.
Sleeping Grass is Prized as a Medicine
This prickly little weed is a member of the Fabaceae or Mimosaceae family. It's a tropical perennial from Surinam. It covers the ground and has substantial roots that are hard to pull. It produces seeds that scatter everywhere and sprout joyfully into more plants almost before your eyes.
But you can make a tea or tincture from its leaves and flowers that is good for the nervous system and can help with insomnia. An organization called Body Electronics (www.body-electronics.com) uses it extensively for promoting a healthy nervous system -- many people swear by it. I've shipped it to customers on the mainland and with a little bit of research about the market for it, so could you.
Purslane Is a Delicious Source of Omega 3 Fatty Acid
Purslane, or Portulaca oleracea, is a smooth, low-growing succulent with small yellow flowers. It's cultivated in France as a lemon-flavored salad delicacy and enjoyed in fancy New York restaurants. In Hawai`i it's called `Akulikuli-kula. It's a rich source of vitamin C and alpha linolenic acid, one of the Omega-3 fatty acids. Why buy fish oil in capsules when this little plant grows wild here? Chances are you have it growing as a weed in your garden, as I do. It forms a ground cover and reseeds itself quickly, forming a weedy-looking mat that can take over an area. But with the proper marketing, I'll bet that you could sell it to upscale restaurants on our island and perhaps farther afield, as the trend for eating fresh fruits and vegetables increases. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking into purslane as a possible crop for cultivation as they try to introduce healthy changes into the American diet.
Gotu Kola Helps Your Memory
Gotu kola, or Centella Asiatica, is another groundcover plant with a Hawaiian name: Pohe kula. It's in the carrot family (Apiaceae), is sometimes called Asiatic pennywort, and is used as medicine throughout Polynesia. Highly prized in Ayurvedic medicine (from India), it is considered a spiritual herb that helps the nervous system and increases brain power, according to www.dc400.com. It contains vitamins A, G and K and is also high in magnesium. The Physician's Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines states that gotu kola has anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer effects, that it's useful for external wound healing, and that it helps vein and bloodflow problems. You can eat a few leaves raw in your salad or make a tea from the fresh leaves, but for maximum effectiveness, consume a little every day. If you get a headache, decrease your dosage.
Mullein Can Be Smoked to Help Bronchial Problems
The genus Verbascum includes several species of mullein (MULL-in). It has been introduced to Hawai`i and is a problematic invasive on Maui. Here, you see its tall flower spikes along the sides of Saddle Road at the higher elevations. It's especially good for the lungs, as it's an expectorant, antispasmodic and astringent. The German Commission E (similar to our FDA) has approved it for coughs and bronchitis. Christopher Hobbs, in his book Herbal Remedies for Dummies, states that "herbalists recommend mullein leaves as one of the safest and most useful herbal lung tonics... Take mullein for easing the symptoms of asthma, chronic bronchitis, dry coughs and laryngitis." To make a tea, simmer 1 tablespoon of the fresh leaves and/or flowers for every cup of water for 15 minutes. Drink one cup several times a day. I dry it and include it in my herbal smoking blend, "`Awa of the Goddess." You can wildcraft it or purchase it at natural foods stores. Before I began wildcrafting it I bought it from Frontier Natural Products Co-op, who also buy herbs from growers. To receive their "Grower's Information Packet," call 1-800-669-3275 or visit www.frontiercoop.com.
Other Plants for Wildcrafting: But Be Careful!
Lilikoi (passionflower) leaves make a nice sedative tea and vervain (Ha`uoi) leaves and flowers are useful as a tea for colds, the flu, fevers, liver congestion and painful or irregular menstrual periods. Please remember that herbs are serious business: it is important that you know what you're taking and why you're taking it before you experiment with plant medicine. With wild plants, be certain that you correctly identify what you're picking before you consume it and then prepare it properly. Finally, make sure the plants have not been sprayed with chemicals or pesticides.
Wildcrafting in Hawai`i: Cash Crops Under Our Feet
Weeds! We all battle them and sometimes develop very strong emotions toward them. I curse at them: *%$#@ sleeping grass! No matter how much I pull it out, I'll never get rid of it. And when you don't believe in herbicides, it's a constant struggle.
But have you considered that all plants are "something"? Weeds have botanical names, they're members of large plant families, and occupy a place in the natural world. Many of them have properties that make them useful as plant medicine, for making into fabric or rope, food for animals and so forth. For example, what we commonly call sleeping grass or sensitive plant is a member of the Acacia family: its botanical name is Mimosa pudica. Many people use it for its sedative and nervine qualities. And you can harvest it for free!
I'll talk this month about several plants that we consider weeds. You can help the environment by picking them, and help yourself by using them because of the wonderful properties they contain. Beyond that, there's a potential market for some of our weeds because they are herbs, after all.
Wildcrafting In Hawaii
I haven't heard of much wildcrafting in Hawaii, aside from gathering certain fruit from the roadside. Wildcrafting is a common practice on the mainland: people collect plants that they use as medicine and sell to stores or distributors. Responsible wildcrafting is very important: we must maintain plant populations and not drive certain species into extinction, as has happened with wild ginseng and goldenseal in the forests of the Eastern United States. Just as clearcutting trees is a very bad idea, collecting all of the plants in an area is also not what you should be doing. But with something like sleeping grass, which is an introduced species and very undesirable as a weed, I don't worry about the possibility of eradicating it from the island because it will never happen, no matter how much we pull! For more information about wildcrafting, visit United Plant Savers at www.unitedplantsavers.org.
Sleeping Grass is Prized as a Medicine
This prickly little weed is a member of the Fabaceae or Mimosaceae family. It's a tropical perennial from Surinam. It covers the ground and has substantial roots that are hard to pull. It produces seeds that scatter everywhere and sprout joyfully into more plants almost before your eyes.
But you can make a tea or tincture from its leaves and flowers that is good for the nervous system and can help with insomnia. An organization called Body Electronics (www.body-electronics.com) uses it extensively for promoting a healthy nervous system -- many people swear by it. I've shipped it to customers on the mainland and with a little bit of research about the market for it, so could you.
Purslane Is a Delicious Source of Omega 3 Fatty Acid
Purslane, or Portulaca oleracea, is a smooth, low-growing succulent with small yellow flowers. It's cultivated in France as a lemon-flavored salad delicacy and enjoyed in fancy New York restaurants. In Hawai`i it's called `Akulikuli-kula. It's a rich source of vitamin C and alpha linolenic acid, one of the Omega-3 fatty acids. Why buy fish oil in capsules when this little plant grows wild here? Chances are you have it growing as a weed in your garden, as I do. It forms a ground cover and reseeds itself quickly, forming a weedy-looking mat that can take over an area. But with the proper marketing, I'll bet that you could sell it to upscale restaurants on our island and perhaps farther afield, as the trend for eating fresh fruits and vegetables increases. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking into purslane as a possible crop for cultivation as they try to introduce healthy changes into the American diet.
Gotu Kola Helps Your Memory
Gotu kola, or Centella Asiatica, is another groundcover plant with a Hawaiian name: Pohe kula. It's in the carrot family (Apiaceae), is sometimes called Asiatic pennywort, and is used as medicine throughout Polynesia. Highly prized in Ayurvedic medicine (from India), it is considered a spiritual herb that helps the nervous system and increases brain power, according to www.dc400.com. It contains vitamins A, G and K and is also high in magnesium. The Physician's Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines states that gotu kola has anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer effects, that it's useful for external wound healing, and that it helps vein and bloodflow problems. You can eat a few leaves raw in your salad or make a tea from the fresh leaves, but for maximum effectiveness, consume a little every day. If you get a headache, decrease your dosage.
Mullein Can Be Smoked to Help Bronchial Problems
The genus Verbascum includes several species of mullein (MULL-in). It has been introduced to Hawai`i and is a problematic invasive on Maui. Here, you see its tall flower spikes along the sides of Saddle Road at the higher elevations. It's especially good for the lungs, as it's an expectorant, antispasmodic and astringent. The German Commission E (similar to our FDA) has approved it for coughs and bronchitis. Christopher Hobbs, in his book Herbal Remedies for Dummies, states that "herbalists recommend mullein leaves as one of the safest and most useful herbal lung tonics... Take mullein for easing the symptoms of asthma, chronic bronchitis, dry coughs and laryngitis." To make a tea, simmer 1 tablespoon of the fresh leaves and/or flowers for every cup of water for 15 minutes. Drink one cup several times a day. I dry it and include it in my herbal smoking blend, "`Awa of the Goddess." You can wildcraft it or purchase it at natural foods stores. Before I began wildcrafting it I bought it from Frontier Natural Products Co-op, who also buy herbs from growers. To receive their "Grower's Information Packet," call 1-800-669-3275 or visit www.frontiercoop.com.
Other Plants for Wildcrafting: But Be Careful!
Lilikoi (passionflower) leaves make a nice sedative tea and vervain (Ha`uoi) leaves and flowers are useful as a tea for colds, the flu, fevers, liver congestion and painful or irregular menstrual periods. Please remember that herbs are serious business: it is important that you know what you're taking and why you're taking it before you experiment with plant medicine. With wild plants, be certain that you correctly identify what you're picking before you consume it and then prepare it properly. Finally, make sure the plants have not been sprayed with chemicals or pesticides.
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