Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Medicinal Trees, Catalpa and Hackberry

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey all welcome to this week's show. Today we're going to talk about a couple of

[00:00:05] [SPEAKER_00]: fairly common trees

[00:00:07] [SPEAKER_00]: They don't have a long entry not a lot of history of documented

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: medicinal use but they're good to know and so I think I can get two into one show

[00:00:17] [SPEAKER_00]: It'll be Catalpa and

[00:00:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Hackberry

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_00]: If you wonder why those come together, it's because Hackberry's Latin name is

[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Keltis

[00:00:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, Catalpa as far as I know is just called Catalpa

[00:00:32] [SPEAKER_00]: There are two that grow in my region

[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and

[00:00:37] [SPEAKER_00]: One is called Catalpa big noign big non iodes

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm not even going to try to call it by that name

[00:00:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Just call it Catalpa. And the other is Catalpa specialeosa

[00:00:51] [SPEAKER_00]: That does actually appear here in the Appalachians, but it'll be uh more

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_00]: common to you

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_00]: in the north but speaking of the Appalachians

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not there right now

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm visiting family in the sandhills and although I will go home

[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_00]: uh several times between now and um

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00]: You know Easter

[00:01:13] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to be in the sandhills

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00]: in Moore county Pinehurst for about a month

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_00]: And I usually do spend a couple months

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_00]: At least each year down here helping out with family doing a lot of yard work doing a lot of stuff

[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And um, it's

[00:01:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Really a unique area here in the sandhills now you probably just know all about pinehurst for golf

[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's I mean it's the home of golf in america. It's what it's known for

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_00]: You may know Moore county for its pottery jugtown and sea grove

[00:01:43] [SPEAKER_00]: You know maybe you've been to southern pines a time or two

[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_00]: It's

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a unique environment

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean like in pinehurst

[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like one of the few southerners I ever encounter

[00:01:54] [SPEAKER_00]: You know it's mainly retirees from up north who want to play golf

[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_00]: That's it

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Great area for harvesting medicinal herbs

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_00]: And because central north carolina, uh a lot of folks can drive here

[00:02:09] [SPEAKER_00]: From all over within you know no more than an hour or two. You can come here from charlotte raleigh fatville

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_00]: shoot

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, maybe about what two and a half hours from willmington

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I guess uh, maybe a little longer actually from willmington

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_00]: But from columbia, south carolina would only be like two hours

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And if you know if you're in the chapel hill durham

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: sandford

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: You know that

[00:02:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Area

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_00]: You could get here much quicker

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe even live in the area or maybe you got friends here

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_00]: I announced about a week ago that I was going to do a plant walk

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Here probably in the next two to three weeks. I'm waiting for the mullin to come up

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: That's sort of gonna be my

[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Clue that it's time to take people out and show them all the medicinal herbs that grow here and there are a lot actually

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_00]: I think

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Like I said speaking of the apple actions a lot of people get the idea

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_00]: That medicinal herbs only grow in the mountains and that's absolutely not true

[00:03:04] [SPEAKER_00]: These herbs and especially we start talking trees grow

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Everywhere and the sand hills of north carolina actually has an abundance of really good medicinal and edible plants

[00:03:14] [SPEAKER_00]: So we'll take a saturday and I'll take about maybe two hours or so and just take you out on an easy trail

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: See like I think they call it the arboretum, you know, it's it's

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Made for the the old folks around here to walk

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's not a hard trail

[00:03:28] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'll show you just dozens of medicinal plants. So you'll find when you get back home

[00:03:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Or maybe you want to propagate some uh and edible plants and it'll be a lot of fun

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: You know my family actually has long ties to this area

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Um the

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Waymouth was it waymouth woods?

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's it. There's a wildlife center and preserve here by grandfather help build

[00:03:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, he actually did a lot of the brick work in the area

[00:03:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Um one side of my family. I mean there's a historic site here

[00:04:01] [SPEAKER_00]: It was a cabin my that side of my family lived in over 200 years ago

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_00]: So, um, you know going back to like

[00:04:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Before the civil war revolutionary days my family's always had a connection to this area

[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, and I think it'd be really good to show people that uh these plants

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_00]: They don't all have to grow up at you know, 5 000 feet elevation where I live

[00:04:21] [SPEAKER_00]: They they grow everywhere and you know god willing and as Hank weems always just say the good lord willing and the creek don't rise

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_00]: This will be a good one and I'd like to do some in various regions

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, north carolina is so diverse

[00:04:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, we have the coast

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_00]: You got plenty edible plants and medicinal plants there. We have the swamps that is probably the most biologically diverse

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_00]: region of the entire state is is the swamps the coastal swamps are inland, you know, maybe

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_00]: 20 to 50 miles

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, I mean you can go from the great dill's will swamp up at the virginia line where the venus flytrap grows

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_00]: um down into you know

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_00]: The walk-a-mall and the cape for your valley and and I mean we got some serious swamps

[00:05:06] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean we could rival Louisiana when it comes to swamps

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_00]: I'd love to figure out a way to take folks out on a um

[00:05:15] [SPEAKER_00]: A plant walk in the swamps obviously we couldn't walk. We'd have to get some john boats or something

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe uh, some canoes. I don't know but uh, yeah sand hills

[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Super easy a very pleasant place to be in the spring and of course there are all kinds of hotels and restaurants around here

[00:05:30] [SPEAKER_00]: so if you're interested in coming in and uh checking out

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: The herbs and and edible plants you can do that and maybe you know your spouse or your other family members aren't interested

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_00]: They can go play golf or they can go to a spa or they can go to the art galleries or the theater

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's it's sort of a

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Pretty unique place actually. Uh, it's not quite my scene. You know, I'm not a golfer but

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00]: the um

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_00]: The plants here just really abundant

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Really abundant and uh, I think you enjoy it

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_00]: And you know after that I'd like do some you know, maybe in the coastal plain. I mean the you know

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Well the piedmont coastal plain the uwaris

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, we actually have a small mountain range here in north carolina that hardly anyone knows about

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_00]: It's in the dead center of the state basically

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_00]: And uh, it may be the oldest mountain range on the face of the earth

[00:06:22] [SPEAKER_00]: They're just they I mean they they were probably once as tall as like the himalayas and now they're just worn down to little foothills

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_00]: And really stuff grows there that doesn't grow anywhere else. So that's going to be a really unique experience

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_00]: And the the pede river goes right through there. So I mean

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Wow, I mean it's a pretty cool place actually. I mean you can catch catfish down there as big as a Volkswagen

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: It is uh the forgotten corner of north carolina without a doubt

[00:06:50] [SPEAKER_00]: That and like the the the sounds you know, you go up, uh, northeast from part of the state the abamore on pasqueton sound

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_00]: That's probably the lowest population area of the entire state

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_00]: I'd like to do something up there

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: But we'll definitely do some of the mountains too and maybe some in virginia and south carolina and georgia and tennessee

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_00]: All these places i've lived in all those states

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_00]: And um, I'd love to show you the plants but this one like I said it's coming up maybe two three weeks

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Weather dependent if you're interested email me judson at judson carol.com

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, I'm only going to charge 50 bucks for taking you out for about two hours

[00:07:26] [SPEAKER_00]: So I mean it's a good deal and I'll do a discount for couples and families

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_00]: If you bring kids you got to keep up with them yourself not my responsibility

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, and there'll be a disclaimer, you know, you've fallen break an arm or something. It's not my problem

[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_00]: We'll just call 911 and you're on your own. Okay

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, but yeah, it's going to be affordable and you know, um, if you email me

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll let you I'll put you on the the list of updates and you know

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_00]: If you come down for the the plant walk, that'd be great

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_00]: If you want to make a weekend or a long

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00]: You know a long weekend of just enjoying the area

[00:08:02] [SPEAKER_00]: They have really few places that are more pleasant in the spring

[00:08:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Really is nice. I have to admit

[00:08:10] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not big on landscaping but the village plants tulips everywhere and the red buds are blooming and the dogwoods are just starting to flower

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_00]: It's it's really darn pretty actually

[00:08:22] [SPEAKER_00]: And uh, there's some

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Serious fine dining restaurants. Um, I mean really high dollar stuff

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And really grand old hotels built in the 1890s again really high dollar stuff

[00:08:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And then they just regular old, you know motels and um

[00:08:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Just, you know

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Restaurants the locals eating that are you know really reasonable. Honestly, there's a

[00:08:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Good Italian place. It's not going to break your budget like real handmade food by a real Italian family

[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Great Thai restaurant actually the best Thai restaurant in North Carolina

[00:08:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Is probably in Aberdeen, North Carolina. It is

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Man, it's good. I remember I haven't been there in about a year or so

[00:09:04] [SPEAKER_00]: But the last time I was there and I ate in and sometimes there's do takeout, you know, because yeah, I'm a cheapskate

[00:09:10] [SPEAKER_00]: What can I say?

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_00]: no actually, uh

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Place was just packed and I just placed an order and left the um the time before that the

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Family sitting next to me the guy had been the ambassador to Thailand

[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And I heard him speaking uh Thai to the the staff

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_00]: And I said wow, that's really cool. I mean, that's that's not a real common language

[00:09:33] [SPEAKER_00]: How did you learn that and he said well?

[00:09:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I was ambassador for the united states to thailand for like 20 or 30 years

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And he said this is the best Thai restaurant in you know half in north north america

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean he was like wow, you know

[00:09:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, it's really good

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_00]: I got to admit and I mean Thai girls are beautiful

[00:09:52] [SPEAKER_00]: So I mean hey, I just go just to you know talk to the waitresses, but no seriously they do

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_00]: A curry that will blow the top of your head off. I mean if you say you want a Thai hot

[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_00]: They will make it so like two bites. You're just sweating. I mean it's yeah

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_00]: And they do the no the great soups and everything but no, I mean not everything's um

[00:10:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Super expensive around here um lots of military

[00:10:16] [SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, they keep it kind of reusable

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_00]: So many people that commute to fort bragg

[00:10:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Or whatever the heck they call it now. It's always going to be fort bragg

[00:10:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Do live right here in in in more county and

[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_00]: So you'll you'll find all sorts of people in all levels of uh prices at restaurants and

[00:10:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Lodging and and a lot of stuff to do. There's huge equestrian center and a great bowling alley

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, whatever and I really do recommend the sea grove potters jugtown

[00:10:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean that's uh, that's a really great north keraline tradition that goes back a couple hundred years

[00:10:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, uh beno and my buddy beno and out there in um sea grove

[00:10:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Man, he probably does some of the most beautiful ornamental pottery you will ever see

[00:11:02] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean his glazes are bright blue and red. I mean they're just

[00:11:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Gorgeous and then you got just potters that do bowls and mugs and utilitarian type items, which is really more what I buy

[00:11:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate ben's work, but it's way out of my range

[00:11:18] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean seriously

[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_00]: But you know, there's some live music and bars and different things so whatever floats your boat, but

[00:11:24] [SPEAKER_00]: If you're just in a plant walk just remember it's going to be like two three weeks from now

[00:11:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe I'll do about maybe I can try to do this annually

[00:11:30] [SPEAKER_00]: But again, just email me judson at judson carol.com

[00:11:34] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'll let you know when the date

[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Kind of firms up and then we're just gonna really keep an eye on the weather because you know

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously we can't go on a trail if it's pouring rain or something, but uh, yeah, it should be a lot of fun

[00:11:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I'd love to meet you sign a book, you know, whatever you want. We'll have a good time

[00:11:50] [SPEAKER_00]: So now let's talk about these plants

[00:11:52] [SPEAKER_00]: katalpa

[00:11:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Is um, well it's it's naturalized in my region. It's not it's not native

[00:12:01] [SPEAKER_00]: But um, it was much used in early american

[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_00]: herbal medicine

[00:12:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, I'd say really through about 1920, you know when really the pharmaceutical industry began taking over

[00:12:12] [SPEAKER_00]: King's medical dispensatory of 1898 says

[00:12:16] [SPEAKER_00]: It is stated that poisonous emanation issues from this tree

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_00]: But we have no knowledge of any serious effect from exposure there, too

[00:12:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, what does that mean in modern language? Well, uh, they thought the sap might be poisonous, but there was no documented evidence

[00:12:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, it does seem to cause dermatitis for some people and that could have been the issue

[00:12:38] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_00]: The posies have been employed into cautions and chronic bronchial infections

[00:12:44] [SPEAKER_00]: And it was much used as an asthma or very good for spasmodic asthma

[00:12:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, certain forms of functional heart disease. It just seemed to have a cardiac effect

[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, for that reason, of course, you want to be careful with anything that affects the heart

[00:12:59] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, obviously can be dangerous and maybe that's why people thought they were poisonous

[00:13:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe somebody had a little too much and they died that could certainly happen

[00:13:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, the leaves bruised and applied

[00:13:11] [SPEAKER_00]: As a cataplasm, it's basically a poultice

[00:13:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Have been used in irritable scruffulous ulcers. What is that? Well, it's basically psoriasis and eczema, especially if it's sort of like gets uh

[00:13:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Blistered uh sores, you know, if it cracks open, um, yeah

[00:13:28] [SPEAKER_00]: And they appear to possess anodyne properties. I mean soothing and healing

[00:13:32] [SPEAKER_00]: The bark has been employed internally in a powder decoction

[00:13:36] [SPEAKER_00]: In scruffulous malities again, uh, well scruffula can actually be glandular inflammation

[00:13:42] [SPEAKER_00]: um, so that would be um

[00:13:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, so many things can call swollen glands, but the actual scruffula itself was an infection

[00:13:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Um scruffulous condition conditions or maladies could be more general more broad even just inflamations

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_00]: And as an anthalmintic meaning helps get rid of intestinal parasites and such

[00:14:03] [SPEAKER_00]: The juice of the leaves as well as the root has been beneficially employed as a local application several forms

[00:14:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Of um ophthalmolia, so eye swellings and irritations as well as in certain cutaneous affections. That means skin irritations

[00:14:19] [SPEAKER_00]: You know more diseases

[00:14:21] [SPEAKER_00]: From the statements that have been made as to the toxic properties of this tree

[00:14:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And have not yet been satisfactorily demonstrated

[00:14:27] [SPEAKER_00]: It would be advisable to use some prudence and care in the administration of any of its preparations. Well plants for futures, uh

[00:14:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Well it's much more recent. I think it was written in the

[00:14:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Well around 2000 uh good british, uh source for herbal medicine. It's probably the most comprehensive herbal database there is these days

[00:14:49] [SPEAKER_00]: They said of indian bean tree, which is a catawpa

[00:14:54] [SPEAKER_00]: A team made from the bark has been used as an an antiseptic

[00:14:57] [SPEAKER_00]: antidote to snake bites as a laxative sedative and vermouth use vermouth use again gets rid of intestinal worms

[00:15:04] [SPEAKER_00]: And other parasites as well as having a sedative effect. The plant has a mild narcotic action

[00:15:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Though it has never caused a day's condition

[00:15:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Remember I said it had a uh a cardiac effect

[00:15:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, it slows the heart rate. That's what we're talking about

[00:15:21] [SPEAKER_00]: And as anti spasmodic, which would help with spasmodic asthma

[00:15:24] [SPEAKER_00]: It has therefore been used with advantage in preparations with other herbs for the treatment of whooping cough in children

[00:15:31] [SPEAKER_00]: It has also been used to treat asthma

[00:15:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And spasmodic coughs in children the bark has been used as a substitute for quinine and treating malaria

[00:15:39] [SPEAKER_00]: And so that's you know

[00:15:40] [SPEAKER_00]: This could be a very useful herb if we have something like cova again

[00:15:44] [SPEAKER_00]: The laser uses a poultry some wounds and abrasions and a tea made from the seeds is used in the treatment of asthma bronchitis

[00:15:51] [SPEAKER_00]: And is applied externally to wounds the pods are sedative and are thought to have cardio active properties

[00:15:57] [SPEAKER_00]: distilled water made from these pods

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER_00]: mixed with ibright which is euphrasia aficionalis and ru

[00:16:04] [SPEAKER_00]: ru was um

[00:16:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Some can be toxic in large amounts. So you're going to go careful on this

[00:16:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Is a valuable i-loathing in the treatment of trachoma and conjunctivitis and peterson field guide to eastern plant says

[00:16:16] [SPEAKER_00]: common katalpa

[00:16:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Bark tea formerly used as an antiseptic snake bite antidote laxative sedative worm expellant

[00:16:24] [SPEAKER_00]: leaves poultry storm wounds and abrasions

[00:16:27] [SPEAKER_00]: seed tea used for asthma bronchitis

[00:16:30] [SPEAKER_00]: externally for wounds pods sedative thought to protect possess cardio active properties. So

[00:16:35] [SPEAKER_00]: uh, a lot of common use in different countries there of

[00:16:37] [SPEAKER_00]: the katalpas

[00:16:42] [SPEAKER_00]: I am not sure if we will encounter a katalpa

[00:16:46] [SPEAKER_00]: on our plant walk, but they um, I do know there are several growing in the area. So

[00:16:52] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, maybe I can give you directions to where you can see one. Um, as any, you know, well

[00:16:58] [SPEAKER_00]: There will be other cardiotonic or cardio active herbs

[00:17:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Growing when we go out and I will show you some actually rather good substitutes

[00:17:07] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:17:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I talked to you before about um, a jugu-reptan's

[00:17:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Bugleweed it's one of my absolute favorites and it should be in flour

[00:17:16] [SPEAKER_00]: The other is keltus or hackberry now. There's 16 varieties of hackberry that have been used in herbal medicine

[00:17:22] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to list them all

[00:17:24] [SPEAKER_00]: They're either called keltus or hackberry

[00:17:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Not a super common tree where I live, uh, but there are three native varieties and it's um

[00:17:36] [SPEAKER_00]: A sugarberry. I'm not going to get into the latin on this

[00:17:39] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:17:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Common hackberry and dwarf hackberry

[00:17:43] [SPEAKER_00]: And people had planted Chinese hackberry ornamentally

[00:17:48] [SPEAKER_00]: We might see a hackberry tree or two. I I've seen several in uh, impiner's

[00:17:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I don't know if they're planted ornament. No, that would be the common

[00:17:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, because I could see where the growling in my mind, you know, I keep plant maps in my mind. You know how um

[00:18:04] [SPEAKER_00]: If you really want to go out and learn to find plants in the wild wildcraft

[00:18:09] [SPEAKER_00]: The best thing these days to do is take your cell phone

[00:18:12] [SPEAKER_00]: And use gps and when you've identified a useful plant mark that location so you can come back to it

[00:18:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, I don't like to carry a cell phone at all especially in the woods

[00:18:24] [SPEAKER_00]: I will keep one turned off for emergencies

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER_00]: But um, what I learned to do years ago is uh mental mapping

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Basically if I go on the same path or trail two or three times

[00:18:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I identify landmarks along the way and like right now I'm sitting in a chair. I'm talking into a microphone

[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And in my mind I can walk

[00:18:51] [SPEAKER_00]: About a three or eight mile path

[00:18:54] [SPEAKER_00]: And I know

[00:18:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Where the plants that I've identified are along that path

[00:19:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Now it can be a trail

[00:19:02] [SPEAKER_00]: It can be a road, you know a walk a walking path or a road where I might walk my dog and I happen to notice things along the way

[00:19:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, it can be a pathless area of the woods. That's something I've trained myself to do

[00:19:16] [SPEAKER_00]: You know having been an herbal since the age of 15 and I think

[00:19:20] [SPEAKER_00]: It's really actually very good for the memory if you can do that now

[00:19:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Like I said, the best thing to do these days is to use a gps a gps system

[00:19:31] [SPEAKER_00]: But um

[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I mean I've been out on trails in the middle of the night

[00:19:37] [SPEAKER_00]: And I can't see a thing. I mean it can be a moonless night and I can't see a thing and I've never gotten lost

[00:19:43] [SPEAKER_00]: In the night. I've gotten lost in the daytime before in an unfamiliar place, but on trail I've been on before

[00:19:48] [SPEAKER_00]: I've never gotten lost

[00:19:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Because even though I can't see more than a foot in front of me and I'm looking at the ground so I don't stumble over anything

[00:19:56] [SPEAKER_00]: In my mind. I know exactly where I am

[00:20:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's actually a really useful skill. I know where water is

[00:20:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Fresh water, I know where the spring is and where the creek's clean

[00:20:08] [SPEAKER_00]: I know where the fishing holes are. I mean, I'm talking like a 10 mile radius of my house

[00:20:12] [SPEAKER_00]: In the woods in the mountains that I've been around

[00:20:15] [SPEAKER_00]: I know where certain herbs are growing. I know where the ramps are by the creek bed

[00:20:19] [SPEAKER_00]: I know where a huge stand of pink lady slipper one of the most rare herbs that we don't harvest is

[00:20:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I know where

[00:20:26] [SPEAKER_00]: So many agensing

[00:20:28] [SPEAKER_00]: golden seal

[00:20:31] [SPEAKER_00]: I've identified the cherry and birch trees if I need something

[00:20:36] [SPEAKER_00]: All I have to do is sit and and just think for a minute. Maybe close my eyes

[00:20:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I know exactly where it is or where it was last year if you know, nothing's changed

[00:20:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And how to get there and could you know

[00:20:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Could walk there in the middle of the night if I had to

[00:20:53] [SPEAKER_00]: No, I I don't know. I um, I think anybody could do that. It's just a matter of uh

[00:20:59] [SPEAKER_00]: practice

[00:21:01] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a matter of being aware and paying attention

[00:21:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Memorization and envisioning

[00:21:07] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I've walked those paths in my mind more than I've walked them with my feet and I've walked them with my feet a lot

[00:21:14] [SPEAKER_00]: So I I actually think in a survival situation that could come in very handy

[00:21:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Probably something you might want to train your kids to do. I said before um

[00:21:24] [SPEAKER_00]: A great way to teach kids about edible plants and herbs

[00:21:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, especially, you know for survival as a prepper

[00:21:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Make a game of it. You know, you're in the car. You drive it along tell them to what's that plant

[00:21:37] [SPEAKER_00]: You know play a game you can do that along trails make a game of it

[00:21:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Um get a little competition if you got siblings give them a little reward if necessary

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_00]: And you'll be surprised how quickly they're going to learn those plants

[00:21:49] [SPEAKER_00]: I think you can also teach your kids mental mapping

[00:21:53] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:21:54] [SPEAKER_00]: You know very easily actually. I mean if you walk a trail

[00:21:58] [SPEAKER_00]: This is the way, um, I used to do it. I'd walk a trail and I get to a destination right now

[00:22:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Obviously, I live in a very steep hilly area

[00:22:06] [SPEAKER_00]: So a lot of times I'd want to sit down and rest for an hour eat a snack that I brought along, you know

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Whatever and what I would do is sit there and after I enjoyed the view or listen to the creek a little bit and just kind of settle down

[00:22:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Remember each step the vision myself starting on the trail. What did I pass along the way and as on my way back?

[00:22:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Try to look for what I missed

[00:22:29] [SPEAKER_00]: And by the time I got home, I've mapped. I've got a mental map of that area

[00:22:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, that's that's what our ancestors used to do

[00:22:37] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I think that would be true with your European or native american or polynesian

[00:22:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Our ancestors did a lot of mental mapping

[00:22:45] [SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's it's a great skill and um, you know, it's one of those things

[00:22:48] [SPEAKER_00]: It's probably pretty good for your brain actually, but let's talk about kelter sir hackberry

[00:22:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Um naturalized well, I said, uh, yeah the chinese hackberry has been naturalized

[00:22:59] [SPEAKER_00]: But mainly the common hackberry is what I have and according to plants for a future an extract obtained from the wood

[00:23:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Has been used for the treatment of jaundice. In other words, it's quite good for the liver

[00:23:11] [SPEAKER_00]: A decoction of the bark has been used in treatment of sore throats and when combined with the powder shells

[00:23:17] [SPEAKER_00]: It has been used in the treatment of vd

[00:23:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, unfortunately, they don't tell us what that venereal disease might be

[00:23:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, usually when they just say vd. They're either talking gonorrhea or herpes

[00:23:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, so we're probably looking at sort of a topical astringent kind of maybe with some anti

[00:23:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Viral properties. I'm not quite sure

[00:23:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh seems that hackberry was much utilized though by the native american tribes as an antioxidant rich food

[00:23:46] [SPEAKER_00]: American folq use seems to stem from that tradition as of yet though. I found very little recorded information on historical use

[00:23:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, I am looking forward to experimenting with hackberry a lot more in the future

[00:23:59] [SPEAKER_00]: and

[00:24:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Probably real good in pemicin, you know, if you've ever made pemicin dried berries nuts fat

[00:24:06] [SPEAKER_00]: um dried meat

[00:24:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Um that I could really see hackberry working in that on its own

[00:24:12] [SPEAKER_00]: um, yeah, it's not like

[00:24:15] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a little dry. You know, I mean, I've eaten hackberries before but

[00:24:19] [SPEAKER_00]: At least I think I have I remember being kind of dry and crunchy. I know maybe wrong

[00:24:24] [SPEAKER_00]: It's been a while since I've messed with them

[00:24:26] [SPEAKER_00]: But um, yeah, I mean I I the Cherokee

[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Apparently not only harvested them but

[00:24:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Propagated the trees, you know, they actually planted the seeds

[00:24:36] [SPEAKER_00]: So they'd be and probably the katalbans did as well. I mean, I'm sure they did

[00:24:40] [SPEAKER_00]: um, you know, we don't

[00:24:42] [SPEAKER_00]: when when

[00:24:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Europeans first came to America they saw very little evidence of actual farming. Well, it turns out

[00:24:50] [SPEAKER_00]: The natives were pretty darn smart about collecting nuts and seeds and berries and planting them in the woods

[00:24:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Especially along the trails where they'd be traveling

[00:24:59] [SPEAKER_00]: It's a different way of farming. It's actually a permaculture technique called farming the woods or making a forest forest garden

[00:25:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Turns out they were cultivating the land

[00:25:08] [SPEAKER_00]: You know for a few thousand years and uh, that's why we had

[00:25:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Why my ancestors had such abundance when they got here of nuts and fruits and berries and so much forage for game and

[00:25:20] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, that's something

[00:25:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I know I've talked about this before we need to be doing. I mean if you think

[00:25:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Well

[00:25:28] [SPEAKER_00]: For your own personal use and enjoyment, but really if you think things could get bad

[00:25:33] [SPEAKER_00]: What better thing to do now other than learn to grow out of vegetable garden in your backyard

[00:25:38] [SPEAKER_00]: And learn to forage but take some fruit and nut and berry seeds

[00:25:43] [SPEAKER_00]: And uh, some mustard seeds and you know anything you might need

[00:25:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And basically just toss them on every vacant piece of land or a place where you think they may grow

[00:25:54] [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't have to be your property

[00:25:56] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, what's the worst case scenario? Uh, you save some seeds. You tossed them out. They grow up and somebody cuts them down

[00:26:03] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:26:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Not always exactly legal. We actually have some laws against that but I think those laws are pretty stupid

[00:26:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, remember Johnny apple seed what a character he was right?

[00:26:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh major polygamous, uh, actually, but you know, he said to have walked all over the country

[00:26:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Planning apple trees

[00:26:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Apple seeds he just carried a big sack of apple seeds and just tossed them out

[00:26:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Probably a lot of the apple trees in north america are due to his just wandering around

[00:26:32] [SPEAKER_00]: A bigamus sleeping with every worm and he met and tossing out apple seeds

[00:26:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, what could you accomplish? You know if you save some seeds from a piece of a pear or an apple

[00:26:44] [SPEAKER_00]: a few, uh

[00:26:45] [SPEAKER_00]: cherries grape seeds

[00:26:48] [SPEAKER_00]: peach pits

[00:26:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, they need to be stratified but they they stratify naturally in nature

[00:26:55] [SPEAKER_00]: And um, you know, you could probably fit. I don't know. I even know 50 000 mustard seeds and a little

[00:27:01] [SPEAKER_00]: baggie in your pocket

[00:27:02] [SPEAKER_00]: And if you walk it along in a park and there's a little sate area

[00:27:07] [SPEAKER_00]: boom

[00:27:08] [SPEAKER_00]: You know mustard

[00:27:10] [SPEAKER_00]: radishes

[00:27:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Nobody's gonna know that they're but you

[00:27:13] [SPEAKER_00]: And if you know somebody sumbles along you just send a really great deed giving food to somebody who may need it

[00:27:20] [SPEAKER_00]: And trust me the deer and the rabbits and the birds are going to benefit from it

[00:27:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And that's going to give us more game if we need more game

[00:27:28] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:27:30] [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's a pretty darn good thing to do actually

[00:27:32] [SPEAKER_00]: And if you're sowing native

[00:27:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh wildflower wild seeds like hackberry would be native common hackberry

[00:27:40] [SPEAKER_00]: um

[00:27:41] [SPEAKER_00]: That's probably actually not only legal but encouraged. You know, again, you don't when

[00:27:46] [SPEAKER_00]: You know a landowner may have an issue with it

[00:27:49] [SPEAKER_00]: But if it was public land that probably wouldn't be an issue whatsoever

[00:27:51] [SPEAKER_00]: I definitely toss out some

[00:27:54] [SPEAKER_00]: A bone set and jope high weed and other antivirals and fever plants. Um

[00:27:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, that's they call it burrilla gardening

[00:28:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Probably a really really good strategy for survival

[00:28:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Actually, and it's sort of the opposite of what we've been been doing the past hundred years or so with landscaping tearing everything up and putting in concrete and grass

[00:28:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Much better to have something you can actually eat or use for medicine

[00:28:20] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not telling you to do it. Don't blame me if you get caught

[00:28:24] [SPEAKER_00]: but uh, I think it um

[00:28:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I think it could probably be one of the best things you can do for yourself and for future generations and if

[00:28:33] [SPEAKER_00]: They don't like it

[00:28:36] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll bite my tongue and just say forget about them, right?

[00:28:41] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean come on god gave us the land and the seeds and the water and

[00:28:46] [SPEAKER_00]: your

[00:28:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Village council or poa doesn't supersede god not in my opinion

[00:28:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Not anyway

[00:28:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, masinobu fukuoka. No, I didn't just have some kind of Tourette syndrome or anything

[00:29:02] [SPEAKER_00]: It's actually a japanese guy who wrote a fantastic book called the

[00:29:07] [SPEAKER_00]: One straw revolution

[00:29:09] [SPEAKER_00]: He he was all about growing rice and fruit trees

[00:29:13] [SPEAKER_00]: But what he learned to do was take seeds and mix them with clay and make little balls

[00:29:20] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, maybe the size of a marble and you keep a pocket full of them or a bag full of them

[00:29:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And when every soil bear spot of ground he just throw them out there

[00:29:28] [SPEAKER_00]: You know

[00:29:30] [SPEAKER_00]: It's it's a brilliant idea honestly

[00:29:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And he's what birds do naturally carrying seeds around dropping them

[00:29:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Be you know be like the birds throw throw those seeds out

[00:29:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's get some good edibles and and medicinal growing because

[00:29:44] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I mean it could be just something as simple as another like

[00:29:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Shutdown lockdown like we have a covid and you can't get the store. There's nothing on the shelf

[00:29:53] [SPEAKER_00]: But wouldn't it be great to just go out and walk your dog and come out back with a sack full of food

[00:29:59] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean if you if you're

[00:30:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Smart about it

[00:30:03] [SPEAKER_00]: You can get a little game while you're out there too or some fish, but you could at least come back with enough

[00:30:08] [SPEAKER_00]: You know vegetable food fruits nuts

[00:30:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Seeds

[00:30:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Amaranth would be an excellent example or goose foot

[00:30:17] [SPEAKER_00]: For seeds that you could get

[00:30:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Make a meal out, you know grind up and make a bread out of or make a porridge

[00:30:23] [SPEAKER_00]: It could literally save your life. You could live off that for weeks

[00:30:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah

[00:30:29] [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, yeah, I think it's a great plan and something I wish everybody would do

[00:30:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I know it's not legal in a lot of places, but

[00:30:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Frankly, I don't much care what's legal. I care what's about what's moral and what's legal is not

[00:30:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Always moral and in regards to regulation not often moral

[00:30:51] [SPEAKER_00]: So anyway, y'all have a great week

[00:30:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Um talking you next time

[00:30:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, you know go out and enjoy the spring and if you get to um

[00:31:00] [SPEAKER_00]: If you can come to find hers if you can afford it and you know, you want to meet me, uh, yeah, be glad to we'll have a good time

[00:31:09] [SPEAKER_00]: See ya

[00:31:10] [SPEAKER_01]: The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose retreat any disease or condition

[00:31:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Nothing I say or write has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor

[00:31:21] [SPEAKER_01]: The u.s. Government does not recognize the practice of verbal medicine and there is no governing body regulating herbalists

[00:31:28] [SPEAKER_01]: Therefore, I'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice

[00:31:31] [SPEAKER_01]: I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true

[00:31:35] [SPEAKER_01]: I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for I can tell you my own experience

[00:31:39] [SPEAKER_01]: And if I believe an herb has helped me

[00:31:42] [SPEAKER_01]: I cannot nor would I tell you to do the same if you use an herb anyone

[00:31:46] [SPEAKER_01]: Recommends you are treating yourself

[00:31:48] [SPEAKER_01]: You take full responsibility for your health humans are individuals and no two are identical

[00:31:53] [SPEAKER_01]: What works for me may not work for you

[00:31:55] [SPEAKER_01]: You may have an allergy a sensitivity and underlying condition that no one else even shares and you don't even know about

[00:32:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Be careful with your health

[00:32:04] [SPEAKER_01]: By continuing to listen to my podcast or read my blog

[00:32:07] [SPEAKER_01]: You agree to be responsible for yourself for your own research make your own choices and not to blame me for anything ever