Leader for today’s Ramble: Aubrey Cox
Authors of today’s Ramble report: Aubrey Cox, Linda Chafin, Don Hunter
Insect identifications: Heather Larkin, Don Hunter
The photos that appear in this report, unless otherwise credited, were taken by Don Hunter. Photos may be enlarged by clicking them with a mouse or tapping on your screen. Not all of Don’s photos from today’s ramble made it into the ramble report, so be sure to check out his Facebook album at this link.
Number of Ramblers today: 33
Today’s Emphasis: medicinal and culinary uses of plants. (We discussed traditional uses of plants but do not advise or recommend the use of any particular plants for culinary or medicinal use. This discussion is presented for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a recommendation or an endorsement of any particular medical or health treatment. Consult a health care provider before pursuing any medical treatment.)
Announcements:
Catherine Chastain, a long-time rambler, is teaching a “Printing With Botanicals” class on Thursday, June 13, 6:00 – 8:30 pm at the Garden. You will learn to create lovely results with leaves, flowers, and even vegetables using inks, watercolors, and solar paper. Printing is a great way to see nature’s beauty up close in a new way. Wear an apron or clothes suitable for creative, messy endeavors. No artistic experience is required, just a spirit of play and wonder! Call to register: 706-542-6156. OR to register online, click here.
Nature Rambler rainy day policy: we show up at 9:00am, rain or shine. If it’s raining, we will meet and socialize in the conservatory (bring your own coffee); if a break in the rain opens up, we’ll go out and do a little rambling.
Heather thanked everyone for the card we sent her following her recent surgery. We are so glad to welcome Heather back!
Bob announced that he will give a reading from his new book, Between Birdsong and Boulder: Poems on the Life of Gaia, at Avid Bookshop on June 11, 7:00-8:00pm. The set of poems will be “Creation, Destruction, and Recreation – Poems on the Resiliency of Gaia.” Amy Rosemond will be the respondent / conversation partner.
Susie Criswell announced that she has an exhibit of her paintings in the Earth Fare dining area (turn left as soon as you enter the store). The exhibit will be up till the end of June.
“Milkweed” by Susie Criswell
Today’s Reading: Liana read “Crows in the Wind,” a poem by A. E. Stallings, who graduated from the University of Georgia and is currently Professor of Poetry at Oxford University. For more on her career and studies click here.
Crows in the Wind
Hooded Crow: Corvus cornix
On windy days the crows cavort
Down slides of air for autumn sport.
They dive and spiral, twirl and spin,
Then levitate to ride again.
That wind that makes their airy slide
Comes tumbling down the mountainside,
Tousles the heads of trees and drops
To the sea beyond the cypress tops,
And drinking at the sea’s blue lips
Makes paper sailboats out of ships,
Whose distant swiftness seems repose
Compared to capers of the crows.
Their calligraphic loops concur
In copperplate of signature,
Or in formation they prepare,
Drilling at dogfights with thin air.
Watching them, I want to say
They are intelligence at play
And in their breath-defying flight,
Daredevils of a deep delight.
Of course, who would not rather be
An aerobat of ecstasy?
But it takes grounding to observe
Their every barrel roll and swerve
Against the sky, the way their skill
Makes the unseen visible
With two unlikely forces twinned:
Their turn of mind, the wanton wind.
Today’s Route: We visited the Children’s Garden bog and wetland area, then walked down the path to the Flower Bridge. We toured the China and Asia Section, the Physic Garden, and the Heritage Garden, then working our way down to the Orange Trail and the beaver pond. We returned to the Visitor Center on the Purple Trail and through the Florida Garden.
Ramblers crossing the Flower Bridge
Pre-Ramble Observations by Heather and Don: As they often do, Don and Heather explored the plants in the Children’s Garden. Here are some of their finds:
Chrysanthemum Lace Bug on a Maximillian Sunflower leaf. These are “true bugs” that feed on both the upper and lower surfaces of leaves. The leaves of Maximillian Sunflower are defended by stiff hairs and gland dots that exude defensive compounds, but the Lace Bugs are apparently not deterred. Photo by Heather Larkin
Leaf Beetle Jumping Spider.
Jumping Spiders have short legs, big eyes, and stout bodies. They do not spin webs but create silken tents under logs and rocks and on plants and use them for hibernation.
Photo by Heather Larkin
OBSERVATIONS
Aubrey introduced today’s Ramble with a bit of background on two of the traditional medicines of Asia: Chinese Traditional Medicine and Ayurvedic medicine of ancient India. These systems differ from Western medicine in that a diagnosis will begin with an “energetic” and “constitutional analysis.” From this, traditional practitioners decide if their patient is “deficient” or in a state of “excess,” or is “cold” or “hot,” or has dry or excess heat, and so forth. Ayurvedic medicine looks at “Doshas,” which are the constitutions of their patient. Doshas fall into three broad categories: Vatta (Air) – a person of light quick nervous energy; Pitta (Fire) – a person with heat issues dominant; and Kapha (Earth) – that of physical form, lubrication, and nourishment. Then herbs that are considered hot, cold, moist, drying, stimulating, etc., are chosen to fit the diagnosis and put together into a specialized formula.
Whoa! Whatever happened to using mint for my aching tummy?! It is fine to use herbs by themselves or with a few herbs in a personally designed tea to treat a symptom you may have. This skill is called “simpling.” Remember to be respectful of the plants if you collect from the wild, never taking more than 5% of any plant’s population (per the Plant Conservation Roundtable’s guidelines). Some North American tribes called medicinal plants “the sisters who take care of us,” and frequently gave a token gift when they collected, such as a pouch of tobacco, a sacred plant. And be extremely sure of your identifications! Don’t rely on a quick look at an online identification app – there are many good field guides out there dedicated to medicinal plants!
Some of Aubrey’s field guides to medicinal plants.
Aubrey led us to the Weeping Willow in the Children’s Garden. The inner bark of Willow trees, which contains salicin, has been used for centuries in both Europe and Asia for reducing inflammation, fever, and pain. Modern aspirin is a synthetic product called acetylsalicylic acid.
Aubrey discussing Horsetails in the Children’s Garden wetland, which is especially rich in medicinal herbs. We have two species of Horsetail in Georgia, Field Horsetail and Tall Horsetail. Both occur on stream banks and in floodplains.
Tall Horsetail is widespread in North America and occurs as far south as El Salvador.
Horsetails are high in silica, and are also called Scouring Rush because they make a good dish scrubber. They may be beneficial for bones, hair, nails, and connective tissue. They also contain chemicals that may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Horsetails are ancient plants, having diverged from an ancestral plant about 342 million years ago. Like other primitive plants (e.g. ferns, mosses), they reproduce by spores. Their cone-like reproductive structures are held at the tips of the stems, each producing hundreds of spores.
American Lotus is found in lakes and ponds throughout eastern North America. It is in the same genus as its Asian relative, Sacred Lotus, which is used to treat diarrhea, insomnia, fever, body heat imbalance, and gastritis. The seeds and tubers of American Lotus were used as food by Native Americans.
The Seminole tribe ground the roots of Lizard’s Tail, also known as breastweed, and used the paste to make compresses for painful breasts.
Water-primrose, in the genus Ludwigia, has been used for its anti-bacterial and anti-diarrheal properties.
Pitcherplant bog with White-top Pitcherplant hybrids
Pitcherplants were used by many Native American tribes for a variety of ailments.
Crampbark is a European species of Viburnum used to relieve the pain of menstrual cramps. Also known as Guelder-rose, it is planted in the Lower Shade Garden. This photo is of the cultivar ‘Roseum.’
Photo by Krzysztof Ziarnek
Smooth Spiderwort flowers make a nice addition to a salad! Some species of Spiderwort have been used medicinally by Native Americans, and recent studies have shown antioxidant and antibacterial activity in Spiderwort species.
Cedar Glade St. John’s-wort, a Hypericum species that occurs throughout Georgia in dry uplands.
Many species of St. John’s-wort have medicinal properties. European St. John’s-wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been widely prescribed to treat depression, and Spotted St. John’s-wort (Hypericum punctatum) is used in a liniment is used in massage therapy.
A word about “worts”… A lot of medicinal plant names end with the suffix “-wort.” Wort is an old word, derived from Old English wyrt, meaning simply plant; wyrt originally came from wurtz in the ancestral language of both English and German, meaning root. Names with the -wort suffix usually referred to medicinal plants, with the prefix being the part of the body or the condition for which it was used. But not always: St. John’s-wort is named for the saint day of St. John the Baptist, June 24th, around which time Hypericum species bloomed in Europe. An article in Wikipedia lists nearly 200 species with the suffix -wort, including both Old and New World species.
Aubrey discussed the importance of Sweet Gum in Chinese medicine. Essential oils derived from the leaves and stems of Chinese Sweet Gum (photo, left) are used to make anti-inflammatory liniments and compresses. It occurs throughout China, Taiwan, South Korea, Laos, and northern Vietnam. Its leaves are usually three-lobed. The Sweet Gum native to eastern North America (photo, right) has five-lobed leaves. A 2019 study found that the native Sweet Gum is loaded with phenolic compounds and “…may be considered as a potential therapeutic source with high anti-inflammatory activity and synergistic interactions with antibiotics against bacteria.”
The roots of Indian Pink, also known as Pinkroot and American Wormgrass, were used as recently as the 1930s to rid the body of intestinal worms. However, every part of this plant is toxic, containing spigiline, a compound which causes nausea, vomiting, and convulsions. Indian Pink is in the Strychnine Family (Loganiaceae). This photo was taken on May 2 when the plants were in flower; they are now in fruit.
The Herb and Physic Garden, near the Visitor Center, contains many traditional English and early American herbal plants.
A native of Europe, Feverfew was traditionally used for the treatment of fevers, migraine headaches, rheumatoid arthritis, stomach aches, toothaches, insect bites, infertility, and problems with menstruation and labor during childbirth.
Black Cohosh, photographed in the Dunson Garden on May 16, is a native species that is also used for menstrual and childbirth problems.
Scarlet Bee-balm, a native species in the Mint Family, was used to treat bee stings as well as a wide variety of internal ailments.
Cherokee and other Native Americans used Culver’s Root for a number of issues including coughs, fevers, rheumatism, childbirth, and constipation.
Here, Aubrey is discussing the uses of Garden Comfrey, a European species, used for relieving inflammation of the lungs and for healing of internal wounds and tissues. The native species, Southern Wild Comfrey, was considered by Native Americans to be a sacred healing plant, used primarily for gastrointestinal problems.
Elderberry flowers are on their way out today, soon to be replaced by large, flat clusters of purplish-black berries that are used to make jam, wine, and pies. The flowers are edible and are incorporated into pancakes and fritters. It is also considered a stimulant to the immune system due to its high levels of anti-oxidants. This article describes the wide range of uses that Native Americans had for Elderberry: dried fruit for sauces and survival food, twigs and fruit as dye, branches for arrow shafts, hollowed-out stems as flutes, and the pith for tinder.
Enslaved women on cotton plantations learned that chewing the roots of cotton plants could, among other methods, induce abortion, a way of resisting enslavement. An article detailing these and other other forms of enslaved women’s resistance is on the website of the Lowcountry Digital History Initiative.
Leaving the cultivated areas of the Garden, we walked downslope to the Orange Trail and the beaver marsh, where Duck Potato, also known as Wapato, is abundant. The large, arrowhead-shaped leaves are conspicuous.
Duck Potato tubers
Photo by Eric Toensmeier
In late summer, Duck Potato produces tubers at the tips of underground stems. They were an important food source for Native Americans. They can be eaten raw or boiled, fried, or roasted and taste much like potatoes.
On our return to the Visitor Center, we stopped to admire Gardenia shrubs in full bloom in the Flower Garden. We learned from Aubrey that the petals are edible and are made into a sweet-smelling tea. In Chinese medicine, the dried fruits of Gardenias are used to remove “damp heat” from the body.
SUMMARY OF OBSERVED AND DISCUSSED SPECIES
Chrysanthemum Lace Bug Corythucha marmorata
Maximilian Sunflower Helianthus maximiliani
Leaf Beetle Jumping Spider Sassacus papenhoei
Weeping Willow Salix babylonica
Field Horsetail Equisetum arvense
Tall Horsetail Equisetum praealtum, E. hyemale
American Lotus Nelumbo lutea
Sacred Lotus Nelumbo nucifera
Lizard’s Tail Saururus cernuus
Water-primrose Ludwigia sp.
Pitcherplants Sarracenia hybrids, S. purpurea X S. leucophylla
Crampbark, Guelder-rose Viburnum opulus
Southern Toothed Viburnum Viburnum scabrellum
Smooth Spiderwort Tradescantia ohiensis
Cedar Glade St. John’s Wort Hypericum frondosum
Bottlebrush Buckeye Aesculus parviflora
Sweet Gum Liquidambar styraciflua
Chinese Sweet Gum Liquidambar formosana
Indian Pink Spigelia marilandica
Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium
Black Cohosh Actaea racemosa
Bee Balm Monarda didyma
Culver’s Root Veronicastrum virginicum
Garden Comfrey Cynoglossum officinale, synonym Symphytum officinale
Southern Wild Comfrey Cynoglossum virginianum
Elderberry Sambucus canadensis, S. nigra
Cotton Gossypium hirsutum
Russula mushroom Russula sp.
Duck Potato Wapato Sagittaria latifolia
Gardenia Gardenia jasminoides