Big healing from humble plants: folk herbalist J.E. Bradley explores the benefits of dandelion and chickweed.

Wild vigorous health and vitality-do these words describe your state of well-being? If not, perhaps you are overlooking some very important sources of nutrients right in your own backyard!

Perhaps you were taught as a child that "weeds" were bad ... that dirt was--well, dirty and somehow bad too. Is it any wonder that we have forgotten not only the healing aspects of the earth but those of the plants as well? Imagine that some of those weird plants that are not grass in your lawn have showed up to help you learn something and to heal you as well.

I have had many experiences where my friends' health concerns we addressed by the weeds growing in their yards. Of course, if you are chemically treating your lawn, you will not want to eat the weed, and you may even choose to stop poisoning the ground. It is prudent to think about what kind of inheritance we are leaving to future generations in the land.

Learning the many wonderful uses of weeds is a good place to start. If you think about these persistent, hardy, vital containers of life, wouldn't you choose to emulate a life like theirs, rather than the life of the fragile grass needing manmade chemicals and constant care? ... just something to think about.

Let's look at some of the weeds in our backyards and see what they have to offer. Our first specimen is a weed the Chinese consider to be one of the six most important plant, in the herbal medicine chest. Europeans eat it, drink it, and make money from it in innumerable ways. It ranks ahead of both broccoli and spinach in nutritional value. What amazing plant can this be? The DANDELION! Yes, the very plant that many people have been taught to disdain and destroy.

If you can open yourself to new possibilities, this humble weed will help you of someone you love in many ways. The dandelion helps in the garden with its long taproot pulling up nutrients from deep within the earth. It converts nitrogen to nitrates in the soil. Dandelion is also a bitter, but don't let that stop you. There are many ways to enjoy its greens and hide the bitter taste. I actually like the bitter taste, which stimulates digestive function by initiating the process.

For us humans, dandelions have been known to prevent and cure liver diseases, assist in weight reduction, purify blood, dissolve kidney stones, improve vision, and normalize blood pressure. Since this plant helps with anemia, cholesterol, diabetes, and some cancers, we must wonder why so many people spend so much money trying to rid their yards of dandelions. They are probably the very people dandelion has shown up to protect.

Dandelions are nature's richest source of beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. They are rich in micronutrients such as copper, cobalt, zinc, and vitamin D. The rich nutritional content alone provides many health benefits to humanity.

Our bodies are designed to receive these nutrients, having been conditioned to do so for thousands of years. Pharmaceutical of man-made supplements have only recently appeared on the scene, and there is some question as to our ability to recognize and receive these substances in an artificial form.

I have seen that the traps of many septic tanks hold pills and supplements intact. You may be impressed by the number of milligrams on the label, but your body only receives what your ancestral heritage has taught is acceptable. Our ancestors are foods closer to the earth than is the custom In my opinion, the source of our lack of nutrition is that our food loses the life force of the earth as it travels, becomes processed and further broken down through over-cooking. Eat where you live and eat live food. Gardening helps to ground the spirit as well as to nourish the body.

Back to our discussion of plants. Chickweed is another highly prolific beneficial weed that is not only edible but medicinal as well. Great raw in salads, it is a storehouse of valuable nutrients. It is used as an external remedy for cuts, wounds, itching and irritation. Its high saponin (soap) content facilitates weight loss and the dissolving of fatty tumors and warts. Internally, it helps to balance thyroid function and lessen the effects of rheumatism. In addition, it also has mild diuretic and kidney tonic properties which help with many skin problems particularly eczema. All those from this humble little garden starflower.

A few harvesting tips. Make sure you an unpolluted area-harvesting along the roadside is a bad idea. Remember to leave enough plants undisturbed so they may sustain their community. Always give thanks to the Creator God for the life of the plant, for the ancestors who have preserved this knowledge, and to future generations of both the plant species and our own.

JE Bradley is a traditional folk herbalist practicing at the Adawehi Healing Center in Columbus, NC. [phone] x5.