Wildcrafting
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Passionflower, aka Maypop, or Passiflora incarnata, is a relatively common plant that grows wild in sunny fields and unkempt yards in the southern United States and up the Eastern Coast and surrounding states. If it doesn’t grow wild around you, there is a possibility that you can find a potted plant at a specialty nursery. Passionflower
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Reishi Mushrooms, Ganoderma lucidum, are a staple in Traditional Chinese Medicine. But guess what? I found them in my backyard in East Texas. Not many of them, but they are there. You can’t find as much about these wonderful little fungi as easily as you can about more common herbal remedies, but I wouldn’t be
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Mullein, Verbascum thapsus, is one of the best plants you can find in the wild. Known as “nature’s toilet paper,” the soft leaves can not only be used as sanitary wipes when in the woods, but the plant is also medicinal! Also known as Aaron’s Rod because of the staff-life flower stalk. Great (Common) Mullein
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There are many clover varieties, the most common being white, red, and crimson. Today, I want to talk about Red Clover, Trifolium pratense. It is most commonly known as a foraging crop for livestock and gardening, as it fixes nitrogen in the soil. But you know, if I am doing a post on it, this
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Marshmallow is best known for being the originator of the sweet lovely confection we call marshmallows today. Before you get too excited, the marshmallows you buy in the store have nothing in common with the herb as of 2023 and haven’t for decades. They originated from medicinal confections made by boiling the root of Althaea
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I’ve recently started reading again. It’s been quite a while since I last sat down and committed to reading a new book. I’ve written more than I have read in the past few years, and I didn’t realize how much I loved and missed reading. My reading life looks much different than it did back
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American Beauty Berry, Callicarpa americana, is a nifty little bush that I actually came across growing outside of my office window. Like most of the plants I talk about, after figuring out that this bush that I almost cut down was useful, I dove down the research rabbit hole. Once you learn to recognize plants
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Dayflower (Commelina communis; C. diffusa; C. erecta; C. africana aka Yellow Commelina) is a plentiful, hardy plant that is easily found in flower beds and anywhere else you probably don’t want them in spring, late summer, and fall. Dayflower is not the highest in vitamins and minerals, but I still find it useful to know
Red Hawk Ridge 