Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story with us @lisabrunette . I'd love to learn more about "Brown-Eyed Susan" and how you use it in your home apothecary! It's not a plant I'm familiar with. If readers have any questions for Lisa about her herbal experiences (or indeed the wonders that are currently being carefully prepared in her basement rafters!) do drop us a line. We'd love to hear your questions and stories.
Thank you so much, Sarah! I'm thrilled to be your guest, and it's been a real pleasure to get to know you and your herbal practice there in the UK. Brown-eyed Susans are native to North America; they are the Rudbeckia species, with varieties hirta, triloba, etc. I haven't actually used them yet, but they were recommended by a number of sources to treat colds and flu (though not the seeds).
What a great story. I have similar memories of foraging with my mom and grandma. I remember prickling myself on nettles, and being told to look for dandelions and rub the juice over the sting from the nettles. I remember my amazement when it made the pain go away.
Here in SoCal where we live, I can’t forage for it yet, so I grow it in my herb beds. I am building a forest garden though and chamomile are one of the herbs I plan to add. I harvested 1/2 gallon of chamomile last summer and I really enjoy a cup before bed, or if I am stressed out. Chamomile, lemon balm and catnip came to the rescue when our twins were toddlers. It quickly became a beloved routine to do tea and story time before bed.
My kids are adults now, even though they still live at home. I am so proud that when they get sick or have an injury they go for the herbal solution first. Comfrey soaks for sprains and swelling, mint and fenugreek for stomach pain, mullein and mint steamers, for a stuffy nose and cold. This and so much more. I love that herbal medicine keeps being passed down through the generations.
It’s also the reason I am planting medical plants in the forest garden too. I it will be a place where I can introduce the next generation to foraging for herbs and food.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and share your story. Chamomile was also one of the first plants I connected with - it seems to be one of those gateway herbs (like dandelion) that encourages folks to step into the herbal realm. It's so lovely to hear that you've passed your tradition on to your family.
I think most homesteaders at least dabble in herbalism. For me it comes from growing up in Denmark. Food are very expensive there, so most people grow at least some food and you can forage in the royal forests and wildlife reserve, as long as you don’t pull up plants by the root or start cutting down trees and or bushes. We would forage for wild vegetables and herbs in spring. Pick berries in late summer and fall, mushrooms in late fall and pine and mosses during winter. While healthcare is free in Denmark, medications are very expensive, so the poor and middle class use herbal medicine a lot. At least that’s how it was growing up. We immigrated to America 20 years ago. We live south east of San Diego on a half acre homestead.
That’s fascinating. I went to Copenhagen in 2018 for a writing project and loved it, but the visit was too short, with no time sadly for sightseeing. We can also forage state parks and conservation centers here; I’ve foraged for persimmons, for example. Thank you for sharing your story.
As for moving. There were many reasons. My husbands company wanted him over here all the time, while I was alone with 3 toddlers. We also needed better healthcare to save our son. He had severe lung problems, from 6 months of age. He was in and out of hospital. He is much better now. We were also sick of high taxes and insanely expensive food, last we were allowed to express our opinions about things and make our own choices. We don’t regret it, so a few years ago we got our citizenship here.
That's an amazing story! Coincidentally, when I went to Copenhagen that week in 2018, the company that hired me tried to woo me to move there, and I turned them down, for many of the reasons you cite.
It was an interesting read, though Marcus Bühler is right, originally we didn’t have a lot of forests. A huge part of Denmark used to be bogs, and they are still everywhere. The Vikings used the bogs for fuel and building materials. Houses were and are still mostly build using stone and bricks. The roofs were patches of bog material dried and attached with clay. Clay and moss was used as insulation in buildings. You can also see how many items were made using horn and bones of animals instead of wood. As for fuel, the patches of bog were dried and stored dry. It was then burned for heat during winter and for cooking. When we lived in Denmark, we walked into the bog every year to harvest elderberries and elder flowers, crap apples and rose hips.
The main forest areas were and are still owned by the Royal family. In the earlier days nobility also owned forest areas. Everyone was allowed to pick up what was on the ground and forage, as long as they didn’t cut anything down or hunted animals. There were also limits to when and how long you could do it.
Today the largest forest area lays north of Copenhagen and is called Klampenborg forest. It’s mostly for tourists now, but my family forages for food there all through my childhood.
Denmarks nature has definitely inspired my plant choices in our forest garden. While I don’t grow crap apples, I do grow elderberries and rose hips.
First, I just finished Weston A. Price's important book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. He's a dentist who traveled the world in the 1920s/30s looking for pockets of ancestral cultures with high health measures (and virtually no cavities). One of the peoples he studied were island Gaelics, and they made extensive use of bog materials in just the ways you describe.
Second, yes, I've read of royal grounds and the high penalties in the 1800s for hunting on those grounds. Very interesting history.
Lastly, I'm curious: There in San Diego are you growing a North American native elderberry, or a European? Also, how did you come to move all the way from Denmark to California?
I only planted American Elderberry or Sambucus canadensis plus a Samdal elderberry. The first type grows the best. We are in El Cajon about 30 minutes from the Mexican boarder. We have 1/2 acre so I have two gardens. The elderberry plants are in the forest garden we have in front of the house.
Sarah & Lisa- I was introduced to echinacea a long time ago and had realized that there might be something to it that few realized. I wish it was a deeper part of modern living. Your piece is a great reminder of this. Hope you're well this week. Cheers, -Thalia
Lemon balm is my chamomile because, along with mint, it’s what my mother and I have been growing for a long time. I love the smell of lemon balm and it’s calming tea. Last winter, an epic cold snap got my lemon balm and I was devastated. Not being able to find another plant to replace it with salted my wounds and living far away from mom meant getting a start from her would not be happening for a while, but I got a nice surprise in my late spring garden- lemon balm volunteers, everywhere! I couldn’t believe how far the wind had blown the seed from where I had originally planted it.
The mint gets added to iced tea in the summer and makes a nice hot tea when the weather starts to cool in the fall. I also make a mint syrup that my husband likes to put in his bourbon and for refreshing mint mojitos on hot summer evenings.
I’m not sure chamomile will do well in my southern climate, but I just sowed some seed today and will see how it goes. I do have a good local source of loose dried flowers that makes a lovely soothing tea. It is the only thing that has been calming my gum flare ups which I suspect may be due to lingering long covid mast cell problems. Sometimes I add a bit of dried ginger, fennel, and licorice root to the chamomile to help with other digestive issues.
I started drinking hawthorn tea this past winter which I purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs. I’ve heard it’s good for the heart and the spirit, and I’ve enjoyed it very much.
I've made mint syrup as well, both with sugar and with honey. We liked the honey better! I use a lot of our native mountain mint, which is a prolific grower and a favorite for pollinators.
Lemon balm is also a big one for me, and I love it, so congratulations on your bounty! You could make a syrup from that one, too.
Sorry to hear about your gum issues. Mine are very sensitive as well. I am working on my recovery from mast cell (MCAS) through brain retraining. I did another collaboration here on Substack, and we posted a combo homemade tooth polish and gum wash, in case this is of interest to you: https://www.brunettegardens.com/p/weed-pairing-homemade-toothpaste
Thank you, I will take a look at the paste recipe. Muddled lemon balm was a hit in bourbon for a friend of ours. I'm sure the syrup would be delightful. I made tea from my lemon balm bounty and froze it for drinking over the winter. Drying herbs in our humid environment can be a bit of a challenge, and I did not have the extra energy for it at the time anyway, so the frozen tea worked quite well. I have heard good things about brain retraining. I've been doing breathwork and hot/cold showers which are also supposed to rewire the brain. I started with a frovolov device, but I've just begun learning Wim Hoff breathing. I'm also working on staying alkalized.
The Wim Hoff breathing method is super popular here in Cornwall. We have a lot of cold water swimmers with us being on the coast. I have to admit I'm not a lover of the sea as I do worry about sewage and water pollution, however I am a huge fan of cold showers!
It seems that Wim is growing in popularity and from what I am learning, his methods may be quite protective for whatever may be lurking in the polluted waters.
Yes, those minerals are included for many reasons. You'll have to tell us about the frovolov and Wim Hoff; that's all new to me! I'm engaged in the Gupta Program.
I have not documented on Wim Hoff aka the ice man, yet, but he has a YouTube channel where you can learn more and try out his breathing method for beginners. His story is quite incredible. I believe there are quite a few interviews with him on YouTube as well.
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story with us @lisabrunette . I'd love to learn more about "Brown-Eyed Susan" and how you use it in your home apothecary! It's not a plant I'm familiar with. If readers have any questions for Lisa about her herbal experiences (or indeed the wonders that are currently being carefully prepared in her basement rafters!) do drop us a line. We'd love to hear your questions and stories.
Thank you so much, Sarah! I'm thrilled to be your guest, and it's been a real pleasure to get to know you and your herbal practice there in the UK. Brown-eyed Susans are native to North America; they are the Rudbeckia species, with varieties hirta, triloba, etc. I haven't actually used them yet, but they were recommended by a number of sources to treat colds and flu (though not the seeds).
I look forward to hearing all about your experiments!
Actually, I just used them in a pot with yarrow and other herbs for Anthony to inhale for his lingering cough. He didn't cough all night.
What a great story. I have similar memories of foraging with my mom and grandma. I remember prickling myself on nettles, and being told to look for dandelions and rub the juice over the sting from the nettles. I remember my amazement when it made the pain go away.
Here in SoCal where we live, I can’t forage for it yet, so I grow it in my herb beds. I am building a forest garden though and chamomile are one of the herbs I plan to add. I harvested 1/2 gallon of chamomile last summer and I really enjoy a cup before bed, or if I am stressed out. Chamomile, lemon balm and catnip came to the rescue when our twins were toddlers. It quickly became a beloved routine to do tea and story time before bed.
My kids are adults now, even though they still live at home. I am so proud that when they get sick or have an injury they go for the herbal solution first. Comfrey soaks for sprains and swelling, mint and fenugreek for stomach pain, mullein and mint steamers, for a stuffy nose and cold. This and so much more. I love that herbal medicine keeps being passed down through the generations.
It’s also the reason I am planting medical plants in the forest garden too. I it will be a place where I can introduce the next generation to foraging for herbs and food.
Thank you for taking the time to comment and share your story. Chamomile was also one of the first plants I connected with - it seems to be one of those gateway herbs (like dandelion) that encourages folks to step into the herbal realm. It's so lovely to hear that you've passed your tradition on to your family.
Wow, I love that: an actively herbal family! And thank you for the compliment. 🙏
I think most homesteaders at least dabble in herbalism. For me it comes from growing up in Denmark. Food are very expensive there, so most people grow at least some food and you can forage in the royal forests and wildlife reserve, as long as you don’t pull up plants by the root or start cutting down trees and or bushes. We would forage for wild vegetables and herbs in spring. Pick berries in late summer and fall, mushrooms in late fall and pine and mosses during winter. While healthcare is free in Denmark, medications are very expensive, so the poor and middle class use herbal medicine a lot. At least that’s how it was growing up. We immigrated to America 20 years ago. We live south east of San Diego on a half acre homestead.
That’s fascinating. I went to Copenhagen in 2018 for a writing project and loved it, but the visit was too short, with no time sadly for sightseeing. We can also forage state parks and conservation centers here; I’ve foraged for persimmons, for example. Thank you for sharing your story.
As for moving. There were many reasons. My husbands company wanted him over here all the time, while I was alone with 3 toddlers. We also needed better healthcare to save our son. He had severe lung problems, from 6 months of age. He was in and out of hospital. He is much better now. We were also sick of high taxes and insanely expensive food, last we were allowed to express our opinions about things and make our own choices. We don’t regret it, so a few years ago we got our citizenship here.
That's an amazing story! Coincidentally, when I went to Copenhagen that week in 2018, the company that hired me tried to woo me to move there, and I turned them down, for many of the reasons you cite.
Also, you might find this interesting:
https://open.substack.com/pub/collapsecurriculum/p/video-how-civilization-wrecked-denmarks?r=1n113r&utm_medium=ios
It was an interesting read, though Marcus Bühler is right, originally we didn’t have a lot of forests. A huge part of Denmark used to be bogs, and they are still everywhere. The Vikings used the bogs for fuel and building materials. Houses were and are still mostly build using stone and bricks. The roofs were patches of bog material dried and attached with clay. Clay and moss was used as insulation in buildings. You can also see how many items were made using horn and bones of animals instead of wood. As for fuel, the patches of bog were dried and stored dry. It was then burned for heat during winter and for cooking. When we lived in Denmark, we walked into the bog every year to harvest elderberries and elder flowers, crap apples and rose hips.
The main forest areas were and are still owned by the Royal family. In the earlier days nobility also owned forest areas. Everyone was allowed to pick up what was on the ground and forage, as long as they didn’t cut anything down or hunted animals. There were also limits to when and how long you could do it.
Today the largest forest area lays north of Copenhagen and is called Klampenborg forest. It’s mostly for tourists now, but my family forages for food there all through my childhood.
Denmarks nature has definitely inspired my plant choices in our forest garden. While I don’t grow crap apples, I do grow elderberries and rose hips.
First, I just finished Weston A. Price's important book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. He's a dentist who traveled the world in the 1920s/30s looking for pockets of ancestral cultures with high health measures (and virtually no cavities). One of the peoples he studied were island Gaelics, and they made extensive use of bog materials in just the ways you describe.
Second, yes, I've read of royal grounds and the high penalties in the 1800s for hunting on those grounds. Very interesting history.
Lastly, I'm curious: There in San Diego are you growing a North American native elderberry, or a European? Also, how did you come to move all the way from Denmark to California?
Thanks for the lovely exchange!
I only planted American Elderberry or Sambucus canadensis plus a Samdal elderberry. The first type grows the best. We are in El Cajon about 30 minutes from the Mexican boarder. We have 1/2 acre so I have two gardens. The elderberry plants are in the forest garden we have in front of the house.
Sarah & Lisa- I was introduced to echinacea a long time ago and had realized that there might be something to it that few realized. I wish it was a deeper part of modern living. Your piece is a great reminder of this. Hope you're well this week. Cheers, -Thalia
Thank you for taking the time to listen in Thalia. It was a very interesting discussion to record. I appreciate your musings.
Thank you so much for the compliment and for your thoughts.
Lemon balm is my chamomile because, along with mint, it’s what my mother and I have been growing for a long time. I love the smell of lemon balm and it’s calming tea. Last winter, an epic cold snap got my lemon balm and I was devastated. Not being able to find another plant to replace it with salted my wounds and living far away from mom meant getting a start from her would not be happening for a while, but I got a nice surprise in my late spring garden- lemon balm volunteers, everywhere! I couldn’t believe how far the wind had blown the seed from where I had originally planted it.
The mint gets added to iced tea in the summer and makes a nice hot tea when the weather starts to cool in the fall. I also make a mint syrup that my husband likes to put in his bourbon and for refreshing mint mojitos on hot summer evenings.
I’m not sure chamomile will do well in my southern climate, but I just sowed some seed today and will see how it goes. I do have a good local source of loose dried flowers that makes a lovely soothing tea. It is the only thing that has been calming my gum flare ups which I suspect may be due to lingering long covid mast cell problems. Sometimes I add a bit of dried ginger, fennel, and licorice root to the chamomile to help with other digestive issues.
I started drinking hawthorn tea this past winter which I purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs. I’ve heard it’s good for the heart and the spirit, and I’ve enjoyed it very much.
I LOVE the idea of mint syrup and bourbon! I feel a project coming on....!
I've made mint syrup as well, both with sugar and with honey. We liked the honey better! I use a lot of our native mountain mint, which is a prolific grower and a favorite for pollinators.
Lemon balm is also a big one for me, and I love it, so congratulations on your bounty! You could make a syrup from that one, too.
Sorry to hear about your gum issues. Mine are very sensitive as well. I am working on my recovery from mast cell (MCAS) through brain retraining. I did another collaboration here on Substack, and we posted a combo homemade tooth polish and gum wash, in case this is of interest to you: https://www.brunettegardens.com/p/weed-pairing-homemade-toothpaste
Thank you, I will take a look at the paste recipe. Muddled lemon balm was a hit in bourbon for a friend of ours. I'm sure the syrup would be delightful. I made tea from my lemon balm bounty and froze it for drinking over the winter. Drying herbs in our humid environment can be a bit of a challenge, and I did not have the extra energy for it at the time anyway, so the frozen tea worked quite well. I have heard good things about brain retraining. I've been doing breathwork and hot/cold showers which are also supposed to rewire the brain. I started with a frovolov device, but I've just begun learning Wim Hoff breathing. I'm also working on staying alkalized.
The Wim Hoff breathing method is super popular here in Cornwall. We have a lot of cold water swimmers with us being on the coast. I have to admit I'm not a lover of the sea as I do worry about sewage and water pollution, however I am a huge fan of cold showers!
It seems that Wim is growing in popularity and from what I am learning, his methods may be quite protective for whatever may be lurking in the polluted waters.
I see that you have Ca and Mg citrates in your paste photo. They help with oxalates which can also cause painful gum swelling.
Yes, those minerals are included for many reasons. You'll have to tell us about the frovolov and Wim Hoff; that's all new to me! I'm engaged in the Gupta Program.
I've heard about Gupta. I've written a bit about breathing techniques, and you can find the links to more info on my Substack here-
https://stephanieschaibleldd.substack.com/p/breath-of-life?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fbreath&utm_medium=reader2
I have not documented on Wim Hoff aka the ice man, yet, but he has a YouTube channel where you can learn more and try out his breathing method for beginners. His story is quite incredible. I believe there are quite a few interviews with him on YouTube as well.