The Hedge of Summer Autumn

 

I've been incubating this summer, in a mostly solitary manner. But today, today...

Autumn arrives this afternoon on the patch of earth to which we steward, tend, and love so deeply. This patch of earth - and every stretch of her - is beloved kin; kin to which I am devoted.

The backyard farming tasks that sustain this patch of earth, and us - all of us - are ramping up now; a ramping up that (historically) continues to accelerate deep into October, winding down in November, and dwindling into the winter months, though never stopping, even after the snow falls .

The last few days of kitchen witchery have been focused on canning soups; “stuffed” cabbage soup, “stuffed” pepper soup, and harvest vegetable soup. Today’s focus will be on the green beans, along with other harvest-to-kitchen-to-pantry efforts. Then there will be time in the gardens where summer squashes await attention, along with eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, broccoli tops, basils, and more. And these harvests will inspire more kitchen magick.

I love every season, especially the one I'm in at the moment I'm in it. Know what I mean? I feel that love beyond my roots this morning. And with this, I feel a part of me stirring, as if awakening from a long, deep, dream-sleep. It feels good and right on this hedge-day that holds summer and autumn together in the heart me, in the heart of this patch of earth, in the heart of life-harvests, in the heart of Gaia, in the heart this world that we share.

Make a moment to pause, breathe, to take in the goodness, the gladness, the gratitude. Take it in. All the way in. Today. And every day.

Peace.

Leaning on Spring's Sill to Summer

This morning marked our first pea harvest. I sat on the deck, in the shade of the red umbrella, shucking these darlings, then blanched them. This beloved ritual yielded two pints for the freezer, plus some extra for nibbling. They’re so good.

This morning also marked the garlic scape harvest. The lesser-ripe, tender scapes went into making Maneuljjong Muchim (Spicy Garlic Scapes), an new annual ritual that started about two years ago when I discovered the recipe. It’s sitting in the fridge to macerate ‘til supper time. This seasonal dish is so freakin’ good, and it’s only here during the garlic scape season. I’ll be savoring it like a delicious madness to hold in my brain and heart ‘til - gods willing - next year this time. And those lesser-ripe scapes will be blended into a simple pesto to preserve them in the fridge for future kitchen witchery. Our annual garlic scape pesto rarely lasts long because we use it in all the things.

Yesterday, I finally got some pinto and red beans canned. This has been on my list since the chilly days of early spring. Eight pints of pinto beans canned with onion, garlic, bay leaf, fresh oregano, and fresh epazote (though one jar is in the fridge, ‘cause it failed to seal)… and nine pints of red beans with bay leaf. This morning I washed the jars, scribbled the labels, and will label them all before setting them on the basement pantry shelves.

These efforts feel good because I’ve been struggling with merging will, motivation, and physical ‘n’ mental energy to get things done. Yet here I am, leaning on spring’s sill, sipping iced tea, gazing into summer that arrives tomorrow evening. I offer big gratitude to the waning vernal season, as it, along with beloved Gaia, supported me gently in getting most every vernal seed and seedling into the earth. And when summer arrives with the solstice, I know I’ll be entering the "official" hurry-up-and-wait-season of daily, yet gentle harvesting, preserving and assorted kitchen witchery. Summer's fire ensures that my will, motivation, and energy meld in that gentle way that early summer dictates; harvests happen on Gaia’s schedule, not mine, so I offer thanks for these recent vernal preparations as I look forward to the season of hurry-up-and-wait.

Peace. 

Beloved Medicine

Yesterday was a hard day. It was a heavy day made of granite formed of all things troublesome. Or so it felt. Mental and emotional energies where in overload as I processed a sadness born the night before. I puttered as I considered so many considerations. I plugged in occasional distractions hoping they'd offer some relief to the tenseness in my chest, maybe unwind the twist in my gut, and offer some comfort to the tenderness of my being. I journaled in word and in art (of course I did). Shoulder rolls and intentional breath work peppered the day. As did tears. An after-dinner gumdrop coaxed me to relax into the evening, and eventually to sleep.

Today's a new beginning and a fresh start. That's what we tell ourselves, right? Yes, indeedy-do. And yet, what's that belly-tug, and those disquieting whispers?

I'm hoping that it's inspiration, be it gestating, forming, or fully formed. That would be swell. Today is a Friday, and for me it is a day for love. Venerdi, dies Veneris, the day of Venus, of Aphrodite. Friday, the day of Freya. The day of The Cure. Love, damnit. And inspiration.

I have a sense that all that sadness and potential grief that I ingested, digested, absorbed, and assimilated since Wednesday is preparing for phase one of elimination today. I hope so. Phase one, because some details of life can be hard to digest in the first swallow. Heck, I've had troubles that have taken me months, years even, to breakdown into meaningful bits that I can sort into the Work bins or Now, Later, and NeverThankYouVeryMuch... and then, move on, at least for today. This current collection of troublesome particles, varied in size, shape, roughness and smoothness, feel like a collection of those longer-term troubles that linger. And linger. They linger because they need the kind of attention that requires re-ingestion, re-digestion and re-absorption, re-assimilation, as well as be subjected to additional rounds of re-elimination. Not to mention potential repeats.

That's where I am. So I'll start my day with collecting all those troublesome bits, placing them in a box made of heart and mind to put on the shelf with other such boxes, to go through on another day (most likely several). Today is for love, and I'll be doing my best to make room for all things love, loving, and lovely, as I do every Friday. Maybe, just maybe, I'll peek into that box in the bright light of day to see if any tender glimmers catch on any of those bits. That could be nice. That could be a sweet and loving inspiration, and a spark that might ignite the magick and Medicine I need today. Tomorrow. And so on.

With that, may whatever troubles you hold be faced with bold candidness, big love, and a well-tuned digestive system that keeps the sustenance you need, and that releases the shit.

And may your never lose your sense of humor, for it is beloved Medicine.

🕊

More Annie

 

Today is Annie's birthday. No wonder she was so persistent in my thoughts yesterday. If she were still alive (as we say) she would be caught up to me with those five months between our ages, and we'd be celebrating her 66th birthday. There will be at least one shot of whiskey in my future today. Irish, if I've got it, that much is clear in the ol' crystal ball of my third eye. Annie loved life. And her life was remarkably blessed, despite the illness that nibbled at her toward the so-called end. She loved life, and she did not fear death. I mean, hey, she talked to dead people.

Yeah, she loved life. She loved corn chowder, too. In those lingering days of hers, whenever I'd make a batch, especially when the corn was in season, I'd bring her a pint carton of the stuff, even when her appetite was fading. Now, whenever I make corn chowder, she's with me. When I'm enjoying a bowl of corn chowder, I think of Annie, in unison with thoughts of my mom, who would so often say, "We'll offer this up to So-and-so," while sitting down to enjoy a meal. Enjoying food on behalf of and for the dead was a regular mom thing. So now, whenever I have a bowl of corn chowder, I offer it to Annie. It's a sweet little ritual rooted in the familial, one that shows up more frequently as my years and mileage tally.

I made other dishes, too. After all, I'm part kitchen witch. I remember making polenta for her once. It wasn't my best effort. I felt bad about that, even though her appetite was quite unpredictable by then, and I'm confident she didn't eat much of it. As already noted, I made other things, too. It was always a good reason to visit. Not that I needed one.

When COVID descended my visits diminished, side by side with her appetite. I neither wanted to be responsible for bringing the pandemic to her, nor bringing it home to my spouse. I was so cautious then. Still am. I may have already been sending her occasional cards at the time, simple love notes, but I know that gesture picked up after COVID landed. All the love notes were my own, handmade, artful expressions, and each offered a personal message within the fold. I have them somewhere, and *knock wood* I'm gonna look for them today. Not long after her passing her widower mailed them to me, tied together with a ribbon, along with a gift of tumbled crystals that are resident in one of my Tarot boxes. No wonder I think of her so often, there are carbon-based reminders all around me. Those crystals, the bedside lamps mentioned yesterday, pieces of jewelry that I rarely wear anymore, wicker baskets, aloe plants born of the single, giant cutting she gave me when she was still feeling pretty good. The salt 'n' pepper shakers that belonged to her grandmother, Rose, that say on them, "Rose's Kitchen." I don't use them, but I love them, for multiple reasons. And, of course, there's her books, and other assorted physical reminders. Not to mention her carbonless spirit.

Those salt 'n' pepper shakers conjure the countless, often intense conversations that we had about her grandmother, Rose, and my mother, Rita. They were, we concluded, some sort of spiritual sisters, especially in their less desirable behaviors. In their kinder behaviors, too. But it was in their less benevolent habits that we'd harvest the most meaningful, if not harsh, and sometimes cruel wisdom. And laughter. Lot's of laughter. I'm convinced that wisdom - true wisdom - is always accompanied by humor. If you think you've gleaned some wisdom, but it doesn't inspire a chuckle or more, think again. It ain't wisdom. Of this, I am confident. And I might not possess this confidence, dare I say wisdom, without those exchanges with Sweet Annie.

Ah, Sweet Annie. That's what I called her. I remember that spring before she died. I had purchased some Artemisia annua seeds, Sweet Annie, and started them in the late winter months. I was able to plant them in the earth before her passing. After years of unsuccessful attempts to get this plant to grow somewhere on "our" little acre, I was hoping this would be it, despite the plant's non-native invasive reputation. It was a well-established self-seeding annual in her earthly realm, and she had even given be rootlings over the years that just never took up residence for me. But those seedlings that I started... I planted them in a garden section, rather than a wild section, in the hopes to tend them into flourishing. It was May, the lusty month, that those precious roots took to the earth. I told Annie that they would be a living reminder of her after she left. She died later that month, and those seedlings prospered that year, and returned the next. I was hopeful, and delighted. And then... they followed their namesake into the Big Mystery. I still grow Sweet Annie on occasion just so I can nurture relationship with the plant, as well as replenish her spot on my apothecary shelves, and to continue a rooted relationship with Annie's spirit. I mean, hey, whenever I catch the fragrance of Sweet Annie, there she is. Again. Like the plant, Annie was big Medicine, often too much for some. Possibly many. And just right for me.

It's morning as I write these words, and I'm still sipping coffee. I smile with the memory of Annie saying she drank coffee as an excuse to drink cream. Her coffee mug typically held a 50/50 ratio. As one who drinks her coffee black (as it should be), I'd lovingly scold her by saying, "That's so wrong." And, yep, you guessed it, we'd laugh, clinking our yin yang mugs.

In my world, Annie's still alive. Methinks I'll dab a touch of Sweet Annie extract onto my pulse points today, conjure a batch of corn chowder to share with her at suppertime. And I look forward to raising a glass to her, with her, as well.

PS Here's a wee Sweet Annie contribution made by Sweet Annie to an old, shared blog.

🕊

A World-to-Fool Honor to Annie

 

This morning I got totally distracted by thoughts of my friend Annie. The thoughts were so persistent that I said to myself, "Fuck. These aren't thoughts, you Fool. This is Annie."

And before you judge me for engaging in negative self-talk (or whatever the kids are calling it these days) I offer you a glimpse into my relationship with the Fool. I adore the Fool. The big zero, the blank slate, the blind frolic, the porter of obtuse wisdom. "The empty fool who knows what he doesn't know," as Annie used to say. The one who - in the end - says, "Fuck it. Let's do this thing." And, ironically perhaps, because as the Tarot card conventionally considered the start of The Heroes Journey, it’s the card that Annie placed at the goal line, the "end" point... that is, when it came to writing. In terms of Tarot, she considered her stories as starting with The World and ending with The Fool. Heck, she taught writing workshops using this model. The process was organic for her, a process that came to her conscious awareness after writing for years.

Annie was a natural storyteller, and a published author. I remember sitting at her dining table, bathed in natural light, sipping tea, tossing cards, talking magic and relationships. She'd start talking and I'd sink in, ready to be mesmerized by her words that laced together in ways that caught me like a fish in a net, trapped in a delight (or doom, or something in-between) that I knew was forthcoming. She spoke in storyteller language. She spoke like a writer, I suppose. I wouldn't know. I'm not a writer. Yet that doesn't keep me from writing. And Annie encouraged me to write. "You should write, Rose." Words that continue to echo all these years later.

I feel her with me. I do, I do. She's with me in my new-found daily ritual of writing 1000-words-a-day. I can't help but smile when I recall my attendance at one of the informal writing workshops held at her home. And by one, I mean one-and-only. If memory serves me, there were four of us in attendance. Five, if you count Annie. She required us to bring a 1000 word sample of our work (image that: 1000 words). The others in attendance, all writers in their own way, brought snippets of story in progress. I brought an adaptation of a meditation I had written, a journey of sorts, open-ended as such meditations tend to lean. She gave us a writing exercise, and set to reading our words. She read like the wind. But more on that later. Maybe. When she was finished devouring our words, she called us back together. One by one she offered input (as well as blue pencil edits), candid and honest, as was Annie's nature. I was intrigued as I witnessed her speaking tempered praise and critical truths to each in attendance, waiting in a shaggy ball of anxiety for my turn. My turn went something like this, "The words are strung together nicely, poetic, but there's no story. You need a story. Take this and keep writing until the story emerges. It's in there, just keep writing. When you discover it, write that story." I don't remember how I felt in that moment, but I do remember the moment. It's a multi-faceted gem of a moment.

I kept writing meditations, because I enjoyed it, and was able to leverage them in my healing practice, and that was good enough for me. Somewhere in this story of words, such as it is, I started a blog. On December 29, 2004 I engaged a daily practice to convey something of meaning, or folly (thank you very much, Fool!) for me, not for an audience. Perhaps this was my way to honor Annie's "You should write, Rose" prodding. For a good while I wrote every day for that blog, sometimes a hand full of words, sometimes more. Times came where daily writing faded, followed again by an insurgence of daily inspiration, and so on in that rinse 'n' repeat kinda way. But now, since the last quarter moon in Capricorn, I've been writing every day, most every one a minimum of 1000 words. This little tangent being the second one I'm sharing. I hear that word, "sharing," and I hear the harmony of Annie's correction, "Publishing. If you're making it public, it's published." She's right. She usually was. Still is, it seems.

And I smile at my memory of her unfettered honesty. That's probably a major factor in why she was such a good storyteller. Stephen King mentions honesty, on repeat, in his masterpiece, On Writing. These mentions of honesty give me encouragement to write, whether the words are for me or for you, because I possess a capacity for honesty that I know is real, partly because so many of my spoken truths have lost me "friends" and other assorted relationships over many decades. A bittersweet realization. Well, in some cases. Truth is, I'd take my own candidness over the majority of those relationships any day.

This brings me back to Annie, as she was one of those rare people I felt safe to express myself sans filter. I could say anything to her. Even knowing that her judgement was at the ready, I was - likewise - ready to speak my truths with her. She was one of those rare people that I could share the meanest, most vile, frightening and absurd parts of me. And more. Sometimes we'd agree, sometimes not, but again - if memory serves - we always ended up laughing.

Laughter. Maybe it's laughter I need to seek. To take the elevator down to those deep, dark mines of creation. Annie used to say that uncovering story and their characters was like going down into a mine, blind and uncomfortable in an entrenched darkness that is - or was, for her - the belly of creation. I recall a time sitting and sipping, this time in her writing corner, talking about this, her process of creative excavation. I conjure that memory in an active way, like the magic that it is, to this moment. I invite myself to the deep-dark, pick in hand, to explore for deposits of poetry 'n' story, laughter or not, and whatever else may be discovered within those dark walls of potential expression.

Yeah. She's here. Right here with me... write here with me? *snort* And so, too, another thousand+ words to practice the mining, and the potential journeys from The World to The Fool.

---

PS   If you’d like to discover more about this Annie of which I speak, I invite you to visit her goodreads page, or engage your search engine using Anne (or Annie) Kelleher, writer.

🕊

Unsustainable Addictions

A slice out of my daily journal… and a good reminder.

This morning we had a power outage. I was reading in bed in the delicious quiet of pre-dawn when darkness pitched in that blinding way when a light goes out in full darkness. Pin that metaphor. At first I thought the bedside lightbulb might have failed. Alas, no, for that delicious ‘n’ nourishing morning quiet was no more. It was shattered in the merciless hum of our collective fossil fuel addiction.

Apparently, most everyone around me and their neighbors are on some kind of vital life support that requires uninterrupted electric flow through their abodes lest they die of their thoughtless and greedy addiction to privilege.

Yeah. That’s how I feel.

All these oil and gas powered generators around me kick on the instant - the fucking instant - that the power goes out. Heck, they kick on the instant there's a flicker of a power surge. And it’s loud. I can hear it through the walls and closed windows of our little hut. It’s beyond maddening.

I remember a time, not all that long ago, when we’d loose power - as they say - and I could step outdoors to be with the quietest whispers and the very breath of Nature. I'd pause in the wonder of it all to witness the sacred theatre of trees swaying in a breeze, grass dancing, birdsong, rain on the air, and the infinite other expressions of Gaia weaving stories and harmonizing voices in a way that only Nature can convey. It’s magick. Pure, beloved magick and Medicine from the very heart of Gaia. Now, that is no more. And it is a loss that I've been mourning for years. A loss I can't quite get past.

And why should I?

This facet of our fossil fuel addiction (and it’s related addiction to privilege) rapes and ruins what used to be a welcomed and beloved quiet stillness ‘n’ beauty of the power outage. Now, the beloved song and poetry of Nature is no more. It's been replaced by a rage-filled grief born of these ugly and unsustainable addictions.

That is all.

For now.

🕊

What I know... and what I don't...

 

I know it's Friday, the first Venerdi of spring. The wind is whipping around out there in the pre-dawn hours. There's a chill in the house - our little hut, as I tend to call it - inspiring me to pull my wool shawl up and around shoulders and neck. I do this and I consider the fire that needs to be started for the warmth that will carry us through the day. I think of the trays of pea seedlings outside, hardening off, and feel glad that we covered them last night before relaxing into the evening. I'm reminded that they'll have their roots in the earth soon enough, and that peas are badass, tough as fuck, and are likely just fine our there in the dark of this March morning chill. I count my blessings, and feel mighty glad to be surrounded by the foundation, walls, and roof of our humble abode.

I know this little-shit cat, sweet and silky Sam, is sitting on the bed within petting distance. It's the first time he's curled up so close to me. The past two years, plus some, that we've know one another, he's stayed to the foot of the bed. This is special, this closeness, and I'll carry that magick into the day with me. Yes, I will. In the meantime, I'll pause from this keyboard to reach out and pet him for no other reason than he's so damned silky. And, yeah, I love him beyond reason.

I know I have list of reminders and ToDos for the day, but I haven't looked at that yet. I'm doing my best to express one thousand words before I commence any former morning routines. I'm doing this in the hopes of creating a new morning ritual. It's behavior modification, but I'm calling it morning ritual. That's sexier. Or something. I know that.

I know this morning. I know this moment. That's what I know.

I know some stuff. After all, one would expect to know a thing or two about a thing or two after sixty-six years of living.

All that said, I don't know much. I know that. I know that because for decades I've been of the mind to learn something new every day, and I do my best to invite that verve into my world every single day. There's so much I don't know. Some of it, beautiful, some of it not so much. When I look around the world these days, I find myself beyond grateful that there are things I don't know... experiences I've not had. So grateful. It’s a privilege. You know what I'm talking about.

This thread of thinking, which could easily stitch its way to mind 'n heart numbing depression, reminds me to do something good and decent for someone today. It also reminds me to do something good and decent for myself, so I reach out to stroke that silky fur of that little-shit cat, Sam. It's a stroke of love.

I don't know when these winds will pause. I don't know that it matters. For me, anyway, tucked under the bed covers, shawl wrapped around me, sipping hot coffee. I mean, hey, I'm comfortable. And tucked in this comfort, I consider those that lack the foundation, walls, and roof that offer me protection, comfort, contentment. I mean, everyone deserves protection, comfort, and contentment. Right? And a whole lot more to my way of thinking.

It's the stuff I don't know that seems to needle me. You know, the stuff I don't know, but know about. When I consider the moment, I consider the present world in which I live, the one we share. From my view, it has grown increasingly cruel throughout my lifetime, despite liberal views of declared improvement. I look at it all and consider it nothing but window dressing. I look at actions taken by leaders over the decades and see them - despite any sincere intentions of compassion that may have been a part of their creation - as the performance pieces that they are. Oh, don't get me going.

This thread of thinking, which could easily stitch its way to mind 'n heart numbing depression, reminds me to do something good and decent for someone today. I will. That's a promise. It also reminds me to do something good and decent for myself, so I reach out to stroke that silky, silky fur of that little-shit cat, Sam, who's sitting closer to me than he ever has in our shared existence. It's a stroke of love... protection, comfort, and contentment. And a whole lot more.

I see the light growing outside through the vertical voids of the bamboo blinds. I know the day is breaking. And with that, I know all the pieces are there for me to put together as I am able, and - if I'm lucky - as I choose.

I sit with the pieces of the day scattered around me. Beautiful bits and shards from which to create this new day. I'll do my best to choose carefully, and use discernment to take care not to cut myself, or anyone else with those sharp bits. I see them as tools of creation, these shards of daybreak. I can employ them to etch the other bits into something fresh and new, or use them to cut and create the facets of this new day, all the while doing my best to do no harm.

The gods know the world needs that. No harm.

I know a bit or two. Sure. And yeah, I sit here watching the light increase through the windows knowing that I'll have to rise from this warm and comforting place to start the next phase of the day. I'm grateful for these days. I'm grateful that spring has arrived. I'm grateful for these early morning hours that afford me this bizarre luxury to make these silly 1000 word rituals.

So now I look at these words, nonsensical though they may be, and see potential in them for more 1000 word rituals. I read through them again and figure hey, what the fuck, I think I'll share these words with you.

For whatever they may be worth. Or not.

🕊

Meet and Dance with Inula helenium – Elecampane

spring elecampane

Inula helenium – Elecampane

Family: Asteraceae

Inula helenium is native to Europe and Asia, where it has a long history of medicinal use in European and Ayurvedic traditions. It has made itself at home, gently so, throughout parts of "North America," seemingly preferring damp areas with dappled sunlight.

Nicholas Culpepper says, “'It groweth in moist grounds and shadowy places oftener than in the dry and open borders of field and lanes and other waste places...”

It’s a mighty herbaceous perennial plant, with large leaves and a thick stem. It grows to about 3-6 feet tall, though some on the little acre we care for have reached over 6 feet. The large leaves are toothed, with the lower ones stalked and the higher leaves embracing the stem. They’re lance-shaped, toothed, velvety green on the upper sides and lighter on the underside due to heavier fuzz, and they grow up to 12 inches or so long at the base of the main stem, growing shorter as they travel up the stem.

Each plant produces several flower heads, each giving life to 50 to 100 yellow ray flowers, and 100 to 250 disc flowers, blooming from June through September, depending on the region. "Mine" tend to begin blooming mid-to-late July.

The root is thick with many branches. It’s fragrant with a sweet, camphor-like aroma (which I LoVe). The character of the root is mucilaginous and bitter.

Other species of this genus engaged medicinally are I. japonica, I. britannica, and others. I'm only familiar with I. helenium.

Harvest: Root (2-5 years old) ideally in autumn. Flowers and leaves, collected summer to autumn.

Taste: The roots express bitter, pungent, and a complex, aromatic flavor that is pleasant to some, acrid and distasteful to others. Henriette Kress describes it this way, “The taste is cool: first it's aromatic and you wonder why this herb isn't used more than it is. About half a minute later, the bitterness hits. Whoa ... and about half a minute after that, you notice that your sense of taste is gone. No worries, you'll be able to taste things normally in half an hour or so.”

Humors: Warm and dry.

Actions: Anthelmintic, anti-asthmatic, anti-tussive, antimicrobial, anti-parasitic, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, emetic (in large doses), emmenagogue, expectorant, hepatic, stimulant (gentle) stomachic, vulnerary.

Constituents: Lactones, mucilage, pectin, polysaccharides (inulin), resins, sterols, volatile oils.

Contraindications: During pregnancy and breastfeeding. Large dosing can cause nausea, vomiting, gastric spasms or diarrhea.

---

Ways we might engage this botanical:

Elecampane root is probably best known for offering support to the respiratory system, specifically for wet, stuck, phlegm-y symptoms, but Lesley Tierra reminds us (westerners) that “it has also been used for cholecystitis, gallstones, intestinal worms, rheumatic complaints, genitourinary problems, and consumption (tuberculosis) as well as skin diseases (humans and animals engaged internally and externally) and venomous bites. It has been applied externally for sciatica and other neuralgic complaints as well.” She goes on to add that, “Ayurvedic medicine uses the same two species of elecampane root (Inula helenium and I. racemosa; pushkaramula), not only to clear the lungs but also as a lung rejuvenative tonic since it promotes the longevity of lung tissue.”

In western, TCM and Ayurvedic traditions, elecampane is used for treating many respiratory challenges including bronchitis, pharyngitis, asthma, pleurisy, wet cough, dyspepsia, rheumatism, pain, cramps, cystitis, skin eruptions, and animal bites.

When the flowers are used in TCM, they are steamed and dried, and in contemporary practice they are fried or baked with honey, which adds a humectant quality to balance the dryness of elecampane’s medicine that is honored for expectorating phlegm and calming cough. Lesley Tierra explains that, “The Chinese use mobilizing and dispersing elecampane flowers to direct energy downward and clear thin or lacquer-like phlegm from the lungs and stomach. They stop coughs, soften hardened phlegm, break up clumped accumulations, dissipate pathogenic fluids, and open areas of stagnation. They treat cough from phlegm and fluids clogging the lungs and thin mucus in the lungs, stomach, or diaphragm causing bronchitis, coughing, asthma, wheezing, shortness of breath, pleurisy, vomiting, hiccough, belching, burping, epigastric obstruction, food stagnation, flank pain, or palpitations with anxiety. The flowers are particularly good for nausea after chemotherapy and may be useful for upper respiratory allergies.” The leaves are also engaged for their diuretic actions. While the species used in TCM are not I. helenium, I am inspired to use the flowers and leaves in this way at some point in my botanical journey.

Most of my experience so far is with the tinctured root, and mostly for dealing with stubborn, juicy coughs. Though I do like it as an aromatic bitter (for digestion, and heart health), alone and blended with other bitters.

My first human mentor, Mark McDermott, used the root tincture in treating pneumonia, and other stubborn lung infections, dosing it 30-90 drops in an ounce water, every 4 hours up to four days. He also found it excellent for children with a hacking night cough, when blended with Glycyrrhiza glabra (up to 30 drops every 4 hours for up to 4 days).

Drop to small doses have been helpful to me (and others) for lingering bronchial congestion and cough.

David Hoffman describes its respiratory actions this way, “The mucilage has a relaxing effect; while the essential oils bring about stimulation, so the herb both soothes irritation and promotes expectoration.” He suggests a 1-2 ml. tincture dose, three times a day, or an 8-hour water infusion of 1t herb to 8oz. water, heated and served hot three times a day.

A tea of the root, or infused honey, served nice and hot, can sooth a cough, as well as help with a stuck fever by stimulating a nice sweat.

Mark also used it for kidney infections, blended with Barosma betulina.

Use the flowers (or any part of the plant), fresh or dried in spiritual bathing, especially when grief needs attention.

This plant also has a history of being engaged energetically to nurture psychic abilities, as well as enhance communication skills. It is, like so many (all?) plants to be protective as well.

Julia Graves makes note of the yellow flower, like so many yellow flowers, as having an affinity with the solar plexus. She also mentions their large leaves in quoting Matt Wood, “large leaves stand for surface area and gas exchange or breathing, hence the lungs and the skin: Burdock, Elecampane, Comfrey, Mullein.”

Henriette Kress notes, “It's also been used for elfshot. That's where all your energy runs out of the holes made by the arrows of elves. And if the elf queen pulls you into her dance, you can stop only once you're completely exhausted. These days, the ones that pull you into the dance are your work and boss, which make you stress and hurry until you're burned out. Take some elecampane, it helps you quit the dance.”

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Dance with Inula helenium – Elecampane

If you are able, grow this lovely plant so you can experience their noble presence as well as their root and other parts fresh, as well as dried.

Make a cool water infusion with the fresh root.

Elecampane Root Infused Honey

Clean and chop a fresh root into bite sized pieces, fill a jar, and cover with local honey. Label this and put it away in a high shelf out of direct light and simply send it healing LoVe until it calls to you. The infused honey is great stirred into hot water, or tea to treat a stuck, damp cough or fever, or as an occasional digestive aid, or in any other fitting way. The root itself, can be used like a sore-throat lozenge, nibbled like a candy, as is – straight out the honey jar, or dehydrated.

Rosalee de la Forêt’s Elecampane Cough Syrup

1/4 cup dried elecampane root (25 grams)

1/4 cup dried and chopped rose hips (35 grams)

1 pint water

1/2 cup to 1 cup local, raw honey

Simmer the elecampane root, rosehips and water for 25 minutes, covered. Strain off the herbs.

Measure the liquid to determine how much honey to add. (If you add an equal amount of honey to the water, the syrup should keep for a very long time*.)

Tip: Add the honey while the mixture is still warm. If necessary, very gently warm the liquid until the honey fully combines. The less heat you add the better to preserve the raw qualities of the honey.

Store it in the fridge.

To use: This syrup is ideal for congested coughs and sore throats. Adults can use 1 teaspoon every 30 minutes.

*If you prefer things less sweet, then adding less honey is fine. Keep it stored in the fridge and use quickly.

I usually make a decoction and then measure everything to create a simple syrup, alone or blended with other herbs.

I really like the fresh root infused in apple cider vinegar, sweetened as a shrub or oxymel, for serving cool and well diluted for enjoyment, or used as is a nice tart cough syrup.

Elecampane root has a long history of being used for making candies, liqueurs and blended with fruits to make cordials, as well as in soft drinks,

The complex flavor can inspire creativity in the kitchen, as additions to beverages, icings, in baking, and more. So use your imagination!

Other Applications and Inspirations

• Tea/Infused water/ales and other fermented beverages

• Infused vinegar

• Infused oil, balms, ointments, lotions, soaps

• Steam

• Bathing/washing

• Bath salts

• Poultices/compresses

• Pillow (or mattress) mix

• Herbal Beads

• Spiritual healing

resources:

• Scott Cunningham, Magical Herbalism

• Rosalee de la Forêt, herbalremediesadvice.org

• Julia Graves, The Language of Plants

• Maude Grieve, A Modern Herbal

• David Hoffman, Medical Herbalism

• Henriette Kress, Practical Herbs, and henriettes-herb.com

• Michael and Lesley Tierra, East West School, planetherbs.com

• Wikipedia for the botany bits

• Personal notes from multiple sources

• Personal experience

spring elecampane among the jewel weed

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