Saturday, January 29, 2011

Natural Fertilizers and Biodiversity

To learn which fertilizers were most effective, in 1843 John Bennet Lawes began a series of test plots still going today, which makes Rothamsted Research both the world's oldest agricultural station and the site of the world's longest continual field experiments. Lawes and John Henry Gilbert, a chemist, began by plating 2 fields: one with white turnips, the other with wheat. They divided these into 24 strips, and applied a different treatment to each.

The combinations involved a lot, a little, or no nitrogen fertilizer; raw bonemeal, superphosphates, or no phosphates at all, minerals such as potash, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, sodium; and both raw and cooked farmyard manure. Some strips were dressed with local chalk, some not. In the following years, some plots were rotated with barley, beans, oats, red clover, and potatoes. Some strips were periodically fallowed, some continually planted with the same crop. Some served as controls, with nothing added to them at all.

By the 1850's,  it was clear that when both nitrogen and phosphate were applied, yields increased, and that trace minerals helped some crops and slowed others. They took samples and recorded results. They wanted to test any theory of what may help plants grow, even slathering crops with honey.

Rothamsted Manor


One experiment which is stll going today involved no crops, only grass. An ancient sheep pasture just below Rothamsted Manor was divided into strips and treated with various inorganic nitrogen compounds and minerals. Later, they added fish meal and farm manure from animals on different diets. In the 20th century, with increasing acid rain, the strips were divided again, with half receiving chalk to test growth under different pH levels.

From this pasture experiment, they saw that although inorganic nitrogen fertilizer makes hay grow wasit-high, biodiversity decreases. While 50 species of grass, weeds, legumes, and herbs may grow on unfertilized strips, adjacent plots dosed with nitrogen hold just 2 or 3 species. Since farmers don't want other seeds competing with the ones they've planted, they have no problem with this, but it causes problems with nature.

Laws said that any farmer who thought he could "grow as fine crops by the aid of a few pounds of some chemical substances as by the same number of tons of farmyard dung" was mistaken. He advised anyone planting vegetables and garden greens that he would "select a locality where I could obtain a large supply of yard manure at a cheap rate."

Tucked behind all the gleaming research facilities is a 300-year-old barn which is Rothamsted's archive, containing more than 160 years of research of human efforts to grow plants. The specimens, sealed in thousands of five-litre bottles, are of virtually everything. From each experimental strip, Gilbert and Lawes took samples of harvested grains, their stalks and leaves, and the soil where they grew. They saved each year's fertilizer, including manure.  The bottles, stacked chronologically on 16-foot metal shelves, date back to the first wheat field in 1843. During war years, when bottle supplies were low, samples were sealed in coffee, powdered milk or syrup tins.

Thousands of researchers have climbed the ladders to view the time-yellowed bottle labels-to extract, for example, soil collected in Rothamsted's Geesecroft Field at a depth of nine inches in April 1871. Many bottles have never been opened-along with organic matter, they preserve the very air of their era. This heritage will survive intact long into the future, even after humans are gone.  More than 300,000 samples are here, containing soil and preserved plant matter. They serve as a time-lapse record of a century and a half of human history.

The oldest jars contain relatively neutral soils that didn't stay that way for long as British industry redoubled. The pH drops farther into the acid end by the early 20th century, as the discovery of electricity led to coal-fired power stations, which spread pollution beyond factory cities to the countryside. There was steadily increasing nitrogen and sulfur dioxide until the early 1980s, when improved smokestack design lowered sulfur emissions so much that some of the soil samples were spiked with powdered sulfur, which farmers had to start adding as a fertilizer.

Traces of plutonium first appeared in Rothamsted's grassland plots in the early 1950s, a mineral that rarely occurs in nature, let alone in Hertfordshire. Like vintage wine reflecting annual weather conditions, the fallout from tests in the Nevada desert, and later in Russia, affected Rothamsted's distant soils with their radiation.

Alan Weisman, "The World Without Us".


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Friday, January 21, 2011

Winter Wellness Workshops

Elderberry syrup
Winter Wellness Workshop
with Amanda Dainow

Thursday, February 10, 7-8:30 pm
Berwick Town Hall Multi-Purpose Room
Free will offering

Wednesday, February 16, 7-8:30 pm
Kentville Library
Free

Learn how to make natural home remedies for the cold and flu season, including tasty syrups and hot drinks! Get answers to your questions about natural remedies. Demonstration included!



Amanda Dainow is completing her degree as a Clinical Herbalist and certification in Holistic Care for Companion Animals. She offers Herbal Medicine consultations, Natural Animal Care consultations, Life Coaching and Reiki for animals and people. Phone consultations available. She offers public workshops on Herbal Medicine and Natural Care for Animals. She has a full dispensary.



For more information or health consultations, contact
singingnettles@hotmail.com
902-538-3662
Facebook: Singing Nettles Herbal Medicine Clinic
www.singingnettles.ca


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Monday, January 17, 2011

Environmentally-Friendly Herbal Medicine


Creams, ointments and tinctures I made in my dispensary


All of my medicines are individually hand-made, natural, and organic. I can also create fragrant gifts and medicines!


I use organic ingredients and local and Canadian herbs, picked by myself whenever possible. I purchase my materials as locally as possible. I make every item individually and focus on quality of individual products, and I infuse positive healing energy through the products. I do not use any machinery or equipment to make my products, other than a small grinder to blend individual herbs for oils, ointments, lip balms, creams and tinctures. I use only glass containers-no plastic. I do not use any chemicals, additives, fillers, artificial scents or preservatives in my products. I can make custom orders and personalized gifts, tailored to the wants and needs of individuals. I am happy to work with individuals to ensure that I create something that they will enjoy and use. I have a working knowledge of herbs based on years of study/experience, including that for a degree as a Clinical Herbalist, which I can use to create specific products for specific wants, needs and healing effects.

Custom orders personalized gifts, gift baskets Please contact me if interested!


I use the highest quality extra virgin olive oil for my lip balms, oils, creams and ointments and organic shea butter/beeswax in the ointments, creams and lip balms, creating a smooth product, soothing to skin and lips. I use specific herbs carefully chosen and blended for their particular healing qualities and effects.

I make a Jointment, used for sore joints. I can also make oils for sore joints, arthritis, cooking and massage. They can be sweet or spicy.


I can make any combination of herbs needed for a specific purpose.


I use organic fabric in sleep pillows. The labels and sleep pillows are hand-designed and decorated. I usually make them with organic, local lavender which I pick. I can also make them with other fragrant herbs and herbs to enhance peaceful sleep and dreams, i.e. chamomile, rose petals, mugwort.
(Personalized decorations and unscented available)

My gift envelopes are recycled and have beautiful pictures of natural landscapes.


I use the best quality alcohol for the tinctures I make. I can also make vinegars for those intolerant of alcohol. A popular tincture is Rosemary, used since ancient times to aid memory, focus, concentration and mental stimulation. Another example is the Echinacea tincture, used to prevent and treat colds/flu-great for winter or any season. 

Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis

Echinacea


I use local maple syrup in the syrups I make. A popular syrup I make is made from local, organic elderberries I pick-this has traditional and clinical use for cold/flu treatment and prevention, and it tastes delicious-even kids can take it!


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Saturday, January 15, 2011

Facebook page

Please feel free to contact me through my blog or on my facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Singing-Nettles-Herbal-Medicine-Clinic/186949351782


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Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game

The holiday gift I most wanted was Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game. It is a beautiful and educational board game for players of all ages, which teaches players about using wild plants (i.e. many weeds) to help in first aid situations in the woods. It encourages cooperation and group learning. I found some of their herb choices interesting, as I had not heard of the uses for these plants that the game listed.

The object of the game is to climb to the top of the mountain, pick several pailfuls of huckleberries, and return to gramma's before dark. There are trouble spots where you encounter accidents such as wasp stings, or uncomfortable human symptoms, such as hunger. Players can pull cooperation cards to help others in need. Each player acquires plant cards, which can be used to match the appropriate plant to the situation. It is really fun! The plant cards and the board are beautiful, and it comes with a chart listing the medicinal plants and their applications.

Tamarind

Tamarind candy with chille






Tamarindus indica
from the family leguminosae

  • TASTE sour, sweet
  • ENERGY heating
  • POST-DIGESTIVE EFFECT sour 
  • EFFECT ON DOSHAS* decreases vata, kapha; increases pitta
  • ACTIONS stimulant, carminative, laxative
*Doshas are the elemental components of each individual's constitution, or prakruti, which are created at conception and are unchangeable. They are vata (air, ether), kapha (water in an earth vessel) and pitta (fire).

An excellent reference is "The Yoga Of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine", by Dr. David Frawley and Dr. Vasant Lad. He runs the Ayurvedic Institute.


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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Tales from the Medicine Trail

This week, I read "Tales from the Medicine Trail: Tracking down the health secrets of shamans, herbalists, mystics, yogis, and other healers". It is a wild adventure narrative (true story) of a medicinal plant hunter's trips through the Amazon, India and other exotic locales.

Of particular interest to me was the description of various Ayurvedic clinics in India. Ayurveda is the oldest medical system in the world, over 5000 years old. All medical systems since have their foundations in Ayurveda. I have taken several courses in Ayurveda. You can determine your own prakruti (elemental constitution) by taking a quiz-they are online as well. This book explains how Ashwagandha, or Withania Withania somnifera is the universal Ayurvedic tonic. It is one of my favourite herbs, as an adaptogen for stress and regulating sleep cycles. It can be used in any formula, for any purpose, with no reported side effects.

Withania


The root is in remedies for coughs, rheumatism, gynecological disorders, fatigue, emaciation, low libido, impotence, inflammatory conditions, ulcers, sore eyes and diminished brain function. It is regarded as the most effective nerve tonic among all Ayurvedic herbs, and it is used widely against stress. Studies in India demonstrate the it alleviates anxiety. In the Ayurvedic texts, it is the herb that can be used with some good effects in all cases.

Turmeric root


The aromatic herbs and spices in an Indian masala, or curry, are medicine. Curcumin extracted from turmeric root can be ground and cooked in hot oil to make a curry, along with garlic, hot chillies, cardamom, cumin, cinnammon, black pepper, clove, and any other spices you like. Curcumin can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, it is anti-inflammatory.  It can also be used to treat respiratory disease. It is cardioprotective, reduces itching and pain from external cancerous lesions and speeds healing of infected and noninfected wounds.  Curcumin also supresses the growth of pathogenic, food-borne bacteria, which is probably why it is used in cultures where there is no refrigeration. It is also hepatoprotective (liver protective) against potent toxins.

Cat's claw


The book also mentions una de gato, cat's claw Uncaria tomentosa, of which I made a tincture. It is anti-inflammatory, contraceptive, cytostatic (slows the growth of tumors), immune stimulant and antiviral. It contains antioxidant polyphenols and is anti-mutagenic.

Kava


Kava Piper methysticum has no side effects, relieves stress, anxiety, and restores sleep. It is a traditional indigenous plant used as a social, mood-enhancing beverage. It is used for a wide range of conditions. The main use is for urogenital inflammation and cystitis. It is also drunk to relieve headaches, to restore strength, to promote urination, to soothe an upset stomach, to relieve whooping cough in children, and to decrease symptoms of asthma and tuberculosis. Applied topically, it treats fungal infections and soothes stings and skin inflammations. It is also valued for its ornamental and spiritual significance. It is central to the rituals and several life passages of the people of Oceania. The plants are exchanged and used at all significant occasions and ceremonies. The plants are often cultivated to grow in specific shapes, and presented as gifts at weddings and other special occasions, decorated. In Hawaii, cultivated kava is called awa.

These plants have been used safely for millenia, but I still stress using local, or at least Canadian herbs as a first choice, when possible, because it is more ecologically responsible. There is also a belief that the herbs growing in our environment are indicators of our health needs. Whatever we need may be in our backyard. They are also simpatico, being influenced by the same environmental influences as ourselves, they are more easily taken up and assimilated in our bodies. 

The traditional kava drink


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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Holly and Ivy

The holly and the ivy
when they are both full grown
of all the trees that are in the wood
the holly bears the crown

Holly
Holly leaves used to be used as a diaphoretic (induces sweating to reduce fever) and an infusion (medicinal tea) of them was given in catarrh (mucous), pleurisy and smallpox. They have also been applied in intermittent fevers and rheumatism for their febrifugal (fever reducing) and tonic properties, and as a powder, or taken in infusion or decoction, have been used successfully where Cinchona has failed. This action is believed to be caused by a bitter alkaloid named Ilicin. The juice of the fresh leaves has been applied in cases of jaundice.

The berries have totally different qualities than the leaves, being violently emetic and purgative. A small number have caused excessive vomiting soon after they are swallowed, though thrushes and blackbirds eat them. They have been used medicinally for dropsy; and, as a powder, as an astringent to stop bleeding.
Culpepper says 'the bark and leaves are good used as fomentations for broken bones and such members as are out of joint.' He believed the berries cure colic.

Ivy

Ivy has historically been used in the treatment of paralysis, acute rheumatism and articular stiffness, and in various forms of chronic and obstinate eruptive diseases. It used to be listed in the United States Pharmacopeia. It is used frequently by homoeopaths for rheumatism, ringworm and other skin disorders, and is considered by them to be one of the most useful remedies in most cases of Nettlerash, especially if caused by someone's particular constitution, where the eruption is caused by a particular food.

The fluid extract, prepared from the fresh leaves, is mostly given in the form of a tincture, in doses of 5 to 30 drops. In small doses it is an excellent sedative to the nervous system, but it must be given with care, as internally it may cause gastric intestinal irritation, drowsiness, stupor and delirium.

It has been used in cases of urinary incontinence. For this, the bark of the root of R. aromatica is also used very successfully. An infusion of 1 OZ. to a pint of boiling water is taken in wineglassful doses.

The fluid extract of R. Toxicodendron can be used as a vesicant or blister producer, like cantharides, mezeron, and oil of Mustard.

The best preparation is a concentrated alcoholic tincture made from the green plant at a strength of 1 in 4, with 25% alcohol. The dose is 1 to 5 drops three times a day. A solid extract is not used due to the extreme volatility of the active principles of the crude drug.

Its milky juice is also used as an indelible ink for marking linen, and as an ingredient of liquid dressings or varnishes for finishing boots or shoes, though R. venenata is more extensively used for the latter purpose.


 *This is for informational purposes only, please do not use this remedy without the supervision of a professional.

http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/holly-28.html


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Sunday, January 2, 2011

Squash Spice Pie

I made a squash pie this week and used my favourite blend of spices-cinammon, ginger, cloves and allspice. In winter, we can still enjoy herbs by using dried herbs and spices to perk up our meals. Of course, these herbs also have health benefits-cinammon lowers blood sugar, ginger is a warming digestive stimulant, and cloves and allspice are carminatives, which reduce gas and ease digestion.


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Pictures of Usnea and Usnea tincture




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