Briana Wiles - Mountain States Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 100 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

IDENTIFY, HARVEST, AND USE

100 WILD HERBS

FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS

BRIANA WILES

To the human beings that dwell
on planet Earth, may you find a
connection with plants and
be forever indebted to their wisdom.

Gathering dandelion heads, high in the mountains with my usual posse: Salix, my son, and Bella, our Alaskan malamute.

PREFACE

I have been trying to teach my son something (everything!), and it is this: each and every time you go out into nature, an exchange takes place. You are joining an age-old dance we do together with plants to unite the powers we both hold within our cells. Your feet are in step with the rhythm of lifewith each impression of the soil you could be setting a seed to the right depth for germination. Every time you touch a plant it has a response, and so do you, if you take the time to notice it.

This exchange becomes deeper when you begin to harvest on your own, the interaction becomes more physical, and the connection can last a lifetime. Some of your harvests you dry for future use in tea blending or oil infusions. Others you quickly place in alcohol or vinegar to preserve their highest offerings, possibly for decades to come. An impression has formed between you and this plant. You have learned to recognize it, to trust your instincts and your knowledge. You trust yourself with the primal wisdom that has been passed down for as long as we humans have existedthis is medicine.

This exchange can be mutual if we take the time to honor each plant and its lineage, to thank it for allowing us to participate in its life cycle. Check in mentally or verbally with every plant you are considering gathering. Many will tell you no, and you need to respect that. The plants that do give you permission to harvest need to be thanked. When out wildcrafting, offer the plants a giftof song, water, attention, intentionbefore or after you begin to clip or dig.

Something brought this book into your hands, that innate need for learning, a passion for plants, or a desire to understand how to make simple, pure medicines. With this book, you will be able to identify and recognize plants you may have walked past before or even thought of as weeds. Just getting outside into nature to meet any of these plants is therapeutic and mind-altering. You will start to hear and participate in the communication that takes place between humans and plants. Gathering information and inspiration on which plants grow near you, or which ones you want to search for, will connect you to the earth in a powerful way. Likewise, there is much empowerment in taking charge of your health and what enters your body.

Mountain ranges of the Rockies span through each of the states and provinces covered in this book. The mountain west starts to the south in Colorado, Utah, and Nevada; moves north through Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho; slides west into the eastern sides of Oregon and Washington; and reaches further north into southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. In this territory all the plants in this book can be discovered; however, each herb does not grow in every part of this territory. The mountain west holds a great variety of elevations and ecosystems. Some plants grow only in the southern states, others only in the north; many plants are found either below a certain elevation or above it. An hours drive can bring you thousands of feet lower or higher and to a whole new land of plants. This is an added benefit to living at altitudeyou can chase the seasons. Spring starts low and ends high, meaning just as one season ends at 5000 feet, it is just beginning again at 7000 feet.

Let this book give you guidance, not only on where to find medicinal plants but also on how to approach your search. Let it also provide you with inspiration to prepare herbs for medicine-making, eventually leading you to concoct your own unique remedies. This book is full of rules and recipes to follow, but they were made to be tweaked. When you dont find the plants youre looking for, research the ones you do have near you. Be aware of variations in climate and in the plants themselves. Always harvest with these variations in mindif its a meager-looking plant, let it be and find one that has more vitality, which also means more medicine. I always say, the altering of recipes often begins with the plants themselves.

Be careful. Always use multiple references when learning to identify a new plant. Bring your books and notes with you into the field. Learn which plants not to harvest, because they are poisonous, or threatened, or because taking them away would damage the surrounding ecosystem. When reading about a plant, always check the potential cautions for harvesting and ingestion.

Harvest wisely. Make sure the plant you are gathering is the one you are after. Be mindful of any other plants that make it into your basket. Some may be unintended or downright undesirable. Take the time to garble your plants, separating out the parts you are going to use, and process them with care.

Even in the wide open spaces of the mountain west, we need to be mindful of where we harvest. Stay well away from polluted lands and waterways. Ranches and farms can send fertilizers, manure, and other contaminants leaching into waterways downstream. Mining and factories have caused water and land to carry heavy metals and other pollutants. Look for signs of mining in the landscape and steer clear of harvesting here. Know which plants are targeted for eradication so as to avoid harvesting plants in an area that has been or is being sprayed. Always harvest away from roads, railways, municipal facilities, golf courses, and landscaped buildings, as these are usually kept green and pristine with chemicals.

Nature surrounds us, whether in the cracks of our concrete world or the extensive (and too often unseen) wilderness that cushions and supports our lives. Wherever it occurs, tend to it with love, respect, and care. Walk through it without leaving a trace, and harvest your plants in the same manner. It should not be possible for anyone to know you were even there.