Monday, June 1, 2009

Medicines From the Earth

Appalachian herbalist and storyteller, Doug Elliot, convincing a group to play with local herbs: wild cherry (Prunus avium) , sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera).


Also, here are some tulip poplar blossoms. In the spring, each blossom can hold up to 1/3 cup nectar! Free for the drinking by humans, bees, birds and other thirsty creatures.



Doug Elliot reminded the group that there are so many wonderful herbal partners in our surrounding woods. Aside from those mentioned above, he sang a song about Dandelion (Taraxacum off.), demonstrated how to make a carrier pouch out of poplar bark and hickory bark, told a story about his friend, a Ojibwa-Cree Native American who calls wood sorrell (Oxalis acetosella) "its all here" because the three heart shaped leaves remind him of the six directions: north, south, east, west, sky, earth. Elliot gives fun, informative walks and you can sometimes catch him on the radio telling his stories, singing his songs and generally being delightfully ridiculous and informative.











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