In Our Forest Now. . .

As summer begins to fade many herbs are waiting to be harvested. Here are some of the plants we’re seeing or harvesting now.

Yellow Passionflower

Yellow passionflower (Passiflora lutea), is very small, with leaves 3 inches across while it’s greenish-yellow flowers are barely 1 inch across. It takes a sharp eye to notice the small blooms against the deep green of the forest. Like the more commonly used Passiflora incarnata (a much larger plant), whose blooms are pink, yellow passionflower is a nervine relaxant and
antispasmodic. Because yellow passionflower is rare, I have never harvested
it, preferring to use the more weedy P. incarnata.

Black Cohosh

It is almost time to harvest black cohosh (Actaea racemosa). The flowers have faded, and the seed heads are ripening quickly. I always like to harvest this root late in the year, after the foliage dies back, when the only visible identifying characteristic is the dried seed head of the flowers.

Jewelweed

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) is still flowering in damp, cool places. At my house, we’ve been harvesting this plant all summer to treat severe cases of poison ivy. It always works! Now is the time to make jewelweed salve for winter and spring use. [For the recipe, see page 98 in my book, Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians.]

Boneset

Boneset, (Eupatorium perforatum) is one of my favorite herbs. The other day I was happy to see it blooming along the shores of the pond while I was swimming. Look for boneset lining the edges of bodies of fresh water. In this picture you can see the distinctive way the opposing leaves grow together around the stem, making it easy to identify.

For more information on harvesting, medicine making, and uses of these and many other local native herbs, consult your copy of my book, Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians or join me for a class here in the mountains.

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About BotanoLogos School for Herbal Studies

For over 14 years the BotanoLogos School for Herbal Studies has specialized in teaching how to use Southern Appalachian medicinal herbs.

Innovative programs include seminars, field studies, hands-on workshops and a ten-month herbal studies program that weaves learning about healing herbs with a profound understanding of the rhythm of the seasons and the timeless elements of traditional healing.

BotanoLogos is the place to learn how to strengthen your innate ability to heal yourself and others, and to broaden your knowledge of herbs so that you will use them with confidence throughout your life.

Most programs are taught by Patricia Kyritsi Howell, Registered Herbalist (AHG), and author of Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians (2006). Considered an essential reference for anyone who uses medicinal native Appalachian herbs, it is a concise guide to the historical and current uses of forty-five plants. It also provides harvesting guidelines, detailed medicine making instructions and original recipes.

BotanoLogos School for Herbal Studies is located in northeast Georgia (USA) in Rabun County, 100 miles northeast of midtown Atlanta, and 90 miles southeast of Asheville, NC.

Each spring, our sister company, Wild Crete, offers travel seminars to the Greek Island of Crete: Herbs, Wildflowers and Traditional Cuisine of Crete. For complete details about our 2009 tours, visit www.wildcrete.com or phone us at (706) 746-5485.

Botanologos is an ancient Greek word that means, “Someone who speaks for the plants.”

BotanoLogos

For over 14 years, the BotanoLogos School for Herbal Studies has specialized in teaching about Southern Appalachian medicinal herbs.

Our programs provide experiential learning in the botanically rich Appalachian mountains of Northeast Georgia, USA.

Program director Patricia Kyritsi Howell, Registered Herbalist (AHG) is the author of Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians, an essential reference about how to use native medicinal plants.

Current Course Offerings:

2009 Herbal Studies Certification Program Registration Now Open!

(Please check Calendar or Certification Program for more information)

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