Road-side plants and making herbal tea!
Many edible and medicinal plants grow in road-sides and ditches and it is important to address the presence and usability of these plants. Although plants and herbs are accessible from roadsides, it is recommended to not use these plants in a medicine or food capacity, because of contamination from passing vehicles, road-side herbicide sprays, and contamination from garbage, and because picking and transporting invasive species hasten their spread.
So while you’re driving along admiring the flowers and you see some Goldenrod and wish to make a tea, got a little further into the woods or walk down a nice small trail without traffic to find yourself some healthy and clean plants good for medicinal use. You can also find Goldenrod in the Earth Matters garden!
Goldenrod has many uses and medicinal benefits
- hot flushes
- kidney and bladder infections
- urinary tract infections
- vaginal thrush
- diarrhea
- nasal catarrh
- diarrhea
- whooping cough
- skin diseases treated internally
- chronic mucus
The leaves and flowers are used for making the brew.
Making herbal tea
The standard way to make an infusion, unless otherwise specified, is to pour a cup of boiling water over the material to be infused, let it stand for 5 minutes, strain it, and drink it.
- Fresh plant material
- When the recipe refers to fresh plant material to be used, a 1/4 cup fresh material is used, following the method above.
- Dried material
- When the recipe refers to using dried material, use 2 teaspoons of material when making it.
- Bark or seeds
- Should the recipe call for bark or seeds to be used, use 2 teaspoons of seeds or 1 tablespoon of bark.
- Sweetening your infusion
- You could sweeten your health drink with honey, should you so require, and a dash of fresh lemon juice may also enhance the taste.
