For the love of weeds

UP UNTIL I WAS ABOUT 25 YEARS OLD, I wanted weeds out. I spent countless hours digging dandelions from my lawn and pulling plantain from between the bricks of my patio. The, one day while I was working in my garden, a bee stung my hand and I remembered reading that plantain was a natural remedy for stings. I plucked a leaf, mashed it, and applied it to my hand. Quickly the pain subsided. Today I list plantain--along with other weeds--at the top of my list of healing herbs. My backyard is full of dandelion and plantain, and on my daily walks and weekend hikes I'm always on the lookout for other beneficial weeds such as yarrow, mullein, and burdock. I can find these weeds in any herb store and sometimes I do buy them, but there's something deeply satisfying about discovering and harvesting them myself.

Learning to recognize healing weeds is not difficult, but it's important to be absolutely certain that you have correctly identified the plant. A good plant identification guide can be very helpful, but finding someone who can actually show you the plants is even better. Some herbalists, the Sierra Club, and the Audubon Society offer plant identification walks.

There are some important things to keep in mind when gathering wild plants. First, make sure that they have not been sprayed with chemicals. Second, avoid using plants from heavily traveled roadsides as they can be contaminated by automobile exhaust. Third, gather only healthy-looking plants. And fourth, take no more than 10 percent of the plants in any one area to ensure that they will be able to reproduce. In general, dried herbs maintain their healing properties for about a year, so harvest only what you need.

The following eight weeds are some of my favorites. They are good plants for the novice collector to start with because they are easy to identify and have no poisonous look-alikes in the wild. And they are very common. More likely than not, you've passed them many times but because you didn't know their value you didn't notice them. Although they do prefer certain habitats-some thrive along the seashore and others prefer sunny meadows--they Are fairly common in most parts of the country. No matter where you live, you'll find at least a few of these useful weeds growing nearby.

BURDOCK (Arctium lappa, Arctium minus)

Description: Coarse, wavy-edged leaves with white woolly undersides grow as large as 2 feet long and 1 foot Aide. Burdock has a two-year life cycle; in midspring of the second year it sends up a central stalk from 2 to 9 feet tall with purple thistle-like flowers that will bloom in midsummer. Burdock can be recognized by the brown burs that stick to clothing. The root is dark brown with a creamy white interior and can grow several feet long and 3 inches in diameter.

Part used: Root

Habitat: Backyards, empty lots, fields, parks, roadsides. Full sun or partial shade, prefers rich, moist soil. Found throughout the U.S., but not near the seashore or in other sandy soils.

Harvesting guidelines: Dig the root in the fall of the first year or in the early spring of the second year before the flower stalk appears.

Medicinal uses: Burdock is used as a tonic herb to improve overall health. Because it has gentle diuretic and laxative properties and mildly encourages perspiration, it eliminates toxins. It also enhances digestion by stimulating the flow of bile.

How to prepare: Burdock tea: Simmer 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried root (or 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh) in 1 cup of water in a covered pot for 15 minutes. Drink 3 cups daily,

Fresh burdock root: Slice thinly and simmer in soups, or saute.

Personal notes: Fresh burdock is available in many grocery stores, but I enjoy harvesting the roots myself much more. Digging burdock in the wild can provide quite a workout. I've pulled up roots that are several feet long and 2 to 3 inches across. And I learned the hard way that it's a lot easier to harvest the roots after a rain, when the ground is soft.

DENDELION (Taraxacum officinale)

Description: Long, deeply toothed leaves grow in a circular cluster and are joined at the base of the stem. In spring, bright yellow flowers appear on separate stalks that grow 2 to 18 inches tall. The leaves are smooth, with no hairs.

Part used: Leaf and root

Habitat: Backyards, empty lots, fields meadows, parks, roadsides. Prefers sunny, open places and well-drained soil.

Harvesting guidelines: Leaves can be harvested year-round, but are most tender and least bitter if gathered in early spring before the flowers appear. Dig roots in early fall.

Medicinal uses: Dandelion leaves are a powerful diuretic. However, they do not deplete the body of potassium and so are safer than pharmaceutical diuretics. Dandelion leaf tea is an excellent remedy for premenstrual water retention. Dandelion roots have mild laxative properties and enhance digestion by stimulating bile flow.

How to prepare: Dandelion leaf tea: Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of dried (or 2 tablespoons of fresh) dandelion leaves and steep for 10 minutes in a covered pot. Drink 3 cups daily for as long as you feel bloated.