Feather Jones

 By Beverly Lehnhardt | Sedona.biz

According to Feather, “Wild foods are the best thing you can do for your body.”

Stork's Bill

The first plant was the Stork’s Bill (Erodium cicutarium), a low, prostrate plant consisting of a basal rosette whose leaves are divided into fine leaflets, similar to those of a carrot. A mature plant can be 2 to 3 feet in diameter although the ones we saw on our walk were much smaller. When in bloom, the flower stalks are erect, about 16 inches high, and bear small ½-inch pink or purplish clustered flowers. From the center of the flower column a long pointed capsule forms that resembles a stork's bill, hence the name.

As a food, young Stork’s Bill leaves, harvested in the spring before the plants flower, are tasty and nutritious and may be added to salads, sandwiches, or soups.

Juniper

Few aromatherapists are likely to lack juniper oil in their collection of essential oils; and since it has a balsamic, woody, fresh scent, it is prized as a ‘masculine’ scent much utilized by the perfume industry in aftershave.

The berries can be made into a tea used to treat cystitis, kidney problems, and urinary tract infections. Those with poor digestion, any type of stomach or digestive upsets, or constipation would benefit from juniper berry tea since it stimulates the digestive enzymes necessary to keep things moving along at a natural pace. It has also been used to ease muscular or joint pain in chronic conditions such as gout, arthritis, and rheumatism.

Snakeweed

We then stopped at a small bushy plant with tiny, clustered, yellow flowers. We learned that this plant, with the unattractive-sounding names of Broom-of-the-Snake, Snakeweed, or Broom Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), is a sign of over-grazing. Since cows won’t eat it, it takes over once other vegetation is depleted. It is also known as Turpentine Weed because of the pine-like odor it exhibits when crushed.

Feather suggested grabbing a handful of stems and cutting them off several inches above ground level. Tie the bundle tightly with string and hang it just below the hot water spigot in the bathtub. Running hot water into the tub through the bundle provides bathwater infused with the essence of Snakeweed—soaking in such a bath provides a painkilling, anti-inflammatory treatment.

Prickly Pear

Members of the Opuntia genus are unique because of their clusters of fine, hair-like, barbed spines called ‘glochids.’ Found just above the cluster of regular spines, glochids are yellow or red in color and detach easily from the pads. They are often difficult to see and even more difficult to remove once lodged in the skin, and are extremely irritating.

Some studies have shown that the pectin contained in the Prickly Pear pulp lowers ‘bad’ cholesterol levels while leaving the ‘good’ cholesterol levels unchanged. This very versatile cactus is said to control blood sugar, cure acne, and soothe skin, and can also be used as arthritis medicine—as well as a conditioner for the hair.

Cat Claw

Our group moved carefully away from this cactus only to stop by another type of prickly plant—the Cat Claw Bush (Acacia). It is also called the Wait-a-Minute Bush because anyone coming in close contact with it will call out “Wait a minute!” while they disengage their skin and clothing from the ‘claws’ of the plant. The stout, brown to gray, ¼” curved thorns, scattered singly along the stems, give the plant its common name and afford protection to the birds and mammals seeking sanctuary within its branches. Two-inch spikes of fragrant cream-colored or pale yellow flowers occur mainly in spring but may bloom again with summer or fall rains. The fruit resembles a flattened string bean.

Mormon Tea

The next stop was at a very interestingly-named plant called Mormon Tea or Whorehouse Tea (Ephedra) that can be found all over the Southwest and Mexico. It is a broom-like shrub that grows up to 4 feet tall and has slender, jointed stems. It appears to have no leaves when, in fact, the leaves are reduced to scales and grow in opposite pairs or whorls of three. Male and female flowers bloom in March and April on separate plants in conelike structures; they are followed by small brown to black seeds.

Jack Mormon, who frequented Katie’s Place, a popular whorehouse in Elko, Nevada during the last century’s mining rush, is said to have introduced this tea to prevent contracting syphilis and other venereal diseases. Thereafter it was standard fare in the waiting rooms of Nevada and California brothels. Hence, the name Mormon or Whorehouse tea.

Although not as potent as its commercial relatives in China and India, the southwestern species contains enough ephedrine-related alkaloid ingredients to make it functional. The drug ephedrine is a stimulant to the sympathetic nerves and has an adrenaline-like effect on the body. It has a pronounced diuretic and decongestant effect and was used whenever urinary tract problems occurred.

According to Feather, the plant contains silic acid which the human body converts to silica; it is then used to repair and strengthen connective tissue. Anyone who visits a chiropractor on a regular basis because the adjustment doesn’t ‘hold’ might benefit from drinking Mormon Tea.

Mariola

At our next stop, Feather had us break off a leaf and crush it between our fingers. The scent was sweet, similar in a way to lavender, and we all wanted to carry some with us for the rest of the walk but that would have interfered with other plant ‘tastings’ and ‘smellings.’ The Mariola (Parthenium incanum) is a delicate-looking, exceedingly tough bush that grows throughout the Southwest and southward into Mexico. It is very drought tolerant and needs full sun. The aromatic leaves have a covering of silver-white hairs and during the summer, clusters of white flowers appear.

Feather explained, “All plants that contain aromatic properties have some antimicrobial activity.” So this one not only smells good, it helps eliminate nasty microorganisms that can cause disease.

Manzanita

The wood is extremely dense and burns very hot. In fact, it is not recommended for use in wood burners—it burns so hot that it has been known to crack cast iron burners.

Feather says the plant is very astringent and is a great treatment for poison ivy. The tea or cider made from Manzanita is also good for treating urinary tract infections.

Desert Sumac

Medicinally, the Desert Sumac is good for treating infections under the skin, the astringent action pulling infection and toxins out of the tissue.

Blue Agave

Agaves are succulents that grow mainly in Mexico, and also throughout the southwest and in central and tropical South America. They have a large rosette of thick, fleshy ‘leaves’ that end in a very sharp point, the leaves seeming to spring centrally from the root. Each plant grows slowly and flowers only once. After development of the fruit, the original plant dies. During flowering a tall stem or ‘mast’ sprouts up from the center of the rosette, growing furiously as though aware its days are numbered.

According to Feather, used medicinally, the agave is a wonderful anti-inflammatory, effective in treating arthritis. She also told us that the agave is pollinated by a particular type of bat and since potent insecticides are still used quite freely in Mexico, the bats’ numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate. Eventually, without the pollination provided by the bats, agaves may eventually die out. Rather than use the agave in any way, Feather prefers to protect it.        

Read:  Sedona Herb Walk with Feather Jones 1

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