Pathwalkers herb gardens - Gypsey Website

Herbs @ PathWalkers.Net - A Sunwheel Herb Garden: The Nine Sacred Herbs of Wisdom
anywhere, but needs regular rain or watering to thrive. Sow the seed directly in the
garden, towards the rim of the Sunwheel, in front of the taller herbs. You can sow
the seed in flats indoors and then transplant, but it really is a waste of energy.
Harvest the whole, fresh leaves for use. When dried, Plantain loses much of its
properties in its juice. The seeds have little benefit, with the exception of their use
as a substitute for Linseed.
Gerard exclaims the juice of Plantain dropped in the eyes will cool inflammation,
and Culpeper states that eating a little bit of the root will cure a headache instantly.
Plantain is a useful astringent, and when taken as a tea it will aid against diarrhea.
Plantain will also staunch external bleeding when applied in a salve, or simply
bruised and applied to a minor wound. For a simple Plantain salve, crush the leaves
and mix well with lard, and apply. An interesting parallel, both the Anglo-Saxons
and the Native Americans valued Plantain against a snake bite, applied externally.
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Nettle - This is the herb that is called Wergulu. A seal sent it across the sea-ridge, a
vexation to poison, a help to others. It stands against pain, it dashes against poison,
it has power against three and against thirty, against the hand of a fiend and against
mighty devices, against the spell of mean creatures.
Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) was brought to the British Isles by the Roman
Legions, who would rub their arms with the leaves to keep their blood flowing in
the cold, damp weather. Nettle strengthens and supports the entire body, and can
even be cooked and eaten as a pot herb, like mustard greens or spinach. Itis another
common weed, reaches up to three feet in height, and is a hardy perennial. It can be
grown by seed, and may be difficult to find in nurseries.
To grow Nettles, sow the seed directly in place in the garden, about one foot apart.
Like Plantain, it will grow anywhere, but prefers regular watering and ordinary
garden soil. Nettle will take over the garden if you let it, so be sure to collect the
flower heads before they set seed. The plant will readily return in the spring from
its creeping roots. Also, keep the roots under control by regularly digging around
the area where they are planted. Or, sink garden bed bordering underground around
the area to prevent the unwanted spread of its roots.
To gather fresh Nettle leaves, wear gardening gloves! If you are stung by its
stinging hairs, rub the area with Rosemary, Mint or Sage leaves for relief. Collect
the leaves when the flowers are blooming. Nettle is used for everything from the
stimulation of hair growth to eczema, and may be used as an astringent externally
for nose bleeds. Additionally, there are recipes for Nettle Beer and Nettle Pudding.
For Nettle Beer, in a large pot add 2 gallons of cold water, 5 cups of washed, young
Nettle leaves, 2 cups each of Dandelion leaves and Horehound or Meadowsweet
flowers, and 2 ounces of bruised ginger root. Boil gently for 40 minutes, then strain
and stir in 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar. When cooled to lukewarm temperature, toast
a slice of bread and spread with one cube of fresh yeast. Float the bread yeast side
up on the top of the mixture, cover and allow to ferment for 24 hours. At the end of
this time, open and remove the residue from the top of the beer. Add 1 tablespoon
of cream of tartar. Bottle as you would an ale.
Watercress Stune is the name of this herb, it grew on a stone, it stands up against
poison, it dashes against pain. Unyielding it is called, it drives out the hostile one, it
casts out poison, it has the power against infection. This is the herb that fought
against the world serpent.
Although Lacnunga refers to Lamb’s Cress (lombescyrse) as one of the Nine
Sacred Herbs, which Storms differentiates from Watercress (eacerse or wyllecerse)
as Cardamine, Gerard assures us that Watercress, or Nasturtium officinale, is also
referred to as Cardamine. Although there may be a minor difference in varieties, it
is safe to assume that these plants are very similar if not one and the same.
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