The Earth provides amazing medicinal plants all around us that our ancestors gathered and made medicine with for centuries. It’s only been in the last 100-200 years that we have lost this art of turning to the plants in our environment for our health and healing.
It is one my passions to keep myself and my family in close harmony with the Earth, taking care of her in just a small fraction of the way she takes care of us. I hope to inspire and teach others to do the same. I desire that this guide serves to pique your interest into the world of herbs and persuades you to start spending time with the plants in your own backyard.
A note to Foragers: Please be sure to thoroughly identify every plant before harvesting. You can look up the plant pictures and description online, or take a field guide with you while foraging. Several of the plants I have included in this guide are considered invasive weeds.
For the plants that are not invasive, please wildcraft them ethically, being sure to not harvest more than you need. (ideally not more than 10% of the population)
BLACKBERRY
COMMONLY FOUND:
Temperate Europe, North America, Australia. Hedgerows, woods, and on waste ground.
PARTS USED:
Leaves and berries. Harvest leaves in spring and summer while they’re fresh and green. Harvest berries when they are ripe.
CHICKWEED
COMMONLY FOUND:
Native to Europe and Asia but now found worldwide. Gardens, yards, Hedge banks and waste ground.
PARTS USED:
Above ground parts – leaves, stem and flowers. Harvest when plant is vibrant and green
CLEAVERS
COMMONLY FOUND IN:
Europe, Asia and North America. farmland, steam beds, and gardens
PARTS USED:
Above ground parts – leaves, stem and flowers. Gather from spring until the plant flowers in the summer.
DOCK
COMMONLY FOUND IN:
Native to Europe and Africa but now is one of the most widely distributed plants in North America and the entire world. Grassland, farmyards, roadsides, river banks, mud.
PARTS USED:
Root and leaves. Harvest root in the fall
DANDELION
COMMONLY FOUND IN:
Worldwide in the majority of lawns! Lawns, fields and roadsides
PARTS USED:
Leaves, flowers and roots. Flowers open when the sun is high in the sky and they close in the evenings.
ELDER
COMMONLY FOUND IN:
Native to Europe, grows in North America. Hedgerows, riverbanks, woods, waste grounds
PARTS USED:
Flowers and berries. Leaves and bark externally. Berries turn black in fall and can be harvested then.
HONEYSUCKLE
COMMONLY FOUND IN:
Native to Europe and also widespread in North America now. Hedges, woodlands, etc
PARTS USED:
Flowers. harvest when in bloom in summer or fall
