Tonics and Tinctures: Jess Turner of Olamina Botanicals ‘Harnesses the Power of Weeds’
If you see someone foraging berries from a tree that you thought was merely decorative, or carrying plants on the subway that do not look like florist’s flowers, stop and talk to them.
Photography by Valery Rizzo.
It is Jess’s mission to promote understanding between ordinary plants and people, while rekindling a connection with our better-informed ancestors.
Jess Turner gathering bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) at the CSA that she is involved in near Hudson, New York.
Harvesting raspberry leaf.
Our forebears naturally had a better appreciation of the benefits of local plants on human health Plants have been adapting to environmental stressors including pests...
...viruses bacteria and disease for a really long time It s the constituents they produce to address these challenges that provide benefit to our human bodies
Gathering plantain, a highly effective anti-inflammatory, and one of the best herbs for stings and bites.
“Plantain is astringent, antimicrobial, demulcent, cooling and anti-inflammatory. Because of its drawing properties, it can been used to pull out bee stings and infection from a wound.” For the easiest DIY application, freshly picked herbs are easy to use, without distilling or fermenting.
If the idea of spit is “undignified,” the leaves can be crushed and applied straight to a wound, kept in place with gauze.
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is most-often used for migraines. I’d be most apt to use feverfew (above) if—in addition to surface inflammation—an area of someone’s body was inflamed at a deeper level, like in the muscle tissue.
Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum).