I recently spent a day in a workshop given by Susun S. Weed, called "My Herbal Medicine Chest," which elucidated the healing powers residing in more than a dozen common plants, from burdock to yarrow. Weed, an ethnobotanist and internationally recognized expert in herbal medicine, has devoted her life to the study of plants of all sorts, and her workshop was a revelation. She added immeasurably to my knowledge not only of herbal remedies, but also how to spot and utilize these plants, most of which grow right around us. Plantain, for instance, is a common weed that grows all across North America in front lawns and meadows, and even pops up through the cracks in your driveway. (See photo: Common Plantain, plantago major, is distinct from the banana-like fruit that grows in the tropics.) It has remarkable healing properties when chewed and made into a poultice. A few days after the workshop, I happened to slash the heel of my hand while doing home repairs, and decided to forgo the hydrogen peroxide and sterile gauze pads and give plantain a try. Chewing a small leaf and spreading it across the bleeding, inch-long gash, I covered the moist poultice with a whole leaf and wrapped it all with a strip of adhesive tape. The pain dissipated almost immediately, the bleeding stopped, and I forgot about it as I continued working.
