Apple of Sodom (Calotropis procera)

This unlikely sounding plant is not some firy punishment from heaven as I imagined when I first read about it. In fact, it is a  medicinal with a large number of traditional uses as well as modern research into the usage of its components in pharmaceuticals for arthritis. The plant is said by some references to be “not human friendly” because of its toxicity, however it is clear that there are safe ways to prepare and use this herb. It would not be recommended to sit down to a meal of Apple of Sodom, however, or to take this herb without further information about dosages, preparations, and side effects.

The whole dried plant is said to be a tonic, an antihelminthic, and an expectorant.  The dried roots are used to treat bronchitis, asthma, eczema, leprosy, and elephantiasis. The latex of the plant is processed for use in treating inflammations, arthritis, vertigo, baldness or thinning hair, and even paralysis.

On the down side, the latex is also a poison which is effectively used on arrow heads. I was not able to determine if this poison was only used in war or also in food hunting (thus suggesting that cooking would neutralize the poison). Also, you should be extra careful with the latex of this plant anywhere near your eyes, as it can cause sight impairment which could be permanent.

Further reading:

• The Herb Society of America Promising Plants article on Calotropis procera.
• Flowers in Israel Calotropis procera page
• The HUJI Flora in Israel Calotropis procera page

Read Full Post »

Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum)

I knew of this plant first from Bach Flower Remedies. Many years ago now, while I was still living in Seattle, the Star of Bethlehem flower essence was prescribed to me for a short while. But Bach Flower Remedies generally have to do with emotional issues, not physical ones (though, of course, the physical and emotional are related). When I started looking for information about local medicinal plants, here in Israel, this was a logical one to look up.

I was shocked to find out what the use of this plant is. This is not a sweet, comfy, daily use kind of plant ally. Star of Bethlehem has one listed medicinal use: to combat congestive heart failure.

WebMD explains that this plant has an action similar to the drug digoxin.

Of course, WebMD doesn’t give any dosage information, and simply says not to use it. However, digoxin is taken once a day, in some cases for years. I would guess that somewhere in some ancient medicinal text there is some similar use of this plant, but I have not yet found any such reference.

Dukes Handbook of Medicinal Plants from the Bible does have some information on Star of Bethlehem on pages 312-315, but the end result is more questions than actual information. I would not, based on the information I have available currently, recommend the use of this plant at all to anyone ever.*

For more information about this plant and its distribution within Israel, see the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Flora of Israel Online

*Of course, being the imaginative person that I am, I can imagine some apocalyptic world in which there was no access to other medical options, and a person with congestive heart failure. Despite the constant expectation of such total societal collapse by environmentalists and religious fanatics alike, I doubt it’ll ever come to though, though. (chas ve chalilla, as they say)

Read Full Post »

Knowing the Land

Chas Clifton is a Neo-Pagan academic living and teaching in Colorado in the USA. He has a somewhat famous essay called Nature Religion for Real which I think should be read by absolutely anyone who considers themselves to be on an Earth-based religious path, whether they are Pagan or not. But, even if you are not on an Earth-based religious path, the fact that you are here reading this suggests that you are on a mystical religious path, or at least exploring mysticality, and the Earth is certainly one part of that big picture.

The key point of Clifton’s essay is that connecting with the Earth is not only a fuzzy spiritual experience that happens in your head. True connection to a place comes from really knowing that place, and the time spent meditatively exploring is only one piece of that. To know the place where you live, you need to dig deeper, find out everything that is available to you about that place.

At the end of the essay, he includes a questionnaire called “Where you at?” which can be used as a guide to get to truly know the place where you live. The questions can’t be answered based only on Internet searches, though that might help you gain some of the knowledge. If you want to really get to know the spirit of the place where you live, to connect more deeply with the Land and that part of the Divine which is in and works through the Land, spend some time to find the answers to these questions, and ask many more of your own.

Where You At?1. Trace the water that you drink from precipitation to tap.

2. What sort of soil is predominant in this place? What “soil series” is it?

3. Name five native edible plants in your region and their season(s) that they are available.

4. How long is the growing season?

5. What was the total precipitation in your area last year (July-June)? (Slack: one inch for every twenty inches or 2.5 cm. for every 50 cm.)

6. Name five birds that live in your area. Which are migratory and which are year-around residents?

7. What is the land use by humans during the past two centuries? (The narrower the better: you learn more from the history of a city lot than from a larger area.)

8. Where does your garbage ultimately go?

9. From what direction do winter storms generally come in your region?

10. What primary geological event/process influenced the land form where you live?

11. What species have become extinct in your area?

12. When do the deer rut in your region, and when are their young born?

13. What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom where you live?

14. Name five grasses in your area. Are any of them native?

15. What are the major plant associations in your region? (A plant association is a group of plants that normally grow in the same ecological zone, such as the Tallgrass Prairie.)

16. How recently was the Moon full? (Specify the date for which you respond.)

17. What kind of energy do you primarily use? Where does it come from?

18. Where is there “wilderness” in your bioregion?

19. What are the primary sources of pollution?

20. What are the major “natural” sounds you are aware of in any particular (name it) month or season?

Read Full Post »