Soil-less growth medium

I decided to do something different this winter. It may be an ongoing thing, depending on how the experiment works.

A lot of people work with what they call a "soil-less medium," by which they mean that the soil they use isn't soil but compost or something of that kind.

I have a different version of "soil-less," which means sphegnum moss. (I tried gelatin, plain water, etc, but they didn't work very well)

I suppose that lots of different kinds of moss and grass would do the same. All it does is create something for the roots to lock into, something that will retain water but won't stay soggy.

We use LOTS of garlic, so last year I tried growing garlic inside. The cloves rotted even before they sprouted. This year I'm trying something different.

Not much different, but a little.

I put the garlic in the refrigerator for a couple months to simulate winter.

Then I put them in the moss. They all sprouted within about a week. Once the roots are well established I'll let the water level drop so the moss stays dry but the roots get all the water they need.

I've grown tomatoes and peppers this way, started melons, beans, etc. They thrive, but before I've just used it as a starter garden before I put things outside in the spring. Not permanent.

We'll see how it works.

Update 1
Update 2
Update 3
Update 4
Final results

Got my Drug Interaction book back!

Since I didn't have the book that has all the drug interactions, I didn't put the interactions in each of the posts. I think the herbs below are those that I missed (with the exception of a few that aren't in the book).

I think it's important to note (although the people who wrote the book would probably scream at me for it) that many of these "interactions" are increases or decreases in the effect of the drugs. The authors are very careful to state that nothing is proven as to the effects of the herbs, then they state that the herbs increase or decrease the effects of pharmaceuticals. Which would suggest to me that the herbs are actually effective, since taking a double dose of a pharmaceutical would have the same effect.

Yarrow
Avoid using yarrow with depressants (such as alcohol) as well as blood thinners and drugs that lower blood pressure

Ginger
Avoid using ginger with blood thinners

Garlic
Avoid using garlic with anti-platelet agents or blood thinners, as garlic may increase their effects

Pepper
Pepper interacts with blood thinners, some anti-biotics, non-steroidal pain killers, and smoking cessation aids.

Catnip
No interactions listed

Dill

Anethum Graveolens
Family: Unbelliferae (Carrot family)

A few months ago I made dill pickles. I don't like the process--it wastes too much salt--but I have a patch of volunteer dill this summer so I decided to try it.

Now I have volunteer dill EVERYWHERE so I'm going to harvest and dry it.

The main purposes of dill seem to center around the digestive system. Specifically, it's supposed to be good for gas, colic, hiccups, stomach pain, and to improve digestion. Like many other plants in the carrot family, it's also said to improve the apetite, but I don't think most people are concerned about eating MORE.

The other thing was to promote milk flow, for both humans and animals.

I don't have a lot of digestive problems, so the only thing I've used dill for (other than as a seasoning) is as an additive when I want to help someone relax. I use it with chamomile, catnip, lemonbalm and/or valerian depending on what's needed.

A few months ago I went on a pickle craze--they had to be dill pickles. I was eating them by the ton, it felt like, but I couldn't get enough. When the pickles were gone, I wanted to drink the juice. Weird. Still don't know why. Probably something wrong that I wasn't aware of, but the dill must have been helping or I wouldn't have wanted it like that.

Interactions: None listed. The book I have is very careful to state that no US studies support the effectiveness of dill, which I take to mean that there are studies in other areas.

Yarrow

Achillea Millefolium
Family: Compositae

Yarrow is another of those herbs that isn't mentioned very often.

Greek myth tells us that yarrow (also known as soldier's wound-wort) was used to stop bleeding, a use which modern science supports. It is a diaphoretic (it makes you sweat) so it's good for colds, and it's used internally and externally to stop bleeding. It's effective for cramps and to regulate menses.

I personally know that using yarrow also can make your eyes extremely sensitive. Until you know how it affects you, you probably shouldn't go out in bright sunlight if you've been taking it internally.

I was in an experimental mood and rubbed my hands with yarrow oil. When I went outside, the sunlight was actually painful. I imagine it might be helpful if someone needed better night-sight.

I also use yarrow in my lawn. It grows faster than grass, but it doesn't need as much water so even in a drought it's green. The problem with that being that it has to be vegetatively propegated (i.e., divide the root and plant the pieces) so it's not a viable solution for most lawns.

Interactions: I have no idea. I know there were some in the book I lent to my neighbor, but...

I really need to get after her. I have another book I want her to look at, so maybe I'll go over tomorrow.

Local, local, local

It drives me crazy when I hear about chinese this and japanese that and how this african tree is perfect for whatever.

For people who live in those areas, sure. However, I have always felt that it's better to use what's around us. First, if you can't afford the latest miracle cure from the depths of a tahitian jungle, your knowledge of the local herbs might make up the lack. Second, if those things are no longer available, for whatever reason, you still have other things to fall back on.

Many people rely on the foreign and exotic, when in most cases there are things immediately around them that have the same or nearly the same effect. Mahuang, otherwise known as ephedra, otherwise known as brigham tea, grows wild in the deserts of the western United States. Aloe, recognized as a semi-tropical and tropical shrub, has relatives in most climates all over the world.

Often in herbal books I see a statement that this plant grown in some faraway place has medicinal properties but the local versions are unproven to have those same properties. Apparently, until they are proven to be identical they are not sufficient, in spite of nearly identical chemical properties. Or this version, available in small quantities from some other place, has been shown to work in medical studies while that version, widely available and often growing as a weed, has not been the subject of medical studies and is therefore suspect.

So again, exotic is better. So say those who are peddling the exotics.

A Rant on Bees

Welll not on bees, but a rant about bees.

Honey is a miracle food. Packed with nutrition, it is also anti-biotic and anti-viral. It's been used as a dressing for wounds, with pretty much the same results as capsicum cream. Wounds heal faster, without infection, and scarring (anecdotally) is minimized.

The human race uses enormous amounts of honey. It's almost as high on the sweetening list as sugar and where sugar is rare it's higher. Every culture in the world (well, every culture I've studied) uses honey.

Honey is made by bees. So, without bees, there is no honey. Duh.

And the bees are dying. Honeybees in particular are becoming an endangered species. I seldom see them anymore in my garden, although the hornets and wasps are thriving...

But that's not the point. The bees are dying. People scream because they don't know why, but if they thought about it it would make perfect sense. So three points to prevent this from being a VERY long post.

1 Honey is bee food. Professional beekeepers take the honey to sell and feed their bees sugarwater, as if this makes up for the lack. Then they feed the bees antibiotics when the hive fails because of malnutrition.

2 Breeders keep Queen bee hives to breed queens for captive hives. They sell these queens to beekeepers across the world. In a wild hive, the first emerging Queen kills all her unhatched rivals, thus eliminating the competition and the weakest genes. Breeders make sure that all the queens survive. They then sell these weakened strains, the second generation queens hatch and swarm into the wild, passing on the weakened strains to the wild hives.

3 People (in general) don't like bees around, so when they find a wild hive they either destroy it or call a beekeeper to come get it, thus perpetuating the cycle and ensuring that those bees will work all summer for their honey only to see it stolen and be fed on sugarwater.

In essence the problem is not the bees--it's the people, as usual. I guess bees are just insects, in most people's minds, and can be exploited into oblivion without consequence. When there aren't any bees to pollinate the crops, just hire a hive. And when the hives are all gone? Then what?

It's closer than most people think.

Maybe a rant on the responsibilities of humans to domesticated animals would be in order.

Maybe a cold

I had a nasty headache yesterday, and this morning my throat is a little sore. I think I caught something from my nessies (nieces and nephews, for those who don't understand my shorthand) so right now I'm taking honey and garlic.

Both have anti-biotic and anti-viral properties. Usually when I start feeling sick I go to the honey and garlic (which leads to a rant on bees, but that's not for this post) to take it out before it takes me out. I'll take a clove of garlic and a spoonful of honey every day for about the next week.

It usually works. It's when I forget to start taking my "medicine" at the beginning that colds are a problem. Once the thing settles in, it's harder to get rid of.