Medicinal Plants

Botany Book Club, Epi 1: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

Botany Book Club, Epi 1: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

The contents itself, while somewhat difficult to navigate at first, is informative and useful, each herb entry containing information for that plant’s common, scientific, and folk names, associated gender (masculine/feminine), ruling planet, element, and sometimes deity, and associated magical uses, rituals, and powers.

Botany After Dark Podcast, Episode 1: The Morning Glory, +BONUS Waffle and Plans

Botany After Dark Podcast, Episode 1: The Morning Glory, +BONUS Waffle and Plans

Welcome to the experiments in voice editing and mic use that has been my life for the past week and a half.

In today's episode, we dive into the weird and wonderful world of the morning glory, specifically the Mexican morning glory (tlitliltzin, Ipomoea. tricolor), a vibrant blue and featured in the episode artwork, and the Beach moonflower (Ipomoea. violacea). Join me in discovering the... altered states and effects of this plant.

Some Updates and General Life Things

Hey, all! I wanted to come on here and let you know that I’ll be posting new articles shortly, but life, health, and new projects have kept me away. I’ve been sick off and on for the past two weeks, after a run-in with unlabeled butter in a bag of popcorn. Been dealing with bad head-cold symptoms ever since. I’m feeling loads better now, though so that’s a positive. Now my system just has to re-calibrate… again.

In other news, I’ve launched a new podcast. By the time this is posted, it should be linked in the upper right corner of the screen, but I’ll put a link below anyway. It’s entitled “Botany After Dark” and discusses the dark mysteries of the plant world. Here, we explore the darker and more potentially polarizing, side of botany.

New episodes will be uploaded every Wednesday or Thursday. Enjoy.

Kate

https://botanyafterdark.pinecast.co

California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica)

Hail and well met, everyone!

So, I’ve been posting here and uploading largely separate content on my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/Ethnobotanicam). I’m experimenting with still posting on the various platforms I currently use (Youtube, Instagram and the like), but cross-posting here as a method of aggregating all my botanical content into one place. Let me know what you think. Have a fab day, everyone, and happy LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

Kate

Apples of Mabon

Apples of Mabon

In Celtic traditions, this time is called Mabon, and is the second of three harvest festivals. It is also sometimes called Alban Elfed, Cornucopia, the Wine Festival, or the Apple Festival (among other names).

May the Green Forth be With You

May the Green Forth be With You

In every good world-building exercise, there is at least passing mention of the local flora and fauna.  The Star Wars universe is no different. Today, we're talking about the plants and plant-like beings of the franchise.

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

There are several species of mushrooms that alter a person's consciousness when ingested.  While botanically mushrooms are not classed as plants, they have played a significant role in human development, whether as a food source, a method of communing with the gods, or as an artistic muse.

Dandelion: Healing Your Gut Since 659 B.C.E.

Dandelion: Healing Your Gut Since 659 B.C.E.

One of the most commonly seen and often unwelcome plants, the dandelion (Taraxicum officinale), is relatively easily distinguishable with its iconic, serrated or toothed leaves and domed flower heads .

Giant Hyssop (Agastache rugosa)

Giant Hyssop (Agastache rugosa)

Purple Giant Hyssop, Wrinkled Giant Hyssop, Korean Mint, Blue Licorice, huò xiāng (藿香), bangsnnip (방아잎), Patchouli herb--whatever regional name is chosen, they all refer to the same plant: Agastache rugosa (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Kuntze.  For purposes of this post, the two most abundant names I found were (Purple) Giant Hyssop and Korean Mint, hence the top-title billing.  

Fernleaf or Egyptian Lavender (Lavandula multifida)

Fernleaf or Egyptian Lavender (Lavandula multifida)

oday we will be exploring the lovely Lavandula multifida, a Mediterranean native usually seen on the Iberian peninsula, Sicily, and the Canary Islands.