Weeds & Seeds Swap

The opportunity to tell you about this is exciting to me, because we love patriotic music, AND because my hubby just got a brand new player.

If you are looking for music to play at your weekend barbecue or garden party, or to enjoy yourself any time from now on, on Friday, July 3rd, in just a few days, you can download an album of 30 songs for just $1.99. The album is called A Salute To America, and usually goes for close to $10, so $1.99 is a wonderful deal. This is the Amazon MP3 “Deal of the Day”…and now that I’m seeing this for the first time, I’m wondering what deals they have other days of the week. As a matter of fact, I just visited the link, and I believe it said it was $1.89 now for the album, so you may want to see if you can get it right away if you’re interested…I’m going to check again and see if I’m right about that amount as soon as I finish typing this, and then will call my husband so he can download it for us.

We have quite a number of people who set off fireworks around our lake on the 4th of July, and we like to sit out on the deck in the evening and look over the lake and watch. This would be a good time to listen to music like this and take a few moments to reflect on our Nation, and what makes it great…the words of these great songs will inspire you. No matter what challenges may come along the way, we are a blessed Nation, and have much to be thankful for. I thank God for those who made it possible for us to even have such a day as Independence Day to celebrate!

Black Walnut, which goes by the botanical name Juglans nigra is not something many of us will be planting in our gardens, but if you have a tree on your property, you have probably come across the nut or hulls on your property. This hardwood tree grows in the US, Canada, Europe and even in parts of Asia.

Medicinal properties are said to be in the roots, leaves and hulls.

Greeks and Romans used Black Walnut for skin conditions such as fungal infections, and Chinese use it for pain in the lower to mid-back, constipation, asthma and other uses that show this plant has a number of medicinal qualities. It promotes healing of sores in the mouth and throat. It is also a parasitic.

What Science shows:

• The hulls are high in tannins which is why some use it to rid the body of intestinal worms/parasites.
• Studies in U of Missouri in 1960’s seemed to show it helped with blood pressure and had some properties that may have anti-tumor affect.
• Black Walnut hulls are quite high in Vitamin C
• Past studies with an extract form showed it showed it contracted smooth muscles of rat and guinea pig intestines.  Such activity is helpful in the elimination process
• Please contact me if you would like references for any of the above.
• Black Walnut can be purchased in capsule and extract form.

If you would like a fact sheet about any of the items marked in red, please send me an email. Thanks!

 Image from http://www.marietta.edu

If you are planning a stop or a stay in Branson, Missouri this summer, you will be there when the gardens and natural habitats will be at their best. While there are MANY things to enjoy in Branson, like the entertainment, golf courses, boutiques, restaurants, and more, you’re likely to find me looking for some places to appreciate the outdoors if the weather permits, like:

• The Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area
• Mark Twain National Forest
• Stockstill Park
• Table Rock State Park

If you like golfing, the scenery is beautiful at the new Payne Stewart Golf Club, managed by Hilton, which has two exceptional locations to stay in the area, the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel.

If you have children, there will be plenty for them to enjoy..there’s the National Kid’s Fest at Silver Dollar City, the 10th Annual Clown Jam (hey, I wonder if my friend who is a clown will be there…I’ll have to ask her!), and there are theme parks…my children are grown, but when we’d visit parks with rides, Daddy usually did the rides with the children while Mom watched Then when we would visit museums…yes, they have those in Branson too, I’d be the one who would be enjoying myself and using the opportunity to teach the kids in a fun way.

Of course there’s all that entertainment Branson is known for. There are about 49 theaters in the area!

Please make sure to visit the hotel special and package web pages when you visit the links provided above and below for the best possible pricing and choose between two of the nicest accommodations in the area.

It has been a while since I focused in on an herb, not necessarily because it is growing in my garden, but because of my 20+ year fascination with herbs, and their culinary and medicinal properties.

This picture, used with permission, shows the bushy plant with it’s berries that goes by the botanical name ruscus aculeatus.  Years ago I remember an acquaintance using Butcher’s Broom and another product often used for oral chelation to save their legs, they were in danger of losing them because of complications related to diabetes.  I remember the person describing the feeling coming back in the legs as circulation returned, amazing memory.

Butcher’s Broom is native to western Europe, the southern states in the US, and in some areas of the Mediterranean.  Though it looks like a bush, it is part of the Lily family.

Historical Use Info: 

Information is available about this pretty bush with it’s bright red berries that dates back to early Greek civilization when rhizomes (a stem of the plant that is underground to which the roots are attached) were used for inflammation and the circulatory system.  Pliny, a naturalist from the early years after Christ’s death, used it to successfully treat varicose veins, if you believe his description of seeing the swellings become flat.  Other early uses include laxative and diuretic, rejuvenation.  In Europe it has been used medicinally for over 2000 year.  The more current herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper called it “the plant of mars” siting it’s strong cleansing and “opening” abilities.  The herb has been listed in Materia Medica since the 14th century, and as an approved therapeutic herb in European Pharmaceutical Codex.

What Science Says:

Scientists have discovered, while looking for new sapogenins, that it contained actives that were necessary for the synthesis of steroids. It contains ruscogenin, a steriodal, that is similar in structure to diosgenin, the active given much acclaim for it’s benefits in the herb Wild Yam.  Perhaps this is why it seems to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Other pharmaceutical studies have found that butcher’s broom has vasoconstrictive properties, which means it may benefit those with varicose veins, phlebitis, and hemorrhoids.  Also other properties in the plant have been found to reduce “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and may reduce coagulation of the blood…keep this in mind if you are taking blood thinners and giving thought to using this herb.

There is more that I could share, but must run, please know that you can contact me any time if you would like me to cite where the information comes from in my posts, I have that information…none is used without permission.

If you would like a fact sheet about any of the items marked in red, please send me an email. Thanks!

All the usual disclaimers apply…I’m not a doctor…do not use this information to diagnose…if you decide to use this for your own purposes you are responsible for the outcome.