Wild edible plants and the role they play with humanity
I'm always surprised every time the weather gets nicer all of the variety of edible wild foods that start to come up from the soil. Not even 15 feet from my front door there's about 7 different herbs that i recognize that are growing and have all been scientifically proven to be extremely beneficial to our health. The only reason why I feel like I have so much passion about it is because its FREE food! And it grows everywhere almost all year round (in most climates). Also if you look at the nutritional profile of any wild berry or herb you'll see that it's far superior to anything you get at a grocery store. Even organic.
Just in this picture above this I can see wild anise, purple dead nettle, bittercress, and bed straw. All of which edible and medicinal in some way and this is just a little patch right next to the gate that goes to the driveway. I understand I'm not going to eat an all dandelion salad BUT there are ways to incorporate these foods into our diets to help keep us healthier and empower us by knowing about these foods that grow at our doorstep. If everyone in america can figure out how to eat 10% of their diet with wild foods, that would change everything.
Melissa Officinalis is just another amazing example of how blessed we are as a human race to have nature working FOR us always. Even if we don't always pick up on it. This plant is also called Lemon Balm. I was first introduced to this beauty through a master gardener friend of mine. It was January-February and it was snowing. Amongst all this snow and cold weather here is this beautifully fragrant and green little leaf growing from the ground.
Lemon balm has been shown to help with anxiety, sleep disorders, as part of a holistic approach to treating alzheimer's, with relieving stress and so much more. I've seen this herb grow wild in Brazil, Massachusetts, Florida, Washington, Oregon, and probably another place I can't remember. My point being,, that with all these benefits and it being so readily available, why don't we use them more? 1. I think we really don't know how and why to use it. 2. It's not really common to see people do this so it could make neighbors think oddly of us.
Dandelion is another plant that not only is everywhere but is so versatile and medicinal. Dandelion greens have more nutrition than organic kale in the store because with wild plants its picked and eaten immediately. Each of these plants deserve a post in and of themselves(working on that now) because of all the benefits they have. Anyways, for now enjoy these beauties for yourself.
