Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum or maculatum, sometimes listed as Eutrochium with the same species name) is yet another member of the Asteraceae family and which I mistakenly identified first as Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum). This plant is in the same genus, according to some sources, and the flowers look very similar, but […]
Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND These pretty yellow flowers are on the plant that produces Black Mustard (Brassica nigra). The seeds, sprouts, stems and leaves are all edible. Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and the sprouts are typically eaten raw on salads, both have the hot pungent flavor that you will recognize as mustard.
Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens biflora) is an invaluable plant to know if you hike or forage. Thankfully, it’s also fairly easy to identify in a sea of green foliage. If the plant is flowering, which is from early summer to fall, the flower stands out the most because it is bright orange
Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND Phytolacca decandra This beautiful picture was taken in the Buffalo area at the home of my wonderful midwife/friend Khristeena Kingsley. But as gorgeous as this plant is, it is one of the most toxic medicinal herbs. It is really one which you should only use as needed, in drop doses and
Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND I have been waiting a week to see the flower buds bloom on my Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola), but today I realized that like other plants, the flowers only open at certain times of day. And getting to see them was important for identification. The plant recognition apps were claiming that
Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND Eastern Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus) is a member of the Asteraceae family, which unfortunately for identification purposes, contains a lot of flowers that look like daisies. But, once you get into identification a bit more, you start to notice differences more easily. Although this one looks like a common daisy, it
Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND I’m not a botanist by any means, so sometimes I run across an herb and I am stumped if it’s one thing or another. This is one of those times, so I’d like to share my newly acquired knowledge. This plant could be Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), but it could also
Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND My mountain is full of wild raspberries. They are everywhere, which makes the walks we take more tolerable for the husband. But Red Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is used medicinally for its leaves, not the fruit. The main claim to fame for raspberry leaves is as a pregnancy tonic. The leaves can
Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND Some of the plants I have been writing about I know from learning about them through naturopathic medical school. Sometimes I can recognize them, other times I take the picture and find it in various databases. The rest of the plants I may recognize by sight, but am not familiar with
Dr. Jennifer Williamson, ND Common mallow, Dwarf mallow or Cheeseweed (Malva neglecta) is one of those plants that is really easy to find, even in the city. And as the name implies, it is found most easily in neglected areas. The leaves and flowers are both edible and medicinal. It is related to the other
