Perspectives: Here for each other

With disparities and injustices in our world, near and far, discouragement in humanity may arise within, but there are reasons to not give up hope. There are reasons to make the most of this life despite the corruption, fragmentation, and dysfunction that we all witness. Keeping perspective is fundamental to our wellbeing. Especially in times like these when the state of politics are bewildering. Little things we do within our homes and communities can make a big difference in our lives, leaving us feeling inspired with sense of fulfillment. We need not forget the little things, and we need not forget that we are here to serve each other. Here is a little something (not of my own) that I came across offering a valuable perspective.

Hopelessness without despair

We won’t feel the full impact of today’s excesses until decades from now. Even if all of humanity were to immediately adopt a “zero impact” lifestyle (or even better yet, to spontaneously go extinct), the planet is projected to warm for the next century. No matter what we do (and keep in mind that what we as a species will probably do is carry on as usual), the oceans will warm and rise, deserts will spread, and untold numbers of species will go extinct. For those of us who are young today, the human suffering we witness and experience will only amplify. We are on a trend towards wars, famines, epidemics, and natural disasters, with the deaths and displacement of millions of people.

 To face the future realistically, we can’t pretend that our compact fluorescent bulbs and low-flow showerheads will somehow redeem us from the global ecocide we are committing. So what does it mean to be a human being who deeply wants to create something better?

 We are not going to save the world as a whole, and it doesn’t make sense to delude ourselves into thinking otherwise. At the same time though, embracing pessimism doesn’t mean we need to fall into cycles of paralysis, depression, or asocial curmudgeonliness.

The only place we can seriously dismantle hierarchy is in our relationships to the people immediately around us. Transforming the way we interact with each other, building sustainable long-term relationships, and engaging in projects that bring us joy and meaning are not the same as instigating a global revolution, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable and important and more worth fighting for than trying to change everything.

Many of us grew up without healthy models for relationships, or without enough love and social connection to feel secure as adults. Although we wish to create something better in the ways we treat our friends, lovers, partners, and comrades, when we try to build new ways of being and relating, we may feel that we’re making things up as we go along, or find ourselves replicating the fucked up dynamics we were socialized with. Often, changing our relationship to other people means changing our relationships to ourselves and understanding where our habits, reactions, and emotions are coming from. This isn’t easy to do, especially when there is stigma attached to our feelings and experiences—we need to treat ourselves as well as others with compassion.

With respect to projects and finding meaning, it’s important to remember that abandoning hope for total change doesn’t remove value from doing things that feel important or bring us joy. Some people may believe that attempts at change are worthless and prefer to retreat into their own snarky, intellectual worlds. But when an action disrupts the tedium of everyday life or improves someone’s access to healthcare or prolongs the existence of an ecosystem, it is not worthless, even if boredom, death, and ecocide continue elsewhere. Even when we fail to make the changes we want, there is value in action that brings us new human connections and gives us reason to keep living.

 

Passing out saplings at University of Montana's homecoming parade

As human beings, some of our greatest strengths are our adaptability and our social nature. If our futures are grim, that gives us good reason to enjoy our lives as much as we can now, to cultivate a sense of joy in ourselves and those around us while bracing for what may happen later on. Now more than ever, we need to find each other and form connections, to have community where we not only enact our values but can share skills and knowledge and look out for one another in the decades to come.

Botanical Series: Elderberry Season

Autumn is not shy this year. Cottonwoods, Aspens, and other deciduous trees have already started shedding their crispy golden leaves while the sun withdraws earlier each day. Temperatures are beginning to emanate winter's arrival. Snow storms are surely not far from greeting the rocky mountain west. We will soon find ourselves bundled warmly in our wool layers and puffy jackets, stoking our fireplaces, and cooking squash in our kitchens.

This season will bring colds upon many, but luckily botanical remedies, like Elderberry (Sambucus nigra), boost our immune system, helping us maintain favorable health during the colder season of winter. These beautiful blue berries with a glaucous layer spreading on the surface are hanging from the trees for a little while longer. A few days ago I could not resist picking these hardy little berries.

Last winter after extensive travels I was very vulnerable to germs, and caught a series of colds. Avoiding medicines with ingredients I simply could not understand lead me to an elderberry syrup, which pushed the cold out of my system, and prevented other colds from overcoming me. I could feel effects from the Elderberry syrup working within my system instantly. This winter I intend to be better prepared with a homemade syrup to kick those winter invited colds. The recipe I have chosen is from the Mountain Rose Blog I enjoy following.

Wether you are interested in making your own Elderberry syrup or not, I recommend adding this botanical product to your medicine cabinet to help fight colds. Studies have documented its efficacy for not only colds, but coughs and fevers.

The Sambucus nigra berries contain antioxidants, Vitamin A and B, and a large amount of Vitamin C, among other valuable compounds. Be cautious of the seeds as they contain hydrocyanic acid, a compound that leads to nausea and diarrhea if consumed in large enough quantities. Other uses of this plant by American Indians have been documented, such as using the bark topically to treat eczema, ulcers, and chronic forms of dermatitis.

You will likely find this plant blossoming mid- to late summer near riparian habitats, and moist forest clearings. Flowers grow in dense umbel-like clusters causing the limbs to droop after they fruit. The leaves are pinnately divided with five to nine serrated pointed tipped leaflets. There are several other blue fruiting species of Sambucus, so learn about which species you are likely to find in your range.

"Your head is a living forest full of songbirds"  -E.E. Cummings

Mirroring the Journey of a Butterfly

Dead butterflies amassed by my superfluous work truck. Was this highway built amidst a migratory pathway? Thinking back to a paper I read in college, monarchs migrate from Mexico to Canada requiring multiple generations to complete their migratory circuit. Their thin featherweight wings are deceiving, generating a delicate presence, but their vigor and tenacity exceed all appearances.

Inspired by these persistent creatures and their life cycle, which is subdued by thermal forces and aerial currents, reflection settles through my skin. While successive generations are dedicated to a northern migration into the northern US or Canada, another generation is steadfast to make a journey from their final northern destination back to Mexico before winter climates cycle through. If these diminutive insects can resolve distances up to 3,000 miles from the time spring is born to the falling of autumn leaves, what can I overcome? 

"Strength does not come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you could not do"

Botanical Series: A Story for Making Salve

 Nourish your wild side by getting to know the wild plants that grow freely on the hills, cliffs, mountains, and prairies. 

Have you ever walked into a store looking for a product, and as you picked up a plastic bottle you noticed a long list of ingredients, and then realized over half of them are unfamiliar to you? What is the purpose for these lengthy-named synthetical produced chemicals, and why are they in so many of the products we use? Are they necessary, or worth unknown risks? Are they caring for our skin like they claim to? 

After watching a documentary,  The Human Experiment, I began researching unknown chemicals being exposed to my body. This inspired me to start the journey of making my own body products. My experience as a field botanist gave me the confidence to properly  identify plants in the wild. Each year I am increasing what I gather and make. As my knowledge for producing quality skin care products grows I think it is important to share what I learn with others. 

Products have become overly complicated with unnecessary ingredients and unknown effects. Skin care industry is largely self regulated using industrial by-products that contain unknown toxins. Because the skin is the largest organ, our skin will absorb toxic chemicals applied via body-products, affecting our internal cells and organs. Learning to make your own products is easy, safe, rewarding, and saves money in the long term—depending on your methods. If you are interested in the former topic, there is plenty of information worth seeking, but this post will teach you the basics of salve making, ethics to harvesting wild plants, and how to confidently identify Arnica cordifolia. 

Basics of Salve Making

Salve making is simple. The base materials are beeswax, oil, essential oil (for aroma), and botanical properties, which can be extracted from plants you gather. There are many recipes out there, and personally I like to experiment with different ones, but I would recommend starting with a 1 to 5 ratio of beeswax to oil. Depending on the type of oil, you may want to add more oil or beeswax to get a desired consistency. After you melt the beeswax with at least one botanically infused oil, which can be purchased or made, you can add desired essential oils. I use the smell method to guide my oil blending. Keep in mind that some oils carry a stronger scent then others, so avoid dominating scents if you want to harness a milder aroma. If you need more info, this link has more tips for herbal salve making. 

Using two pots to melt the wax with oil- the bottom one is filled with water

Ethics to Harvesting 

If you are interested in harvesting plants to infuse their botanical properties then know some basic ethical guidelines to harvest plants sustainably. Here are some that I find useful: 1) know your plant because every plant is different, and by reading about your plant of interest you will be able to develop the best harvest practice for that particular species (e.g. Mahonia spp, commonly known as Oregon Grape, has a large mother plant that feeds nutrients to the smaller plants through a rhizomatous- underground root system, and by harvesting from the larger mother plant you risk killing an entire colony; harvesting the smaller plants of Mahonia spp is actually better for the colony); 2) know what species are threatened or at risk of being threatened in your bioregion; 3) only harvest what you need, or can reasonably use; 4) scout out an area to discover the best place, or places, to harvest; 5) be aware of the health of the environment, if plants are already stressed from other disturbances find a better area to harvest; 6) in getting to know your plant, learn the best time of year to harvest the parts you will need (e.g. Arnica spp is best harvested in the spring or earlier summer when the flowers are full of valuable compounds); and 7) try to harvest less than 5 % of a population. 

Figure 1: Involucral bract of A. cordifolia

Identify Arnica 

The first wild plant I harvested was Arnica cordifolia. Flowering A. cordifolia is a fairly easy species identifiable by sight. Starting at the base are fuzzy cordate or heart-shaped leaves with loosely serrated margins. White hairs, also referred to as pubescence, grow along the stem and involucral bracts, which has set of whorled bracts (Figures 1, 2).

Figure 2: Cross section of Asteraceae family characteristics 

Members of the Asteraceae family have common characteristics such as an involucral bract subtending the receptacle, which is the point of attachment for the ray and disc florets (Figure 2). Together ray and disc florets appear as one showy flower, but are actually many small modified flowers. Ray florets are attached around the outter circumference, having a flat extending petal outward. Disc florets have small united, or fused, petals. You will also notice a pappus on both florets. The pappus are either soft or stiff white hairs whorled above the achene, or seed (Figure 3). Most of us have picked a dandelion head after the petals fall off, and blown the white fluff. That white fluff is the pappus.  

Figure 3: Disc Floret (left),
Ray Floret (right)

Arnica cordifolia can be found in meadows and forest clearings along the foothills to subalpine regions along the Rocky Mountain and Sierra range from California to Alaska. Keep your eyes open for this special little plant. That is all I have for now. Hopefully this was inspirational, and helpful in some way. Please feel free to leave questions and comments. Happy harvesting, and thanks for reading! 

Arnica cordifolia; photo credit: Easter Colorado Wild Flowers