43 replies to this topic

[wildedibles]

Rhododendron tomentosum
Labrador Tea

I got into the woods yesterday and took some pictures of this plant

I have used the Orange leaves as a smoking herbal and as a tea b4

Tea is nice when you are sick with a cold and the smoking mix is simular to Pot :)
There are some warnings associated with this plant so it is not a good idea to over due it some is good too much maybe bad ...

There are lookalikes so make shure there is an Orange fuzz on the back of the leaves this means it is ready to collect ...
This is one plant you want the older leaves not the newer ones ...

The newer leaves have less medicine and are not ready ...
...and look like the poisonous lookalike at this stage

This is what you are looking for Orange Fuzz on back of the leaf
https://mycotopia.ne...06&d=1332335774
After a cold winter full of snow the leaves are often red
https://mycotopia.ne...05&d=1332335773
Last years flowers can be seen sometimes
https://mycotopia.ne...04&d=1332335770
This is an evergreen shrub Starting out small but can reach knee height
or chest height sometimes
https://mycotopia.ne...08&d=1332335782
This one I found was smaller below my knee a yard or meter wide guesstimate :)
https://mycotopia.ne...07&d=1332335780
There are some baby spruce trees growing too
This area is a peat bog sandy area it floods at times and would be fertilized by rabbits and deer moose etc.
This spot is kinda like a tundra, flat, bogy area trees in this spot are just starting to grow back... They are Mostly shorter than me for a wide area then back into a woods area Tamarack, Spruce, Aspen, Willow Grow in and around this area Pine in the wooded areas there is deep swamp to the other end of it
Here Moosey Moosey LOL ... My Hubby came face to face with a baby Moose in this area playing hide and seek with the kids LOL
Ontario out side of Algonquin Park Area

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[Fakeman]

This brings back some memories, I used to go up to Hearst and sometimes Timmins to plant trees and do some other bush work and these plants were all over the place. I didn't know you could smoke labrador tea though. My favorite bog plant is the pitcher plant, there were some huge patches of those in a few places but they were pretty uncommon. They look kind of like they're from another planet. I haven't been up to Hearst in about 5 years but I have since seen pitcher plants in one place in Southern Ontario. Other plants that made an impression were Indian pipe, snowberry, and the lady's slipper orchid. I think most of those are found further south too.

[wildedibles]

I seen my first Indian pipe last year in the fall it was all black it was pretty interesting to see it like this I need to visit this spot to see if it is there :)

[wildedibles]

Gaultheria procumbens (Winter Green )
This is one of my favorites :) I like to nibble on a leaf or two in the woods

This one like its name says stays green all winter... the pictures I will show you they have a redish purple leaf tho lol but this is a plant that keeps its leaves all year.

The leaves can be used all year as a tea or chew the leaf tastes mint like wintergreen

It is used as a flavor sometimes it is not used as much anymore the oil can be fatal if a lot is eaten this is the essential oil is very strong and creates a burning sensation

I have added 2 drops of this oil to my bath b4 and it burned my skin everywhere it be like taking a dip in hot pepper sauce not pleasant

I like the berries I think they start on the plants in the fall sometimes you can see them still in the spring cause they stayed on all winter great emergency food I have eaten many berries and winter green leaves they are less toxic than the potent essential oils

This plant also contains chemicals similar to acetylsalicylic acid has some pain relieving properties.

I think the leaves are red / purple in the spring due to wind / snow / cold / hot sun all extremes in conditions ones that are sheltered in the woods or moss etc. stay green https://mycotopia.ne...29&d=1332422879 https://mycotopia.ne...30&d=1332422882 https://mycotopia.ne...31&d=1332422885

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Edited by wildedibles, 22 March 2012 - 08:41 AM.

[Peyote]

methyl silicate (oil of wintergreen) aka bengay

next time just rub some bengay all over your body after you take a bath..lol..same effect

[wildedibles]

LOL yep same effect A small amount of this oil can be used externally for pain 1-2 drops in a jar of cream is all that is needed ....
I find adding this oil to mop bucket a few drops is all you need to clean up too gets the home smelling really nice :) ...
The trick is very hot water and this oil has some germ maybe mold killing properties you can add a bit of vinegar for mold too :)
For pain cream I have used Mint and Tea tree these and Eucalyptus oil burn less than wintergreen great when you are sick with a chest cold too :)

Edited by wildedibles, 23 March 2012 - 07:11 AM.

[wildedibles]

Talking about pain relievers this is one too and usually you can find Willow all over the place
The inner bark is used to make tea I sometimes chew on a twig in the woods it is bitter :)

https://mycotopia.ne...64&d=1332508291

I love the pussy willows this time of year I have collected many of these since childhood to put in flower arrangements a great way to dry for future use :)

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[wildedibles]

This tree is a pain reliever too
I use the winter buds from this tree which are on the trees when the leaves fall in the fall to just b4 the leaves open in the spring great winter medicine :)

I steep the buds or bark in oil or butter some type of fat for a pain reliever cream / massage oil it works good with out any burning sensation :)

https://mycotopia.ne...65&d=1332508819

I find this tree fallen in storms or even people cutting it down sometimes or trimming branches I take this opurtunity to make cream as I can pick many buds this way and they are not wasted :)

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[ucsforce]

Thanks wildedibles! very information:kewl:


cya around:reb:

[wildedibles]

Thank you :)
I will be adding more as the year progresses showing what is in season to eat or use as medicine

[wildedibles]

This is another great herbal I have tried it a few times I need to use it more
Some times of the year the spikes in the flowers is hard to get around in a tea without a tea ball
It is a great womens herbal but I do believe there is male uses as well
It has also been gaining in popularity as a smoking mixture :)
https://mycotopia.ne...71&d=1333571239
Here is the prickly spines with the flowers gone so you can really see them
You can see them during winter sticking out of the snow
https://mycotopia.ne...72&d=1333571243
Here is the plant waking up from winter
https://mycotopia.ne...73&d=1333571247
closer look at the leaves
https://mycotopia.ne...74&d=1333571276
man it looks really close to the real thing :)
I think it is the look as to why it has become popular in the last little bit

https://mycotopia.ne...78&d=1333579922
Here is a close up of the leaves and hairy stem

https://mycotopia.ne...79&d=1333579924
Close up of larger older leaf

https://mycotopia.ne...80&d=1333579926

https://mycotopia.ne...81&d=1333579927
I was givin this one by a friend when I gave her some ground cover plants
I like sharing plants :)

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Edited by wildedibles, 04 April 2012 - 05:59 PM.

[wildedibles]

This is one plant I have started researching it is so posed to be a chocolate substitute I will try and remember where I read this.
It grows wild in field areas on the outskirts of forests where it is hot sunny for most of the day but maybe hiding with Milk weed, Tansy, and Golden Rod
Aven is usually a bit smaller than these others but can still be a yard or meter tall
They remembered me of Butter cups but they are different when you look closer the leaves are way different
Yellow Avens also has seeds that will attach themselves to your clothing kinda like Burdock, they hitch a ride with animals when I was looking closer at this picture I seen these plants have been fertilized by deer ... we do see deer in here at times :)

https://mycotopia.ne...78&d=1333722679

https://mycotopia.ne...79&d=1333722683
All of the leaves are compact at the moment but when the flower stalk comes up the leaf patern will spread a bit too
https://mycotopia.ne...80&d=1333722686
There are a few other types of Avens too and a popular garden variety in our area too
https://mycotopia.ne...81&d=1333722688

The roots are the part used for chocolate :) but they are really small and most of the year the root system here is too vast to get at this unless you have a shovel
So I was really surprised I found a solid tiny hard wood stick and dug these right out :)
But the snow is just leaving frost in the ground is just leaving it was a warm day I think this is the natural way to loosen up the soil
also other roots from some other plants would be dead and gone leaving air space within the ground it was actually fluffy soil very easy to dig these roots up when the flowers are on these it is impossible to do this I have tried

One of the harder things to learn about collecting plants is getting the timing right ... when the timing is right the medicinal's are right within the plant :)

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[wildedibles]

Ok I found some older pictures finally organized them better

These are Leonurus cardiaca (mother wort)

Seeds and seed pokeys lol

https://mycotopia.ne...28&d=1333754241

https://mycotopia.ne...27&d=1333754240

The plant in flower :)

https://mycotopia.ne...29&d=1333754242

I can collect a lot of this one
I would like to know the best time to collect it would be
and how best to use it getting around these prickles

https://mycotopia.ne...30&d=1333754244

Here is the popular tree again Aspen

This bud has a lot of wax on it this is the best part in my opinion for pain cream

https://mycotopia.ne...31&d=1333754627

Here is

Salix ( Willow )

Animals like deer and snow shoe hare eat the bark off the willow in winter

https://mycotopia.ne...34&d=1333754848
https://mycotopia.ne...35&d=1333754849
I always wounder if they get pain relieving properties :)
https://mycotopia.ne...32&d=1333754844
and in full flower :)
https://mycotopia.ne...33&d=1333754847

Gaultheria procumbens ( Winter green )

https://mycotopia.ne...36&d=1333755164

https://mycotopia.ne...37&d=1333755171

Rhododendron tomentosum
Labrador Tea

https://mycotopia.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=262738&d=1333755448
Ready to collect nice and orange
https://mycotopia.ne...39&d=1333755450
below is not ready and looks more like a poisonous lookalike
https://mycotopia.ne...40&d=1333755451
ready and Orange
https://mycotopia.ne...41&d=1333755452

https://mycotopia.ne...42&d=1333755457

https://mycotopia.ne...43&d=1333755458

https://mycotopia.ne...44&d=1333755462
above and below these have a thinner leaf in this stage they look like the poison lookalike
https://mycotopia.ne...45&d=1333755465
Cause this plant is evergreen it dosnt loose its older Orange leaves look for this cause the lookalike never have Orange fuzz under the leaf like Labrador tea does
https://mycotopia.ne...46&d=1333755467
The flower is a beautiful one there is male and female flowers :) cant remember which is which
https://mycotopia.ne...47&d=1333755470

https://mycotopia.ne...48&d=1333755471

https://mycotopia.ne...49&d=1333755475
Flower buds
https://mycotopia.ne...50&d=1333755475

https://mycotopia.ne...51&d=1333755477

https://mycotopia.ne...52&d=1333755481

Kalmia angustifolia (Sheep-laurel) ( lamb-kill )
This is the poison look alike to Labrador tea above
It dosnt look exactly just a thing or two similar things

https://mycotopia.ne...54&d=1333756614
The flowers are pink not white
and ruffly they flower together
but they dry ruffly the same color
and almost the same shape

https://mycotopia.ne...55&d=1333756617

I always feel lucky to see these beautiful flowers in spring tho so pretty :)
Looking closer at the leaves these are thinner than Labrador tea and not really the same color but they can be similar colors

https://mycotopia.ne...56&d=1333756619

They are both evergreen plants ( keep their leaves all year )
This old growth looks more like Labrador tea at this point
except the back of the leaf is silvery white color
Labrador new growth is silver white

Always look for Orange fuzz on the back of the leaf to find Labrador tea :)

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[wildedibles]

These are an evergreen plant too
Looking through the forest now I can see lots of them in the summer they are mostly hiding in and around other plants
I havent used these medicinally cause I didnt find enough to take any I do want them to reproduce to make more
I may try them out soon cause I did manage to find more than enough to leave some and take a couple
I don't like to waste medicinals so I take what I need and only what I would use

https://mycotopia.ne...90&d=1333803613
They have a very pretty flower that comes out in late spring early summer
https://mycotopia.ne...91&d=1333803615

https://mycotopia.ne...89&d=1333803610

https://mycotopia.ne...88&d=1333803581

https://mycotopia.ne...87&d=1333803579

Peterson field guides Eastern / Central Medicinal Plants by Steven Foster / James A. Duke says
" Uses American Indians used a tea of the whole plant to treat epileptic seizures in babies; leaf tea was gargled for sore throats, canker sores, leaf poulticed for tumors, sores, and cuts. Root tea a tonic."
I havent used this plant myself
I am not here to prescribe diagnose or cure disease I just want a starting place to see what uses maybe correct or not please refer to the disclaimers at the bottom of every page on Mycotopia :)

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[wildedibles]

This one I have used a lot and have heard story's about it too
The most common story is the huge leaves make great dipares for babies with allergies sensitive skin or eczema also makes great toliet paper if you are stuck :) Soft like the good stuff lol

Anyway I also use this in a leaf tea for asthma it has helped a friend of mine breath for a few years calms his breathing down a lot :)

https://mycotopia.ne...93&d=1333805663
First year you get a leaf rosette 2nd a flower spike
https://mycotopia.ne...94&d=1333805666

It can grow in great quantity in hot sunny fields

https://mycotopia.ne...92&d=1333805661
fuzzy soft leaves
https://mycotopia.ne...96&d=1333805669

https://mycotopia.ne...95&d=1333805667
These dried flower spikes can be dipped in fat and used like torches

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[wildedibles]

The next one I want to add is Evening Primrose
It is perfect time to harvest the roots and leaves
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oenothera
https://mycotopia.ne...14&d=1334145933
Here is the green seed pods picture taken in the late summer
https://mycotopia.ne...16&d=1334145935 Here is mature seed stalk picture taken in the winter
https://mycotopia.ne...15&d=1334145935
and 2 pictures of the seeds close up both taken in the winter
https://mycotopia.ne...17&d=1334145937
The seeds are a great source of fatty acids

Here is a garden variety

https://mycotopia.ne...19&d=1334148454

https://mycotopia.ne...20&d=1334148456

https://mycotopia.ne...24&d=1334148462

https://mycotopia.ne...25&d=1334148464

And these ones below is a wild variety like the seed stalk ones at the beginning :)

https://mycotopia.ne...21&d=1334148458

https://mycotopia.ne...22&d=1334148459

https://mycotopia.ne...23&d=1334148460

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Edited by wildedibles, 11 April 2012 - 07:54 AM.

[wildedibles]

This one has always fascinated me as a child I would play with this one at my aunts house. I loved the heart shaped purses that held the seeds sometimes I would open them so the seeds fell out :)
I have read somewhere that it was good for crampy diarrhea and one day I had this issue and I knew it grew outside my house so I went out and chewed a few of these seed pods I felt immediate relief in 5 minuets :)
I had a friend that suffered with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and I gave them some of these seeds they felt relief for the next few days lol she came back for more :)

https://mycotopia.ne...10&d=1334534982

https://mycotopia.ne...11&d=1334534983

https://mycotopia.ne...12&d=1334534985

https://mycotopia.ne...13&d=1334535028

https://mycotopia.ne...14&d=1334535029

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[wildedibles]

My garden Evening Primrose is starting to flower :)
https://mycotopia.ne...40&d=1340214174
The petals are edible they contain oils I use them in things I need this extra good oil in like creams and massage oils baths etc... maybe even just tea I love flower teas great for a girly party ;)
https://mycotopia.ne...41&d=1340214176
I collect the petals as they fall off they will land on the leaves where I can collect them if it hasnt rained
I dry them on news paper or in a baskets spread out a bit so they don't mold

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[Black Heaven]

You've got a pretty nice flora at your place! :)

[wildedibles]

Thank you I love walking in the woods or fields finding wild plants :) reading about their uses and eating them as food at times :)