Ep. 286 : Considering Plantain
When we see certain things everyday, we start to encounter them with routine and we can sometimes begin to overlook them. They become mundane and the magic is forgotten. This is tricky in human-human relationships as well as human-plant relationships. Sometimes it is good to remember the qualities that got us stoked in the first place, that filled us with awe and wonder, and bring us back into good relationship with those we once desired to know more and saw as significant in our lives.
This is one of the reasons why I wanted to do an episode reorienting to Plantain; turning back towards a treasured companion on the bumpy trail of life. Many of us are very familiar with this plant, but perhaps we also take them for granted, their being ever present and underfoot with a pretty nondescript flower.
But Summer is here, and the season is full of bumps and bites. Now is the time to turn again to our trusted friend along the path and reacquaint ourselves once more.
Hope you enjoy the show.
To learn more :
Field Manual of Michigan Flora by Anton Reznicek and Edward Groesbeck Voss. University of Michigan Press, 2012.
Nine Herbs Charm - Anglo-Saxon poem featuring Plantain
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Milkweed Editions, 2013.
Invasive Plant Medicine by Timothy Lee Scott. Healing Arts Press, 2010.
American Wildlife Plants: A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits by Arthur C. Martin, et al. Dover, 1951.
Population Dynamics of the Perennial Herbs Plantago Major L. and P. Rugelii Decne by Wayne R. Hawthorn and Paul B. Cavers.
NorthEast Medicinal Plants by Liz Neves. Timber Press, 2020.
Botany in a Day by Thomas J. Elpel. Hops Press, 2013.
The Book of … Field and Roadside by John Eastman and Amelia Hansen. Stackpole Books, 2003.
