What Is a Weed?

Let's see if we can burn off some of that fog, shall we?

Ah, that's better. Just in time for sunrise!

Okay, enough joking around. If you were on a hike (or a morning sunrise walk), and saw these beautifully detailed tiny vibrant orange flowers, would you ignore them as just another weed? I didn't. They caught my eye and compelled me to take a picture. What's more, Mrs. Dr. Sunshine is a bit of a herbologist and identified it as jewelweed. A weed?! Jewelweed, she informed/reminded me (I have needed to exploit this benefit in the past), makes a great antidote to the itch and rash caused by stinging nettle, as well as poison ivy, poison oak, etc. The interesting thing is it often grows beside stinging nettle, and that is not uncommon in nature to find poison and antidote plants growing together. Anyway, the point here is that there is this weed, typically deemed as undesirable, (although perhaps not as universally maligned as the dandelion) that actually can provide some health benefits. For that matter, dandelion makes for pretty tasty salad greens and is loaded with vitamins. The yellow flowers can be used to brew tea, also loaded with vitamins. Do you still want to spray them into oblivion? Or perhaps do you want to dive a little deeper and see what other health benefits you can unlock from nature?

Lucky for me, I get to check out Mrs. Dr. Sunshine every day. Almost as lucky for you, she can be found at www.horaioswellness.com. There, she offers lectures and groups to help every body learn about ways to heal and stay healthy naturally. While I don't want to talk myself out of a job, I think she can do a lot for one's health and well-being that conventional medical doctors can't (or won't).

As always, talk to your doctor before eating lawn trimmings, or rubbing them on your rash.