There’s a big hoopla about West Nile Virus right now and I wonder what is really behind it.  So few peoplehave ever contracted it, and very few have died from it.
In fact, you stand more chance of dying by falling off a donkey.

It is hardly a reason to go spraying millions of gallons of poison across the landscape, in the hopes of killing off the mosquito population.  So why aren’t they out there spraying for donkeys?  It’s just as ridiculous.

Rather than poisoning the area for the rest of its inhabitants (including bees), a less toxic approach to the problem is to make ourselves less desirable to the mosquitos.

When I’m out in nature, I resort to a number of tricks to keep those flying critters at bay.

I’ve had some success using plants extracts, like marigold and catnip.

On a trip to Maine, I found the woods to be full of mushrooms (which I didn’t eat) and mosquitos (which did eat me). I had noticed that the fields around there were covered in Tansy plants.  That evening, I crushed some tansy leaves and flowers and slowly sautéed them in some coconut oil, for about 3 hours then drained off the resultant oil.  The following morning, I lathered myself with this makeshift repellent and went back to the woods.  I was delighted with how effective it was.

I’ve experimented with various herbs for smudging, where a bundle of dried herbs is burned and the smoke used to drive out everything from insects to evil spirits.

It is usually accompanied by a ritual or prayer performed while the smudge stick is being waved around a room or a person.  White sage is the most popular herb to use, but in the east I generally use dried mugwort which smolders well and deters them skeeters.  I’ve often added strips of cedar bark or lavender for a different aroma.  In either case, it works pretty well.

When I’m camping, I often build a fire, even on a hot day, as wood smoke is very effective.

The smokier you smell the less the mozies like you.  After a couple of days without bathing, nothing (or nobody) wants to be near you.  Sometimes, when the little critters are particularly bad, wiping mud on your skin helps, but it is not too comfortable, and tends to scare the guests at garden parties.

There’s a few don’ts with biting insects.  Don’t wear perfume.  Don’t wear bright colored clothes and don’t breath.  That last one is a toughy, but carbon dioxide is like a magnet to those little buggers.  However, chewing on garlic helps.  They don’t like garlic, so eat it regularly when you are in the woods.  Besides, it helps boost your immune system.  I like to gather and pickle field garlic bulbs.  They make a tasty bug repellent snack.

As Tony Isaacs points out in his recent article on the Natural News Website,

there is a safe, non-toxic insect repellent from Herbalist Debra Nuzzi-St. Claire that suggests using the formula:

* 1/2 ounce citronella oil

* 1/4 ounce lavender oil

* 1/8 ounce pennyroyal oil

* 1/8 ounce tea tree oil

* 1/8 ounce jojoba oil

I’ve used a very similar repellent and found it to be a pleasant and effective alternative to the chemical sprays on the market.

Of course, one of the best protections against diseases, is a healthy immune system.  This requires eating fresh nutritious foods and drinking teas made from immunity-boosting herbs, such as echinacea, elderberry (and flowers), astragalus, goldenseal, oregano and heal-all.  You can buy these as ready made dried teas or gather and dry your own.

However, since your chances of dying from West Nile disease is about 7,500,000 to 1, I wouldn’t go getting bent out of shape about it.  The bottom line is, you should be careful when riding a donkey and always take what the media is feeding you with a pinch of salt (preferably sea salt!)

The post What to do About West Nile Virus? A non-toxic pesticide free natural solution appeared first on Suburban Foragers.

Hops, like valerian, are a traditional herbal remedy for anxiety, restlessness and insomnia.

You may be familiar with hops in association with beer brewing (where it is used as an anti-bacterial agent and for flavoring brews). I am simply happy to brew up a relaxing tea for those nights I have trouble winding down to sleep. When I decided to take an indefinite break from alcohol consumption, I swapped out my nightly beer for hops tea to get a similar calming, sleepy effect without the nasty hangover. If you are living sober and want a good substitute for beer to help soothe you, try some hops tea. The active ingredient in hops is a chemical component called dimethylvinyl carbinol, a known sedative and hypnotic.

This week Paul, Adrienne and I rescued a mess of hops for our friend Charlie. He had planted hops in his lush perennial garden and ended up with more hops than he knew what to do with, and didn’t want to see them go to waste. Paul noted that hops are in the Cannabis family, Cannabidaceae, making it the legal cousin of marijuana (that explains its mellowing effect). He also mentioned that you can fill a pillow with hops for soothing rest to give as a crafty, healing gift.

What are hops?

Hops are the cones (flowers) of a vigorous climbing perennial herb, Humulus lupulus, whose name sounds like a magical herb or spell out of Harry Potter.

How to find hops

If you don’t have a friend like Charlie to invite you to pick hops, you can keep an eye out in the late summer for a plant that climbs like a honeysuckle. If you need help you can sign-up for our workshops, or download the Suburban Foragers iPhone app as a high-tech guide (coming 2013), or buy our weather-resistant guide for a low-tech reference to take into the field.

How to harvest hops

Hops are ready to harvest when they are green and papery. Look inside for golden pollen-like lupin and give it a sniff for that hoppy beer fragrance. Pluck the cones (flowers) off the vine with your fingers or harvest entire clusters by clipping off the lateral vines. When you get home lay them out to dry in a ventilated area out of the direct sun. You may simply spread them on a sheet in an unlit room by a breezy window or under a fan for about 3 days. Or you may hang the lateral vine clippings from hooks or strings in a breezeway for 3 days. When they have dried, place them in an airtight jar in a dark cupboard. Some harvesters suggest freezing them in an airtight bag. They will keep for a year before they lose their potency.
Here’s an excellent how to video on harvesting hops. Ben shows the difference between mature and immature hops.

Brewing hops tea

To make a non-alcoholic homebrew use about 3-5 hop cones per cup of tea. Simply pour boiling water over them, cover and steep for 5-20 minutes. This is a bitter brew (which I like), but you may sweeten it up with honey or sweet herbs like mint.

Hops Tea

Edibility

The young leaves of Humulus Lupulus can be eaten as a wild food.

Poisonous Look Alikes

None

Warnings

According to the Plants for the Future entry on hops some people have experienced skin and eye irritation. Some depressed people have felt worse from the sedative effects. They advise to avoid hops during pregnancy (antispasmodic) and with breast, uterine and cervical cancers.

Do not let your dog eat hops. Hops can cause malignant hyperthermia, fatal in dogs.Source Wikipedia.

Paul, Adrienne and I can vouch that we have not personally experienced nor have known anyone to have experienced the side effects mentioned above.

What experience have you had with hops? Please share! We welcome your feedback, questions and personal experience.

The post Hip Hop Hooray for Humulus lupulus! appeared first on Suburban Foragers.