Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Wild plants in season

my garden in spring





Though the weather this spring is uncertain and seemingly has affected vegetable produce, this is the season for picking up a variety of edible wild plants. Some friends of mine made mugwort(ヨモギ)rice cake and gave it to me. I wished I could’ve joined them for that. It tasted so nice.

On top of being tasty, it is known that every herb has its own effect on our body as an alternative medicine. Several years ago, my husband and I took a physical check-up and found both of us had a high blood sugar level, which could lead to diabetes if we didn’t take measures to control it.

That surprised me and made us deal with it seriously. The formula is nothing new; to be careful what we eat, eat less, and moderate exercise. I also learned that some herb, which is commonly found in the field called “カキドオシ" was especially good to reduce blood sugar. We went to pick them up and dried and then simmered them in the water. We drunk it everyday.

A few months later, we went to see a doctor to get a further blood check. We waited for the result in suspense. The doctor, scanning the test result on the paper, asked me with a suspicious look if it was true we had had a high blood sugar level. The herb remedy worked and so did our conscious efforts.

I want to use folk remedy to enhance my well-being, besides walking in the field and feeling the fresh air is a bliss but the trouble is to find the suitable place to pick them up: some places are polluted by the chemicals or car exhaust or dogs’ mess, others are replaced by the buildings. In addition to that, once health problem has gone, I tend to come off guard and indulge in inappropriate foods. I should keep in mind again that nothing is more precious than health.

10 comments:

  1. Wow! Is that your garden? Looks the garden is a time of awakening! and those flowers are very kind to you.

    カキオドシ...That is a great information for people having high blood sugar. Yes, it is
    a little bit hard to find a suitable place to pick those harbs up.

    Yes,being healthy is the most thankful to myself.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for the comment, redrose. Actually the garden in the picture is the last spring's. I will update this year's soon. Their prime time varies slightly from year to year. My garden has spring, summer,and autumn versions. I love all of them but especially in spring version, fluffy masses of tiny flowers with thin shade of pink and blue and white is my favorite.

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  3. Your garden always draws my eyes. It must be the result of lots of work, cares and attention to the plants. I don't think there are any low-maintenance gardens with such a lot of flowers, shrubs, trees and green turf. So, why don't you grow "kakidoshi" in your garden like other herbs? You can pick up clean leaves. Is it difficult to grow?

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  4. Stardust, far from "it is difficult to grow", they are considered invasive weed. I think it's disrespectful to call them weed; they are very useful and their flowers are often so pretty. Anyway they spread by rooting at the nodes and thrive enough to creep into narrow spaces through an opening in the hedges, that's why they are also written as "垣通し"
    No matter how useful they are, I don't want them to overgrow in my garden,besides fertilizers or chemicals I sometimes use to grow flowers are not good for them.
    Let wild plants grow in the wild.

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  5. Your garden looks great. Obviously, I should ask your advice on mine, which has almost nothing in it as yet...

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  6. Thank you for the compliment, Marc. Some advice?
    Let's see...yes, have an interest in gardening in the first place. There are varieties of flowers or plants sold at the gardening store or "ホームセンター”. You can choose whatever easy to grow. Store attendants are sure willing to help you choose ones. I should say soil makes difference too. I'm happy to give the seedlings (Christmas rose, cherry sage, こでまり・・)I'm growing in the small pots to whoever wants. Are you interested?

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  7. Your garden is wonderful as usual.I did't know カキドオシ。 Maybe I've never seen it. It's pretty but it has effective power for high blood sugar,hasn't it? After drinking ローズヒップtea or lemongrass-tea,I sometimes feel itch. I think my constitution doesn't agree with herbs.But in your case,it's good to effective.

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  8. What a beautiful garden you have!

    I stopped taking care of flowers in my garden a long time ago. All flowers are gone except cherry sages and flowery trees. Flowers demand a lot of work and something special. Just warering them is not enough. You are giving them so-called plus alpha.

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  9. Wow, thank you for all the compliments you readers gave to my garden. It's encouraging. Flowers or plants in my garden must feel flattered (^_^)
    Actually they are all familiar, common ones; not demanding ones at all. Still it's true gardening is sometimes time-consuming and enegy-consuming.

    I used to be very good at spoiling plants!? but in the meantime I came to develop my interest in gardening, knowing how unexpected pleasure they gave me.

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  10. What a graceful garden! Gardning is delightful for me and spend a happy time. I realize you have a good taste of gardening with seeing the picture.
    I think it is difficult to arrange different flowers and trees; colors, heights, the time of bloomings and so on. I should ask your advice for my garden!
    Anyway, flowers make me comfortable and heal my mind when I feel down.

    ReplyDelete

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