Happy Healthy YOU
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(A wellness column by Kelly Spencer: writer, life coach, yoga & meditation teacher, holistic healer and a mindful life enthusiast!)
The grass is always greener on the lawn that sprays chemicals, spends hours plucking weeds, while coifing the blades of grass to provide the perfect landscape.
But is the carefully manicured lawn missing the ecosystem boat?
What if there is a purpose for the weeds on our lawn and in our gardens?
A client at my business recently came in and said, “You have a beautiful milk weed growing in your garden.” I had seen this weed on my way into the building and had thoughts about getting to the gardening here at work soon. I am glad I didn’t. Monarch’s need milk weeds.
Why should we care about milk weeds and monarchs?
We should care about them because they are alive. With chemical toxins of fertilizers, there's a lot less milkweed than there was in the past. This is a disaster for monarchs since monarch caterpillars can eat nothing but milkweed and the butterfly lays its eggs in the milkweed.
This is important as butterflies are powerful pollinators. Without pollinators, we wouldn’t have plump, juicy tomatoes to chop and make fresh salsa. Without them, we wouldn’t have amazing avocados to dice up and make guacamole. Without them, we wouldn’t have a lot of our favorite foods, such as almonds, melons, cucumbers, or cauliflower. Without them, our food system would almost be lost. The monarch is important because they pollinate plants. We should care because we wouldn't have plants without them. If they suffer, we in turn are hurt too. It is all connected.
The milkweed is a blessing, not a nuisance. Don’t pluck them or poison them (and our earth and water) with chemical killers, but rather seek and plant them to make your own butterfly garden.
My neighbors were probably giving us the stink eye over the last couple of weeks while peering at our unmanaged lawn. We don’t use any chemicals and in fact a good majority of land is covered in plantain weed and dandelions. We waited to mow them down with good reason.
I am not sure why dandelions have received such a bad rap. The yellow flowers are bright and colorful. When my kids were little, they would proudly and generously pick bouquets of them for me. Even when they turn to dandelion puffs or “wish flowers” (a name we had for them as children, where you blow the white fluffy seeds into the atmosphere while making a wish), they are beautiful. Their symmetry is that of ancient sacred geometry.
But the dandelion is much more than meets the eye.
In a CBC report last April, Julia Common, chief beekeeper for Hives for Humanity, calls dandelions "nirvana for the pollinators.” It is recommended by Common, as well as other environmentalist, that we wait to cut the first crop of dandelions as long as possible. "You'll see beetles, butterflies, bumblebees, all sorts of insects on the dandelions. Perhaps give it a week or two, or set your mower a little bit
higher and maybe miss those dandelions," she said.
"You could put up a sign for your neighbours if they think you're a messy homeowner and say 'this is actually a pollinating lawn, I'm feeding the bees.'"
Like butterflies, the bee is our friend. In fact, the bee is said to be responsible for one third of everything we eat and play a vital role in sustaining the planet’s ecosystems. Around 400 different types of plants (over 80% of the crops grown for human consumption) need bees and other insects to pollinate them to increase their yields and quality. These include most fruits and vegetables, many
nuts, and plants such as rapeseed and sunflowers that are turned into oil, as well as cocoa beans, coffee and tea.
Not just our food, but our clothes too are benefited by the bee. You see, the cotton industry relies on the bee pollination as well. As a result, annual global crop pollination by bees is estimated to be worth $170 billion.
So why is the dandelion important for the bees? The dandelion weed has a valuable protein that nourishes and strengthens the bee for a strenuous season of pollinating tender fruits in May to vegetables in June and oils in July.
If that isn’t enough to make you look at your weeds from a different perspective, the physiological benefits of the dandelion is making big waves in the health world. In fact, the nutrient dense plant is full of vitamins and antioxidants that herbalists have been accessing to treat skin conditions, asthma, low blood pressure, poor circulation, ulcers, constipation, colds and hot flushes. More recently, the mighty golden weed has made the local news.
Researchers in Windsor, Ont., have received an additional $157,000 grant for a total of $217,000 to study how effective dandelion root extract is in fighting cancer. Siyaram Pandey, a biochemist at the University of Windsor, and his team found in their first phase of research that dandelion root extract forced a very aggressive and drug-resistant type of blood cancer cell, known as chronic monocytic myeloid leukemia, to essentially commit suicide. Researchers then discovered that repeated treatment with low dose dandelion root extract was effective in killing most of the cancerous cells.
CBC reported in an interview with John DiCarlo, 72, that with an aggressive cancer diagnosis and poor prognosis, he was sent home to put his affairs in order with his wife and four children. The cancer clinic suggested he try the dandelion tea. Four months later, he returned to the clinic in remission. He has been cancer free for three years.
This morning, after a night’s sleep with windows open, I awoke to sniffles and sneezes. As pollen levels heighten, so do my allergies. So I head out, with Kleenex in one hand and squinting through watery eyes, to my back yard to the abundance of plantain weed growing there.
Plantain weeds or herbs have a long history of being used as food plants and healing herbs in many diverse cultures around the world. The Native Americans used it to heal wounds, cure fever, and to draw out toxins from stings and bites, including snakebites.
I use it for my allergies. I picked about 6-8 leaves, threw it in my smoothie instead of spinach and within 30-45 minutes, the symptoms begin to subside.
Perspective is everything. When we can see beyond trying to make appearances perfect, like our lawn, we can see the weeds present are a blessing and serving a higher purpose.
Next week in “Part 2: The blessings of life’s weeds,” we’ll explore the weeds in our personal lives. Perhaps they are blessings too?
(If you would like to see an article on a specific topic, please email kelly@indigolounge.ca)