Photographic Herbal Adventures

I started learning herbs from an ethnobotanist and so even on the first day of class we were out wildcrafting. I remember circling around the cedar tree, giving thanks, and then gathering needles to make an infused oil. I asked her what plantain was, later she pointed out her comfrey beginning to grow for the season and I was absolutely hooked. Wildcrafting for food and medicine just made sense to me, an inherent human right had been reestablished.

We harvest a lot of food and medicine for our household. My husband Xavier matches my enthusiasm for medicinal plants with his enthusiasm to harvest wild foods. Together we make a great team.

In the past year or so my wildcrafting has taken a different tone. As excited as I get about finding healthy stands of plants for harvesting, I now have a new tool in hand - my camera.

Plant photography has opened up a whole new world of plants for me. Capturing plants on film challenges me to really know my plants well. My end goal for the photos I take is to wow the audience by letting the plant speak for itself.

In this blog post I'll share some of my favorite photos and give some of the stories behind the photo.

This is a parasitic orchid, Coralroot. I took this photo in the mountains above Escalante, Utah. We found the stand while walking around a lake. The magenta stood out in the forest and I quickly climbed down a steep hill to see what it was. The flowers are so very tiny yet they can astound us with their exotic nature.  I've never harvested coralroot but it does have a strong history of medicinal use. You can read more about it on Henriette's site. My paternal family has lived in the Escalante area for almost 200 years. Seeing this plant I wondered how many thousands of years it had lived in the area.

Bitterroot is a favorite wild edible in our household. Every time I see it I am amazed at this incredible flower growing out of the dry rocky soils. I took this photo earlier this spring while on a foraging trip for wild rose. The roses weren't quite ready so we continued on our own little hike. Walking off trail above a lake we suddenly saw one, then two and then a hillside covered with this incredible flower. Later this month on HerbMentor we'll have a video with more information about this beautiful plant.

We were recently traveling throughout Utah and northern Arizona and I immediately fell in love with Datura. Unfortunately the only place we found it growing was along roadsides. I took this photo, along with a lot of video footage, on the side of a steep and curvy small road. The no-see-ums and mosquitoes were out as well biting me constantly during the photo shoot.

Getting close to the flowers lets me see other aspects of the wild. This goldenrod spider is living in my garden valerian plant. It matches the flowers so incredibly well that we found it by accident ourselves. Since discovering this little creature we are both taking frequent breaks to check and see what she's doing.

A 10 minute hike for most people is usually more like an hour hike for me. Capturing one good photo can take me quite awhile. I like to spend time with the plant, see it from different angles, notice the ecosystem it's growing in, and literally, smell the roses. I also enjoy small details like little frogs on rose leaves. 

And spiders on yarrow flower buds. 

Last summer while stalking pipsissewa, my husband who's a tracker, pointed out a recent bear track. We never did find it on the hike. This was a disappointment to my husband and a relief for me.

Finding this green gentian (Frasera speciosa) was a complete surprise for me. A plant of the southwest I'd never even heard of it before. It was located on a really steep hillside with lots of underbrush and fallen trees below it. My husband when up first to check it out. Immediately he began exclaiming that I just had to come and see it for myself. Never having seen or heard of this plant before we just sat there in wonder. The colors and design on the plant are unreal. We stood uncomfortably on the steep hillside around this plant for quite awhile. Xavier lost his footing at one point but I managed to save him from tumbling down the steep hillside.

Another hiker went by on the trail below us. He asked whatever in the world we were looking at. "Flowers," replied Xavier. Oh, said the man, shaking his head down the trail.

Sometimes it's not about the what it's about the when. Raindrops can be some of the most magnificent art in nature. 

Sometimes it's about the perspective. This small weedy wonder becomes a giant in the setting sun. 

And sometimes it's not about the what but the where. Although my focus is macro, the joy comes from being out in nature, seeing the awe inspiring beauty of our earth. 

This blog post is part of the blog party hosted by Darcey Blue on the topic of Herbal Adventures

China Study Unveiled -- Not Supporting Veganism

In his book The China Study, T. Colin Campbell has claimed that the Oxford-Cornell-China Epidemiological Study provides strong evidence that "animal-based foods" cause degenerative diseases and that a "plant-based diet" (code for vegan diet) effectively prevents the diseases of civilization.  

A brilliant blogger named Denise Minger has put up what I think appears to provide the most detailed, damning deconstruction of the myth of the China Study.  Entitled The China Study: Fact or Fallacy?, this 9000 word post dissects the data published in the China Study itself, revealing that Dr. Campbell apparently ignored data that did not support his vegan stance.  I highly recommend that you take the time to read it to see an example of critical thinking in action. 

My Meals 7/2/10, 7/3/10, and 7/4/10

7/2/10

On Friday we had shrimp sauteed with orange and red pepper and brocolli.  We sauteed them in butter, and seasoned it with lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and green salsa verde from Sunflower Market in Phoenix.  We served the stir-fry over a fresh green salad of lettuce, radish, red onion, and left-over kale.

We also had steamed sweet potatoes mashed with fresh squeezed orange juice:

So far, practically paleo...but weekends we enjoy ourselves, and this day we had some fermented grain...I mean beer.  Lost Coast Brewery Raspberry Brown:

7/3/10

On Saturday we had grilled wild salmon.  We seasoned the salmon with salt, pepper, and achiote powder, a spice mix from the Yucatan (available in Phoenix at Sunflower Market).  We also had a salad and steamed kale with a dressing made of dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, italian herb seasoning, and a dash of salt and pepper; and guacamole made with the salsa verde, and chopped red onion.

We had a few corn and sweet potato chips with the salsa.

We drank some of Wyder's Raspberry Hard Cider; check out the label (click to enlarge).

"Going Against The Grain Since 1987"

For dessert we had a fruit mix of blackberries, peaches, and cantelope, with heavy cream and full-fat Greek yogurt on top.

7/4/10

Grilled grass-fed skirt steak marinated with olive oil, cumin, garlic, and lemon juice.  We ate it with a salad of red leaf lettuce, radishes, red onion, and olive oil.  We had Wyder's Pear Cider to drink.

For dessert we had a cream cheese cake with a pecan crust that Tracy spontaneously created. Sorry, no photos or recipe yet.

Paleo Diet Relevant News Briefs

High Fructose Diet May Contribute to High Blood  Pressure  

"To examine whether increased fructose consumption has contributed to rising rates of hypertension, Diana Jalal, MD (University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center) and her colleagues analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003-2006). The study involved 4,528 US adults 18 years of age or older with no prior history of hypertension. Study participants answered questions related to their consumption of foods and beverages such as fruit juices, soft drinks, bakery products, and candy. Dr. Jalal’s team found that people who consumed a diet of 74 grams or more per day of fructose (corresponding to 2.5 sugary soft drinks per day) had a 26%, 30%, and 77% higher risk for blood pressure levels of 135/85, 140/90, and 160/100 mmHg, respectively. (A normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg.)"

Beware, this was an epidemiological study; it found a correlation between fructose and hypertension, but does not establish that fructose in the diet causes hypertension.  Perhaps the typical high fructose diet also contains a lot of salt; high salt and high fructose may interact to produce hypertension.  As the article states:  

“Our study identifies a potentially modifiable risk factor for  high blood pressure. However, well-planned prospective randomized  clinical studies need to be completed to see if low fructose diets will  prevent the development of hypertension and its complications,” said Dr.  Jalal.

Cutting Carbs is More Effective than Low-Fat Diet for  Insulin-Resistant Women  

Jenny Craig funded and produced prepared, calorie-controlled foods for this study which compared the effects of a high (60%) carbohydrate diet to a lower (45%) carbohydrate diet for insulin-resistant women.   

"The composition of the low-fat diet was 60 percent of calories from carbs, 20 percent from fat and 20 percent from protein. Although the lower-carb diet also had 20 percent of calories from protein, it had 45 percent from carbs and 35 percent from primarily unsaturated fats, such as nuts. Menus included a minimum of 2 fruits and 3 vegetable servings a day."

So assuming a 1500 kcal meal plan, the high carb group dieter would eat 225g carbohydrate daily, and the lower-carb group 169g daily.  The lower carb group would have cut about 60g of carbohydrate from the diet--the equivalent of four slices of bread.  

Of course they had to eat "primarily unsaturated fats" since it seems hard for the mainstream to accept that saturated fats do not have any harmful properties.  Again assuming a 1500 kcal meal plan, the high carb group would eat a total of 33g of fat daily, and the lower carb group 58g daily.  I would consider both of these diets low-fat.   I would typically suggest a minimum of 50% of energy from fat, which on a 1500 kcal diet would allow at least 83g of delicious fats. 

"Both groups lost weight at each monthly weigh-in, but by 12 weeks, the insulin resistant group receiving the lower-carb diet lost significantly more weight, 19.6 pounds versus 16.2 pounds in the low-fat diet group – approximately 21 percent more on average."

So they obtained pretty good results.  The lower carb group lost about 1.6 pounds per week vs. 1.4 pounds per week in the low-fat diet group.  

Of course I imagine that if they would have tried a real low carb diet, like 55% fat, 25% carbohydrate, and 20% protein, they would have acheived even better results. 

According to the report, the lead researcher, Plodkowski, believes that "Use of prepared meals helped make the structured diets easier and more palatable for the  dieters."

"We wanted to make this study real-world—anyone could follow this plan by making moderate changes as part of a healthy menu," he said

Thanks for the contradictory spin.  On the one hand, "anyone could follow this plan by making moderate changes" to his diet, and on the other "use of prepared meals helped make the structured diets easier" for the dieters.  "In the real world," few people can distinguish between 60% and 45% carbohydrate diets.  The reality here is if you are aiming for a specific carbohydrate content of the diet while allowing nearly half of the energy to come from carbohydrate in the "lower" carb diet, most people need a "structured" diet prepared by someone else who knows how to calculate such things. 

Whereas with paleo dieting you simply remove the foods that produce high carbohydrate diets (cereals, legumes, pasta, breads, juices, sugars, etc.).  "In the real world," anyone can eat a practically paleo diet without getting a Jenny Craig membership. 

This past weekend Tracy and I took a day trip to Payson, AZ.  I drove on my fast, and when we got to Payson we stopped at a busy diner for breakfast.  The menu listed a steak and eggs platter.  The menu described it as 6 oz steak, 2 eggs, choice of hash browns or country-style potatoes, toast, and jam.  I asked the waitress for a rare steak, 2 eggs sunny side up, country-style potatoes, and asked her to substitute a fruit cup for the toast and jam.  The whole breakfast had about 60g carbohydrate. 

In the middle of the day we went to the Tonto Natural Bridge.  At the park we shared a Paleo Kit and each had an apple.  That supplied me with another 30-40g carbohydrate. 

After we explored the Bridge,  we drove back to Payson and stopped at a local grill for another meal.  I ordered an 8oz green chili burger with cheese, and told the waitress that I didn't want the bun.  I chose cole slaw as the side dish instead of fries, and drank water.   That meal had no more than 15g carbohydrate.  My total carbohydrate intake for the day did not exceed 120g, and I ate "in the real world."