Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Wild Weeds ~ Cleavers ~ My Herbal Journey ~ Ticks

I harvested some wild growing cleavers this past week.  I have been pulling these from the flower beds for years, and had no idea they were a weed to keep.  Golly.  I learn something every year.


These are also called "sticky weed."  You may have them too.  You know, those annoying weeds that stick to everything?  Well, my lymph nodes were swollen and ginger and lemon wasn't kicking it's butt.


I made cleaver tea.  I noticed after the first cup that my nose started to run, my ear congestion started to clear, and my throat didn't feel like sand paper when I swallowed.  My swelling was reduced by half.   So I decided to drink a second cup.  I steeped for 4-5 minutes and down the hatch it went (sipping it). 

I couldn't find any information if I use just the leaves or leaves and stem for the tea, so I used both. It all sticks together anyway, ha ha!
 


The next morning I still had swollen glands (having allergies can stink), so I made an infusion vs. a hot cup of tea.  I sipped it all day long, drinking every drop of it.  I felt better, I slept better, and I was overall feeling great.


More cleavers!  Growing right in the front flower beds.   

Cleaver coffee?  Ha!  I read the seeds can be a substitute for coffee.  Interesting.  

Last night I read something that said you can use the cleaver infused tea for deodorant.  Just dab it on with a cotton ball.  Has anyone used this?  I wonder if it really works. 

Cleaver weed is good for steeping as a tea, for several reasons.   Check it out online or in your herbal reference books.  It detoxifies and stimulates the lymphatic system. The weed also helps treat liver and bladder problems, and can be used for skin issues.  I read it is commonly used by cancer patients.  So many more benefits.  Who knew?  I didn't.  Now I know. I wish I knew this when I first got out of the hospital.  It's detoxifying ability would have helped me out back then. 

The only reason I started to research this weed, is due to running across a recipe that required cleavers in the recipe.  Funny how this all worked out for me.

It's tick season here already.  I had to pull out our tick oil, and not for the dogs.  For my 17 year-old who takes the dogs out most often.  She had not one, but two ticks on her neck.  She'll be rubbing my tick oil on her neck before exiting the house.   

I first made it for the dogs (which works to repel ticks only), and it worked.  The best part, is that it's safe on humans.   You can get the recipe here.

By the way, since I have been using peppermint oil in my shampoo and hair tonic, I haven't had one tick on me this season.  

I follow the poison food journal, and boy there are alerts daily recently - golf ball pieces found in frozen hash browns, salmonella risks involving jalapeno flavored chips and 55 tons of chicken nuggets recalled regarding more salmonella.  It's crazyThe garden can't grow fast enough, and I regreat not raising meat birds or rabbits this spring.  Soon....soon, we'll be back to raising the meat animals again. 

8 comments:

Mama Pea said...

I've never heard of cleavers. Don't think we have it here. But we do have ticks. Also the ones carrying Lyme disease. That's one of the reasons we've hesitating getting another dog. :o(

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mama Pea, the tick oil recipe works on our dogs. It doesn't work for fleas however. When my daughter asked how she was getting them and not me, I told her to rub the oil on her neck every morning, or put peppermint in her shampoo. Or she could use a hair tonic rinse with oils too. I never heard of cleavers until I started looking at more recipes in my herbal books.

Rain said...

I've never heard of cleavers either, they sure are pretty looking though. I don't think we have them here. What a wonderful discovery for you Kristina! And thanks for the recipe for the tick oil!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Rain, I found a ton of chickweed yesterday, but forgot to put it in my dehydrator. Oye.

Yarrow said...

That's amazing! I have a lot of cleavers in the garden and at the pony field. My dog eats it all the time so he's clearly a clever dog :D I think I may cultivate it properly now, thanks for the information.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Yarrow, I borrow many books from the library because I don't feel there is one good book about all of the herbs (with out all of the information). I'm making a cleaver tea again today (with other herbs).

Sam I Am...... said...

I know exactly what you're talking about! In fact, just last week I tore a bunch of them out of my trough....who knew? Amazing! You are a wealth of knowledge! Thank you! I will definitely be trying the tick oil on myself as right now I use Off with deet which I don't like to use but down here you have to if you go near the woods at all and I use it when I mow as that's when I get them on me from edge of the woods.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Sam I Am, for years I didn't know about this weed. I would just get annoyed with it, because it would stick to my garden gloves ha ha!