About this episode
Where does loosestrife belong? Is barberry a badberry? And what’s with all the knotweed everywhere?! Most folks will tell you it’s simple: “These are invasive plants. They’re bullies, who take over an area and crowd out “native” plants! They need to be pulled out, root and branch! No use for ’em – not a good seed in the lot!” … Whew. If that were true, there’d be no such thing as medicinal invasive plants – but we’re here to tell you, there is such a thing. Many such, actually! In this episode we’ll tell you all about three of our favorite “invasive” herbs in our part of the world: purple loosestrife, Japanese knotweed, and barberry (European and Japanese varieties). We’ll explore each one’s medicinal virtues and specific talents, drawing insights from historical & traditional practice, phytochemistry, and our own experiences working with these plants to solve problems and improve health. In the process, we’ll work to challenge some of the underlying assumptions in the standard narrative about invasive plants. Too often, this concept is predicated on unexamined biased assumptions about what it means to be “native” and what it means to be otherwise. The truth is, plants aren’t native to geography, they’re native to ecology. As the environment changes, the places plants live must change too. Thinking differently about invasives can help us better understand and relate to our changing world. Herbs discussed include purple loosestrife , Japanese knotweed, barberry, & autumn olive. Also mentioned in this episode: Where Do Camels Belong? , Ken Thompson How Wolves Change Rivers 1491 , Charles Mann Invasive Plant Medicine , Tim Scott If you’re a regular listener, by now you’ve heard us talk about our podcast supporters – and maybe you’re wondering how to become one, yourself! Well, let me make it easy for you – all you need to do is click this link to support us at $5/month , or this one to support us at $10/month . At either level you’ll get immediate access to our weekly supporters video series. These exclusive videos come out every week and are only for our supporters. So if you’d like to help us keep our podcast, free clinics, scholarships, and other projects going strong – and get some goodies for your generosity – we’d very much appreciate it! As always, please subscribe & review our podcast wherever you listen, so others can find it more easily. Thank you!! Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas . Support the show You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!