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S P R I N G C L E A N I N G: PART 2I realized

S P R I N G C L E A N I N G:
PART 2I realized after posting yesterday that I wanted to do a series for the next week about spring cleaning.Why? Because I will be doing a talk this Thursday, April 22, all about this, called Detox Demystified. (Reg link in bio.)In the lead up, I’m sharing pictures that illustrate some of the concepts.Today’s concept: Opt outside.Most of us have been cooped up for a pretty solid year. We have found ways to manage this and stay relatively OK, but it’s getting time to shake off the cobwebs at least of winter if not yet of Covid.Spending time outside, feeling wind or rain on our faces, bright outdoor light in our eyes, feeling sunshine on our skin, all of these are key to healthy physiology– including our detoxification pathways.They also perk us up. And remember, joy is medicine.This image, taken on an awesome hike at a secret spot in the Columbia River Gorge, is of the peak balsamroot bloom.Locals called the flowers balsam, but herbalists call it balsamroot, or arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata.)Its blazing brightness is a potent antidote to winters here in the gray and rainy Northwest.I wanted to make sure to post this cleansing concepts early in your weekends so you can prioritize getting VitaminN.So consider yesterday’s kale picture to be the first in the series. In it, I should have talked about Brassica-family veggies as key medicinal foods for supporting our natural detoxification pathways. But y’all apparently like seeing kale pictures, so I’ll get back to that later in the week.if you’re interested in the webinar, it will be on Thursday, April 22 at 6:30 PM Alaska time/7:30 PM Pacific.It’s primarily intended for patients in my Anchorage colleagues office, but I would love to have you join.My VIP email subscribers get a 30% discount off the $50 price. If you’re on my list, check your inbox Monday morning.If you’re not on my list and would like to be, go to the link in my bio and grab my free sound sleep cheat sheet and you’ll get the code, too.Salúd!– Dr. Orna

Pawpaws popping!. Just a quick giant to my backyar

Pawpaws popping!. Just a quick giant to my backyard to see cool stuff happening now!#FoodForest #GardenMedicine #Pawpaw #Asiminatriloba #PawPawPatch #FoodAsMedicine #GrowYourOwnFood #30PlantsWeekly@gardenmedicine @dr.catherineclinton @30plantsweekly

Kale may be a Portland cliche — okay, it’s def

Kale may be a Portland cliche — okay, it’s definitely a Portland cliche. But so beautiful — especially with that pop of purple!Kale is partly beloved because it’s such an easy, unfussy vegetable to grow. And even the laziest of gardeners, or those whose thumbs have very little green, can produce a lot of food with kale in a small space.This plant was growing in the neighbors yard, so I can’t tell you precisely which variety it is.In my garden, I’ve grown red Russian kale forever. It’s all beginning to flower now, as you’ve seen in my pictures before. I’m hoping there will be volunteer plants, as usually happens.But I never count on volunteers. So this year I’m trying something new: a variety called dazzling blue lacinato. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!What are your favorite garden greens to grill? Let me know👇🏼.

Maple, flowering, in the Columbia River Gorge.

Maple, flowering, in the Columbia River Gorge.

Does seeing these flowers inspire love or loathing

Does seeing these flowers inspire love or loathing?Remember, medicine isn’t only what you find in a doctors office. Medicine is also all around us, even in much-maligned plants like dandelion.(There’s a reason, in fact, this plant is ubiquitous. Euro settlers found they couldn’t live without it, and planted it in the new areas they colonized.)The humble dandelion is kind of astonishing in various ways it supports human health.The leaves are a nutritious, bitter green. I like the best sautéed with other greens, like kale, chard, collard greens, etc.You can actually buy them in the supermarket now, which is kind of remarkable when you think about how prolifically these grow pretty much anywhere.As a bitter, dandelion leaves help support digestion. The flavor tells the brain that food is coming, relaying signals to the digestive tract to get everything moving and squirting as it’s supposed to.They also are a diuretic – in other words, they will make you pee. That’s useful for any situation in which fluid buildup is causing problems, and we commonly use it as a first line plantmedicine to try with hypertension.(Please talk to your doctor before implementing any ideas you see from random people on Instagram!)and all of that is just believes.The route is also both food and medicine, primarily used to support the liver. That’s all your detoxification function – super important in this crazy world.Dandelion roots also support digestion through bitter action, but also because they supply inulin, a prebiotic that helps keep our gut flora healthy.And dandelion flowers… Use them to make fritters, make wine or just to adorn your spring salads. Because joy is medicine.Once again we have a common, accessible plant that does so many things for human health. A lot of our “weeds“ are like that.Deep taprooted plants like dandelion are great for the garden, too. They help move minerals from jeep underground up to the surface, feeding the topsoil. Those roots also loosen and aerate the soil, making it healthier easier to dig.So let’s take today to love up the dandelions. Grab some leaves and throw them into what you’re cooking. And LMK how it goes 👇🏼!

The hills are alive with blooming Lomatium...And

The hills are alive with blooming Lomatium...And yes, The Sound of Music 🎶 was my earworm companion on this hike.did you get some Goodnature time this weekend?

Backyard pear tree ready for pollinators.#garde

Backyard pear tree ready for pollinators.#gardenmedicine #foodforest #permaculturegarden #peartree #foodnotlawns #PDXgardens #plantifa #FlowerPower #FoodAsMedicine #BackyardGardening

Maple Flower Love. Syrup isn’t the only sweet th

Maple Flower Love. Syrup isn’t the only sweet thing about maples.Here is a little ode to their flowers from my Columbia River Gorge hike last week.Yes, I’m posting a lot about maple flowers right now. No time like the present.#MapleFlowers #WildCascadia #ColumbiaGorge #ColumbiaRiverGorge #FlowerPower #EdibleFlowers #WildFoods #WildFoodLove #WalkingWithOrna #NatureFix #CNSReset #NatureCures #PNWLiving @gardenmedicine #radgirlslife #vitaminN #HerbalistHaveFriendsWhereverWeGo #BigLeafMaple #acermacrophyllum

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