Recently, I just purchased this book, Planting the Future: Saving Our Medicinal Herbs by Rosemary Gladstar & Pamela Hirsch. I am still waiting for it to be delivered. It encompasses general herbal knowledge on plant uses, climate, regions and history. But what I am really looking forward to reading is about the conservation information. There are major sections on endangered plants and ways in which we can begin working toward saving our indigenous herbs. I really can’t wait to start reading it.
Almost a year ago, before I even began to think that I could actually grow my own medicinal herbs, I had read an article in Indian Country, Saving Medicinal Herbs: NM experts hope to Cultivate Southwest herb The herb, yerba mansa a.k.a. yerba del manso, lizard tail and swamp root, which grows primarily in New Mexico and parts of Arizona near riverbanks and wetlands is on the list of endangered plant species. It has been used by the local Indian tribes for hundreds of years because of its’ anti-bacterial and antimicrobial properties. It took me a second and a short Google trip to see a picture of this herb and when I did, I realized that as a kid we used to pick this flower all the time. It had a sweet musky scent and beautiful white petals that always made the house look and smell great. I don’t believe we ever used it for any medicinal reasons, instead we tended to rely on western medicines for our answers. Anyhow, I remember reading the article and feeling a great wave of regret and sadness about this little plant. I regretted that it had never crossed my mind to consider that the little white flower was more then just a pretty addition to our house. That while growing up in New Mexico, running across the plant was common enough that we were none the wiser. And I was saddened that our traditional knowledge of Navajo healings had been lost or misplaced along the way. Knowing that this plant could be gone within my lifetime has definitely forced me to come to terms with what exactly it is that I want to be doing with my life. As I struggle often with my artistic endeavors and great desire for success, I have begun asking myself what is really important? I don't have the full answer yet but having finally begun taking those strange steps backwards to a place of being that is stuffed very deep in my psyche, I can at least hope to bridge my own gap for personal, historical and cultural conservation. Because sometimes, trying to live that American dream all the time can really just set you off onto chasing your own tail.
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