Plant Communications
One warm, stunning Autumn day, I hiked high up in the mountains with the dogs. We had glorious vista views with Maples vibrant crimson and sunset orange, glowing grasses and a blue bird sky. I saw the biggest spider I’d ever seen in these parts, about the size of a deck of cards, it startled me so much I jumped, and then it jumped! It scurried under a leaf and later I identified it as a wolf spider. Shortly after, I came to a complete standstill as a sweet scent wafted over me…what in the world is that? I noticed a shiny, almost waxy leaved shrub, a plant I have not noticed often…is it this? I took a leaf and tore it in half, and sure enough, that sweet scent was intensified and the mystery solved. But it actually wasn’t, as I did not yet know the name of this aromatic being.
After arriving home, I looked in plant ID and regional herb books. It had reminded me of a Bay leaf, and the scent was sort of similar, but as I didn’t find Bay Laurel in my search of native plants, and never had heard of it growing in these parts, it didn’t fit. And yet I knew that I’d encountered something special, and trusted that eventually the answer would come.
About two weeks later, I went to those same mountains again, this time with a friend. We took a different path and about halfway in, that sweet scent was apparent. I stopped and asked my friend, an Idaho born gal, if she knew what this plant was. She did not. And then she said, “I know you don’t like these, but I have a plant app…” (I’m old school and prefer to find out the names of plants using books, online searches of plants, people and intuitive guidance; my friend and I had discussed this before.) However, my curiosity was piqued and I told her to go for it.
The result: Snowbrush ceanothus, a species of Redroot. Also known as: Snowbrush, Sticky Laurel(!), Buck Bush, Greasewood, Red root, Tobacco brush, Tobacco ceanothus. Latin name: Ceanothus velutinus
Now this is where the plant communication part comes in…
Just two days prior I’d been going through a bin where extra stock of dried herbs and such, along with ingredients for my Chai Tea recipe were located, which is why I was in that bin in the first place. My daughter had requested Chai Tea and I didn’t have any made. In my gathering, I came across the tail-end of a bag of Red Root that I had purchased from Mt. Rose Herbs back in 2020. My memory clearly recalls seeing that almost empty bag, the reddish hued root chunks, the words: Red Root. I’d forgotten about it you see, and I had ordered it because of its usefulness during times of cold and flu and as 2020 was going, you’d probably understand why. I tucked the bag of Red Root back in and promptly didn’t think more of it.
But after I discovered that the plant app was indeed correct, that what I scented out was a species of Red Root, I went back to that bin of herbs to see if it was the same genus/species as what I’d purchased. And I kid you not…the bag was not in there. I searched three different times, and nada…now make of that what you will. For me, this is an indication that the plants, this Red Root in particular, was communicating. The universe was giving me a sign all along!
I ended up looking up the botanical name of the purchased root, and it is Ceanothus americanus. So, a related, but different plant, and they look different too. C. americanus is an eastern North American native shrub with many medicinal uses listed. I don’t think I’ll be harvesting this local Red Root any time soon (its roots are ridiculously hard and Rattlesnakes and big ass spiders live in these parts), but I enjoy knowing that if needed, this plant could be helpful in some situations.
Much like the Oregon Grape Root experience, coincidentally, with the same friend I mentioned earlier, back in October of 2021…
To recap, my friend and I were hiking in an area new to both of us. Her two big dogs were with us and we went up a bit of a hill and entered a lovely ‘meadow’ ~ full of sagebrush, Oregon Grape Root and not whole lot of other visible plant life outside of the tree line, as it was late in the season and frosts had killed back much of the vegetation.
She was in the lead with myself following about five feet back. Suddenly she began swatting the air, and shortly thereafter, began to yell in pain as ground wasps began to swarm her…I backed up, she ran forward, swinging her arms, “Ouch!!!” as she continued to get stung. She said, “I just want to take off my clothes,” and I responded, “Then take off your clothes!” Ripping off her shirt she circled back towards me as I continued back the way we’d come. The wasps were more interested in the fuchsia color of her long-sleeved apparel then her by that point. But man oh man, did she get it. The redness, the heat and the pain of those stings were getting worse by the second. Fortunately, we were pretty close to the car, but still a good 20 minute drive from her house.
I looked in my backpack where I usually carry the Bug Bite Salve I make…but I’d recently cleaned it out and since the bugs were no longer ‘out’ I’d stashed it away. I did have some lavender essential oil in water, homemade hand sanitizer (why I’d kept that ??) and Arinca montana homeopathic tablets. Homeopathic Arnica is good for bruising, swelling and pain (ever since my son was young, I’ve carried this with me in my purse or backpack!). Giving her the max dose of 6 tablets and spraying the lavender spray, I looked around the area. No Yarrow, no Plantain…these are the first plants I look to for emergency use in the case of bug bites. What I did see in abundance was Oregon Grape Root.
This was a plant that didn’t grow in SE Alaska, but one I knew to be a powerful plant. Not that long ago, I had harvested a wee bit of its root to tincture and experiment with. During that process I’d tasted a little and the astringency made my mouth pucker! With that information and after asking the plant to help my friend, I took the Hori hori knife I carried, and dug up some of the yellow hued roots. We brought that down to the little stream, where I also knew the cold water would help her inflamed skin, and help calm the spirit after being attacked out of nowhere.
Another dose of Arnica when we got to the stream (please note, this is a homeopathic remedy, taking Arnica internally is not recommended unless you are absolutely sure of what you are doing, I’m not there yet with that info! But we’re talking about homeopathic Arnica). I washed the roots off while my friend used the cold stream water to put on her body, used a knife to scrape off some of the outer bark and cut it into smaller pieces and then gave her bits to chew on, thinking that it’s cleansing action would be beneficial. Then we applied the chewed-up root to her stings, all 15 or so of them…almost instantly she felt the cooling and astringent action on her tender tissues. We kept going until all her stings had had Oregon Grape Root applied to them. The difference from when we arrived at the stream, with her body going full reactive mode, was incredible. The heat dissipated tremendously; the hardness and pain of the swelling stings decreased. She was able to calm down and not go into shock. It was an incredibly intense teaching moment for us both.
Never did get any photos of the before and after, as the situation required we keep our heads and focus on the emergency at hand. Would she have been fine if we’d not done these interventions with the plants? Probably. But at the rate the swelling and pain was going, I don’t think it would have ended as easefully.
By the end of our time at the stream she was ready to go on a different route and continue our hike, which we did. I gave her the remaining bit of roots to take home and use later that day. If you have an Instagram account, you can watch it here:
That experience again drove home, for me anyway, the power of plants. Not only in their ability to help us through life, but for the way they can communicate with us when we are paying attention and are open to the messages.