Post: #1

i thought it might be a good time to remind the ladies (and their caring menfolk) about a really amazing little plant because it is getting just about ready to harvest.

i used to have a great book on it, self-published due to the controversial nature of the subject, by umi tiamat, but i shared it with the head hardener at a community garden i worked on in kauai and never got it back. the info in part can be found here:

http://www.sisterzeus.com/qaluse.htm

Women have used the seeds from Daucus carota commonly known as wild carrot or queen anne's lace, for centuries as a contraceptive, the earliest written reference dates back to the late 5th or 4th century B.C. appearing in a work written by Hippocrates. John Riddle writes in Eve's Herbs, that queen anne's lace (QAL) seeds are one of the more potent antifertility agents available, and a common plant in many regions of the world. "The seeds, harvested in the fall, are a strong contraceptive if taken orally immediately after coitus."
Research on small animals has shown that extracts of the seeds disrupt the implantation process, or if a fertilized egg has implanted for only a short period, will cause it to be released. There has been some research done on wild carrot seeds mostly in other countries, the results of those experiments have been encouraging. The Chinese view QAL as a promising post-coital agent, "recent evidence suggests that terpenoids in the seed block crucial progesterone synthesis in pregnant animals." 1 When asked about the contraceptive effects of wild carrot, some herbalists have described it as having the effect of making the uterus "slippery" so the egg is unable to implant.

keep in mind this plant has lots of warnings because it is said to resemble water hemlock, however, once you know it you will never make that mistake.

one of the great things about this plant is that it can be used as a morning-after, or as an ongoing daily uterine toner, with same effect except when you decide to bear children, you are actually more fertile and healthy than before. it helps clear fibroids and more.

another good plant for uterine health, but not contraception, is yarrow, which also assists fertility:

http://natural-fertility-info.com/yarrow...-herb.html

Eliminate Pelvic Congestion
Many women suffer from fertility issues where there is pelvic congestion, also referred to as stagnation. Conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts are all considered congestive states. Yarrow works to increase circulation to the reproductive organs and tissues. It also aids in pain reduction associated with endometriosis, uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts.

If you suffer from one of these stagnant fertility conditions, you may want to consider doing a daily hot or cold compress using a Yarrow infusion. A Yarrow compress may also be helpful when there is pain present, such as menstrual cramps. An oil from fresh Yarrow can be made and applied directly to the abdomen, or a massage oil blend using Yarrow essential oil can be used as well.

Post: #2

my mom used to put clipping of them in a water with food coloring and it makes the "lace" change to what ever color you want.

Post: #3

SexualChocolate  Wrote:

my mom used to put clipping of them in a water with food coloring and it makes the "lace" change to what ever color you want.

that sounds cool! i tried to do that with other kinds of flowers when i was a kid but it never really worked.

Post: #4

One negative, if you save open-pollinated carrot seeds, is that you can't have lace around for at least a few hundred feet, it will cross pollinate. I'll bet not one person reading this will have to be concerned about this

Post: #5

LoP Guest  Wrote:

One negative, if you save open-pollinated carrot seeds, is that you can't have lace around for at least a few hundred feet, it will cross pollinate. I'll bet not one person reading this will have to be concerned about this

why do you say that? wondering if you mean because of GMO or the serious bee issues...?

QAL grows EVERYWHERE pretty much, i'd think open pollination would hard to avoid...:P when harvesting it during the seed/'birds' nest' phase, be sure to collect it away from roadsides if possible due to pollutions from exhaust.

the seeds are the viable part, though some do harvest it as a food crop (the roots).

Post: #6

Anne OMally  Wrote:

LoP Guest  Wrote:

One negative, if you save open-pollinated carrot seeds, is that you can't have lace around for at least a few hundred feet, it will cross pollinate. I'll bet not one person reading this will have to be concerned about this

why do you say that? wondering if you mean because of GMO or the serious bee issues...?

QAL grows EVERYWHERE pretty much, i'd think open pollination would hard to avoid...:P when harvesting it during the seed/'birds' nest' phase, be sure to collect it away from roadsides if possible due to pollutions from exhaust.

the seeds are the viable part, though some do harvest it as a food crop (the roots).

it is in the carrot family and will pass on its genetics

Post: #7

I'm always pleased to learn more about medicinal herbs, thanks for the info.

I must stress greatly for people to learn absolutely 100% positive identification abilities when using medicinal herbs.

Members of the carrot family (Apiaceae) are tricky to distinguish at first, most have a ferny, pinnate leaf structure; carrot, parsley and coriander are some similar looking and quite edible garden plants but water hemlock and spotted hemlock are deadly.

Water hemlock is not terribly common but the spotted hemlock is. We had a young couple here accidently kill themselves when they innocently tried to 'live off the land' cooking water hemlock and eating it.

As well, I came across a man collecting herbs in the woods one day. He was going on about worms causing cancer and everything under the sun and his tinctures would cure just about anything. Trouble is, the plant he was collecting as artemesia was actually a senecio. One is not terribly toxic, the other is. It gave me shudders to hear about how his first wife died from cancer...or was it his tinctures...I'll never know.

Just take care with these plants and become an expert identifier.

Post: #8

czygyny  Wrote:

I'm always pleased to learn more about medicinal herbs, thanks for the info.

I must stress greatly for people to learn absolutely 100% positive identification abilities when using medicinal herbs.

Members of the carrot family (Apiaceae) are tricky to distinguish at first, most have a ferny, pinnate leaf structure; carrot, parsley and coriander are some similar looking and quite edible garden plants but water hemlock and spotted hemlock are deadly.

Water hemlock is not terribly common but the spotted hemlock is. We had a young couple here accidently kill themselves when they innocently tried to 'live off the land' cooking water hemlock and eating it.

As well, I came across a man collecting herbs in the woods one day. He was going on about worms causing cancer and everything under the sun and his tinctures would cure just about anything. Trouble is, the plant he was collecting as artemesia was actually a senecio. One is not terribly toxic, the other is. It gave me shudders to hear about how his first wife died from cancer...or was it his tinctures...I'll never know.

Just take care with these plants and become an expert identifier.

well, i know wht he was after the artemesia, its common name is wormwood

Post: #9

LoP Guest  Wrote:

well, i know wht he was after the artemesia, its common name is wormwood

I know that too, and we do have a species of artemesia growing around the same area he was collecting the senecio.

Post: #10

LoP Guest  Wrote:

czygyny  Wrote:

I'm always pleased to learn more about medicinal herbs, thanks for the info.

I must stress greatly for people to learn absolutely 100% positive identification abilities when using medicinal herbs.

Members of the carrot family (Apiaceae) are tricky to distinguish at first, most have a ferny, pinnate leaf structure; carrot, parsley and coriander are some similar looking and quite edible garden plants but water hemlock and spotted hemlock are deadly.

Water hemlock is not terribly common but the spotted hemlock is. We had a young couple here accidently kill themselves when they innocently tried to 'live off the land' cooking water hemlock and eating it.

As well, I came across a man collecting herbs in the woods one day. He was going on about worms causing cancer and everything under the sun and his tinctures would cure just about anything. Trouble is, the plant he was collecting as artemesia was actually a senecio. One is not terribly toxic, the other is. It gave me shudders to hear about how his first wife died from cancer...or was it his tinctures...I'll never know.

Just take care with these plants and become an expert identifier.

well, i know wht he was after the artemesia, its common name is wormwood

an interesting fact about yarrow is that if processed into a mead, it has similar effects to absinthe.

easy ways to identify daucus carota:

1) they named it 'queen anne's lace' because it has 'hairy legs' like the queen. water hemlock is smooth.

2) it grows in dry, arid, poor soil...WH likes damp, slightly shady locations.

3) the umbel develops a blood red center. you can remember this because the red center flower, its fruit so to speak, is compared to the red of 'aunt flo.' or as i call it, 'ladytime.' :)

i am often SHOCKED by how little people know when collecting herbs, you are correct, it is absolutely crucial to properly identify. i spent years in the forests and fields with my books, sometimes sitting for hours by one plant with references in 8 books JUST to be ABSOLUTELY certain.

when my son was very young we were camping at the beach and for one hot second he disappeared behind the truck...found him with a bit of plant sticking out of his mouth, and absolutely freaked...had my books, did some plant checking (found the one with a bite mark out of it, LOL!) and happily ascertained it was QAL and not the WH that was growing right next to it. one of those exceptions to the two plants not growing in the same habitat.

when on large group camping trips, i have been known to make the rounds, gather samples of the poisonous plants, and post them safely out of reach of children for the benefit of adults who don't know.

Post: #11

Giant Hogweed is also in the same family and the flowers look like giant QAL. It is worth having a look at the links to know what this plant looks like. You don't want to ever touch it. It can cause severe burns or blind you for life.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39809.html

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72766.html

Post: #12

barbsat  Wrote:

Giant Hogweed is also in the same family and the flowers look like giant QAL. It is worth having a look at the links to know what this plant looks like. You don't want to ever touch it. It can cause severe burns or blind you for life.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39809.html

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72766.html

thank you for that...i'm more of a west coaster and we don't have hogweed out here, or not that i have seen. QAL is much smaller and daintier, too.

Post: #13

Anne OMally  Wrote:

barbsat  Wrote:

Giant Hogweed is also in the same family and the flowers look like giant QAL. It is worth having a look at the links to know what this plant looks like. You don't want to ever touch it. It can cause severe burns or blind you for life.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39809.html

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72766.html

thank you for that...i'm more of a west coaster and we don't have hogweed out here, or not that i have seen. QAL is much smaller and daintier, too.

QAL grows all over out in my field here in PA. The hogweed has just started coming into this area. We also now have "mile a minute weed" called so because it grows just that fast. Lots of new invasive species here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria_perfoliata

Post: #14

barbsat  Wrote:

Anne OMally  Wrote:

barbsat  Wrote:

Giant Hogweed is also in the same family and the flowers look like giant QAL. It is worth having a look at the links to know what this plant looks like. You don't want to ever touch it. It can cause severe burns or blind you for life.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39809.html

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72766.html

thank you for that...i'm more of a west coaster and we don't have hogweed out here, or not that i have seen. QAL is much smaller and daintier, too.

QAL grows all over out in my field here in PA. The hogweed has just started coming into this area. We also now have "mile a minute weed" called so because it grows just that fast. Lots of new invasive species here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria_perfoliata

oh that looks awful! with the barbs, too. :( kudzu and english ivy are like babies compared to that!!!! and i am REALLY opposed to english ivy.

http://savannahnow.com/stories/012605/2752235.shtml

here we get starthistle, in the soils that are severely degraded.

http://www.crcd.org/yellowstarthistle.html

Post: #15