(Plant of the Week) Burdock

First off, sorry for the late post. I had this ready to be posted, but monday came and went, and I completely forgot ^_^;;
So without further ado....

The Plant of the Week this time around is Burdock!

Most of the people who know what burdock is are probably raising their eyebrows at the screen right now, but before you decide that I've finally lost what little of my sanity I still had, let me explain ;-)

But for those who don't know, burdock is considered an invasive weed which many gardeners kill the second they see it.
It's also the plant that makes those little brown spike covered ball thingies that get stuck to your socks, shoes, and jeans. In fact, those little guys are part of the reason that burdock IS the Plant of the Week!

First off, I think it's good to note that while we treat Burdock like a weed, there are other countries which sell it as a vegetable. Why? Well... For one, it doesn't taste half bad. Some people describe it a bit like Artichoke, so go figure. Why else? Every part of the plant is edible, and good for you, from the roots to the spiky purple flowers. I don't think you wanna eat the spiky seed pods though... ^_^;;

One thing I like quite a bit about burdock is that it shows us that even the things we're accustomed to in our daily lives can hold surprises - currently, Burdock, and more specifically, the inulin in the burdock, is being researched as it has the ability to halt tumor growth.

And before this, the inspiration for Velcro actually came from the sticky seed pods. I think I'm the only person who finds this neat, but I still need to mention it.

Traditionally, the roots are generally used medicinally, while the rest of the plant is used more for food, however, the leaves and 'fruit' of the plant are still useful for the same reasons as the roots in most cases.
Burdock is even useful for treating Arthritis - though, whether it actually cures it or whether it simply dulls the pain, I am unsure of. I don't have arthritis, so I can't test this. Darn youth and health!

Simply put, this plant has so many uses, both as food and nutritionally, so all I can really say is do your own research on the topic ;-)

As for growing... Half the time you don't need to do a darn thing to grow a nice plant right in the middle of any other plants you were trying to grow, whether you like it or not.
Next time, instead of fretting over this 'weed' though, perhaps you'll try it in a salad?

If you actually want to grow the plant purposefully, it's a pretty quick plant to identify with it's tall stalks, purple flowers (which butterflies seem to enjoy), and signature seed pods spiky things... so if you're trying to collect seeds, it's not hard ;-)

(Plant of the Week) Chamomile

Well, in an effort to actually be truthful to my blog's name, I figured I should post a bit about the awesomeness of some sort of plant with useful properties...

So, I've chosen chamomile, which makes a nice tea and looks good to grow ^_^

First off and foremost, chamomile is incredibly useful for... Stomach cramps! This is by far the most nifty use of chamomile in my opinion, because cramps suck majorly... and just drinking a bit of chamomile tea can lessen and even get rid of the pain ^_^ This includes menstrual cramps, or so I hear. No first hand experience on that one ^_^;;

That's just the tip of the iceberg for this plants internal uses too, as it also can be used for gassiness, sick tummy, tummy aches, diarrhea, fever/cold, congestion, headaches, sleeping problems, stress, nervousness (Chamomile is a relaxant, so if you ever feel too tense or fidgety... I *think* that's why it's good for headaches too... but not 100% sure on that one) and it helps digestion!
*phew*
AND it's also useful to help reduce teething pain in babies

Jeeze, that list sounds like the side effects of a bottle of pills...

As for the outside of your body, Chamomile can be ground into a paste (then add oatmeal for desired consistency) and used to help treat burns, rashes, and infections.

Simply put, this herb is useful for a LOT of things, and it doesn't taste half bad neither if I do say so myself. When me and my four siblings (One brother, three sisters) were younger, our mother used to always give us chamomile tea for stomach aches, and we always felt better afterwards.

Chamomile is generally easy to grow, and it's not hard to find seeds for them at your local garden store ^_^ (I got my seeds for it on Gardenweb, though)
Just remember you use the flowers for the tea ;-)

And thus concludes the first Plant of the Week (Which I just randomly made up and decided to do, so yay spontinuity!)
I'll start posting every Monday about the Plant of the week, which might be a plant that's simply easy to grow, something neat, something nice to look at, or more likely something edible with useful nutritional properties ^_^

Thanks for reading!