She started off with a wave. Graceful sprays of yellow beckoning gently from the roadside as we sped by in our metal boxes. 'Oh, how pretty!', I'd sometimes say, 'I wonder who that is?'. And then back to whatever thought, song, conversation was happening. This went on for years! It wasn't until recently, after purchasing land near my childhood home, that I decided to stop the car and meet this golden lady up close and personal.
It was just after the equinox, and the day was shining, autumnwarm with a hint of the chill to come. I'd been driving up and down the same road for months since returning to the area. In what would become one of many moments of grace, there were several safe places to pull over for a closer look. On this day I brought nothing but my curiosity and my breath to giveaway. I spent an infinite hour walking and standing with this abundant and intriguing new friend, delighted by the bees and butterflies dancing around her tiny blooms.
A few taste tests later, I found solidago's sweet-smelling flowers to be a fascinating contrast with her slightly bitter leaves. "I can help you take the bitter with the sweet," Goldenrod giggled. How did she know?! You see, earlier in the week, okay, that day too, I'd been lamenting my inability to locate St Joan's wort in my area. While I'd met her in the wild out west and had successfully planted her in our community garden in DC, I was still feeling grief over leaving her behind when we moved back to central Virginia. Even before the sore muscles that go along with building a homestead, St Joan had become a valued ally for pain relief. The jars of tincture I'd made several summers ago were dwindling. What to do?
As the sun beamed down, a slight breeze blew and swayed the tall stalks of goldenrod. Suddenly, my mind's eye jumped between the two yellow flowered sisters, one from fond memory, one right before me. Both growing lavishly by the roadside, with tiny blooms bright as the sun. One species of solidago even has white dots on her leaves (Solidago odora), reminiscent of the perforations on hypericum (perforatum). "Yes honey! Now you're getting it. I've been here all along." Was that an eye roll I detected? While goldenrod is most known for her cold and flu prevention, I'm looking forward to exploring her anti-inflammatory properties, along with whatever else she would like to share.
I stood warming my face, pondering the tinctures, honeys, vinegars and teas I'd eventually make, and when I returned from this reverie, goldenrod glittered grandly all around me. "Look no further friend! Let's see what we can do together!"
Aṣẹ! May it be so!
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Lucretia loves connecting people with plants. As a Wise Woman herbalist, her favorite times are spent meeting new and old plant friends wherever she happens to be. Sharing those relationships with other humans led her to create House of Lukaya in 2003. House of Lukaya is a mobile and online shop with offerings including a pocket Guide to Nourishing Herbal Infusions, earth based body care, incense twists, and handicrafts. Lucretia serves on the board of Herbalists Without Borders. She established the DC Chapter in 2015, where she and other volunteers have maintained a public medicinal garden for educational and harvesting purposes.
Along with the plants themselves, Lucretia's approach to herbal medicine has been greatly inspired by apprenticeship and mentorship with Susun Weed. She enjoys hosting field walks, tincture tastings, and home remedy workshops. Lucretia welcomes your communications by phone, 804-482-0585, by email, lucretia@houseoflukaya.com and on Instagram @houseoflukaya.