Yarrow Medicine Tea Painting -- 1st and 2nd Layers --

Sand dunes, dune grass, white flowered yarrow, and the smell of salt and seaweed are my memories of the Oregon Coast. When I was a child there were certain plants that I would stare at as if hypnotized. Yarrow was one of them. The plant grows from the coastal mountains to the alpine meadows of the Cascade Range. The delicate white flowers and lace like leaves were a work of art I could stare at forever. I had no idea the ancient myths or healing recipes that surround this plant When I was a child, I just thought it was beautiful..

Now I know why I liked the plant so much and I want to share some of what I found. Yarrow is easy to grow from seed and makes a pretty border flower, mine grew around a foot tall and I harvested them for digestive tea. The plant is bitter but you can eat the leaves, they are tasty when young, A welcome addition to your salads.

You can buy yarrow and or its seeds at any herbal store, it's one of the most common of the medicinal herbs sold. Mountain Rose Herbs is one of the stores I trust. They are organic and from Oregon!

I will include recipes and preserving methods in my next post with my finished painting. Here is a link to some data on this ancient plant and the myths surrounding.

This painting is being rendered on mixed media paper with watercolor and gouache. I'm trying to loosen up but it's been a struggle and I'm all tukered out fighting my need for details!

I was so tired today, no reason why, I guess it was one of those days one just takes one step at a time. I can't wait to go to sleep tonight.

I'm off for my evening walk, sorry to post and run. Hopefully the walk will wake me up! I'll be back to check my friends posts and comments.