Super Soft, Super Versatile Lamb's Ear

10/9/2020 Comments

Super Soft, Super Versatile Lamb's Ear

Last fall bit of Lamb's Ear.

This plant is quite lovely, especially in bloom. Of course it is the tactile feel of the leaves which is most appealing. It does not stun us with fragrance, but feel- "oh my!" Just look at the leaves in the picture, they sure do look like little lamb's ears. This plant belongs to the Stachys family of plants. It is very antimicrobial, which I find extremely interesting, because I would not think it. I usually think of the fragrant plants that are turned into essential oils, oregano, thyme, lavender, etc. as being antimicrobial.

My favorite use for this plant is as a bandage, or wrap for external purposes. The leaves work perfectly in a fomentation, or poultice. Instead of using cloth, I love to use Lamb's Ear when it is available. It is necessary to pick fresh and soft, not dried.

One of my children recently had a large bruise on his leg, from playing as boys play and climb, and run, etc. (Or as they should in normal conditions). It was uncomfortable enough, that I had him sit with a fomentation of Ragweed Tea and the Lamb's ear as a bandage/ poultice.

I love to use herbs in their season and they always seem to be available at just the right time and moment. I had a plethora of Goldenrod, also very good for wounds of all sorts. I brewed a beautiful yellow pot of tea by boiling the water, adding big cuttings of the Goldenrod, and letting it steep with the lid on.

Then I soaked the Lamb's Ear in the pot of tea, until they were hot and soft. I carefully removed the leaves from the pot after about a minute of soaking. A tongs works well for this, and you can lay the hot leaves on a ceramic dish. When the leaves were warm too touch, I laid them on his knee, and left there for 10 minutes. I also wrapped the affected area, with another dry towel to keep the heat in. I repeated this 2 more times (10 minutes) each time. We repeated over a few days, and say a great, and fast healing of the bruise.

I hate that I have to give a warning here. The way the world is, there is a warning for everything. Use common sense when applying and trying herbs. There are a lot of great books and courses with age old information, passed down. Some day I will write my own courses, and books. For now, I will recommend Rosemary Gladstar, because she has great plant knowledge.

Why did I do this? Why not just pop a pill, or rub on some salve? Well- I use intuition as a healer, and experience. It seemed like just what the "herbalist" ordered, when I made the Goldenrod tea, and cut my lamb's ear. Practice. That may be another reason......