“A weed is a plant whose virtue is not yet known.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
It's not just spiritual and connecting to self and the world around you, it's also really humbling (and healing) having a connection to your food that comes from plants otherwise considered weeds. Foraging for greens leads to a greater than self connection that brought me a feeling of mental stability, nourishment and self-transcendence: a radical feeling of nourishing, inclusive Oneness. A feeling of Divine connection that I used to seek in unhealing ways
"Foraging is actually a deep, dark, self-empowering and abiding source for healing our mind, body and spirit."
So far enjoyed sow thistle, milk thistle (remove spines), nettle, Rumex, dandelion, nasturtium, crystal ice plant (careful of oxalates) and Sisymbrium. The benefits of wild edible greens are covered here and nutrient density of compared favorably to that of the most nutritious domesticated leafy greens and even in urban environments, appear to be safe.
"When you eat directly from the land that surrounds you, you are taking part in communion with Mother Nature herself. You are eating the body of the Earth, birthed by the sun, and it is becoming your body. The line between “self” and “environment” begins to blur, and compassion is able to flow beyond the illusory boundaries of our individual selves and into the community of living things that surrounds us. Your goal should not be to take from nature at all, but to receive her gifts with respect and moderation, in order to cultivate reverence" [Foraging]
There's something magical about directly interacting with Nature for your sustenance without the intervention of man, in the simplicity of Nature's abundance, something that takes you closer to 'source', to a feeling of Oneness and Love.
It's hard to get a whole balanced meal off the local urban land so it's not something I suggest longer term as a complete way of life but I do feel you can get a Holy experience.
Like this person, at one stage plants became "The only thing that still made sense to me and brought connection. In that unfamiliar rawness being around most human beings was too painful. The burden of needing to act “normal” was too great. Conversely, the plants had no such expectations of me. They welcomed me, open arms, and never wanted me to be anything other than what I was." [1]
The art of foraging for a wild greens salad is a spiritual practice: Connecting with the plants and their medicine is what draws you closer to the spirit of nature, and in that communion, closer to the nature of Spirit itself.
Urban foraging helped people establish connections to place/belonging [2] and foraging embodies spiritual aspects like cultivating stillness and cultivating focus.
It is a meditation, a communing with the plants, a way of seeing and self-education "To touch them, to give an exchange, to commune with them. This is really valuable–and the plants love giving of themselves to those who revere them. And we take that bounty within and it sustains us; it allows us to further build our connection to them. The power and importance of this act of communion cannot be understated." [3]
It is a way of developing a sacred relationship with food/medicine and it brings one closer to the seasons, aligning with the energies of the land and the foods/medicine that grow here
"When you interact on this level, when it becomes part of your pantry, when it’s part of what you eat, now you have a relationship. You’re not an outsider observer. It’s not this ‘other’ thing. It’s part of you and you are part of it."
"Foragers developed individual relationships with specific plants; they described listening to these beings in order to learn how best to receive their gifts. The relational acts of giving, receiving, and interacting between foragers and more-than-human others produced a sense of belonging in place"
We are extensions of nature, so it makes sense that eating seasonally imbues the body with the energy of what nature’s actually doing in its cycle. As the food we eat thrives and grows at this time, so then will we.
Humbled by weeds
When you're feeling like a waste of space, like you don't belong, feelings of being useless, low self-worth, lacking acceptance etc relating to weeds as healing food and medicine is particularly nice plant medicine.
When you start to see this otherwise unappreciated life force like a weed in a positive light through compassionately relating to it for your day to day healing sustenance, you kindle a new kind of compassion towards yourself and others. You start to relate to the aspects in yourself or others you typically denigrate much differently.
When you feel like you don't belong, or are lacking acceptance of self or others, the weeds teach you to find that again compassionately and gently, starting small in the world around you and bringing that back into your core to nourish the aspects of yourself that are hurt and hurting and out solidify a new compassionate embrace in the world. You connect deeply with a heartier attitude towards Nature and others in the world around you.
'Weeds' are a great leveler medicine to embrace "otherness" that teach us to learn to accept, even appreciate not just Nature differently but at a deeper level, to see, hold and accept ourselves and 'others' in a more positive light.
"Wouldn’t it be great if we all started to change our attitudes and broaden our ideas of belonging and accepting, of embracing our differences and trusting that wherever we (and others) are is the right place to be right now? Maybe if we do this, we’ll all gravitate to our natural heart-space..." [4]
Common Sow Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus)
"...although it is widely considered to be a weed, the potential nutritional and medicinal quality of Sonchus species is much more than any other leafy vegetables" [5]
Their nutritional value was higher than those of cultivated vegetables like spinach and cabbage. Their consumption could help in alleviating the problem of malnutrition at a negligible cost. They are a good source of carotenoids, phenolics and other active constituents
S. oleraceus has been used as a general tonic in Brazilian folk medicine showing anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. It has been used to relieve headaches, general pain, hepatitis, infections and inflammation
Nasturtium
Morning nice nose-twisting Nasturtium wake ups are pleasant
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L.) is "believed to act in the ascension of emotional energy expressed in different forms as manifestations of anguish, frustration, anxiety and depression; and, in recent years, this plant has been popularly used as antidepressant agent". In animal models, it has anxiolytic effects
It is widely used due its anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-hypertensive and anti-depressive properties.
It contains high concentrations of benzylglucosinolate. The hydrolysis products isothiocyanates (ITCs), are potent inducers of phase II detoxifying enzymes and subsequently confer protection against oxidative stress and chronic inflammation
It has outstanding antioxidant activity due to its rich phenolic content and a good source of carotenoids
Dandelions
Dandelions are "one of the healthiest foods on the planet"
The genus name, Taraxacum, is derived from the Greek taraxos, meaning “disorder,” and akos, meaning “remedy” and it is used by many cultures.
Dandelion has a gentle strength and is the quintessential essence of balance and integrity. Harmonising the qualities of earth alignment with the freedom of the skies, dandelion teaches adaptation, rootedness and release [1].
Dandelion is an entirely edible plant and its leaves, roots, and flowers are incorporated into different food products. The whole plant is recognized as safe and well tolerated by humans, with no reported adverse effects. It is used in herbal medicine to treat various disorders such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, gallbladder disorders, digestive complaints, and rheumatic diseases and exhibits several biological activities, including anti-cancer, hepatoprotective effect, anti-inflammatory effects, anti-obesity, neuroprotective and antidepressant effects. It is of interest in metabolic conditions [2]
Aerial parts and root have been found to be rich sources of polyphenols, including cinnamic acid derivatives, flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones and triterpenoids [3]
"The most biologically relevant components of dandelion are the sesquiterpene lactones (suggested to exert anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects), the plant also contains several phenylpropanoids (shown to exert inflammation-modulating effects), terpenoids, polysaccharides (shown to play a role in immune regulation and to exert platelet antiaggregation activity, hepatoprotective effects, and antitumoral activity), and inulin (currently under investigation for its immunostimulatory functions).
It contains high amounts of minerals, proteins, fiber, and vitamins and a balanced combination of trace elements and compared to spinach, dandelion has a higher content of dietary fiber and proteins and a greater variety of amino acids and of most vitamins and minerals and one of the richest green-vegetable sources of β-carotene"
Young leaves are habitually consumed fresh as salads, either alone or in combination with other plants such as lettuce, shallot tops, or chives They may also be boiled and drained, sprinkled with pepper and salt, and moistened with soup or butter.
Purslane
100 grams of fresh purslane leaves contain 300 to 400 mg of alpha-linolenic acid. The young shoots are fleshy, slightly tart and mucilaginous, and provide a salty tang to any salad. Lightly steamed, it is delicious with butter and pepper, making it an excellent “greens”. The leaves are rich in fibre, vitamins C and A, with some B vitamins and minerals as well.
"Phytochemical investigations revealed that this plant a wide range of secondary metabolites including alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids and organic acids. The most important pharmacological activities are renoprotective activities and effects on metabolism. P. oleracea could successfully decrease blood glucose and lipid profile of patients with metabolic syndrome. The safety of P. oleracea has been reported in many clinical trials.
Modern pharmacological studies have now proven many traditional uses of P. oleracea, including anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic, renoprotective and hepatoprotective effects. In addition, in many clinical trials P. oleracea showed no adverse effects and constipation was reported as the most frequent adverse effect.
Mallow
Malva parviflora possesses significant antioxidant potential. It contains oleanolic acid and derivatives, scopoletin and tiliroside with hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activity
These weeds have "great potential as an interesting source for natural health products".
https://kamimcbride.com/mallow-eat-healing-weeds/ Milk Thistle
Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked however the very sharp leaf-spines must be removed first. When cooked these leaves make a great spinach substitute
Sisymbrium
Sisymbrium has many uses in folk medicine with high nutritional value
Taste is a pleasant good strength mustard flavour
I'm just cautious not to have too much (or flowering tops) as there have been concerns
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