Herb Of The Month: Fireweed

I have written about the amazing health benefits of this wild flower on my blog before.

In our household Fireweed has multiple uses.

We dry its flowers for winter teas that we enjoy not only for their wonderful taste and aroma, but mostly for their detoxication and immune system support.

But we are not the only ones who benefit from fireweed´s medicinal and nutritional values. This herb (flowers and leaves) is one of the ingredients in our weekly detox cure for our dogs.

Every month, since the end of May until about mid September (that is the vegetation time for pretty much all plants in our latitude) we gratefully accept Mother Nature´s offerings and use fresh herbs (mostly wild flowers and so called "weeds") in the dogs´ feeding program. 

Each month offers different plants, so it is typical for us to feed for example a lot of dandelions in June, then slowly transition to plantain, etc.

This year the summer came early and it is exceptionally hot, so the meadows are covered with blooming fireweed right now, about two to three weeks early.

Therefore, I am featuring Fireweed just now. This relatively invasive plant is home in northern hemisphere, but can be occasionally found in highland areas further south as well.

We love its rich vitamin C and bioflavonoid content as well as its detoxifying properties and we give it to our dogs fresh or as a fusion on daily or every second day basis during summer.

This is the simpler way to use fireweed (both flowers and leaves, not stems) for a large pack of dogs. 

Chop all into small pieces and add to a meat soup. If you are not feeding meat, toss it in a bucket with water, add good quality oil (cold pressed flex seed, wheat germ, coconut or fish) and pour this herbal "soup" over the dogs´s food.

I never waste anything from our herbal harvest, if I don´t have to. Leftover leaves can be put in a plastic bowl with cool water and kept till the next day for another feeding.

To read more about fireweed, its contents and benefits, read my other article here.

Next I am going to write a bit more about another way to use fireweed - as a fusion. Stay tuned!