Medicinal golden ginkgo leaf tea. Vegan, paleo, gluten-free natural medicine

November is autumn in Texas and the leaves are finally starting to turn -- some of them anyway. Many varieties of Southern trees will just go directly from green to brown and fall without ever hitting any of the vibrant shades of yellow, gold, orange, red and crimson that one will see in the North. 

But the ginkgo puts on a stunning display every year, regardless of climate. The fall leaves range from cheery lemon yellow to luscious gold, and stand out in vibrant contrast to the intense blue of the November sky. 

Now is the perfect time of year to harvest the leaves for medicinal herbal teas. Though ginkgo is most often harvested green (because you get a greater yield if you do so), it is generally considered that the medicinal qualities are concentrated and enhanced once the leaves turn. 

Furthermore, when the leaves go golden, they have lost most of their chlorophyl, and are no longer benefiting the tree by making sugars to store in the roots for winter. 

So by waiting to harvest till fall, you get a more concentrated herb, and the tree maximizes its survival and growth. A win-win for everyone!

Oh and by the way, if you would like to learn more about ginkgo, including it's history, how to identify it, and how to use the "nuts" please check out my post here!

Always pluck leaves from the tree, don't harvest from the ground. 

How to harvest ginkgo leaves -- DON'T pick them off the ground 

You do want to take the golden leaves from the tree, not fallen from the ground. Once they fall, there is a greater chance of them becoming contaminated with potentially dangerous terrestrial molds that shouldn't be ingested. Cooking/boiling doesn't always remove the dangers these molds can pose. 

It's perfectly safe to use the leaves on the ground for soaps, salves and crafts.  

Regardless of how you plan to use the leaves, make sure to inspect them for signs of fungal infection and insect larva or eggs.

Always inspect your leaves for signs of insect or fungal contamination

As a natural medicine

Ginkgo leaves are even more important to natural medicines than the ginkgo nut. Ginkgo extracts are actually made from the leaves, not the nuts, particularly the golden leaves in autumn.

Historically a very important herb in Eastern medicine, gingko biloba has been shown in Western clinical trials increase blood flow, which may be the key reason it is reported to help with memory and brain health. In addition, it may help prevent blog clots and stroke.

(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15549661)

Unfortunately, clinical trails to see if ginkgo helps with memory, dementia, and/or Alzheimer's have been mixed or conflicted in results. 

In addition to memory and brain health, Eastern medicine has used the extract of ginkgo for centuries. There, it's advocated for a wide range of ailments, including:

• Anxiety and depression, including seasonal affective disorder. 
• Vision health, including diabetes-related vision problems
• PMS symtoms
• Libido problems and sexual disfunction, at least in men. Use of ginkgo as a treatment for sexual issues in women remains controversial. 
• Respiratory ailments, including asthma
• Immune health and recovery of chemotherapy patients
• Circulatory health - which also may help with leg an extremity pain and/or tingling
• Brain health and memory function
• Reducing the symptoms of Schizophrenia
• Free-radical fighting antioxident
• Energy enhancement and stimulant (without caffeine)

A note of caution:

Because ginkgo can increase blood flow, it's advised that you avoid ginkgo if you have a bleeding disorder, are pregnant or looking to become pregnant, or are on blood thinning medicines.

There are other medicines that may interact, if you are on any medication or have health issues, check with your doctor before you try ginkgo.

Avoid taking ginkgo when you are breastfeeding, as it may pass into your milk and trigger an allergic reaction for the baby.

The first time you try ginkgo tea, have only a little bit to make sure you're not allergic. 

How I use ginkgo tea

I have personally found ginkgo tea to be effective against headaches, especially tension headaches, "vision-based headaches (like looking at a screen too long), and ophthalmic migraines (but sadly not full migraines).

I also find it to be a very mild stimulant, like a weaker version of ginseng. 

And honestly, it does wonders against mensural cramps, equal in it's effectiveness at reducing pain to a couple of extra-strength ibuprofen. However, I don't find the effects to last as long as over the counter medicines. In my experience, the tea's effectiveness starts to wear off after about 40-60 minutes after I drink it. 

Since ginkgo tea isn't something you should be drinking constantly, I don't find it to be something I can 

The gorgeous yellow color of the dried tea is almost too vibrant to be believed

How to make golden ginkgo leaf tea 

The most common way to benefit from the natural health benefits of gingko biloba is to use the golden autumnal leaves as a tea. This is best done with dried leaves. Depending on the size of the holes in your infuser, you might want to remove the stems before you dry the ginkgo. If the holes are large enough in size, the stems can come out into the tea. They are easier to remove when the leave is fresh. 

You definitely want to increase the surface area, so the water absorbs all of the benefit of the leaves. For dried leaves, this is best done by breaking up the leaf, either by hand, or with a mortar and pestle. If you're feeling really ambitious, dried leaves can be ground in a coffee or spice grinder, this will maximize your yield. 

I generally use about a teaspoon in my infuser and let it steep in very hot water, just under boiling, for about a minute to a minute and a half. 

Steeped on it's own, gingko leaf tea is a pale yellow color with green undertones.  The flavor is mellow, mild and faintly floral.  I would best describe it as tasting like marshmallows (the candy, not the plant) without any sugar. That's a hard thing to picture, I know, because sweet is the overwhelming flavor we associate with marshmallows. But if you try this tea you'll see what I mean. 

You can also mix it in with green tea, or with herbal tea blends. Some that I recommend giving a try: hibiscus, rose hip, any mint tea, ginger. Most any flavor will work, but the flavor of the ginkgo tends to get masked. If you really like the ginkgo flavor, just drink it on it's own.

Foraging: how to identify turkey tail mushrooms for natural, cancer-fighting medicines. 4 simple steps

The medicinal turkey tail mushroom is in the foreground here, showcasing it's iconic banding and zoning.

 Identification difficulty: Beginner 

Hi everyone!

Last year I posted about how to dry turkey tail mushrooms and make a cancer-fighting and immune-strengthening tea.

Now I'm back, because new research has come up in the past year, and I can provide updated information on just how turkey tails (Trametes versicolor) are performing in their clinical trials. (Here's a hint: they are doing well) and also science has given us more information on dosage and potential adverse reactions. (There aren't many). I will cover the updated research in a future post.

But for now, I want to show you how to identify Trametes versicolor (previously known as Coriolus versicolor) on your own, if you find it in the woods. Right now, preparations of this mushroom are only produced by a few suppliers, and are therefor expensive. However, this is a widely-distributed fungus, and frequently fruits abundantly, so there is no reason why you can't forage it on your own for free.

Special note on Turkey Tails: I have listed this ID as a beginner level difficulty. In fact, it can actually be quite hard to tell Trametes versicolor from some other varieties of Trametes. However, none of these similar looking mushrooms are poisonous, which is why I still consider this a beginner level mushroom.

So, let's talk turkey!

The edible and medicinal wood ear mushroom: Auricularia species. Foraging, identifying and preparing this wild mushroom.

  Identification difficulty level: Beginner

2022 Update Note:
Between 2013 - 2015, extensive DNA analysis was done on the mushrooms previously known as Auricularia auricula, and it was discovered that what was believed to be one species was actually a cluster of closely related species. This information was not confirmed until 2019, and not widely published until recently. 

Auricularia auricula-judae was discovered to actually be multiple different species that look and act very similar. The name Auricularia auricula-judae now only applies to the European species.

The Asian species have been renamed as Auricularia heimuer and Auricularia villosula, and the American species are Auricularia angiospermarum (on broadleaf trees) and Auricularia americana (on conifers). 

I have gone ahead and edited this post to simply refer to the mushroom as Auricularia species, as all the identification features remain the same. 

Auricularia species are better known as the wood ear, jelly ear, or tree ear, it also has an outdated name of jew's ear. In China it's called the black fungus, cloud fungus, black mushroom, or black jelly mushroom. It's widely used as both food and natural medicine, having anti-tumor (anti-cancer), anticoagulant, cholesterol-lowering, and hypoglycemic effects.

As a bonus, it's a fairly easy mushroom to identify, though there are similar looking fungi, they aren't poisonous, and many are actually edible. But, as always, it's your responsibility to make sure you are 100% positive you have a correct identification, by corroborating with several reliable sources and/or local experts.

One note of caution: because of the anticoagulant effects, it's important not to consumer wood ear if you are on blood thinning medications.

Now, on to identification and cooking tips!

Deadnettle and Henbit: two edible, medicinal herbal weeds of early spring

Left: purple deadnettle, right: henbit

Deadnettle identification difficulty: Novice
Henbit identification difficulty: Beginner

These two weedy wildflowers of early spring are very similar. They both have dark green leaves, bright pink/purple flowers with long necks, and grow low go the ground, no higher than 6" or so. Both somewhat resemble nettles, but neither have a sting. They frequently grow together, and are often confused for one another, so I thought I'd do a combo post about them.

Caution: deadnettle should not be taken while pregnant or trying to become pregnant.

This is purple deadnettle, Lamium purpureum. It's also known as red deadnettle and purple archangel, and it has a closely related variety, called spotted deadnettle, Lamium maculatum, whose leaves have white spots or patches.

This is henbit, Lamium amplexicaule, sometimes called henbit deadnettle. I've also found it in a white-flowered variety, which I'm having a hard time getting info about, so I can't tell you the Latin name, but I've tried it, and it seems to be perfectly edible as well. Nearly all mints are edible, so it's a fairly safe family to try in small amounts, before you move on to whole meals

white henbit

Both are wild herbs in the mint family, but don't taste like mints. Lots of our herbs are actually mints, including basil, sage and oregano. Like many other herbs, deadnettle and have medicinal properties, and can be used as a food and flavoring. Because deadnettle and henbit are closer to the wild, many feel that their medical qualities are stronger.

How to dry turkey tail mushrooms for medicinal teas

    Update: my post on how to identify Turkey Tail mushrooms is live.     

Just a quick post today. Last weekend I came upon a large harvest of turkey tail mushrooms: Trametes versicolor (previously known as Coriolus versicolor). Through generally considered too tough to be edible, turkey tails are one of the most famous medicinal mushrooms.

Turkey tails are prized in Eastern medicine, where they are known as Yun Zhi (cloud fungus) in China, and Kawaratake (mushroom by the riverbank) in Japan.

In Asia, as early as the 50s, doctors and scientists noticed decreases tumor growth, and sometimes tumor shrinkage, in cancer patients who were drinking turkey tail tea. They also noticed improved immune systems and faster recovery from chemotherapy and radiation.

In the US, pre-clinical trials and stage 1 and 2 clinical trials have shown turkey tail to have positive immune-boosting effects for patients with breast, gastrointestinal, and respiratory cancers. In addition, they have isolated a compound which may help inhibit tumor growth. (Medical abstract here)

My first time trying foraged ginkgo nuts: from identification, to eating, and preservation

When we first moved into our new home, last October, I was excited to see a ginkgo tree in the front yard. There was a handful of fruit on the ground, letting me know the tree was female (ginkgo are deciduous, and only females produce fruit). I sat back and waited for more fruit to fall.

Sadly, last year we only got about 10-12 fruits. I researched this, and learned that when a tree produces very few fruit it generally means it's in very bad shape, and most likely going to die. I suspect that the 7 year drought Texas had just been through was to blame.

This year, we had rain again, and we really baby-d the tree: pruning dead branches, extra watering, etc. She seems to have made a full recovery, as the ground this fall has been completely covered in fruit every single week!

Identification difficulty level: Beginner

Special warning: do not handle gingko fruit, especially broken fruit, with your bare hands. If you come in contact with it, wash thoroughly. People with blood clotting problems, bleeding disorders, or prone to heavy bruising shouldn't take ginkgo in any form. Nor should those who are have had seizures, pregnant women, and anyone who will be going in for surgery.  Raw ginkgo nuts are dangerous, and toxic to many. The fruit and the raw nut should not be eaten. More on all this and how to safely harvest and prepare, further on.

This is what falls every week, on ONE side of the tree! Even more must fall into the bushes or our driveway.

Ginkgo quick history & medicinal uses

Ginkgo biloba (full name), also known as the maidenhair tree, duck feet tree, silver apricot, silver almond, white nut or silver fruit, is a living fossil, the last member of it's family. Ginkgo itself would most likely be extinct as well, if it hadn't been preserved through the ice age by ancient Chinese priests who considered it holy. They grew ginkgo in their temples, and still do today. Ginkgo is very long-lived and hardy, some of the temple trees are several thousand years old, and still other ginkgo trees survived the nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.