I am but an ember
Bearing the weight and suffocation
Of the ash from the fire
that was once my life
Gasping for oxygen, I am fading
With no fuel to feed
What is purely me
Where once there was safety
Laughter and joy
Connections felt stable, warm, and alive
But the ash is so deep now
I shall faintly flicker
And fade away
Each spring I look forward to making a tiny batch of Devil’s club bud pesto. The timing has to be perfect for the buds. Before you decide to lecture me, I promise I know how to harvest thoughtfully without harming the plants, give thanks, and I try to give back. I am also lucky enough live in a place where this stuff is incredibly abundant.
Step 1: peel outer layers off
Step 2: rinse
Step 3: blanch in salted water for 2 minutes
Step 4: add your favorite pesto ingredients (for me it was toasted pine nuts, olive oil and vegetable oil mix, lemon juice, salt, garlic, Parmesan.)
Note: it freezes best if you omit the garlic, lemon juice, and Parmesan. When you’re ready to use it, simply thaw and add those ingredients to brighten it up. I’ve found that it pairs well with smoked salmon.
Note 2: if you’ve never ingested any of this plant, I recommend trying a very tiny bit at first to see if your body responds negatively. It’s mostly used topically and sometimes as a tea, so this particular way of using the plant is not very common. Devil’s club is a very powerful plant that has been used medicinally by indigenous peoples for time immemorial.
So I’ve been taking it for about a year now. 300mg… the last couple of months I’ve noticed that on days where I space taking it, I feel lighter. Is it normal for this medication to suddenly have the opposite effect?