Scary Beans

I'm recording my HealthyLife.net show this week; to be aired in October.

Boo!

I'm focusing on the scariest legumes.

Creeping, crawling, thorny plants that will give you quite the fright.

Maybe even turn your face blue.

> Kudzu (Pueraria)

The name strikes terror in the heart of those who have seen it engulf a tree in a single season. It's said to grow so fast that you can see it grow. A healthy plant can grow up to twelve inches in 24 hours, so, I think you probably could see it grow if you watched for an hour or two. Kudzu vines can reach 100 feet in one growing season. Fortunately, there are a few good uses for it, even medicine. Tune in to HealthyLife.net to get the scoop.

> Locoweed (Astragalus, Oxytropis)

This one literally deranges animals that graze on it. And it tastes so good, they want to eat it. Eek! Locoweed grows on millions of acres of American pasturelands; 8 million in Montana alone. It's not one plant, but a host of them, mostly in the Astragalus genus. And it's not the plant itself that is the problem, but a fungus it harbors that drives animals crazy. I'll share lots more at HealthyLife.net.

> Gorse (Ulex)

Gorze grows fast. Gorze grows big. Gorse has thorns. Gorse readily becomes a dominant plant in suitable conditions. It prevents other plants from growing and even shades out already established plants. Gorze — also know as broom or furze — is a menace. Where this is undesirable for agricultural or ecological reasons, control is required either to remove gorse completely, or to limit its extent. Gorse-stands are often managed by regular burning or flailing, allowing them to regrow from stumps or seed. Denser areas of gorse may be bulldozed. It does have a few medicinal uses, which I'll explain in detail during my HealthyLife.net show.

> Indigo (Indigofera tinctoria)

Being blue in the face is scary. Dye with indigo and your hands and arms, and your face, if you touch it, will turn blue — and stay that way. Before the Revolutionary War, indigo accounted for more than one-third of the value of exports from the American colonies. It was enslaved West Africans from present-day Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Nigeria who actually cultivated those indigo seeds and introduced indigo to North America in the form of dye, where it became the colony's second-most important cash crop (after rice). Indigo is also used to kill fish and indigo. Eek! Want to turn blue? I'll tell you how at HealthyLife.net in October.

You can listen to my previous HealthyLife shows at www.wisewomanmentor.com if you are a mentored student.

It is in beauty.

Every breath is a giveaway dance.

All hearts beat with the heartbeat of the earth.

We are surrounded by green blessings.

Gratitude

Joy

Boo!