Plant Wisdom for Daily Life
The wild landscape of Mirukashi is rich with quiet teachers — leaves, roots, blossoms, and seeds offering their subtle wisdom to those who know how to listen. For years, I’ve foraged handfuls of wild foods, drawn to the flavors of the seasons, passed down to me by my mother-in-law. Now, guided by a local herbalist, I’m learning to deepen that relationship — to better understand the medicinal, culinary, and spiritual gifts of the plants around me.
Living Botanica is a chronicle of that journey. A practice of learning the names, properties, and personalities of the flora that thrive here — and discovering how they can support, nourish, and heal us in daily life.
Each post is both field guide and reflection — a way to reconnect with the natural intelligence that surrounds us. Whether steeped into tea, folded into a meal, or applied to the skin, these plants carry stories and wisdom that remind us: nature is not a resource. It is a companion and teacher.
In learning to live with plants, we learn to live more deeply — rooted, attuned, and awake to the wild beauty in and around us.
Join me on this journey into the wisdom of wild plants and the rhythms of the land.
This piece is part of Living Botanica, an ongoing series exploring the wisdom of wild plants and the quiet teachings of the land.
Ten Medicines in One Leaf
Sometimes, healing grows right at our feet. Along narrow mountain lanes and wood-edge paths, dokudami grows wild and thick — heart-shaped leaves catching the hush of morning light, white bracts opening like quiet little stars. The scent is sharp, unforgettable. Some call it unpleasant. But it doesn’t seek to charm or please. It proclaims. Something…
