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(More customer reviews)For years I have supported native plant efforts, harvesting so-called alien invasive plants with abandon or supporting eradication efforts, believing them to crowd out native species like sundews. But I rarely see the native habitat actually restored and strong enough to stand on its own.
I admit that I have secretly felt happy to be around delicious garlic mustard which chemically alters the ground around it so other plants won't compete, or St. John's wort which invades pastureland, or even Japanese knotweed which is both beautiful, delicious and provides root medicine. Purple marshes of loosestrife delight my heart and I love the honey that the (alien) honeybees make from it. My computer has not a few photos of scenic kudzu covered fields, complete with green car wrecks and outbuildings. And I use these species to make David Winston speaks of all the medicine that can be made of invasives like Japanese honeysuckle, plantain leaves, knapweed,
Timothy Lee Scott makes a case that invasives rarely gain a toehold in undisturbed, healthy ecosystems. Ecosystem imbalance is not always clear- a change in the pH of the water or soil from acid rain, trace amounts of pollutants in the water or from pesticide drift, even earthworms in a forest that did not previously have them can cause an imbalances that plants or animals but not people can perceive. As a result the natives are overwhelmed and those invasive species which have the ability to detoxify water like phragmites or purple loosestrife and can dig deep down into depleted water tables like tamarisk can heal the land. Further he believes that plants show up when needed, like Japanese knotweed or knapweed moving into areas where Lyme disease was being established. Well maybe.
The book makes a number of claims, some well-supported like the idea that invasive species actually support richer biodiversity than similar native strands (who may be under stress) and others more rooted in belief.
1. All ecosystems change and are in a stage of continuous change
2. Invasive species can detoxify (phragmites can break down TNT) and bring up ground water
3. Invasive species will not "take over" a healthy ecosystem
4. Plants will grow where they are needed
5. Invasive stands support a well-diversified ecosystem
6. We make a worse mess when we pull out or chemically zap invasive species
It is impossible to tell if all of these are true. Would the Great North Woods be losing species if the garlic mustard were not chemically treating the soil to prevent competition? Is the earth really healing under blankets of kudzu? Did plants in fact grow where Lyme disease has shown up given that we poorly understand the etiology or distribution of either? Would native sundews occupy the bogs if the purple loosestrife weren't crowding out the sun and soil?
The second half of the book is on the herbal use of invasives. The information is good. But having been convinced at how well these invasives take up toxins and pollutants, I want more than "stay away from polluted areas" before I wildcraft them. Scott has done a pretty good job of convincing us that the reason the plants grow where they do is because they are healing the land. I think the two halves of the book need more of a bridge because it sounds as if we are using plants that have toxins and heavy metals which could hurt us. I am not convinced that they will- the presence of a compound or heavy metal in a plant does not mean it is bioavailable. But I would have appreciated more discussion.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Invasive Plant Medicine: The Ecological Benefits and Healing Abilities of Invasives
The first book to demonstrate how plants originally considered harmful to the environment actually restore Earth's ecosystems and possess powerful healing properties • Explains how invasive plants enhance biodiversity, purify ecosystems, and revitalize the land • Provides a detailed look at the healing properties of 25 of the most common invasive plants Most of the invasive plant species under attack for disruption of local ecosystems in the United States are from Asia, where they play an important role in traditional healing. In opposition to the loud chorus of those clamoring for the eradication of all these plants that, to the casual observer, appear to be a threat to native flora, Timothy Scott shows how these opportunistic plants are restoring health to Earth's ecosystems. Far less a threat to the environment than the cocktails of toxic pesticides used to control them, these invasive plants perform an essential ecological function that serves to heal both the land on which they grow and the human beings who live upon it. These plants remove toxic residues in the soil, providing detoxification properties that can help heal individuals. Invasive Plant Medicine demonstrates how these "invasives" restore natural balance and biodiversity to the environment and examines the powerful healing properties offered by 25 of the most common invasive plants growing in North America and Europe. Each plant examined includes a detailed description of its physiological actions and uses in traditional healing practices; tips on harvesting, preparation, and dosage; contraindications; and any possible side effects. This is the first book to explore invasive plants not only for their profound medical benefits but also with a deep ecological perspective that reveals how plant intelligence allows them to flourish wherever they grow.
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