tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126851330711748036.post3335050054861894878..comments2009-06-29T00:10:49.620-05:00fremeninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09013535647786801095noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126851330711748036.post-42061508884127103252009-06-29T00:10:49.620-05:002009-06-29T00:10:49.620-05:00Well, it&#39;s tricky to summarize... Like many plants, Werewolf Root--as Wood named it; it is also called Medicine Lodge Root by the Anishinabe--has a number of different aspects. Its stems and right-angled root suggest divergence, and it can be used to effect a radical change in direction, possibly as a means to avert death, either spiritual or physical. It works on the gall bladder and the kidneys, which are considered in Chinese medicine to be where the life-forces resides. Wood writes of its use in treatment of &quot;high-impact&quot; injuries, sudden blows or attacks. He mentions, also, that it is a medicine which &quot;...addresses problems which arise out of the juxtaposition of the ego and the spirit. ...These are the times when nothing will do except total transformation. One can never return to the past.&quot;<br /><br />Interestingly, I have for quite a long time felt that I&#39;ve had a sort of intangible illness of the kidneys. And the ego/spirit thing probably goes without saying...<br /><br />Incidentally, Spreading Dogbane isn&#39;t exactly poisonous (I don&#39;t think it&#39;d kill you) but after reading the account of his proving on himself, anyone would be wary of messing around with it. I might go hang out with it for a while, get to know it a little better, before making a move. Or maybe I&#39;ll just go dig myself a root next time I&#39;m up that way. Nature calls... <br /><br />And, yes, there are many fine thistles and ferns on that gentle slope, among the grasses and the Werewolf Root. It&#39;s quite a lovely spot, especially so in recent years, and one that draws me...fremeninehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09013535647786801095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126851330711748036.post-86298669205004021392009-06-27T23:43:52.783-05:002009-06-27T23:43:52.783-05:00What did he use this medicine for?JB aka JayBeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14431069014609964633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6126851330711748036.post-18283378476836110822009-06-27T19:08:32.508-05:002009-06-27T19:08:32.508-05:00We did wander out that way, and encountered thistles and lady fern. Oh werewolf root, werefore art thou?Cosmic Monkeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09919396612601393175noreply@blogger.com