Pennyroyal Tea

 

This year I decided I wanted to grow mint. In my research, I became intrigued with pennyroyal and decided to grow some. Pennyroyal has been used since Ancient Greek and Roman times as an emmenagogue (more specifically an abortifacient) and a way to dispel afterbirth and dead fetuses. Unfortunately, over the years the abortifacient aspect got misinterpreted and amplified, resulting in many deaths. The most recent documented death occurred in 1994 in California. Also, there was a death of a 16 year old girl in Maryland in 1912 who took 36(!) pennyroyal pills to induce abortion. I can only imagine how many more women have died or been permanently injured. There are a lot of feelings and history (and poison!) in these little inconspicuous plants. I planted them on a waning gibbous phase of a cancer moon (I'm a cancer moon, but born under a waning crescent). Apparently, just a tablespoon of pennyroyal oil can cause a person to go into multi organ failure. 

An interesting article on pennyroyal from the Museum of Contraception and Abortion

"Drawing from a 13th-century manuscript of Pseudo-Apuleius's Herbarium, depicting a pregnant woman in repose, while another holds some pennyroyal in one hand and prepares a concoction using a mortar and pestle with the other. Pennyroyal was historically used as an herbal abortifacient.

Source: scanned from Contraception and Abortion from the Ancient World to the Renaissance by John M. Riddle." - from wikimedia commons

Palomino Willow

 

Dyed some antique linens with willow branches and leaves two weeks ago. Found a tree by a little stream on a back road to harvest from. I got this buttery soft palomino color.

I remember being little and driving past a Rutter's convenience store just over the Mason Dixon Line, and loved seeing this horse in the window. It is now a Palomino from the sun. 

Mugwort Dye

 I watched both sessions of the Baltimore Natural Dye Symposium last weekend, put on in conjunction with the Maryland Institute College of Art Fiber Department. The first was "Indigo Shade Map" https://youtu.be/z-BdjM0PAfA featuring Gasali Adeyemo, Brittany Boles, Wang Sik Kim, and Kenya Miles, moderated by Rosa Sungji Chang. The second, and the one I was very inspired by was "Korean Natural Dyes: Traditions Meet the Contemporary and Beyond"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukw2DwscCQg  featuring Dr. Heo, Buk Gu, Prof. Cho, Mi Sook, Kindigo, and Aimee Lee, moderated by Rosa Sungji Chang. Though indigo was the focus of both sessions, after watching the Korean Natural Dye session, a link left in the chat to a Korean artist, Yang Soon Ja, who dyes with persimmon  http://www.jejucatalyst.com/479-2/ put me on to dyeing with mugwort (Ssuk). I have three bushes growing in my garden-though I think it is a different type of Artemisia (artemisia vulgaris) than is used in Korea. 

I got this light, silvery green sage color, which is quite pretty. I want to use more mugwort next time to get a bit more of a saturated sage color.