Scott Kloos > Quotes

“Instead of recognizing patterns of imbalance and harmony, the currently accepted western system of medicine, also known as allopathic medicine, looks for agents of disease—viruses, bacteria, and other microbes—and eradicates them without considering the deeper constitutional factors that lead to states of illness. Folk medicine traditions, on the other hand, view the human body in a holistic way and seek to support the body’s innate ability to heal itself. A cure is achieved not by “fixing” one part, but by returning harmony and balance to the whole system.”
― Scott Kloos, Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

“Developing harvesting techniques that benefit the growth of plants will ensure that we have access to these medicines for many generations to come. For example, when working with shrubby plants, cutting above a leaf node that is facing out from the center of the plant will promote a more bushy growth habit, resulting in plants that are bigger and lusher than those that haven’t been harvested.”
― Scott Kloos, Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

“Harvest bark from standing trees when the sap is running; sap generally begins to run when the leaves emerge.”
― Scott Kloos, Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

“Good airflow is the most important factor when drying herbs. Use racks, screens, or bags, or hang bundles upside down. I generally use a dehydrator only for very moist plant parts like berries. Keep the drying herbs out of direct sunlight.”
― Scott Kloos, Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

“Cascara sagrada bark is the Pacific Northwest’s strongest and most reliable laxative.”
― Scott Kloos, Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

“When our internal danger response system is out of whack, we may experience excess sympathetic nervous system activity that is characterized by anxiety, heart palpitations, tremors, high blood pressure, excessive sweating, a dry mouth, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and/or frequent urination. Small doses of quaking aspen bark restore balance to the autonomic nervous system and relieve anxiety and worry by grounding the electricity of the mental sphere in the waters of the emotions.”
― Scott Kloos, Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

“A regular course of dandelion root, Oregon grape root, buckbean leaf, or other bitter herbs will keep your liver functioning well.”
― Scott Kloos, Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

“Flavonoid-rich berries help prevent coronary disease by lessening inflammation in the heart and blood vessels and may reduce the risk of cancer by protecting cells from free radical damage.”
― Scott Kloos, Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness

“Quaking aspen is a clonal tree. An 80,000-year-old quaking aspen colony in Utah, known as Pando, is considered by some to be the oldest and largest living organism in the world.”
― Scott Kloos, Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness