I had not planted a garden this year as my family and I were planning to move. Our plans fell through; and I began frowning at my overgrown raised beds. On closer inspection, I became aware of the amazing variety of plants that chose to grow in my garden without any prompting.  I postponed my plans for weeding out of an interest to know what these plants were. I have learned from an herbalist friend that many of the plants classified as weeds are, in fact, useful. I had her over and was pleased to find out that almost all these plants were edible and/or medicinal. Since then, I have been keeping my eyes open on walks through my neighborhood. I am truly amazed at how much medicine and salad greens there are growing in the cracks of the sidewalk! I have decided to keep my “weeds” as an homage to their greatly misunderstood nature.  Below is a short list of the most common plants and their uses. Each has a link to an image of the plant so that you may recognize it. Happy hunting! Dandelion- When you weed these out of your yard or garden, set the green leaves aside. These are high in vitamins and can be eaten raw or cooked as a salad green. (The young leaves are sweeter, the mature leaves are bitter.) If you choose to cook the mature leaves, you can curb the bitterness by a change of water during boiling or steaming. The root of this plant is medicinal. In history it has been used to treat liver disorders, purify the blood, as a diuretic, and to energize and detoxify the body. Roasted Dandelion Root Tea- First remove roots from rest of plant. Chop into small pieces, about 1 inch sections. Set aside to dry in open air and jar when ready. When you feel sluggish or could use a general health boost, pull them out. I roast about a tsp. in a small frying pan until you can smell the aroma but before they burn, a few minutes. You can put them in a teaball or place them directly into your tea water. The tea is bitter but delicious! Sometimes I add milk or honey. http://www.turf.uiuc.edu/weed_web/dandelion/dandelion_veg.htm Plantain- This plant you will find in every yard, grass field, and crack in the sidewalk. You will recognize it as soon as you see the picture. My first encounter with this plant was after an intense wasp sting. I am pretty good with pain but this was killing me! I was up north of the city helping some friends build a ceremonial lodge. The owner of the land came to me with a leaf in his hand. He told me to chew the plant until thoroughly mashed and to place the mixture directly onto my bite. I was shocked, after 30 minutes all pain was gone! This plant’s most useful property is in the fresh leaf. It doesn’t do much good to store dry. By mashing fresh leaves or doing as I was instructed you can use plantain as pain relief for stings, itchy bites, and bruises. You just need to find a fresh plant, which shouldn’t be that hard, they are everywhere! http://weeds.cropsci.illinois.edu/images/Broadleafplantain/pages/broadleaf%20plantain.htm   Jewelweed- This plant has a beautiful orchid-like flower that ranges from yellow to orange to red. It grows along virtually every trail in Frick Park. The juice from the fresh stem can be rubbed onto poison ivy for aid in healing and to stop itching. http://www.soapkettle.com/jewelweed.html (Scroll down page to see image of Jewelweed) Red Clover- There are two types of clover, red and white. The white is most common, being on nearly every lawn in town. You must have a keener eye to find the red clover flowers. Red clover is considered one of the richest sources of isoflavones which are used to treat some forms of cancer. It can also reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. It breaks down uric acid which can ease gout. The clover is also a good cough remedy. It has more health benefits than I can list. Here is a thorough listing: http://www.liveandfeel.com/medicinalplants/clover.html. You may gather a handful of the flowers and steep them for 15 minutes in very hot but not boiling water to take as a tea. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_clover_closeup.jpg These recommendations are not to replace the care of a physician.  Always check with a trained health practitioner before taking any new holistic remedies.