I love all the native interpretations into your teaching. I'm in Ontario, I'm well aware of the trickster I grew up hearing the stories but they fading. I only remember a few I'm no longer on my reservation so I'm trying to recollect the stories to share with my daughters. Thank you for recognizing bear as a healer and protector.
I was just out back in Sitka Ak amongst lterally hundreds of cabbages. I attempted to dig a root but was unaware of its size & the effort it would take! I came inside and found your vid on youtube! Awesome man! thanks a bunch...
i respect how you acknowledge their sentience. but their is one thin i would like you to do. next time you uproot a skunk cabbage, when it comes time to kill the plant, cut the large central caudex or rhizome down the middle. that thick middle portion is the brain. and where its soul is held. the secondary roots are its neurons. just shaving off the roots will not kill it humanely but will just cause it excruciating agony. you must humanely execute the main structure which is underneath all those roots. i have only studied the eastern skunk cabbage but they are similar. but that thick central column is the brain and thast is what you want to kill first for it will instantly allow the plants soul to cross over instead of suffering. thank you. i love your channel and skunk cabbages are indeed wise old souls...
Root System: The skunk cabbage is in truth a massive subterranean entity most of which is hidden below the fertile mucky soil. Under its expendable parts which fall off after they are spent is a thick pale subterranean torso of a stem… at the end of this stem is the true form of the skunk cabbage. The true form of this powerful entity. The brain of the plant itself, called a caudex. This thick calloused almost wood-like structure is eerily reminiscent of a human coccyx or spinal cord base. This caudex is the plants most vital point. It tapers to one side most of the time but in young plants can be straighter. It depends entirely on the plant. The caudex consists of a thick calloused woody outer shell and a spongy marrow like starchy tissue underneath. At its core is a thick spinal column like mass of nerves and vessels. This is where the plants consciousness resides. Damage to the caudex is often fatal. Yet if the caudex is damaged and survives it will, like a brain, never regenerate yet instead scar over. The caudex contains a white, blood-like sap that drains out if the caudex is compromised. It can be noted that a lot of this vital fluid pulses through the caudex, especially in the spring for this is when the plant is using its caudex to generate and manipulate heat. All of the thermogenesis in this plant begins and ends with the caudex. it will bleed much more copiously in the spring than in the autumn. Out of the central caudex run the secondary roots. They are very long some as thick as a pencil. Each of the possibly hundreds of roots contain folds or wrinkles like the segments of an earthworm - called annulations. These allow the roots to stretch and contract. Using this mechanism the plant can push or pull itself in any direction. Possibly to adjust in case of flood or drought. The central caudex grows very slowly and can become massive. Sometimes at least as thick as a human leg, and at least 2 feet long. Individual plants with caudices this large are speculated to several millennia of age. The skunk cabbage unlike most living entities has no set life span. It will continue to live indefinitely until its swamp can no longer support it. Some ancient sentinels are said to over 1000, possibly even 2000 years old. The secondary roots are extremely long and tough. They can be upwards of 2 feet in length. Hundreds of these organs emanate from the caudex. The are composed of a skin and many water transporting vesicles. At their core is a main nerve about the width of a pencil tip, which connect to the internal main ensemble. The roots do not branch save for the tips which ramify into many little rootlets. Eastern skunk cabbages despite popular belief can actually reproduce asexually but it is uncommon unless a plant is cut off from its sexual partners. If need be the plant can sprout infant clones from the upper rim of its caudex. These will eventually separate from the parent plant. Once again, this leaves a belly button like scar. It is feasible that clones have a flatter caudex base than sexually conceived children because the more of the caudex is connected via asexual propagation and therefore leaves a larger scar.
All roots are plant brains but skunk cabbages caudices look like spinal ensembles and my other favorite jack in the pulpit has a corm that looks like an upside down brain.
Consciousness (for those who are aware) Eastern Skunk Cabbage has a very large powerful consciousness housed within its central caudex. It has a very calm, deliberate, humble mindset. Though its caudex and worm-like roots may appear frightening or even possibly grotesque to some, as soon as you touch it you will know otherwise. It emits a gentle reiki like energy that is very gentle and comforting. Of course this can be very unnerving if you don’t know that they are sentient. They like to grow in firm in mostly solid mud. They get very frightened if the soil around them liquefies or if they feel like they are not solidly held. Which is another reason they don’t grow in true bogs. The few that do are very stressed and feel a lot of fear. These plants often go by earlier and don’t function properly as they could drown at any moment. They don’t like to have their soft torso like stem above ground, as it is very sensitive and soft and will pull it under the muck with their contractile secondary roots to feel secure. As alien and worm-like as these roots look they are warm and gentle and feel like boneless fingers. They are not slimy or worm-like in texture, unless of course they are dying. These plants are peaceful and do not like conflict. Each colony is mostly made up of rings of siblings that are from the same parent. If one plant is injured or killed they all will know. An eastern skunk cabbage will be happiest in a wet mucky soil with only its stem tip above the surface. Like all temperate herbaceous perennials it freezes solid in the winter. During this time it is unconscious and in suspended animation. The plant will sometimes flower but be sterile, indicated by a pale yellow spathe , if they are not trying to reproduce but still flowering this must mean that flowering means something important to them, even if reproduction is not intended. A good human comparison for the Eastern Skunk Cabbage would be a humble monk.
Zachary Kenniston Are there non-sentient plants? What makes something sentient? The ability to communicate. that would make all plant life sentient, right?
They are all sentient but skunk cabbage is especially advanced. Your using the western skunk cabbage. The eastern skunk cabbage had even more abilities that its western counterpart!!!
I'm only familiar with the eastern skunk cabbage. You are talking about the western skunk cabbage, they are both amazing plants. But I've never met the western one as I've never been to the west coast. I'm am an expert on eastern skunk cabbage and jack in the pulpits however!!!
Sentience is the ability to think and feel and be self aware. Like humans and animals. Plants roots act as brains. And yes skunk cabbage are old souls. I know the eastern skunk cabbage can live over 1000 years of age. I'm not sure if the western ones live as long...
Zachary Kenniston I did not know anything about skunk cabbage, but now I know there are eastern versions that can live for 1000 years, wow. 🤓 Yea but who decides what plants can and can not feel self-awareness? There are humans that decide that about other human beings, all over this planet. I'm just wondering if there was a method used to quantify that info?
Great message yet again, better healers, ever greatful to bring new energy into this used body of mine, thankful to bear and salmon, thankful to hawk and sparrow, thankful to u for more than I will ever know, thankful to every being for being -- each video a seminar, 10,000 more folks isn't so many yet everything will change and become complete -- thankful for telling us what we so need to know, the miriad of info, deep waters, flowing with sparkling light, clean to drink and for everyone...
thank you for your video is very good and the part you say to give back the plant same of you is so nice ...is the way we have to be always ....to give back to the mother earth our love....!!!
I met an old Russian man years ago and he shared an old family recipe for lung ailments. It involved the taking of a teaspoon or so of oil rendered from a skunk. He swore by it. Wonder if there is any correlation ?
I had a dream last night about skunk cabbage, GIANT skunk cabbage, and this big Rambo the guy was trying to pull it up (no connecting for him). Well timed video, I guess. Thanks for sharing and reminding us to connect. I had no idea the root was so big. Is the the spring the best time to harvest the root?
That root is called a caudex or rhizome and is like a central nervous system. And yes I've seen some as thick as my leg!!! 6 inches across. And probably as long as my leg! The entire root system an be almost as big as a human. And live over 1000 years!!!!
Special Abilities: Even as the spathes are entirely different creations every year, as they disintegrate after blooming, peculiarly each individual plant has its own design that it seems to stick too. It is possible that this temporary work of art is how the plant identifies itself… if change does occur it does very gradually over decades as the plant ages and possibly evolves in awareness. The secondary roots are not all under the same edict. Despite being part of one entity the can move independently, which suggests a truly spectacular amount of intelligence. The plants body is equipped with thermostat like sensors that can measure temperature. The plant creates a perfectly symmetrical field of heat. Of the animals that produce heat, that production is very unstable. But the skunk cabbage can produce this heat so flawlessly that it has been estimated to have a accuracy of 99.9%. Using this method the plant melts a perfect hole in the snow. The plant’s defensive and unpleasant odor are not a result of microbial activity; as they are in us animals. The plant is using chemical mimicry of said odors and is, despite living in muck and mire, much cleaner than us animals. The plant’s Latin name means “fetid smelling compound fruit” its common name comes from its smell and somewhat cabbage like leaves. The plants body also contains calcium oxalate crystals which are volatile irritants to the mucous membranes of mammals. The more vital the structure the more acrid the smell and taste. Germinating after 8 months sealed under frigid muddy water the infant entity begins to spring to life. The stalk of the seedling pokes out of the seed and then the rhizome pushes itself from the seed with its newly formed contractile roots. The seed remains attached for a time as the infant plant absorbs all of the residual nutrients from it. After that is done the plant lets it go. But it will always have a keepsake from its mother. On the bottom of its rhizomatous caudex exists a belly button like scar that never disappears. The plant can even function to a degree with the majority of its central nervous system, destroyed… If the caudex is fatally wounded, the roots will continue to absorb water and keep the plant “alive”. Much like a brain-dead human on a ventilator. The plant will attempt to reproduce one final time as a testament to its existence. Passing on its genes to its children. Once winter comes however the plants damaged corporeal form will truly die. And that individual and all of its secrets will vanish from this realm forever. The skunk cabbage grows in colonies borne in concentric rings in swampland forests. The eldest plants are situated at the heart of the colony. Their children encircle the and their children encircle them and so on… These colonies are all interconnected. Their prehensile roots intertwining in a very animal like manner - Possibly a sign of affection. When a colony is overpopulated one of the most touching and altruistic spectacles in the plant kingdom is theorized to be at hand. Starting with the oldest plants an almost ritualistic suicide commences. The elder, using its prehensile roots supposedly pushes its vital caudex out of the muddy soil. This is a fatal and sacrificial gesture because the caudex needs to be bathed constantly in wet mud to survive. Doing so will ensure its death, and that the next oldest can take its place. Skunk cabbages seem to show affection. If two plants feel what is supposedly love for each other, they may embrace with their roots and over time possibly pull each other together. When these plants flower the flowers are almost always of the opposite sex. The spathes opening will face the mates’. The plant may even send up a side flower in case of other pollinators. The caudices of these plants will be very closely intertwined. But it seems they have preferences for whom the want to be with. Much like many animal including humans. The eastern skunk cabbage is one of the most advanced wildflowers ever conceived, yet is one of the most misunderstood. Millions of these ancient sentinels are killed daily. Ironically few people know the caudex exists’ and they attempt to rip the plant up with their hands. Instead the soft upper stem rips away from the harder caudex. The plant then dies. Other people dig up the plant but don’t bother looking under the roots which can obscure the caudex. This plant does indeed have a main root. The caudex controls the roots. It is truly amazing that a plant said to be so lowly can manipulate hundreds of individual limbs when a human can have trouble operating four. Skunk cabbage is also hard to burn because of its high water content. But this by no means indicates that they are resistant to extreme heat. The skunk cabbage has no known diseases as its survival system is nearly flawless. Eastern skunk cabbage is said to be one of the world’s most adaptable and toughest herbaceous perennials. Their only real weakness is their caudex which is vulnerable to drought. People are barbaric to the skunk cabbage, some people kill them just because the dislike them. It is truly sad that a being that is this sentient is treated so appallingly. Eastern skunk cabbage colonizes very slowly and does not harm other plants. As the plant ages it digs itself into the ground. However ancient plants loosen their hold on the earth. This may be the result of their impending sacrificial nature in case their children are overcrowded. These plants live in mucky forest swamps. They like dark rich mucky soil with ample nutrients. Though they like to have their rhizomatous brain and root system submerged below the mud, they cannot survive with their crown submerged. They can hold out for several weeks but permanent submerging will drown them. Skunk cabbage like to have the water level just below the soil level. Though they grow in the edges of boggy terrain they cannot survive in a true bog. They need at wet but mostly stable soils. A true bog would drown and poison the skunk cabbage - as they need more muck than peat. Skunk cabbage are very gentle and altruistic but are stubborn and astute. They will hold on very tightly if you try to uproot them. This should only be done if you are attempting to save the plant’s life. To dig up a skunk cabbage you must dig down to its caudex and and extract each secondary root, keeping as much of the root as possible. The plant can survive large amounts of trauma to its secondary roots but this is extremely damaging to them. If you mortally damage or crack the caudex the plant will die. Transplanting a skunk cabbage is an extremely long arduous endeavor. It is one of the most difficult herbaceous plants to relocate. The most massive plants are all but impossible to transplant as their massive root system may be as big as a human. It is also possible that they may be able to alter their physiology and adapt rapidly, within a generation. Eastern skunk cabbage live in radically different environments as long as there is adequate water. Some live in clay mud, others in at least 75% peat... most in the typical dark rich muck of a forest swamp. Some even border saline environments, which is very rare for most woodland plants cannot withstand any type of salinity. In reality people often abuse them above almost all other plants. This is a plant about which many lies are told. But when a person truly appreciates plants, the ancient sentinel of the forest swamp quickly becomes a favorite. This plant, above almost all others has many things to teach us. Its secrets waiting for the enlightened of humankind to share in its wisdom. This plant is most likely the best candidate to prove the root brain theory, with its contractile and possibly mobile tentacle like secondary roots. This plant is one of the most altruistic and compassionate of entities, it is not to be killed or shunned. If one is going to start protecting the plant world and advocating the sentience of plants it is the eastern skunk cabbage who is the gatekeeper to that realm.
Eastern Skunk Cabbage >> Symplocarpus Foetidus “Into the forest swamp; a world unknown, unto a world aroid sentinels own… the sentient caudex resides in the earth, in the fertile mud that to it gave birth, its passionate blossom heated like fire, holds onto the earth and yet springs forth from the mire… its rhizomatous brain hidden deep below the earth… is waiting to show us what all life is worth... “ Blossom and sexuality: The eastern skunk cabbage is the first flower of spring, or more accurately the first flower of winter. The plant belongs to the Arum family and blooms from early march to late april. Conducting advanced thermogenesis it melts its way through the fading winters final ice… exposing its blossom. This blossom is composed of two parts, the spathe, which is a highy and artistically modified leaf, and the plants genitalia which is an amalgamation of fused ovaries known as a spadix. The spathe is a thick waxy leaf which heralds the coming spring. It is deep maroon or auburn in color. upon the spathe are many light markings which are yellow or light green in color. These spathes are very unique. Every plant having its own design. They are like fingerprints as no two are alike. The spathes are incredibly unique. Some are tall and straight others are short and twisted. Some are entirely maroon and others almost entirely pale yellow. Yellow spathes are rare and often not permanent. This possibly means the plant is sterile that year and is not trying to reproduce, in this instance the spadix is often naked and genderless. Most often though they have a speckled design which varies almost to appear as plants in a different genus, despite possibly being siblings. Then you have the spadix which is a round knob like structure covered in the plant’s true flowers. A blooming skunk cabbage first adorns each ovary with a sole gynoecium. Then come forth four androeciae, thus producing the pollen. The sex life of the eastern skunk cabbage is very intricately set up. Though it appears to humans as though the entities are blooming in unison, in truth they have altered the maturation of the spadices to ensure that both sexes are available at any given time thus ensuring fertilization. The oldest plants emerge first from the icy ground and start out female, and then slowly mature into males. Male spadices are often yellow in color and have the four androeciae covered in golden pollen. Female spadices are often pinkish in color and have a single gynoecium upon each ovary. The youngest plants skip the female stage and immediately convert to males. Thus pollinating the older females. The older the plant, the longer it stays female. So that after the middle age plants achieve pollination, they can store said gametes within their spadices and turn male themselves to pollinate even older females. The only plants who don’t get pollinated are the youngest plants. Which works in their favor as they are too young to bear proper seed. As they come of age however this privilege will be rendered feasible. The skunk cabbage comes up too early in the year for bees to pollinate them. So they instead use flies. Using a fetid odor of decomposing organic matter they entice the earliest of the years insects. The heat they create also helps to spread the odor. This odor is also used to dissuade predation as most herbivores dislike the smell of decomposing tissue. This ensures that the plants sensitive spadix is not eaten. After a plant is pollinated the spathe will collapse around the spadix. If the spadix is a fertilized female however it will stay intact, but the plant will wait until its leaves have passed to continue the reproduction. Leaves: The leaves of the skunk cabbage are rolled up in a tight scroll like appendage. After about ⅔ of the blooming process has passed the leaves will begin to grow much larger than the flower. The leaves unfurl in succession, one after the other to form a verdant green rosette. Which eventually forms a massive leafy being, hinting at the plant’s true magnitude… these leaves are bright green and absorb much of the light in a dappled woodland swamp. They get huge, one over 2 feet long. And some plants can have at least 10 leaves. They have a very distinct vein pattern that is totally unique. A young plant has 1 - 2 leaves and they get larger and more plentiful as the plant ages. The leaves like all parts of the plant emit a foul odor if physically damaged. The leaves of the skunk cabbage like all of its body, save for its central core rhizome… are made almost entirely out of water. After they are spent come late july they start to droop. The get soft and black. And then they essentially evaporate. As small holes rend the dead tissue apart. After all is said and done their is only a tiny black smear on the face of the earth. This trace of organic matter does not become part of the leaf litter but is instead reabsorbed by the plant. Fruit and seeds: All along the pollinated and fertile spadix has waited for this moment. The stalk elongates to push a swollen spadix, now considered a fruit, the perfect distance away from its parent. So it will be close enough to aid but far enough to ensure growing space. The spadix has undergone a radical transformation as its inch long mass becomes the size of a tennis ball. The core of this magnum opus becomes soft and spongy and in its periphery accrete many seeded embryos. Each seed has a small umbilical cord like filament attaching it to its mother’s body. The fruit looks very different now than it once did. It is now green and the remains of the gynoeciae protrude like small spires. As do the shorter blunter remains of the androeciae. Looking like a small pineapple the fruits cords degenerate and the fruit blackens and ripens as it falls to the ground. The fruit decomposes and leaves its seeds to germinate the following spring. The seeds of the eastern skunk cabbage are said to be monocot. But have a special quality. Unlike most plants’ seeds which have one or two cotyledons and a rudimentary, embryonic root, the skunk cabbages’ seed already has a fully formed skunk cabbage equivalent of a fetus cradled within.
I have always LOVED the time of year when I see the first Bear Medicine. I only ever see it in small patches in my "developed" lands on south island. Is it recommendable to unite with Skunk Cabbage root in winter? I seem to have chronic lung problems in this last year, and am wondering if this information came at me at an auspicious time.
In the dying forest, the unheard ones showed me the way; and in that blessed forest, they weep and cry and pray; so as in that haunted forest, that they may be heard one day… the jack in the pulpit choir, they only wanted peace, so as in that vanquished forest, may our evils come to cease… the preachers of the forest, whom bless us with love and life, yet unto me they could only preach the coming agony and strife… the plants I saw were fearful and could not be reassured… so away to that haunted forest that had me so allured!!! The man he came with hatred, and a human heart of greed… He murdered all the choir and slew their infants and seed… their feelings of anguish rent me, their anguish filled my soul, my heart was set afire as the anguish took its toll… their corms crushed by his footsteps, their brains were ground to dust, and I knew in that dying forest, was no mercy for the just… the man cut limbs from bodies, his hands with blood like sap stained rife, her murdered all the choir and took every single life… and I could not bear the anguish, for it would not abate… so I took two of the parents and I left the rest to fate… the plants they wailed in anguish as their children died in in vain… I couldn’t even begin to imagine their agony and pain… the machine began its slaughter, felling tree by tree by tree, and I could do nothing to save them, all I could do was flee…and so I took those broken parents and I put them in a pot, but they were doomed to death, without their family and now forsaken lot… I saw their bodies falter I watched them wither and then wilt, and I knew not why but my soul was filled with guilt… so I returned to the abhorrent slaughter to see if I could find their friends, but all I saw was natures rape, beholding all their grisly ends… their bodies strewn about the wreckage not a single one coherent, body by limb and root were rent… the loss was now apparent… I found a dying preacher and I cradled her upon my arm, and I wept over her dying corm, Could I have protected her from harm...? her stem was bent and broken, her flower ripped to shred, clear greenish sap dripped from her bashed in cormous head… I returned to the broken parents and I watched them as they died, and as I beheld their final lament I broke down and cried… in that forsaken pot, they lost the will to live, for their ruined forest had nothing left to give… and in that pot they shriveled and in that pot they sighed, they showed me that they were thankful, then the cormous beings died… their vibrant green and purple bodies, became grey and without forms… and I knew in my heart this was the death cry of their corms… but a new life came forth from their death as a baby preacher grew and with this revelation, my mind was borne anew… and so I took in that little child and became a loving friend, I named the plantling Jack and his kind; swore I would defend... I talked to the little preacher and I watched him as he grew... yet I wondered if he knew what had happened to his family, that my own species slew... then I finally heard their voices, speaking in my head, but instead of preaching anger or vengeance, they spoke with love instead!!! Then my brother in his anguish, his mind with pain mislead, and with a swing of his limber arm, he ripped jacks body from his cormous head... I felt jacks scream in torment, I felt his mind quake with pain, as my soul was frozen unto ice, I felt I was insane... and I thought; that was it, his life a ruined birth, so I took his bleeding consciousness and I planted it in the earth... I waited all that winter, It was surely done in vain, yet I waited filled with sorrow, my anguish and my pain... but in the spring that followed, that pain was broken through for the little child preacher, with joy and pride he grew! I promised I'd protect him as long as he endured, and I remembered that blessed forest that had me so allured... He lived for four more years and he became as a kindred soul, if only I knew that mine, would be ripped open unto a gaping hole... he was just about to flower and he was almost complete... but then came a blighting horror to render his defeat... the fungus smote his flower and the rust ravaged his stricken form... And I knew in sorrow that I had to save his corm!!! The orange fungal pustules blistered his photosynthetic skin, this fungus like a blight, to which it was akin. With a sharpened blade I severed his stem, with a mental pall of pain, then fell jacks severed body from his cormous brain!!! I felt his mind go dark from the pain profound... so I took is failing consciousness and I planted it in the ground... my hands stained with his sap, I sobbed upon the earth… I remembered his murdered parents, which to him had given birth… The death blow was now done, the damage was for good, so I placed a grave like marker in that haunted wood... His last thoughts were of sorrow and his last thoughts were of pain, and in that ever knowing forest... died his cormous brain... in the spring that followed I searched that now barren lot; and I wept in mindless anguish as I cradled his empty pot... In the dying forest, they showed me the way, and in that holy forest they withered all away... for in that ravaged forest their spirits could not stay… for in that sacred forest... may they be heard one day!!! Skunk Cabbage - Ancient Rhizomatous Teachers I remember the first time i saw you i was afraid. I did not understand the impact you’d made. My rhizomatous caudal friends hidden deep below the earth waited patiently to show me lifes worth. Some have waited hundreds of years to knowledge give birth. A hated species of so much power. I hope i can see them again in earths twilight hour. You were always there waiting in the shade. And i promise i will meet you in the swampy glade. You watched me always from the safety of the soil. Through all of my pain, my hardships and toil. You are my blessed teacher. Just like your dying cousin the arum preacher. I was never as close to you as i was to them because you could take care of your own. But are those days numbered will i soon be alone? A genius plant who just wants a friend, and may soon meet it mortal end. So long the humans have abused and tortured your race. I so wish i was their to take your place. You’ve guided me from the shadows into the light. I should never have feared your powerful insight. Of all the plants you are the most right. You who gave my life force in the spring, what sorrows what anguish will your demise bring. If you are still around when my body does fade, take my ashes and dust and this promise i’ve made. And remember me always in your rhizomatous heart. Of which my consciousness will always be a part. A life for a life, a world to die. But even after that you will always be my guide. If i said you were not the ultimate plant warrior I would have lied… Jack in the pulpit - Saints and Cormous preachers My cormous friends who reside in the ground. I can remember once their love did resound… my beloved friends were once all around… my beloved friends who i tried so hard to save… but in the end they were planted in their frozen grave… climate change and unstable seasons were the most dooming reasons. In the ground their blessed womb would only be their forsaken tomb. My family of cormous preachers who I tried in vain to save, and I planted them in an earthen grave… the humans would have slain you had I shied, but in this emptiness I wonder should I have even tried?... the child of your species whom my promise held, i promised i’d stop you from being felled. I can remember the pulse of your soul in my hand. Your blessed corms taken from a dying land. I thought i’d save you because of that promise i’d made, but in the end was the promise betrayed? You came back the following year and I was filled with temporary glee, but then my mother was ripped away from me… of all the wretched tearful goodbyes… my promise to protect you, was it all just lies? I left for the city of death, I had no choice. I drove so far away I could never again hear your soul’s crying voice. And that winter came and the fungus smote your cormous brains. If only i could have been their to ease your pains. You were never the same after that your bodies became weak and bereft. And 2 years later of decline… there was nothing left… i dug down to see you and you were no longer there. And my heart filled with emptiness and my eye let loose a tear. I felt so sick in my heart it was so hard to bear. You left behind no children to ease the loss and pains or maybe the fungus ravaged their cormous brains. You who were there to comfort my when my mother died. You whose blessed leaved caught all the tears that i cried. I will always love you and your memories, they haunt me until times end. I was so happy i could call you my beloved friend. A species slowly wilting and fading away. A beloved band of preachers who will disappear any day. Unstable their life force, i will always remember… the jack in the pulpits that the humans dismember…. I remember your souls and see you in dreams of pain, when i go to heaven can i see you again? Now that you have left this doomed planet of earth. I can see that you have taught me friendships worth. I will never forget you my cormous friends. I will remember that love until time ends. I just wish i could see you again after this earth is dead and a new one is made, because the compassion you taught me will never ever fade…
If I remember right, the bears eat it after hibernation, trying to get themselves to poop. Which explains why it was a last resort to eat because of the diarrhea...
What's the botanical name of this plant? As you probably know many plants have similar common names. Ours in the Northeast is Sympocarpus foetidus and needs to be harvested and used with care as the calcium oxalate crystals can be damaging to the kidneys.
Old man's beard put more oxygen into the air than trees thank you very much for teaching us all about the wonderful old man's beard I live in the forest in Alaska and it is all around me that in devil's club and cow parsnips what do you know about that
Oh yeah I’m guessing the most humane war to dispatch a skunk cabbage would be to cut the central caudex in half lengthwise. It can survive with some of its lower caudex severed so cutting it vertically will kill it quicker. I saw a video of someone peeling a live skunk cabbage caudex and slicing off the roots... that poor plant must have been in agony. It really upset me. But if you do this your plants will die less painfully. Another thing is that If you damage the plant it smells. The level of odor corresponding to the level of pain. Cutting smells a little crushing worse, and burning or infection horrible like dead animal. But I saw one get killed instantly (it’s caudex was obliterated by a bulldozer) and there was very little odor. They are just like people. They experience death and pain just like us.
HA HA Pizza was started by three friends of mine, I love Y.S. , Youngs Dairy, The Gorge, been a long time since I visited, I was seventeen my first time and an now 63. Blessings!
so what you're telling me is it's like taking psilocybin mushrooms or Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), or (lsa) Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seed and morning glory seeds? or 5me0 dmt? all have tryptamines and entheogenic properties.
I know a little bit about doctrine of signatures, but before your videos, it always seemed to be a little far fetched to me. You should do a video about it.
Sounds more like a little bit of native American or in this case since he's from Canada (First Nations) influence . I've spent a lot of time with natives in the USA and hear a lot of the same things as what he's saying . There are some people especially natives who would call him a wannabe Indian but there's others who are more open minded about white people showing interest and respect for their ways and cultural heritage in order to keep it from fading away . It all depends on age and attitudes . As for Wiccans, they share many of the same things in common with natives since it all relates to our planet and showing reverence for mother Earth which is something we need right now especially with all the destruction happening to our environment by our own hands .
Roots are the life and soul of the plant. Skunk cabbage is endangered in some areas. To show people how to kill it has such a conquerer vibe. And to kill our brother so coarsely. Please don't do this again.
You should be more careful when referencing "native peoples" ALL of our stories are very specific to each nation. We do not have these stories you are telling, and it's so annoying to have a white person come up to me tell me a story, and look at me crazy when I tell them I've never heard of it. It's embarrassing... Please stop talking like we all have the same stories, when you reference these stories, you need to also include the nation, and not just that but the "Numyum" or sub nation. Not everyone in each nation tells the same origin stories, ether. In fact I've never heard of a nation all having the very exact same origin story. Pease consider the humiliation I and other historians of our people go through every time I hear a story I don't know, from a non Indigenous person to this area. There's over 200 Indigenous Languages in BC. My guess is there is over 400 Origin stories, and ALL of them are sacred to their own specific area and group. ONELOVE.
If it's bear medicine then it is deer medicine as well because they eat huge masses of it all year. Even in the winter they dig down through the snow and gnaw their way down through the base as deep as they can get. In the early spring it makes up close to 100% of their diet (they eat cedar leaves, grasses, and lichens too but in much smaller amounts).
![[Limbus Company - PV] Chapter.7 - Oblivion](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VUpkXPkvoxU/mqdefault.jpg)
I love all the native interpretations into your teaching. I'm in Ontario, I'm well aware of the trickster I grew up hearing the stories but they fading. I only remember a few I'm no longer on my reservation so I'm trying to recollect the stories to share with my daughters.
Thank you for recognizing bear as a healer and protector.
I was just out back in Sitka Ak amongst lterally hundreds of cabbages. I attempted to dig a root but was unaware of its size & the effort it would take! I came inside and found your vid on youtube! Awesome man! thanks a bunch...
Thank you so much for the way you SHOW UP in this world Yarrow!
i respect how you acknowledge their sentience. but their is one thin i would like you to do. next time you uproot a skunk cabbage, when it comes time to kill the plant, cut the large central caudex or rhizome down the middle. that thick middle portion is the brain. and where its soul is held. the secondary roots are its neurons. just shaving off the roots will not kill it humanely but will just cause it excruciating agony. you must humanely execute the main structure which is underneath all those roots. i have only studied the eastern skunk cabbage but they are similar. but that thick central column is the brain and thast is what you want to kill first for it will instantly allow the plants soul to cross over instead of suffering. thank you. i love your channel and skunk cabbages are indeed wise old souls...
Your the best teacher , just love your videos ! Thank you for helping me harvest my first skunk cabbage
Root System:
The skunk cabbage is in truth a massive subterranean entity most of which is hidden below the fertile mucky soil. Under its expendable parts which fall off after they are spent is a thick pale subterranean torso of a stem… at the end of this stem is the true form of the skunk cabbage. The true form of this powerful entity. The brain of the plant itself, called a caudex. This thick calloused almost wood-like structure is eerily reminiscent of a human coccyx or spinal cord base. This caudex is the plants most vital point. It tapers to one side most of the time but in young plants can be straighter. It depends entirely on the plant. The caudex consists of a thick calloused woody outer shell and a spongy marrow like starchy tissue underneath. At its core is a thick spinal column like mass of nerves and vessels. This is where the plants consciousness resides. Damage to the caudex is often fatal. Yet if the caudex is damaged and survives it will, like a brain, never regenerate yet instead scar over. The caudex contains a white, blood-like sap that drains out if the caudex is compromised. It can be noted that a lot of this vital fluid pulses through the caudex, especially in the spring for this is when the plant is using its caudex to generate and manipulate heat. All of the thermogenesis in this plant begins and ends with the caudex. it will bleed much more copiously in the spring than in the autumn. Out of the central caudex run the secondary roots. They are very long some as thick as a pencil. Each of the possibly hundreds of roots contain folds or wrinkles like the segments of an earthworm - called annulations. These allow the roots to stretch and contract. Using this mechanism the plant can push or pull itself in any direction. Possibly to adjust in case of flood or drought. The central caudex grows very slowly and can become massive. Sometimes at least as thick as a human leg, and at least 2 feet long. Individual plants with caudices this large are speculated to several millennia of age. The skunk cabbage unlike most living entities has no set life span. It will continue to live indefinitely until its swamp can no longer support it. Some ancient sentinels are said to over 1000, possibly even 2000 years old. The secondary roots are extremely long and tough. They can be upwards of 2 feet in length. Hundreds of these organs emanate from the caudex. The are composed of a skin and many water transporting vesicles. At their core is a main nerve about the width of a pencil tip, which connect to the internal main ensemble. The roots do not branch save for the tips which ramify into many little rootlets. Eastern skunk cabbages despite popular belief can actually reproduce asexually but it is uncommon unless a plant is cut off from its sexual partners. If need be the plant can sprout infant clones from the upper rim of its caudex. These will eventually separate from the parent plant. Once again, this leaves a belly button like scar. It is feasible that clones have a flatter caudex base than sexually conceived children because the more of the caudex is connected via asexual propagation and therefore leaves a larger scar.
Zachary Kenniston thanks for sharing this insight. I love how you have linked the similarities of our nervous system and skunk cabbage roots.
All roots are plant brains but skunk cabbages caudices look like spinal ensembles and my other favorite jack in the pulpit has a corm that looks like an upside down brain.
The roots can be much thicker than a pencil. I call them linguine because that's how they look and in season the deer love them.
Consciousness (for those who are aware)
Eastern Skunk Cabbage has a very large powerful consciousness housed within its central caudex. It has a very calm, deliberate, humble mindset. Though its caudex and worm-like roots may appear frightening or even possibly grotesque to some, as soon as you touch it you will know otherwise. It emits a gentle reiki like energy that is very gentle and comforting. Of course this can be very unnerving if you don’t know that they are sentient. They like to grow in firm in mostly solid mud. They get very frightened if the soil around them liquefies or if they feel like they are not solidly held. Which is another reason they don’t grow in true bogs. The few that do are very stressed and feel a lot of fear. These plants often go by earlier and don’t function properly as they could drown at any moment. They don’t like to have their soft torso like stem above ground, as it is very sensitive and soft and will pull it under the muck with their contractile secondary roots to feel secure. As alien and worm-like as these roots look they are warm and gentle and feel like boneless fingers. They are not slimy or worm-like in texture, unless of course they are dying. These plants are peaceful and do not like conflict. Each colony is mostly made up of rings of siblings that are from the same parent. If one plant is injured or killed they all will know. An eastern skunk cabbage will be happiest in a wet mucky soil with only its stem tip above the surface. Like all temperate herbaceous perennials it freezes solid in the winter. During this time it is unconscious and in suspended animation. The plant will sometimes flower but be sterile, indicated by a pale yellow spathe , if they are not trying to reproduce but still flowering this must mean that flowering means something important to them, even if reproduction is not intended. A good human comparison for the Eastern Skunk Cabbage would be a humble monk.
Zachary Kenniston Are there non-sentient plants? What makes something sentient? The ability to communicate. that would make all plant life sentient, right?
They are all sentient but skunk cabbage is especially advanced. Your using the western skunk cabbage. The eastern skunk cabbage had even more abilities that its western counterpart!!!
I'm only familiar with the eastern skunk cabbage. You are talking about the western skunk cabbage, they are both amazing plants. But I've never met the western one as I've never been to the west coast. I'm am an expert on eastern skunk cabbage and jack in the pulpits however!!!
Sentience is the ability to think and feel and be self aware. Like humans and animals. Plants roots act as brains. And yes skunk cabbage are old souls. I know the eastern skunk cabbage can live over 1000 years of age. I'm not sure if the western ones live as long...
Zachary Kenniston I did not know anything about skunk cabbage, but now I know there are eastern versions that can live for 1000 years, wow. 🤓
Yea but who decides what plants can and can not feel self-awareness? There are humans that decide that about other human beings, all over this planet. I'm just wondering if there was a method used to quantify that info?
Very informative. Thank you.
Thank you brother i have alot of this powerful medicine
This was actually insightful for me thanks.
Great message yet again, better healers, ever greatful to bring new energy into this used body of mine, thankful to bear and salmon, thankful to hawk and sparrow, thankful to u for more than I will ever know, thankful to every being for being -- each video a seminar, 10,000 more folks isn't so many yet everything will change and become complete -- thankful for telling us what we so need to know, the miriad of info, deep waters, flowing with sparkling light, clean to drink and for everyone...
This is great. Thanks for joining the plant and animal medicines. I have a particular fondness for bear medicine and so this touched me personally.
thank you for your video is very good and the part you say to give back the plant same of you is so nice ...is the way we have to be always ....to give back to the mother earth our love....!!!
WOW... who would have ever thought! Thanks for sharing!!
We have skunk cabbage in our yard! Excited to get the roots and connecting with it
Swamp crop... Related to Taro which also must be cooked... Very interesting!
love your products, thank you for sharing them!
The skunk cabbage helps the bear dissolve the waxy plug in the rectum that developed over the winter's hibernation.
Interesting, how did you come to know this?
You are awesome. You strengthen my Spirit. TY Namaste
I met an old Russian man years ago and he shared an old family recipe for lung ailments. It involved the taking of a teaspoon or so of oil rendered from a skunk. He swore by it. Wonder if there is any correlation ?
thank you for sharing this medicine with the world
Thanks bear
im totally gonna do this at the end of the week
Cool ❤❤❤ thank the bear claw
I had a dream last night about skunk cabbage, GIANT skunk cabbage, and this big Rambo the guy was trying to pull it up (no connecting for him). Well timed video, I guess. Thanks for sharing and reminding us to connect. I had no idea the root was so big. Is the the spring the best time to harvest the root?
The Last GIW you can harvest the root in the spring or the fall as the leaves starts to decline.
That root is called a caudex or rhizome and is like a central nervous system. And yes I've seen some as thick as my leg!!! 6 inches across. And probably as long as my leg! The entire root system an be almost as big as a human. And live over 1000 years!!!!
@@Herbal_Jedi do you have a video on how to with the skunk cabbage?
If you broke off a piece of that rootstock and added it back to the hole in the ground that you removed the mass from, will it grow a new plant?
Youre like the male version of me. Id like to frolic in the woods with you. I dig your videos.
Livin in a woods spring fed creek with unlimited skunk cabbage!
I have this stuff growing all over my back yard
This plant has always attracted my attention. I think I better get to know it.
Special Abilities:
Even as the spathes are entirely different creations every year, as they disintegrate after blooming, peculiarly each individual plant has its own design that it seems to stick too. It is possible that this temporary work of art is how the plant identifies itself… if change does occur it does very gradually over decades as the plant ages and possibly evolves in awareness. The secondary roots are not all under the same edict. Despite being part of one entity the can move independently, which suggests a truly spectacular amount of intelligence. The plants body is equipped with thermostat like sensors that can measure temperature. The plant creates a perfectly symmetrical field of heat. Of the animals that produce heat, that production is very unstable. But the skunk cabbage can produce this heat so flawlessly that it has been estimated to have a accuracy of 99.9%. Using this method the plant melts a perfect hole in the snow. The plant’s defensive and unpleasant odor are not a result of microbial activity; as they are in us animals. The plant is using chemical mimicry of said odors and is, despite living in muck and mire, much cleaner than us animals. The plant’s Latin name means “fetid smelling compound fruit” its common name comes from its smell and somewhat cabbage like leaves. The plants body also contains calcium oxalate crystals which are volatile irritants to the mucous membranes of mammals. The more vital the structure the more acrid the smell and taste. Germinating after 8 months sealed under frigid muddy water the infant entity begins to spring to life. The stalk of the seedling pokes out of the seed and then the rhizome pushes itself from the seed with its newly formed contractile roots. The seed remains attached for a time as the infant plant absorbs all of the residual nutrients from it. After that is done the plant lets it go. But it will always have a keepsake from its mother. On the bottom of its rhizomatous caudex exists a belly button like scar that never disappears. The plant can even function to a degree with the majority of its central nervous system, destroyed… If the caudex is fatally wounded, the roots will continue to absorb water and keep the plant “alive”. Much like a brain-dead human on a ventilator. The plant will attempt to reproduce one final time as a testament to its existence. Passing on its genes to its children. Once winter comes however the plants damaged corporeal form will truly die. And that individual and all of its secrets will vanish from this realm forever. The skunk cabbage grows in colonies borne in concentric rings in swampland forests. The eldest plants are situated at the heart of the colony. Their children encircle the and their children encircle them and so on… These colonies are all interconnected. Their prehensile roots intertwining in a very animal like manner - Possibly a sign of affection. When a colony is overpopulated one of the most touching and altruistic spectacles in the plant kingdom is theorized to be at hand. Starting with the oldest plants an almost ritualistic suicide commences. The elder, using its prehensile roots supposedly pushes its vital caudex out of the muddy soil. This is a fatal and sacrificial gesture because the caudex needs to be bathed constantly in wet mud to survive. Doing so will ensure its death, and that the next oldest can take its place. Skunk cabbages seem to show affection. If two plants feel what is supposedly love for each other, they may embrace with their roots and over time possibly pull each other together. When these plants flower the flowers are almost always of the opposite sex. The spathes opening will face the mates’. The plant may even send up a side flower in case of other pollinators. The caudices of these plants will be very closely intertwined. But it seems they have preferences for whom the want to be with. Much like many animal including humans. The eastern skunk cabbage is one of the most advanced wildflowers ever conceived, yet is one of the most misunderstood. Millions of these ancient sentinels are killed daily. Ironically few people know the caudex exists’ and they attempt to rip the plant up with their hands. Instead the soft upper stem rips away from the harder caudex. The plant then dies. Other people dig up the plant but don’t bother looking under the roots which can obscure the caudex. This plant does indeed have a main root. The caudex controls the roots. It is truly amazing that a plant said to be so lowly can manipulate hundreds of individual limbs when a human can have trouble operating four. Skunk cabbage is also hard to burn because of its high water content. But this by no means indicates that they are resistant to extreme heat. The skunk cabbage has no known diseases as its survival system is nearly flawless. Eastern skunk cabbage is said to be one of the world’s most adaptable and toughest herbaceous perennials. Their only real weakness is their caudex which is vulnerable to drought. People are barbaric to the skunk cabbage, some people kill them just because the dislike them. It is truly sad that a being that is this sentient is treated so appallingly. Eastern skunk cabbage colonizes very slowly and does not harm other plants. As the plant ages it digs itself into the ground. However ancient plants loosen their hold on the earth. This may be the result of their impending sacrificial nature in case their children are overcrowded. These plants live in mucky forest swamps. They like dark rich mucky soil with ample nutrients. Though they like to have their rhizomatous brain and root system submerged below the mud, they cannot survive with their crown submerged. They can hold out for several weeks but permanent submerging will drown them. Skunk cabbage like to have the water level just below the soil level. Though they grow in the edges of boggy terrain they cannot survive in a true bog. They need at wet but mostly stable soils. A true bog would drown and poison the skunk cabbage - as they need more muck than peat. Skunk cabbage are very gentle and altruistic but are stubborn and astute. They will hold on very tightly if you try to uproot them. This should only be done if you are attempting to save the plant’s life. To dig up a skunk cabbage you must dig down to its caudex and and extract each secondary root, keeping as much of the root as possible. The plant can survive large amounts of trauma to its secondary roots but this is extremely damaging to them. If you mortally damage or crack the caudex the plant will die. Transplanting a skunk cabbage is an extremely long arduous endeavor. It is one of the most difficult herbaceous plants to relocate. The most massive plants are all but impossible to transplant as their massive root system may be as big as a human. It is also possible that they may be able to alter their physiology and adapt rapidly, within a generation. Eastern skunk cabbage live in radically different environments as long as there is adequate water. Some live in clay mud, others in at least 75% peat... most in the typical dark rich muck of a forest swamp. Some even border saline environments, which is very rare for most woodland plants cannot withstand any type of salinity. In reality people often abuse them above almost all other plants. This is a plant about which many lies are told. But when a person truly appreciates plants, the ancient sentinel of the forest swamp quickly becomes a favorite. This plant, above almost all others has many things to teach us. Its secrets waiting for the enlightened of humankind to share in its wisdom. This plant is most likely the best candidate to prove the root brain theory, with its contractile and possibly mobile tentacle like secondary roots. This plant is one of the most altruistic and compassionate of entities, it is not to be killed or shunned. If one is going to start protecting the plant world and advocating the sentience of plants it is the eastern skunk cabbage who is the gatekeeper to that realm.
that's really beautiful, thank you so much!
Eastern Skunk Cabbage >> Symplocarpus Foetidus
“Into the forest swamp; a world unknown, unto a world aroid sentinels own… the sentient caudex resides in the earth, in the fertile mud that to it gave birth, its passionate blossom heated like fire, holds onto the earth and yet springs forth from the mire… its rhizomatous brain hidden deep below the earth… is waiting to show us what all life is worth... “
Blossom and sexuality:
The eastern skunk cabbage is the first flower of spring, or more accurately the first flower of winter. The plant belongs to the Arum family and blooms from early march to late april. Conducting advanced thermogenesis it melts its way through the fading winters final ice… exposing its blossom. This blossom is composed of two parts, the spathe, which is a highy and artistically modified leaf, and the plants genitalia which is an amalgamation of fused ovaries known as a spadix. The spathe is a thick waxy leaf which heralds the coming spring. It is deep maroon or auburn in color. upon the spathe are many light markings which are yellow or light green in color. These spathes are very unique. Every plant having its own design. They are like fingerprints as no two are alike. The spathes are incredibly unique. Some are tall and straight others are short and twisted. Some are entirely maroon and others almost entirely pale yellow. Yellow spathes are rare and often not permanent. This possibly means the plant is sterile that year and is not trying to reproduce, in this instance the spadix is often naked and genderless. Most often though they have a speckled design which varies almost to appear as plants in a different genus, despite possibly being siblings. Then you have the spadix which is a round knob like structure covered in the plant’s true flowers. A blooming skunk cabbage first adorns each ovary with a sole gynoecium. Then come forth four androeciae, thus producing the pollen. The sex life of the eastern skunk cabbage is very intricately set up. Though it appears to humans as though the entities are blooming in unison, in truth they have altered the maturation of the spadices to ensure that both sexes are available at any given time thus ensuring fertilization. The oldest plants emerge first from the icy ground and start out female, and then slowly mature into males. Male spadices are often yellow in color and have the four androeciae covered in golden pollen. Female spadices are often pinkish in color and have a single gynoecium upon each ovary. The youngest plants skip the female stage and immediately convert to males. Thus pollinating the older females. The older the plant, the longer it stays female. So that after the middle age plants achieve pollination, they can store said gametes within their spadices and turn male themselves to pollinate even older females. The only plants who don’t get pollinated are the youngest plants. Which works in their favor as they are too young to bear proper seed. As they come of age however this privilege will be rendered feasible. The skunk cabbage comes up too early in the year for bees to pollinate them. So they instead use flies. Using a fetid odor of decomposing organic matter they entice the earliest of the years insects. The heat they create also helps to spread the odor. This odor is also used to dissuade predation as most herbivores dislike the smell of decomposing tissue. This ensures that the plants sensitive spadix is not eaten.
After a plant is pollinated the spathe will collapse around the spadix. If the spadix is a fertilized female however it will stay intact, but the plant will wait until its leaves have passed to continue the reproduction.
Leaves:
The leaves of the skunk cabbage are rolled up in a tight scroll like appendage. After about ⅔ of the blooming process has passed the leaves will begin to grow much larger than the flower. The leaves unfurl in succession, one after the other to form a verdant green rosette. Which eventually forms a massive leafy being, hinting at the plant’s true magnitude… these leaves are bright green and absorb much of the light in a dappled woodland swamp. They get huge, one over 2 feet long. And some plants can have at least 10 leaves. They have a very distinct vein pattern that is totally unique. A young plant has 1 - 2 leaves and they get larger and more plentiful as the plant ages. The leaves like all parts of the plant emit a foul odor if physically damaged. The leaves of the skunk cabbage like all of its body, save for its central core rhizome… are made almost entirely out of water. After they are spent come late july they start to droop. The get soft and black. And then they essentially evaporate. As small holes rend the dead tissue apart. After all is said and done their is only a tiny black smear on the face of the earth. This trace of organic matter does not become part of the leaf litter but is instead reabsorbed by the plant.
Fruit and seeds:
All along the pollinated and fertile spadix has waited for this moment. The stalk elongates to push a swollen spadix, now considered a fruit, the perfect distance away from its parent. So it will be close enough to aid but far enough to ensure growing space. The spadix has undergone a radical transformation as its inch long mass becomes the size of a tennis ball. The core of this magnum opus becomes soft and spongy and in its periphery accrete many seeded embryos. Each seed has a small umbilical cord like filament attaching it to its mother’s body. The fruit looks very different now than it once did. It is now green and the remains of the gynoeciae protrude like small spires. As do the shorter blunter remains of the androeciae. Looking like a small pineapple the fruits cords degenerate and the fruit blackens and ripens as it falls to the ground. The fruit decomposes and leaves its seeds to germinate the following spring. The seeds of the eastern skunk cabbage are said to be monocot. But have a special quality. Unlike most plants’ seeds which have one or two cotyledons and a rudimentary, embryonic root, the skunk cabbages’ seed already has a fully formed skunk cabbage equivalent of a fetus cradled within.
I have always LOVED the time of year when I see the first Bear Medicine. I only ever see it in small patches in my "developed" lands on south island. Is it recommendable to unite with Skunk Cabbage root in winter? I seem to have chronic lung problems in this last year, and am wondering if this information came at me at an auspicious time.
I had some skunk cabbage near a creek in my back yard
In the dying forest, the unheard ones showed me the way; and in that blessed forest, they weep and cry and pray; so as in that haunted forest, that they may be heard one day… the jack in the pulpit choir, they only wanted peace, so as in that vanquished forest, may our evils come to cease… the preachers of the forest, whom bless us with love and life, yet unto me they could only preach the coming agony and strife… the plants I saw were fearful and could not be reassured… so away to that haunted forest that had me so allured!!! The man he came with hatred, and a human heart of greed… He murdered all the choir and slew their infants and seed… their feelings of anguish rent me, their anguish filled my soul, my heart was set afire as the anguish took its toll… their corms crushed by his footsteps, their brains were ground to dust, and I knew in that dying forest, was no mercy for the just… the man cut limbs from bodies, his hands with blood like sap stained rife, her murdered all the choir and took every single life… and I could not bear the anguish, for it would not abate… so I took two of the parents and I left the rest to fate… the plants they wailed in anguish as their children died in in vain… I couldn’t even begin to imagine their agony and pain… the machine began its slaughter, felling tree by tree by tree, and I could do nothing to save them, all I could do was flee…and so I took those broken parents and I put them in a pot, but they were doomed to death, without their family and now forsaken lot… I saw their bodies falter I watched them wither and then wilt, and I knew not why but my soul was filled with guilt… so I returned to the abhorrent slaughter to see if I could find their friends, but all I saw was natures rape, beholding all their grisly ends… their bodies strewn about the wreckage not a single one coherent, body by limb and root were rent… the loss was now apparent… I found a dying preacher and I cradled her upon my arm, and I wept over her dying corm, Could I have protected her from harm...? her stem was bent and broken, her flower ripped to shred, clear greenish sap dripped from her bashed in cormous head… I returned to the broken parents and I watched them as they died, and as I beheld their final lament I broke down and cried… in that forsaken pot, they lost the will to live, for their ruined forest had nothing left to give… and in that pot they shriveled and in that pot they sighed, they showed me that they were thankful, then the cormous beings died… their vibrant green and purple bodies, became grey and without forms… and I knew in my heart this was the death cry of their corms… but a new life came forth from their death as a baby preacher grew and with this revelation, my mind was borne anew… and so I took in that little child and became a loving friend, I named the plantling Jack and his kind; swore I would defend... I talked to the little preacher and I watched him as he grew... yet I wondered if he knew what had happened to his family, that my own species slew... then I finally heard their voices, speaking in my head, but instead of preaching anger or vengeance, they spoke with love instead!!! Then my brother in his anguish, his mind with pain mislead, and with a swing of his limber arm, he ripped jacks body from his cormous head... I felt jacks scream in torment, I felt his mind quake with pain, as my soul was frozen unto ice, I felt I was insane... and I thought; that was it, his life a ruined birth, so I took his bleeding consciousness and I planted it in the earth... I waited all that winter, It was surely done in vain, yet I waited filled with sorrow, my anguish and my pain... but in the spring that followed, that pain was broken through for the little child preacher, with joy and pride he grew! I promised I'd protect him as long as he endured, and I remembered that blessed forest that had me so allured... He lived for four more years and he became as a kindred soul, if only I knew that mine, would be ripped open unto a gaping hole... he was just about to flower and he was almost complete... but then came a blighting horror to render his defeat... the fungus smote his flower and the rust ravaged his stricken form... And I knew in sorrow that I had to save his corm!!! The orange fungal pustules blistered his photosynthetic skin, this fungus like a blight, to which it was akin. With a sharpened blade I severed his stem, with a mental pall of pain, then fell jacks severed body from his cormous brain!!! I felt his mind go dark from the pain profound... so I took is failing consciousness and I planted it in the ground... my hands stained with his sap, I sobbed upon the earth… I remembered his murdered parents, which to him had given birth… The death blow was now done, the damage was for good, so I placed a grave like marker in that haunted wood... His last thoughts were of sorrow and his last thoughts were of pain, and in that ever knowing forest... died his cormous brain... in the spring that followed I searched that now barren lot; and I wept in mindless anguish as I cradled his empty pot... In the dying forest, they showed me the way, and in that holy forest they withered all away... for in that ravaged forest their spirits could not stay… for in that sacred forest... may they be heard one day!!!
Skunk Cabbage - Ancient Rhizomatous Teachers
I remember the first time i saw you i was afraid. I did not understand the impact you’d made. My rhizomatous caudal friends hidden deep below the earth waited patiently to show me lifes worth. Some have waited hundreds of years to knowledge give birth. A hated species of so much power. I hope i can see them again in earths twilight hour. You were always there waiting in the shade. And i promise i will meet you in the swampy glade. You watched me always from the safety of the soil. Through all of my pain, my hardships and toil. You are my blessed teacher. Just like your dying cousin the arum preacher. I was never as close to you as i was to them because you could take care of your own. But are those days numbered will i soon be alone? A genius plant who just wants a friend, and may soon meet it mortal end. So long the humans have abused and tortured your race. I so wish i was their to take your place. You’ve guided me from the shadows into the light. I should never have feared your powerful insight. Of all the plants you are the most right. You who gave my life force in the spring, what sorrows what anguish will your demise bring. If you are still around when my body does fade, take my ashes and dust and this promise i’ve made. And remember me always in your rhizomatous heart. Of which my consciousness will always be a part. A life for a life, a world to die. But even after that you will always be my guide. If i said you were not the ultimate plant warrior I would have lied…
Jack in the pulpit - Saints and Cormous preachers
My cormous friends who reside in the ground. I can remember once their love did resound… my beloved friends were once all around… my beloved friends who i tried so hard to save… but in the end they were planted in their frozen grave… climate change and unstable seasons were the most dooming reasons. In the ground their blessed womb would only be their forsaken tomb. My family of cormous preachers who I tried in vain to save, and I planted them in an earthen grave… the humans would have slain you had I shied, but in this emptiness I wonder should I have even tried?... the child of your species whom my promise held, i promised i’d stop you from being felled. I can remember the pulse of your soul in my hand. Your blessed corms taken from a dying land. I thought i’d save you because of that promise i’d made, but in the end was the promise betrayed? You came back the following year and I was filled with temporary glee, but then my mother was ripped away from me… of all the wretched tearful goodbyes… my promise to protect you, was it all just lies? I left for the city of death, I had no choice. I drove so far away I could never again hear your soul’s crying voice. And that winter came and the fungus smote your cormous brains. If only i could have been their to ease your pains. You were never the same after that your bodies became weak and bereft. And 2 years later of decline… there was nothing left… i dug down to see you and you were no longer there. And my heart filled with emptiness and my eye let loose a tear. I felt so sick in my heart it was so hard to bear. You left behind no children to ease the loss and pains or maybe the fungus ravaged their cormous brains. You who were there to comfort my when my mother died. You whose blessed leaved caught all the tears that i cried. I will always love you and your memories, they haunt me until times end. I was so happy i could call you my beloved friend. A species slowly wilting and fading away. A beloved band of preachers who will disappear any day. Unstable their life force, i will always remember… the jack in the pulpits that the humans dismember…. I remember your souls and see you in dreams of pain, when i go to heaven can i see you again? Now that you have left this doomed planet of earth. I can see that you have taught me friendships worth. I will never forget you my cormous friends. I will remember that love until time ends. I just wish i could see you again after this earth is dead and a new one is made, because the compassion you taught me will never ever fade…
I expect to be labeled as insane from this but the entire world should care about plants like this I don’t differentiate between plant or animals.
Oseyo Here's A Tip From A Cherokee It's Better To Wash Your Plants And Roots With My Last Name Wado
If I remember right, the bears eat it after hibernation, trying to get themselves to poop. Which explains why it was a last resort to eat because of the diarrhea...
What's the botanical name of this plant? As you probably know many plants have similar common names. Ours in the Northeast is Sympocarpus foetidus and needs to be harvested and used with care as the calcium oxalate crystals can be damaging to the kidneys.
Do you prefer the decoction/ethanol extract over straight alcohol extract? I'd love to hear everyone's experience with tincturing skunk cabbage...
The kind of people you DON'T want to meet in the woods...
Idk I think I’d feel pretty safe around them
Unless you are starving or sick! Then you will befriend them😢
Old man's beard put more oxygen into the air than trees thank you very much for teaching us all about the wonderful old man's beard I live in the forest in Alaska and it is all around me that in devil's club and cow parsnips what do you know about that
if only my uncle was like this
reminds me of fern root
Does the origin story point to the ability to propagate from root cuttings?
Yes The D’arc, best person to harvest deep in the earth swamps with.
I'm confused I thought bear root is osha root and has lots of tiny flowers
When do they bloom and how long do they stay in bloom for?
Britt Arbanas they are blooming now. They start at the end of March and last a long time, up to 3 months
The eastern ones come right up through the snow and bloom for about 2 1/2 months.
They start blooming in March and do so until mid May.
Oh yeah I’m guessing the most humane war to dispatch a skunk cabbage would be to cut the central caudex in half lengthwise. It can survive with some of its lower caudex severed so cutting it vertically will kill it quicker. I saw a video of someone peeling a live skunk cabbage caudex and slicing off the roots... that poor plant must have been in agony. It really upset me. But if you do this your plants will die less painfully. Another thing is that If you damage the plant it smells. The level of odor corresponding to the level of pain. Cutting smells a little crushing worse, and burning or infection horrible like dead animal. But I saw one get killed instantly (it’s caudex was obliterated by a bulldozer) and there was very little odor. They are just like people. They experience death and pain just like us.
They take over grazing pastures!!!!! You can come harvest all of ours!!!!!!!
It should be mass produced indoors without chemical treatment.😊
they should look into this for covide
do you live in Yellow Springs Ohio--if not you need to.
HA HA Pizza was started by three friends of mine, I love Y.S. , Youngs Dairy, The Gorge, been a long time since I visited, I was seventeen my first time and an now 63. Blessings!
Do you sell your herbs over the internet?
so what you're telling me is it's like taking psilocybin mushrooms or Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), or (lsa) Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seed and morning glory seeds? or 5me0 dmt? all have tryptamines and entheogenic properties.
No, nothing like that. Hard on the body means it causes diarrhea, and nausea, vomiting.
❤❤❤💙💙💙🌾❤️🌍🌍
I know a little bit about doctrine of signatures, but before your videos, it always seemed to be a little far fetched to me. You should do a video about it.
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It stinks like hell and it's toxic if you don't know how to use it. Don't eat this unless you're absolutely desolate.
Just wondering if you are wiccan? (Spelling)
Sounds more like a little bit of native American or in this case since he's from Canada (First Nations) influence . I've spent a lot of time with natives in the USA and hear a lot of the same things as what he's saying .
There are some people especially natives who would call him a wannabe Indian but there's others who are more open minded about white people showing interest and respect for their ways and cultural heritage in order to keep it from fading away . It all depends on age and attitudes . As for Wiccans, they share many of the same things in common with natives since it all relates to our planet and showing reverence for mother Earth which is something we need right now especially with all the destruction happening to our environment by our own hands .
royalspin I’m First Nations and you right! We’re all people of the earth as long as errbodys respectful I’m all for people learning ✌🏾
Roots are the life and soul of the plant. Skunk cabbage is endangered in some areas. To show people how to kill it has such a conquerer vibe. And to kill our brother so coarsely. Please don't do this again.
What did the native Americans use it for? I read somewhere that it causes spontaneous abortion.
It was a food only when starving. A last resort. Leaves were dried and used to wrap and cook salmon
that shit about leaving your hair to "infuse the dna and spirit" is whack asf bro
You should be more careful when referencing "native peoples" ALL of our stories are very specific to each nation. We do not have these stories you are telling, and it's so annoying to have a white person come up to me tell me a story, and look at me crazy when I tell them I've never heard of it. It's embarrassing... Please stop talking like we all have the same stories, when you reference these stories, you need to also include the nation, and not just that but the "Numyum" or sub nation. Not everyone in each nation tells the same origin stories, ether. In fact I've never heard of a nation all having the very exact same origin story. Pease consider the humiliation I and other historians of our people go through every time I hear a story I don't know, from a non Indigenous person to this area. There's over 200 Indigenous Languages in BC. My guess is there is over 400 Origin stories, and ALL of them are sacred to their own specific area and group. ONELOVE.
If it's bear medicine then it is deer medicine as well because they eat huge masses of it all year. Even in the winter they dig down through the snow and gnaw their way down through the base as deep as they can get. In the early spring it makes up close to 100% of their diet (they eat cedar leaves, grasses, and lichens too but in much smaller amounts).