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🍄 Chicken of the Woods on the tree → on the pan 🍳🌿

Spotted this Chicken of the Woods growing right on the trunk. Bright, bold, and one of the best wild edibles when it’s young and tender.

How to cook it (simple + clean):
1️⃣ Harvest only fresh, soft edges
2️⃣ Clean + slice
3️⃣ Heat olive oil in a pan
4️⃣ Sauté until golden, flipping once
5️⃣ Salt to taste (pepper, garlic optional)

It pulls apart just like chicken and soaks up olive oil beautifully. Wild food doesn’t get better than this. 🌲🔥

Always properly ID before eating.

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Green papaya is packed with powerful digestive enzymes, especially papain, that help break down proteins and support smoother digestion. Traditionally used to ease bloating and heaviness after meals, green papaya can help your gut do its job more efficiently. Whether eaten fresh, fermented, or taken as an extract, this tropical fruit has long been valued for gentle, natural digestive support. 🌿🥭

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For your information
Not medical advice
Remember, the first time eating hot chillies can be very hot!
• Cardiovascular health
Supports endothelial function by increasing nitric oxide availability, promoting vasodilation, improved blood flow, and healthier arterial flexibility—key factors in preventing early, “silent” heart disease.
• Metabolic regulation
Improves insulin sensitivity, reduces post-meal glucose spikes, and supports healthier lipid metabolism, including reduced LDL oxidation and triglyceride burden.
• Anti-inflammatory effects
Modulates inflammatory signaling pathways and may reduce chronic low-grade inflammation linked to cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction.
• Nervous system adaptation
Repeated exposure desensitizes TRPV1 pain receptors, reducing perceived burn while improving neurovascular signaling and pain tolerance.
• Neurochemical benefits
Triggers release of endorphins and dopamine, often producing a calm, focused, mildly euphoric state after the initial burn.
• Longevity associations
Regular chili consumption is linked in population studies to lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, particularly when part of a whole-food, traditional diet.

Speedwell (Veronica spp.) 🌿
That “little weed” you see creeping through lawns is actually a classic herbal ally. Speedwell has a long history in European folk medicine, traditionally used to support the lungs, soothe coughs, and gently aid digestion. With its tiny blue flowers and low-growing habit, Veronica is a reminder that powerful plants don’t have to look dramatic to matter.

Often overlooked, always resilient. Nature hides medicine in plain sight.

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Preserving the wisdom of medicinal plants—for today and generations to come. 🌎📖

Follow @worldherblibrary 📚🌿

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Sweet, simple, and low-key powerful 🍓

Strawberries are packed with vitamin C for immune support, antioxidants that help fight inflammation, and compounds that support heart health and skin glow. Traditionally used to cool the body, support digestion, and gently cleanse the blood. Food that heals and tastes good doing it.

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🌿 How to ID Usnea (Usnea spp.)

Look for a pale green, beard-like lichen growing on trees — when gently stretched, it reveals a strong white inner core, a key identifying feature.

Thank you for walking the plant path with me,

Dr. Christopher Hobbs

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🌿 Usnea is a lichen traditionally valued for its antimicrobial properties and long history of use in herbal medicine.

Often found hanging from forest trees, it’s a symbiotic organism that reflects the health of the ecosystem it grows in and has been respected in many traditional healing systems.

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Know before you forage 🍄

The Death Cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) is responsible for the majority of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide — often mistaken for edible species.

Comment “AMANITA” and I’ll send the @sfgate article straight to your inbox! 📬

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