It is always part thrill, part mystery, when a new plant draws my attention. This year a weedy plant which usually only grows knee high, and is only that high in some places, is well over my head in other places. Maybe it's because I haven't mowed there, but I have never seen this plant grow this high before.
According to my Peterson's Field Guide to Wildflowers, this innocuous flower is a beggar tick, source of the irritating, flat, two pronged seed heads that adorn my jeans and my dogs in the fall. Supposedly, there is so much variation within and between species of this, the genus Bidens, that exact identification is difficult. One type, the swamp beggar tick, grows up to seven feet tall. Guess we have a few of those!
A few years ago, another herbalist told me he'd heard that Bidens was part of an effective remedy for the allergic reactions some suffer after being stung by bees or wasps. His comment led me to believe I could find mention of this plant somewhere, so I searched.
Knowing and using scientific names remains important because tracing folk names can be frustrating. Of course, solving the mystery and learning new folk name connections is rewarding. Solution came through Maud Grieve's "A Modern Herbal". I stumbled onto her folk name while looking up another plant.
Grieves lists bidens under agrimony, as water agrimony. Grieve notes the more modern common name is burr marigold. Under her description of medical actions, Grieve reports this herb, using all of the above ground parts, is "an excellent remedy for ruptured blood vessels and bleeding of every description". This doesn't exactly describe the rupture of cell walls that occurs during a sting reaction. But it's close enough to warrant an experiment.
Bidens is described as being diuretic, astringent, febrifuge and styptic.
Since it is in my face, literally, this year, I've paid attention to Bidens. I went out, harvested some and tinctured it. Then I chose a few of the yellowish, mainly rayless, composite blossoms and made a flower essence. I've invited Bidens in.

Find information about traveling to Greece: http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html
Travel to Dodecanese Islands: Rodos, Kos, Patmos, Kalymnos: http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html
Sailing to the Greek Islands: Crete, Tinos, Naxos, Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu, Thassos: http://www.yachtinghomepage.com
Discover Crete Island, Iraklio, Rethymno, Lassithi, Chania: http://www.toplink.gr/gr … index.html

Article Source: http://www.articleset.com