LithicRoots

🌼 Meet Arnica chamissonis — often called meadow arnica, a North American cousin to the more famous Arnica montana.

Traditionally used externally for bruises, sore muscles, swelling, and minor injuries, arnica contains compounds like helenalin that have been studied for their anti-inflammatory effects. Research suggests topical arnica may help reduce pain and bruising in some situations.

🌱 Growing: • Prefers full sun with afternoon shade
• Likes well-drained soil and moderate moisture
• Pollinator friendly + hardy perennial in many climates

✂️ Harvest: • Flowers are typically harvested just after opening
• Dry quickly out of direct sunlight to preserve color and constituents
• Most commonly infused into oils, salves, and creams

⚠️ Important: Arnica is generally recommended for external use only and should not be applied to broken skin. Internal use is not considered safe except under professional guidance.

At Lithic Roots⁠, we love growing medicinal plants with regenerative practices, healthy soil, and careful hand processing — because how herbs are grown and harvested matters too. 🌿

📚 References: • PubMed: topical arnica and inflammation/pain studies
• ESCOP Monographs: Arnica flower
• American Botanical Council
• NCCIH (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)

Come see us and ask your garden questions! Last event before our summer foraging adventures begin again.

We still have LOTS of garden plants available this spring and everything is 75%off!!

Tomatoes, cucumber, basil, rosemary, lavender, horehound, catnip, Yarrow, nettles, tulsi, beebalm, selfheal and more!

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) — a clinically studied root known for its effects on sleep and nervous system regulation.

Why it matters:

Contains valerenic acids and iridoids that interact with GABA pathways:

• Sleep support: Improves sleep latency and quality in some studies
→ (Bent et al., American Journal of Medicine, 2006)

• Calming effects: Modulates GABA receptors, reducing nervous system excitability
→ (Murphy et al., Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 2010)

• Mild sedative: CNS depressant effects without strong next-day impairment in many cases
→ (Shinjyo et al., Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 2020)

Growing + harvesting:
• Prefers full sun to partial shade (particularly in Tulsa afternoon shade is appreciated) + moist, well-drained soil
• Perennial; establishes in year 1, best root harvest in year 2+
• Harvest roots in fall after dieback for highest concentration of active compounds
• Wash, chop, and dry thoroughly at low temperature to preserve constituents

How to use dried root:
• Tea/decoction (often blended)
• Tincture
• Capsules/powder

Considerations:
• Strong natural odor (smells like old socks)
• May cause drowsiness—avoid combining with sedatives/alcohol
• Avoid during pregnancy without guidance

Springfest!! Thanks to everyone who came out for SpringFest at Woodward Park this year. We got rained out Friday afternoon and came back to some chaos Saturday morning but fortunately the plants were saved and we met so many wonderful people.

We love being part of this event each year and seeing all of the experienced and new gardeners.

Have fun wetting those plants this spring! ❤️