Desert Messenger

August 6, 2014 www.DesertMessenger.com 9 Herbs and weeds as medicine 585 N. Central Quartzsite Open Mon-Fri 8-5 928-927-8787 Johnny DelPino, Owner BEST AUTO RV & TRUCK REPAIR SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ON! We sell U-HAUL BOXES READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) 928-927-6551 Fire Academy starts this month Nature's Nuggets BUYS & SELLS GOLD Nuggets - Jewelry- coins Call Richard 928-927-5479 • 435-730-3388 In Quartzsite over 15 Years! Gold Sand Concentrates Placer Gold 24 Mesh Size up to Nuggets Quartzsite Licensed Business Special to Desert Messenger By Lyle Browning ~ University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Service Note: information contained in the following article is anecdotal only. There is no research to indicate information is accurate. Most everyone is aware that a large percentage of our medicines are plant based. Most people will agree that herbs make our food taste better. There is a vast amount of information claiming medi- cal benefi ts in many of the plants growing in our world. Old Wives tales? Maybe. Medical benefi ts? Maybe. But here are some of the plants and benefi ts claimed. Stinging Nettle One of the most unpleasant things to encounter in nature is having bare skin come in contact with this plant. Skin itches and burns, but when applied to an area of pain on the body, it is supposed to decrease pain. Maybe it burns bad enough a person just forgets about the origi- nal pain. Nettle is also claimed as a diuretic. Foxglove: We treat this plant as a weed. But the Genus is Digitalis and that is supposed to strengthen the heart and provide rhythm. Golden Rod: Another weed, it is supposed to treat arthritis and eczema and skin ulcers. Many of the herbs we use in cook- ing are native to the area around the Mediterranean Sea and almost all of the herbs claim medicinal value. The Creosote bush, native to our desert, has been used medicinally for hundreds of years by native people. Even the plant most of us want to kill [Taraxacum], the dan- delion, is supposed to have excel- lent nutritional value and redeem- ing medical value. Wine can also be made from the plant. It is amazing how much information on plant medical uses is available on the in- ternet. Look up your favorite herb and see if it is also good for you. We will be happy to try to help with any plant questions. Our offi ce is open week days and we are located at 2524 Mutahar road, just off Shay road and our telephone number is 928 669-9843. Issued in furtherance of Coopera- tive Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agri- culture, Jeffrey Silvertooth, Direc- tor, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, The University of Arizona. The Arizona Western College Parker Fire Academy classes will start Aug. 21. Application packets are available at the AWC cam- puses in Parker and Quartzsite. Applications are due August 14th. Physical agility and oral board testing will be Aug. 17, at 7 a.m., at the Quartzsite Fire Department, 70 East Tyson Street. Applicants must pass an AWC reading exam prior to picking up application packet. Orientation will be a the Parker AWC Tech Center, located on 16th Street, across from Parker High School, 6 p.m., Aug. 21. All applicants who are accepted to the Fire Academy Program will register for the following classes: FSC-148 Fire Academy 1; EMS-150 Emergency Care; FSC-110 HazMat Awareness I and PER-101. For questions call lead instruc- tor Chief Kevin Hess at 928-916- 2864. Register for classes at 1109 Geronimo Ave., in Parker. Or talk to Robin at the Quartzsite campus at 928-916-8299. World record T-shirts available The record for the World's Largest Hu- man Letter was set at the Quartzsite Improvement Association (QIA) during the fi nale of The GRAND Gathering on March 9th, 2014. GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS confi rmed 631 participants achieved the new world record title. T-shirts commemorating the achieve- ment are now on sale! T-shirts are available for sale at Read- ers Oasis and Horizon Community Bank now. Shirts can also be ordered online at www.QiaArizona.org/Tee-Shirt.html. They're only $15 each plus shipping. The T-shirts were designed by Mark Goldberg. Funds raised will support the The GRAND Gathering - Legacy 2015, which includes events for the 50th An- niversary of the QIA. The shirts will also be available when snowbirds return in the fall also! For more information visit www.TheGrandGathering.com.

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