Fleabane, the best wild tea you've never had!

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Timestamps:
00:00 - What is this wildflower?
00:39 - Fleabane plants
01:04 - Identifying fleabane
01:57 - Fleabane ecology and insect benefit
02:08 - Does fleabane actually repel fleas?
02:37 - How to gather fleabane
03:19 - A caution on using fleabane
03:26 - How to make fleabane tea
03:54 - Making a poultice with fleabane
04:38 - Lookalikes of fleabane
05:38 - Another plant you should know
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Medical Disclaimer:
The information on this channel is for educational and information purposes only. None of the information on this channel is medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, or cure anything. You are responsible for anything you do related to foraging or the subjects of any of our videos.
#foraging #fleabane #erigeron

[@FeralForaging]

So many people have messaged me that they're trying fleabane for the first time after watching this video which I love to hear! If you are also trying it for the first time, let us all know what you think! 😄

[@xmobile.]

I'll have to do some more research (look at the leaves) to see if my yard plants that have drooping tops right now (just before flowering) are fleabane.. i know i definitely see these flowers at some point during the growing season in my patch of PA, USA. I think this is what is infesting my garden right now and if it is, I'm definitely going to harvest it and try it for the first time. I used to tear it up and compost it all.. like 6 wheelbarrows worth!

[@lidicesquevedo5179]

Is this the same as Canadian Fleabane? Also know now as horse weed? I think I have it here on our land! Thank you 🙏🏼

[@RemsFamily]

I plan on trying and will keep you posted 😊

[@edmundaviles3955]

@FeralForaging i think this plant is in my yard in las cruces New Mexico I don’t know tho for sure would definitely like to try it as there are several other wild edible plants in this town Mormon tea and wild opium lettuce are a few examples

[@kenhorn6489]

E H here✌️ I'm gonna try it😁. I'm also gonna look for the Medicinal properties of this 👍Thank you

[@claressalucas8922]

Circa 1978 my grandmother said "Y'all kids want some ice cream?" We, of course, emphatically replied "Yes!" She then sent us to milk the cow, gather strawberries, and bike 12 miles ONE WAY to the icehouse. We stewed the berries, mixed it into the milk, and churned the ice cream in an old-fashioned tub with salt. We had to take turns because it was really heavy, and we were all under ten. Something like 8 hours after granny put forth the idea, we all sat down to our super local homemade ice cream only to discover the cows had eaten this plant, which we call bitterweed, and the ice cream was inedible. I have had an unreasonable hatred for this plant ever since.

[@kathy2940]

Quite understandable!

[@WNYXeb777]

LOL understood!

[@MaryPoppins-tu1ms]

@@WNYXeb777 Can you explaine the connection between this plant and inedible ice-cream? please?I did not understand why kids coudn't eat it?

[@MaryPoppins-tu1ms]

Sorry, why the ice-cream was inedible?

[@WNYXeb777]

@@MaryPoppins-tu1ms I'm not the OP Mary -----I assume the ingestion of quantities of this flower altered the flavor of the milk -- sorta like how farm raised fish taste off.

[@rachelwickart275]

So glad you include the scientific names as well as scientific terms -- helps keep foragers safe from ingesting toxic plants IF they match the plants in all respects...leaves, flowers, height, where they grow and so on.

[@Super_Nova739]

Prevents confusion from common names, too. I see so many completely different plants with similar common names brought up in plant ID groups, so I always use scientific names.

[@rachelwickart275]

@@Super_Nova739 Thank you for this -- you are certainly right!

[@ECSH0315]

Are there plants with exactly matching physical characteristics that have toxic lookalikes? Curious, and slightly concerned.

[@rachelwickart275]

@@ECSH0315 I don't know of any plants that match in all characteristics AND with only some being toxic. Did you have a particular plant in mind? A forager that I highly recommend (besides Mr. "Feral Foraging" here) is Samuel Thayer. His book, "Samuel Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants" is written for curious foragers like us. Being concerned about what you are foraging is good, but shouldn't put you off because we CAN learn what is safe to eat and what is unsafe -- we do it all the time. What good foragers can teach us is how to recognize a plant with such familiarity and confidence that we are as willing to eat it as we are to recognize and eat a banana from the grocery. And of course, we follow the grandma rule of "If you don't know what it is, don't eat it -- right away."

[@tomb8564]

Ask for a taxonomy book for Christmas, and a English to Latin translation book. You will be thrilled.

[@jeas4980]

Side note: What a beautiful basket!

[@tonewise2]

In Japan we call them binbougusa (貧乏草) which means "poverty grass" or "pauper grass".

[@rawdaaljawhary4174]

That is so cool. Thanks for sharing! It's always good to know how our ancestors found and stretched food. I guess because it grows so abundantly and anyone can access it, it's called pauper's grass. We have foods with that name in the US, too. Things like wild garlic mustard are also called "poor man's mustard." It's delicious, free food and medicine.

[@donnahudson4813]

Oh great! We also have had "poverty grass" and "poorjoe" on our yellow clay soil, and didn't get these "pauper grass" till we'd REALLY improved the soil.

[@elizabethmauer4797]

There are two times of year when fleas start to hatch. At the end of spring and in the fall. Fleabane happens to bloom at the end of the first onslaught of fleas in the spring. It has therefore been credited with getting rid of fleas, though the association is purely coincidental. 🙂

[@icewink7100]

There’s a population of the pink flower Fleabane near me, and it’s so beautiful when they are all in bloom!

[@larryoxentine8310]

You have Philadelphia fleabane, it's really beautiful, I put them in a pot and grow them

[@TheCasandralamotte]

My daughter brought in a small bouquet of the pinkish variety today because they were so lovely. ❤

[@user-sx5de5kf8j]

Me too Ohio they are beautiful

[@morganizedwithkelly45]

I grow this, chamomile and many other medicinal plants. I’m excited to try it as a tea! The Guinea pigs and I usually fight over who gets the dandelions 😂

[@rachelwickart275]

LOL Same here!!🤣

[@Weebwithpurplehair]

That's so cute ❤

[@realist7239]

u identify as rabbit?

[@morganizedwithkelly45]

@@realist7239 I mean, I am adorable and I like to eat greens. But no, I’m a human. Or an alien.

[@lindaseel9986]

These grow all over in my yard and in the field behind my house. I call them Daisy. It's great to know I can make tea from them!

[@prettybyaccident]

I love fleabane! Supposedly helps with headaches, so I add it to my tea. Want to try it on its own in a tea now!

[@TheSouthernLights]

Your passion for foraging is contagious! So glad to have met you at earth day! Thank you for the amazing, thorough videos!

[@CoreyBrooks0914]

So a few days ago I took note of a flowering weed on the side of my house but didn't feel like weeding at the time. After watching this video I recognized it as fleabane. So today I went and picked it, dried it, and just made some tea. It's actually very good!

[@victoriabaker4400]

I once tried to grow this plant because it was recommended to repel fleas(!), seeds didn't germinate. When I saw the photo of the plant in your promo, I recognized it as a wild plant that we have in our current garden! And I've been loving it and meaning to identify it. Yay!!! Our plants are already dried out, but I'm going to sprinkle some seed over a container, keep it watered, and maybe I'll get a chance to taste the tea this year. Thanks!

[@StirlingLighthouse]

Fleabane was also used as a smudge to attract deer while hunting. Love your videos! Thank you 🙏

[@Kali08012]

Interesting tip.

[@bobjob2514]

My rabbits looove fleabane, and my yard doesn’t disappoint!

[@madamehogan8553]

Oh lovely! I knew what this was, and it certainly grows all over, but I have never tried it as a tea. That is my favorite way to first "meet" an herb, will give it a try.

[@jhouriet]

rabbits devour the leaves of fleabane. if you have enough of it they'll leave other plants alone. plus it's beautiful tall and flowering in summer.

[@DustyNonya]

I tried it this year after the video luckily reminded me it was Philly Fleabane season again since I tend to forget. I mixed it with some stevia leaves and deadnettle. Used a little too many Fleabane flower heads so it was a bit strong but didn't taste bad. The excess had a mild diuretic effect similar to a comparably strong dose of Lactuca saligna in but without the couch potato effect.

[@erutuon]

I have had lots of annual fleabane growing and didn't know I could make a tea from it. I just let it grow to feed the tiny flies, wasps, and bees and snip off the tops of the mostly spent flower clusters to get it to sprout new stems from leaf axils and rebloom over and over. It's not near blooming up here in Minnesota yet. I'll have to try it this summer. By the way, one feature that doesn't apply to annual fleabane as much as it does to Philadelphia fleabane is the clasping leaves. Annual fleabane has pretty narrow wings at the base of its leaves that barely clasp the stem.

[@traciedowning8566]

Might be worth mentioning to your viewers that it contains caffeine in case some people are sensitive to it.

[@paulinelarson465]

THANK YOU - I am, oddly, sensitive to caffeine. It takes about 24 hrs. for my face to breakout in acne like pimples when I ingest caffeine. I also have intolerance to onion, (bowel distress) within 15-20 min. and actual allergy to shellfish. Shellfish takes 15 min. before I breakout in hives and develop breathing problems. I try to avoid all of these foods.

[@michaelgusovsky]

are you positive about that, and do you have a source? i was unable to confirm that with a quick search, and came across this: "fleabane contain caffeic acid, an organic compound unrelated to caffeine, but useful nonetheless for its antioxidative effects."

[@traciedowning8566]

@@michaelgusovsky Good call. I heard someone mention it. They obviously were misinformed. Doing a quick read though it's worth mentioning that caffeic acid can have a stimulating effect.

[@rachelwickart275]

@@traciedowning8566 I'd wondered about that in my case (and my mother's as well). We both get drowsy after a cup of coffee. In my case, I could drink several cups before bed (as a matter of fact, it helps if I'm not terribly tired at bedtime) and sleep well. Do you know of any soporific effects from caffeine or even caffeic acid?

[@rhodawatkins4516]

​@@michaelgusovsky The next video that's partially showing at the top of my phone screen says: MEDICINAL FLEABANE Natural caffei... Kaye Kittrell Late... You might check on that video and see if it answers your question. It's 8:15 long.

[@musicteacher5757]

Daisy Fleabane has been one of my favorite wildflowers since childhood. Thanks for the info!

[@CarolinaOmaSteph]

Amazing, I have several growing in my yard. Thank you for this information. Unfortunately I do have that toxic yellow flower as well.

[@Bigfoottehchipmunk]

Where I live, these bloom more in the summer, and I've always known them as heath asters.

[@EveEmshwiller]

Maybe what you are seeing ARE heath asters. Those bloom later in the summer than fleabanes, though. Heath aster is Symphyotrichum ericoides (used to be classified as Aster ericoides), and is a different plant, though.

[@averykempf9164]

Thank you for the identification details.

[@LittleJordanFarm]

Hey Jesse I just came in from picking black raspberry and checked my papaws trees. I'm happy to inform it worked!!!! I self pollinated the below creek to the ones growing up on hill. You were right they were from the same mother tree . So self pollinating to two different areas worked. I GOT PAPAWS! Thanks so much! Th

[@FeralForaging]

Incredible!! Love to hear that.

[@sesame.sprinkles]

We have a similar fleabane in Korea! 🇰🇷 Erigeron annuus! Also called (Eastern) daisy fleabane, or in Korean gaemangcho 개망초. It's one of the easiest plants to find and forage in Korea - even in the city of Seoul! However, Koreans like to pick the young plants in spring and prepare them into e.g. a vegetable side dish 개망초나물무침. 🌱 After seeing your video, I wanna try the tea when they flower in June and August! 🌼

[@jacobfrantom5259]

Thanks for this video I've been trying to figure out what this flower actually was for years. Now I have a new forage to try

[@raerae155]

Fascinating!! We have tons of this growing in our yard!

[@Mockingbird_Taloa]

Appreciate the nod to a traditional Indigenous use for the plant, would suggest in the future phrasing it something along the lines of "Y plant recorded as used by X nation/culture for Z purpose." We still use traditional remedies (so please don't say "used"--we're still here); traditional medicinal knowledge is both deeply personal and localized in time/space (even within a community) so it isn't really right for someone to say "this nation uses that plant" either with the implication it's common practice (which I appreciate you did not say!). One idea for using fleabane as a compress--make an infusion of the whole plant (roots too) and soak a cloth in it, then use that as a compress. Grinding into a paste might also be more effective than chopping (and is closer to the old campaigner's way of chewing the plant to break it up for a compress).

[@rachelwickart275]

Thank you for these statements, and for sharing the compress idea...my grandma used to chew up various plants, depending on the need, and smear it onto the boo-boo. We kids grew up believing grandma had "magic spit". 🙂

[@susanfrary6880]

Well said!

[@86PKG]

I tried this not long ago, actually! It tastes like corn silk tea to me! So delicious, one of my favorite wild teas. I like to pair it with mullein and clover. :D

[@hillmeetsvalley3667]

This year I introduced fleabane to my property to counteract ticks and chiggers. It worked. Fleabane has immensely reduced both these pest. I don’t have an issue with fleas so not sure on how well it works there.

[@victoriao1828]

I had an area of my yard that I couldn't get to to mow this spring, and to my surprise, it's covered in fleabane. Now I will never mow it again 😊 Thank you so much for the interesting video.

[@RR-iv6ol]

I use it to make a salve to put on cuts to stop bleeding

[@hhiikkii]

Thank you! I really enjoyed your video! Can't wait to find this flower!

[@cindysplace]

I so wish we had someone in my desert environment who knows about desert plants.

[@JuniorFarquar]

Do your own resesrch!! Get field guides, search for books on local flora at the library or online. It's not rocket science, or as rocket scientists say, " it's not music theory"

[@Kali08012]

Ya, I bet that’s frustrating. Get local plant books. When you see a plant look it up and match it, then do further matching online. That’s how I identify my local plants. You learn what’s medicinal, edible, and toxic. It gives you a wild variety of knowledge on your plants around you. I’ve learnt that doing it this way is the best method. Stick to local books.

[@Kali08012]

I also have an amazing plant identification app I pay $25 dollars a year, worth every penny. It gives me a lead on what it could possibly be, I never trust it 100% because sometimes it’s wrong. Then I look it up in books I have and the internet to verify. I try to be positive before I eat or make medicine out of it. The horror stories put the fear in me, a little fear is healthy too much fear will prevent you from doing it. It’s a balance.

[@doricetimko5403]

Crime pays but botany doesn’t : he does a fair amount of videos on desert plants

[@user-gv5ue8mw9i]

I live in the High Desert and have never seen one.

[@Rizaru42]

I am made my first fleabane tincture today. I cant wait until it is ready to use!

[@dopapier]

Very good. I also like your wallpaper frieze!

[@UhapiBeauty]

You are a wealth of information! I love your videos. I've often wondered about fleabane - if they're edible and if they actually repel fleas. Thank you!

[@SyberWolfff]

🎉 I have this. Using it as a pollinator for my strawberries. ❤

[@siggisoaps]

Oh yes yes yes. Im going outbto harvest some today for tea. I usually harvest my dandelion for tea. I didnt know until this video i could use these for tea.

[@helenjohnson7021]

I haven't seen this plant here in years. As a kid I used to pull the inside apart. It felt soothing. I'm gonna go look for some tomorrow on the backroads.

[@saraface01]

I noticed that you didn't rinse or clean the plant before dehydration. Does dehydration naturally get rid of bugs or is there an in between step you take to rid them of pests beforehand?

[@upharahyishrael7]

I'd love to hear this answer.

[@kiernanwright7489]

I found some of this in my backyard, great to hear you can make a tea from it! I also read it was used in exorcisms at one point.

[@BellatrixLove]

Try deeply smelling lavender oil..it helps tremendously with tension headaches and you can continue smelling the same bottle for months 🙏

[@WitmanClan]

Thank you 🙏

[@yearofplentyvideo]

Looking forward to watching this tonight!

[@FeralForaging]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@morningmystfarm2017]

I have SO MUCH fleabane here! Good to know it's actually good for something!

[@ravenrock541]

Luv this channel

[@FeralForaging]

Thanks!

[@olbluelips]

Cool! Fleabanes are pretty common where I am, I might try to make tea from some

[@canusamedia2152]

It smells amazing after a week or so in water...along with Canada Goldenrod and small white Aster, they retain their scent well after drying out....

[@ItalianAngel21175]

What I read was it has to be burned to keep fleas away. What it said was when it gets burned the smell then repels the flea. As always tho, I take what I read online with a grain of salt Now that tea sure does look amazing. I may give it a try because here where I live these grow abundantly! 😊💖🌹

[@ramhornjoe]

Awesome video, we have a bunch of fleabane on our property. Looking forward to using these after seeing your video 💖

[@FeralForaging]

Glad to hear that!

[@Winnyj73]

Thank you for the great content, I think I’ve seen lots of this plant around my area, will look into it next time I’m out and about👍🏼 would you mind sharing which book are you consulting in the video on the 3:58 mark? 😊

[@BiLuOma]

I discovered fleabane in my yard last year and made tea from the flowers dried and fresh. I'm glad to see them just now coming up again in the same area and hope for a lot of flowers, enough for me and the bees.

[@peelingoffthelayers]

Thank you.

[@arwen-_-E.M.P.]

I appreciate the thorough and thought out Structure of these videos.

[@user-gk2ut8mc5e]

You are the BEST!! Ty

[@littlebrookreader949]

Thanks! ❤️

[@babystepsgarden6162]

@feralforaging This grows in my "yard". I live in North Middle Alabama on the edge of Bank head National Forest. Thank you for this video!

[@thruschizoaffectiveeyes]

So pretty!!

[@erinhellebuyck7527]

Thank you

[@rhondadean5455]

I used to pick these and make bouquets for my playhouse in Ala. My grandmother always said dont touch them they have chiggers. I've never known their name

[@tracylawrence5258]

I just identified this plant this yr

[@Gaias.Garden]

Thanks for sharing. It’s really hard to find out about the edibility of this plant. People claim to eat the greens cooked but others claim it’s toxic. Hope to give the yeast a try if I’m not too late in Ga!

[@kyrstenwilson3111]

My aunt makes pack paskets like the one in the video!

[@Dnl_1239]

Thanks for sharing! What book were you using around the 4 minute mark?

[@triciajessup7797]

Cool! I'm homeschooling my daughter through botany (with a healthy dose of foraging). She just recently found fleabane (identified with a plant app). It's exciting to know a way we can use this plant, since it grows abundantly where we are.

[@herelieskittythomas3726]

Don't trust apps to identify plants

[@MysticSpank]

watching because i think i have this growing in my gardens. i have pulled some as weeds but left others. I will look more when it blooms, but a plant app and google lense has put the ID as an aster but the apps are not great and flowers not in bloom quite yet.. For herbal teas i use a French coffee press and hot water from my Kuerig. Thanks for not having a fluff video.

[@smoothmove7566]

I just mowed a bunch down in my yard 2 days ago

[@sassafrasred6657]

Can you share where you get those beautiful baskets from?

[@EveEmshwiller]

The spittlebugs sure do love fleabane.

[@kari-gs4eq]

These are blooming all over my yard in MN

[@NopeUghUghAbsolutelyNot]

Omg my front steps are surrounded by pink-purple fleabane

[@watchmansduty]

they are literally all over my yard they are aggressive!!

[@Stepjam1]

Great vid! New sub. I smashed the like button. 🙂👍

[@wr3add]

I 😊 this vid ty

[@user-ei2qn9kv1m]

Fleabane… The white thread-like petals can be squeezed to make tea, which is good for headaches. Chamomile petals are broad and not thread-like, but they can also be used to make tea. 👀🌼 Flower tea in a beautiful basket 😯🧺 Termites and fleas are also in operation

[@kricket3815]

Yes I wonder what they are. And no I never wondered if I could eat them LOL

[@venidamcdaniel1913]

Man. Just pulled up all of that. Was sure it was worthless. I bet there used to be still some out there. Gonna go see.

[@nicholasshankin7131]

Also apparently great for stopping believing if the dried flowers are used as a poultice!

[@user-mv4bm6qz4c]

Here in n.e. ohio I left the ones here to grow for the bees.Most of mine are a pale pink

[@krislange1186]

I think I found it in my yard. Do the flowers close up at night? The leaves look right. It's mind boggling when you find out how much out there is either able to be consumed either as a food or a medicine.

[@fanceypantsable]

Had no idea I could make a tea from these. Very cool. I have so many. 🌸☺️

[@natureguyx46presents7]

Can you use the fresh flowers to make the tea?

[@FeralForaging]

You could, but I find drying improves flavor

[@peterbathum2775]

Thank you. this is a skill people may need to rely on for survival someday

[@toxicmale2264]

I just called them wild daisies, but fleabane is a good name too.

[@samperry9666]

Cool! Hey, do you get Spanish Daisy up there? (I'm in Ocala) Spanish Daisy/Spanish Needle is an AMAZING plant. It would be cool if you could do a video.

[@dorothyczygmunt5232]

Many thanks Jesse for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Quick ? once you dry your teas how do you store them to keep them . Happy foraging 🌱🌾🍀🌻

[@FeralForaging]

I just store the dried plant material in a sealed glass jar!

[@dorothyczygmunt5232]

@@FeralForaging thank you 😊 appreciate your input

[@CharlieB_P2ST]

OMG!!! Ive been pulling thenm out and tossing them for years. I never found anything on them.... so what book are you using... apperantlly i need to buy another book! Lol

[@kludgescraftsplus8631]

I was under the impression that fleabane was collected after the flowers died off, it was then dried and burned like sage for the smoke that deterred fleas.

[@benjaminambatt7423]

In my backyard lots of it. i thought it is daisy. anyway thanks. i can make tea ,

[@DavidS5118]

Sadly I just pulled a few out of the garden beds yesterday thinking it was just a weed.

[@texastx8247]

What book are you referencing in this video. I know you have a list of books, but which book is that one? Enjoy your site. Thank you

[@protruth100]

Great video! I used to juice them together with carrots and apples. I'll have to try drying them and making tea.

[@morganstrickland9759]

What source did you find for using it as tea/food? The only text I've been able to find for fleabane was from the 1600s when a doctor was using it as a diuretic, but it was a different species of Erigeron that looks entirely different. Thanks!

[@rodnajean9508]

What temperature and for how long did you hydrate them?

[@gloriasmith5764]

Can you do a video on manglier plant, common in Louisiana as pneumonia tea ! How they grow, how to propagate. Does it flower. How to identify.

[@rachelwickart275]

I too would like to know -- and if it is the plant Baccharis halimifolia, it flowers in the fall like others in the aster family.

[@BoydGnome]

Mountain Aster grows in my area. I wonder if that is just a local name for the same plant or if its a different species in the same genus.

[@MrMarkar1959]

Okay,,but what about eating a handful ? maybe it aint tea time and i need a snack.✌🏼

[@Weebwithpurplehair]

I was wondering just a few days ago if this plant was edible.