“Why teach teenagers about the healing properties of edible plants?”
Connellsville resident, Mr Twenty Twenty (his real name) hosts edible and medicinal plant walks along the Yough River Trail – part of the Great Allegheny Passage, where he teaches groups of adults and teenagers the healing powers hidden in the world of weeds around them.
“We need to take care of ourselves, and also know how well we are taken care of!”
Mr Twenty Twenty calls himself spiritual, not religious. He lives a simple life with a profound message, “all that we need, we are given”.
“I don’t care what religion you are, I just want you to notice that something divine has set things up – so that everything you need is right here. All you need to do is learn how to use it.”
He shows the group how a plant called Jewelweed seems to always grow close to poison ivy, and how to use Jewelweed to neutralize poison ivy. Minutes later, he’s taking a common lawn weed, and showing how to use it to neutralize a bee sting in just seconds.
“What you need grows close to your hut, what you need is always close by. That’s what my mentors taught me.”
Every plant has a food – medicine or utility purpose. All we need to do is to learn to pay attention, to notice what is around us, and to learn how to use it.
“If we do that, I believe we can end addiction – to both street drugs and prescribed medications. Teens and adults need to truly experience that we are totally provided for. We also need to learn how to heal naturally, with plants, because many experts say that plant medicine is much less harmful and has less side effects than drugs.”
“We’ve got a chance to live like natives here on our world, let’s take the time to learn how to see and live with Native Eyes.”
