What I once thought was a problematic weed is no longer a problem. Common names include Siberian Motherwort, Honeyweed, Mahjiki (Japanese), Marihuanilla/Marijuanillo (Spanish), Ich-mau-thao (Vietnamese), I-mu-isa (Chinese), Amor Mio (Spanish, ‘my love’), Mehajiki (Japanese), Yakumosos (Japanese). Siberian motherwort appears in the ancient Chinese “Book of Songs,” or Shih Ching, circa 1000-500 BCE under the moniker T’uei, but it is unknown when the plant was first brought to the New World. Traditionally the flowers are used in devotional and offering rites, called pujas, of Hindus in Assam. No traditional or ritual psychoactive usage is documented. In Veracruz, Mexico, Marihuanilla is used in folk magic to make the “groom return” and in Chiapas, Mexico it is used as a marijuana substitute. In traditional Chinese medicine it is used as a remedy for female menstruation issues, helping circulation and preventing excessive clotting. It is considered pungent and bitter in energy, and has an affinity for the heart and liver meridians. Leaves from the Marihuanilla plant are collected while the plant is in bloom, and are dried and smoked in a pipe or as a rolled cigarette. No toxic dosage is known and typically 1 to 2 grams of the dried leaf is enough for one rolled cigarette. The plant is often mixed with other herbal smoking blends. To prepare a topical medication, L. sibiricus herbage may be steeped in alcohol. The roots and leaves may also be taken as a tea. In 15-60 gram concotions the herb is used to help circulation, disperse phlegm, and break up clots. 500mg of dried, powdered leaves may be consumed with fruit juice to bring mildly psychotropic effects for up to three hours. Consuming L. sibiricus along with Cannabis or Tagetes lucida herbage is said to enhance the effects. The effects of Marihuanilla may be described as mildly narcotic, though not particularly pronounced; thus the herbage is sometimes mixed with other herbs and smoking blends to heighten potency. Potentiators such as B. caapi leaves and Wild Dagga (which also grows here) are popular for this purpose. #growninhaiti #marihuanilla #wild #weed #haiti #ayiti #mountianlife #garden #beneficial