New England Aster: Beloved of fall pollinators, migratory monarchs, and herbalists making respiratory medicine for the coming winter cold.
This has become one of my favorite early fall medicines to harvest. It is so fun to be out in the sun on a crisp, early fall day, picking beautiful purple flowers at the end of the season. Often I’ll harvest some wild apples or Eliagnus berries while I’m out, rounding out a lovely, mellow day (made even more mellow by the effects of this plant).
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, is a prominent member of the Asteraceae family and is cherished for its vibrant purple flowers that bloom in late summer and fall, often alongside goldenrod and other asters. This perennial herb thrives in sunny meadows and roadsides, and is particularly notable for its hardiness and adaptability. Symphyotrichum novae-angliae plays a crucial role in supporting late-season pollinators like bees and butterflies, including the migratory monarchs.
Herbalists value this plant for its medicinal properties, especially in treating respiratory ailments and calming the nervous system. It is one for our best allies for lung congestion and constriction, whether acute, as in cold and flu, or chronic, as in asthma or chronic bronchitis. I use the fresh flowers, but I know people are experimenting with roots and young leaves as well. It is a warming, calming expectorant that brings heat and life to the chest, lessening congestion, soothing spasmodic hacking coughs, and improving our ability to draw in breath. It’s also a calming, soothing nervine, decreasing nervous tension especially characterized by flights of fancy, anxiety, “what if” rabbit holes, and anxiety felt in the chest or stomach. This is an ideal every day ally for those of use who feel allergies, anxiety, and weather changes in our respiratory system. I use it often for acute respiratory infections as well.
Make a weight-to-volume tincture of the flowers!
As you wild-craft, remember to be respectful and loving to pollinators, plants, and other animals that rely on plants for sustenance, as well as other gatherers.
Growing New England Aster
Planting New England aster seeds is an easy way to bring this beautiful medicinal into your garden or hedgerows. These seeds require a period of cold stratification to germinate successfully, mimicking the natural winter conditions they would experience in the wild. If you live in a place with natural winter, you can plant the seeds in the fall and let nature do the rest! Otherwise, you can stratify your seeds in the fridge.
To do this, you can place the seeds in a ziploc bag of moist soil, sand, or peat moss and refrigerate for about 4-6 weeks before planting.
Once stratified, sow the seeds in a sunny spot with well-drained soil, lightly covering them with soil and keeping the area consistently moist until germination. Think “meadow” and “wildflower” when you pick your spot and it’ll go fine.
Read more about the importance of ethical wild-crafting here. And here is an article about more growing techniques for medicinal herbs.
