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Ok....so the recession has hit almost everything except Mother Nature. Here she is, waking up from her wintery rest and ready to spend the year giving us fresh free food. It is time for our sluggish overwintered bodies to get woken up too, so natural spring tonics whose juices will cleanse our system are a must and common plants that are particularly helpful are goosegrass, nettle, and dandelion.

Goosegrass (cleavers), the plant that sticks to your clothes like Velcro, is one of the first to send up its bright green shoots each year. It is a wonderfully gentle lymphatic cleanser and a fantastic spring tonic.

Nettles are a rich source of calcium, magnesium, zinc and a dozen more minerals and amino acids that help keep the body healthy, from kidney and thyroid to hair, bones and nails. This amazing plant also has the reputation for preventing hay fever and other allergies if used regularly.

Dandelion greens are worth eating for their nutritional value alone. It is a plant extraordinarily high in Vitamins A and C, potassium and calcium and it is a potent liver tonic and rejuvenator.

Chickweed is another familiar plant. Packed with nutrients, we spend much of the year yanking it out by the handful as it is considered to be a pest. Use it as a salad vegetable in the spring and autumn but ignore it in the summer when it is straggly and tougher.

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