Goldenrod, I've misjudged you!

This medium sized specimen of Goldenrod (Solidago Odora) established itself in one of the discarded ice cream buckets this spring.  Goldenrod tea, or Blue Mountain Tea, has been used to relieve fatigue, kidney stones, water retention, and other inflammatory conditions for an obviously uncountable number of centuries.   Go here, to see the University of Maryland's description of the plants properties, and go here, for Susan Weed's Herbal animatismic description of how to prepare and consume the plant.    Unlike Ragweed,  which looks similar, Goldenrod's pollen sacs are small and sticky, and won't produce the high levels of dander/pollen that provoke allergic responses.  So we love you!    Go here for a great diagram of how plants make babies with other plants.