Mountain Majesty and Healing Herbalism (2024)

Hello all! I hope this post finds you well and y’all are enjoying summer. I have wrapped up my time in Austria, and I thought that discussing two of my favorite themes, mountains and flowers, would be a great way to go out with a flourish! I hope you enjoy this post and learn something new.

The Untersberg

The Untersberg is an iconic peak of the Berchtesgaden Alps, found within southeast Germany and northwest Austria. This mountain range comprises a part of the Northern Limestone Alps.1 The Untersberg is the northernmost massif of this group, which is defined as a principal mountain mass containing one or more summits. The highest peak, Berchtesgaden Hochthron, measures 1,973 meters.2

Untersberg Marble

Limestone is the primary material, ranging from cream to pink to orange. Many of the iconic historical buildings found in Salzburg have been created with the gorgeous marble found within the Untersberg, appropriately named Untersberg Marble. Since Roman times, this marble has been utilized for monuments, churches, monasteries, palaces, and statues. During the Baroque and Renaissance era, it was the most utilized material for statues within Central Europe.3 This regionally unique marble has been proposed for the Global Heritage Stone Resource designation, which recognizes natural stone resources that have widespread cultural utilization.4 By meeting this geological standard, the cultural and architectonic heritage is preserved, as well as values related to sustainable development of cities and historical sites. These requisites for designation include:5

• Historic use for at least 50 years

• Wide-ranging geographic application

• Utilization in significant public or industrial projects

• Common recognition as a cultural icon

  • Association with national identity

  • Significant individual contribution to architecture

• Ongoing availability of material for quarrying

• Potential benefits arising from GSHR designation

  • Cultural

  • Scientific

  • Architectural

  • Environmental

  • Commercial

Untersberg Legends

There are several iconic Austrian legends about the Untersberg. The first one postulates that King Charlemagne is sleeping within a deep cave in the Untersberg, awaiting the day twenty-four ravens circle the mountain, which will release him from this eternal slumber and signal the end of the world. The next legend states that there is a massive underground labyrinth, containing elves, fairies, demons, and other mythical creatures. Even the name Untersberg hints at this possibility, as “Unter” means under and “Berg” means under, literally translating to “mountain lying underneath.”6 Even the Dalai Lama called the Untersberg the “chakra at the heart of Europe” indicating its spiritual role within Europe.7 These tales reveal that the Untersberg is an important geographical and cultural element for the Austrian people.

The Dolomites

The Dolomites are a series of mountain ranges found within the Eastern Italian Alps, primarily in Northern Italy. Occupying a surface area of 15,942 km² (5,981 mi²), this area contains nine nature parks and a national park. It is world renowned for skiing, climbing, hiking, and other alpine activities.8 Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, the uniqueness of the landscape attracts over 10 million visitors annually. The World Heritage values of the Dolomites include:9

• Spectacular mountain landscape

• Extremely varied limestone formations

• Geological and fossil values of international significance

• Long history of geological studies

• Faunal diversity

• Plant diversity

Conservation Outlook

The 2020 Conservation Outlook of the Dolomites has overall positive outlooks, but has concerns related to climate change and increased tourism impacts.10

• Climate Change

  • Temperature extremes

    • The biggest concern is the glacier and permafrost melting in context of global warming

    • The Marmolada glacier, the highest point within the Dolomites, has experienced a 80% decrease in volume between 1910 and 2021, with 30% lost volume between 2004-201411

  • Wind storms

    • Unprecedented wind storm “Vaia” in 2018 destroyed millions of trees12

    • Future events could modify landscapes dramatically and increase the occurrence of habitat alterations

• Tourism and Recreation

  • Infrastructure

    • Current tourism infrastructure is at the tolerance limits for several sensitive areas within the Dolomites

    • Future development can jeopardize the aesthetic appeal and the biodiversity

  • 2026 Winter Olympic Games

    • Cortina d’Ampezzo, located within the heart of the Dolomites, will be hosting several of the Olympic events, such as skiing, bobsled, and biathlon13

      • Massive amounts of infrastructure, increased tourism, and unanticipated impacts on the visual landscape

    • The infrastructure and event could increase the concept of ski mass tourism within the Dolomites

Management Strategies

Since the endorsem*nt of UNESCO in 2009, the management of the Dolomites has become more complex, as the balance between heritage, tourism, education, and ecology must be at the forefront of all decisions. Thus, a model of collaboration, coordination, and communication has been established within the UNESCO Dolomite Foundation Overall Management Strategy.14

• Collaboration

  • Reduce the fragmentation of relationships among local authorities and the local populations

  • Make management decisions holistically

  • Horizontal interpretation that highlights the shared and unique characteristics that give wholeness to the Dolomites

• Coordination

  • Provide models to facilitate management operations

  • Shared environmental, scientific, cultural, and touristic standards

  • Strengthen the network of experts working on joint projects to explore specific themes on different scales

• Communication

  • Create a shared platform for stakeholders to share points of view, expertise, opinions, and knowledge

  • Balance different perspectives of the Dolomites, the outside perspective from visitors and the inside perspective from residents

  • Develop enhanced relations between stakeholders by conveying discoveries and management decisions transparently

Healing Herbs

Herbalism is the use of plants or herbs as medicine to prevent or cure human diseases. Formally, this practice is known as phytotherapy.15 Herbalism has roots within every civilization, as people have used herbs and plants therapeutically since the beginning of our species. There are many diverse forms of herbalism practiced in every culture to this day. In fact, around 40% of developed pharmaceutical products used today are derived from herbalism found within traditional knowledge.16 Traditional knowledge, also known as indigenous knowledge, is passed down from generation to generation within the cultural framework of regional communities.17 It encompasses countless concepts such as personal wellness, land management, natural resource awareness, agriculture, and interpersonal dynamics.

Within Europe, the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products is responsible for establishing protocols and usage guidelines for herbal medicines. This group aims to bridge the gap between traditional herbalism knowledge and scientific-based medicine practices by providing information on established therapeutic usages of herbs, directing scientific inquiry, and creating regulations for safe consumption.18 Within Austria, there are several plant species that have connections to herbalism and traditional knowledge.

Common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Common yarrow is a widely distributed perennial species throughout the northern hemisphere, found in Europe, Asia, and North America. It is a member of the aster family (Asteraceae), which contains over 32,000 known species. Yarrow can grow up to 1 meter tall and utilizes underground rhizomes to produce new plants. Small white-yellow flowers are prevalent in umbels at the apex. It is a popular species for pollinators, such as butterflies, bees, moths, and beetles.19

There is an extensive history of medicinal usage from Indigenous populations in North America and traditional European medicine. Usages include astringents, antiseptics, anti-inflammatories, digestive aids, menstrual regulation, pain relief, antispasmodics, and healing of cuts, burns, and ulcers.20 According to the European Medicines Agency, yarrow is officially approved for usage to help with loss of appetite, gut pain, wound healing, and menstrual spasms.21 All of the plant parts are edible, but it is not recommended to consume in large quantities.22 Yarrow has a wide variety of amazing benefits, while remaining an easily accessible and identifiable species within natural areas.

Common self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)

The common self-heal is a perennial herbaceous species in the mint (Lamiaceae) family. It is native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America and thrives in temperate climates. As with all members of the mint family, it has a square stem with oppositely arranged leaves. The flowers are purple and white, clustered upon a club-like structure at the top of the plant. Propagation occurs by both seed and by creeping stems.

As indicated by its common name, this species has many healing benefits explored by European, Asian, and North American indigenous cultures. One of the main traditional usages was for healing external wounds and oral ailments, such as sore throat, ulcers, and infections.23 Self-heal has remained an important species within herbalism for thousands of years, but just recently, the scientific community has established promising relationships between self-heal and the treatment of cancer, HIV, and diabetes. As a result, self-heal has been established as anti-mutagenic, anti-retroviral, and anti-diabetic.24 It is incredible that a herb common throughout the world has the potential to treat such severe conditions. These discoveries open the door further for health practitioners and researchers to explore other herbs with connections to traditional herbal knowledge.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense)

Red clover is a herbaceous member of the legume family (Fabaceae) and is native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but has been naturalized in numerous other regions. It utilizes a deep taproot to survive drought, which creates a solid soil structure. The flowers are deep pink and are seen in dense groupings. They are variable in height, from 20-80 cm.25

Traditional medicinal usages include respiratory ailments and reproductive health. Current studies show that red clover is a useful herb for asthmatic conditions, menopausal symptoms, skeletal weakness, heart health, and weight loss.26

Agriculture and Livestock

Red clover has several applications in agriculture and livestock production. In agriculture, red clover is a popular cover crop, valued for nitrogen fixation, weed suppression, beneficial insect attraction, and soil protection.27 It is also widely adapted and can grow in various regions, climates, and elevations. Red clover is a valuable tool for farmers to enhance their soil resources, while ensuring high productivity for cultivation.

For livestock, it is a popular grazing medium for ruminant livestock (cattle, sheep, deer) due to its high productive yield and high protein content (16-20%).28 In dairy cattle, studies have shown a directly positive effect on milk yield and growth rate with an increase in red clover consumption.29 Red clover is also valued as a silage species, which is green foliage that has been preserved by fermentation for fodder (livestock feed).30 Red clover is an incredibly important species for the livestock sector, and can help create more sustainability focused initiatives.

Sustainability within the livestock industry is a fascinating topic to me, but I don’t want to get into the weeds with it this week. However, here’s a resource that provides some interesting information:31

Moving Towards Sustainability: The Livestock Sector and the World Bank

Conclusion

Thanks for tuning in for this edition of Jilling Around the World! I felt inspired to write about these topics from two different people. My aunt Dee-Dee, who inspired me to explore the Dolomites, and my Mom, who has always inspired me with her knowledge of plant medicine. I truly hope y’all enjoyed and see you next time! And never forget to Stay Jilly 🌲