| Wildflowers and herbs have been useful to mankind in | | | | The usage of wildflowers for either a beauty form or |
| many ways, ever since the beginning of our history, | | | | alternative medicine is becoming very popular during |
| other than subject matter for art and needlepoint. | | | | this period in the United States, but has been used for |
| Lately, alternative medicine has taken over part of the | | | | many centuries in other countries for medicine. So, by |
| front seat for medicinal purposes, due to the each | | | | doing a cross stitch of your favorite wildflower you |
| individual wanting some say-so in their medical choices. | | | | are tapping into art, history, and medicine at the same |
| Wild plants provide over 25% of the basic ingredients | | | | time. What a gift this would be for yourself or |
| for our modern medicine. Further, some 80% of all | | | | someone special! |
| pharmaceutical products contain some sort of natural | | | | It is widely known that wildflowers are plants that have |
| wildflower or herbal product. These statistics show the | | | | not changed much over the years, so there is no |
| remarkable impact our natural flora has on man's well | | | | change in design for the cross stitch work; they are |
| being world wide. But the sad fact is that on average | | | | easy to identify and design in today's times with the |
| one species of wildflower becomes extinct in each US | | | | Internet available for lots of research. |
| state per year due to man's progress: water pollution, | | | | It is wise to choose the wildflowers that are native to |
| deforestation, acid rain, and strip mining. | | | | the area you live in for your subject matter; also, if you |
| The phrase to stop "picking the wildflowers" means | | | | are making the wildflower cross stitch design for a gift, |
| many things other than simply not picking the | | | | choose the wildflowers that are native to where the |
| wildflowers: it means holding onto the future of natural | | | | recipient lives. Some ideas are: a cancer quilt, with |
| medicine, along with traditional drugs instead of picking | | | | many of the wildflowers that are presently being used |
| the pretty wildflowers along the road, only to watch | | | | for cancer research (ex: "mayapples" form |
| them die in a few days. | | | | podophyllin); a heart quilt, with the wildflowers being |
| Cross-stitching can easily transfer these beautiful | | | | used for heat disease. |
| wildflowers into works of art for many years of | | | | Personally, I would go for a visual effect while |
| personal viewing, education, and appreciating their | | | | designing the cross-stitch wildflowers. Choosing the |
| worth and value. An excellent website, "Alternative | | | | silken threads for the texture of the flowers on the |
| Nature Online Herbal", at , has many identification | | | | cross-stitch, and the cotton threads for the leaves and |
| photos of these wildflowers, along with their medicinal | | | | stems would appeal to the eyes, unless the flowers |
| purposes for many diseases and alternative methods. | | | | are of the textured coarse type. |
| Many other links, information, and leads are on this | | | | Get to know the flowers; touching them if possible, or |
| website about wildflowers. | | | | smelling the fragrance that gently lifts from its beauty, |
| Another good website is American Meadows | | | | will help with the actual true design you create. The |
| Wildflower Information Lookup at Check them out, and | | | | wild sunflower has shades of yellow and golden |
| you will be astounded at the quality of the photographs | | | | orange petals with dark sienna and rust centers, and |
| and artwork, along with the educational aspects of | | | | shades of green leaves and stems. |
| each plant. | | | | The background can be white, light lavender, or even |
| Some high points I found while doing the Internet | | | | black if you use the fluorescent colors. Leaving the |
| wildflower research, regarding wildflowers being used | | | | root and base of the plant as part of its design, can |
| for medicinal purposes are: the Madagascar periwinkle, | | | | give it a "real look" as compared to a fake artificial |
| which makes "vincristine" that is used for children with | | | | plastic look. Also, subtle words of its medicinal |
| leukemia, increasing their survival rate from 20% to | | | | properties can be placed lightly behind it for the |
| 80%; another one is the Pacific Yew, which forms the | | | | complete aspect of the plant. Your design, your choice |
| drug "taxol" that is now working with many forms of | | | | ... so enjoy! |
| cancer research, which includes ovarian cancer. | | | | |