Last spring I went out into the State Forest land behind my property for a walk. I had heard some owls calling the night before, and I was hoping that I might find one of them roosting in one of the trees back there. I knew it was a long shot, especially since sound travels strangely out in the woods, but it was a good excuse for a walk in the woods anyhow! While I was wandering around, mostly looking up in the trees for birds, I wandered into a beautiful grassy clearing. It was a good place to stop, get out the binoculars, and really search the surrounding trees for owls. Needless to say, I had no luck in that department (otherwise I’d be writing about owls today!), but while I was looking around through the binoculars, I did spot some really pretty, pale yellow flowers and buds in the middle of the clearing so I decided to go take a closer look.

The flowers were actually pretty small, so had I not been using the binoculars I might never have seen them (especially since I was mainly looking up, not down!). When I got over to them, I recognized them from my poisonous plants class in vet school as arrow leaf sida. Sida is not actually toxic, but the cattle ranchers don’t like it. It contains a bunch of alkaloids which makes it taste bad to the cattle, so they don’t graze it down, and it can slowly invade the whole pasture. Even though the cattle don’t care for it, sida is actually eaten by a number of wildlife species including white tailed deer, wild hogs, turkey, and quail, and of course, the flowers attract bees and butterflies. The leaves have a surprisingly high protein level, as well as moderate levels of carbohydrates, fiber, and even some fat.

Besides being good food for wildlife, arrow leaf sida also has a lot of other uses. In India, sida is actually farmed because of it’s many uses. It’s strong, firm stems are very fiberous and can be used to make brooms or the fibers can be broken down and woven together to make cords, bags, and even rough cloth. It also has a variety of medicinal uses. The leaves and stems can be crushed and used as a moisturizer or as a remedy for swelling and arthritis. The seeds can be used for controlling headaches, and the roots and leaves are useful for treatment of diarrhea. In Mexico, sida leaves are smoked and used to brew a tea which is used as a stimulant (one of it’s alternate names is tea weed). Not only does this little herb produce gorgeous, delicate flowers, but like a lot of other plants, it is also incredibly helpful. Has anyone ever tried arrow leaf sida for any of it’s medical purposes?