I know, I know – you’re thinking I’m nuts. Well, possibly true, but we are all donuts.

Bear with me. I would love to say this analogy is originally mine, but it’s not. Thanks to one of my herb teachers, Kat, I can share this.

We have an inside and an outside – and those are mostly the same. On the outside – skin. Thick with specialized glands that create oil and sweat and hair, skin is epithelial tissue. On the inside – mucous membranes. Thinner with specialized glands that secrete digestive juices and mucus to line our respiratory tracts, mucous membranes are epithelial tissue as well.

When you think of herbs for the skin, like calendula, or aloe, or marshmallow – those are also good for the digestive tract. Calendula will help heal on the inside as well as the outside. Aloe you need to be more cautious with as it can be a purgative (think super strength laxative). Marshmallow is fabulous for the gut, just don’t take it with medications as it may affect absorption.

When we think of food allergies, we tend to think of gastric upset (abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea) as a sign we are not tolerating that food well. You can also get skin eruptions (rashes, flushing, hives) if you eat something you are sensitive to. The other symptoms of food intolerance are brain fog and joint pain. I know that gluten does not give me stomach issues, but if I eat too much of it, my joints ache.

A great way to tell if you are sensitive to a plant or food is to rub some on your inner arm and leave it for about 20 minutes. If you develop a rash or redness, it’s probably not a great idea for you to ingest a lot of it. Or maybe any of it.

Summer is a great time to try new foods, maybe even do a little foraging to see what is wild and edible in your area. Please use a really good field guide and to quote another lovely forager on FaceBook, “Don’t die.”