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Names: Monument Plant, Green Gentian, Elkweed, Deer's Ears Gaelic Names: None Uses: Edible, Medicinal, Other Description and Climate: Large pale green stem, with dark green leaves on the flower stalk. The leaves are arranged in whorls of four to six. Veins are parallel radiating from the base of the leaf. Poking out from where the leaves join the stalk are the flowers, which are greenish white and dotted with small specks of purple. The Monument Plant is a signature understory plant in the mixed-conifer forest belt. Here the forests consist of Douglas fir, Blue Spruce, Southwestern white pine, Limber pine, White fir, Sub Alpine Fir, Aspen, and on warmer, southerly sloped mountain sides, Ponderosa pine. 
This is my favorite herb of all time. The Monument plant lives to be anywhere from 40 to 80 years old. This is not a plant to be used lightly. For it's whole life it looks simply like a small whorl of thick, slightly hairy green leaves radiating from a center, with veins running parallel to each other. In the Monument's last year of life it sends forth a large flowering stalk from 3' to 6' high. Whenever I see this stalk it occurs to me that this is the last year of life for a plant that is older than I am, an elder. The great spiritual truth of the Monument plant is a teaching on death. It takes all of us many years to become who we are. I hope to leave this world as nobly and as beautifully as the Monument plant does. The roots have a number of different uses that I will not enumerate here. As I said above, this plant is an elder to be respected, and the roots should only be used in emergency situations. 
The leaves, thankfully, have many uses, and can be harvested without killing the plant. It is best to find a large stand of plants and get about 24 leaves total, taking as few leaves from a single plant as possible. The leaves contain powerful digestive Bri for the body and soul, which can be absorbed by making a tea. Before a meal drink a 1/2 cup of tea (prepared from a 1/4 oz of dried leaves) which will raise your digestive Bri. The end result is better digestion and blood flow to the stomach. This is useful in correcting flaccid stomach conditions, which usually are a result of excess stress and digestive neglect. Monument plant supports us by energizing our core. Not only does it help our bodies to digest food and energize our gut, the spirit of the plant helps us digest traumatic experiences from our past. A VERY powerful plant. Hunters in ancient America used the leaves as a mix in with tobacco as a smoke to clear the mind when they were lost so that they could find their way back to camp. This has spiritual applications as well. Think about it. The tall flowering stalks are truly amazing to see and put forth a "guardian of the forest" Bri that is unmistakable. Just sitting next to this plant and quieting the mind is an experience in itself.
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