5 SURVIVAL PLANTS Every Highlander Knew. KNOW YOUR LAND. Scottish Gaelic Names, History & Uses. 

“Your fancy pocket rectangle”… made me laugh out loud! Nothing empowers us more than the knowledge indigenous peoples pass down. Knowledge that has been accumulated over MANY centuries. Thank for sharing this!

My mom was an avid gardener when we were little and we would help out (read she made us help as chores) but my adult plant identification journey started several years ago when I realized that I could name every car driving down the street but not a single plant that I was stepping on when I looked down. And that bothered me.

Great presentation, and I love the landscape you film in.

The more languages you know a plant’s name in, the more information you have about it within your immediate reach. From Latin you can not only get taxonomic information and a description, but medicinal plants often have the specific name “officinalis”, such as _Calendula officinalis,_ the Latin name for pot marigold, which can be used to make a soothing skin salve. From the vernacular common names you often get other everyday information about the plant. For example, nobody needed to tell me that meadowsweet (mjødurt, literally “mead-herb”, in Norwegian) was traditionally used to flavour mead, or where common sorrel (engsyre, which might’ve translated as “field-sour”) grows and what it tastes like. Likewise, it shouldn’t be too hard to guess what scurvy grass was used as a treatment for.

With regards to the world's oldest tree: A team of scientists, sent to study the tree, looked around to find others of its type (Bristlecone Pine). They found another ancient one and cut it down, to enable more detailed study. They discovered that it had actually been older than the "oldest" they had gone to study. Doh!

Much respect to you! The world needs more young men like you learning, teaching and spreading knowledge.

It's worth mentioning there's a serious health risk involved with using bracken for bedding - it's a favourite hangout of deer ticks, whose bites can carry Lyme disease. It's more of an issue in modern times since the deer that host the ticks have no natural predators left, so they're much more numerous.

Greetings from Ireland, thank you for the Gaidhlig names in this great video, tapaidh leat. In Irish/Gaeilge the Wood Sorrel is Seamsóg. -- Bracken is Raithneach mhór --- Bog Myrtle is Raideog. -- Soft Rush is Geataire ( but luachra means rushes in general) -- Sphagnum Moss is Caonach Móna ( I have also seen it as Sfagnum in more modern Irish/Gaeilge) Coinnigh suas an dea obair a mhic (Keep up the good work young man)

По-русски эти растения называются 4:00 - Кислица/Kisliza (A small sour plant) 5:21 - Орляк/Orlyak (A plant in the form of an eagle) 7:50 - Восковница/Voskovniza (Wax Plant) 9:28 - Ситник/Sitnik (A plant for making a sieve) 13:50 - Болотник/Bolotnik (Swamp moss) Приятно видеть знакомые растения)

Yes--love to see a rush lamp being made!

Watching on my magic pocket rectangle. The bazooka bit was funny. You seem so excited to tell us we can wipe our bums with moss. Demonstration of uses, like the oil lamp, might be good video ideas. It's amazing how much we could actually be using natural methods even in the modern day.

Sphagnum moss was in the dark crystal movie. They used it as a bandage.

That opening was solid. Been trying to learn my plants in New Zealand.. it kind of makes you look at the bush harder.

Loved the vid. Thinking that if I remember aright both soft rush and bracken are single clonal forms brought into the country by our ancient ancestors as a part of their economy. Bracken is seemingly still used in the Basque country to insulate the houses in winter, stuffing the roof spaces with large bundles of bracken. As for rush lamps I found that a limpet shell works great as a tea light plus since cattle were so much the core of the economy (bog butter as the product of summer pasture - there was no milk board driving tankers up the Glen's every morning) butter was a key commodity for not just cooking but treating leather and very possibly the most readily available fuel for rush lights. Much like Tibet and their yak butter :)

Great video! I live in Norway and we have those five plants over here as well. I knew of them but not nearly to the level of detail presented in this video. Will be sure to watch it again and go out to look for the plants. Love your way of showing how knowledge of plants, skills and the surroundings is deeply connected to the local culture of your country. Good job! :)

The plants growing around my house, I let them grow as they will. The amount of useful herbs and medicinal plants around my house, is fascinating. It’s good to know what grows around you.

Great episode Sir. I actually don't know where the sphagnum moss from our local market came from. It's nice to know other use for it. That fern like plant is quite similar to one we have here, my elders use it as vegetable stew with coconut milk. The reed, saw an episode from another creator on how the Scotts use it as light. And your coat/robe, we have a similar version called Malong but thinner as an all purpose garment/cloth. Greetings from the Philippines!!!

Well chosen plants. I like it a lot! I love the bracken, especially when it gets its rust colour. The spores of bracken are actually carcinogenic and although it was used as bedding, it was probably not a great idea. But it's rhizomes are a delicacy for wild boar and other pigs. There may not be much wild boar about in the Highlands of Scotland but its one of the reasons why bracken is on the red list on mainland Europe as they have lots of the beasts. Bog myrtle smells lovely and keeps the moths out of the woollens, for midgies I find incense works better. But in the old days it was used for brewing beer instead of hops for a longer shelf life. Love how you give the less known and less liked plants the lime light. By the way was the very first plant woodruff? That is a very interesting one 😊 's math a rinn thu!

Thanks to parents and grandparents I know a lot of the local plants here in Latvia but I need to expand my knowledge, my dream is to one day be like you, I want to know the ways of my Latvian ancestors like you.

Would love a rush light video, traditional and modern!

In the American Southwest Yucca is one of the more useful plants. I haven't really looked into it too much, but just in passing I've picked up that Yucca root is a natural soap - in fact, if memory serves it's used for that in Navajo ritual practices - and the thin, fibrous leaves have been used for centuries to make cordage and even footwear. Pretty sure there's several more uses that I've missed.

Your sense of humour is fantastic. I love the rush bazooka to the backdrop of the highlands. I’d love to see your modern rush lamp video! Thank you for everything you do :)

It's fun to learn about plants and the many uses for them. I wish it was more common understanding but society has lost touch of reality and care less about the more important things in life. Great video Tom thanks for your hard work. We appreciate what you do plus your kit rocks....lol. 😁👍

Oh need more modern Tom meets historical Tom as a way to teach

I love rush lamps I would love to see a follow up video involving that.

By boiling fiddleheads from bracken ferns you can remove the toxicity and eat a lot more! People sell them all the time here in Canada for eating purposes

Excellent video....Learning about local plants for food, medicine or utility can be extremely interesting. Wood Sorrel (Oxalis) has several medicinal uses, some Native American tribes even used it as an aphrodisiac (just in case you had that "feeling" after eating it).

4:11 Full immersion! The real nails of the 15 century!

He must have been watching demo ranch with that intro

my mother is scottish and my father is ute (Native american) so it makes me a crazy blend and i love learning about both sides and your videos have been very useful for understanding myself

Wonderful. Took me back to rural Northumberland (not too far from Scotland which is just over the border) with my parents in the 60s and 70s. Sphagnum moss - my mother gathered to line her handing baskets (today I am glad when it grows on my very large lawn and grass areas as it absorbs water so well and so much better than just the grass). The reeds - as we called them - I used to plait and waived into 3 or even 8 strand corn dolly type head bands when we were on our country walks. I have two pots them here I water every day. , Bracken - yes long walks with that all around were very memorable. Bilberries (not featured) as we called them were a nice treat. I have some in the garden now although they are bigger more cultivated blueberries and the same with wild strawberries - a nice treat when out and about and of course blackberries too and if we were very lucky raspberries in the wilds. I hope my children hav e learned as much of what you can an cannot eat in the same way from me and my grandchildren are similarly learning. For some reason my mother's girls' school did botany not physics nor chemistry so she knew both the English and all the latin names.

Wonderful video Tom, as a young man to another I really respect the journey you're on. You've not only answered so many questions for yourself but you've helped families like mine gain a better understanding of our heritage. Big love from Canada Sláinte!

As a herbalist and forager, the beginning scenario has happened to me once on a tour. It was like two worlds meeting for the first time xD

It creates a feeling of connection to our earth, a sense of belonging...

Great video! I live in Scotland and recognised all the plants as I see them nearly every day, but I had no idea how useful they can be! Be careful eating wood sorrel near paths as dogs sometimes like to pee on them!

Even if I may never use this information as I live Downunder I still loved the way you presented it keep up the good work!

What a great video! The section on bracken really made me smile. I recently moved from a stony acreage where all garden space had to be wrested from the bracken. The kids loved playing in the bracken field.

I used have a habit of eating the wood sorrel when I was very little. I had no idea what it was. I just thought it tasted good and liked eating them if I ever came across them.

We don't have most of the plants in this video where I live, but we do have wood sorrel! And it is such a pleasant little tangy snack!

agreed,even better this world needs more scottish ninjas like you ,legend!glad you back man!

Tapadh leat for sharing this like so many of your other videos. Wood sorrel was used here in the Americas as a way of staving off nausea and cramping, and some tribes even say it can be used as an aphrodisiac. Thank you also for sharing a window into a shared past, as a Lamont it’s nice getting to see such things through a fantastic field anthropologist lens

Thanks for another great video!

very interesting content - good luck man

Nice. Although Gaelic is more a product of Latin and Germanic influence. I think you would find the more ancient traditional names by translating them into Basque 👍

It has been at least three years since I last watched one of your videos, and it is nice to see that you are still about and thriving.

This was fascinating. I'm not very plant aware, but this is amazing to know and will be useful in future for sure.

Your voice and how you speak are very easy on the ears. I also like your sense of humor. Makes me pay attention to what you are trying to teach.

Wonderful show. Another use for bracken - my Grandmother used to cut bunches and hang them 8n the kitchen- it smells lovely- and then burn them in the wood stove - it was a way of catching house flies- they rest in the bracken in the day and then you burn the bunches.

Thank you for the dedication that you put into your videos. Thank you for teaching us about Scotland's history and the landscape. I will also enjoy the plants😂

i love how ive never learned scottish gaelic but i can understand so much from knowing irish gaelic

i live in coastal Oregon, USA. our local biome is a rare one (temperate rainforest); there are only a few pockets of it around the world. one of them is in the Scottish highlands. it's so cool to see plants that i grew up around in a whole 'nother context! (this is pretty localized, but when i was young we used to call Feada Coille "appleweed.")

Hi there...great video!!!! I love plants and gardening...but what I loved the best is your lovely accent of highlander...my ancestors came from Scotland Morayshire, and settled in Argentina, South America....I'm in love with Scotland and hope to go one day. Thanks again pal. Beautifull my Scotland.

Glad to catch this video early!

I grew up about 100 miles from the oldest tree (located in Great Basin National Park on the Utah/Nevada border). It's not on the beaten path, but I highly recommend visiting. I really appreciate your content. Thank you sir

Yes! Rush lamp and other methods of house lighting, please!

that intro 😆 I don't use smart phones, and from now on I am calling them "fancy magic pocket rectangles" when my friends insist on using them ;) rush lamp video: yes please !!!

Yess! Great topic, beautiful scenery all around you, and of course I always love the historical accuracy you bring. Thank you! I find it interesting that bog myrtle smells a bit like lavender and also repels insects, because for years I've used lavender as a mosquito repellant, so I'd guess the common factor might be shared terpenes. Now if I find myself without any lavender in my pocket, I can also look for bog myrtle...if it grows here....hmm I'd better get to googling... :D

Top quality video as always, thanks mate

"...explore the plants in your area through the lens of the indigenous language..." - 🧡from🐢🏝

Your videos are brilliant...thank you very much xxx

Cool stuff brother

I knew 4 of the 5, i live in lennoxtown and I make amadou flies from hoof fungus, it's also great for beekeeping and as tinder, you can even make hats out of it, it's not super labour intensive ethier, if you come across any I'd love to see more videos on it

Loved that thanks for sharing knowledge and having fun with it!

Wow! Each presentation gets so much better. Thank you.

Fantastic! Thank you again for making things so accessible and interesting.

Great stuff. Thanks for teaching us.

Excellent opening sequence! The whole video was very engagingly presented. Congratulations on a FANDABULOUS video!

Your videos have evolved. This was such a great watch full of information and fun. 👍

Returning lost knowledge, excellent! It would be great to see the method used to create the many items you mentioned from these plants.

You are amazing with your information and delivery!

This is so great, thank you for making this!

Wonderful presentation Tom. All good to know for sure. Especially that moss. Nate

Awesome details , it shows that you spend a lot of time setting this together and omg it’s excellent!

I always enjoy watching your videos, but I never realised you were into plants. What a treat! I'm nuts about plants and can never find anyone to discuss it with - but they fascinate me. I also love the concept of going back in time to get to the basics and anything survival-oriented is right up my alley.

Thanks for another great video mate! It's lovely to see traditional indigenous crafts being kept alive and this is such an inspiration for my creative writing endeavours. I'm a dungeon master and writer for role play games and this survival / wilderness information is so valuable!

Wonderful as always Tom. Fin and I really enjoyed it. Slainte Mhath, Andy

Very informative and humorous. I love learning about plants and past lifeway's. Thank you! 🌷

Great video! Inspired me to go out and gather some rushes to try making a candle out of. Would definitely be interested in a video on how you would go about making a rush candle.

This is fascinating! Thank you!

Sphagnum is one of the most amazing plants to ever appear and has a greater effect on global climate than any other living species that is not us. While peatland covers only 3% of earth's surface, it holds about 46% of the soil carbon, being orders of magnitude more effective than forests. The fastest route to a greenhouse earth would be drying the peatlands. I've used it as a sponge for camp showers and it's very effective in a grease trap for waste water. Thanks for all the Gaelic pronunciations!

Thanks for this amazing video! Keep up the great work I'm gonna go out and see if I can find a few of the plants you showed us

Good to see you. Thank you Jotted down the Wondrium link.

Good to know. Thanks. And I must mention the style and humour of this video is very clever. Good for all ages and keeps the viewer's curiosity peaked. Truly, it's just really hilarious. Worth watching again and again just for the entertainment's sake.

Loved your content mate. Keep it going!

Enjoyed learning about native plants in Scotland from your video. Entertaining useful and clearly have an interest in the subject.

I feel a bit dumb not knowing this when I see most of these plants several times a week. Thanks for enlightening me. 😄

Keep up the great content

Fantastic.... Great presentation. Subscribed & thank you.

Your presentation style mixed with comedy is the best education! The herbal info I learned from you is unforgettable, thank you! Fiddleheads are also high is estrogen. That's why Korean Buddhist monks eat this daily to curb their libido. I avoid it and only eat it when I'm in dire straits.

I love how this video is just you having fun in the woods and teaching forgotten facts about plants

Nice Tom. i remember when I got bitten by an ant as a child and someone picked some bracken here in Australia and applied it to the bite and it healed really quickly. Mum, who was a McBurney, was into all of that too.

Great sharing! Thanks 🌱

Thank you for your teaching in such a charming way.

Thank you for this! I did know the main used of the plants, but certainly learned more too! Please do make a video on lamps! I use a bunch of olive or fish oil lamps when camping, but I’m always looking to up my game!

Great wee video mate ,very informative.I was so impressed by the presentation that i subscribed. ATB

Outstanding vid and information!

You talking to yourself really gives me Atun-Shei vibes, I approve of it, and this very nifty herbalism video!

Very educational! Thank you

I love the collaboration - that I can maintain my learning of nature and I can also watch all of your fantastic videos, on my “fancy pocket rectangle” haha! Awesome video as always, in content, delivery, videography and editing!

Remember learning that cool trick of launching a ‘soft rush’ from my primary school head teacher, down here in the Borders, back in the early seventies. Now passing that, and other equally cool stuff on to my grandkids. As always great enthusiasm and great video.