MLKJ DAY Bryophyllum pinnatum hot air balloon

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'"

My county and many others reply, shutting down the bus for the day as well as other public services. What a way to celebrate. I'm sure Jr would be proud knowing that the countless people who use public transit across the USA will not be able to today in many places. Closed libraries will insure that education slows on this day. Yes Martin Luther King Jr would be proud of how we honor him. 

On to gardening! 

This is a plant that I didn't know the name of till today. Someone said it was called "tree of life" but that's a nickname and one not typically associated with this plant. It's real names:  Bryophyllum Pinnatum, Air Plant, Life Plant, Miracle Leaf, Cathedral Bells, Katakataka, and Goethe Plant.   Common nicknames: Leaf of life, and wonder of the world. It has other names also. I think the flowers look like little air balloons, you will see why a few pics down.

Although this plant has many medicinal uses be careful with how you use it. It can cause cardiac poisoning according to wiki. This doesn't mean people shouldn't use it. Many medicinal plants have what some consider to be "negative" qualities. I find that most medicinal plants simply have built in safeguards to prevent over consumption. 

"Bryophyllum pinnatum leaf 60% methanolic extract was found to inhibit the growth of five out of eight bacteria used, at a concentration of 25 mg/ml." ~ Sciencedirect.com

Inside the flower

Inside the flower I found this. Keeping in mind the thought of air balloons I thought that this looked a little like the burner found in a hot air balloon... and then I opened the "burner".

and found purple "fire" haha nerd moment. 

 Bryophyllum pinnatum leaf is used by some as a topical for joint pain. The leaf is heated in the oven till it wilts and then wrapped around a painful joint such as a knee. I normally wrap it with an ace bandage and leave it on while I'm sleeping. I don't know why it works for that but everyone I've met who has tried it claims it does. This plant has many other uses that can be found with a quick web search.

                                                                     Word of wisdom:
 "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ MLK Jr.  

As always donations are appreciated and help to speed up the project.
Needs: Mulch - the mulch is free at the dump but transporting it is not. The higher quality mulch is about $200 a dump truck full. (I could use 3 dump truck fulls at least.
Tools - I use them till they break and sometimes fix them and keep using them. Currently I'm down to my last good machete $10 to $14. I have one shovel but could use an extra.
I could also use a pitch fork and a good flashlight.