Allergy time again!!

 I have been plagued by the timely scourge of allergies since I can remember.  After searching for that perfect pill to wipe them out and to no avail, I began searching for a homoeopathic cure.  Allergies are very allusive, displaying differently every year, making for quite a challenge to find comfort.
Herbally speaking, a tincture of Stinging Nettle (fresh) and Eyebright provides natures antihistamine and decongestant, add a little bee pollen in there to boost nutrition.  If the bee pollen is local, all the better, because if contains the allergens in your area in minute quantities, this will help your body build up immunities. Stinging Nettle not only has antihistamine qualities, but supports the immune system and is loaded with all the vitamin B's and C.  While the Eyebright soothes the mucosa linings helping to alleviate the stuffy nose and head congestion, which accompanies allergic reactions.   I love this remedy because it is nutritious and safe for everyone.

                                        Here is a picture of Stinging Nettle growing in my yard.

You want to make sure you're wearing leather gloves when harvesting, or you will feel quite a sting!!!

Another really important herb to combat sinus pressure is Ma Huang or Ephedra sinica.  I know this little herb has gotten a bad rap and has been taken off the market in this country, I think mainly because of how well it works.  It is where pseudophedrine comes from, which is an effective decongestant, but with many side effects.  When taken in whole plant form, in the proper dosages, I have not seen or experienced any side effects.  this herb is considered a tonic herb in Chinese Medicine.  I see why, I have taken it when needed for 9 months now and my allergies are half of what they were last year.  I was burdened with severe headaches from sinus pressure for years.  I used to take the over the counter psuedofed and a ibuprofen almost everyday to combat these close to migraine headaches.  It would relieve the headache, but leave me with medicine head, feeling moody and sleepy.  I have finally broken the code and have herbal relief without any bad side effects.  The key is to build the body's defense up, support the mucosa linings and introduce the allergens in small quantities so the body can build up antibodies.  If you're an allergy sufferer I wish you relief and pass the word on.

Asprin vs. Willow

Aspirin is in the news this week as a cancer preventative as well as being the go to drug for stroke and heart attack prevention.  I then wondered if Willow shared similar benefits, since aspirin is derived from the salicin in Willow.  The Latin name for Willow is Salix spp., it is a member of the Salicaceae Family.  These plants have a high salicin levels, where salicylic acid is made from, they don't have the same blood thinning quality as aspirin.  Also it is different enough that there is no risk of Reyes Syndrome, allergic reactions and stomach upset and bleeding.  I would caution that with taking anything new, one might want to try a small amount first to test for an allergic reaction before diving full in.

In my Materia Medica, it list that Willow works well on the Kidney, Bladder, Heart, Stomach and Liver meridians.  Energetically, it is a bitter, cool and dry.  It clears heat and dries damp conditions.  Tones the heart and kidneys while clearing the liver and stomach.  All this and promotes tissue repair and relieves pain.

I like to use Willow in my tonics where muscle or joint pain is present.  Along with the need to drain congestion or excess fluids.  Making Willow blend nicely with Meadow sweet or Comfrey in rheumatic and   workout formulas. I will add it to some of my allergy blends too, when there is a lot of sinus pain and tidal fevers present.  Then I blend it with Golden Rod and Mahuang along with some bee pollen to relieve the pain and fevers along with building up the body to local allergens.

Willow is very useful as a simple too.  It works great at relieving pain on it's own, without being blended.  It can be taken as a decoction or tincture 3-4 x a day, or as needed.  My Mother has been using will this way to relieve arthritis pain for years, without side effects or other drug interactions. 

Aspirin truly has it's place, it has been helping thin the blood, reducing strokes and relieving pain for generations.  It is a stronger drug made from a plant source hence it does carry some side effects.  While Willow is a very effective herb, it does not take aspirin's place.  Though they share similar benefits, they are not interchangeable.

Find your dandelion power

Since I am on a roll with lawn weeds, that most of us have been trying to irradicate for decades, I thought this would be a good time to spot light the pernacious Dandelion.  It is a bit more distinguished using it's Latin name, Taraxcum officinale, don't you think for our most common lawn spurge. 
Our little pop up weed has 6x the amount of vitamin A and twice as much calcium, phosphorus and iron than garden lettuce.  Here's a little comparison side by side for one lb. of each:
                                         Dandelion                          Lettuce
Protein                              12.3 grams                         3.8grams
Calcium                             849mgs                             194mgs
Phospherus                        318mgs                              63mgs
Vitamin A                        16,970IU                          5,060IU
Iron                                      14mgs                             3.4mgs
Thiamin                                .85mgs                            .14mgs
Riboflavin                             .65mgs                            .26mgs
Niacin                                 3.8 mgs                            .6 mgs
Vitamin C                        163.0mgs                         57.0mgs

Pretty enlightening don't you think?  Along with all these nutritional benifits Dandelion offers many medicinal benifits as well.  Here's just to name a few, leaves can be eaten in salads and have a mild diuretic action.  Roasting of the roots makes a good coffee substitute and retains it's medicinal tonic for the liver.  The juice (milky plant latex) can be applied to warts while the stems can be made into an infusion, which helps lower blood sugar. One last finding, magically it was believed to bring wisdom through hard times, I think this is a good place to leave it!

poultice THIS!

     In my last blog I mentioned Chickweed is great in poultices, what's a poultice you asked?  Poultices or plasters, are used in the herbal world for healing bruises, diminishing inflammations, withdrawing pus, and toxins from the skin. They also work well on bug bites, rashes and abrasions.  When my kids were little and we would be having a nature day, I would always scope out the park, or where ever we were enjoying the great outdoors, for my herb friends for those bites, bumps and scrapes.  Usually you can find Plantain growing in the grass in most parks, and it happens to be a wonderful herb for healing skin from the above mentioned maladies.  Just another example of how the plant world is so perfectly planned to help and aid us. As for an on the spot poultice, I would chew up a few leaves of plantain, and apply it right to the boo boo.  My kids now use our friend plantain on their own when they are romping around playing outside.  Chickweed would also be a good go to herb for a on the spot poultice.  The refrigerant properties reduces  swelling from bumps and bruises.  You will find chickweed at the base of trees, especially oak. or on moist slopes in wooded areas.  Chickweed will shy away from to much sun, it will dry up, so it is hard to find after the dog days of summer.

     Making a proper poultice or plaster:

1. pulverize a handful of herb in a mortar and pestle
2. moisten with either water, infused oil or tincture
3. place on afflicted area
4. wrap with cheese cloth or linen
5. leave it on for for several hours.
6. Remove, and rinse off with water.  

 I have included a picture of of Plantain, Plantago major to help you locate it in your yard!

Spring brings nutrious chickweed

      One of my favorite spring beauties, the little chickweed that you will find popping up all over the planting beds and lawn. It is also called starwort, for it's little white flower that looks like a star.  It is loaded with nutrients, just imagine how beneficial this would be if we were still living off the land.  We would be vitamin deprived through the winter months, especially vitamins B complex, A, C, iron and calcium which chickweed is plentiful in.  It has a mild slightly sweet taste which makes it perfect to add in your salad.  It likes to grow at tree beds, where it will be sufficiently shaded.  Chickweed won't last, so get in your yard and find it now.  Pick it, wash it in a colander and add it to your salad green. 
     Tincture chickweed fresh. I will be adding a video on tincturing chickweed the folk method, so stay tuned. It works on the lung, large intestine, spleen, stomach and heart meridians.  It nourishes the blood and promotes tissue repair.  One of the most unique qualities this little herb is it's   refrigerant properties.  I use chickweed in poultices when a condition with heat presents.  Such as bruises, sprains, skin wounds, abrasions, itching and irritations.  Especially good for eczema, psoriasis and rheumatic conditions in washes or taken internally by tea or tincture.
     Now you know that this little weed that everyone was targeting as a lawn nuisance is one of Natures best healing and nutritious herbs.  I hope the next time you decide to weed and feed, you will realize what you might be loosing.

Need an infusion anyone?

     An herbal infusion is more that just a cup of tea.  It's like tea on steriods, it requires more steeping time and amount of herb to water ratio.  If your like, most people, you just wave a tea bag in hot water for 2-5 minutes then call it done.  This is all fine and well,  but if your needing more from the herb, say to help you heal, it needs to be an infusion.  The aerial parts of an herb, leaves, flowering heads, soft bark, seeds and stems are used.  It is important to bruise fresh herbs slightly in your hand to release some of the water content trapped in the tissues. The proper ratio of herb to water is; 1 oz. to a pint for dry and double the amount of herbs if they are fresh. Bring the water to boil, then let cool down to just off the boil.  Pour over herbs and cover tightly, mason jars work well, and let steep 10-30 minutes.  Strain loose herbs through a fine mesh strainer, or cheese cloth.  Remember to discard herbs in your compost bin.  Your infusion can be refrigerated for several days.  Just reheat on the stove or enjoy cold.

Here's a good diaphoretic recipe for flu with green mucus, yikes!!

Use equal parts of:

• Peppermint, or Spearmint
• Lemon Balm
• Elder Flowers
• Add Licorice to taste and drink 4-5 cups a day. 

This tea is meant to be taken hot, so mix up a big batch, store it in the fridge, this is a mighty fine idea.

  

What's my source?

     Close your eyes, and say the word "herbalist", now, what comes to mind?  I'm sure some of you saw a beautifully appointed apothecary, with jars of dry herbs, mortar and pestle at the ready.  Others maybe something more mysterious, like something out of Harry Potter's world, bubbling cauldron, and jars filled with all sorts of gooey looking specimens, all lined up in a dusty row with spider webs setting the backdrop?  Well, where ever your mind might have taken you in this vision, I hope I can shed some light into the methods used to create herbal medicines.
     Earlier I spoke about tinctures, which is my preferred form, for its shelf life and the direct way it is absorbed by the body.  That is just one way an herbalist might choose to administer an herbal remedy. Figuring out the best remedy for the malady at hand, is both knowledge and art coming together.
    The knowledge is found in the most important book in an herbal apothecary, which is the Materia Medica!  Sounds murky again, I know, but is a treatise on the materials used in a particular school or system of medicine.  So, an herbal Materia Medica covers all aspects of  herbs such as; history, source, physical characteristics, constituents, actions, preparations, doses, and administration to guide the herbalist practice.  This is my most prized piece of equipment, because without it, I would not have the empirical knowledge that has been recorded for thousands of years.  It would be like reinventing the wheel.
    I received my Materia Medica from the Chicago College of Healing Arts where I studied for two years.  I have never seen or run across any book since that is more complete that this one.  This is my main source that I go to for botanical information. It covers the Latin name, common names, actions, energetics, indications, preparation, historical notes, habitat, cultivation and harvesting of medicinal herbs. I thought it is a good time to establish this, in case you were wondering from where I was pulling my pearls of wisdom from.
  

I'm so excited, I am answering my first request:  What to do about poison ivy?  It certainly is an itch!!
Items to have on hand for combat:

1. Felsnapha Soap 
2. Rhus toxicodendron ( homeopathic 12x or 6c)
3. Aloe vera or cucumber slices

First;  wash area that came in contact really well with warm soapy water, (I have heard Felsnapha soap works best).  Make sure to remove clothes right away and put them in the washer alone, wash on hot with bleach.
Secondly;  take the homeopathic tablets, under tongue, in-between food, every hour for the first 3 hours then every 3-4x daily until symptoms subside.

Lastly;  several things work well on the blisters such as:  aloe vera (I use it right from the plant, cut a piece of the leaf and squeeze in on rash), or place cucumber slices on rash. Another helper is Jewelweed,  nature's antidote, it usually grows conveniently near posion ivy. Don't ya just love that! The leaves can be juiced and applied to the rash 2-3 x daily. You can identify this plant by the smooth soft leaves and the orange snap dragon type flowers that appear in mid summer.

Let us not forget Calundula, the almighty skin healing herb.  A paste of Calendula tincture, buttermilk and sea salt can be applied to help dry up the weeping blisters. If this is all to much to handle, the old stand by, Calamine lotion works well, at drying up the blisters as well.

                                                                       Jewelweed

I would like to mention the importance of covering up blisters that are actively weeping.  These are open wounds which can become infected.  I know of someone who was in Hospital for 10 days due to a strep infection from an active poison ivy rash.  Always cover open wounds, that's why they invented band aids after all!! :} 

Plant Journeys: Soup Hugs, Tea Kisses

Plant Journeys: Soup Hugs, Tea Kisses

Hump Day

     One might think that an herbalist day is all filled with the niceties of nature, birds singing and all the woodland animals helping me do my chores, like in Snow White, well not today.  For the past 8 years I have had the responsibility of caring for my aged parents along with my young daughters.  I guess I am the sandwich generation, I've herd it labeled this anyway.  Mostly it has been a great blessing, but some days it bears a lot of weight.  Herbally speaking, it has been wonderful to be able to help everyone with their ailments that pop up, like cancer for instance with my Mom.  I've watched how the herbs have worked their magic, helping her to heal and regain strength and balance.  She has had many battles with side effects from radiation, drug therapies that she tried, and the herbs always were aiding her to recover.  Now we face MDS, from the treatments.  This is a toughy, since her bones aren't producing blood properly, she is immune compromised.  Our blood nourishes everything, all our organs, tissues, well everything in our bodies!

     As her herbalist, I have added ginseng to her tonic,( for it's adaptogen qualities), this herb is the mother of energy and building up jing.  "Jing" is Chinese term for the life force bank account we are born with, you only have so much jing to last for your life.  Few things add to your bank account, mostly we make a constant withdraw, then we run out. 
     I also put comfrey, nicknamed the bone knitting herb, in there too!  Along with kelp ( to nourish), vitex ( to balance hormones), motherwort( to govern and guide), red clover( to build the blood), St. John's wort ( to elevate mood and immune system),and licorice ( which is a carrier herb and enhances the properties of the tonic herbs).
     Now, like I said, it feels good that I could do something to try to help heal her.  Now it is time for prayer and support. 
Factoid:  The word wort is Latin for herb.

I like the word "tincture"

     Tincture, tincture, tincture, what a cool sounding word my friend said to me, and I have to agree, it sounds earthy, viscous and mysterious.  What the heck is it?  I know I wondered when I was starting to dabble in the herbal arts.
     Herbal tinctures are hydro-alcoholic solutions prepared from fresh or dried botanical.  The herbs are macerated in a solvent that will dissolve and bring into solution all the desired principles of the herb.  The solution is called the Menstruum.  In tinctures the menstruum is alcohol and distilled water in a weight to volume mixture.  There are many other types of menstruum used in making herbal remedies such as: water, glycerin, wine, vinegars and oils.
     When herbs are tinctured all of the plants constituents are preserved for many, many years, as long as proper storage protocol is followed.  It is an herbalist dream to have a well stocked pharmacy of simples at the ready to use in blends and tonics.  Simple is a common health-enhancing plant.  A simpler is one who knows how to use these plants....an herbalist.

What's the diff?

     You might wonder what's the diff ? Since most pharmaceutical drugs are derived from plants, then isn't herbal medicine the same thing?  They both start out using plants, but the differences lie in the proccessing.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing = reductionist model.
     Highly refined process of extraction, separation, isolation and naming plants constituents.  Ultimately this proccess gets down to the chemical/mineral synthesis of so called "active ingredients". Which is produced in pill form to treat isolated disease symptoms.
Herbalism = empirical model
     The knowledge that stems from thousands of years of using Earth's healing plants.  Holistic science of using the whole plant to treat the whole person.  When the whole plant is used is provides a micro-nutritional landscape that we synthesize and utilize for our optimum health.  Having the balance of active ingredients and inert ones is thought to be why side effects aren't experienced.
     Straddling these two extremes of reductionism and empiricism lies the powerful arena for which a  modern herbalist can thrive.  This is such a exciting time to be practicing ancient healing arts, I feel so blessed to be a part of it.  I realize this enry is a bit stuffy, but it needs to be out there.  Without this understanding of the relationship between allopathic drug therapy and herbal therapy can lead to much confusion.  I am not wanting to be on the defensive of either traditions.  They both have their place in this modern forum.
    

New Beginings

This is bold, odd and strangely fascinating, to be finding my venue in the virtual world while my roots are so bound in the old world, the murky world of the medicinal arts.  I say murky, because it seems like this to me much of the time when I am trying to get the good word out about herbs.  I often  thought the word would spread like my decorative painting did, by word of mouth.  Not So.  I have found it to be a slowly evolving process for people to embrace the benefits of herbs.  I think there is a stigma or that your being a little bit naughty or something, when you use herbs to help your body heal.  If is the most natural and benign way to nourish one's self.  Herbs are nothing more than super foods, that give us doses of micro-nutrition when we need it.  Join me as we learn, explore and have fun with herbs in this virtual life.

Today's factoid:  the word drug is derived from the Dutch word droog, which means dried herb.