Thank you Mother Earth: Harvesting Red Clover and Arnica

I don't know why, but I have been somewhat obsessed with red clover lately. In fact, I've been meaning to do a FB entry on it for some time now, but I didn't feel that it was important enough. Now, I'm getting over that. I don't care about my audience as much as I did before, and I don't want to do the herbs that I think the "audience" would want to hear about. I want to do the herbs that I want to do and that's all that matters to me. I know that they would want to hear about lavender and st johns wort and arnica and kava kava, but I feel like writing about whatever I feel like writing about on any given day. Anyway, there are 365 days in a year, and I feel like at this point I can already take it halfway through with the herbs that I have in the house. Well, maybe not, but I do have so many and there are too many that I want to try and look into, more than one a day. It can be limiting actually. Maybe I should stop saying herb of the day, and just write about an herb when I feel like it, however many times a day I feel like it.
So why have I been so infatuated with red clover? Perhaps because it is just so amazing to look at. I'm not sure about the taste. its okay. its pretty good i guess. I have to look into what it does, and that might explain it better. maybe the fact that its one of the first that i learned to identify, and that mouna asked me to harvest. I had so much fun doing that. its a good association. if I could have just been asked to harvest one herb every day.. how much fun that would have been. I suppose I could always go back, but i would have to be much more focused on learning the herbs, and insisting that i do things a certain way, so that i learn what it is that i came to learn.. and also contribute enough to make it worth her while to take me in the way she was before.
So ... red clover, such pretty flowers, the heads of them such a pretty color pinkish red, and a big poofball, like the ones that used to be attached to certain socks as decoration. They are truly beautiful. and I noticed that i am drawn to red and yellow plants the most. Then again, perhaps because those are the most common. But I love rose and evening primrose, and calendula, and dandelion, and the reddish/purple ones like borage, which might just be the most awesome plant in terms of the design, color and texture of the flower. Wow, its enough to absolutely blow you away. And self-heal, which I just discovered in the wild on our camping trip in Colorado. Wow, a huge meadow full of self-heal. supposedly good for migraines if my memory serves me right, and they are drying right now on the table beside me as we speak. The saddest thing is drying the flowers, how they lose their life and love and vitality as they dry, and shrivel into a slight skeleton of what they once were, bright, vibrant, alive in the fields, they shrivel to nothingness, but nobody knows this but the gatherer, because when you turn it into medicine, the last thing on a patients mind would probably be.. what does this plant look like in the wild? Its almost bizarre, being able to see the plant both ways, as this beautiful, vibrant piece of nature, true beauty, like a painting that you are looking at in real life... and then the way that it is almost butchered... well its beauty, for the medicine. I understand now, those rituals, in a way, and how medicine people say please and thank you to the plants, we kill them... you know. I never thought of a plant this way, I never saw them as these amazing vibrant things that they are. They are alive. They are amazing. And then we cut them from their source of life, and we take them home and we dry them and they shrivel into these silhouettes of what they were even hours before. Nobody knows. Nobody cries for the plants that we took from natures cradle. Now I get it, mother nature. These plants belong to her. She nurtures them, feeds them, provides for them just like a parent, they only survive because of the things that nature does to make sure they live. The minerals in the soil, the insects and worms that feed on them and keep them alive, pollinate some of them, the water that rains from the sky to quench their thirst, to keep the soil alive and healthy, the sun that gives them the vitamins and the energy to grow up.. up to the sky towards the sun, the moon that lulls them to sleep, the streams that carry nutrients to the soil and water to the roots. Its incredible, this amazing ecosystem, that survives in spite of us. We are just visitors here, we don't get it, we just walk all over it, we don't understand that everything is alive, and we are just walking around on this earth, having nothing to do with all of these things that happen on their own, so we must try to see, see beyond ourselves, what the forest is doing when we are not looking. Everything happens without us. Bridges are not being build without us, but animals are still living their lives out in the woods, and they don't care what we do, we are just a part of this whole enormous life system. It is quite intimidating if you really understand. And it is quite fascinating. So that these plants die so that we can survive, so that we can heal ourselves, so that I can help you heal. Can my patients really understand? I doubt it. I don't mean to make them seem insensitive. You can't know things that you never saw, that nobody explained to you, or showed you. I never knew. Until I went into the woods with my friends and looked all over the place for small amounts of arnica, and my friend, who I am so impressed by, who is so good at identifying plants.. who could tell us.. "look there is some arnica" even while there were yellow flowers all over the place that looked quite similar, she could tell the difference, and there were quite few.
So the four of us scoured through the forest, and found these delicate, lonely little yellow flowers that were absolutely stunning, staring at us, giving the earth the gift of their existence. thank you arnica, for being this beautiful flower, that nobody knows about when they go to Whole Foods and buy their arnica rub to help heal their painful shoulder. That the source of this medicine, is a silly little yellow flower that hides in the forest, and we yank it from the earth, and we take it home, and dry it.. and it looks so different afterwards, just a shadow of what it looked like in the ground in that forest so full of life, it is this shrunken dried out broken version of itself.. the raw beauty gone, and now a puffy whisper of what it once was.. hard to grasp... cut the puffy dried heads from the stalk, and let them fall one by one into the olive oil... and there they will stay for a week or so, I will put them in the window or outside in the sun, so that their properties can soak into the oil, and give us their magical gift of healing.. their amazing medicinal qualities, they dance around in the oil, mimicking themselves and giving us this gift, this amazing gift of healing, nurturing and care. In the end, these plants sacrificed their lives for us, unwillingly.. yes, we must be grateful, as we should be to the cows who died so we can eat steak... and so on. Do we ever think of the sacrifice of life? Wow. It's enormous. I am so amazed. amazed. Overwhelmed, and grateful for these beautiful living organisms that live on the earth along with us, that we also call our home, it is also their home, and they give themselves to us, mother nature gives them to us, so that we can heal ourselves. Thank you arnica, looking at me now from your sad glass jar, melting away into the olive oil. I know that you will make us better. And I know that we must use you wisely. Because you are alive, you are amazing, you are intense, you are beautiful. God Bless You, and thank you plants, thank you flowers, thank you bees and worms and insects that keep our plants alive, and make sure that they are safe and sound, so that when we come to harvest them for our own use, they are healthy and well.

Herb Journal: Hawthorn

6/21/13
Hawthorne Berries, Leaves & Stems, that's what I just made a decoction of, and it's an interesting mish mosh of flavors & characteristics. That's why I would recommend, to ANYONE that they decide what they want a tea of before proceeding with the hawthorn plant tea. The initial taste is quite astringent, so much so, that it makes you cringe. But the aftertaste makes you want more. Its one of those strange things... but its not that strange. The astringent aspect comes from the leaves, but the red berries are quite sweet, so its that that leaves the aftertaste, you have this aftertaste of tart, sweet berries. Hmmm.
So hawthorn leaves, not surprisingly, are known for their astringent properties. But it appears that the berry is most often used as a heart tonic. This herb is known as the best one for heart maladies across the board. From rapid heartbeat, to a weak heartbeat... any abnormal heart action can be regulated with regular consumption of the tea of this plant, which is known as a general "heart strengthener". It also aids in several issues one may have as a result of poor circulation, from cerebral circulatory disturbances to hemhorroids. This is the herb recommended most for high blood pressure. If you are just drinking a tea of the berries, I wouldn't complain. Only a few minutes after my last sip, I'm thinking its kind of sugary tasting even.
This herbs lifts burdens off the heart as well, and acts on the heart on an emotional/spiritual/phsychological level. It eases emotional/spiritual heartache, and related irritable and nervous conditions and stomach complaints. It opens the heart to forgiveness of others or of life events that may be preventing a persons healing process. Pretty cool. I can definitely see it. My hemhorroids are shrinking, and I'm starting to forgive my ex boyfriend for being such a deuchebag. Hmmm. Just kidding.
But I like the flavor and would definitely give it a chance. Since it is a tonic, it can't hurt to drink it on a regular basis.
It's constituents are:
Saponins
Glycosides
Flavanoids
Ascorbic Acid (and other acids)
Tannins
Because it stimulates blood circulation in general, and part of this is to the brain (as you age, the bloodflow to the brain decreases, which is what causes memory problems that are common as people age). For the increase of blood to the brain, and the task of improving memory function, hawthorn is best combined with Ginko Biloba.
In certain traditions Hawthorne was used to increase fertility. I will have to research that further to see if scientific studies have been done to verify this.

Hibiscus, Pink Rosebud, Lemongrass & Orange Peel Tea. Vitamin C tranquilizer.

6/19/13

I have to just say, THIS IS MY FAVORITE TEA EVER (for now.. I'm just starting my foray into tea-land). I have always loved hibiscus, ever since I discovered the Mexican drink they call Jamaica, which is basically just hibiscus flower tea served cold & sweetened wtih sugar. I don't recommend the sugar, but the flavor was unforgettable. It's not something that everyone loves off the bat.. or ever, but for me.. it was love at first sip. I had to find the source of the Jamaica.. and it led me to the hibiscus flower. I hunted it down at the local health food store.. this was years ago.. and made my first hibiscus tea. I've been hooked ever since.
Hibiscus is insanely high in vitamin C. It's a GREAT source. If you are feeling sick or like your immune system needs some help, go get some hibiscus tea. You can eat and drink your vitamins. It's easy and more pleasant, and drinking hibiscus tea is one great example.
Plus, its red. Which, is pretty cool. Who doesn't like a red drink? It's just exotic. It really is a beautiful color, but that's just part of the fun. Red teas have been making somewhat of a statement lately.. becoming more well known among the tea drinking populace. Roobois is another good example. You see that almost everywhere.
Today my body just wanted some hibiscus. It's insanely hot here (in New Mexico) at this time of year, and my body needed something insanely refreshing. I have been drinking more medicinal teas, since I've been also experimenting on formulas for my roommates cough, and then drinking the miracle teas myself as a result.. but today was the day for Hibiscus, and just vitamin C in general. Plus, the past few days, I have found myself adding herbs in the rose family to my teas. Yesterday was Rose Hips, Rose Buds, Rosemary and Echinacea.
Today the Hibiscus took the place of rose hips (both super high in Vitamin C), added orange peel, lemongrass and Pink Rose Buds. This was not only an absolutely beautiful tea to watch floating around in the pot, but one of the most amazing mixtures of flavors and health benefitting qualities I have impulsively put together on a whim. A instinctive whim, though.
The rose buds are sooooo relaxing. The smell is incomparable. There is no aroma like that of rose. A lof of people don't think you can drink rose petals. WELL YOU CAN. When we went on our plant walks at Truth or Consequences, NM.. it was UNBELIEVABLE the amount of leaves, flowers, bark & fruits you find in the wilderness, or even growing in your backyard, that you would NEVER think to eat or make into a tea. We are so incredibly detached from nature, we have no clue. It's not just for people who are lost in the wilderness... we are actually MISSING OUT by not knowing about these things we can eat. Instead we just drive through the Mc Donald's drive through. As if that's more convenient. More convenient than eating plants that grow in our backyard. Yup.
Pink rose bud tea is AMAZING. It is soothing and relaxing and healing and just picks up your mood immeasurably. You throw the whole buds in there, the petals, the tiny leaves that protect them and a tiny bit of stem ... and its a beautiful thing. If you think that giving or receiving roses is romantic, try drinking them. You will be happily surprised.

Muscle Salve: Less is More

6/17/13

I'm starting to realize (although I think I had mentioned it in a previous post) that I don't HAVE to put every herb a la, "the kitchen sink" into all of my recipes. Simply put, sometimes less is more. Or more is just excess... It's not necessary. I made this awesome muscle salve, but had the lack of foresight to put way too much camphor essential oil into it. I just didn't realize what a little drop of that powerful stuff can do in a small jar of salve. So.. I put it on... I won't give anything to anyone without trying it out on myself first.. and well, it was kind of intense, itchy, burny... and so.. back to the drawing board. I decided to scoop them out of the small jars, put them back into a mason jar, and place it with an open lid, into extremely hot water, hoping to evaporate the camphor out of the oil... it helped a bit, but not enough, so I added some more oil that I had already made of arnica, rose hip, lavender, chamomile & calendula. Still... too strong. Idea #2. Add copious amounts of rice bran oil and avocado oil, just to dilute it more. I was thinking it would be okay but I poured it into JUST ONE salve container (because at this point, I know better... there are only so many times you can scoop salve out of small bottles, and clean them out, only to start over), tried it last night and today, and I have to say.. its still pretty menthol-y. Now, some people might like it strong.. but the person I was making it for originally... it's hard to say how I know this, but its something that we learn to tap into as holistic practicioners.. its evaluating a patient's constitution. There is an ayurvedic way to diagnose personality traits and match them with "medications" that will be pleasing and in accordance with their .. what is called ones dosha in Ayurvedic Medicine. Your dosha is your make-up, constitution, body type, personality type.. all of these things combined, you can sort of tell what will bother and what will be pleasing to a certain person without even having to talk to them much at all. It's a method of evaluation, and once you understand it, it makes PERFECT SENSE. So, based on this woman's dosha, and I can tell you this intuitively, she would get a rash from too much camphor. It would irritate her skin, and she would most likely come back to the doctor and say it's too strong. I can just tell. So... I'm going back to another method. I'm infusing calendula, lavender, lemon balm and chamomile in almond oil. These, even on their own, will have a calming effect on the muscle tissue. Almond oil is very mild and is nourishing and calming for the skin. These four herbs alone would relax the body (and mind) effectively, and these are all herbs that are very gentle & mild on the skin. I will probably add a bit of wild lettuce (an intense muscle relaxer.. known as the herbal opiate), and possibly some wild willow bark (known as the herbal "aspirin"), neither of which has properties that can or would irritate the skin. Despite the fact that the "mints": peppermint, spearmint, plus eucalyptus and camphor are widely used to relax muscles, I have to be careful with these... use them sparingly, or as herbs, and be really really careful about the super potent essential oils that I might add to any salve. This is my lesson for the day. I look forward for helping my patient Mercedes get out of pain soon, so that she can stand on her feet for hours at work and not suffer from the nuisance of chronic muscle pain.

Chicory Root Tea

Yesterday it was dandelion, today its chicory root. My body is telling me that it needs tonic (or blood strengthening herbs), of which these are both. This herb/root supports liver function, increases the secretion of bile from the gall bladder (aiding digestion), helps stabilize bloood sugar, is rich in beta-carotene, and is calms rapid heartbeat.. no wonder it is good for balancing the stimlulating effects of coffee. It is also a diuretic, anti-inflammatory (decreases swelling & inflammation), antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant & laxative. I've definitely been feeling a lot of stress lately, and these herbs that support the liver definitely suit the purpose.
Contains:
Highly concentrated levels of inulin  (a soluble fiber that feeds digestive flora in the intestines)
Polyphenol (good for cardiovascular system and inflammation)

Chicory root tea is really good. It just tastes really good. It doesn't need to be sweetened at all, and has a grounding, and stablizing effect. If you feel like your thoughts are all over the place, and you can't seem to calm yourself down, chicory root tea is amazing. Plus, aside from calming me down (most likely due to its effect of balancing out the stimulating effects of caffeine - I drank too much coffee today), due to its functional uses supporting an array of vital body functions and organs, its a super tea to drink daily. You make this tea as a decoction: Add a tsp of chicory root to a cup or two of boiling water, reduce to a low simmer, leave for 15 minutes, let steep for 15 minutes or more.

Regional Herb of the Week: Chapparal. Southwestern Herb Series

6/15/13

Chapparal: Herbs of the Southwest Series

Since I've been in New Mexico, I've heard names of herbs that I was previously unfamiliar with. This has been happening, on occasion, and since I consider msyelf to be pretty knowledgeable about herbs, it throws me for a loop when it does. I shortly discovered that the reason for this has to do with the regional plant life here. Certain herbs, that grow in this region, are well known here. And widely used in this area. But outside of the Southwest US, they just don't get the same hype. Understandable. A few such herbs are chaparral, which seemed to be a plant known to all of my peers who live in these parts, and which posed a big question mark in my head... Osha, and a few others. But I'm going to start with Chaparral. For several reasons: 1. We harvested it on our field trip to Truth Or Consequences, so I have a bag of dried chaparral from that trip. 2. They sell a salve of it (just pure chaparral) at the school store, which means, it must be a good one (and commonly known & used, as I observed), 3. When I was in the store, a man came in and said he used it in combination with pine sap & a cyst beneath his skin that had been bothering him for years on and off, just came right out of his skin and never pestered him again (testimony to its efficacy). 4. everyone knows what this herb is but me. 5. I like the name of it. Chaparral, kind of pretty, though I can never seem to remember it off of the top of my head. So here goes:
It is anti-microbial. So, good for preventing or thwarting skin infections. Useful as topical antibiotic.
Helps impaired liver metabolism, symptoms of which would be dry skin, brittle hair & nails, cracks in the feet or hands, trouble digesting oils
Counteracts liver and lung damage to the system by free radicals.
Combined with milk thistle, strenthens the liver.
Alleviates:
joint pain
allergies
autoimmune diseases
PMS
It has been claimed to fight cancer however tests have shown to be inconclusive (some even showing stimulation of cancer cells... )
*The taste of chapparal is known to be intolerable, so it is not recommended to use it in tea form. If you want to use it internally, a tincture is the recommended form.

How to Sneak Iron Into Your Diet & Like It

If you are like me, you tend towards the anemia, which is just plaintly put, a low amount of iron in your blood. This can cause fatigue and easy bruising, and can also make it so that you just get hurt more easily. Iron fortifies the blood, among other things, and is necessary for a balanced diet, and a healthy internal environment. I don't eat white rice much, or several other sources of iron that would balance the situation out a bit, such as nuts, beans, liver, sardines, or red meat. I do eat leafy greens, but not enough to make up for everything else that I don't eat. So, when my body calls for iron, I have some time saving techniques, which don't require much preparation, or the swallowing of big iron pills, which will give you a really bad stomach and/or headache, and are just plain gross in my opinion. Anyways its always better to get your nutrients from food than from pills, or vitamin supplements. Your body absorbs them better, and plus, its just a better way to get your vitamins. I personally don't like swallowing horse pills, or those hard chalky vitamins.
Today I am incorporating iron into my drink, by using molasses to sweeten it. Not everybody likes molasses, so much like kale, which is a food most people don't enjoy unless prepared in a way that makes it more palatable, you have to mix it with ingredients that balance it out. Then it becomes both nutritous and enjoyable. Molasses is extremely high in iron, and a small dose of it can be very effective. Because I enjoy lime juice coolers, I tend to make several variations of it depending on how i'm feeling that particular day and what my body is calling for.
Today's Lime Cooler with Molasses & Ginger:
1/4 cup of lime juice (my favorite store bought brand is Santa Cruz Organic Pure Lime Juice)
2 tbsp molasses (my favorite brand is Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Molasses)
5-10 drops of ginger tincture
1 quart of water

Molasses is high in calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron, so it has a great mix of things your body needs to function at its optimum capacity.
The lime juice balances out the intense flavor of the molasses, which can be a bit hard to swallow on it's own, since it's extremely pungant and goopy. And the ginger lightens up the whole blend, making it an exceptionally good drink both for your taste buds, for hydration (trace minerals calcium, potassium, selenium, iron & manganese contribute to and help the body's absorption of elecrolytes that help to hydrate the body as well), and for all around nutritional benefit. Molasses is rich in B vitamins, which are key to healthy neurological function. It also contains choline, which prevents the buildup of fats & cholesterol in the liver. Put in a plastic bottle, shake (or in a pitcher & mix), pour over ice & enjoy!
* Tip: Molasses doesn't blend easily with cold or room temperature liquids, so you may have to shake it to blend it well. Another option is to put it in a blender to ensure it's consistency. Using a spoon to stir may be a bit laborious, and the molasses can (and probably will) stick to the spoon (which isn't the end of the world, I'm just saying..). Drinking this daily is a great way to get the (iron, in particular for me) and other essential nutriets into your diet without too much worry.