Herb Journal: St John's Wort

St John's Wort is another tincture that actually tastes kind of pleasant to me. It feels warming to my chest, is the first sensation that I have after taking almost a full dropper-full in water. My mouth started tingling a bit. Then I took a deep breath, the kind that you take when you have been forgetting to breathe for a while, maybe even a lifetime. I tend to hold my breath when I am stressed, or when my mind is fixated on something. Holding my breath is something I just started to do maybe ... well, less than a decade ago, I had never done that before, perhaps because in that phase of my life, there were a lot of times when I felt baffled. My biggest opponent is confusion. I HATE to be confused. So when things around me are happening that I cannot psychoanalyze or understand whatsoever, and the same applies to people's behavior, it drives me berzerk. And I tend to hold my breath. Something about feeling like "I just don't get it, please tell me what the heck is going on" and holding my breath became a habit, and I still have that going on, unfortunately. But I just noticed that I started breathing. St. Johns Wort, did you give me the power to begin breathing again? I never liked St. John's Wort, but for no reason, other than I hate things that are mass marketed that are supposed to cure people of this or that. St. John's Wort was so overhyped. And what happened to those people for whom St. John's Wort did not help? Should they just go kill themselves or what? But you know what, that's not the herb's fault. It's those dumb marketing people. As we know, different herbs affect everyone in different ways.. it too frustrating to watch everyone and their mother go out and buy any one herb thinking it is the only one, the thing that will help them.. and when it doesn't? So I kind of kicked it to the curb. Also, its not really that great to admit you are depressed. And that's the other thing.. is that all St. John's Wort is good for? Must you be suffering from depression to take it? If you are taking it and it is benefiting you does that mean you are depressed? As you can see, I dont like it when things are put into containers or boxes and are said to have a blanket effect. It gives people false hope, and it makes St. John's Wort, the depression drug. The prozac of the herbal world. It is that, it could be that, but so many other things as well. Who knew that this herb was good for wounds, muscle aches, skin conditions, is also anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, good for respiratory conditions, anemia, weakness, uterine cramping & menstrual disorders, swollen breasts, deep wounds (to heal from the inside out), burns, ulcers, skin tags... and is also a nervine (nerve tonic)? Aside from treating SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and other forms of depression, it is for nervous anxiety, hysteria, and insomnia. So even if you aren't depressed, but you do have chronic anxiety (for which you would only know about kava kava according to those mass marketers...) St John's Wort combined with Kava Kava or other calming sedative herbs (milky oats, passionflower, motherwort, etc) would be a great remedy to keep your cool when emotions are running high. 

Herb Journal: Milky Oats/ Oatstraw

I made a tea of oatstraw once, and read all of the properties that it described, and it was a disappointment. Although I thought that it seemed mineral rich, I didn't feel relaxed, or any of the calming and sedating sort of effects that I had anticipated, based on it's description of something that aids adrenal burnout and people who are stressed out due to just running on fumes for a while. I knew that something must have been wrong, and that's when I realized, it wasn't oatstraw, but milky oats that had that strong effect. The oatstraw to me, seemed nutritive, but didn't do anything to my mind.. then we went on the camping trip and Amber started talking about milky oats. Ahhhh, light bulb. The milky top of the oats are the potent medicine, the oatstraw.. eh.. not so much (at least in my opinion). The tincture of milky oats is actually pretty tasty, it is sweet, tangy and seems sort of.. well, nourishing as well. But nourishing to the soul. I can't say that there are a large amount of tinctures that taste good to me, so I'm happy to say that this is one of them. How nice! I can drink it, and not make a squinty face. After drinking a few cups of water with 3/4 dropper full of tincture, I started to feel a bit spacey. Started to feel also grounded, and more focused on myself. When you put your energy into looking outwards, and you are so busy observing and reacting to people and their stupidity (just something that occurred today), it takes all of you.. you will just go from one outrage to another. Wouldn't it be great to have sane people around you all the time, people who make you feel more calm and secure, than people who throw off your sense of what's what with their own ridiculous perceptions and hyperactive intolerances and projections. Wow, I need new friends. Or to stop wasting my time with ones who make me seethe and foam at the mouth. It's very hard to stay focused when other people are making you panic. Then you realize, it's not what you actually think, but what they are saying is frightening, and it takes your sense of what is real along with it. How do you build those walls, those protective layers ... so that idiotic people do not shift your sense of calm and well being with their hysteria, or distorted views of you..? Seems I have gone into a somewhat reflective state, and I feel like the milky oats certainly took it down enough. I am feeling somewhat like this is not just a sedative, but a narcotic. Wow, I'm feeling mellllooooooooow. Nice plant! Let's all just chill and sing a hare krishna mantra.

Herb Journal: Oregon Grape Root

Mild, compared to a lot of root teas. Tastes like earth and all of that, well, understandably, it is a root. I have to say, I love roots. I love bark, they are so grounding. Such intense and beautiful medicine, something that gave life to a plant, that was rooted in the earth, we are so lucky to have these beautiful things at our disposal. This tea is not yummy, nor offensive. Its just.. okay. But nevertheless, understanding its enormous power, it demands so much respect. Since Goldenseal is becoming endangered due to overharvesting, I'm glad we have a local plant that offers similar medicinal properties. The tea is sort of yellow-ish brown and very mild. It is a little bitter, and for that reason, I think i'd rather take it as a tincture if I were to be using it in great quantities. It had a head-clearing effect on me, which stands to reason, as one of the things that it is indicated for is headaches. Specifically headaches starting at the occiput and sreading over the right side of the head to the eyes, which is similar to the one I had, sort of, on one side, much like a stress/tension headache or a migraine but less intense. I love Oregon Grape Root for it's potent anti-bacterial, anti-microbial/anti-viral properties, great for acute infections but as well to keep your immune system strong (immuno-modulating) and to bring your body back into balance (alterative). 

Herb Journal: Burdock Root

Burdock Root tea is certainly not the most delicious, but it is extremely fortifying. In fact, it is not a bad tasting tea, compared to several others, it is warming, and somewhat spicy. It feels grounding. Although burdock root is known to be cooling in action, it feels warming to me, but perhaps because I am simply cold right now, and I am drinking the warm tea. It feels protective and comforting, like a really warm blanket that shuts out the cold on a desperately freezing cold night. It is a forceful detoxifier, and reduces heat, dampness and inflammation, and since I tend to run hot, this is a great herb for me. I haven't been drinking it much over the course of this class, but I'm kind of scratching my head wondering why. I'm loving it right now, thinking this is something I can, and probably should drink every day. It is one of the top alkalizing herbs written about in books on how to alkalize your system. This is something I have been working on, and it's not a bad idea to take this daily for that reason as well. It helps symptoms stemming from chronic anxiety, that's a pretty big reason for me to give it a chance as well.. since things have been making me pretty anxious these days, and I feel that it has been and still is compromising my immune system. The fact that it is known to detoxify the body of poisons is another reason to take it regularly. The toxins we are exposed to these days are so exponential. I feel stronger and determined after drinking it, and my body just feels more present. Glad to revisit burdock, I'm going to make it a part of my routine in the future for sure. Well, in the future, meaning, starting now. Think I'll finish this cup, which I can't always. Anytime I want to finish a cup of tea we are giving as the herb of the week, it is a big thing for me, it tells me.. these are the teas that I need, me in particular, to add to my regimen.. at least for now, unless my body gets to a point where it no longer wants or needs it. Thank you Burdock, for reminding me of how special you are. I don't know if its too late, but if not I may go back to the last place we went for a hike, and try to harvest some. 

Herb Journal: Poleo Mint

Poleo Mint, what the heck is that? Right? We all know what mint is, but I'm guessing most of you have never heard of this particular species. To start, it's mint. It's really sweet, delicious mint. In the US it grows in the wild in the Southwest; in Southern California, Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado. It is, as most mints are, extremely cooling. Taking it as a tincture is not bad, the one that we were given was only 25% alcohol, which although I like the idea of less alcohol, perhaps took away a little bit of it's potency, I do like my mint strong enough to have that sting, so maybe that's why this tincture is not exactly my favorite, but it does have a great taste, and would be good to add to lemonade, or some sort of iced teas in the summertime. Mint is known for its digestive aid properties, it also just chills you out overall, it is an extremely cooling plant. This cooling nature makes it good for spasms and inflammation, mint is always good to clear the sinuses, and I can feel it making its way down the back of my throat, where there is some stored up mucous from the place I slept last night, which always stuffs me up. It's just yummy, however, in the particular climate that we are in at the moment, it is incredibly brisk and cold out, this herb doesn't seem like something I will be using regularly, as I feel my body getting colder by the moment. One side-note, the poleo mint infused honey that a classmate made was absolutely delicious. I wouldn't have thought to infuse honey with mint, but of all of the concoctions people came up with throughout the course of our class, I have to say it was one of the just purely satisfying edibles to my taste buds that I came across. This is a super idea, for colds and flu especially, or allergy/sinus relief to use this honey in a hot tea with lemon (I'm thinking hibiscus tea...  it would be perfect!)

Herb Journal: Desert Willow

Desert Willow. It's not as easy to talk about the flavor of an herb when it is given in the form of a tincture, because, well, at least to me, the overwhelming flavor is the alcohol. So, all I can say is, it tastes somewhat mild, somewhat bitter. Not the best tasting tincture i've had, not even close. But then again, that doesn't tell me a lot. What I do know about desert willow, is that it is an excellent herb with tremendous benefits that I have experienced personally. The American Southwest's answer to Pau D'Arco, which is indigenous to Brazil and various parts of Central/South America, Desert Willow is another one of those herbs you probably wouldn't hear a single thing about unless you were A)studying herbal medicine, most likely in the Southwest US, or 2) Consulting an herbalist... again in the American Southwest. This was given to me as part of a regimen to cure this chronic pain and inflammation that I had in my uterus following a biopsy, and I feel was one of the most instrumental. I came to the conclusion that I had developed some sort of infection, but that one of the components involved some sort of yeast imbalance or overgrowth, since anything fermented or sugary made it so much worse. I couldn't have any alcohol at all, it made my body EXTREMELY hot, and it just made me think there was a candida infection or something fungal going on. I can say that desert willow was instrumental in helping to conquer this, or balance out whatever was out of whack, down there, allowing my insides to heal, once and for all. This is a powerful herb, one of the many that I have to be grateful for due to my recent health crisis/ordeal. This herb is also recommended to use as a deuche for damp vaginal conditions and internally as a tincture expressly for candida. I love this plant. it is beautiful and angelic, and so potent and wonderful for what it is used for. The leaves, stems and flowers of this plant are what are used to make medicine, which is also interesting and unique, since most of the herbs that I used for my condition, that were strong enough to attack this relentless infection were bark and roots. If you look at the tender pink flowers, you would imagine them at your wedding.. it's amazing what nature can do. 

Herb Journal: Cayenne

Cayenne is one of my favorite herbs. People get confused, like isn't that a spice? What's the difference between herbs and spices? Well they are both plants, but here's the difference, and it really applies here to culinary terminology: According to the Spice Island website, herbs are the leafy portions of the plant, dried or fresh (ie: basil, parsley, cilantro), and spices are harvested from any other part of the plant (roots, seeds, flower buds, berries & stamens). In herbal medicine, though, its all the same. Plants used as medicine = herbs. There are so many great things about cayenne, I don't know where to start! Cayenne is amazing, it can cure pretty much any infection in my experience! It is also great for respiratory issues.. congestion, flu symptoms, allergies, asthma. It's funny we were talking about snorting it for major sinus congestion. I'd say don't try this at home.. but just so you know, I might. But seriously, don't try it. I've heard it can make you hallucinate, and as much fun as that might sound to some, I just don't and never would advocate it. That's not my kind of medicine (hallucinations, and what others might consider psycho-spiritual medicine, a la peyote or Ayahuasca). But I think that the hallucinations might derive from the fact that you are melting your brain. Okay, so if that isn't sufficient warning, I don't know what is. In the meantime, cayenne is a great vasodilator, and can actually stop a heart-attack while it is happening. Gets your circulation flowing, and keeps you healthy, truly, being an antibiotic of the most enviable potency. If you can't take the heat, the best way to take cayenne is in capsule form. For maximum benefit, I would suggest that you buy the powder and make the capsules yourself. You can buy vegetarian gelatin capsules at health food stores. Stuff the cayenne in there, seal, and swallow with some lemonade, it helps counterbalance the spiciness of the cayenne. Otherwise, put a dash in a cup if you are brave, pour in some water, squeeze a lemon into it (or not) and drink. There are so many ways to incorporate cayenne into your diet, lifestyle and body. You can rub it on wounds so as to prevent infection, of course add it to food at any time (in moderation, it is pretty strong), make a tincture. Me and cayenne.. me and any hot pepper, we're friends for life. It is also anti-cancer, anti-tumor, and has been seen in various studies to prevent these diseases from arising, of course, in combination with a healthy lifestyle. For me, cayenne opened up my nasal sinuses just now. I was having a tough time breathing, which i normally do in this apartment i'm staying in right now - allergies - and it had an immediate effect. Also, it just gives me a jolt. If I'm tired or stressed or just fatigued, it wakes me up and makes me feel so much better. Love it!