Numen: The Healing Power of Plants

Let's face it, herbalists are lucky. We get to interact with plants and people in a very special way, one that emphasizes an age-old evolutionary connection between the two. This was recently brought home to me, yet again, sitting in circle with a group of herbalists, on a warm October day, after harvesting a bunch of excellent roots. We spent time giving thanks to the land, to the plants, and to the gatherers' hands. We spent time just participating in a moment of deep animal-vegetable relationship, one which humans must have experienced over and over again in the course of our long journey.

Nike! An equinox exploration on psychedelics, running, and victory

In the story of the battle of Marathon it's rumored that, after running back to Athens following his people's brutal battle with the Persians, Pheidippides uttered a single word - nike!, which means victory - before collapsing dead from exhaustion. He most likely meant to convey news of victory in battle, but he may have meant it for himself, too: despite his unfortunate end, there must have been a moment of deep joy and satisfaction once he actually made it home.

Aromatic plants – cultivating the scented garden within

It is legend that, some twenty-five hundred years ago, a ruler of  Babylon (or was it Niniveh?) commissioned a wondrous garden, terraced up from the flat plains between the rivers of the Fertile Crescent. Its levels were built of huge slabs of stone, elaborately carved and supported by high vaulted colonnades. Huge amounts of soil were transported to create hills and fields in this garden many, many feet above street level. Sundry species of trees, shrubs, flowers and herbs were brought in to plant its winding paths. Using giant corkscrew pumps, thousands of gallons of water were moved against gravity on a daily basis to keep the garden lush and green. The ancient historians named it one of the seven wonders of the world, and marveled at this oasis, high above the incessant bustle of the city, smoothed with endless marble and steeped in a deep, seductive fragrance from the constant bloom of aromatic plants.

A brief and practical introduction to pulse and tongue assessment

Any assessment or diagnostic technique that seeks to make sense of what’s happening inside the human system is inherently pretty complex – be it a modern tool such as a CT scanner, or a traditional device such as the stethoscope. Interpretation is tricky, and the background knowledge required can often be intimidating. While using the tongue and pulse to get a glimpse inside the human body is not an exception, one can nevertheless glean really useful, actionable information with even a basic understanding of the technique. This basic understanding can become richer and deeper with ongoing practice. The complexity evidenced in traditional texts on the subject should not be a reason to keep you from experimenting!

Joyful herbs for the darker days

All of us feel the loss of daylight to a certain extent. For some, it may be occasional sluggishness, less motivation to get outside and exercise, or less of a desire to spend time with friends and family. Others may feel even deeper withdrawal, or experience less control over anxiety and the sometimes overwhelming responsibilities of daily life. To a certain extent, the culture has tried to address this by consistently packing in times of remembrance, celebration, and family during the darkest months of the year – but by the time it’s all over (or even during the often stressful holidays), there are still many months of darker days left and it is usually at this time that folks express the desire for more fun, more joy, more light.

Rodent Taro - Typhonium Flagelliforme

Rodents Taro Tuber Roots
( Typhonium Flagelliforme )

Herbs for Athletes

Lots of folks are getting back outside and becoming more active as Spring (finally!) moves forward. When we stop to consider how much our physical frame and physiological systems endure for even a moderate walk around town (coordination, tendon stretching, impact buffering, blood sugar changes, and more), it’s remarkable that human beings perform so well when engaged in physical activity! Good pre- and post-workout nutrition is crucial, as quality fuels provide a lot more than just energy to our bodies, but beyond eating well, herbal support can address three key areas that are important for athletic types and for anyone who is even moderately active: preventing problems, enhancing stamina and endurance, and treating any injuries that might sideline us. Usually herbs are used internally for the first two areas of focus, and in treating injuries external and internal therapies can play a role.

Some sping tonic formulas for extraction

You can reference these herbs in a previous entry, which goes in to Spring roots, leaves, tonics and cleansing at length. Below are just some ideas on combinations.

Love, Fertility and Reproductive Health

The traditional strategies for enhancing libido and improving lovemaking usually involve two components: stimulate circulation and good blood flow to the erogenous zones of the body, and relax the mind so it can shed the cares of the day. Many of the traditional aphrodisiac plants hit either one or both of these bases! 

Spring Tonics!

Traditionally, the days around the Vernal Equinox (mid to late March) and the month(s) after it were seen as a time of intense, rushing energy: days get longer and the sunlight more intense, the first signs of green growth emerge, and wildlife stirs again. Herbalists still consider this a time when the more inward, ‘congealing’ energies of Winter begin to transition into the more outward, ‘expansive’ energies of Summer – and when a little attention paid to the process can improve vitality, strengthen digestion and immunity, and keep us in tune with the changing seasons.

Herbal support for Influenza

 
By popular demand, here is a copy of some notes on the upcoming flu season. Looking at the flu trend reports from Google, it seems we're already seeing a national spike in H1N1 cases - and it's not (quite) even October yet! Not to be alarmist, but herbalists can play an important role now and in the future, given the issues with vaccination and the relatively ineffectual drugs like Tamiflu.

Kitolod

Ki Tolod

Devil's Claw and rheumatic inflammation

 Devil's Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) is native to South Africa, lives in dry soils, and produces large underground tubers that are a source of both food and medicine.

Sparkly Comfrey Powder

It's late August, the sun is still hot, the evening light is orange, and the Comfrey is still going crazy.
This unyieldingly generous plant keeps coming back, and spreading, no matter how often you harvest its leaves for improvised poultices, throw its long hollow stalks into the compost, or even dig away at its root. And regardless of what you think of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid content of this bristly Boraginacea, you can't deny that its topical use is very safe and effective.
I love chewing a Comfrey leaf to put on a bad scrape or superficial wound, you can feel its texture going from almost spiny to green to slimy. And the gel that is created is some of the best medicine for the skin, rich in allantoin, soothing and healing.

Datura inoxia

Known as Toloache by the Aztecs (and probably used by most Mesoamerican cultures before them), this beautiful representative of the Datura genus just recently began opening its flowers in my garden. It blooms in the evening, pollinated by night-flying moths, with huge (8"+) flowers and a sweet aroma that sets it apart from its cousin, the Jimson weed (D. stramonium).

Many members of the Solanaceae (Nightshade family, perhaps my favorite plant family though the Araliae are right up there) possess alkaloids like scopolamine and hyoscyamine which have the ability to limit the action of the parasympathetic nervous system (they are so-called parasympatholytics). This yin-like side of our nerve networks promotes rest, digestion, and reproduction, and actively counterbalances the more yang-like sympathetics continuously.