Plant Healer Quarterly 32 Autumn 2018 by Kiva Rose

Welcome Cover Art: New Mexico’s Ringtail Cat & Wild Rose – by Linda Saboe

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Autumnal Wishes to The Plant Healer Tribe To begin with, the personal updates which used to appear here, will now show up in the Release Letter that you are sent every time a seasons’s edition releases. Secondly, please don’t be confused by the slightly evolved naming of this publication. It has been pointed out that a 275 pages-long periodical is not really what you would call a magazine, and that would be true even if it were affordable to print hard copy. What they are really, is not issues, but editions of a quarterly Ebook. So from now on, you will see Plant Healer Magazine referred to as: Plant Healer Quarterly –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– New Plant Healer Columns Welcome our new quarterly columns, the first courtesy of sublime Lisa Valantine, extolling the wondrousness of healthful foods and sharing her artisanal recipes: True Food Beauty Kitchen Plant Healer founder and inspiriteur Kiva Rose has been busy, between meeting the needs of our baby, and building and spreading this herbal resurgence.... but now she is back, with a newly framed column that reflects her deeply intimate relationship with plants, their medicine, magic and folklore: Tales of The Enchanter –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 3

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Announcing Our Newest Plant Healer Book: The Practice of Herbalism It has been 5 years since the foundational book The Plant Healer’s Path, and now it is time for its followup... authored by Jesse Wolf Hardin and over a dozen other writers in the community. The Practice of Herbalism addresses what it means to be an herbalist or plant healer, with chapters on everything from ways to study, to ways to practice and teach. To introduce it to you, we have included in this Autumn edition parts of the Foreword, the complete list of contributors and the Table of Contents, plus articles excerpted from the book by Juliette Carr, Becky Beyer, and Kat MacKinnon. To order your Softbound or Ebook copy, navigate to the Bookstore Page from: www.PlantHealer.org ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Almost Sold Out: 60% Off – Book Clearance We are now nearly sold out of the very last physical copies of the following titles, which will never be printed again. 21st Century Herbalists: Rock Stars, Radicals, & Root Doctors $15 each – Cloth HardCover – While They Last Now that this early edition or Plant Healer interviews has been replaced by our new book, “Herbalist Visions,” we have decided to ofer you the last remaining copies of the original “21st Century Herbalists” book at below our cost. Note: These are the special limited edition, green cloth-bound version. Featured in 21stCH are interviewees no longer appearing in the updated volume, including Ryan Drum, Bevin Clare, Steve Brill, Kristine Brown, Doug Elliott, Kevin Spellman, Sam Coffman, Susun Weed, and Margi Flint. and Plant Healer Magazine Annuals An average 1,000 B&W Pages per Book $15 each – (not per set) – Softbound – While They Last We also found a limited number of overruns of the Plant Healer Annual Books from back in the day, super thick softbound collections of articles from previous years that were once available only to member subscribers. Each is packed with tons of information of use to herbalists and other healers, from plant profiles to clinical skills, assessments, the history and art of herbalism. Were $39, now only $15, our pick from the years left available. Order either from the remade Plant Healer Bookstore, clicking through the menu from: www.PlantHealer.org ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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Make Some Extra $ – Become a Plant Healer Magazine Affiliate Receive 15% of the cost of every Plant Healer subscription and Plant Healer Bookstore book purchased because of you! All you have to do is sign up, choose an attractive PHM graphic, embed your exclusive issued hyperlink, and add it to the front page of your website, blog, and so forth! To sign up as an Affiliate, go to: https://www.sendowl.com/programs/1823/join/3d0b1b67ad –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Plant Healer for Mobile Devices iOS & Android After many requests for an app version for pads and smart phones, Kiva has now make Plant Healer Quarterly available direct from your online Apple Store and GooglePlay Store. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Share What You Know: Submit Your Ideas For PHM Articles Your experience and perspective are unique, and we want to encourage you to trust you have insights and information that would be of interest and use to others in our community. We happily consider original, previously unpublished articles for this magazine, and submissions of articles (previously published or not) for Plant Healer’s free Herbaria Monthly ezine and its many thousands of readers. Please download the: Plant Healer Magazine & Herbaria Submission Guidelines: http://www.mediafire.com/download/ohl674l10u3ni02/Submission_Guidelines%282%29.pdf The deadline for the Winter Issue of Plant Healer Magazine is December 1st. There is no deadline for submitting to Herbaria Monthly. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Advertising Specs & Pricing For Networking Your Offerings in Plant Healer Publications Advertising space in Plant Healer Magazine and Herbaria Newsletter is provided mainly as a service, and prices are kept down for the sake of low-income herbalists and businesses that are just starting... costing between 1/2 and 1/10th of what other publications with similar subscriber numbers charge. For info on advertising in the magazine and newsletter, download this pdf with its required Insertion Form: Plant Healer Magazine & Herbaria Advertising Info: http://www.mediafire.com/file/sddoe5gr2cfudaq/PHM_Media_Kit.pdf –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Write anytime with your thoughts and feelings, at: PlantHealer@PlantHealer.org 5

The Healing Journey: Explorations & Meanders ! !

Jesse Wolf Hardin

Callouts, Interventions, & Standards ! ! ! !

Botanica: Plant Identification, Actions & Conservation !

Rosaceae! !

The Practice of Herbalism! ! !

Shana Lipner Grover 20

Jesse Wolf Hardin

Introduction to This Newest Plant Healer Book ! ! ! !

Heart & Hearth: Radical Family Herbalism !

The Art of Formulation!

Tools & Tips !

Becky Beyer

Appalachian Poison Plants: The Healing Powers of The Poison Path !

Lawsonia: A Brief Intro to The Art & Medicine of Henna

Of Wilderness & Gardens ! !

The Persistence of Memory: Oneirogenic Plant Medicines, Personal Identity & the Dream State

Plant Healer Art! ! ! !

Kat MacKinnon

Kenneth Proefrock

Plant Lore ! !

Herbal Provings: Learning Herbs From The Inside Out

Plant Medicine in The Bush of Ghosts! ! !

Juliette Abigail Carr

Invasive Plant Medicine & Ecology

Dara Saville

104

Materia Medica ! ! !

The Medicine of Black Cohosh! ! Sean Donahue Herbs For Cardiovascular, ! ! ! Jill Stansbury ! Peripheral Vascular, & Pulmonary Conditions!! !

Fungi & Friends ! !

Marija Helt!

113 121

140

Endophytes: ! Think You Are Making Herbal Medicine? Think Again!

Seeing Folks! ! ! ! !

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vagus, Baby!: ! ! ! ! ! Herbs & The Vagus Nerve! ! Entheogenic Herbs ! ! ! ! ! in The Treatment of Addiction!

Betsy Costilo-Miller 147 ! ! ! ! Sean Croke 155 ! ! ! !

Mountain Medicine: Traditional Folkways! ! !

Phyllis Light!

166

Hail, Graffiti, & Chickenshit

Resources

173

EarthWise: Practice of Western Herbalism !

Matthew Wood

Iodine: Part III â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Iodine & The Organ Systems!!

Constitutional Approaches & Herbal Energetics! ! !

Constitutional Assessment! ! ! Through a Global Lens

The Herbalist Midwife !

Kristen Henningsen 197

Juanita Nelson

Herbs & Breastfeeding

182

206

Delicious: Foods For Health & Pleasure ! !

The Herbal Pantry: ! ! ! ! ! Culinary Herbs in the Kitchen

Fermentation, Fun & Folklore! !

Susan Evans

230

242

Jereme Zimmerman ! Brewing Beer & Mead With Juniper

Plant Healer Interviews !

251

Kiva Rose Hardin

263

Jolie Elan

! Tales of The Enchanter !

Jesse Wolf Hardin

The Enchanterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Domain

Contributor Bios & Contact Info

275

Enjoy!

Herbalist Doll by Tricia Lancia

Callouts, Interventions, & Standards by Jesse Wolf Hardin Internecine conflicts in the herbal community have unfortunately increased of late, many along the lines of Republican vs Democrat, but also personal callouts. We first noticed that longtime contributor Susun Weed didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t submit her column for this magazine, and then realized how much of her time must be going to dealing with allegations and even legal charges regarding the bullying of students. Another treasured herbalist author, Sean Donahue, has been focused on offering public apologies for what he describes on Facebook as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;sexual relationshipâ&#x20AC;? with a student, something he considers unethical in his position of authority. Since then, there have been public callouts of many more folks, some credible, some spurious. These point to the importance of accountability, for sure, but also to the toxic dimensions of social media, and the need for ethical standards when it comes to how we interact in person and online. The following is meant to suggest a balanced model, in which we empower ourselves to never view ourselves as victims, while compassionately calling the world to account and contributing to its healing.

Herbalists who are active in the online herbal community have good reason to be concerned about the level of conflict, especially on Facebook and social media in general, and some who are just now getting into herbalism might sadly be put off by rancorous discourse. Recriminations against individuals can be well founded, and calls for public accountability and reparations should be expected, but they are also reflective of the overall polarization and discord that seems to increasingly define contemporary society. People are hurt on several different levels. The field of folk herbalism – the people’s medicine – would seem to be in need of a resurgence of fair, nuanced, and considered critical thinking, a renewed dedication to our essential purpose as healers and care givers, and greater focus again on the very core of our shared mission: the processes of bodily, psychological and cultural healing, acts of love, and the amazing plants that have so much to give and teach.

anger, sensationalism, and constant fear, while invisiblizing any calm and measured response.

One might imagine that herbalism, populated by extraordinarily compassionate practitioners, would be immune to such forces, and to anything that distracts or detracts from the work of healing. We can no longer, however, ignore the fact that social injustice and the stress it engenders affects human health and obstructs healing, as well as the deleterious ways in which limited healthcare access for the impoverished and marginalized, systemic racism, homophobia, prejudice against Trans folk, misogyny, patriarchy, institutionalized professional elitism, sickens the healing community itself. It is neither advisable or even possible to separate the maintenance of herbal traditions and resistance to regulation, how we treat our clients, our students, and our kindred healers, and how we

Crucial Social Issues, Dangerous Fault Lines, & Divisive Social Media As you well know, much of the world’s population is increasingly divided by dramatic fractures and fault lines, nudging everyone onto one of two polar sides when it comes to all manner of social and political issues. People are attacked for suggesting balanced analysis or holding nuanced opinions. Social media algorithms favor and spread messages that fuel 16

treat ourselves. We are amiss if we dispense herbs for a person’s condition, without also addressing the effects of diet, lifestyle and stress, exercise or lack thereof, and it is minimally helpful to treat symptoms without identifying and treating root conditions – similarly, it would be a grave mistake not to look beyond the physical health of humans to the psychosocial contexts and causes. And the morality and effectiveness of natural healing practices is predicated on not just our herbal and other knowledge, but on our intentions, our integrity, our ethics, and our actions: the ways in which we manifest our caring and healing, how we make it real in our lives, neighborhoods and affinity groups.

Voicing even our most unpopular opinions is important for our own authenticity and furtherance of mind stimulating discourse. And publicly exposing the agents of harm can be important for informing future potential sufferers of a person’s or organization’s traumacausing actions. Some Overlooked Callout Considerations We know that all of us have done something in the past for which we are sorry could be reasonably held accountable for. We also know that not all callouts are fair or truthful, and most of us have seen herbalists tarnished in the past by untrue accusations. We know that group shaming does in many cases do more to make things worse than it does to protect or repair, helping lead to a victim mentality and class, feeding insecurities and self hatred, thus creating monsters instead of contributing to healing.

When Kiva and I first launched Plant Healer, we sought to both empower the unofficial folk herbalist, and to erect a tent under which disparate segments of the plant medicine field could come together around a shared focus and mission – clinical herbalists and home practitioners, academics and rewilders, intent radicals and kitchen medicine makers. As the Plant Healer community has grown, it has attracted the large number of folks who have felt uncomfortable with the usual labels, and alienated by mainstream herbalism and conventional organizations and events. We offer encouragement, support, safe shelter, succor, and a platform, for ethnic and gender diversity, for self described freaks, outliers, and reality benders, visionaries and practitioners of new ways of being, loving, giving, and healing. To this day, our intent is to empower differences of opinion, looks, perspectives, ways of being and practicing – something made more possible when we avoid being sucked into the most extreme dichotomies and divisions of black/ white, human/animal, male/female, left/right, passive/activist... and instead, recognize that all things exist and act from somewhere on a spectrum, that all are complex and multifaceted, and that there are bridges of shared feelings and priorities where we can meet.

And it can instigate a snowball effect, not unlike the historic Salem witch trials, in which everyone calls out everyone else, where every real or made up human flaw becomes unforgivable, until

Resistance to prejudice and injustice, and opposition to harm, are essential to the ushering in of the remade world most of us hope for. 17

there is no community left. Even while making judgement calls, and coming down strong to protect those people and ideas we treasure, we still must not waver in our commitment to provide platforms for controversial people and space for unpopular opinions, because that is how one supports critical thinking, diversity of thought, and the many precious folks in the world who are different enough to be suspect or shunned by the majority.

• Speaking and acting as thinking, feeling, responsible individuals, not as a group with one unalterable mind. • Refusing to be personally disempowered by anybody or anything, and extricating ourselves from situations that feel manipulative or exploitive. • Addressing and resisting or transforming all forms of “power over,” including our own often privileged positions.

So then, how do we decide what to expose or comment on, how much to research and evaluate first, and when to intercede in a situation? Whether to study with a certain person, or for that matter, to publish or purchase their work?

• Avoiding letting anyone’s status as an elder, teacher, parent, Guild official, or policeman, make you doubt yourself or steal your resolve, mansplain, sideline, trivialize, restrict, control, or harm you.

Under what circumstances and it what ways does a callout contribute to the world’s overall PTSD? When is raising an issue or calling out behavior appropriate and helpful? What is required of us as a persona and practitioner? What ethics are most healthful and applicable? What are the most helpful ways of calling out wrongs, that do not contribute to the overall state of dis-ease? Should we ask for something from someone, beyond their acceptance of having caused harm? What amends should we ourselves make? How do we give ourselves and others opportunities for understanding, growth, or redemption?

• To the extent possible, protecting other people, other species, and the earth, from obvious humiliation, harms, and wrongs. • Bearing witness to unkindnesses, disempowerment, manipulation, exploitation and abuse, and compassionately intervening to stop it in the moment. When possible, speaking out about and opposing injustices and abuses in person as they happen, rather then building resentment or attacking character anonymously at a distance.

Such are a small sampling of the kinds of questions we need to be asking, when consciously, personally and collectively taking responsibility.

• Avoiding assuming that all abuse has happened the way we heard, but also, never assuming that no one and nothing has been harmed.

Checklist For a Truly Healing Culture

• Personally ceasing involvement with teachers schools, clinics, and organizations, that we know (not assume) are harmful to the community and our healing goals, to plants and habitats, and to the well beings, spirits, and dignity of individuals.

A responsible healing culture needs to include precepts, and standards, such as: • An overriding, shared mission, with healing and well being the priority.

• Shifting primary emphasis from punishment of perceived wrongdoers to self empowerment and boundaries, and to the protection of the endangered.

• Illuminating, exposing, clarifying, discussing, debating... while trying to see an issue or situation from multiple sides.

• Support for those struggling to either access, or to share, herbal and other healing knowledge, skills, and materia.

• Acting of love, more than anger. Motivated out of caring, more than despairing. Collective & Personal Responsibility

• Active support of the healing plants themselves, their propagation and endangered habitats.

We all have the ability to respond, and therefore, to try to make things better. Personally – by what we choose to say, what we choose to buy or diss, who we align ourselves with, who we choose to learn from, who and what we stand up for, and in what ways we choose to make our stances. Collectively, by proposing, testing, and affirming with each other values that are life, diversity, and freedom affirming... establishing standards for how both firmly and compassionately we apply them.

• Seeking and then attempting to change the systemic, cultural, political, often institutionalized causes of injustice, the destruction of the natural world, the power and reach of the dangerous pharmaceutical industry, the corporatization of herbs and healing, and the horrible ways that individuals and groups often treat each other. • Trying not to imitate or inadvertently replicate the system’s paradigm of bias, prosecution, and division.

Thank you, everyone, for your open minds and hearts... for the protectiveness, the concern, the in-depth consideration of issues and situations... and especially, for the love for each other and our vital healing cause.

Rosaceae The Rose Family

by Shana Lipner Grover The Rose is one of the most recognized flowers in all of history. It has dazzled and wooed its way into every facet of Â modern culture. From

beauty and seduction to skin-care, food, medicine, textiles and art. One can see signs of Roses influence around the world, but for a field

botanist the rose that we all know is not the one that comes from nature. For the members of the Rose family of plants, they are known to have five petals, five sepals and many stamen, meaning more than ten. The Rose we know with its unlimited number of unfurling petals is not found in nature. It is man-made, accentuated, based on what is seen as the beautiful part of the flower, the corolla; sometimes with saddened loss of scent

they tend to be small fruit with larger seeds and less flesh. The wild fruit maybe smaller than their domesticated counterparts but their flavor profiles tend towards remarkable. Wild strawberries are a perfect example of this, being much smaller than cultivated varieties. One can hike right by a wild strawberry patch without even realizing the abundance under their feet until they get a whiff of the sweetness. The value of this natural sugar combined with our desire for reward when hunting for food makes this a wonderful event to experience with all your senses! Just imagine, hiking along and smelling berries but not seeing them until you look at your stained feet, instantly you’re on your knees picking small, dime to nickel size berries and popping them joyfully in your mouth until your fingers and knees are stained and your brain and belly are satiated with sweetness.

Humans have been playing with the genetics of plants for thousands of years. Cross pollinating, and selective breeding for desired traits, like accentuating the beauty, the nutritional value or the growth potential in different zones. The Rose family has been a centerpiece of this natural selection for millennia. This is different than genetic modification. Where DNA is taken from one life form and spliced into another called transgenesis. Combinations that would never be found in nature

These many fruits and their tree parts are steeped in history, cultivated and developed for their sweetness, nutritive components, antioxidants (coloring matter for dyes and nutrition), fiber, medicinal compounds and so much more. Edible fruits of the Rose family are generally either drupes like the Prunus genus, Cherries or Apricots, with a hard-stone seed or multiple chambers, called drupelets, like in the Rubus genus, Blackberries and Raspberries. There are also accessory fruits, the swollen receptacle like in Fragaria the Strawberry, and the hip of the Rose and the pome of an apple or pear. Accessory fruit mean the flesh of the fruit is derived from something other than the ovary. Strawberry seeds are achenes (a single seed in a shell like a sunflower seed) on the outside of the fruit. The flesh of pomes like apples and pears

Let’s start with food, a long list of food comes from the Rose family. Apple, Pear, Cherry, Almond, Peach, Nectarine, Apricot, Plum, Quince, Loquat, Strawberry, Blackberry, Raspberry, and a plethora of other berries and fruits. The image dancing in your head is probably not how these fruits look when found in the wild. Apricots are in the genus of Prunus, 21

comes from the swelling of the hypanthium or floral cup that surrounds the ovary. A hypanthium is a common familial characteristic of the Rosaceae family.

with toxic. The highest concentrations of this cocktail are in the seeds but can also be found in leaves, especially of the Prunus and Cercocarpus genus (Mountain Mohagany). Damaged leaves have higher concentrations than healthy leaves and have resulted in some reports of fatalities to animals browsing on the foliage.

The Rose family can also produce numerous varieties of dry fruits as well. Follicles, capsules, achenes and nuts, like almonds. While many fruits are edible, it is common for the seeds of this family to contain Amygdalin, a naturally occurring compound, which can breakdown into toxic Cyanide. When taken internally, Cyanide blocks an enzyme that’s needed for oxygen uptake within the respiratory system, which leads to death by asphyxiation. There is some history of claims being made about anti-cancer effects of Amygdalin, but these are seen as unsubstantiated by the medical community.

It’s important to understand how to process fruits properly, this often means not grinding up seeds and always researching your herbs before picking and processing. While not in the Rose family, Elderberries also produce toxic cyanide glycosides in their seeds. If the seeds are not damaged or ground up, the risk of toxicity is reduced dramatically. When we look historically, indigenous populations have found creative ways of processing, like cooking or fermenting to reduce or convert naturally occurring toxic compounds. It’s important to know what you’re doing when working with different toxic molecules, so research is required but don’t let that scare you away from recognizing the abundance of food and medicine within the Rose family! We’ve touched on some of the common family field characteristics, so let’s pull it together. Rose family plants generally have five petals, five sepals and many stamen, meaning more than ten coming from a hypanthium or floral cup. They often have stipules at the leaf bases, like little wings around the leaf stem or petiole. They have a wide variety of fruits, fleshy and dry and range from herbaceous to woody with many shrubs and trees in the family.

Amygdalin is one of many Cyanide compounds called Cyanogenetic glycosides, which, upon breakdown yields sugars, cyanide and benzaldehyde. The Benzaldehyde is not poisonous and provides an almond or amaretto scent. Since it is often bound with the cyanide compounds, the scent of amaretto is analogous

While the Rose family is not defined by having thorns, they are a common protection employed by its members. Thorns provide boundary medicine, on many levels. A boundary creates a physical barrier, literally stopping or at least hindering things from passing; and if they push 22

passed, often leads to a blood sacrifice amid much torn clothing. Many of us have learned this lesson the hard way but have also learned the value of this lesson, slow down, be present, there’s a way to get unstuck, pay attention. Blackberries are a perfect example of this physical barrier as anyone who has spent time in the Pacific Northwest knows. Where invasive Blackberry species grow over itself and create impenetrable walls (to some). Animals like squirrels and rabbits appreciate these defensible spaces filled with escape trails from predators that can’t explore the thorn riddled maze.

Thorns may initially bring fear, like when I was a child and rode my skateboard into a briar patch and got scratched up, tiny blood donations to my experiencing self. Overtime, I learned the benefits of those thorns to the plant and the ecosystems around the plant. Treat the briar with respect, avoid the painful lessons. When wildcrafting the thorned members of this family, work with awareness and intention. Include some of the thorns into your medicine making to weave protection into the elixir. A reminder that pain and frustration are learning lessons that will make us stronger and wiser if we heed.

Some may seek out thornless Roses out of convenience, but the thorn medicine is profound! Teaching us to cherish and protect our own boundaries of self-worth, self-love and selfrespect.

There are many familial connections via taxonomy, for this reason many of these plants can be crossed to create new fruit (or spineless varieties). Especially if the crossing fruits have similar ovaries, such as the Pluot or the Aprium, both versions of a cross of a Plum with Apricot. This has been a crowning victory in humans relationships with food crop plants. Accentuating the sweetness and amount of flesh, manipulating the amount of flowers that come to fruition so each fruit is a large and as heavy as possible for the biggest yield; something humans cherish more than nutrition. This is also an area where we have manipulated the masses of humans to a given area to think a fruit is “supposed” to look a certain way. That the reddest apple is going to be the sweetest and the greenest, sour. That giant apples the size of your head is better than smaller crab apples that were planted across this country. Another look into the history of humans planting apple trees, it was not for the sustenance or nutrition of said fruit, but for fermenting into cider. During the time when water borne pathogens went unchecked, drinking fermented beverages gave a safety net over drinking plain water, and then there was the booze part of the equation. Michael Pollan gave a great description of this in his book “The Botany of Desire”. Jim McDonald breathed life back into Apple, Malus, medicine with his writings and teachings. Its not just a delicious, nutritious and incredibly multi-faceted fruit; the bark and leaves have historically been used for their astringency and 23

ability strengthen tone in flaccid tissue like the sphincters of the stomach and the walls of the colon with diarrhea. He also quotes numerous herbal texts from history showing all part of the tree have been used for many purposes. Antiinflammatory, diuretic, diaphoretic, antiseptic, lymphatic, fiber rich, bitter digestive; helpful for eye issues, digestive issues, skin maladies, bleeding gums, the list goes on! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to study these common remedies and how theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been used in history if we want to empower people to be responsible for their health. Most people have some form of medicine they need growing around them, in their culinary cabinet or in the fridge.

hunted. Some folks have decided to go back to this way of life and found a renewed excitement learning about old ideas in completely new ways, like using apple leaf tea to help with a fever! Most folks have been trained by our current consumer culture to only look for the over the counter remedy that is marketed specifically for their symptom. This is so unfortunate because while most people are busy buying a suppressive remedy that may work for a limited time and depresses the liver in the process, they very well could have a remedy in their backyard. Perhaps in their fruit or vegetable drawer that costs less and works with their body to aid in balancing the ailment instead of suppressing it. Knowledge is power and looking to history for lost ideas is both educational and empowering!

Using every part of a plant that is harvested is an honorable way to be responsible for your harvest. Historically it was out of necessity. Imagine the time before grocery stores and health food stores had tea for every malady easy access. When you had less choice of what to eat because it was what you grew, harvested or

The very first patented pharmaceutical drug came from the Rose family. Many plants have Salicyclic acid, with one of the more famous 24

being White Willow (Salix alba), in the Salicaceae and Meadowsweet (Filipendula, formerly Spirea) in the Rosacea. It was another Rose family member named Spirea that provided the original compound that would ultimately become Aspirin. Historical data suggesting plants have been used for the aspirin like effects for greater than 2400 years, and in the 1800’s, herbs rich in Salicyclic acid were common place for doctors to recommend. Due to the effective nature for pain, headache and fever reduction, pharmacists continually played with the molecules, creating stronger extracts. A Chemist in mid 1800’s attached an Acetyl group, creating a new molecule called Acetylsalicylic Acid and the product Aspirin was born, but the drug wasn’t patented until 1899. The original plant name was even incorporated into the new drug name, A(for the acetyl group), Spir (from Spirea) = Aspirin.

famous Wild Cherry Bark Prunus serofina, are well known and historically useful for lung tissues. Wet coughs, damp conditions, boggy tissues and general inflammation that lead to impairment of function, all respond well to the tonification and anti-spasmodic nature of the bark of Prunus species. The family name sake, Rosa, as well as Hawthorn, have an affinity for the heart, both physically and energetically. Soothing and tonifying to a weepy heart, nourishing and strengthening to people who “wear their heart on their sleeve”. Both plants fit perfectly into the description of thorns from earlier. They bear beautiful flowers and functional fruits but be sure to have awareness when dealing with them for they are fortified with protective thorns. Hawthorn has a wonderous history within the mythological and medical realms being a gate keeper with its sharp, piercing long thorns. Craetagus has a direct strengthening effect on the physical heart muscle as well as the energetic heart. We will explore more of the specific Rose family medicines in future botany articles.

The medicinal value of Aspirin is to reduce inflammation and this plays perfectly into the cooling energetic that many plants in the Rose family are known for. Plants like Rose Rosa, Peach and Cherry Prunus, Apple Malus, blackberry/raspberry Rubus, Strawberry Fragaria, Potentilla, Hawthorn Craetagus, Meadowsweet Filipendula and more. These plants are useful for cooling inflamed tissues, moving fluid and strengthening membranes. Effective for topical burns and wounds as well as internal heat like heartburn and heated histamine responses. This action is often related to the tannic acid profile that provides astringency. Many plants act as astringents, but they are so common in the Rose family there is an acronym, YARFA, Yet Another Rose Family Astringent.

One of my favorite quotes about Rose comes from Kiva Rose Hardin, because I have literally said the same thought to my students. I was never enchanted by commercial Roses, force fed as a sign of love and romance. I didn’t relate to it because it seemed pretty and pink, scentless and girly; not ideas this tomboy related too as a child, I wanted more chutzpah. Then I met wild Roses with their beauty and scent luring me in while the thorns are warning of getting to close! Rose medicine taught me that softness is not weakness and awareness is imperative when getting to know new connections.

Some Rosaceae plants have affinities for specific organ systems. Raspberry and Ladies Mantle have affinity for the uterine tissue and the general lower abdominal cavity, astringing to help tonify boggy membranes. This can be helpful for heavy menstrual bleeding, inflammation associated with ovulation, some types of digestive or menstrual cramping, digestive inflammation or stagnation like hemorrhoids and could be helpful with incontinence. The Prunus genus, including the

“The intensity and insistence of the plant amazed me, though I still held onto a deep resistance against America’s symbol of love, femininity and romance… immediately, I loved their needle sharp thorns combined with the delicate vulnerability.” –Kiva Rose Hardin http://www.herbcraft.org/apple.html http://animacenter.org/rosa.html https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-andanalysis/infographics/a-history-of-aspirin/ 20066661.article?firstPass=false

to The New Plant Healer Book

The Practice of Herbalism Options on The Plant Healer’s Path by Jesse Wolf Hardin with

Kenneth Proefrock, Kiva Rose Hardin, Jim McDonald, Guido Masé, Paul Bergner, Phyllis Light, Matthew Wood, Dara Saville, Dave Meesters, Kat MacKinnon, Juliette Abigail Carr, Laurie Quesinberry, Valerie Camacho, Jade Alicandro Mace, Sarah Josey, & Nick Walker 416 pages – Over 800 illustrations Softcover B&W: $39 – Full-Color Ebook: $29 – From The Bookstore Page at: PlantHealer.org Presenting The Practice of Herbalism, the second of two foundational books on the most important topics that herbalists and others need to consider when either starting or further evolving a life of purposeful healing today.

The topics addressed in this book, are those you might hear talked about online, in forums, in the hallways of herbal schools, and among small groups of attendees at herbal conferences, as well as being some of the primary ideas, ethics, parameters, and possibilities discussed by students, herbal entrepreneurs and practitioners, in endless private emails. Herein are many of the options and criteria that you likely need when choosing who and how to be, growing your gifts, and deciding how best to give... creating, re-forming, deepening, expanding, or otherwise improving your plant-hearted practice, such as: • The history and resurgence of herbalism • Finding/creating our niche and roles • The principles of home herbalism • The radical possibilities of kitchen herbalism • The authentic healer • The desire for recognition vs joyful recognizing • Where the pre-rational and scientific meet • A natural health education • Herbal terms and language • Botanical plant names vs common names • Becoming or improving as a teacher of herbalism • Questioning our teachers • The art of the plant walk • Applying what you learn • Plant conservation and habitat restoration as activism • From poacher to steward • Sources for herbs and herbal medicines • Enchanted medicine making • Herbal provings • Stocking the herbal apothecary • Starting an apothecary or herbal nursery • Integrating herbalism into hospital settings • Binary disease and healthy debate • Neurodiversity and labeling • The fight against regulation • An insurgent, unsupervised herbalism • The importance of curiosity • Creating and sustaining herbal community The concentrating of financial wealth in the hands of an ever smaller percentage of humanity, and the unaffordability of established healthcare and health insurance, means that folk herbalists are not only the keepers of ancient traditions and ageless wisdom, but also purveyors of justice and vectors of change. There are none more needed, more laudable, and more called, than family and community providers, youthful activists and free-clinic volunteers, plant researchers and students, plant writers and botanical artists, healthy food providers and down-home kitchen witches, mycological visionaries and Cannabis researchers, wildcrafters and urban gardeners, conservationists and rewilders, cage rattlers and medicine makers. For you, and for every student of natural healing, The Practice of Herbalism promises to awaken you to the many options for evolving and progressing on your healing path.

The Practice of Herbalism

Table of Contents Jesse Wolf Hardin!

Introduction to The Practice of Herbalism

Phyllis Light! !

The Importance of Relationship Part I: A Resurgence of Herbal Medicine

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

Not For Everyone: Dearly Needed Are The Committed Few

Phyllis Light! !

A Natural Health Education

Matthew Wood!

Return to The Green: The Resurgence of Herbalism

Jesse Wolf Hardin!

HerbKin: Roles, Labels, What We Call Ourselves, & What We Do

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

Communis: Options For Community

Part II: Vital Steps & Inevitable Forks on Your Herbal Path Jesse Wolf Hardin !

Curiosus: Discovery & Healing

Juliette Abigail Carr! Principles of Home Herbalism

Val Camacho! !

The Radical Possibilities of Kitchen Medicine

Paul Bergner! !

Questioning The Teachers

Jesse Wolf Hardin ! !

Ladder to Nowhere: In Herbalism, We Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Ascend, We Deepen

Paul Bergner! !

On The Banking Model of Herbalism

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

Recognoscere: Desire For Recognition vs Joyful Recognizing

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

The Authentic Healer

Part III: The Nature & Spirit of Herbalism

Kiva Rose Hardin!

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

The Rooted Practice: A Journey Into Bioregional Herbalism The Nature in Natural Healing Practices

Dara Saville! !

Unselfing, Interbeing, & Rediscovering Connection With Life & Land

Dara Saville! !

Speaking Out on Behalf of Plants: Restoration as Herbal Activism

Laurie Quesinberry ! From Poacher to Steward

Jesse Wolf Hardin!

The Real & Magical World: Belief, Imagination, & Enchantment

Kenneth Proefrock! Crossroads: Where The PreRational & Scientific Meet

Guido MasĂŠ! !

Connecting The Ecologies: Macro-Micro & Healing Relationship 28

Part IV: Herbal Sources, Skills, & Business !

Jim McDonald!

Putting Ideas Into Practice

Kat MacKinnon!

The Art of Herbal Provings: Learning Herbs From The Inside Out

Juliette Abigail Carr! The Art of Formulation

Kiva Rose Hardin !

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

Enchanted Medicine Making Sourcing Herbs & Herbal Medicine

Kiva Rose Hardin !

A Healer’s Haven: Stocking The Herbal Apothecary

Sarah Josey!

Starting a Retail Apothecary

Jade Alicandro Mace !Spreading the Medicine: Running a Medicinal Plant Nursery

Part V: Studying, Teaching, & Debating Herbal Medicine Jesse Wolf Hardin! !

Teaching Herbalism: The Art of Purposeful Sharing

Kat MacKinnon!

The Art of the Plant Walk

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

Those Damn Geeky Names: Botanical Plant Names vs Common

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

The Good, The Bad, & The Efficacious

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

Open to Debate

Part VI: Diversity, Accountability, & Service Jesse Wolf Hardin! !

Nick Walker! !

Jesse Wolf Hardin ! !

Guido Masé! !

Creating a New Culture of Healing: Accountability & Caring Throwing Away The Master’s Tools Binary Disease, Diversity & Kindness Protocol Integrating Herbal Medicine: The Tanzania Experience

Part VII: Creating an Alternative Culture of Healing !

Phyllis Light! !

Herbs, Aging Herbalists, & The Fight Against Regulation

Dave Meesters !

An Insurgent, Unsupervised Herbalism

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

The ReMaking of a Counterculture: A Healthy, Exuberant Alternative

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

Choosing Health & Happiness

Kiva Rose Hardin !

Jesse Wolf Hardin !

Mythopoeia: Flora, Culture, & Our Chosen Stories Follow The Shimmer: Amazement, Hope & Practice on Your Path

The Art of Formulation by Juliette Abigail Carr The following excellent column by Juliette, is also a featured chapter in the new Plant Healer book The Practice of Herbalism. – click through to the Plant Healer Bookstore from: www.PlantHealer.org. For information on her many offerings please see her bio at the end of this issue. Learning to create simple, effective formulas that do what they’re supposed to do, don’t do anything undesirable, and don’t taste like rotting death can sometimes be a challenge to the budding herbalist. As we tinker and putter and blend our way down the winding path to gaining experience, this can be one of the major hurdles between using herbal remedies and being a home herbalist. Formulas answer the questions asked by the needs of the body in a convenient and tasty way. When we formulate, we combine multiple herbs in a purposeful manner (as opposed to simples, when we take a single herb and ask it to shine). As we water and prune our skills, we develop techniques that work for us. We come to herbalism from an assortment of backgrounds as wide as the human experience and as diverse as the microbiome that allows us to be here, and we

learn from teachers who hail from similarly diverse schools of thought. So, if this framework helps you muddle through, please enjoy it; if you have a different way of walking this path that still ends up in the Emerald City, then carry on, you beautiful genius. For a fuller discussion of principles like balance and synergy, as well as an in-depth discussion of how to use materia medica to choose herbs, please see this column’s preceding articles

Formula Framework ! Formulation takes skill, intuition, and above all, practice, so double, double, toil, & trouble, my friends. Here is a very basic framework that provides a starting place; it is not intended to be an all-encompassing how-to guide, or intended to supplant your own experience.

Formula Elements

intake, check calcium levels and parathyroid hormone, etc.)

• 1-2 herbs for immediate results • 1-2 herbs for long-term results that will stick • Sometimes you can include an herb that will help confront the root cause, in concert with a holistic assessment (it may be the same as the long-term results herb, or in addition). However, since many conditions aren’t fixable, this isn’t always possible—but keep it in mind for when it does pop up.

An example of how this might work for someone with a stuck, hacking cough: Immediate results: Northern Prickly Elecampane, and Violet, get it moving

Ash,

Long-term results: Elderberry or Spilanthes, confront the infection

Immediate results: Mimosa flowers & Milky Oats, save the poor creature from their misery

Root cause: not really relevant, unless this cough comes back all the time; then, Mullein or New England Aster, and suss out why it’s recurring (is there a preexisting condition? allergies? do they need lab work to rule out anything scary?)

Long-term results: Blue Vervain & St Johns Wort, bring the sunlight back, deep inside

An example of how this might work for a kid with trouble concentrating:

Root cause: Nettles/Oats/Horsetail infusion to increase calcium uptake to help keep vitamin D stable, and consider where it’s coming from (buy the special sunlight bulb, increase vitamin D

Immediate results: Lemon Balm and Ginkgo

An example of how this might work for someone with seasonal affective disorder:

Long-term results: Holy Basil, plus examining sleep & circadian rhythm, diet, exercise, and the expectations of modern life as a general concept 32

Pattern Recognition

tonic, adaptogen and nervine, adaptogen and hormone normalizer, because they temper the stress response.

Herbs have multiple herbal actions, which allows for simpler, stronger, more appropriate formulations. When choosing the herbs for a remedy, try to choose fewer herbs that address more issues, as opposed to a single herb for each issue. A nursing mother with signs of liver overload benefits more from Nettles, instead of Fenugreek and Dandelion, even though Fenugreek is good for milk supply and Dandelion for the liver, because Nettles is both a galactagogue and a hepatic specific for erratic hormones.

Learning these patterns of actions gives you the ability to learn herbs faster and more intuitively, as discussed in the previous article in this column. It also helps make formulas simple, cohesive, and effective. Remedy Form How are you planning to deliver this formula? Take a step back, question yourself, and look at the remedy form: is this the most convenient, most delicious, most effective way to deliver your remedy? Would the formula be better as an infused honey, a steam, or a capsule? Is the person you want to give it to going to want to take it? Choose your route to maximize synergy and adherence (discussed below). Also consider solubility: choose herbs that will extract in the method youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve chosen, or choose the method based on the herbs.

Many actions appear together often, which can be useful for formulations. For example, many anti-inflammatory herbs are also diuretics, because the kidneys play a large role in inflammation. Expectorant and decongestant appear together, because they move fluid in both the sinuses and respiratory tractâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;many of these are also vulnerary or anti-inflammatory to mucous membranes. Adaptogen and immune 33

Longevity

would be a pretty magical unicorn situation in my practice, as people usually have something going on.

Longevity refers to how long it takes a medicine to work and how long the effects will last. This concept is one of the first things to consider when combining herbs into formulas. The following method helps my students and apprentices contextualize their formulas; feel free to use them or not as you putter along.

Compound When a deep-seated imbalance includes uncomfortable symptoms, combine herbs that confront the root cause with herbs to immediately ease the discomfort.

Simple Acute

•Choose an herb that addresses the long-term problem, as described for simple chronic •Combine it with a fast-acting herb that addresses the immediate symptom, as described for simple acute

For short-term issues, medicines should work immediately. Choose fast-acting herbs to address the problem. This is especially essential when you’re working with children. Example: Your friend can’t sleep because she drank too much coffee, so she takes Hops and the problem resolves.

Example: Your friend can’t sleep because of problems with stress, so she’s drinking too much coffee to compensate and is mired in a bad loop quicksand trap. Luckily she’s friends with you, so she starts taking daily Holy Basil and Hops at bedtime. Sleeping better helps her immediate exhaustion, and Holy Basil gradually improves her response to stress.

Simple Acute formulas will be heavier on fastacting herbs, but should still contain long-acting herbs (and root cause herbs if identifiable). For instance, a cold and flu formula will have fastacting herbs to relieve symptoms, combined with herbs to improve immune response and solve the actual problem at hand, which is an infection.

Simplicity Simplicity improves balance and healing: people actually take the formula, so it actually works. The simpler the formula, the more of each herb they get, which will be more effective overall. The energetics are less likely to get screwy if there are only a few herbs to keep in balance. The majority of my formulas have only 3-4 herbs.

Simple Chronic Deep-seated issues take longer to rebalance, but hopefully the effects will last. Choose an herb that addresses the long-term problem, such as an adaptogen, hepatic, nervine etc.

Avoid Building Mishmash Formulas:

Example: Your friend is having trouble managing her stress, so she takes Holy Basil daily and starts to feel better over time.

You don’t need the kitchen sink. You also don’t need a rare plant from Indonesia. This error is common among my intermediate students, as they have enough experience to comfortably combine herbs, but not enough to weed out interlopers, dopplegangers, and party-crashers. If you find yourself combining a large number of herbs or herbs that seem random together, look back at actions and indications to find an herb that does a number of things (refer to previous article).

Formulas are almost always either “simple acute” or “compound” because long term imbalances show themselves, but it’s still nice to talk about all the flavors of life. You could conceivably have a person who wants to get out in front of a problem, like cancer prevention or maintaining liver health with asymptomatic hepatitis, in which case you may create a formula that doesn’t act on symptoms. But that 34

Balance The Energetics!: It’s very unlikely that the best formula for someone contains only marshmallow, mullein, and violet, for example; a drying herb might be a nice addition, like witch hazel (especially since an astringent might help them retain the moisture you’re trying to introduce). Combine herbs that will bring folks back to their homeostatic center, not overbalance them out to Saturn’s eighth ring.

Becoming adept at formulation requires attention to energetics. Sometimes balancing energetics can help you eliminate extra herbs in a formula when you have too many. Unless a person and their problem are both way out on an energetic limb, choose herbs that will result in an energetically balanced formula. This means a formula that is, say, gently cooling to the nervous system, reducing excess vata, balancing the wood element, dispersing excess melancholic-choleric energy, or whatever your language is, but not drastically so. Be gentle and take small adjustments, knowing you can always do more than you’ve already done, but never less.

Synergy Synergy is at the heart of formulation. The definition of synergy is “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” or awesome stuff happens when you combine things that wouldn’t happen if you didn’t combine them, like guacamole, or a party. What combinations are so much better together than they are apart? Some herbs accentuate each other, like Rose and Lavender, Lemon Balm and Ginkgo, Reishi and Astragalus. Some herbs are potentiators, like Anise-Hyssop: these herbs bring out the best in

Sometimes you may want to create an energetically neutral formula, especially if you’re working far in advance (like making cough syrup in the early fall) since you can always throw something else in if you need to tip it one way or another.

their fellows (but be cautious because some potentiators can be dangerous with pharmaceuticals, like some of the central nervous system depressants; discussed in upcoming contraindications article). Consider how individual plants will work together or against each other; look to traditional combinations for ideas to bring synergy into your work as you combine herbs for maximum fabulousness.

Taste: Not everyone has the cast iron tongue needed to take Kava Kava and Valerian undiluted. Be aware of flavor, as it is one of the most common barriers to adherence. Question your remedy form, especially if you’re presenting acrid herbs: could a more delicious form, like a syrup, work instead of that Kava Kava slurry you had in mind (feh!)? Taste other people’s formulas and figure out why they’re so spine-tinglingly tasty —what can you learn from other peoples’ awesomeness?

Adherence Adherence means whether or not people take the remedies you give them. The key is to create simple remedies that work, in forms that work for the person’s life, and don’t taste like punishment. Consider: who is this person, and can you identify the obstacles in their life to taking this remedy? How can you work around those obstacles to honor their unique needs and create something useful for the actual person in front of you? Eliminate barriers!

Lastly, consider the electuary characteristics of the herbs in your apothecary. Electuaries are herbs that make formulas taste good: perhaps there is an opportunity to introduce a delicious ally into the mix that will accomplish something fabulous. Choose one to enhance your formula by looking back at herbal actions, indications, energetics, and contraindications. Widely useful examples include Rose, Lilac, Anise-Hyssop, Elderberry, Lemon Balm, Licorice, Lavender, Schisandra, Sage, and many more.

Barriers to Adherence & Possible Solutions 36

Not seeing results:

and honor the unique life that they’re living. Give ample credit for what they’re accomplishing, listen to their actual goals and reflect those back at them, and use the “yes and” trick: Yes, there’s a problem, AND let’s fix it, as opposed to No, there’s a problem, but you should fix it/but I can fix it for you. No/but is directly disempowering, whereas yes/and helps them self-empower to steer the healing process. It is really helpful not to treat people like recalcitrant children. Nobody likes a missionary, but everybody likes the person who points out their inner strength. !

If a formula takes too long to work, a lot of folks are going to stop taking it because as far as they’re concerned, it didn’t do anything. Easy solution is to add an immediate-acting herb to the formula, or you can give them an additional formula for acute symptoms that will kick in right away. This is absolutely essential when you’re working with kids. Inconvenience: If the issue is having to take 3,202 things every day, make a formula that does multiple things, instead of multiple formulas or a million simples. If the issue is the time or effort of preparing the remedy, choose a more convenient remedy form, like tincture or capsule, instead of something that takes time like a decoction or slurry. If the inconvenient form is really the best option and nothing else will do, troubleshoot the process: perhaps they can make a half gallon of decoction while they cook supper, and keep it in the fridge for the next day.

Humility: Were you wrong? Does the formula really not work? Even though you put in baby laughter, the wishes of foxes, and a tear from Fawkes the phoenix? Trust that the person you’re speaking with is the utmost authority on their body and how it works, so if they’ve taken the right dose for long enough and they’re still telling you it doesn’t work, listen, suss out what is and isn’t working, and adjust accordingly. Always better to take the opportunity to learn. Intuition

Expense: Intuition is built on thousands of years of caring tradition, coevolution with plants, and our personal understandings of our inner and outer worlds. Trust yourself and let your instincts guide you as you choose herbs and remedy forms. The more you practice, the better your intuition will become. The day will come that’ll you’ll choose Lemon Balm over Catnip without having to reason it out—and someone will ask how you know, and you’ll have to think about it to answer, because the real answer is “I just do.” Or, you’ll toss a little Lemon peel and Cinnamon in your plain old eEderberry syrup because you were baking muffins and it just made sense in the moment, and it tastes incredible, and suddenly the basic traditional medicine has metamorphosed into a whole new butterfly of a thing, and you are simply the lowly milkweed.

This is a huge barrier, especially if you’re charging for your work. Choose a cheaper remedy form, like tea or slurry, as opposed to organic cognac elixirs made with wildflower honey. If you’re charging for your work, offer income-based discounts or accept barter. Remember that many people may be able to buy bulk herbs, garlic, honey, vinegar, salt, butter, oil, molasses, and other remedy ingredients using SNAP or WIC benefits, so some people may prefer to make their own remedies with your guidance to save money. Lack of Comfort: This is a biggie. If someone feels judged or condescended to, even if you have the best intentions and true love in your heart, they will not be open to taking a remedy—never mind adjusting their diet! Meet them where they’re at

Until that happy day, practice often, taste everything, and follow your magic.

The Art of Herbal Provings Learn Your Herbs From The Inside Out

by Kat MacKinnon The following is wonderfully helpful companion article to Kat’s class at the Good Medicine Confluence., and is featured in the new Plant Healer book The Practice of Herbalism. “Let empirical reality be the ultimate arbiter, with terms serving only as handy abstractions to encapsulate concepts.” ~Bernd Heinrich At it’s core, herbal proving is a way to expand what you think you know about an herb, and to translate that increased physical understanding into clear language. A way to integrate different levels of knowing into practical application. The written word is a powerful drug. And for good reason-in the absence of an oral tradition of medicine, books have become our elders. Books (and very much the internet at this point) consolidate and preserve information that might otherwise have been lost. Information in text fulfills a craving for understanding in a very immediate way. Also, as a rather social species,

the words of others are very tempting to follow in general. The trouble comes when we take those words to heart, to the exemption of our own experiences. This is especially dangerous in the context of modern learning, where the written word leaves much to be desired in the subtle nuance department. The ‘this herb is for that’ approach is all too common, and while valuable as a general guide, can mask the true nature of an herbs medicine. Now don’t get me wrong. I love books, and seem to be spending more and more of my time with them as the years go by. I thought it was just a summer thing, but think were getting seriousthey seem to spend most of their time by my bed.

However, much of what I’ve found to be useful and true for myself as an herbalist has come from my own perceptions and personal encounters with herbs. The labels and descriptions of ‘hot’ pale in comparison to the actual experience of tasting powdered cayenne. Reading that rose has an affinity for the spiritual heart gives barely a taste of it’s potency as a medicine. The written word is a useful springboard for personal work, a handy combination of training wheels and interpreter.

allows for an appropriate matching of an herb to a person and their given condition. For instance, giving that red faced, pitta deranged, generally pissed-at-the-world client dried ginger powder for their digestive distress might not always be the best match. The heat might tip their smoldering condition over into downright fire breathing. Energetics gives us a way to mediate this. Useful as this is, determining temperature and moisture can take a good bit of practice.

But the skill set of honest discernment/ observation translates across all disciplines. However you practice medicine, its a crucial part of being able to work from a place of integrity. In some ways I see this type of awareness as one of our more powerful materia medica. One we must continually come back to, cultivate, and then encourage our clients, students, and peers to use as well.

Below are some general guidelines based primarily on the Physiomedicalist model of medicine (in itself a conglomeration of traditional Greek medicine principles, indigenous North American medicine, and the resulting spin that became traditional American folk medicine). Heating herbs increase and raise the pulse, as well as increasing circulation and metabolism. They feel hot to your temperature intuition meter. Associated clinical actions include circulatory stimulant, emmenagogue, diaphoretic, and rubefacient. Often aromatic and spicy.

Tools & Language What follows are a number of tools and specific language for translating the experiences in your body into applicable language. Much of the language is based on the Physiomedicalist system of medicine prevalent in 1800 and 1900’s in North America, plus a bit of Nature Cure a la Henry Lindlahr. The exercises are a conglomeration of my own experimentation, observations of students and clients, and lessons learned from my various herbal teachers, Paul Bergner and Tom Brown Jr. being foremost. This is by no means a perfect or complete list of the ways and means to test out herbs. But by golly it’s an awfully useful start.

Cooling herbs reduce pathological heat, slow and/or sink the pulse, and tend to reduce metabolism and/or consciousness. Associated clinical actions include bitter, astringent, antiinflammatory, and sedative. Moistening herbs are moistening to the skin or mucous membranes, promote fluid retention, and are generally moistening to the entire system. These herbs are often mucilaginous and/or sweet (though not all mucilaginous or sweet herbs are moistening:). Associated clinical actions include demulcent, emollient, antipruretic, and anti-inflammatory.

Temperature & Moisture Just about every system of traditional herbal medicine acknowledges temperature and moisture in some way. Four Humors of Greek/ Arabic medicine, Doshas of Ayurveda,TCM to a certain degree. The commonality of all of these systems is in careful observation of patients and herbs. They found that certain patterns held true depending on the nature of the medicine and of the person. An understanding of energetics

Drying herbs dry the skin or mucous membranes, and are generally drying to the entire system. Herbs which are fundamentally drying to a given tissue (things that encourage secretions and excretions, such as sialagogues and diuretics). Associated clinical actions include 39

astringents, diaphoretics, tonic, bitters, and expectorants. Note: most of the herbs in our Western material medica are drying in nature. Just one of those things.

Second-degree herbs are gentle and/or slow in their activity. They do not tend to produce immediate pronounced strong effects. Stronger than first degree, there is an increased possibility for side effects with larger/more-prolonged doses. Foeniculum, Mentha piperita, and Taraxacum are some examples.

Degrees of Herbs There are distinct gradients within the temperature and moisture spectrum, as well as within given actions. Ginger is hot, until you taste Cayenne, which is hot, until you taste HabaĂąero, which is HOT.

Yarrow as a hot tea is an emmenagogue, until you try motherwort, which is an emmenagogue. You get the idea. The system of degrees is examines herbs in relation to each other, and to how the average body tends to respond. Herbs may be classified under different degrees, depending on the system you learn from. The system described below has its origins in Greek/Arabic medicine and the teachings of the Greek physician Galen (though he was Turkish, and probably got it from Egyptian physiciansâ&#x20AC;Ś but another story). Other traditional systems, while also recognizing degrees, may not have the same language/labels around things. However, using the below as a rough guide, folks can usually get into pretty close agreement (I say this now of courseâ&#x20AC;Ś). First-degree herbs will move the body back to normal, without overshooting the mark and getting you into the territory of side effects. Food like herbs in general: Avena sativa, Matricaria recutita, and Rubus leaf. 40

Third-degree herbs have a strong medicinal effect. These readily produce side effects, and if taken in too high a dose or for too long, tend toward toxicity or major discomfort or injury to the system. Think Hydratsis, Syzygium, and Gentiana.

Where I find this particular construct useful is when trying to determine dose and dosage. Vagary abounds in the world of herbal dosing. Your own taste and vital experience meter will be a helpful in determining what is a reasonable dose, and what is might be too much or too little.

Vitalist Actions The Physio-Medical school of herbalism had a particular set of terms used to describe the broader actions of herbs. While there is some overlap in terminology, these differ quite a bit from what we commonly see as clinical actions in many more modern material medica. While clinical actions are also useful, the following terms are helpful in determining the more global effect that an herb has on the body. The vitalist part comes from the basic understanding that herbs and other substances are constantly acting on the Vital Force. Referred to in numerous other traditional systems of medicine (chi, prana animas), the Vital force is considered the basic life force that drives us. It is also considered intelligent, constantly working towards a state of balance in the body’s processes. That is, generally, what is being referred to below. Fourth-degree herbs are those capable of producing tissue destruction, coma or death. Papaver (Opium), Conium, Allium sativum, etc. The blistering caused topically from fresh garlic makes it hot in the 4th degree, while otherwise it is considered a quite food-like herb. Form makes a great deal of difference in the way many of these medicines present.

Stimulant: Stimulate = to increase the Vital Expression or function in the tissue. Examples include Capsicum and Echinacea. Some folks will use this term either as a clinical action meaning to cause a surge of energy (coffee, etc.), or to denote an increase in circulation. For the most part though, in this context we use hot/heating plus diffusive for those meanings, and Stimulant as it’s own term.

It should also be noted that there are degrees within degrees. In classical writings, you will see descriptions such as “this herb is on the lower level of the 3rd degree” This opens up new levels of possibility for perception. Fennel and ginger might both be considered 2nd degree herbs, but while fennel might be a low 2nd degree, ginger might be a bit higher, perhaps bordering on a low 3rd degree herb depending on how it’s taken.

Relaxant: Relax = to lessen constriction or obstructive irritation in the tissue. Examples include Asclepias root and Sambucus flower. Think of relaxants as the balance for those with tension of various sorts. For those with atonic tissue states (poor venous or muscle tone) or conditions, relaxant herbs can be either ineffective or in extreme cases damaging. 41

Stimulant/Relaxant, & Relaxant/Stimulant: the idea of something being simultaneously Relaxant and Stimulant can seem contradictory, but makes a good bit of sense. When a tissue is tense, it is far more difficult for blood, chi, vitality, to flow naturally. By relaxing that tissue and removing the obstruction, it allows for appropriate Vital Stimulation to the area. Now, not all Relaxants act as Stimulants in this way. In this particular model, Relaxants are often used with other more Stimulant herbs to compliment their action. Relaxing of the tissue allows for freer flow of life force, while Stimulants increase the overall expression of that life force. In the case of some herbs, such as Rosmarinus, you can have an herb that is both Relaxant and Stimulant in the same convenient package.

Astringent/Tonic: Astringe / Tonify = to increase the tone of the tissue or the organ, or its activity. Astringe is usually used to describe an herb’s effect on the state of the tissue, such as mucous membranes or skin, and Tonify describes what an herb does when it increases the function of an organ or a tissue. The flip of Relaxant herbs, Tonics are appropriate for those with atonic or lax tissue states, and can exacerbate conditions of tension. Examples of Tonic/Astringents include Salix and Geranium (hooboy, yeah, geranium…if you want to experience a pure astringent, this is the one).

Diffusive: A Diffusive herb increases circulation and energy toward the surface of the body, drawing it away from the center. It may be more Stimulant or more Relaxant in doing this, but Diffusive implies some degree of peripheral (capillary) Relaxation – a modification of pure circulatory Stimulation that allows for freer circulation. Examples include Arctium seed and Zingiber. Many diaphoretic herbs fall into this category. 42

Considerations Regarding Preparation & Dosage

function-“This herb makes me sweat, and likes to live by the water.” Others will experience this through emotional interaction-“This herb feels soft and loving; I can feel it healing old wounds in my heart”. Still others through the spiritual/ energetic realm-“This herb takes me to another reality; I feel as though I’ve left my physical body behind”.

Different aspects of a medicine are pulled into the picture depending on the method of extraction. For the purposes of first starting out, I find that water extractions taken at room temperature seem to be the most useful. There is no monkey business regarding temperature or moisture, since water is a fairly neutral substance.

Whatever level you access herbs on, physical, mental, or emotional, it can be easy to doubt your experiences. Not just because it’s not generally in our cultural repertoire, but also because we often have trouble telling where we end and ‘something else’ begins. “Was that the herb soothing my heart, or did I just imagine it?”.

That being said, the really important bit is acknowledging the alchemy of medicine making. A water extraction will be different from an ethanolic one. A decoction will be different from an infusion. Alcohol, oil and honey are all fairly warming in nature, and can create a sense of heat that may not be there as a fundamental energetic of the herb. Vinegar can be a touch cooling and drying. Taking tea cold versus hot can make a huge difference. There are loads of factors that can alter the actions and energetics of an herb.

In order to see and experience the rhythms of others clearly, we need to first find some stillness. Without that sense of quietness and silence within our own rhythm, then the way we see others (in this case herbs) can become distorted.

This is why taking time to understand each of these extracting substances in their own right (alcohol, honey, oil, lemon, vinegar, etc.) is another super useful tool. It can also be rather fun. Next time you’re sipping a hot toddy, you can say with genuine conviction that you are studying the principles of Physiomedicalist energetics. Whiskey and lemon with a bit of honey? Why, it’s practically an oxymel! No really, Galen said it was good for me. Stillness As A Tool of Perception Right, changing tack a bit. Imagine perception as a pool. If you are constantly casting ripples and making splashes it’s going to make seeing clearly to the bottom of things rather difficult. You might still catch glimpses, but they can be murky and distorted. It can leave you wondering, “was that really the bottom of the pond, or just the ripples and waves?”

Some Exercises

Every being, whether a plant or a person, a stone or an ocean, has it’s own rhythm. It’s own particular ‘ness” in relation to existence as a whole. Some folks experience this on a strictly physical level, through observation of form and

The Present Moment Be in it. It’s rather difficult to get to know anyone, herbs, people, ourselves, in anytime but the present moment. Everyone will have 43

different ways to access this in a way that resonates. I enjoy sense meditation (staying with your physical senses in turn), as well as using sitting practice and focusing on the breath.

Solitude in nature As humans, we have finely tuned senses, able to perceive and process a fantastic amount of information. And up until a few hundred years ago, we developed them exclusively in the natural world. Our brains are hardwired for the rhythms of trees and water and soil. Stepping back into that world helps cultivate not only your physical perception, but can also be immensely calming and stilling on all other levels. This can be as simple as sitting quietly in a place of natural beauty. In fact, I’ll stop there, since that’s pretty much what I’ve found to be most effective.

Cultivating being in the present moment keeps you grounded in actuality, rather than drifting into the louder and very tempting world of fantasy (I refer here to both the fun, luck-dragon riding type of fantasy, as well as the kind that keeps us chained to our small selves. The ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘everyone else is just wrong’ type of fantasy).

The solitude part can be key though. With other folks there to distract you, to incite either desire or repulsion, it can be more difficult to tap into that quieter part of yourself. Not to say you need to go on hermitage-though who knows, maybe you do. But there is a reason why just about every culture has a practice of regular solitude in some way-be it vision quest, silent prayer, or the traditional poutin’ house of the American South. Time to distill self from other in some small way.

majority of time it does. Beyond the initial sip of tea or drop of tincture, is a whole realm of trying to figure things out. The state of unknowing, this place of uncertainty can come with a bit of discomfort. The practice of keeping questions open can be a trying place, requiring a good bit of energy. Of course there are gifts, times where an herb or a place will speak to you with such power as to be undeniable. “Yup, I’m a styptic disinfectant, and you should use me to heal your friends cystitis. I’m also the guardian spirit of this grove, more ancient than you can possibly imagine. Now you know. What are you waiting for?”

Slowing Down Back to that rhythm thing. In Nature, there are constant ebbs and flows of speed and movement. But underlying all of Nature’s rhythms is a constant undercurrent, a steady slowness and stillness. For most modern humans, we seem to have broken off the dial at the ‘constant nervous spasm’ setting. Taking the time to slow yourself physically, whatever the setting, can be invaluable. It percolates through all other levels of being, allowing space for more than the usual surface tension of human happenings to come through.

For myself, I find these moments happen more often when I also put in the work. Continually reaching out to the plants, creating a relationship each day. Coming back to the same plant patches, getting to know them. Drinking, eating, tasting, breathing in the medicine. Making it a practice of exploration beyond immediate need. This cultivation of persistent curiosity can lead to not just to answers, but perhaps more importantly, the search for better questions.

Cultivating curiosity Sometimes finding an answer for exactly what an herb does takes some work. In fact, the vast

The Teachers Of Plant Healer’s 10th Anniversary

2019 Good Medicine Confluence Announcing Next Year’s Exciting Teachers – & Call For Class Proposals From New Voices Preparations for our big 10the Anniversary event in Colorado have been going strong since the week we got back from the last event. It takes the entire year for Kiva and myself to personally do everything that is required to create for you an amazing and empowering event.

how kindred they are to the mission, how beloved they are to the attendees, and how supportive they are of this movement in turn.

The first task is to thank the wonderful teachers that brought us their gifts of knowledge and experience... followed the selecting of teachers and topics for the 2019 Good Medicine Confluence.

It is crucial that we rotate some of our alumni, however, in order to make space for folks who have never had the opportunity to share their wisdom and talents at a Plant Healer gathering before, as well as those compelling new healers just now ready to present to large national events like this...

Approximately half of the Confluence’s 150 class slots are reserved new applicants, and the other half for returning presenters – a percentage of those teachers who have become integral due to

Last year’s teachers were so fitting, that it was extra hard to leave any out of the 2019 lineup.

...and to make space for many of you!

Our Diverse Inspiring 2019 Teachers

Kenneth Proefrock

The following new and returning presenters are confirmed, some will be well know to you, while other will prove to be exciting new discoveries: Kenneth Proefrock • Kiva Rose Hardin Jesse Wolf Hardin • 7Song • Leslie Lekos Dara Saville • Marija Helt • Julie James Becky Beyer • Sage Maurer • Juliet Carr Kristin Henningsen • Ericka Zamora-Wiggin Jereme Zimmerman • Heather Wood Buzzard Lisa Ganora • Amber Shehan • Sean Croke Valerie Camacho • Dani Otteson Ember Peters • Tree Knowlton Dionne Jennings • Heather Irvine Peter McCoy • Jade Alicandro Mace Brigit Anna McNeill • Rachel Berndt Juanita Nelson • Meg Houston • Rose Nuffer Jenny Solidago Mansell • Phoenicia Chaidez Erika Larsen • Laurie Quesinberry Carol Batey-Prunty • Natasha Clarke Betsy Costilo-Miller • Tiffany Freeman Emily Stock • Stephanie Boucher Rachel Rose Hessheimer • Sharon Hockenbury • Ellen Zimmermann • Angie True Amy Glasser • Lisa Valantine • Traci Donat Lucy McCall • Debra Houston • Briana Wiles Katrina Blair • Amanda Furbee Kristen Davenport • Shiann Swapp

Leslie Lekos

...and so many more!

The Persistence of Memory: Oneirogenic Plant Medicines, Personal Identity & the Dream State

by Kenneth Proefrock "I am the first to be surprised and often terrified by the images I see appear upon my canvas. I register without choice and with all possible exactitude the dictates of my subconscious, my dreams." â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Salvador Dali

Sleeping and dreaming are universal aspects of human life. We spend approximately one third of our lives sleeping, it is that magical state that allows us to recharge our batteries and process the events of our days. Even more than that, the dream state is our own personal on-ramp to the super-highway of the collective unconscious; every bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portal to the spirit world. The term "oneirogenic" refers to practices that stimulate the formation of dreams, and, worldwide, there is a long history of employing botanical preparations in order to produce or to enhance the divinatory nature of dreams. Universally, the dream state has been recognized as another way to potentially understand the mystery of life, and to come to a deeper awareness of who we are in the lives that we live. The dream level of experience can be seen as that place where waking consciousness and the consciousness of your own being meet. There we are able to contact a realm of supra-sensory reality that is capable of conveying messages and information otherwise unavailable in the waking modes of consciousness. Even so, we have developed a

societal need, in the western world, to push the boundaries of the waking state, driven by an insatiable need for performance, money and prestige. We find ourselves sleeping less and less and, too often, find ourselves further and further removed from a grounded state of being, often in order to conform to a set of cultural expectations like success, happiness, worthiness. The sleep state represents some of the most vulnerable times in a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life; it is where some relative perception of the un-safeness of our world rises to the surface. The more unsafe your subconscious mind perceives your world to be; the less likely you will be able to attain that deep, most restful arena of sound sleep. The invention of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in the 1930â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s provided a means to measure the brain's electrical activity in sleeping subjects. Now that the rhythm of activity in the brain during sleep could be observed, it was noted that these biological rhythms naturally fall into different states, stages, and cycles. Instead of being a quiet and peaceful period of rest and 50

recuperation, as most of us might think of it, sleep is a very complex, dynamic activity with numerous biochemical, physiological, and psychological events constantly taking place. The length of time that a person needs to sleep seems to vary tremendously between different individuals and circumstances of life. Most adults sleep between 7 and 8 hours, a natural "short sleeper" may sleep for only 3 or 4 hours, and actually function worse with more sleep. A "long sleeper," on the other hand, may need more than 10 hours of sleep to function normally. Different stages of life and shifting levels of physical, mental and emotional stress all conspire to produce changes in our need for sleep and in our ability to sleep continuously and soundly. A newborn infant may sleep 16 hours a day; an adolescent may sleep very deeply for 9 or 10 hours straight, while an elderly person may take daytime naps and then sleep only 5 hours a night.

periods and long periods of deep sleep; as the night progresses REM sleep increases in length and deep sleep is shorter, so that by morning, nearly all sleep is in stages one, two and REM. If REM sleep is disturbed, our system does not follow the normal sleep cycle the next time we doze off. Instead, we slip right back into REM sleep and go through long periods of REM until we â&#x20AC;&#x153;catch upâ&#x20AC;? on this stage of sleep. Adults spend 50% of our total sleep time in the second stage of sleep, about 20% in REM sleep and 30% in all of the other stages combined. Infants spend approximately 50% of their sleeping time in REM sleep. A more ancient human perspective on sleep may best be presented through the Hindu writings and their early sensibility that there are four fundamental states of being; waking, dreaming, deep dreamless sleep and beyond deep dreamless sleep (turiya). The Upanishads are among the most sacred of the Hindu writings from the civilization of ancient India. They contain hundreds to thousands of years' worth of accumulated wisdom on the nature of Reality.

Our current understanding proposes that the critical aspect is not as much the total amount of sleep that an individual might experience in a night, but, seemingly, that one is able to cycle completely through four distinct sleep cycles. Each cycle may last an average of 2 hours for adults and consist of five recognizable stages. During the first stage of sleep, light sleep, we drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened very easily. During the second stage of sleep, eye movement stops and brain waves begin to slow. During stages three and four, extremely slow brain waves begin to appear and there is no eye movement and little muscle activity. It is very difficult to rouse someone during these stages of sleep; they do not adjust immediately, and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes after they wake up. These are the stages of sleep where bedwetting, night terrors and sleep walking may manifest. During the fifth stage, REM sleep, our breathing becomes shallow, irregular, and more rapid, our eyes jerk rapidly in all directions and our skeletal muscles become temporarily paralyzed. Our heart rate increases and blood pressure rises. When people are roused during this stage of sleep, they often report bizarre and illogical dreams. The first sleep cycles of the night contain short REM

One of these writings, the Mandukya Upanishad, is dated to the first century AD and is attributed to the revelation of the great Hindu sage, Manduka (who may or may not have actually existed, the word is also translated as 'frog'), it is the shortest and possibly the most important of these sacred texts. It is said that for the liberation of the seeker, the Mandukya alone is enough; and if you are able to understand the true meaning of this single writing, there may 51

not be a necessity to study any other Upanishad. The intention of this sacred verse is to directly approach the depths of human nature; there are no analogies, metaphors or parables, just blunt observations. It relates to the essential form of Reality, and the human place within it. The verse itself consists of only twelve statements or Mantras, which contain a concise summary of the whole wisdom and knowledge of the Upanishads. All of which is, in turn, summarized by the symbol OM.

difficult question than we might imagine, who would any one of us present as in this world without the expectations of our culture, what makes a 'good' person, a successful person, a creative, inspiring, happy, worthy person? Should we care? Can we not care? Unfortunately, it isn't so simple, we all have an essential tension between authenticity and attachment as we are developing, and it begins in early childhood. The authentic 'you' might want to climb fences, throw rocks, yell at the top of your lungs as you enthusiastically embrace life, however, that 'you' also wants to be loved, to be accepted and to be found worthy, so 'you' might quiet your voice, not throw rocks, not climb that fence, so that 'you' don't get a disapproving scolding. In how many ways do we conform ourselves to be good citizens, well-mannered members of our community, successful in the eyes of our family and our peers, and at what point are we no longer manifesting our original face?

Om is said to be the sound of the universe, the sound that is heard when your imagination awakens, the sound that converts an animal into a human being, the sound of the planets spinning on their axes, the sound of the sun as it caresses the earth. At the level of life where one has a spiritual epiphany, the awakening of Awe, an understanding of the true sense of mystery in the world is when the sound of OM can be truly heard.

The OOH portion is named Taijasa and is associated with the dream state, this is the realm of the present; the observation of reality as it comes into being. We all realize that our dreams are nearer and closer to us than our experiences in waking life. They are the very intimate noise of our own existence. During the dreaming process, subject and object seem to be separate from one another but they are the same, they are manifestations of one's own consciousness. You see the dream and it may be a surprise to you but you created the dream, it is your own becoming. The deepest mysteries of life can be found in the level of dream. It is right here in that dreaming experience that waking consciousness meets the deeper consciousness of your own eternally transcendent being, where the faces that we create to meet the faces that we meet dissolve into our authentic Self, our ever present, witnessing consciousness. Dreams are self-luminous, they shine from themselves as Gods and Goddesses do, like lightning, fire, the sun and the stars. They act as entrances or gates to the world beyond the gross world in which we normally exist. Within the dream, subject and object seem to be different but they are the same, in the same way that you and your Deity seem to be different but you are the same, this Deity is

Om is said to be a four sound syllableâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;aah, ooh, mmm and the silence around itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;aah symbolizes the level of waking consciousness, ooh the level of dream consciousness, mmm deep sleep, and then the silence which surrounds it which is symbolic of Turiya, the ground state of being out of which the world comes and into which it goes. The AAH portion of the sound is called Vaisvanara, it represents waking consciousness, the realm of the past. In this world of waking consciousness subject and object are not the same, I see you and you see me, we existed separately before this moment, and we are separate from one another now. The waking state is dependent on the past and is represented by the past. Consciousness in this state is turned outward and this is the domain of western science. As such, science cannot predict the new and novel, it can only predict that which has happened before. The objects of this realm are the gross objects of physical reality. It is here that we create the face or faces that we identify with, it is here that we conform to certain cultural expectations about who we think we should be, rather than who we might really be in the deepest recesses of our sub-conscious mind. Asking ourselves who we really are is a more 52

not the one that you are told to have, it is the God or Goddess that you actually find in your own deep vision, through mystical experience. The passages from dream to vision from the Divine to you are all within youâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all the Deities, their Heavens and their Hells are all within you. These are not things that happened somewhere else a long time ago; it is in you right now, in this present moment, and, it has always been there. This is the realm that provides a means to healing, the realm that oneirogenic botanical medicines and physical practices can facilitate profoundly miraculous things to happen. Memory lives here in this state, (even though the events of memory were recorded from the past) the retrieval, the current evocation of memory, changes it, sometimes profoundly, sometimes subtly, but, the very act of recall alters the memory itself. Inasmuch as we identify with the human that we become based upon the experiences that we have through our life, it is this persistence of memory and memories that we identify with the most and say, "that is me, I am that" in this present moment the past intersects with the present

The MMM portion of the sound is called Prajna and represents the level of deep dreamless sleep; this is the future because the future can come from nowhere else but the energies of the psyche. In deep dreamless sleep, consciousness is still there but it is hidden in darkness, it is pure unadulterated consciousness of no specific thing. All of our words refer to things and the relationships of things, things in the field of waking consciousness or things in the field of dream consciousness. The ultimate reality is not of things but of sheer uncommitted, undifferentiated consciousness, this is the realm of absolute possibility, the home of the Creative Force of the Universe. It is the ultimate goal of yogic and tantric practice to go awake into this realm, to be one with the ultimate Presence of the Universe. The perfect night of sleep allows one to experience all of these three states of being, to provide a daily â&#x20AC;&#x153;rememberingâ&#x20AC;? of where we came from and, fundamentally, who we are. In order for any one of us to find our way through these great states of being, we have to be able to get to sleep...insomnia is the most

common sleep complaint; it affects every one of us at some point in our lives. It is the feeling that you have not slept well or long enough and is most often characterized by difficulty falling asleep (taking more than 30 to 45 minutes), awakening frequently during the night, or waking up extremely early and being unable to get back to sleep. Insomnia can begin at any age, it can last for a few days (transient insomnia), a few weeks (short-term insomnia), or indefinitely (long-term insomnia). Transient insomnia may be triggered by stress--say, a hospitalization for surgery, a final exam, a cold, headache, toothache, bruised muscles, backache, indigestion, or itchy rash. It can also be caused by travel that involves rapid time-zone change, so-called jet-lag. Short-term insomnia, lasting up to 3 weeks, may result from anxiety, nervousness, and physical and mental tension. Typical issues are worries about money, the death of a loved one, marital problems, divorce, looking for or losing a job, weight loss, excessive concern about health, or just plain boredom, social isolation, or physical confinement. Longlasting distress over lack of sleep can sometimes be caused by environmental factors, such as living near an airport or on a noisy street. Working a night shift can also cause problems: sleeping during the day may be difficult on weekdays, especially when the person sleeps at night on weekends. Quite often, long-term insomnia stems from such medical conditions as heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, chronic sinusitis, epilepsy, or ulcers. Long-term impaired sleep can also be brought on by chronic drug or alcohol use, or having a new baby, as well as by excessive use and abuse of caffeine or rebound from sleeping pills. Many patients with longterm insomnia may be suffering from an underlying psychiatric condition, such as depression or schizophrenia. Depression, in particular, is often accompanied by sleep problems (which usually disappear when the depression is better). People with phobias, anxiety, obsessions, or compulsions are often awakened by their fears and worries, sometimes by nightmares and feelings of sadness, conflict, and guilt.

Prescription drugs in the categories of hypnotics like Ambien, Sonata and Lunesta and benzodiazepines like Valium, Xanax and Restoril are the mainstays of insomnia treatment in modern medicine. The benzodiazepines are GABA receptor agonists and are well known to produce an attenuation so that dosage has to be progressively increased to maintain their effectiveness. They can also have a wicked backlash of rebound anxiety the day after use or when the patient decides to withdraw from them. The hypnotics are an interesting class of compounds that induce a particular state of mind that is conducive to sleep. They often leave people feeling “hung-over” the next day or have hypnotic effects that are difficult to shake the next morning and affect mental function. I have had many reports of patients engaging in bizarre behavior and/or conversations that they have no recollection of the next day, examples include getting up at night to binge eat and confessing personal secrets to relative strangers. Tricyclic antidepressants like Trazadone and Ellavil are also used in some patients, the sedative aspect is considered a side effect of the medication rather than a primary effect. I find that very few of my patients who are on these substances have been advised by the prescriber regarding good sleep hygiene. Swallowing a pill and watching the ten o’clock news before you go to bed, or, as you lay in bed, is certainly not going to reiterate the relative safety of your world and usher you into the realm of happy, peaceful dreams. A mind and a body can be taught to sleep, but it requires adherence to a routine that can be anticipated by one’s sub-conscious mind. Brushing your teeth, putting on your pajamas and quietly reading some inspirational material while you sip a cup of hot tea may, in and of itself, engender a better night’s sleep—and that should go without saying. Engaging in a regular exercise regimen earlier in the day, minimizing or eliminating caffeine intake, as well as yoga, meditation and/ or prayer before bed are often very effective measures to enhance the quality of one’s sleep. Botanical agents are often quite effective at helping people achieve and maintain adequate sleeping schedules, although they can be fraught 54

with similar difficulties of addiction and side effects as the pharmaceutical agents, just to a lesser degree. As I describe some of the more commonly employed plant agents, I include some of their biochemistry as well as their cultural context in order to avoid the sensibility that these are pills to be mindlessly swallowed. Rather, these are plant agents that can be employed short term, to actually shift the body's ecology to a place that is more conducive for sleep to happen spontaneously.

This was then decanted into another bowl for consumption. Nowadays, the root is more commonly ground, pounded or grated rather than chewed and spat out, although among some locals the traditional method is still practiced. Kava root is considered to be a mild acting botanical hypnotic that has been reasonably well established as an herbal agent that reduces social anxiety. It has also been established that there are several different lactones (at least 11 of them) referred to as kava pyrones; that are largely responsible for this effect. The primary lactones appear to be kavaine, dihydro-kavaine, methysticin, dehydromethysticin, and yangonin. They seem to have their primary impact in the brain stem and induce a progressive nervous system derived relaxation of skeletal muscle. This is a plant that seems to put one’s mind in a non-sedated place but engenders sleep for a lot of people by relaxing their physical body, interestingly, the mind remains fully conscious even with fatal doses. There is a whole trade in Kava within the Polynesian islands, the older roots are considered the best and they are often dried by an open fire, the best Kava root will often have a little ash residue in it. It is processed with saliva traditionally and/or as a coconut milk decoction. The lactones that provide the effect are resins that are poorly water soluble— the ash, saliva and coconut oils serve to make the root constituents relatively more soluble and improves the effectiveness of the preparation. This plant is so entrenched in the culture that if you are invited to someone’s house, you bring some Kava with you, if it is a special occasion, you might decorate it with ribbons and bows. The consumption of thick Kava tea engenders a peaceful, easy feeling and acts as a social lubricant while it numbs the mouth and throat in an interesting way.

Piper methysticum, Kava Kava, sometimes known is Awa, is the root of a pepper plant typically found in the western Pacific. The origins of drinking Kava root preparations can be traced back at least 3,000 years and it is associated with both social and ceremonial function. It was, and is, highly valued for its medicinal uses as a sedative, muscle relaxant, diuretic, and as a remedy for nervousness and insomnia. Like many such powerful plant agents, Kava is more than a traditional remedy for a variety of ailments. This botanical marvel plays a central role in the cultural and social aspects of many of the island cultures of the Pacific Ocean, including Fiji, Vanuatu, Hawaii, and Polynesia, where it is widely consumed as the national drink. Traditionally, kava was prepared by cutting the root into small pieces, being chewed by several people (often children or the young women) and spat into a bowl, where it was mixed with coconut milk. The concoction was then strained through coconut fiber, squeezing the pieces of masticated root until all the juices were blended with the water.

Overuse of Kava has been implicated in causing a particular skin rash and, ultimately, liver damage. This is that place where we have to be aware that our consumerist society creates a product with these active plant constituents by placing them in gelatin capsules and swallowing them. We then sit back and wait for something to 55

happen, for anxiety to magically drain away from us and blissful sleep to overcome us. If such a thing doesn’t happen, our cultural response is to simply take a few more capsules, after all, everyone knows that herbs are weaker than drugs and you probably just need more of those constituents to accomplish the objective. In fact, why not just extract the active constituent and consume that? Or perhaps it could at least be standardized so that we know exactly how much we could take before having to worry about toxicity? I would contend that there is an inherent and important accountability in the traditional way of interacting with this plant, the numbing effect on the mucous membranes and its distinctive flavor and texture would prevent most people from over-consuming this root if they were drinking it as a decoction.

Withania somniferum, Ashwagandha, has been called “Indian Ginseng”, its Sanskrit name means “the smell and strength of a horse” and it has enjoyed a long history in Ayurvedic medicine as a restorative tonic that is useful in conditions of impotence, premature aging, and fatigue. It is different than many other adaptogenic herbs in that it has no overt stimulating effects, in fact, it has a mild sedative action, and hence the species name somnifera. The constituents of this plant include the steroidal compounds Withaferin A (a steroidal compound with a molecular structure similar to cortisol) and several sitoindosides. It strengthens an exhausted nervous system by facilitating deep, dreamless sleep; it is also indicated acutely for emotional instability, agitation and that feeling of being ‘stressed out’. It is an excellent adaptogen for athletes, helping to promote better muscle tone and promote an anabolic metabolic state. This plant is a member of the Solanaceae family and also contains several tropane alkaloids like tropine and pseudotropine. This plant can help increase circulating levels of testosterone in men and women due to some of its steroidal constituents competitively binding to cortisol receptors, inhibiting the binding of cortisol. These compounds will exert an effect on the cortisol receptor that is much less, or opposite to, a cortisol induced effect and produce a sedating effect. I find that a dosage of 1500 mgs before bed is outstanding as a sleep aid. I often mix it with the amino acid LTryptophan.

There is a pervasive sentiment in Polynesia that Kava is not an inebriant; rather it opens those who partake of its graciousness to the “Vu”. Roughly translated from Samoan, the "Vu" is the all-encompassing love of the Divine, the "Author" of life, the Creative Force of the Universe. Making an infusion of Kava is the traditional way of taking it, experiencing the "Vu" may be a traditional reason for taking it, placing it in capsules and swallowing handfuls seems not only disrespectful but also dangerous. Perhaps my perspective is naïve, but spending the time to make an infusion of anything when you felt anxious would probably do a lot to relieve the anxiety, all by itself. If you also allowed yourself to become preoccupied with thoughts about the Vu, and maybe comparing and contrasting the Hindu ideas behind Om with the Samoan ideas about the Vu, and how we are all different but we all experience a similar sense of the Truth, you might become less anxious yet. Then, if you consumed a beverage with a several thousand-year history, essentially walking in the footsteps of the ancients, that also contained constituents that helped to reduce your anxiety, I would be surprised if you weren’t to become a lot less anxious and have a much better night’s sleep. ! 56

L-Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that is a biochemical precursor to serotonin, melatonin, and niacin. It is particularly plentiful in chocolate, oats, bananas, dried dates, milk, cottage cheese, meat, fish, turkey, and peanuts. Approximately 300 mg Tryptophan is available in three ounces of turkey, lamb, beef, tuna, or peanuts. In 1989, the importation of Ltryptophan was banned in the United States after cases of a deadly autoimmune illness called eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome were traced to a batch of L-Tryptophan that was tainted with a toxic bacterial metabolite. The ban has since been lifted and L-Tryptophan is pretty easy to get, 5hydroxytryptophan is also helpful to encourage sleep and they both work better for depression when combined with S-adenosyl-methionine. I typically recommend 1500 mg of L-Tryptophan or 200 mg 5-HTP before bed, usually mixed with a like amount of Ashwagandha and placed in a thicker liquid like mango juice. I prefer LTryptophan to 5-HTP it seems more consistent in its effectiveness for helping people to sleep. It should be said that I have found these agents to be somewhat inflammatory in people with rheumatoid diseases, some of them tend to get a little more achy and sore after the first week of using it regularly.

of its major protective proteins which serve to "educate" immunologically active T-cells to recognize infectious microorganisms, autoimmune antibodies and cancer cells. Threonine is a precursor to the amino acids serine and glycine, both of which are necessary for the production of collagen, elastin, fascia and muscle tissue. Threonine helps keep connective tissues and muscles throughout the body strong and elastic, including the heart, where it is found in significant amounts. It also helps in the formation of strong bones and tooth enamel, and improves the timing of wound healing and recovery from injury or overuse.Â ! Threonine, serine and glycine all have a calming effect on the nervous system and reduce peripheral spasticity in conditions of neurological damage and degeneration, as well as in agitated mental states. Threonine also helps form a protective mucous barrier in the stomach and intestinal tract, helping in conditions of irritable bowel syndrome both by allaying mental anxiety and protecting intestinal tissue. 1500 mgs before bed is typically very helpful for sleep and connective tissue recovery.

Glycine is the smallest amino acid and has an inhibitory effect on the nervous system. It specifically affects the Locus Ceruleus of the brain, inhibiting norepinephrine output. Norepinephrine can cause anxiety, hypertension and insomnia. Glycine is a very pleasant agent for people to take as it is very sweet in flavor, it looks like sugar, tastes like sugar and is a decent sweetener in herbal teas. I usually recommend a teaspoon before bed, preferably mixed in a hot tea like Chamomile, Valerian, or Passionflower. There is an interesting biochemical association between the amino acids glycine, l-threonine, and serine in that glycine made from the essential amino acid l-threonine and glycine and serine can be interconverted to one another.

Ashoka root, Saraca indica, is a famous uterine tonic in Ayurveda, it is specifically useful for excessive uterine bleeding and pain. Buddha was believed to have been born under an Ashoka tree and its name literally means â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Remover of Sorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I have used this herb on many occasions for parents who have lost their children. I began using it for women who had experienced a miscarriage as it helps to quell the

L-Threonine is a lesser known amino acid with a prominent role in immune response. The thymus is an immune gland, housed behind the sternum in the chest, that incorporates threonine into all 57

bleeding and process the grief associated with such a tremendous loss. I often would give it to the womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partner as it helped to create a solidarity between the two and help with the grieving process for both. I have since found it to be extremely useful for parents who have lost their children under any circumstances and find themselves anxious, unable to sleep and unable to resolve the grief well enough to continue life. I am not saying that it magically makes people happy, just that it is a deep reminder that they are not the only parents to experience such a loss and sometimes there is solace in that. I have even had post-menopausal mothers who have benefited from this powerful plant ally after losing their adult children in traumatic accidents. It helps reduce the anxiety associated with such a loss and helps provide a better, more restful sleep. It also has a reputation as a cardiac tonic for cardiac insufficiency and arrhythmias, these are aspects that make sense given the other indications, a broken heart is, after all, a broken heart. The dosage that I usually employ is 1-2 grams of powder 3-4 times a day, or as a tablespoon (5 gms) before bed. This is a botanical that mixes well in yogurt or some other thick material.

Brahmi, Bacopa monniere, is a plant that contains a fair amount of L-Dopa, the biochemical precursor to dopamine. Dopamine is the major neurotransmitter in the corpus striatum of the brain and is heavily involved in motor function and emotional responsiveness. When dopamine levels are right and its receptors appropriate, dopamine allows a sense of euphoria, it allows a mind to learn, problemsolve, and have spiritual epiphanies, in essence, to make sense of the world. The Sanskrit name, Brahmi, is related to the word Brahman, which refers to the Universal Consciousness. Brahma is the divinity directly responsible for all of the creative forces of the universe. Brahmi literally translates as the energy or shakti of Brahman. It is absolutely outstanding as an agent that improves mental functioning and soothes stressed out nervous systems. In addition to improving memory, it is an outstanding restorative tonic and helps to aid in the recovery of nervous exhaustion, anxiety, restless leg syndrome and facilitate productive sleep. Here again, we have a substance that is not intended to be blindly swallowed in a capsule, rather, when it is taken with an intent, its effectiveness is much greater. The dosage of powder is 1 gram 58

three to four times a day, or 3-4 grams before bed. This is a botanical that can cause nausea in some people, it may be due to a direct irritant effect and it may also be due to a dopamine effect, dopamine can cause nausea when it reaches higher levels in the system. I usually mix this herb with Licorice or Sida cordifolia to help its tolerance.

Nahuatl and Mazatec people from the Sierra de Puebla and Oaxaca have a long tradition of using Salvia divinorum, Divinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sage, specifically to generate dreams for healing purposes. The plant known as Bakana, (Scirpus atrovirens) to the Tarahumara people, has been reported to be an analgesic, antipsychotic and divinatory agent, and is employed for dreaming during night sleep. It is reputed to induce an intoxication which enables the Tarahumara to travel far and wide, talk with dead ancestors, and see brilliantly colored visions.

Calea zacatechichi is also known as Mexican Dreaming Herb, and it is a true oneirogenic botanical agent. The importance of dreaming is widely recognized throughout Central America. Similar to the Hindu conceptions elaborated in the Mandukhya Upanishad, there is a cultural sense that the dream state provides the means to understand the mystery of life, it is an accepted method of contacting that realm of suprasensory reality and, therefore, capable of conveying messages and information otherwise unavailable. The use of oneirogenic botanical preparations in order to produce or to enhance, specifically, the divinatory nature of dreams constitutes an ethnopharmacological category that can be called "oneiromancy". There are several plants used by the indigenous communities of Mexico to obtain divinatory messages from dreams. Several puffball mushrooms (Lycoperdon spp.) are eaten fresh when they are very small and still solid by the Mixtec people before going to bed in order to facilitate prophetic or healing dreams. The 59

The tuberous underground part is believed to cure insanity, and the whole plant is considered a protector of those suffering from mental ills. Finally, Calea zacatechichi is used in the same context by the Chontal Indians of Oaxaca. Calea zacatechichi is a plant that is relatively well known and used medicinally in Mexico. An infusion of the plant (roots, leaves and stem) is employed against gastrointestinal disorders, as an appetite stimulant, cholagogue, cathartic, anti-parasitic, and also as a febrifuge.

taxonomic work is required since the Chontal people are able to distinguish between "good" and "bad" varieties according to their psychotropic properties. I have used Calea zacatechichi with patients for two decades, I have used it as an infusion, a tincture and as capsules. Zacatechichi is a Chontal name that means â&#x20AC;&#x153;bitter grassâ&#x20AC;?, and this stuff is bitter!! My favorite method of administration is by extraction with peppermint schnapps (Rumple Minze makes a peppermint schnapps that is 100 proof, 50% alcohol), I make it 3:1 and dose it at Â˝-1 tsp. before bed. I have also employed capsules with people, dosing it at 3-5 capsules before bed, with mixed results.

A pioneering study conducted at the Institute Medico Nacional of Mexico in 1968, mentions some psychoactive effects and includes an interview with a Chontal native who relates that the leaves of the plant were to be either smoked or drunk as an infusion to obtain divinatory messages. Whenever it is desired to know the cause of an illness or the location of a distant or lost person or item, dry leaves of the plant are smoked, drunk and put under the pillow before going to sleep. Reportedly, the answer to the question comes in a dream. A collection of interviews and written reports concerning the psychotropic effects of these; preparations on 12 volunteers has been published, (see Diaz, 1986). The preliminary observations suggested that the psychotropic effects of the plant were similar to those from other "cognodysleptic" drugs, whose prototype is marijuana (Cannabis saliva). I find this interesting because, it seems, most long-term marijuana users will report that they stop dreaming with continuous use. Several sesquiterpene lactones had been isolated from the plant. Calaxin and ciliarin were identified by Ortega et al. in 1970, and the germacranolides, 1B-acetoxy zacatechinolide and l-oxo zacatechinolide, were isolated by Bohlmann and Zdero in 1977. Quijano at al. (1977, 1978) identified caleocromenes A and B and caleins A and B. while Ramos (1979) found caleicins I and II. Herz and Kumar (1980) isolated acacetin, omethyl acacetin, zexbrevin and an analogue, as well as several analogues of budlein A and neurolenin B, including calein A. Calea zacatechichi samples show differences in chemical composition, which has led Bohlmann et al. (1981) to suggest that chemical taxonomy may help to reclassify the genus. Further

Valeriana sitchensis, officinalis, and wallichi are all relatively similar botanical medicines. I include them in this discussion because they may be the penultimate sleep agents; they are readily identifiable by their characteristic odor and effects. Valeriana officinalis is, arguably, the weakest acting of this group of agents; it is considered a nervine, is mildly sedative and antispasmodic. This plant contains a number of water soluble constituents that are readily extracted in teas and tinctures, namely, the valepotriates, isovaleric acid and its salt isovaletrate, and valeric acid which are known to bind to the large GABA receptor complex, similar to the benzodiazepines. The GABA receptor is an interesting structure as far as neurotransmitters are concerned; GABA is the most prevalent neurotransmitter in the brain, serving as the transmitter for 25-40% of all synapses in the brain. It is an inhibitory neurotransmitter; it slows the firing rate of 60

nerves. Research in the early 1960’s showed that these inhibitory effects were potentiated by alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines. This potentiation involves a structural change within the receptor molecule that temporarily enhances the binding potential of GABA. The downside of this process is that over time, there tends to be a down regulation of the receptor and rebound anxiety can occur when the potentiator is removed. GABA plays a major role in inducing a normal sleep/wake cycle, inhibiting norepinephrine output from the locus ceruleus and reducing anxiety. Valeriana officinalis and sitchensis are gentle botanical agents that contain mild amounts or analogs like valerianic acid which bind to the GABA receptor with significantly less affinity than either GABA or the benzodiazepines.

menstrual cramping. In higher doses, one can avoid the dulling of the mind by marrying it to Vacha, Acorus calamus, 4 parts Tagarah and 1 part Vacha. The dosage of Valeriana officinalis and sitchensis is ½-1 tsp. tincture 3-4 times a day for acute anxiety, 1-2 tsps. before bed for sleep. The dosage range for Tagarah is 1-2 tsps (3-6 gms) before bed.

Tagarah, Valeriana wallichi is a more heavily sedating variety of Valerian; it is considered to have a lot of earth element according to Ayurveda. Too much can dull the mind and be excessively sedating, leaving one with a heavy hangover the next morning. When I purchase this herb, it often comes in a solid mass that looks like obsidian, glassy in appearance, I have to chip away at it and grind it to make it applicable for patients. Its heaviness and warmth make it well suited to grounding agitation caused by excessive tension, anxiety and restlessness. It is appropriate for preventing and treating panic attacks and inability to focus. In Ayurveda, it is recognized for its ability to cleanse the subtle channels of the mind of toxins and tension, it is appropriate for withdrawal symptoms in people who are stopping cigarettes, amphetamines, and benzodiazepines. I have seen it be very beneficial for methamphetamine withdrawal and the psychotic anxiety that is sometimes induced by that ugly class of street drugs; in these cases, I mix it 50/50 with glycine or L-threonine and dose it by the teaspoon, sometimes having the patient take 4-6 teaspoons per day. I have also seen it be effective for manic states in bipolar patients without the depressive repercussion that Rauwolfia will sometimes leave. This is a plant substances that is also renowned for treatment of epilepsy and demonic possession, it is also a decent anti-spasmodic for

Nardostachys grandiflora, Jatamamsi, is a close botanical cousin to the Valerians, its Sanskrit name means ‘flesh like a dreadlock’, because the root looks like Bob Marley’s hair. It is considered to be more of a restorative tonic to the mind than the Valerians, is similarly antispasmodic and indicated for nervousness, anxiety, hysteria, Parkinson’s disease and insomnia. It possesses a penetrating quality that enhances the intellect, induces mental clarity, and is useful in clearing fuzzy headaches. I have found it very useful for fibromyalgia patients with achy muscles and that ‘fibro-fog’ headache with fuzzy thinking; I typically marry it to Motherwort, Leonurus cardiaca, and Vacha, Acorus calamus for these patients. It is also very helpful for hypertensive patients with angina and palpitations, in a lot of 61

cases I will mix it with Rauwolfia, Serpentine and Terminalia, Arjuna for these conditions. It is interesting to note that the last four plants that we have discussed have similar constituents, but each has its own particular therapeutic niche. It is a tribute to the diversity in herbal medicine and it is only through a trial and error process over several thousand years that the particular subtleties of effect are able to be teased out of these botanical cousins. The dosage range for Jatamamsi is 500 mg-1 gm 2-3 times per day of powder, however, this plant has suffered from overharvesting in recent years and is no longer appropriate to sell in the open market.

A. pantherina, whose cap tends to be more yellow-brownish with a narrower stem. All these species are generally regarded as poisonous and, potentially, deadly, although one would be hard pressed to find actual cases of such fatal poisonings. The North American Mycological Association has stated that there were: "no reliably documented cases of death from toxins in these mushrooms in the past 100 years." There is an ancient association between humans and Amanita, mythologies from around the world retain the distant memory of Fly Agaric as a semi-divine being associated with mighty thunder gods and cosmic fire. In India, for example, the mushroom is sacred to Agni, the God of Fire and sacrificial offerings are made to this living representation of the Sacred Fire, devotees partake of the fungal sacrament in order to commune with their Gods. In the New World, the Mayans knew it as ‘Kukulja’, which also means thunder, while the Lakandon Indians call it ‘Eh kib lu'um’, meaning ‘Light of the Earth.' In parts of northern and eastern Europe it is called ‘Raven Bread’ in allusion to Odin's companions Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory or mind) the pair of ravens that fly all over the world and then travel on His shoulders and whisper secrets in His ears of things that are yet to come. Odin's son, Thor, the Norse God of thunder, who commands the elements, gallops across the sky on his brave and loyal mount Sleipnir. As the eight-legged stallion, running swift as the wind and kicking up storm clouds, foams at the mouth, and where the foamy saliva drops onto the earth, the Fly Agarics magically grow. It is known as the ‘Glückspilz’ (lucky mushroom) in Germany and represents a quintessential symbol of good fortune.

Amanita muscaria or Fly Agaric, is the stuff of legends, literally...it is a relatively small 'gillbearing' toadstool mushroom that grows to between 5 -12 cm tall and is another true oneirogenic agent. Early in its development, it is covered by a white membranous veil, which tends to rip as the stem pushes up and the bright red cap expands. The remains of this veil forms a skirt around the stem and leaves white, wart-like flakes covering the cap, though these are sometimes washed away by heavy rain. As it matures, the cap opens up like an umbrella, forming a depression around the center. Its red skin can easily be peeled off.

Even the most conservative of suburban lawns will proudly display this red and white mushroom as the dwelling place of a jolly old plaster cast gnome, smoking his pipe. Every one of us recognizes it from countless illustrations in seemingly innocent fairy tale books. Fly Agaric continues to serve as a classic symbol of enchanted forests and magical groves - the kind of places where fairies, gnomes and other magical creatures might dwell.

The mushroom flesh is white and has no particular smell when fresh. Upon drying it develops an unpleasant musky-acrid smell, which erroneously has been claimed to ward off flies. In North America a closely related species, A. americana, tends to have a more yellowyorange cap, and is often also referred to as Fly Agaric. Less similar and more toxic in nature is 62

They are undoubtedly poisonous and, arguably, deadly if ingested, however, as mentioned previously, very few fatal incidents of Fly Agaric ingestion have ever been recorded. The popular angst seems to be rather disproportionate to its actual toxic potential. Chemical investigation into the mushroom has revealed that the chemical make-up of Amanita muscaria is quite complex, and variable. Early chemists had mistakenly assumed that the psychoactive principal of Fly Agaric was due to muscarine, a tropane alkaloid related to the group of alkaloids present in other 'Witches Herbs' such as Henbane and Belladonna. However, its concentration in the mushroom is actually very low (approx. 0.0003%). Furthermore, it does not cross the blood/brain barrier easily, and nor does it have a psychotropic action in any way similar to what is historically reported - thus it seems an unlikely candidate for the principle involved in producing the mushroom's reputed mind-altering effects.

long history of Fly Agaric use, maintain that those that dry while still in the earth and remain attached to the stalk tend to have a greater psychotropic effect than those that are picked fresh and strung up to dry. They also claim that the smaller ones, whose bright red caps are still covered with many white spots, are said to be stronger than the larger ones with paler caps and fewer spots. Those picked in August are said to be the strongest. The muscimol content is improved by decarboxylating the ibotenic acid with dry heat, which could happen naturally in the ways already discussed, or by placing the dried mushroom in an oven on low heat, 150-180 degrees, for an hour or so, muscimol begins to breakdown at temperatures over 200 degrees. 1-5 grams of dried mushroom material is the low end of the psychotropic dosage scale, 5-10 grams is the middle end of the spectrum and dosages higher than 15 grams are difficult because of overwhelming nausea. Apart from environmental factors that affect the mushrooms relative potency, it is also the physical and mental condition of those who consume them also plays an important role. Case studies have shown that people who mistakenly ingested the mushroom, believing that it was highly dangerous and that their lives were thus in peril, reported much more severe symptoms of poisoning than those who had intentionally partaken of it, but misjudged the dose.

In the mid-1960's the true entheogenic compounds of Amanita muscaria were positively identified as ibotenic acid and muscimol, its decarboxylated derivative. The more profound psychotropic effect seems to be produced by muscimol, at dosages that begin at 10-15 mg, ibotenic acid is 5-10 times weaker (psychotropic dose begins at 50-100 mg) and is notably more neurotoxic (it causes an acute tremor in many people that muscimol does not). The human metabolism of ibotenic acid involves a decarboxylation reaction, yielding a certain amount of muscimol that leaves the body in the urine, there are legends about Siberian shamanic practices that involve drinking urine, one's own, or someone else's, after ingestion of the mushroom. The psychotropic effects are characterized by muscle twitching, dizziness, visual distortions (macropsia and micropsia) and altered auditory perception. The potency of individual mushrooms tends to vary widely, largely as a result of incidental decarboxylation of ibotenic acid to muscimol, and is influenced by environmental factors, such as seasonal variations in the fungus, the weather, the phase of the moon and the pH level of the soil. The Kamchatcals from northern Siberia, who have a

Muscimol is a potent agonist for GABA, the most significant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the nervous system, it acts most strongly at the GABAa receptor, and less strongly at the GABAc receptor. Muscimol is unique, and different than other GABA agonists like the benzodiazepines, in that it actually binds to the same site on the GABAa receptor complex as GABA does. GABA receptors are widely distributed in the brain, and so when muscimol is administered, it alters neuronal activity in multiple regions including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. It has the effect of inhibiting neural conduction, slowing thought processes and brain wave formation and induces a dream-like state that makes one receptive to insights and epiphanies from more subtle realms of experience. 63

Topically, Amanita is a specific medication for swollen, inflamed nerves, like a sciatic nerve that causes a spasticity of the low back, also for postherpetic neuralgias. I have seen it work very rapidly to bring relief that wasn't forthcoming by other means. It binds to GABA receptors and acts as an agonist, relaxing spastic muscles. I generally make a 1:5 high alcohol tincture or as an infused oil and then add it to a warm/hot salve base which allows the alcohol to evaporate and use the salve topically, the tincture also works topically, the salve provides a vehicle to add other agents like Lobelia, Datura or Capsicum. I have seen this agent relieve longstanding sciatic and post-herpetic nerve pain in a matter of minutes.

Hyoscyamus is associated with the Greek god Apollo and is referred to as "apollinarix", it was also sacred to the goddess Persephone. It was likely the magic 'nepenthes' in Homerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Odyssey, the herb that Helen gave to Telemachus and his comrade to make them forget their grief. In Greek mythology, the dead who wander the shores of the River Styx are crowned with Henbane as it has the ability to make one forget one's self. Greek oracles were said to breathe the smoke of burning Henbane in order to divine the future. We know through archaeological discoveries that it was used as a ritual plant by the Paleolithic pre-Indo-European peoples of central Europe and Asia. It has been found in a Neolithic funeral site in ancient Scotland, its remnants there represent a Henbane beer that was either given to the dead to ease them on their path or that was drunk by the mourners. In Australia, handfuls of Henbane seeds have been discovered in a ceremonial urn along with bones and snail shells, dating back to the early Bronze Age. When people migrated from Asia into the Americas, they brought the plant or its seeds with them and their knowledge of the use of the plant. When they were unable to locate Hyoscyamus niger, they likely substituted the very similar, and related, tobacco plant (Nicotiana tabacum).

Hyoscyamus niger, Black Henbane, is an upright nightshade plant that has undivided, very pungently odorous leaves. The flowers are generally pale yellow with violet veins and form in thick panicles, the niger species has the largest flowers of the Hyoscyamus genus. The seeds are black, very small, and usually remain in the fruit. It is the most widely distributed plant in its family, being found on every continent of the world except Antarctica and Greenland.

The Celtic people referred to Henbane as, 'beleno', and they would burn it as a fumigant in honor of Belenus, "The Shining God", one of the most ancient and most-widely worshiped Celtic deities who is associated with the ancient fire festivals and was considered the God of oracles and the sun. The Celtic Gauls of ancient Western Europe legendarily poisoned their javelins with a decoction of Henbane. In the Proto-Germanic ancestral language, “bil” is translated as “vision” or “hallucination,” and also “magical power, miraculous ability.” They also venerated a goddess known as "Bil", who is understood to be the image of the moon or one of the moon’s phases. It is speculated that she may well have been the Henbane fairy or spirit, it’s also been considered that she may have even been the goddess of the rainbow; “Bil-röst” is the Germanic name of the rainbow bridge that leads to Asgard. “Bil” then would also be the original root word for “heaven’s bridge”. Henbane also appears to be one of the most important ritual plants of the Vikings, since Iron Age Viking gravesites were found to contain hundreds of Henbane seeds. An archeological dig of an ancient gravesite in Denmark yielded a leather bag worn by a deceased woman which was filled with hundreds of Henbane seeds.

as being evoked preparations.

various

Henbane

King Vishtaspa, follower and patron of Zoroaster, drank a preparation of Henbane and wine known as mang. (It is also interpreted that the potion he drank was a mixture of haoma and Henbane in wine). After drinking this concoction, he fell into a sleep so deep it seemed deathlike, lasting three days and three nights. During this time, his soul journeyed to the Upper Paradise where he beholds the glories of his God and begins to understand his place in the next world. In Persian folklore, Arda Viraz, a principal figure in Zoroastrian scripture, also made a seven-day journey into other worlds by using a consecrated mixture of mang. As the story goes, at the end of the third night, “the soul of the righteous,” meaning Viraz, felt as if it were in the midst of plants, inhaling their heady scent, sensing an intensely fragranced breeze that blew in from the south. The soul of the righteous, Viraz, inhaled the wind through his nose and awoke enlightened. Over the past few centuries in western culture, Henbane has become associated with witchcraft and magic, in particular with divination and love magic. In modern occultism, Henbane seeds are used as fumigants to conjure spirits and to summon the dead. The following recipe would be taken into the wilderness and burned on a tree stump to invoke the spirits of the dead.

Henbane is also associated with beer in the Swiss Alps, where it still carries the name Bilsenkraut, or beer lettuce. Germans planted Henbane gardens specifically for using in brewing beer. The history of the sites where these gardens once stood is reflected in their modern names, such as Bilsensee, Billendorf and Bilsengarten.

4 parts Henbane seeds (Hyoscyamus niger) 1 part fennel root/seeds (Foeniculum vulgare) 1 part olibanum – (Boswellia sacra) 1 part coriander seeds (Coriandrum sativum) 1 part cassia bark (Cinnamomum cassis)

The Assyrians knew Henbane by the name of Sakiru. They used the plant as a medicine to treat a variety of ailments and they also would add it to beer as a way of making it more intoxicating. It was also used as a ritual incense that was made by combining black Henbane with sulfur to protect the user from black magic. In ancient Persia, Henbane was called Bangha, a name that was later used to describe hemp (Cannabis sativa) and other psychoactive plants. Persian sources suggest that Henbane has had a religious significance throughout history, with many journeys to other worlds and visions described

The dried, cut and sifted leaves are most often used for incense and smoking blends, as well as for brewing beer, spicing wine, and making tea. Henbane oil can be made by warming or boiling the leaves of the plant in oil, it can be caustic to the skin when made stronger than a 1:5 dilution. Like other tropane alkaloid plants, it has a relaxing effect on tense, spastic tissues and allow for a reduction in musculoskeletal and neurological pain. 65

Henbane contains 0.03 to 0.28% tropane alkaloids, principally hyoscyamine and scopolamine. The parasympathetic effects of the plant are due to these alkaloids. The primary effects include peripheral inhibition with central nervous system stimulation, and last up to four hours. Hallucinogenic effects are also present and can last up to three days. Overdose can lead to delirium, comas, and death. However, there are few reported cases of overdose. Low doses of Henbane beer have presumed aphrodisiac effects. Very high doses can lead to delirium, confusion, memory loss, “insane” states, and “crazy behavior”. I find the tincture of Hyoscyamus, 60% alcohol and a 1:5 dilution very effective, in 5-10 drop doses for spasticity conditions of the bladder and bowel, asthma and musculoskeletal pain. 5 drop doses before bed can have an effective oneirogenic impact on one's sleep.

One notable Xhosa ceremony includes a 3-day event conducted during the full moon. During this religious experience, the initiates consume and even wash themselves with the foamy dregs of a dried Silene capensis root decoction. The roots are ground to a powder and 1 oz/30 gms is added to 1 liter of water to make a cold-water infusion which is churned with a forked stick to produce foam. This foam production is typical of Ubulawu preparations and their oneirogenic activity is believed to be due to the action of the foaming triterpenoid saponins. The participants consume as much of this dream root froth as humanly possible. During this 3-day seclusion, initiates abstain from meat, alcohol and sex. The result is an incredible marathon of richly significant and prophetic lucid dreams. If one focuses on a question they want answered, prior to going to sleep, that answer will come to them in this dream state – from the wisdom of the ancestors.

Silene Capensis, African Dream Root, or Ubulawu, is an oreinogenic plant that has been used for millennia by the Xhosa people of the river valleys in the eastern cape of South Africa. They also refer to it as Undela Ziimhlophe or 'white paths' as dreams are seen as gifts or messages from the ancestors – who are characterized as drifting ‘white winds’ or ghosts. It's fragrant white flowers open only at night and a frothy tea from the root is able to induce a vivid dreamscape. Dreaming is an activity that is deeply embedded in Xhosa culture...through the dream state, the ancestors may impart healing guidance or knowledge to their descendants.

Ubulawu is also widely used by Xhosa shaman as a healing agent, especially in the treatment of mental disturbances, like alienation and depression and memory disorders, there is some solace in reconnecting with one's ancestors in the dream state in these conditions. I find Silene preparations especially helpful in people who have experienced head injuries and have continual headaches and disturbed sleep. Triterpenoid saponins are uniquely antiinflammatory biochemicals with an ability to solubilize fat-soluble waste material and facilitate removal of metabolic debris through lymphatic structures. Such preparations are typically made frothy and drunk as an infusion 66

until the initiateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stomach is full and he or she is ready to vomit. Vomiting is then induced. The vomiting of this compound is referred to as ukugabha, pronunciation of the word sounds just like you would think it should. The foam from the preparation is used to wash the body, and, in conjunction with the vomiting, are both used â&#x20AC;&#x153;to remove ritual impurityâ&#x20AC;?. In our modern western world, we swallow the root in a capsule 300-400 mgs at a times and I think we lose something in the translation, however, eating a bitter froth to the point of vomiting tends to have some compliance issues.

have developed different uses for this vine and its seed. The immense size of the seed pod lends an outrageousness to this plants appearance, and certainly jogs the imagination of anyone who has seen it, as such, it is commonly employed as decoration and jewelry by stringing the hard and woody seeds together or carving the woody portions into light weight but durable ornaments. Throughout Southeast Asia, the Philippines, India, Bali, Java, and Sumatra the vines leaves, bark, roots and seeds are used as a salve or poultice to apply to fresh wounds, and to help heal minor scrapes and burns. The bark can be macerated, soaked in water and then rubbed together to produce a rich thick lather that is then applied as a shampoo to treat hair and scalp conditions. In South Africa, the meat of the nut is traditionally used as an oneirogenic agent, allowing a communion with the spirit world through the dream state. In this case, the inner meat of the seed is either consumed directly, or chopped, dried, mixed with other herbs like tobacco, and smoked just before bedtime. The seeds are relatively easy to procure, they have a long shelf life when encased in their hard, protective covering. When employed for patients, I typically smash the external coating with a marble mortar and collect the bitter nut meat, and then grind it to a powder. It is dosed at 1/2-2 tsps of nut meat before bed, often in conjunction with hot water or hot tea, it seems to help improve one's ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, while producing longer lasting, more vivid and memorable dreams. Historical descriptions of the effects of the seeds discuss their ability to act as an entry into the dream world, promoting increased awareness during REM sleep, making it easier for the sleeper to realize that they are dreaming and to be more conscious through that process.

Entada rheedei, African Dream Herb, is a vine with enormously large seed pods that are often over 5 feet in length, and contain 10-14, 2 inch by 2 inch, seeds per pod. The seeds have a dark brown to black and very hard woody shell, and are known to travel thousands of miles on ocean currents around the world, including the Caribbean sea and Mediterranean Ocean. Although the common name is African dream herb, this vine is not exclusive to Africa, it grows worldwide in tropical zones at or near sea level along beaches, coastlines and along the sides of rivers, throughout the countries on the Indian Ocean: Madagascar, Southern Africa, Asia, and Australia. Its thick, waxy and airtight seed coating allows the seeds to travel through waterways for years before they take root; once rooted they quickly encircle surrounding trees and grow upward.

Heimia salicifolia, is a member of the loosestrife family, Lythraceae and is also known as Sinicuichi, Xonochilli, or "Sun Opener". It is a perennial shrub that resembles dozens of other shrubs native to the Southwest United States into Mexico and Central America. In the wild it can grow over 10 feet tall and produces many thin straight branches all emanating from a single base and varying in color from light to

The wide range of Entada rheedii's growth, every continent adjacent to the Indian Ocean, has allowed different groups of indigenous people to 67

dark brown and grey. The small 6 petaled bright yellow flowers are less than an inch in diameter; each branch producing few flowers but many leaves. The small oval shaped leaves grow directly out of the thin branches and are approximately 3 inches long by 1 inch wide.

said to rid one of evil and ward away dark spirits. Other modern accounts of H. salicifolia use can be traced back to the 1800s, when the indigenous people of Mexico reportedly used a decoction of the flowers, leaves, branches, and roots to treat the symptoms of syphilis. In 1896, J.B. Calderon first reported its hallucinogenic effects while investigating the medicinal folk remedies of Mexico. He claimed that Sinicuichi "produces a pleasant drunkennessâ&#x20AC;Ś all objects appear yellow and the sounds of bells, human voices...reach the ears as if coming from a long distanceâ&#x20AC;?. In 1926, Victor Reko further elaborated on the effects of Sinicuichi, citing

Gordon Wasson linked Sinicuichi to the Aztec god of spring and desire, Xochipilli, and assumed that the floral elements that appear on the legendary Aztec statue of Xochipilli to be the flowers of Sinicuichi. In the mid 1970's, he reported that it has been used in fertility ceremonies, as well as spiritual cleansing rituals 68

increased “strength, energy, and joy, awakening of the spirit. Objects are very clearly seen in great detail. Individuals feel as if walking on a soft carpet. They see a door opened but don’t hear the sound. There is nothing unpleasant, except that objects have a yellow-blue or purple sheen. Users say it is the remedy to secure happiness.”

place sinicuichi leaves directly on sores. They also make a drink from the plant’s root that is taken to treat gastrointestinal discomfort and cramping. Analysis of the whole plant reveals 16 different biologically active alkaloids. These compounds include: •dihydrodecodine •cryogenine/vertine •lythrine •heimine •sinicuichine •lythridine •lyfoline •heimidine •anelisine •abresoline •demethyllasubine I & II •epidemethoxyabresoline •sinine •vesolidine •nesodine.

The most common and widely reported traditional preparation involves the collection of fresh leaves (15-20 gms), allowing them to wilt, then crushing them and soaking them in a cup of cool water; dried leaves (10 gms) are also used, but made into a decoction with hot water. The cup is placed outside under the sun for one day to allow the concoction time to ferment, honey can be added to improve the taste and assist the fermentation. It is said that during the fermentation process, the knowledge of the sun is embedded into the potion, creating the "elixir of the sun." After 24 hours, the infused water is strained and the juices are squeezed from the leaves and the resulting bitter tea is consumed.

Four of these compounds have been studied in greater depth than the others: cryogenine acts as an anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and sedative; nesodine possesses anti-inflammatory properties as well; lythrine has been shown to be a very effective diuretic; and sinicuichine is known to act as a muscle relaxant and tranquilizer.

Heimia salicifolia was well known by many different indigenous people of Mexico and has been given over 50 different folk names, it has been used to treat high fevers, parasitic worms, the symptoms of syphilis and to cover open wounds to prevent bleeding and promote healing. It was also believed to help the body expel ailments by increasing sweat production, and as a laxative to help stomach and bowel problems. It is most highly regarded in Mexican folk medicine as a fertility agent. Conception is reportedly improved through soaking in a bath prepared with sinicuichi leaves among other herbs and a tea is made from a combination of Heimia salicifolia twigs with other herbs, not uncommonly rosemary.

The subjective effects that are reported from drinking the fermented tea include a pleasant euphoria, relaxed muscles, increased sweating, and mild auditory and visual distortions. Sounds produced nearby appear to have come from a greater distance away and the field of vision takes on a yellowish aura with objects appearing to have purplish, bluish and greenish hues. The yellowing of the field of vision is one reason that the plant has taken the name ‘Sun Opener’; the visual effects are reminiscent of the yellow and orange hues that the sun creates in the sky at dawn. While under the influence of the Sincuichi, one is often able to describe events from their childhood or early life so clearly and precisely that it feels as if they occurred yesterday. Others have reported

The Maká people of Chaco in Paraguay use fresh Haeimia salicifolia leaves to create an extract that they then make into a plant paste for treating puncture and scrape wounds made by thorns that have remained in the wound. The leaves are believed to make the extraction of thorns easier, and also to speed up the healing of the wound. The Pilagá of Argentinean Chaco 69

recollections of events that transpired before they were born, while they were in their mother’s womb, or, depending on the cultural context, previous lives. There are also reports from the native people that it allows them to commune with their direct ancestors, and remember events that took place in their great grandparents’ lives. These are phenomena that occur both within the dream state as well as in the twilight sleep just before or after deeper sleep states.

! The botanical genus, Artemisia, is the namesake of the Greek goddess of the hunt, fertility, and a patron of women. The genus also includes Artemisia absinthium (wormwood), Artemisia dracunculus (tarragon), and Artemisia cina (Levant wormseed). The actual name Mugwort however is often attributed to its historical use in flavoring and preserving drinks, specifically in beers and ales, before the use of hops became common practice at the end of the 15th century. For this purpose, fresh Mugwort was gathered when in flower, dried, decocted in malt liquor, then added to the finished ale. ! Mugwort was one of the nine sacred herbs given to the world by the Norse god Odin and is considered an herb with magical properties that include the protection of road-weary travelers against exhaustion. The Romans are credited with planting Mugwort by roadsides where it would be available to passersby to put in their shoes to relieve aching feet, likely, more than any human intention, the plant did as much to spread itself along roadways that were already established by the Romans. Some of the magic in Mugwort is in its reputation to induce prophetic and vivid dreams when the herb is placed near the bed or under the sleeper's pillow. In some ancient ceremonies, a garland or belt of Mugwort is worn while dancing around the fire during summer solstice celebrations with the herb thrown into the fire after the dance to ensure continued protection throughout the coming year. ! Its aromatic qualities come from the volatile oils and terpenes that include linalool, 1,8 cineole, beta-thujone, borneol and alpha and beta pinene. The flowering tops of Mugwort are best collected at the height of volatile oil concentration, as soon as they bloom. Mugwort leaves are best collected before the plant flowers and spread into fan shapes so the leaves dry evenly, then tied into bundles and hung in an airy, shady space for the preservation of the aromatic properties. Mugwort roots are dug in autumn and immediately washed in cold water to be separated from the tough little rootlets. Roots should be dried in a warm room for about ten days, turned frequently and well spread out as

Artemisia vulgaris, Mugwort, is a member of the Asteraceae family, it is a tall-growing plant (between three and six feet when mature) that is native to Europe and Asia but has been naturalized through most of the world due to its easy spread from even small fragments of root material. It is commonly found growing densely in disturbed soils and along streambeds. Mugwort has angular and purplish stems, with leaves that are dark green on top and covered with a dense cottony fuzz on the underside. This is harvested by heating the leaves and rubbing them between the harvester’s hands until the cottony fibers alone remain. These fibers are then formed into small cones or cylinders for topical use in the Chinese medicine practice of moxa or moxibustion, a term derived from the Japanese word mogusa or mo kusa, meaning, “burning herb.” 70

they are prone to developing mold. Depending on the climate, the drying process might have to be finished in a drying room or near a stove or fire. The drying process is complete when the roots are dry all the way through and brittle; they should snap when bent. ! Mugwort is a well-established bitter and digestive stimulant with some additional carminative action. It also acts as a mild nervine that helps resolve depression and anxious tension with some history of being used for preventing epileptic seizures. I have witnessed it being helpful in reducing or eliminating tremors from Parkinson's disease and benign familial tremors, used as a warm tea before meals. Mugwort has a long history of use in womens' health, as an emmenagogue that increases blood circulation to the pelvic area and uterus and stimulates menstruation, particularly for painful and irregular menstruation. Dosage of a 1:5 tincture is 1-4 mls three times a day. A compress of the herb can be used to help promote labor and assist with expulsion of the placenta. It is nicely antispasmodic and is helpful in relieving persistent vomiting, especially related to menstrual nausea. Mugwort added to bath water is an aromatic and soothing treatment for relief of aches in the muscles and joints. The tea, before bed, is traditionally used to promote prophetic dreams and promote a restful sleep, putting some of the actual herb under one's pillow or in close proximity of the sleeper is also very helpful. We routinely kept a bundle of Mugwort in our children's bedrooms, when they were young, to prevent bad dreams, nightmares and bedwetting. ! Sceletium tortuosum-Kanna belongs to the Aizoaceae (the ice plant family). Its name, Sceletium, is derived from the Latin sceletus, referring to the prominent leaf veins that occur as a skeleton-like structure of the dry leaves. The genus contains 8 species and is classified in subfamily Mesembryanthemoideae. Kanna is a low growing succulent that produces beautiful white flowers and thrives in the hostile environment of arid South Africa and has been used by the peoples of southern Africa as a mood-altering substance since prehistoric times.

The earliest written records of use date back to 1662 Dutch records and the plant was first illustrated by European colonizers in 1685. The traditionally prepared dried and fermented Sceletium is most often chewed as a quid, and the saliva swallowed, but it has also been made into teas, tinctures, inhaled as a snuff, and smoked. It has a reputation as a social lubricant that elevates one's mood and decreases anxiety, stress and tension. It has some effect as an appetite suppressant and creates a type of euphoria that is mentally stimulating and then sedative. Chewing the Sceletium quid has a mild anesthetic effect in the mouth, much like kava, and is used by the San tribes if you are about to have a tooth extracted, or in minute doses, for children with colic. ! Sceletium is rich in a class of mesembrine-type alkaloids (mesembrine, mesembrenone, mesembrenol and tortuosamine) which are assumed to be responsible for the psychoactive properties of the plant. The ability of these alkaloids to impact the central nervous system is presumed to be, at least somewhat, related to their role in mono-amine re-uptake inhibition and phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibition. It is used by clinicians in South Africa for anxiety states and mild to moderate depression, especially in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and in drug and alcohol rehabilitation and has some potential in cognitive enhancement, and the management of Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease. It has the interesting effect of reconnecting an individual with their genetic and occupational 71

ancestors, especially during the sleep state. It is not uncommon for those who partake of Kanna before bed to have dreams of their grandparents or other ancestors, who often come to the sleeper with advice, fresh perspective and epiphanies. I have seen this especially helpful for patients with both PTSD and substance abuse concerns, nothing puts your life into perspective quite like having your deceased grandparents visit you in your dreamscape and provide commentary on your life choices, sense of purpose and personal identification, often begging that larger question, "Who Are You?".

leonurus means "lion colored". Dagga is also a slang name for Cannabis in South Africa, and wild dagga refers to the recreational uses of Leonotis in South Africa and the fact that it is found growing naturally among rocks in the grasslands of the Cape district and the Transvaal. It is an erect evergreen shrub that grows up to 4-6 feet tall by nearly as wide with a branching woody base that produces many erect herbaceous stems bearing dark green 4-6 inch long narrow lanceolate leaves with softly serrated margins. Its fuzzy orange curved tubular flowers bloom throughout the summertime and form whorls at spaced intervals around the top half of the long upright stems. Leonotis plays a really interesting role in the ecology of the grasslands of Africa. It's long orange to orange-red colored tubular flowers attract nectivorous birds and butterflies, which have curved bills and/or long tongues suited to feeding from tubular flowers. One such bird is the golden-winged sunbird (Drepanorhynchus reichenowi) which consumes the nectar of Leonotis and have evolved a specifically shaped bill to feed from the flowers and defends patches of Leonotis from other sunbirds, even when the plant is not flowering.

A typical dose of fermented Kanna is between 150mg and 500mg once or twice day, the equivalent of a small pinch to a larger pinch of powdered material, usually taken after breakfast and after lunch. Less commonly this can be increased to 200mg twice a day. Occasionally, people report mild headache, slight nausea, soft stool, paradoxical Â insomnia: corrected by lowering the dose or taking the product not later than midday. A typical response is a rapid stimulant effect, with some appetite suppression and giddy, racing thoughts that lasts about an hour and then a sedative affect. If taken after dinner, the sedative effects can be made to coincide with a bedtime and initiation of a vivid and luxurious dream state.

This plant is drought tolerant and thrives in our Arizona climate, I have enjoyed growing it in our garden. Leonotis shares the anxiety reducing and vasodilating alkaloid, leonurine, which also acts as a smooth muscle relaxant, with motherwort, Leonurus cardiaca, but produces about 10 times the amount. Where Leonurus cardiaca reduces anxiety, Leonotis is several times more effective in that regard, Leonotis also contains the diterpenoid saponin marrubiin which is also an active bitter principle in Horehound, Marrubium vulgare, and has antioxidant and cardioprotective properties that will significantly improve myocardial function with long-term use. Known as 'wild dagga' which implies 'wild cannabis', it is mildly narcotic, its leaves have a folkloric history of being smoked for recreational purposes but also as a treatment for spasticity, tremors and epilepsy, it is an amazing sleep aid, helping to get even the busiest mind to let go and relax into sleep.

Leonotis leonurus and nepetifolia, Wild Dagga, is also known as Lion's Tail, Lion's Ear, Lion's Claw and Minaret Flower; the name Lion's Ear is a translation of the name given to the genus from the Greek words 'leon' meaning "lion" and 'otis' meaning "ear" in reference to the resemblance of the flower to a lion's ear. The specific epithet 72

Traditionally, Dagga is used as a tea, studies have revealed that it provides a modulation of the dopaminergic/noradrenergic system through GABA agonist activity, the proposed reason for its calming and relaxing effect. It has also been shown to have anti-depressive effect through affecting serotonin reuptake as well as monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity. Effective dosage and historic corroboration suggests a dosage of 1 tablespoonful of chopped dried herb added to 3 cupfuls of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes, allow to cool, strain and use clear liquid for both internal and external use. If fresh material is used, 3-4 young twigs are infused with one litre of boiling water, cooled and strained, dosed at one quarter cup to a half cup 3 times per day. Often, people will smoke or vaporize 2-3 flowers before bed for a better night's sleep. This plant is not particularly oneirogenic, but it is quite often effective at resolving insomnia. !

Asklepian healing practices. The first century Greek geographer Strabo commented that Epidauros had become an important city "because of the fame of Asklepios, who is believed to cure diseases of every kind and always has his temple full of the sick, and also of the votive tablets on which the treatments are recorded, just as at Kos and Tricca". The sick who visited the temples of Asklepios, usually had to spend one or more nights in his sanctuary, during which they observed certain rules prescribed by the priests. The God then revealed the remedies for the disease in a dream. It was in allusion to this Â incubatio Â that many temples of Aesculapius contained statues representing Sleep and Dream. Those who were cured of their disease offered a sacrifice to him, generally a chicken or a goat, and hung up in his temple a tablet recording the name of the sick, the disease, and the manner in which the cure had been effected. The temples of Epidaurus, Tricca, and Cos, were full of such votive tablets, and several of them are still extant. ! Worshipped as the God of health, Aesculapius also became the representative or the personification of the healing powers of nature and was one of the most popular of the Greek and Roman Gods for many centuries. Archaeological and historical evidence suggests that Asklepian dream healings flourished throughout the pan-Hellenic world, and that some of the cures were so successful that they inspired the study of empirical treatments that eventually gave birth to western medicine. Most interestingly for our discussion, many of these Asklepian dream healings were catalyzed by transpersonal interventions during the dream state and did not require additional interventions in the physical realm. Reading the inscriptions today, they almost always testify to the epiphanous nature of the dream encounters with the God, His Allies or the patient's own ancestors. It is relevant, to my mind, that the encounters in the dream state did not result in established medical interventions, they are highly individualistic and creative. For example, a testimonial from a votive tablet found in Pergamum describes a man seeking a cure for his epilepsy who incubates a dream in which

The importance of sleep and of dreaming was a major emphasis for healing in some parts of the ancient world, in fact, for almost two millennia, from 1600 BCE to 400 CE, countless Greeks and Romans were reportedly healed through dream practices conducted at more than 300 Asklepian (Aesculapian) sanctuaries located around the Mediterranean. There are several ancient literary sources that recorded the miraculous nature of 74

Aesculapius appears and offers to trade his epilepsy for another disease, the man agrees to the exchange and woke to a four-day fever and no more epilepsy. Hundreds of votive tablets still exist, and many times more than these were destroyed in the 6th century CE when the Holy Roman Empire sacked the sanctuaries and persecuted the practitioners of the tradition until it was almost obliterated from the annals of history. What remains from these ancient testimonials is the sense that the cornerstone of Ausculapian healings were the dream incubation and epiphanous encounter with the God, his allies or relevant ancestors. ! The Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung was intrigued enough by the idea of Aesculapian dream practices that he considered Aesculapius to be an archetypal image of the higher self, or God, in the soul. One of Jung's cohorts, Carl Meier took that idea even further and wrote a book called, Ancient Incubation and Modern Psychotherapy,

where he suggests that by respectfully incubating and recording the events of our dreamscape, we could still tap into the ancient wisdom of the transpersonal self that is embedded in the human psyche. He elucidates how the healing cure was found in the very core of illness itself -- a fact of invaluable significance today in both medicine and psychology. In helping us to recognize the supra-personal aspects of illness, the dream provides a transcendent path to healing. ! I believe that it is important to recognize that our dreams are scripted from our internalized images and characters, they are a product of our cultural entrainment. They are where we are creating our present moment reality, according to the Mandukhya Upanishad, but they are also made up from an internalized set of images that have been conventionalized from the cultural iconography of our childhood into adulthood that consists of a set of 'givens'; assumptions

about the way the world is, how it operates, and our place within that set of 'givens'. It speaks to what is possible for us in the realm of healing, just as in the Greek world of 2000 years ago, there are expectations for what is possible in a healing encounter with the dominant paradigm. At least one effect of the engraved votive tablets recording the experiences of those who received healing at the sanctuaries of Aesculapius is that it showed other pilgrims what was possible, how things had unfolded for another seeker. In this modern time, we are subjected to a different healing paradigm that affects our expectations of what is possible in a healing process.

becomes dominated by images of cartoon figures and happier-than-you children in television commercials pitching their happiness in the form of cold cereal, fabulous toys and pop-tarts as part of a balanced breakfast. Pervasively, modern medical philosophies like you 'need' to have a physician, you 'need' this antibiotic or vaccination or surgery, without any other plausible alternatives, undermine the healing power of nature and the innate healing power of one's own homeostatic physiology. It isn't that these things are bad, modern medicine has made incredible advancements in the past two millennia, it is the monopolization of healing that is where I take issue here. It is that condescension that presents ideas like "those herbs are ok to play with here and there, but, when you really get sick, you are going to need this product of the medical industry". That this corporate medical system is the final arbiter of what it takes to 'save your life' and often at a

Corporate control of medicine has become a dehumanizing factor in the healing process, marketing strategies designed to capitalize on feelings of insecurity, inadequacy and dependence dominate our collective cultural iconography. Early North American childhood 76

very high economic price and, mostly, that there isn't any other reasonable alternative or compromise of the accepted protocol to satisfy an individual's particular needs. If the therapy doesn't work out, it isn't the protocol or the drug's fault, the patient "failed the therapy". This yields a limited cultural model for healing to take place and, unfortunately, narrows the field of available possibilities in our cultural dreamscape. The beauty of Botanical Medicine, to my mind, is that, as a practice of medicine, it reinvigorates that primal connection with the surrounding environment. It employs the richness of a broad realm of possible interventions that are uniquely suited to any individual's particular manifestation of dis-ease and begs metaphoric associations between physical symptoms, lifestyle adjustments and pertinence of therapeutics. Botanical medicine allows us to focus on what Plato referred to as a "friendship between the body and the soul," in a philosophical context that incorporates body and soul, reconciliation and grace, with balance and harmony.

The deepest mysteries of life can be found in the level of dream, it is in that dreaming experience that waking consciousness meets the deeper consciousness of our own eternally transcendent being, where the faces that we create dissolve into our authentic Self. Our dreams are the very intimate noise of our own existence, when we invite our ancestors, our Gods and our plant allies into this intimate realm, we grow and heal from their presence, we realize our completeness. The passages from dream to vision from the Divine to you are all within youâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all the Deities, their Heavens and their Hells are all within you. These are not things that happened somewhere else a long time ago; it is in you right now, in this present moment, and, it has always been there. This is the realm that provides a means to healing, the realm that oneirogenic botanical medicines and physical practices can facilitate profoundly miraculous things to happen. !

References

Lang, Mabel, Cure and Cult in Ancient Corinth: A Guide to the Asklepieion, 1977, Princeton, NJ: American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Calderón, J.B. “Estudio Sobre El Arbusto Llamado Sinicuichi.” Anales Del Instituto Medico Nacionál, no. 2 (1896): 36–42.

Lema, WJ, Blankenship JW, Malone MH. Prostaglandin synthetase inhibition by alkaloids of Heimia salicifolia. J Ethnopharmacol. 1986 Feb; 15(2): 161-7.

Chilton WS & Ott J (1976). Toxic metabolites of Amanita pantherina, cothurnata, muscaria and other species. Lloydia, 39:150-157.

Malone MH, Rother A. Heimia salicifolia: a phytochemical and phytopharmacologic review. J Ethnopharmacol. 1994 May; 42(3): 135-59.

Diaz, Jose L., et al, Psychopharmacologic Analysis of an Alleged Oneirogenic Plant: Calea zacatechichi, J. Ethnopharmacology, 1986, v.18, pgs 229-243.

Mayagoitia, L, et al. Psychopharmacologic analysis of an alleged oneirogenic plant: Calea zacatechichi. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 1986, 18(3), 229–43.

Diaz, Jose L, Ethnopharmacology and Taxonomy of Mexican Psychodysleptic Plants, Journal of Psychedelic Drugs, 1979, 11(1-2), pgs. 71–101

Meier, Carl, Ancient Incubation and Modern Psychotherapy, 1967, Northwest University Press, Evanston, Ill.

Ellingwood, Finley, MD. American Materia Medica, Therapeutics, and Pharmacognosy, 1919 Reprinted by Eclectic Medical Publications, Sandy, OR, 1998.

Mitchell, William, Plant Medicine in Practice, 2003, Elsevier-Churchill Livingstone, St. Louis, MO.

Evans, William Charles. Trease and Evans Pharmacognosy. 2002 WB Saunders Co. Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Papadakis, Theodore, Epidauros: The Sanctuary of Asclepios, 1975, Zurich: VerlagSchnell & Steiner Munchen.

Felter, Harvey and Lloyd, John Uri King’s American Dispensatory 1898 Reprinted by Eclectic Medical Publications, Sandy, OR 1983

Pole, Sebastian, Ayurvedic Medicine: The Principles of Traditional Practice 2006 Elsevier-Churchill Livingstone, Philadelphia, PA

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Frawley, David, Ayurveda and the Mind 1996, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, MN

Ratsch, Christian, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and its Applications. Rochester: Park Street Press, 1998.

Graham, S. “Type Species: Heimia Salicifolia.” Archive. Kent University, 1997. http:// web.archive.org/web/19970624061507/http:// simon.kent.edu/Biology/Research/Shirley_Graham/ Genera/heimia.html.

Reko, V. Sinicuichi. La Revista Médica De Yucatán. Vol. 14, 1926 Thondup, Tulku, The Healing Power of Mind, 1996 Shambhala Press, Boston, MA

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Appalachian Poison Plants The Healing Powers of The Poison Path

by Becky Beyer Rebecca is a gifted and witchy Appalachian folk herbalist, farmer, and operates a school â&#x20AC;&#x201C; see www.BloodandSpicebush.com for more info. We are very excited to have her teaching at the Good Medicine Confluence, and hope to feature her work in this Quarterly often.

“Veneficium concerns the intersection of magic and poison, originating in remotest antiquity and reaching into the present day. Beyond their functions as agents of bodily harm, poisons have also served as gateways of religious ecstasy, occult knowledge, and sensorial aberration, as well as the basis of cures.” –Daniel Schulke

The Poison Path is a newer term referring to magical plant practices. It was coined by Dale Pendell, a fantastic author who wrote on entheogens, philosophy, and much more. It refers to that peculiar branch of Witchcraft that concerns wortcunning, or the esoteric plant arts. The Poison Path is a veer off into the dark woods on the moonlit path of herbal workings. It is a branch of wortcunning that is alluring and damning, just as it probably was to our ancestors.

What can cure can also kill. This old saying reminds us that even though humans like to categorize things as ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ or ‘good’ and ‘evil’, things are rarely that simple. The plant world presents us with this conundrum especially, for many plants, even the sweet apple or tender peach, contain chemicals that can kill. This space that exists between cure and poison is where some herbalists and hedge witches walk. They use the power of the liminal space between to commune with the spirits of powerful plants who can kill or heal, punish or reward.

Witches were often accused of poisoning people, animals, and crops, all while they were looked to for healing and comfort. The art of poisoning has always been associated with the witch. For what better tool exists than poison for those who are oppressed or reviled? These dichotomies are the playground of those who practice our art. ! 81

Poke root (Phytolacca americana) can bring the practitioner in close contact to mingle with the spirit of this being and also allow them to take part in historically meaningful amuletic practices. Because these plants draw their energy and lifeforce from deep beneath the Earth, they are a direct link to the Underworld and its denizens. The Poison Path often involves holding conference with such beings. There are many ways to commune and work with these powers, and in all of the different methods, there needs to be constant vigilance as to our intentions, ego, and desires. The word veneficium in Latin can refer to magic, poison, or drugs. This definition is as multifaceted at the wortcunner and practitioner who shall never be defined as wholly good or evil in the same measure. Bioregional Plant Lifeways: Spotlight on Appalachia

Poison is power. Poison is a great transmuter. It can corrode flesh, change DNA, cure cancer, and kill flowers. Poison is magic, for isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t magic simply change facilitated by intent? This Path requires humbleness and constant checking of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ego. It requires facing that there is always more we do not know then that which we do. Why practice this path? Why do something so difficult if you do not have to? I believe that by working with the poison plants, we can tap into their immense innate power that exists here chemically and Elsewhere magically and use them for our workings, for medicinal healing, and to learn from their harsh whispers so we may seat understanding where fear once lounged. ! The way the Poisons move you, change you, this is the way one can walk the Poison Path. Of course there are many routes. This does not always mean ingesting poisons. Physical imbibition of these substances and plant persons is not required for deep movement in the magical and healing arts. Wearing an amulet of

Appalachia is one of the most biodiverse regions in the temperate world(1). It boasts 10,000 species of differing life forms. We have very high numbers of salamanders, fungi and tree species, some of which are endemic, meaning they are only found in Appalachia and nowhere else. Our rugged topography of high mountains and low, moist valleys makes for diverse habitats, providing homes for a staggering number of beings. These mountains may also be some of the oldest in the world. In addition to those elder mountains, there are two of the oldest rivers in the world that dissect this landscape, the New 82

River and the French Broad River. Both are estimated to be around 260 to 325 million years old. These unique land features and the ancient age of these forms provide the Appalachian plant person unique, raw and wild energies to work with, wield, and gaze into with awe and reverence.

the way plants are used by people in your region today, this is the key in my opinion. Honor the fact that, for example, Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) was used as a spiritual cleansing agent by Cherokee healers who wished to remove spiritual contamination from their bodies. Now, see how its use as a Spring tonic tea by more modern Appalachians of all backgrounds stems in some fashion from the metaphysical cleansing ability that was witnessed in this plant by the First Nations people who taught its uses to the new arrivals. As above, so below. As within, so without. There is much more to be said on this topic, and mindfulness, humbleness and willingness to dismantle white privilege from within yourself is the first step towards creating a meaningful relationship with the powerful plants of your locale in America and honoring their many uses passed down to us through time.

Bioregional herbalism or wortcunning refers to a plant practice that is grounded in a specific location. That unique bioregion, (or place with unique biological and geographical features beyond human dictates), has specific spirits, energies, animals, plants, history, folklore and seasons that one can create relationships with and find or witness meaning in. Rather than continue with the Neo-Pagan and New Age trends of total eclecticism, or strict European imitation, why not use the wisdom of the ancestors of the place we live now, where we eat and breathe, heal and worship, to inform our practices. Here in Appalachia, we have a unique folk culture built from the Native Americans who lived here first and the African and other brown populations who were brought here forcibly as well as the European folk magic and folkloric healing beliefs from the settlers who colonized this land. Western European, Southeastern Native American and certain African beliefs all blended, informed one another, augmented one another and birthed Appalachian Folk Medicine and herbalism. By learning of the ones who came before on the land that we live and tapping into the ancient practices of our own ancestors, we can create a vibrant, bioregional wortcunning practice that is diversely inspired and non-appropriative when done mindfully. ! A land-based practice that is grounded in the ways of that specific place’s history and lore can address cultural appropriation by giving homage to, rather than practicing closed spiritual practices of the First Nations people who inhabited a space or the enslaved people who were brought here forcibly largely from the African continent. I am not advocating for imitating Cherokee or Catawba religious practice or healing modalities, but to see the ways in which those things have affected and changed

The Appalachian Poison Pantheon There are many plants that have strong effects on the human body in Appalachia. Not all of them are what we would identify as poisons per say, but they can cause harm and discomfort if used improperly. The true abundance of medicinal plants found here makes Appalachia a veritable oasis for plant people, and it has always been an important part of America’s crude drug trade. It was said in the late 1920’s by S. B. Penick and Company, one of the major suppliers of crude drugs to the world market, that 85% of American drugs were sourced from the Appalachian region at that time. As stated before, this region hosts many medicinal, edible and even poisonous plants. This diversity gives us a special space to enter into relationships with the more-thanhuman world. The History: The Origins of Appalachian Folk Medicine and Magic ! To understand the ways that poison plants have been used in these mountains, it’s imperative to see the ways in which many cultures came together in this region to form the medical and magical system called Appalachian Folk 83

Medicine. It starts in the 1500â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with the arrival of the Spanish and their African slaves. The Spanish used Roman humoral medicine combined with Christian ideologies which eventually melded with Southeastern Native American beliefs. These were further influenced by the largely West African slaves who also brought with them their own healing traditions and worldviews. It is interesting to note how the unique topography of an area seems to further hold the ability to shape its folk traditions. The Southern Appalachian landscape is notoriously mountainous and damp. It is no surprise then that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s folk medicine formed among the dense woodlands, humid air and rocky terrain that harbored malaria, numerous parasites, and oft broken bones(2). ! Scotch-Irish and British colonists contributions to Appalachian culture are often solely mentioned in the conversations about the medicine, magic and music of this area, but it was not until later that they arrived in Appalachia and began the process of cultural exchange with their own healing methods, as in the case with Western astrology, biblical prayer and their unique spiritualmedical actions. The cultures from Europe which came to have the greatest presence in these mountains, and perhaps the greatest influence on the folk beliefs were, by population, the English, Scots- Irish, and the Scottish(3).

There were ways to fall out of balance and find oneself trapped in sickness. Despite the racial tensions, the land was the great equalizer, it did not invite the various colonists and natives to meld their cultures, it almost forced it. Without the knowledge that the First Nations people provided to European colonists, many if not most would have perished through harsh winters in a new terrain full of strange animals and plants. European beliefs also had an effect on Native Americans. For example, the belief that the neglect of ritual during hunting could cause illness changed after colonization to the action of the hunter inhaling bad odors, or miasmic theory of illness, causing sickness(4). Migrating to radically new areas requires parts of a culture that are not useful to be abandoned, and new more effective cultural practices, here most likely from the Native people of the area, to be adopted. The Cherokee, Catawba and many other nations had lived here for thousands of years and knew how things had to be done to ensure a good life in this specific bioregion. No amount of racial prejudice could totally discount their knowledge and experience. Native Americans also had added absorbed aspects of African beliefs into their systems of healing by 1620, for they had been mingling with runaway slaves who had fled deep into the mountains away from their oppressors. We can see the West African fingerprint on Appalachian folk medicine in their beliefs that Spirits could cause illness as well as in their varied and complex beliefs about conjure and magic. The idea that living in a bad way with other people and oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environment was shared between many West African cultures and Native American tribes, so they blended together more readily.

There are many cultural components to the story of who and how Appalachia became. Native American influences in Appalachian folk medicine are marked and distinct. There were numerous tribes present in the mountains throughout colonization, some of whom believed that achieving good health depended on how one existed within a natural system. 84

As time passed in the mountains, healing information was shared more and more often between poor whites, eventually free blacks and Native Americans while the lines between what beliefs came from where became more blurred. These healing practices were further augmented by the Irish. They brought more beliefs surrounding the inherent power of the land and the sacred landscape. One could argue the final mixing of beliefs occurred in the Antebellum South where many whites lost their wealth and class lines blurred to make folk healing methods cross not only race lines but class lines(5). There were also certain books, like William Buchan book, “Every Man his Own Doctor” from 1794 and Dr. John C Gunn’s, “Domestic Medicine or Poor Man’s Friend”, and english translations of a German charm book, John George Hohman’s “Long Hidden Friend” used which had wide circulation throughout Appalachia. Their remedies and influence were detectable in many different areas of Appalachia, and still are.

interesting folk magical history. Sassafras can be identified by its unique leaf shapes, for it has what is botanically known as heterophylly, or multiple leaf shapes on one plant. It has the single lobe, the two lobbed “mitten” (a right hand and a left), and the three lobbed “dinosaur” foot as the author likes to call it. This native Appalachian shrubby tree has a long history of use among First Nations people, African slaves and European settlers who came to these mountains. Medicinally, it’s tender roots were dug in the Spring and used to make a strong, pleasant tasting tea or decoction. It was touted as a blood cleanser and included in recipes for spring tonics with plants like Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum), Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) and other fragrant or bitter herbs. In Appalachia, its uses were shared with Spanish and Europeans settlers and their African slaves by Native peoples. It had a myriad of uses to the Cherokee as a tea; for everything from dysentery to sore eyes. The Cherokee also used it for weight reduction, which was adopted by European settlers and is still present today in the

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) This aromatic native North American tree boasts unique botanical features as well as an

folk lexicon. Sassafras was one of the first plants exported to Europe from the New World in bulk, for it came to be thought of as a panacea and was also enjoyed as a social beverage with milk and sugar in European coffee houses. Indeed it was thought to cure syphilis, and was second only to mercury in its application until it was discovered that it did little to stop the ‘social disease’. This is how it arguably became the first over-harvested Appalachian plant denizen.

Sassafras has many more ethnobotanical uses, and it is interesting to modern folk magic practitioners to note the correlations between its ability to ward off illness and pestilence as well as attract prosperity both in its medical and magical uses. As above, so below. Pokeweed or Poke root (Phytolacca americana)

As an amulet, wearing pieces of the sliced root around the neck was used to aid the pain of teething, and also acted a charm to prevent general illness. In North Carolina, carrying some root pieces in one’s pocket would produce the same effect. In Hoodoo, a Southern AfricanAmerican conjure tradition, it is associated with financial affairs. Placing a piece of the root in a purse or wallet will prevent one’s money from running out. Interestingly enough, there are also taboo’s surrounding not just the root but the wood. To burn Sassafras was deemed unlucky, and in Kentucky, it was believed that burning the wood or even leaves of the sassafras would surely cause the transgressors mules or horses to die. The wood had further uses as a stirring stick for making soap in the dark of the moon and to build beds that would protect the sleeper from disturbances from witches and other evil spirits. Ships built with Sassafras hulls were deemed safe from shipwreck, while chicken coops built with Sassafras roosting poles were reputedly free of lice.

The corpulent, fleshy, stems of Pokeweed and its dark purple berries make this native American plant unmistakable along roadsides and waste places. It holds a unique trine reputation as a poisonous plant, a wild food, and a medicine. Poke holds a special place in the memories of many Appalachians as an early spring vegetable touted for its healthful virtues by well-meaning grannies. This wild food and medicine is still enjoyed each year in Spring when the tender new shoots are under 6 inches in height. In the Ozarks, which share many similarities with Appalachia’s folk practices, it was said eating the specially prepared poke greens nine times in spring would ensure the eater protection from illness.

Certain medicine men among the Cherokee also used the root magically. They would chew it and rub it upon their faces and hands after being exposed to a sick person, whether biologically or spiritually, to safeguard their own magical abilities. Sassafras was also an ingredient in treating the wounds caused by magical projectiles known as gadhidv, which are the supernatural missiles of conjurers. It is interesting to draw parallels between the Appalachian medicinal uses of Sassafras root as a cleanser of blood and its Cherokee uses as a cleanser of energy or spiritual contamination.

This tradition of eating the greens in Spring stems from the botanical phenomena of a compound in the root called phytolaccine. It moves throughout the tissues of the plant as Spring progresses to Summer and is toxic in large doses. This may be the plant’s way of defending itself as it enters reproductive stages to prevent herbivory by insects and animals (including us). One could look at it from an animistic worldview as the plant making an offering of nourishment to those who know how 86

to safely seek it. Traditionally, Poke is prepared by boiling in one to three changes of water and “killing it” by frying it in grease. The flavor is lemony and quite pleasant despite this plant’s precarious reputation. The berries can be used as well for lovely crimson dyes, and to make a sort of ink which can still be employed by the adventuresome practitioner.

powdered Poke root was mixed into dirt from the maligned person’s foot track, blended into melted wax, then thrown into running water. The tea of Poke root was also used to break curses and in the performing of uncrossing rituals when added to bathwater. This act of sympathetic magic could be the ultimate expression of the medicinal cleansing power of this potent root. It drives away not only skin irritations and tumors, but its cleansing abilities are so powerful it is believed to even drive away a troublesome person. ! The berries provide a lovely purple to pink dye when vinegar is applied as a mordant to natural materials. It also makes a fine magical ink, for the seeds of berries are poisonous, and what better way to write our secrets then in poison ink? Anywhere belladonna ink, bat’s blood or dove’s blood ink is called for, use our Poke berries soaked in alcohol to create a brilliant purple paint to draw sigils and perform your Rites.

In folk medicine, Poke root has many uses. The roots were used in Appalachia boiled and applied warm as a poultice or tea to the skin for eczema, ringworm and fungal infections. It was also used to treat breast cancer and swollen breasts after childbirth. A strong Poke root tea was also the cure for the dreaded scabies or ‘the seven year itch’. Essentially, a strong root decoction was used to cleanse the body of painful, persistent conditions of the skin. These uses stem from Cherokee healing traditions and were incorporated into the folk medical ways of European and African Appalachians. In modern herbal practice, this low-dose medicinal is used in the form of a tincture for problems with growths, cysts and lymphatic drainage issues as well as an immune stimulant. Dosing this can be difficult, as the plant is quite strong, so please refrain from ingestion without the advice of an experienced herbalist. A salve of the root is also used from cysts and growths of various types.

Mayapple or American Mandrake (Podophyllum peltatum)

The magical uses of Poke root are grounded in the southern African-American folk magic tradition known variously as hoodoo, rootwork, conjure and by other names. Many of these ways have not been written of and are largely an oral tradition, making scholarship on the subject difficult to navigate and the history difficult to trace. Folk magic does not often lend itself to academia, yet preserving these practices feels imperative at such a divisive time in history, especially for those of Afrilachian heritage.

! Some plants there are--but rare--that have a mossy or downy root, and likewise that have a number of threads, like beards; as the Mandrakes, whereof witches and impostors do many ugly images, giving it the form of a face at the top of the root and leave those string to make a broad beard down to the foot. –Sir Francis Bacon

Magically, the root is used in modern rootwork for breaking curses, finding lost objects and bringing courage to the carrier. Pieces of the sliced root were historically placed in one’s shoes to stave off arthritis. To drive off an enemy, 87

The umbrella-like leaves of the Mayapple dot the stream sides and low, wet places of the mountain South in springtime. Unmistakable with their unusual palmate leaves and merry yellow fruits, this wild edible and poisonous plant is easy kin to Sassafras and Poke with their varying reputations as magical, edible, medicinal and sometimes deadly plants. Known also as the American Mandrake, because of its comparable root shape, this plant has come to be associated with much of the fantastical lore of its European compatriot.

mountains by extractive industries like coal mining, fracking and clear-cut forestry threaten this culturally significant wildcrafting as well as over-harvesting of sensitive species like ginseng. The ripe fruit is the only non-toxic part of this plant, and are quite edible, though legendary American botanist Asa Gray described this fruit as â&#x20AC;&#x153;slightly acid, mawkish, eaten by pigs and boysâ&#x20AC;?. In folk medicine, the roots of the Mayapple were used by First Nations people in Appalachia as a vermifuge, to treat tumors and warts, and as a laxative. They also used tea made from the roots as a natural insecticide on potato plants and corn. Settlers came to use it for typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis, cholera and retained its Native use as a purgative. It was used ground and powdered to draw the poison out of snake bites as well. Today it is being researched as a cancer fighting drug because of a unique chemical known as podophyllotoxin contained in the roots which is used to synthesize an antitumor treatment. It has also been studied and used quite successfully to treat genital warts. It is also, however, a potent poison plant and was used by certain tribes to commit suicide.

In Appalachia, harvesting Mayapple is part of the root-digging tradition. The harvest and sale of the roots of plants like Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Sassafras (Sassafras albidum), Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), and Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) for medicinal purposes provided much needed income in an often challenging rural economy. This is still practiced today in some areas by local people. The author has spoken with a neighbor in Madison County, North Carolina in his sixties who harvested Bloodroot to make extra money as a boy and got 12.00$ per coffee can full of dried root. The environmental destruction of the Appalachian 88

The American Mandrake has been used interchangeably for the European Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum) after new settlers compared its gnarled roots to the solanaceous Mandrakes of Europe. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s association with the European mandrake is evident in its other folk name, the witches umbrella, as it was said to be used by witches as a poison, though the two species are unrelated. There have been many works on of the European mandrake, and its magical uses and folklore are long and varied, but for the purposes of comparison to its Appalachian counterpart, we will only briefly examine it. The human-like forms both of these roots sometimes take on during their mysterious underground lives have fascinated people for thousands of years.

from the idea that the plant would cry out if lifted from the soil and render its listener dead upon hearing its wails, to the idea that the leaves would shine in the moonlight and transport their plucker high into the air. Some have speculated that these horror stories stories were generated to discourage the harvest of the European Mandrake to ensure certain sellers a robust supply of this in-demand root.

Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense), Apple of Sodom, Devilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tomato This small, thorned, tomato looking plant is common in Appalachia. It is native to the Southeast despite its reputation as a terrible weed. It had many uses to the Cherokee despite the fact that every part of the plant is poisonous, especially the berries. The root was made into beads and hung around babies necks to help with the pain of teething. It was said in Alabama that people used tea from the leaves to treat thrush. It was even used in epilepsy. This plant is considered a noxious weed due to its incredibly tenacious growth habits. The deep roots can reach a depth of 10 feet or more, giving this plant a unique connection with the underworld aside from its deadly yellow berries.

In modern rootwork and conjure the Mayapple root is used to make a poppet, or as it is called by many Appalachian folk magic practitioners, a dollie. This image is then fixed with a paper bearing the name of a loved one and is used in magical workings for love. A single root rolled in paper money and tied with the carrierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own shoestring was also used as a talisman for conjuring wealth. There are many legends and taboos surrounding the harvest of both Mandrake and Mayapple,

In Europe a relative of this plant, S. sisymbrifolium or Blue-Witch Nightshade, was believed to counteract witchcraft and was planted by people’s front doors. Sometimes the protection is provided by an ally of the very thing you are trying to keep out. In this case, there is a long association with Witches and nightshade plants. I use these in place of Belladonna (Atropa belladonna) if one does not have access to it, for magical workings. As far as poison berries go, pair these with Poke and string up dry to create powerful protection garlands far out of reach of children or animals.

acid from the stings enters the body can be used to enter ecstatic states or trance-like states by using a plant without ingesting it. Pain infliction in ritual settings exists in a variety of cultures and manifests as tattooing in many Island nations or ritual piercing as with the Blackfeet people. If a great shift in presence is required, the Nettle can provide the non-lethal poison one needs. A sudden sting or sharp thorn from a plant or tree can also be a direct communication from the Daemon of that plant to call your attention to something. Pay close attention. Where are you walking? And how?

Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)

Jimsonweed, Datura (Datura stramonium) This beautiful plant has debated botanical origins, but its effects on the human body have offered little to debate about. Some botanists say it may have originated in the Caspian Sea region, while others postulate it comes from Mexico. In 1676, it earned its name Jimsonweed, in Jamestown, Virginia. A cook in the infamous town mistook the leaves for a wholesome food and served it to soldiers there, who acted delirious and idiotic for days afterwards. This is how it became known as Jamestown weed, and eventually through the folk vernacular, Jimsonweed. It was believed that Romany peoples brought Jimsonweed to Europe, but as aforementioned, it is up for botanical debate. It was eventually claimed that many of the Romany’s miraculous healing and magical practices all stemmed from their uses of this lovely plant. !

The smoke of Rhododendron, or the rose-tree in latin, was said to have been inhaled by visionaries in the tribes of Ossetians, the people of the Caucasus mountains who descended from Scythians. In Appalachia wearing a necklace of the leaves was believed to ward off disease and preserve good health. Even though the flowers, leaves and wood and associated smoke are toxic, all containing the neurotoxin grayanotoxin, the leaves are also known as “lucky leaves” in hoodoo perhaps due to their evergreen nature. Many oldtimers in Appalachia refer to this plant as “poison ivy” due to its ability to kill livestock who unwittingly munch the attractive foliage.

In Mexico and the surrounding regions D. stramonium is used similarly to D. innoxia. The Mixe in Oaxaca believed this plant contained a spirit in the form of an old woman, and it is sometimes referred to as “grandmother”. The seeds were swallowed for use in ritual divination. As with other plants in this maligned family, the use of Datura in Mexico is often done in shadowy places, for in local Catholic circles it was believed that the plant was created by the Devil himself. It was used by many different South American and North American indigenous peoples for many sacred rituals, divination and education-based vision questing. !

Nettle (Urtica dioca) Stinging Nettle is magical change as a result of physical distress. Some early Christians used Nettle in ritual self-harm by beating themselves with the stinging plant to abjure the flesh. The endorphin response that occurs when the formic 90

Most writers in Antiquity seemed to fear the Datura plant. Dosages are described by Theophrastus that will drive a man to permanent madness and death. Its reported uses in the cults of Kali as the substance used to drive the worshippers to legendary frenzied human sacrifice also aided in the creation of the darkness behind this plant’s name. The plant came to North America with the earliest European colonists, which caused many botanists in colonized America to assume it was indigenous.

of this plant. Working with it in the ways in which it permits are essential.

Hellebore (Helleborus niger)

In Europe, Datura was associated with witches and flying ointments, and the seeds were added to beers in Germany, Russia and China to lend them narcotic properties. The seeds were also used as an incense, which was also said to have come from the Romany. It was burned to chase away ghosts, or conversely to invoke spirits, depending on its use. A type of weather divination was also performed by throwing seeds left out for a night in the fire and watching their crackle patterns. If they burned with loud cracklings, the winter would be dry but very cold. They also used the seeds thrown upon an animal skin drums and hit with a mallet a certain number of times. The way the seeds fell in relation to the lines drawn on the skin drum could then be used to answer questions about whether a sick person would heal, the location of stolen objects and other useful things. !

This plant is native to Europe but appears in late Winter and early spring in many Appalachian gardens. It was once considered a remedy to madness. In Italy it was believed to drive away evil spirits when strewn about the home and protected against witches. It is also useful in breaking spells and enchantments.

In Germany it was used in love philtres, or love potions and seeds were said to be, by a disgruntled German writer, “A tool of brothelkeepers, wicked seducers of girls, depraved courtesans and shameless lechers.”

The plant is decidedly deadly, all parts of it, and was used in medieval poisonings and murder plots. It was also used in Grimoire fumigation recipes. From the Key of Solomon the King:

These uses granted it associations with love and bending people to love against their will. This, and its reported use as an ingredient in witches ointments also lent it another folk name, “Sorcerer’s herb”. It contains tropane alkaloids, hyoscyamine, scopolamine and atropine, the content of which varies widely. Ingesting this plant can cause dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, pupil dilation, confusion, hallucinations, and can persist for days. Positive experiences are only rarely mentioned. Deaths also result from the use

“Spell for vivifying a talisman with the genius of Saturn: "This consecration consists in exposing the talisman to the fumes of a scent composed of alum, assa-foetida, scammony and sulphur, which are burned with cyprus [sic.] ash, and stalks of black hellebore lighted in an earthenware chafing-dish which has never been used for any other purpose and which has to be ground to dust and buried secretly in an unfrequented spot after the operation.”

Alrauna were used to bring protection to a family, wealth, luck, bring the ability to curse or harm others and communicate with the dead.

Working with Poisons: Root Talismans While some of the plants mentioned can be safely ingested and worked with, for some, the creation of a ritual object can be a far safer way to work with certain poison species. There is a German term for a root talisman of Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum), which does not grow well in our climate, called alrauna. These mysterious fetishes are simply roots from certain plants fashioned into the shape of a human to be used for magical purposes. In Medieval England, these charms were known as “alrunen”.

The making of an alrauna is a complex and time consuming ritual that takes many months and is beyond the scope of this article. This type or root talisman involves creating a home essentially for a spirit and then tending that spirit. This means that there is some caution involved as well. It was said in English and German folklore that alrauna can get angry or upset with their caregivers and cause them bad luck. Before doing any work with the spirits, make sure you understand the repercussions fully. Once you make one, it should not be seen by anyone else. As a family protector, this root talisman was handed down in the event of a family death as well. Any plant that produces a decently sized root can be used to fashion a dollie or poppet and be used for magical purposes. But I find the ones of poisonous plants to have some of the most interesting

In Germany during the same era, the “alruna” were so revered that they were dressed everyday lest they do their owners harm. They have lived on in German and English folklore where it was said that well-kept alraune were dressed in silk and velvet and ‘fed’ meals of milk and cookies. Dr. Faust himself was said to have had an alraune. In 1888, it was said such ‘manikins” could still be found among the Pennsylvania Dutch. 93

Kingsbury, S. "For the love of sassafras." Journal Of The American Herbalists Guild 9, no. 1 (March 2009): 24-30.

Dolls and poppets are used for magical workings in almost every folk magical tradition worldwide. The use of humanoid objects in acts of sympathetic magic makes sense. Do something unto a doll that stands for a specific person, and that thing will be done to them. There are endless possibilities...

Krochmal, Arnold. “Medicinal Plants and Appalachia.” Economic Botany, vol. 22, no. 4, 1968, pp. 332–337. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/ 4252992.

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Willard, Fred L., Victor G. Aeby, and Tracy CarpenterAeby. "Sassafras in the New World and the Syphilis Exchange." Journal Of Instructional Psychology 41, no. 1-4 (March 2014): 3-9.

Light, Phyllis D. "A History of Southern and Appalachian Folk Medicine." Journal of the AHG, vol. 8, no. 2, Mar. 2008. 5

Lawsonia A Brief Intro to The Art & Medicine of Henna

Plant Healer celebrates all the gifts of the plant world, their non-medical as well as medicinal qualities, their intrinsic beauty as well as practical usefulness. So often, too, a species has overlapping healing and aesthetic purposes, further blurring the boundary between healing and pleasure, health and lifestyle. Lawsonia has long been treasured for a wide range of uses, not the least of which being hair care, and the topical ornamentation we all know as Henna â&#x20AC;&#x201C; each and every design serving us as a map of interconnection, as inspiration for a more lovely life, and as a tribute to this amazing plant.

Henna (Lawsonia inermis), also known as hina, Henna tree, Al-Khanna, Jamaica Mignonette, Egyptian Privet and Smooth Lawsonia, is a flowering plant that grows 12-15 feet high and comes from the sole species of the Lawsonia genus. The English name "Henna" comes from the Arabic (ḥinnā), and also refers to the dye prepared from the Henna plant and the art of temporary tattooing based on those dyes. Henna has been used for centuries to dye skin, hair, and fingernails, as well as fabrics including silk, wool, and leather. The plant is often cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas both for its use as a dye plant and also as an ornamental, being appreciated especially for the strong, pleasant fragrance of its flowers, considered reminiscent of tea rose (Rosa chinensis)

Range East Asia and India, and can now be found in Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Persia, Morocco, Palestine, Yemen, Egypt, Uganda, Tanzania, Afghanistan, Senegal, Kenya, and Ethiopia, Eritrea.

Habitat Dry, coastal secondary scrub wasteland. Naturalized plants are often found in temporarily flooded river beds and riverine thickets, but also on hillsides and in rock crevices, at elevations up to 1,350 meters

Cultivation

makes it a useful medicine for external use against many skin and nail complaints. A decoction of the bark is used as an emmenagogue, and also to treat liver problems and nervous symptoms. The stem bark is chewed by some to ease toothache.

A plant of the dry to moist tropics and subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 2,000 meters. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 19 27Â°c, but can tolerate 13 - 33Â°c

Henna History & Origins Edible Uses The history and origin of Henna is hard to trace, with centuries of migration and cultural interaction it is difficult to determine where particular traditions began. There is very persuasive evidence that the Neolithic people in Catal Huyuk, in the 7th millennium BC, used Henna to ornament their hands in connection with their fertility goddess.

None known Medicinal Henna has at times been used in traditional medicine as a remedy for a number of ailments, depending on the time and region. It contains a range of medically active substances including coumarins, naphthaquinones (including lawsone), flavonoids, sterols and tannins, and is known to be of benefit in a range of conditions.

The earliest civilizations to have used Henna include the Babylonians, Assyrians, Sumerians, Semites, Ugaritics and Canaanites. The earliest written evidence that mentions Henna specifically used as an adornment for a bride or womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special occasion is in the Ugaritic legend of Baal and Anath, inscribed on a tablet dating back to 2100 BC, found in northwest Syria. Henna has also been used extensively in southern China and has been associated with erotic rituals for at least three thousand years, during the ancient Goddess cultures. Archaeological research indicates Henna was used in ancient Egypt to stain the fingers and toes of Pharaohs prior to mummification.

Lawsonia is an astringent herb that controls bleeding and is antimicrobial, and is regarded as an alterative and nerve tonic in Ayurvedic medicine. The leaves are sometimes taken internally in the treatment of amoebic dysentery, are used in the treatment of diarrhea and to promote menstrual flow, as well as being used as a gargle to treat sore throats. Preparations have an astringent effect on the skin, making it somewhat hydrophobic. This effect, combined with a slight bactericidal and fungicidal action,

Nam Kahr teaching about Henna art at the Good Medicine Confluence

Research also argues the Pharaohs were not the only Egyptians to use Henna. Ancient Egyptians and many indigenous and aboriginal people around the world believed that the naturally derived red substances of ochre, blood and Henna had qualities that improved human awareness of the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energies. It was therefore applied to help people keep in touch with their spirituality. Ani, a mummified scribe (1400BC), had fingernails stained with Henna. There are also several medieval paintings depicting The Queen of Sheba decorated with Henna on her journey to meet Solomon, and it is documented that Cleopatra herself was decorated with it. And yet, Henna was apparently not only a popular adornment for the rich, but that it was in a sense the â&#x20AC;&#x153;art of the

people,â&#x20AC;? often impoverished.

accessible

even

the

The use of Henna in the 4th-5th centuries in the Deccan of western India is clearly illustrated on Bodhisattvas and deities of cave wall murals at Ajanta, and in similar cave paintings in Sri Lanka. The evidence proves Henna usage in India seven centuries before the Moghul invasion, and hundreds of years before the inception of the Islamic religion, which began in the mid-7th century AD. Throughout history Henna has been associated with special celebrations including betrothals, weddings, the eighth month of pregnancy, the birth, the 40th day after a woman gives birth, naming ceremonies, etc,. 100

101

Eids, and other religious holidays are also occasions to be Hennaed. There are also some healing ceremonies, like the Zar in North Africa, which include its use.

to remain three hours, turning the hair a jet black. The dyeing agent in Henna is lawsone, which is present in dry leaves at a concentration of 0.5 - 2%. It attaches itself strongly to proteins, and as a result the dye is relatively long lasting.

Cosmetic & Ornamentation For body decorations, the leaves of the Henna plant are dried, crushed into a fine powder, and made into a creamy paste using a variety of techniques. This paste is then applied to the skin, staining the top layer of skin only. In its natural state it will dye the skin an orange or brown color.

Henna has long been used for staining the hair, beards, nails and skin, its reddish brown to black dye sometimes modified by adding other plants such as Indigo, Gambier or the powder of Areca nut. For dyeing the hair, a paste of the powdered leaves is applied to it and it is bound up with leaves, wax cloth, or oilskin. After a half hour or more the preparation is washed off and the hair is found to be of a bright red color. If desired, a second application can then be made of the powder of the Indigo plant (Indigofera spp.) made into a paste with water and allowed

Although it looks dark green (or dark brown depending on the Henna) when applied, this green paste will flake off revealing an orange stain. The stain becomes a reddish-brown color after 1-3 days of application. 102

The palms and the soles of the feet stain the darkest because the skin is the thickest in these areas & contain the most keratin. The farther away from hands and feet the Henna is applied, the lesser the color. The face area usually stains the lightest. The designs generally last from 1-4 weeks on the skin surface depending on the Henna, care and skin type.

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Invasive Plant Medicine & Ecology by Dara Saville Albuquerque Herbalism

Non-regional, opportunistic species are neither always bad for the ecosystem, as some claim, nor are they always benign as one book erroneously implies. When evaluating and aiding the health of the land, a reasoned approach is needed such as exemplified by our Good Medicine Confluence teacher, Dara. And when an over-competitive introduced plant has known medicinal properties, harvesting can both serve both ecological balance and contribute to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home apothecary. Whether walking down the sidewalk to the local store or hiking along a favorite wild trail, the plants we see will undoubtedly tell us a story of the relationship between people and place. The balance between native and non-native plants, in particular, tells us a lot about how people have used the land and gives us a glimpse into the future of place. Most anywhere we go these days, we can see the effects of globalization expanding throughout human culture and, as a result, plant communities are becoming more globalized too. Many ecosystems are now a mixture of long-standing native plants with ancient connections to the land growing together with relatively new non-native arrivals that collectively form our ideas of what wild places are today. This emerging new feature of landscapes is in fact a defining characteristic of plant communities in the Anthropocene, the proposed current era in which humans are the dominant influence on Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s systems. The movement of non-native plants into new territories may manifest in a variety of ways

ranging from a species becoming highly invasive and forming expansive monoscapes (such as Salt Cedar in the Southwest) to minor non-invasive plants finding occasional places among healthy native plant populations. While we can agree that these changes are undoubtedly taking place, what precisely is happening within these plant communities is not always clear. Debates continue to play out among ecologists, biologists, herbalists, and others about the role of non-native plants in native plant communities now and in the future with enough questions remaining to make any definitive conclusions elusive. Regardless of how we feel about nonnatives in the wild, invasive plants can bring something valuable to the medicine cabinet. In order to understand how they might work as herbal remedies, we must first try to understand them as plants. In my attempt to make sense of non-native invasive plants where I live several questions came to mind. First, what makes a plant native?

Second, what role are these non-native plants playing across ecosystems in my area and in the world? Specifically, do these plants threaten native plant populations and do they harm biodiversity and ecological functioning? Third, how can I work with these increasingly available non-native invasive plants as an herbalist? Exploring these common questions will lead us into a deeper understanding of invasive nonnative plant medicine and ecology and help us develop a more constructive relationship with them as herbalists. Furthermore, we will look at several examples of potentially invasive nonnative plants in more detail, illuminating both their ecological roles and medicinal applications.

and late Pliocene, it has been steadily advancing its range for thousands of years. Aided during the last 150 years by cattle grazing, Chaparral is now considered invasive across the grasslands of New Mexico and northern Mexico. (For more on Chaparral, see my previously published Plant Healer essay Ecological Herbalism Part 1, Larrea and the Desert Grasslands.) What made this plant native, in my mind, was the balance it held for thousands of years with the rest of the desert plant community, the relationship it developed with humans (both cattlemen and herbalists), and its invasive character developing as a result of poorly balanced grazing practices on the land. Jesse Hardin has described native plants by saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have inhabited an area long enough to have been affected and formed by it, and have had their own affects measuredâ&#x20AC;Ś demonstrating they take into account and accommodate the rest of the biotic community, and reflect and express the distinguishing character of place.â&#x20AC;? (from the Plant Healer book The Healing Terrain).

The question of what makes a plant native is one that may elicit some debate. I first came to ponder this question walking through expanses of Chaparral (Larrea tridentata) in the Chihuahua Desert, where it is a widespread indicator plant. Having arrived in the Southwest relatively recently from ancestral populations in South America sometime between the mid-Pleistocene 105

must also consider that ecosystems are continually dynamic and the kinds of changes that are taking place today are new patterns that are still unfolding and without historical precedent to allow us to accurately predict where these changes are taking any given plant community in the long term. Many plant communities are expected to experience dramatic changes as new climate conditions accelerate (higher temperatures, increased CO2, drought, etc) and native and non-native plants co-mingle. Some experts see evidence for increased regional-scale biodiversity (while overall global diversity declines) as floral newcomers outnumber extinctions and ecosystem fragmentation creates opportunities for new plant taxa to evolve. Others warn, however, of the likelihood that invasive plants will continue to expand their range at the expense of natives in the coming decades and centuries. (For more on this topic see my previously published Plant Healer essays Drought, Climate Change, and Medicinal Plants in the Anthropocene and Rivers, Restoration, and Hope for Medicinal Plants, Parts 1 and 2.)

Despite Chaparralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potentially invasive nature, this definition applies as the plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history tells us that it was shaped by changes in the land (both climate and human-induced), its evolving distribution was in harmony with other slowly unfolding ecological changes for most of its existence, and it has become a defining plant of its region. Our understanding of the role that these nonnative plants play across local, regional, and global scale ecosystems is constantly evolving as modern plant communities continue to change. For decades, invasive non-native plants such as the infamous Salt Cedar (Tamarix spp.) and many others have been vilified, poisoned, and scapegoated as the destroyers of ecosystems and the annihilators of biodiversity. In recent years a new perspective has emerged that these plants are, in fact, the saviors of ecosystems that have been severely altered by humans, reinvigorating the health of these systems and increasing biodiversity. How could we change our minds so dramatically and which viewpoint more accurately represents the role of these non-native plants? It would be nice if there was a simple answer but there is not. Every ecosystem and each one of these plants is unique. Furthermore, one species can play different roles in different situations, as invasive plants tend to proliferate in accordance with the degree of ecosystem alteration. That means highly manipulated environments are more likely to see invasive species become dominant while less disturbed areas will have more intact and robust native plant populations that may coexist with nonnative, even potentially invasive plants. We

Now that these non-native invasive plants are here to stay, what can we do as herbalists to bring them into our practice? For many of us there may be a barrier. We may first have to come to a place of accepting this plant in our local environment, allowing our judgments to fall away, and seeing the plant for who it is. This can be difficult when we are struggling to accept ecological change in our world but it will open the door to knowing invasive plants as only herbalists can. This brings up another interesting question to ponder: Does the different ecological role of a non-native plant in a new ecosystem and our attitude toward that plant change itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s functioning as medicine? All of these plants are native somewhere in the world and employed in herbal medicine traditions in their homelands. The way these plants interact with other species and the landscape is different in the novel ecosystem from that in the Old World. Certainly herbalists in their native territories evolved alongside these plants and have more intimate and accepting relationships based on deeper levels of knowledge without 106

ever questioning the legitimacy of their existence in the surrounding countryside. I believe that the way a plant functions ecologically in its daily life and they way we approach plants and our feelings about them do influence their workings as medicines. If this is true, we must give ourselves the opportunity to learn more about non-native invasive plants and consider our attitude and relationship with them. We owe them that much, at least.

western riparian plant communities. Despite its tendency to become dominant or co-dominant in the landscape and its association with reduced species richness compared to native plant communities its presence in the ecosystem does provide forage for wildlife, nectar for pollinators, and increased levels of nitrogen in the soil. Although the changes in water flow caused by dams are a primary driver in the changing plant communities and the successful establishment of Russian Olive, Russian Olive further advances those changes by stabilizing soil surfaces and shading out seedlings of native pioneer species such as Cottonwoods that rely on flood disturbance areas for germination and sunny conditions to grow. While Russian Oliveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in riparian ecosystems is still poorly understood, we can see that its range and numbers are expanding and that it is available to be a part of our herbal practice.

As previously mentioned, non-native plants may play a minor ecological role existing in small numbers or they may become invasive, gradually dominating the landscape, depending on the plant species and on local environmental conditions. Which plants are invasive will depend on where you live. Other medicinally useful but potentially invasive non-native plants not mentioned here include commoners such as Purple Loosestrife, Dandelion, Sunflower, Roses, Sweet Clover, Red Clover, or Plantain. Following is a selection of non-native trees that tend to be invasive in my area and are readily available for use in herbal practice. Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) came to the western United States from southern Europe and Asia in the 1800s. Finding a niche in the increasingly altered riparian habitats along western rivers, Russian Olive has proliferated along waterways downstream from dams. Taking advantage of the new conditions including altered water flows and lack of flood disturbances, Russian Olive has become the fourth most common woody plant species in

Leaves, bark, thorns, and fruit can be harvested for antimicrobial/antibacterial/antifungal medicinal tea or tincture preparations for wound care or systemic infections. Russian Olive is also used when an anti-inflammatory or musclerelaxing analgesic is needed. Extracts of this plant have been shown in clinical trials to be as effective as NSAIDS for relief of pain and inflammation but with added gastro-protective properties. Research also suggests that it may optimize blood pressure and have anti-tumor properties. The fruits are often described as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;edibleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; but I find them to be disgusting in both taste and texture so I harness their antioxidants and vitamin and mineral content as an elixir. 107

I admit that I have mixed feelings about this tree and am still developing my relationship with it. Its blossoms lure me in with their delightful aroma and it demands respect as catching yourself on one of the thorns can be painful for days. I can see it playing a protective role in changing ecosystems, as some have suggested, but I also see it forming mono-typic stands in places where Cottonwoods and Willows once reigned. As time goes on I find myself becoming more accepting of this plant, but I still wrestle with my instinct to blame the messenger warning about our damaging and overreaching ecological roles in sensitive riparian environments.

substitute for the threatened and popular medicine of Slippery Elm. It is anti-parasitic, antifungal, antilithic, expectorant, and demulcent. Next time you find Siberian Elm growing through your backyard fence or coming up along a roadway, cut off a small branch, peel off the bark, and feel its soft slippery mucilage inside.

Another Asian tree, Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila) is the first tree to leaf-out all over my fair city each spring. The burst of green is followed by the raining-down of confetti as its seeds fill the air and germinate wherever they land, in between concrete cracks or the earthly surfaces of the surrounding natural areas. This tree is known to spread quickly in disturbed areas and will tolerate difficult growing conditions where few others can succeed. Siberian Elm binds heavy metals in soil, providing remediation in polluted urbanized areas and provides early spring nectar for pollinators. Along with Russian Olive and Tamarisk, Siberian Elm is one of the trees expected to redefine many Southwestern riparian areas in the coming decades if water management practices remain unaltered.

Recent research also suggests its potential usefulness in cervical, melanoma, breast, and lymphoma cancer treatments. Gathered in the early spring while still green, the seeds are a nutritious edible and are tasty served raw on top of salads, in sandwiches, and as an edible garnish. Probably the least invasive of the trees discussed here (at least in my area), Mulberry (Morus alba) is a common yard tree and has also made a home for itself in the riparian corridor.

Originating in China, it came to the eastern United States in the 1600s as part of a British effort to establish a silk industry. Although it can form dense thickets in some places, White Mulberry typically does not grow in clusters.

This invasive tree is also a very useful and abundant medicine and wild edible. The inner bark can be collected and powdered as a 108

Little information has been published regarding its impacts on native plant communities. As a healing plant, Mulberry has a long history of use in Chinese medicine with different parts of the tree being used for different areas in the body. The leaves are usually prepared as tea or put into capsules and are antimicrobial, detoxifying, cooling, and moistening to dryness in the upper body, particularly the head, throat, and lungs. Each winter in the high desert, I am reminded how useful this medicine can be as we endure months of bitingly cold, dry air passing through our respiratory systems, often resulting in dry inflammation. The twigs are used to increase circulation in the joints and extremities. The bark is anti-inflammatory and increases the movement of fluids in the lower body and the fruit is a nourishing antioxidant tonic for the blood and heart health. Also, the fruit has been shown to reduce blood glucose levels and is delicious to eat right off the tree.

are not sufficient factors to limit its growth. Similarly Tree of Heaven can also play a remediating role in the digestive and respiratory systems. It is an antimicrobial, astringent, febrifuge, anthelmintic, antispasmodic, antiseptic, expectorant, clearing heat and dampness in the body. The stems, leaves, and root bark can be prepared as a tea or 50% tincture and are useful in treatments for diarrhea and digestive ailments caused by microbes and parasites including Giardia. In the respiratory system it reduces inflammation and cleans the airways of mucus and other irritants, facilitating recovery from a variety of ailments. Additionally, Tree of Heaven is soothing to the nervous system and helpful for reducing muscular contractions, shakes, and tremors. Tree of Heaven is typically recommended in smaller doses or combined with other herbs to reduce any nauseating side effects. Given how terrible the plant smells, some may have trouble harvesting without becoming nauseated.

Originally from China and Taiwan, Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is considered by some to be an unstoppable menace sending new shoots up wherever possible.

The poster child for vilified non-native invasive plants since the early 1900s, Salt Cedar or Tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) is the most successful non-native tree in the western United States and has become the third most common woody plant in that regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s riparian corridors.

It will grow in a variety of challenging environments including urban areas that are heavily concretized or contaminated and degraded natural areas such as disconnected floodplains in riparian corridors. Growing in such conditions, it can act as a remediator of damaged land and polluted air but its propensity for sending up new shoots could prove to be a problem in ecosystems where there

Originating from the Mediterranean and Asia, it has come to symbolize the water struggles of the Southwest by covering well over 600,000 hectares of severely degraded riparian habitat in the Southwest. Numerous bird species use it for shelter including the endangered Western Willow Flycatcher but overall, Tamarisk forests 109

support fewer species and fewer individuals than native forests. It is an opportunistic reproducer that is tolerant of drought, heat, fires, and saline soils. Similarly to Russian Olive, it stabilizes surface soils inhibiting the germination of native riparian trees and shades out native tree seedlings. It can grow in vast mono-typic stands forming dense thickets, changing soil composition, and greatly reducing the beneficial mycorrhizal community that facilitates native plant growth. Like Russian Olive, Tamarisk finds a habitat niche in degraded riparian ecosystems with altered flow regimes and contributes to the process of change initiated by human interference. This tree may be considered a willing colonizer of damaged ecosystems where natives are in decline but it can also play a role in inhibiting the growth of native plants and further reducing biodiversity. The bark, leaves, and galls are harvested and used for topical application or small internal doses. It is an effective antimicrobial, antioxidant, diaphoretic, diuretic, astringent, and detoxifier that is used to make first aid wound washes or mouthwash. Internally it can be included in formulas for detoxification, microbial diarrhea, and other infections. In

many ways, Salt Cedar typifies the common struggle many of us have making new relationships with invasive plants that we see replacing beloved native plants, which have defined our lands and shaped our cultures for as long as they have existed. Salt Cedar has been a symbol of that process of accepting change while still fighting for what matters. While I appreciate the gift of that awareness, its abundance in our riverside forests leaves me feeling like Wal-Mart moved to town, pushed the locals out of business, leaving us with a standardized nature experience. As highly adaptable and opportunistic newcomers with the ability to remake entire landscapes, non-native invasive plants often elicit both intrigue and controversy. These plants represent paradox as they may be both passengers and drivers of change. Additionally, they invite us to explore our thoughts about a range of issues coming to a head in the modern era including climate change, migration/ immigration, globalization, the decline and restoration of relict habitats, how we will adapt to the new conditions unfolding around us, and what changes will we make in order to maintain 110

a living world. Non-native invasive plants offer the lessons of balance, moderation, using resources wisely and with gratitude, and offering reciprocity to the land that sustains us. If we take too much we may lose more than we ever dreamed possible. Regardless of how we feel about these plants, it is in our best interest to understand them as part of our local ecosystems and to embrace them as sources of wisdom and medicine in our lives.

(Russian olive) in western North America. Wetlands 23 (4): 763-777. Kerns, B., Q. Guo. September 2012. Climate Change and Invasive Plants in Forests and Rangelands. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Climate Change Resource Center.

References

Pearce, Fred. 2015. The New Wild. Beacon Press: Boston Scott, Timothy Lee. 2010. Invasive Plant Medicine. Healing Arts Press: Rochester VT.

Laport, Robert G., Robert L. Minckley, Justin Ramsey. 2012. Phylogeny and cytogeography of the North American creosote bush (Larrea tridentate, Zygophyllaceae. Systematic Botany 37: 153-164.

Crawford, Clifford S., Lisa M. Ellis, and Manuel C. Mulles Jr. 1996. The Middle Rio Grande Bosque: an endangered ecosystem. New Mexico Journal of Science 36: 276-299.

Sogge, Mark K., Susan J. Sferra, Eben H. Paxton. 2008. Tamarix as habitat for birds: implications for riparian restoration in the Southwestern United States. Restoration Ecology 16 (1): 146-154.

DiTomaso, Joseph M. 1998. Impact, biology, and ecology of salt cedar (Tamarix) in the Southwestern United States. Weed Technology 12 (2): 326-336. Evans, Alexander M. 2014. Invasive plants, insects, and diseases in the forests of the Anthropocene. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Santa Fe:.

Shafroth, Patrick B. James R. Cleverly, Tom L. Dudley, John P. Taylor Charles Van Riper III, Edwin P. Weeks. 2005. Control of Tamarix in the western United States: implications for water salvage, wildlife use, and riparian restoration. Environmental Management 35 (3): 231-246.

Folstad Shah, J. J., M. J. Harner, T. M. Tibbets. 2010. Elaeagnus angustifolia elevates soil inorganic nitrogen pools in riparian ecosystems. Ecosystems 13 (1): 46-61.

Sher, Anna, Martin F. Quigley. 2013. Introduction to the paradox plant. Tamarix: A Case Study of Ecological Change in the American West. Oxford University Press.

Friedman, Jonathan M., Gregor T. Auble, Patrick B. Shafroth, Michael F. Merigliano, Michael D. Freehling, Eleanor R. Griffin. 2005. Dominance of non-native riparian trees in western USA. Biological Invasions 7 (4): 747-751.

Tehranizadeh, Zeinab Amiri, Ali Baratian, Hossein Hosseinzadeh. 2016. Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) as herbal healer. BioImpacts 6 (3): 155-167. Thomas, C. D. 2013. Local diversity stays about the same, region diversity increases, and global diversity declines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 110 (48): 19187-19188.

Glenn Edward, Pamela Nagler. 2005. Comparative ecophysiology of Tamarix ramosissima and native trees in western US riparian zones. Journal of Arid Environments 61 (3): 419-446.

Thomas, C. D. 2015. Rapid acceleration of plant speciation during the Anthropocene. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 30 (8): 448-455.

Johnson, W. C. 2002. Riparian vegetation diversity along regulated rivers: contribution of novel and relict habitats. Freshwater Biology, 47: 749â&#x20AC;&#x201C;759.

Velland, Mark, Lander Baeten, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Sarah C. Elmendorf, Robin Beausejour, Carissa D. Brown, Pieter De Frenne, Kris Verheyen, Sona Wipf. 2013. Global meta-analysis reveals no net change in local-scale plant diversity over time. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 110 (48): 19456-19459.

Kane, Charles. 2011. Medicinal Plants of the American Southwest. Lincoln Town Press. Katz, Gabrielle, L., Patrick B. Shafroth. 2003. Biology, ecology, and management of Elaeagnus angustifolia L.

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Black Cohosh by Sean Donahue Sean has the rare ability to use both his personal struggles and bodily illnesses as openings to greater understanding of and intimacy with the plants he uses and writes about â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as exemplified in this profile of the powerful medicine Actaea. Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa) is a plant with dark, gnarled, twisted roots that give rise to a tall stalk topped with a spray of white flowers.

Last summer, reeling from a deep loss, I wrote:

“When our lives break open, sometimes we fall down a well so deep that when we look up, we see stars at noon, and make out the constellations that remind us of our inner landscape, of all that we contain.”

depression is most prevalent among women it may be because our society asks women to take on the responsibility for other people’s emotions – especially those of men. And Black Cohosh’s role as an emmenagogue can be explained as well through its action on nerves, muscles, fascia, and fluids as it can by a hormonal model of its action.

Black Cohosh is indicated when someone is in a pit of despair, brooding over loss and pain and worry, grief hanging over them like a proverbial black cloud. There is often tension and dull ache in the trapezius, a hunched over posture, and a heavy feeling in the chest. There will also be a tendency to take on other people’s grief.

The great nineteenth century Physiomedicalist physician, William Cook, saw Black Cohosh acting primarily on nerves, serous tissues (fascia), and the meninges.

I think of the spray of white flowers arising high above the gnarled root as the stars at noon that show the way back up out of the well -- or at least bring the reminder that there is a world beyond the well. The well of grief can be an important place to spend time. In Irish tradition, all the rivers and streams of the world have their root in a well in the Otherworld beneath our feet -- the place of all beginnings and endings. To me the well of deep grief is that same well, and awash in its waters we release the meanings the world held before and prepare ourselves to create new meaning as we relate to the world in a new way. But eventually, we need to return to the world. And I have found Black Cohosh helps to shift the stagnant emotions that are weighing me down, and help me see the starry sky which reminds me that the iron in my blood and the iron at the core of the Earth were forged together in the first generation of stars, that I am connected with everything.

Cook began his description of the plant’s properties by writing: “The root of cimicifuga has long been known to American physicians as a remedy of decided and peculiar value; yet its true action has been enshrouded in so much uncertainty that the proper places to employ it have not been well defined. After much experience and careful observation in its use, I offer the following account of it, which I believe to be correct, though in many respects different from the descriptions usually given.” Those words are equally apt today. Black Cohosh tends to be pigeon-holed as a “women’s herb,” a “menopause herb,” or a “childbirth herb” when, in fact these specific uses are just extensions of the plant’s broader capacity to work with the nervous system (and by extension, the muscles) to restore fluidity to experience,

Many contemporary herbalists speak of Black Cohosh as working on estrogen levels through various proposed mechanisms that shift and change as each model becomes outdated and presume that the depression Black Cohosh treats is associated with estrogen levels, pointing to the greater prevalence of this kind of brooding depression before menstruation, the role of Black Cohosh in easing menstrual pain and bring on delayed menstruation, and anecdotal evidence that this kind of depression is most common in women. But I have used Black Cohosh to ease this kind of depression in people of all genders with all kinds of hormonal profiles. If brooding

Nervous System Cook writes: “Its power is expended chiefly upon the nervous structures, beginning at the peripheries and extending to the brain, including the ganglionic system; through the sensory nerves influencing the heart and pulse, and through the sympathetic nerves making a decided impression upon the uterus. [ . . .] On the nerves it acts gradually, yet in the end with decided power–soothing them, relieving pain dependent on local irritation, and proving a good antispasmodic.” 114

115

A well-made Black Cohosh tincture has an earthy taste, like clean soil with a hint of bitterness – it grounds us in the body.

would call the connective tissues, interstitium, and adipose tissues. The fascia hold our bodies’ memories of tension and motion, and especially of patterns we have been unable to release.

It has a hit of acridity, and the activation of the acrid taste receptor at the back of the throat sends a strong signal across the ventral branch of the vagus nerve, restoring coherent communication between the body’s major centers of neurological activity and consciousness (the brain, the heart, the gut, and the generative organs) and engaging the parasympathetic nervous system to relax muscular tension throughout the body.

Osteopath Paolo Tozzi writes: “Memories in the body may be also encoded into the structure of fascia itself. Collagen is deposited along the lines of tension imposed or expressed in connective tissues at both molecular and macroscopic level Mechanical forces acting upon the internal and/ or external environment, such as in postures, movements and strains, dictate the sites where collagen is deposited. Thus, a ‘tensional memory; is created in a particular connective tissue architecture formed by oriented collagen fibres. This architecture changes accordingly to modification of habitual lines of tension, providing a possible ‘medium term memory; of the forces imposed on the organism. However, this type of signalling may be altered in pathological conditions, such as locally decreased mobility due to injury or pain In cases of functional strain or mechanical stress through collagen bundles, known physiological responses involve fibroblast mechano-chemical transduction, and modulation of gene expression patterns ), together with inflammatory and tissue remodelling processes of the collagenous matrix ). Furthermore, the release of substance P from nerve endings, particularly driven by the hypothalamus following emotional trauma, may alter the collagen structure into a specific hexagonal shape, referred as ‘emotional scar’;. The entirety of this phenomenon may be interpreted as a highly structurally and functionally specific process of encoding memory traces in fascia. “

Grounding in the body and improving the flow of communication between our major centers of consciousness makes Black Cohosh an ideal herb for bringing a person into calm, centered, embodied presence. It is through the heart that we take in the information that forms our emotional felt sense of the world and through the ways in which the enteric portion of our autonomic nervous system reads the signals of tension and flow across the fascia that we gain our visceral sense of the experience of body and world in this location in time and space, so bringing these centers back into alignment and coherence fundamentally shifts our experience of embodiment. I think of Black Cohosh as realigning a vertical axis of embodied consciousness that also becomes our own Axis Mundi. We can extend our awareness along that axis all the way down into the core of the earth where we can anchor and re-orient and remember who we are. From this state, someone is better able to address and process the grief and pain and fear held in the body.

Our bodies are mostly water, and the fluids flowing through the collagen bundles of our fascia are a medium of consciousness -- carrying hormones and conducting electricity and light. The tissues they flow through are like layers of soil, holding the memory of emotion and sensation – and just as water absorbs the substances contains in layers of soil, so too those inner waters take on the chemical reminders and electromagnetic patterns of the past experiences encoded in the collagen structures.

Fascia Cook writes “On serous tissues it allays irritation, soothes excitement, and relieves subacute and chronic inflammation. “ We can gloss the nineteenth century use of the term “serous” tissue to refer to what Ida Rolf would call the “fascia” and stodgy anatomists 116

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Dancer and occult publisher Alksitis Demich writes:

Shatavari (Asparagus racemosa) which lubricate the fascia by promoting the secretion of synovial fluid – and which also make life juicier. I will often also bring in a warming aromatic herb to encourage blood flow into – and out of – the tissues, because where blood flows awareness goes . . and can shift. Which plant I will use will depend on some of the more esoteric qualities of the plants: I will use Calamus (Acorus calamus) if a person needs to bring their emotions and experience into expression, Wormwood (Artemesia absinthum) if the person has been beaten down by oppression and feels like the walking dead, Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus) when a person needs to reassert their sense of self and their right to be alive and embodied in the world and, if things feel physically cold and stuck, Ginger (Zingiber officianalis), and idea that comes from a formula Margi Flint once taught me for joint problems.

“The matrix of connective tissue is the repository of our individual and ancestral memory (cf. Freud’s notion of an ‘archaic heritage’ and Jung’s description of archetypes as ‘biological instinctual constellations.’). It is attuned to motion and emotion, which it registers and retains, submerged in and holographically distributed throughout the liquid crystalline continuum. This body memory, which is always oriented to the future – that is, to survival and evolution – is engaged directly through the dynamics of the living body. “ Where the body holds patterns of tension and constriction – which it does to hold back the flow of sensation and emotion from tissues that hold traumatic memory – tissues tend toward lowgrade inflammation (creating the dull aches for which Black Cohosh is specific) which, creates swelling that further obstructs the flow of fluids, and emotions stagnate (contributing to the kind of dark, heavy, stagnant, brooding emotional state that Black Cohos h is specific for. My best guess is that Black Cohosh is bringing down the inflammation in the tissues, allowing the fluids to flow again.

Meninges/ Cerebrospinal Fluid Matthew Wood popularized the use of Black Cohosh to treat whiplash, new and old. He says the plant is indicated for: “congestion of the cerebro-spinal fluid, tightness of the attachments of the trapezius muscles to the scapula with brooding, dark state of mind, chronic pain and depression”

Time and time again I have watched Black Cohosh bring somatic memories to the surface to be processed and released in ways similar to deep body work. The difference I observe is that Black Cohosh’s soothing action on the nervous system usually prevents the surfacing sensations and emotions from becoming too much for the person to bear.

and that cerebro-spinal fluid shimmers lile starlight. Because it facilitates the movement of that fluid “it is a remedy that both generated fluids and unbinds them, so that there is better flow of fluids in the organism, especially the all-important cerebrospinal fluids surrounding the nerves.”

Deborah Frances has called Black Cohosh the “Persephone” herb – the remedy for someone who has been kidnapped into the underworld. I have employed it for such people many times. But I also see it as an Inanna remedy – a remedy to guide someone who is making a conscious descent into their own inner shadow realms to allow them to descent safely and then return to the surface.

I’ll always remember the first time I worked with someone meeting this description. Every year she dealt with a heavy depression on the anniversary of a car accident where she experienced severe whiplash and a close friend of hers died. Black Cohosh brought tears, release, and relief – as well as loosening up her shoulders.

I frequently combine Black Cohosh with Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) or 118

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But why would bunched up cerebrospinal fluid cause depression? Several years ago, researches at the University of Rochester found that cerebrospinal fluid plays an important role in detoxifying the brain. If cerebrospinal fluid were to become congested could it create pressure on the brain that would decrease neuroplasticity, leading to brooding thoughts and emotions as the same synapses fired in the same pattern again and again?

maladies, as also in other chronic and periodical suffering in these structures, it is a remedy that deserves the first attention. “ Ultimately, here we’re looking at the same kind of issue that we spoke of with the fascia: lowgrade inflammation of the meninges, often from injury but sometimes from histamine excess due to stress, trauma, difficulty breaking down histamine, or all of the above, preventing the drainage and flow of fluid. When histamine issues are a factor I like to combine Black Cohosh with either Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) leaf and flower or Rose (Rosa spp.) and Albizzia julibrissin bark.

In the era before pharmaceutical antibiotics and antivirals. Black Cohosh played an important role in the treatment of meningitis.

The River & the Stars We are watery creatures – rivers held in by strands of protein, and just enough minerals that we can stand upright and dance. Taoist medicine speaks of our lives being a river of destiny – what we inherit from the ancestors is the water, and the pull of the planets on those waters creates motion and flow – as does the way we move in the world. Black Cohosh eases the way for life to flow through us – and guides us toward the stars that were the furnaces that forged the elements of our bodies. It is a profound medicine for bringing people into embodied presence.

Cook wrote: “Its action in cerebral and cerebro-spinal meningitis is at once peculiar and important–small doses at considerable intervals allaying the great tenderness of the membranes, and also relieving the tendency to spasms; and in the meningeal tenderness that so often proves annoying during convalescence from these 120

Specific Indications: Herbs for Cardiovascular, Peripheral Vascular, & Pulmonary Conditions

By Jill Stansbury The following exclusive excerpt is adapted from Jill Stansbury’s upcoming new book Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 2: Circulation and Respiration (Chelsea Green, 2018) and printed here with permission from the publisher. Herbs for vascular and pulmonary conditions include those agents capable of reducing blood pressure, such as vasodilators, and those capable of protecting the blood vessels for elevated pressure, lipids, and sugars, such as the various polyphenolic compounds in foods and herbs, such as flavonoids. Heart muscle tonics such as cardiac glycosides and cardioactive steroids are also important vascular herbs. Because many heart and peripheral vascular diseases progress insidiously over many decades’ time, daily tonics to protect against fibrosis, platelet activation, and oxidative stress round out the list of important materia medica tools for support of vascular health. Following is a list of herbs specifically needed for the blood vessels and heart (alphabetical, A-L). Achillea millefolium • Yarrow Achillea flower buds may be used as an antiinflammatory and antimicrobial for vascular inflammations and infections. Achillea is a peripheral vasodilator to include in hypertension formulas, especially when associated with constipation and liver congestion. Achillea is a bitter alterative herb and cholagogue with a warming quality. Achillea may be used as a hemostatic for urgent hemorrhage situations such as nosebleeds, uterine bleeding, and intestinal bleeding. Aconitum napellus, A. carmichaelii • Aconite Aconitum napellus is used in Western herbalism and prepared into homeopathic aconite. It also goes by the common name wolfsbane because the roots are so toxic that they have been used

historically to poison large predatory animals. In TCM Aconitum carmichaelii, or fu zhi, is processed by soaking in alkali and then boiling or steaming to remove a large portion of the poisonous alkaloids. Even though crude Aconitum roots are a deadly poison, the processed root is considered indispensable in TCM, where the roots appear in more than 10 percent of traditional formulas. It is said that Aconitum’s toxicity is due to its extreme concentration of potent life energy, and once processed, it can help offer yang chi at the end of life or treat a variety of diseases. Fu zhi is said to be one of the most yang herbs, commonly used to treat acute myocardial infarction-induced shock, hypotension, coronary heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, and a variety of other ailments. Caution: Do not attempt to alter the formulas in this chapter that contain aconite into herbal tinctures, or use aconite tincture at all without expert guidance. Do not substitute processed fu zhi for unprocessed Aconitum napellus.

Adonis vernalis • Pheasant’s Eye

Aesculus hippocastanum • Horse Chestnut

Caution: This is a potentially toxic botanical due to the presence of glycosides with cardiostimulant effects. It is indicated for low blood pressure, weak feeble heart, valve disease, and edema. Specific indications include a feeble and irregular pulse. Adonis is also used for cardiac inflammation such as endocarditis and myocarditis. Adonis can improve edema by promoting renal blood flow. The Lloyd Brothers pharmacy recommended that their Adonis tincture be diluted into a 2X preparation for endocarditis, or that one-half to one-third of a drop be taken every 3 hours for weak, irregular heart action.

The ripe nuts from horse chestnut trees are specific for poor circulation in the abdomen, especially associated with liver congestion, portal congestion, hemorrhoids, and varicose veins. Aesculus is indicated for aching and weight in varicosities and pelvis, as well as for rectal prolapse. Aesculus is useful for back pain that is due to vascular congestion rather than musculoskeletal problems and for right upper quadrant pain. Many old texts and homeopathic materia medicas mention Aesculus for sharp sticking pains in the anus and rectum, as if splinters were present. Alisma plantago-aquatica • Asian Water Plantain

Another method of dosing the tincture is to place just 10 drops in 4 ounces of water, which may then be taken by the teaspoon hourly for acute heart failure.

The rhizomes contain aconitine-like alkaloids that are potentially dangerous and hepatotoxic, but have also been used in small doses for heart disease and stroke recovery. The plant is 122

emphasized for diuretic effects and to improve renal function in formulas for poor circulation in the kidneys. Alisma may improve dizziness and tinnitus related to circulatory disorders, and research suggests the medicine to lower lipids and blood sugar. This species is also known as A. orientale.

Ammi visnaga • Khella Khella seeds are used as a vasodilator for hypertension and as an antiallergy herb to treat vasculitis and systemic inflammatory burden. The extracts have also traditionally been used for angina pectoris because of the vasodilatory action, and they are commonly included in formulas for cardiovascular and pulmonary inflammation, spasms, and congestion. Several synthetic drugs have been developed from molecules in khella, including amiodarone for hypertension. Khella is sometimes confused with its less-used relative, bishop’s weed (Ammi majus), but the two species do have common chemical constituents and pharmacological effects in common.

Allium sativum • Garlic Garlic is an all-purpose vascular herb with cholesterol-lowering, hypotensive, antithrombotic, platelet-stabilizing, nitric-oxide enhancing, glucose-lowering, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. The well-researched sulfur compounds, such as allicin, are credited with much of the medicinal effects. Allium has been the subject of several human clinical trials showing efficacy in treating hypertension. The consumption of garlic on a regular basis may offer some cardioprotection by reducing inflammatory processes and supporting antioxidant levels.

Angelica sinensis • Dong Quai Angelica root is an all-purpose blood mover for hypertension, vascular inflammation, and cardiac and peripheral vascular diseases. Angelica may reduce the tendency to clots, as an ingredient in formulas for acute thrombi and 123

phlebitis. Angelica may improve anginal pain and pain related to blood congestion and is indicated for vascular congestion, pelvic stagnation, portal congestion, and allergic and inflammatory vascular phenomena. Angelica sinensis may also help with stroke recovery.

Apocynum cannabinum • Dogbane Caution: This is a potentially toxic botanical due to the cardiac glycosides occurring in parts of the plant and should be limited to use by experienced clinicians only. Native American tribes used Apocynum roots for a variety of complaints including heart and respiratory diseases, and weak teas were reported to be cardiotonic and to quiet coughs. Dogbane is indicated where tissues are full and there is a history of nervous debility and atony of the nervous system. Apocynum might help heavy smokers with cardiac irritation and will improve chest pains and general edema. Eclectic physician and author H. W. Felter reported Apocynum to be specific for circulatory atony and dropsy and classified it as a cardiac tonic and sedative. According to the Lloyd Brothers, the dose is 10 drops of tincture placed in 1 ounce of water, taken by the teaspoon every 3 hours.

Anthoxanthum odoratum • Sweet Vernal Grass This grass contains coumarin, noted for numerous anti-inflammatory, hormonal, and circulation-enhancing properties. The characteristic pleasant aroma of freshly cut grass is due to the coumarins. Plants named “sweet clover” or “sweet grass” are so called because of these compounds. The aerial parts have been used folklorically for vascular congestion. The grass is fed to livestock and reported to contribute to excellent quality meat, but rotten sweet grass can form dicoumerols associated with anticoagulant affects and cause possible hemorrhage.

Arctium lappa • Burdock

Apium graveolens • Celery

Burdock root may be used as a supportive, alterative ingredient in vascular formulas associated with digestive, biliary, or hepatic disorders. Burdock roots are high in iron and may be included in teas for those with anemia.

Celery seeds and other celery root and stalk preparations are traditional remedies for high blood pressure in China. Research suggests that they may both support liver function and have nutritive diuretic effects on the kidneys.

Arnica montana • Leopard’s Bane

Specific indications include dizziness, headaches, and shoulder pain. Celery stalk juice may be used on a daily basis to help treat hypertension and is considered safe for pregnant and ill individuals.

The dried flowers of Arnica are most often used to prepare oils for musculoskeletal pain and trauma and to prepare homeopathic medicine; they are less commonly included in tinctures for internal use. Arnica may be used orally, in small quantities only, for anginal pain that is sore, bruised, and aching in quality. Arnica may improve feeble circulation. Arnica is said to be specific for weak circulation, for the advanced stages of disease where innervation is impaired, and for a sense of weight and pressure in the chest that is worse with exertion. Astragalus membranaceus • Milk Vetch Astragalus roots are commonly combined with Angelica and used for a wide variety of vascular complaints and diseases. Astragalus has been shown to support stroke recovery, heart disease, 124

and inflammatory disease of the vasculature, whether induced by diabetes, hyper-lipidemia, or simple old age. Astragalus polysaccharides are noted to protect endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes, and mitochondria from a variety of oxidative stressors and toxic assaults. Astragalus is a bland-tasting legume suitable for teas, and the powder can be included in smoothies and medicinal foods. Astragalus can be used for acute infectious or inflammatory crises as well as in long-term formulations to stall the progression of fibrosis of tissues, atherosclerotic plaques, and biofilm establishment in the heart and pulmonary tissues. Astragalus may help protect collagen matrices of the heart and airways, preserving elasticity, reducing permanent tissue damage.

inflammatory effects are credited to sesquiterpenoid compounds. Other major constituents credited with medicinal effects are atractylodin and β-eudesmol.

Atractylodes species • Bai Zhu

Berberis roots contain berberine, which is useful to support metabolism and liver function, and may be a foundation alterative ingredient in formulas for hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Berberis powders, compresses, and skin washes may be used topically for stasis ulcers, specifically for thick purulent mucous accumulations. Berberis is specifically indicated for various cardiovascular pathologies associated with digestive or liver disorders and portal congestion. This species is also known as Mahonia aquifolium.

Avena sativa • Oats The ripe groats and oatmeal are useful for heart health. Eating oatmeal and oat bran provides high-quality fiber and beta glucans to help control elevated lipids and glucose. “Milky” oats are high in tryptophan and credited with a calming effect on the nerves, which may help reduce stress-induced hypertension. Berberis aquifolium • Oregon Grape

Atractylodes lancea and A. macrocephala are Asteraceae family plants whose dried rhizomes are used in TCM for digestive issues and as a general tonic following stroke or other serious illness. Atractylodes roots are often processed by stir-frying with wheat bran with the aim of reducing its dryness and increasing its tonifying function. The plant may improve lipid metabolism and have antiobesity effects. Like other aster family plants, some of the anti-

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Borago officinalis • Borage

Castanospermum australe • Blackbean Tree

The seed oil is a rich source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) that may improve lipid profiles and reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors. GLA is used in the body to produce anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, which may help protect the nerves, lungs, heart, and other tissues form oxidative and inflammatory stressors. Borage seed oil may be helpful in larger protocols for diabetes, elevated lipids and heart disease, respiratory distress syndrome, and neuropathy.

This South Pacific leguminous tree contains phytosterol saponins credited with hypotensive, hypoglycemic, and cardioprotective effects. The seeds are poisonous but are processed to leach the toxic compounds and may be made edible. The alkaloid castanospermine inhibits α and βglucosidase, interfering with the synthesis of glycoprotein receptors on some cell and endoplasmic reticular membranes including blood and endothelial cells, and thereby preventing the adhesion of various substances. Castanospermine may offer protective effects on the vasculature and extracellular matrix of the heart and blood vessels by inhibiting endothelial glycoproteins binding. Castospermum may also deter viral endocarditis by interfering with viral proteins.

Calendula officinalis • Pot Marigold Calendula flowers and/or leaf medications are useful topically for phlebitis and stasis ulcers and internally to support connective tissue regeneration and prevention of fibrin deposition in convalescent formulas for MI, endocarditis, and pericarditis. Despite its popularity, Calendula has not been extensively investigated, but research suggest that it may support healing and tissue regeneration through support of microcirculation.

Ceanothus americanus • Red Root

Calendula supports angiogenesis in injured tissue and promotes complete healing rather than fibrosis. Calendula may limit the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), where sugars and proteins fuse and attach to cell surfaces, contributing to aging and the accelerated progression of diabetes and heart disease. Camellia sinensis • Green Tea

The roots of Ceanothus are indicated for chronic fluid stasis in the obese and for those with poor circulation, splenomegaly, and diabetics. Ceanothus is also helpful for the doughy skin often seen in long-term diabetics. Ceanothus is specific for “lymphatic” and “damp” constitutions in various folkloric traditions. Very little research on Ceanothus has yet been conducted.

Green tea is an antioxidant and gentle metabolic stimulant for inflammation. Epidemiologic studies suggest the regular consumption of green tea may reduce the risk of cancer and many inflammatory diseases. Camellia may benefit the heart, but present research suggests only the unfermented or partially fermented green and oolong teas benefit hypertension, and these benefits may not apply to “black” or fermented Camellia teas. Camellia contains iron and can be used in tea formulas to treat anemia.

Centella asiatica • Gotu Kola Gotu kola is a tissue-protecting and building herb that may be used topically for phlebitis and stasis ulcers, internally to support connective 126

tissue regeneration, and in convalescent formulas for MI, pericarditis, phlebitis, stasis ulcers, and trauma recovery to prevent fibrin deposition. The entire plant contains the triterpenoids madecassic and asiatic acids, which may protect endothelial cells from hypoxic stress and resist damage to endothelial barrier function in various inflammatory situations. Animal studies suggest that the saponin asiaticoside attenuates pulmonary hypertension and resultant cardiac hypertrophy by protecting against hypoxia-induced proliferation of arterial smooth muscle cells. A human pilot study suggested Centella to reduce collagen deposition in carotid artery plaques compared to placebo.

constitutions, and it reduces platelet aggregation, reducing the risk of clotting and thrombi. Cinnamon moves blood out of the pelvis and into the limbs. Cinnamon in formulas may help reduce high cholesterol and glucose. Cinnamon is an effective hemostatic for postpartum hemorrhage, menorrhagia due to fibroids and polyps, and heavy menses that are worse with motion and jarring. Both of these species contain cinnamaldehyde and eugenol credited with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and other activities. Cinnamon is a general circulatory effector with warming properties in the skin and gastrointestinal tract. Cinnamon may irritate the intestines in those with irritable bowel syndrome.

Cinnamomum species • Cinnamon Cinnamomum verum is commonly called true or Ceylon cinnamon; the species is also known as C. zeylanicum. Cinnamomum cassia is called cassia, and it is the most common commercial form of cinnamon. C. cassia is also known as C. aromaticum. Both species are used for culinary and medicinal purposes and credited with hypotensive and antiatherogenic and antidiabetic effects. Various species of cinnamon may regulate glucose transporters, improve glucose uptake and fasting blood glucose, inhibit α-glucosidase activity, and increase insulin sensitivity in diabetes and obesity. Cinnamon bark is a warming blood mover for cold

Cnicus benedictus • Blessed Thistle The leaves of this thistle are specific for sluggish liver function and are a useful alterative to improve the liver’s processing of hormones, carbohydrates, and lipids. The plant has been used as a wild food, a galactagogue, and hepatonic in traditional herbalism. Cnicus may be used in formulas as a gentle tonic and base ingredient when treating circulatory issues related to underlying diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

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Cnidium monnieri • Snow Parsley

Convallaria majalis • Lily of the Valley

Cnidium seeds are widely used in the traditional herbalism of China, Vietnam, and Japan, and more than 350 physiological compounds have been identified including coumarins, common to Apiaceae family plants. Among the broad antimicrobial, antiallergy, and anti-inflammatory compounds, Cnidium’s blood-moving effects are particularly emphasized in folkloric traditions. Cnidium could be used in formulas for hypertension, vasocongestion, and vasculary hypersensitivy disorders such as hives or headaches and also to support both male and female reproductive conditions, including infertility and erectile dysfunction.

Convallaria contains cardiac glycosides including convallarin and is specific for weak heart action causing tissue congestion and dyspnea. Convallaria is also recommended for valvular diseases and mechanical problems, palpitations and arrhythmias, and pitting and echymoses of the tissues due to poor venous return. The Eclectic physicians of the late 1800s thought Convallaria was safer than digitalis and noncumulative and used it extensively for heart diseases. A dose of 5 to 20 drops of the fluid extract was taken in a single dose; 2 to 10 milliliters was placed in 4 ounces of water and dispensed by the teaspoon, every 3 to 6 hours. Caution: Convallaria majalis has a Digitalis-like action and should be reserved for use by experienced herbalists and clinicians only.

Collinsonia canadensis • Stoneroot Collinsonia is specific for peripheral vascular congestion and varicosities associated with fluid congestion in the surrounding mucous membranes and also for hemorrhoids with a sense of weight and aching and concomitant with intestinal mucous membrane congestion. Collinsonia is also specific for long-standing mucosal congestion in the throat leading to a hoarse voice and full sensation or sense of constriction in the larynx or pharynx, as well as a tickling sensation in the throat. Collinsonia may improve vascular congestion in the throat due to overuse of the voice.

Coptis chinensis • Goldthread Coptis is “gold” due to the presence of berberine in the roots, a well-studied isoquinoline alkaloid credited with many medicinal activities. Coptis has antimicrobial effects and may be included in formulas for infectious endocarditis and phlebitis. Berberine supports metabolism and liver function and is also appropriate to include in formulas for cardiovascular disease related to elevated lipids, diabetes, and hypertension. Due to its many metabolic effects, Coptis may help deter endothelial atherosclerotic plaque deposition and may help protect the brain against neurodegenerative effects due to metabolic syndrome. Coptis also supports liver metabolism, improving carbohydrate and lipid processing, and offers cardioprotection. Coptis chinensis is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in TCM, where it is called duan e huang lian.

Collinsonia is also specific for a sense of constriction in other tissues, such as hemorrhoids with the sense of splinters and sticking pains or a sense of foreign body in the anus. Felter reported Collinsonia to sedate vagal nerve activities when given in small frequent doses and recommended it for asthma, cough, and heart ailments especially when associated with a sense of weight and tightness in the chest.

Crataegus monogyna, C. oxyacantha • Hawthorn

Commiphora mukul • Guggul

Leaves, flower buds, and ripe fruits are all used medicinally, and hawthorn is a general circulatory-enhancing herb with versatile applications in all manner of cardiovascular formulas. Crataegus may improve perfusion, and the Eclectic era physicians claimed that it improved nutrition to the heart, making it

Commiphora mukul is specific for elevated lipids due to diabetes, hypothyroidism, or slow metabolism. It is a warming herb that is traditional in India for obesity, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. 128

appropriate for all types of cardiomyopathy. Crataegus makes a useful trophorestorative base ingredient in formulas to improve blood vessel health and integrity and as a vascular antiinflammatory for all manner of cardiovascular and peripheral vascular conditions. Crataegus may improve circulatory insufficiency and help protect the blood vessels in cases of hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. Crataegus is not terribly specific for anything and yet is appropriate for everything.

Crinum glaucum • Swamp Lily Like other Amaryllidaceae family bulbs, the swamp or river lily may have physiologic effects via nervous regulation. Crinum may be specific for hypertension with shallow breathing and heart weakness with dyspnea. Curcuma longa • Turmeric Turmeric roots may be used as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredient in formulas for vascular inflammation, especially when associated with liver congestion, systemic inflammation, and chronic infections. Curcuma is also helpful to improve lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in cases of diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Curcuma may also be included in formulas for hemochromatosis due to its ability to protect tissues from the damaging effects of iron overload.

Crataegus is appropriate in inflammatory processes associated with hyperglycemia and hyper-lipidemia and can be a foundation herb upon which to rest more specific herbs to help prevent vascular damage for long-term use in treating chronic conditions. It is appropriate in cases of both hypertension and hypotension, bradycardia and tachycardia, and sluggish circulation and tendency to clots, and it is not contraindicated during Coumadin therapy or for diseases associated with a tendency to hemorrhage.

Cynara scolymus • Artichoke Artichokes and related thistles are nourishing and useful as medicinal foods or as alterative ingredients in formulas for high cholesterol and vascular com-plaints related to liver or digestive disorders. Cynara is a liver tonic and may improve cholesterol and hormonal imbalance by supporting the hepatic processing of these substances. Cynara improves glucose and lipid processing and is useful for hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Human clinical trials have shown leaf medications to help improve liver function in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Cytisus scoparius • Scot’s Broom Cytisus flowering tops contain the alkaloid sparteine, which is a general diuretic that may help diurese congestive heart failure patients. Sparteine may also have an oxytocic effect, explaining the plant’s traditional use for stalled labor. The Lloyd Brothers pharmacy of the late 1800s and early 1900s recommended 10 to 30 drops of the prepared tincture in a given dose, repeated 2 or 3 times a day for circulatory support. The plant has not been rigorously 129

researched but is reported to contain common flavonoids, such as rutin, quercetin, quercitrin, isorhamnetin, and kaempferol, and common legume isoflavones including genistein and sarothamnoside. Unique compounds include quinolizidine alkaloids, namely sparteine as well as arothamine and lupanine, and benzenoid compounds including tyramine. Lectins including galactosamine have also been identified.

Digitalis purpurea â&#x20AC;˘ Foxglove Caution: This classic cardiotonic is a potentially toxic botanical due to the cardiac glycosides it contains. Digitalis leaves act as a general circulatory stimulant, which is best for weak, feeble, and degenerated heart conditions. The publications of both the Lloyd Brothers and the German physician R. F. Weiss have reported that Digitalis does not always have to be continued life-long, as is the current norm, but that it can correct and strengthen a weakened heart and then be withdrawn. Dose is 10 drops to 2 milliliters placed in 4 ounces of water and taken by the teaspoon every hour (per the Lloyd Brothers), or 1 to 3 drops of the fluid extract or 5 to 20 drops tincture (per Finley Ellingwood). Felter stated in the 1920s that Digitalis could be useful to treat delirium tremens and for the early states of heart failure, in which case he recommended combining it with Selenicereus grandiflorus (known in Felterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s era as Cactus grandiflorus). Digitalis is said to first stimulate the vagal nerve and then to depress it, but when combined with Selenicereus, no such depression tends to occur. The goal of therapy for heart

Desmodium styracifolium â&#x20AC;˘ Desmodium This legume is used to clear heat and resolve damp-ness in TCM, and the plant is credited with an ability to diurese and disperse toxins. The entire plant is used medicinally and may be an adjuvant in formulas for the heart and lungs; it is also used as a tonic that may lower blood pressure through promoting cholinergic activity and blocking adrenergic activity. Desmodium styracifolium shows fibrinolytic activity, explaining its traditional use in circulatory formulas. 130

failure is to use very small doses that stimulate the heart, but not push the dose too high or for too long and risk further weakening the heart. Digitalis cardiac glycosides such as digoxin have been well studied and developed into inotropic pharmaceuticals used to treat cardiomyopathy and tachyarrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation.

inhibitor, which serves to improve blood vessel tone, yet has vasodilating effects via nitric oxide promotion in endothelial cells. Epimedium is a large genus, and numerous published research papers cite species names that have later been found to be synonymous. For example, E. brevicornu is also known as E. brevicornum and E. brevicornis. E. koreanum, E. grandi-florum, E. rotundatum, E. sagittatum, and E. brevicornum all go by the common name horny goatweed, are used to improve penile circulation in cases of impotence, and are shown to have general circulatory-enhancing effects.

Echinacea species • Coneflowers Echinacea purpurea and E. angustifolia root medicines may be included as antimicrobial ingredients in formulas for infectious complaints of the cardio and peripheral vasculature. Echinacea may be a supportive herb in cardiovascular formulas, acting as an aid in moving lymphatic fluid in cases of cellulitis and lymph-edema. Echinacea is specifically indicated for decay of the tissues, such as with stasis ulcers in circulatory insufficiency and even gangrene.

Equisetum species • Horsetail The aerial parts of Equisetum may be used as a supportive herb in cardio and peripheral vascular formulas. Equisetum is not specifically a vascular herb, but may be a possible synergist herb to include in vascular formulas where there is acute inflammation of blood vessels and surrounding soft tissues, such as cellulitis. Equisetum may support full healing of inflamed blood vessels and tissue, reduce scarring and hyperinflammatory reactions, reduce keloid formation in the skin, and prevent valve damage in the heart that may result from acute infectious and inflammatory processes. Equisetum arvense, E. hyemale, and other species are used interchangeably.

Eleutherococcus senticosus • Siberian Ginseng Eleutherococcus is indicated for hypertension and heart palpitations associated with stress and anxiety. The roots of Eleutherococcus act as an adrenal tonic useful for long-term stress resulting in nervous symptoms and fatigue. Eleutherococcus is appropriate to include in formulas for endocrine imbalances and immune insufficiency, especially when related to stress and overwork and associated with fatigue, weakness, and emotional instability.

Eschscholzia californica • California Poppy

Epimedium brevicornu • Horny Goatweed

The entire plant is used as an anodyne and nervine medicine. Eschscholzia may act as a complementary component in formulas for

Epimedium is a traditional Chinese herb said to invigorate yang and often used in skin, bone, and reproductive hormonal-balancing formulas. Other Epimedium species are also used medicinally, with E. grandiflorum being most emphasized in TCM as a kidney yang tonic. Epimedium may also enhance peripheral nerve regeneration when damaged due to poor circulation, and animal studies support the traditional usage for improving motor function following a stroke and helping to recover normal nerve conductivity. The aerial parts contain the flavonoid icariin, shown to improve blood lipids. Icariin is shown to be a phosphodieterase 131

hypertension-associated adrenal exhaustion due to long-term stress. Eschscholzia is specific for symptoms of anxiety, muscular tension, and poor sleep.

Ginkgo may be included in herbal formulas for a wide variety of vascular complaints including hypertension, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular insufficiency, arterio and venoinsufficiency, Raynaud’s, and tissue edema related to heart failure.

Fucus vesiculosus • Kelp Kelp, also called bladderwrack, is indicated for hypotension associated with hypothyroidism and is specific for obesity, goiter, exopthalmia, constipation, flatulence (all of which are symptoms of hypothyroidism), and impotence in hypothyroid men. The entire seaweed is dried or prepared into medicines and medicinal foods. Because it is so high in minerals, Fucus is also useful for mineral imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. Fucus contains sulfated polysaccharides with immunomodulating effect, and the whole plant may support the integrity of connective tissue, both internally and when topically applied.

Glycine max • Soybean

Gastrodia elata • Tian Ma

The roots of Glycyrrhiza species may be used as a supportive adaptogenic ingredient in cases of weak heart action related to endocrine insufficiency and imbalances. Glycyrrhiza is appropriate for viral infections, weak immunity, and general inflammation. Glycyhrriza is also indicated to support the adrenal glands when withdrawing from steroids, such as in convalescent formulas for acute endocarditis and pericarditis. Glycyrrhiza uralensis is used in many TCM formulas for heart disease, vascular inflammation, and many other conditions.

Soybeans are well known to contain phytosterols and are specific to use in a foodlike way for hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and menopausal symptoms including osteopenia. Soy’s hypotensive effects may be weak, but its overall nutritive and protective effects may be significant. The regular consumption of soy throughout a lifetime is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease parameters. Glycyrrhiza glabra • Licorice

Gastrodia is an orchid that requires symbiotic association with two different fungi in order to grow. As with many orchids, Gastrodia is endangered and should be obtained only from cultivated sources. Because the Armillaria fungus that populates Gastrodia roots has been credited with many of Gastrodia’s medicinal effects, it is now cultivated as a substitute for Gastrodia and referred to as gastrodia mushroom. Gastrodia was listed in ancient herbals to guard health and protect longevity. Gastrodia is a traditional Chinese medicine for treating stroke, epilepsy, tinnitus, headaches, transient ischemic episodes, dizziness, and dementia, and the constituent gastrodin has been shown to prevent reperfusion injury. Armillaria fermentation products also appear to have circulatory-enhancing effects, useful to improve cerebrovascular circulation, treat Meniere’s syndrome or disease, epilepsy, and paresthesia related to diabetes.

Gymnema sylvestre • Gurmar Also called the sugar destroyer, Gymnema is indicated for arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis associated with diabetes. The plant has been used in India for such complaints for thousands of years. The plant has earned the name “sugar destroyer” because chewing the leaves destroys the ability to taste sweetness in foods for an hour or two afterward. It was therefore traditionally used to curb sweet cravings and to support diabetics with weight loss and dietary changes. The plant has also been used for vascular disease and to treat both high and low blood pressure. Large doses of the plant may be contraindicated

Ginkgo biloba • Maidenhair Tree Ginkgo leaves are one of the most studied and prescribed herbal medicines. Due to its many anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, 132

in those with rapid hypoglycemic reactivity, because it may cause blood sugar to drop quickly. A group of triterpenoid saponins called gymnemic acids have been identified and are thought to be responsible for the observed antidiabetic activity. Another group of saponins, the Gymnema saponins, are credited with the antisweat phenomenon.

improve varicosities and reduce passive hemorrhages. Hamamelis may be used both topically and internally in preparation for vein inflammation and pain and is specific for heavy, aching, distensive pains in the vasculature. For men with varicocele, combine Hamamelis with Ginkgo and Aesculus. For women with perineal and heavy, aching genital pain associated with premenstrual vascular congestion, combine with Caulophyllum and/or Angelica. Hamamelis is also specifically indicated for heavy menses due to excessive endometrial buildup or for abnormal shedding of the uterine lining, as is the case with fibroids and polyps, where Hamamelis is appropriately combined with Achillea and Cinnamomum. Hamamelis is credited with stypic and astringent properties and is also indicated for blood in the sputum (hemoptysis), bleeding from the bowels, or blood-tinged diarrhea. The Eclectic authors emphasized Hamamelis for atonic and flabby mucous membranes due to poor vascular tone.

Hamamelis virginiana â&#x20AC;˘ Witch Hazel The leaf, bark, and young twigs of witch hazel have all been used traditionally to make herbal medicines, and the plant has been listed in many early editions of the US Pharmacopeia. Native American peoples used the plant topically and internally. Hamamelis is specific for varicosities and peripheral vascular inflammation. Hamamelis has been called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;arnica of the veinsâ&#x20AC;? because it is specific for vein trauma, just as Arnica is specific for musculoskeletal trauma. Hamamelis increases vasomotor tone, helping to

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Hibiscus sabdariffa • Roselle

medicine isolates and concentrates the huperzines. Huperzia, and especially concentrated products, may be used in formulas for vascular dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly. Huperzia is also used for vascular injuries such as bruising, vomiting blood, hemorrhoids, and lung abscesses, and older herbals suggest it can be useful for recurrent fevers that are worse each afternoon and for congestive headache, dizziness and fainting, cough with bloody expectoration, and lung disease.

Also called flor de Jamaica, this herb is a Caribbean, South American, and African traditional medicine for cardiovascular disease. Rich in flavonoids, Hibiscus sepals are best used as a sour tea, taken as often as possible to prevent the occurrence or at least slow the progression of heart disease. Hibiscus may be used broadly for all manner of cardiovascular diseases and appears safe for all patients to use in tandem with other herbs and pharmaceuticals. Hibiscus is the richest known plant source of chromium and may improve insulin response and metabolism of glucose. Therefore, Hibiscus might be specifically indicated for hypertension, atherosclerosis, type II diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. While the sepals of roselle are especially valuable as medicine and medicinal food, the dried petals of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis are also used medicinally in Asia. The plant is also called Chinese hibiscus.

Hydrastis canadensis • Goldenseal While not a lead herb in vascular formulas, Hydrastis roots may be useful as a supportive herb in some situations of vascular stasis associated with the breakdown of skin and mucosal barriers, associated with opportunistic infections. Hydrastis may be used as an ingredient in topical preparations for stasis ulcers, specifically for thick purulent mucous accumulations. Hydrastis may also improve bleeding intestinal ulcers associated with feeble circulation, loss of intestinal tone, and mucosal atrophy.

Hippophae rhamnoides • Sea Buckthorn Sea buckthorn fruits are used to produce an orange-red oil high in vitamins, flavonoids, and important minerals including selenium and zinc and may act as a natural calcium channel blocker to lower blood pressure. The seeds may be used to extract a pale thin oil high in linoleic and alpha-linolenic fatty acid, and the fruit pulp may be used to create a bright orange thick oil high in palmitic fatty acid. Both are high in vitamin E and carotenoids and can be used topically and internally for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The oil may be consumed orally to improve lipid profiles, as well as used to help control vascular inflammation, support repair and regeneration of tissue, and reduce allergic activity.

Hypericum perforatum • St. Johnswort St. Johnswort flower buds may be used as an ingredient in formulas to strengthen and reduce inflammation in all types of vascular tissue, from the heart muscle itself, to the microvasculature, and as a circulatory and neural antiinflammatory for retinopathy, retinitis, and vascular trauma with bruising and hematomas. Hypericum is a traditional medicine for bruising, strains, sprains, and trauma and may also support healing of stasis ulcers in patients with diabetes and circulatory insufficiency. Animal studies suggest that Hypericum has the ability to enhance fibroblast proliferation and collagen synthesis and to support revascularization and wound healing. Hypericum has also been used folklorically for neuropathy and trauma to highly innervated areas. Internal and topical medication may also be useful for diabetics with peripheral neuropathy, and flavonoids in Hypericum may offer neuroprotective action.

Huperzia serrata • Chinese Club Moss Known as qian ceng ta in China, the Huperzia club moss was at one time known as Lycopodium, long recommended for mental weakness and senility. Huperzia contains a group of alkaloids known as huperzines, shown to act as cholinesterase inhibitors. The entire moss has been used traditionally in China, while modern 134

Iris versicolor • Wild Iris

Juniperis communis • Juniper

The creeping rhizomatous roots of Iris may be used as a supportive ingredient in formulas for hypertension and hyperlipidemia associated with portal congestion and insufficient digestive secretions. Iris is an overall stimulant specific for congested lymphatic tissues and body glands including lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and thyroid. Iris increases the secretions of salivary and digestive glands and is useful as a complementary herb in cases of hypothyroid digestive insufficiency and the poor lipid metabolism and hyperlipidemia that may accompany. Iris is a warming, stimulating herb; a small dose of only a few drops combined with other herbs is all that is needed to gently stimulate the glands. Other common names are blue flag and vegetable mercury. Mercury toxicity is known to promote excessive salivation, and because Iris can promote saliva flow, it acts as a “vegetable” mercury.

Juniper berries are best used as a synergist and complementary herb in formulas for edema related to poor circulation to the kidneys and renal insufficiency. Juniperis is occasionally appropriate as an ingredient in formulas for edema related to congestive heart failure, though only as a palliative support. Juniperis is used only in those with atonic renal function and output, such as elderly men with poor urinary tone and function, and in those with a postmenopausal tendency to chronic bladder infections. Juniperis is a urinary stimulant and counterirritant for cases of atony in the renal system. Juniper is contraindicated for acute inflammatory disorders of the urinary system. Juniper is specific for thick urine with mucous threads and secretions and should be used in small doses only. It is most appropriate for cold, underfunctioning, atonic conditions in diabetics with poor circulation, atony of the tissues, and a tendency to chronic urinary tract infections. 135

Lavandula species • Lavender

Lepidium meyenii • Maca

Lavender is specific to include in teas or use in aromatherapy for stress and anxiety-related hypertension. Research suggests that the plant may act in part via cholinergic effects and direct effects on the limbic system. Even inhaling lavender essential oils off the palms of the hands for 10 minutes may override sympathetic nerve dominance and invoke the relaxing and hypotensive effects of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Maca roots may be a possible formula addition for renal hypofunction, to help excrete fluid in cases of congestive heart failure, and as a supportive measure to improve renal cellular function in cases of renal hypertension. Maca may be used to best effect as a medicinal food, such as using 1 to 2 tablespoons of the powder in smoothies, oatmeal, or other food each day.

Lavender may also be used orally in nervine tea blends in the treatment of hypertension, and newer products include lavender oil concentrates for oral use in the treatment of anxiety and anxiety-related complaints. L. angustifolia (also known as L. officinalis) and L. latifolia are the main species used medicinally and to produce essential oil.

Ligusticum is commonly used in TCM in a wide variety of cardiovascular, pulmonary, and respiratory formulas. The herb is traditional to revitalize blood circulation in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and is also specific for headaches and vertigo. Modern research suggests efficacy for vascular dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly and to support stroke recovery. Ligustrazine from Ligusticum striatum helps protect against reperfusion injury. Isolated alkaloids from Ligusticum and purified synthetic ligustrazine have been used in China as medicinal agents for 30 years. Ligusticum wallichii and L. chuanxiong are considered synonyms of L. striatum.

Ligusticum striatum • Ligusticum

Leonurus cardiaca • Motherwort The young aerial parts of motherwort are indicated for vascular complaints associated with nervousness and endocrine imbalances such as menopausal transitions and hyperthyroidism. Leonurus is appropriate as a supportive ingredient in formulas for hypertension when associated with anxiety, hyperthyroidism, and menopause.

Linum usitatissimum • Flax Flaxseeds are specific for hyperlipidemia, but they are also a good nonspecific remedy that may benefit all cardiovascular pathologies such as thrombotic disorders, atherosclerosis, and metabolic syndrome. Flaxseeds are effective only with daily consumption of the ground seeds and oil, and this plant is not used as tea or tincture. The seeds are the source of essential fatty acids to consume in teaspoon to tablespoon-size doses, and seed meal can act as bulk laxative and bowel tonic.

Leonurus is specific for hypertension, heart palpitations, cardiac irregularity manifesting at the climacteric, and complex endocrine disorders with a restless anxiety. Leonurus is also appropriate for nervous debility and restlessness and for tics, twitches, and tremors. Lepidium latifolium • Rompe Piedras Lepidium latifolium is specifically indicated for kidney stones because it helps the urinary tissues excrete wastes and excess water. This species of Lepidium may also be specific for hypertension, helping the kidneys excrete sodium, and supporting renal circulation in cases of circulatory insufficiency.

Lobelia inflata • Pukeweed There are more than 400 species of Lobelia, with L. inflata most well known to Western herbalists, who have used the aerial parts as a bronchodilator and to ease acute vasospams in cases of angina. The young flowers and 136

seedpods contain lobeline, a powerful emetic at high doses, and a useful expectorant at lower doses. Lobelia has also gone by the name Indian tobacco, because some Native American peoples used the plant in smoking mixtures to treat dyspnea. Lobelia has a sedating effect on the circulatory system and may relax vasospasms, calm tachyarrhythmias, and help expectorate the lungs in cases of congestive heart failure. It is not, however, a cardiotonic like Convallaria and has no nourishing qualities as does Crataegus.

Lycopus virginicus â&#x20AC;˘ Bugleweed The aerial parts of Lycopus are specific for vascular excitation due to sympathetic (adrenergic) stimulation and rapid pulse and for thyroid disorders with tumultuous heart action. Lycopus may improve testicular pain related to vascular congestion or hormonal imbalance. Although Lycopus is not considered a bloodsugarâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;regulating herb, it was also traditionally used in some diabetes formulas, where polyuria, tachycardia, and hypertension were presenting as symptoms.

Lobelia can be valuable, nonetheless, in formulas for cardiac cough and chest pain where there are bouts of spasms, restlessness, and excitability and to calm pain of a throbbing character. Lobelia is specific for a full bounding pulse and strong thudding or flip-flopping sensations in the chest.

Lycopus is also specific for dysfunctional uterine bleeding that is frequent and scant in quantity. There has not yet been much scientific research into the mechanisms of action, but scant investigations suggest that rosmarinic acid found in Lycopus may act as a vascular antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and that neuroendocrine effects may help treat tachycardia and arrhythmias associated with hyperthyroidism or endocrine dysfunction.

Lobelia is also specific for hyperemia and heat stroke. Avoid Lobelia in weak asthenic subjects, in those with a weak slow pulse, or in those with dyspnea related to advanced heart failure.

Reference Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 2: Circulation and Respiration Including the Cardiovascular, Peripheral Vascular, Pulmonary, and Respiratory Systems by Dr. Jill Stansbury.

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Lycopus virginicus

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Endophytes Think You’re Making Herbal Medicine? Think Again…

by Marija Helt You can look forward to more of Marija’s awesome, geeky, mind bending classes at the upcoming Good Medicine Confluence “Big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ‘em. And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so, ad infinitum. And the great fleas, themselves, have greater fleas to go on, While these again have greater still, and greater still, and so on…” -Jonathan Swift

Many of us think of ourselves and other beings as an “individuals”…Jane, Joe, Rex the dog, Tiger the cat. In reality, life is more similar to a fractal, or perhaps a set of Russian nesting dolls.

We’re each a hodgepodge of many smaller individuals; a collection of our cells as well as fungi and bacteria that do more than just tag along…they influence how we are. Don’t even get me started on the the viruses that infect our resident bacteria and influence how they are. Even “our own” cells contain viral genetic sequences integral to our DNA. So microbial tag alongs may even influence who we are. Not to forget the other end of the spectrum, in which we’re but one component of the larger organism of the planet. “Individuals”, indeed.

microbiome, it’s becoming clear that the growth, stress resistance and chemical make up of plants is dependent upon their resident microbiome, the endophytes. And, well, endophytes are pretty cool. Have you heard of hypericin? An endophyte can make it. Diosgenin? Ditto. Artemisin? Yup. Taxol? You get the idea… More on “plant” medicine momentarily. First, let’s get in to the how, what and why of endophytes.

Plants are no exception to this nesting doll reality. When we make plant extracts, we are in fact making plant, fungal and bacterial extracts.

If a plant geek, you’ve heard of mycorrhizal microbes that grow associated with plant roots. These bugs facilitate water and nutrient uptake by the roots and mediate plant-to-plant communication as well. Those that actually penetrate into the roots are endophytes. But endophytes are also found inside of seeds, leaves, stems, flowers, fruit, buds and bark (3).

Medicinals such as Chamomile, Mints, Saint John’s Wort, Skullcap, Rosemary, Geranium, Fennel, Artemisia and many others have been studied for their fungal and bacterial tag-alongs, called “endophytes” (1, 2), meaning “inside plants”. In fact, all plant species tested to date contain endophytes, critters who hang around inside living tissue without causing disease. Wash the plant all you want before extracting and you don’t get rid of them. Endophytes exist either inside of or squeezed in between the plant cells. And, really, you may not want to get rid of them. “So what?”, you may ask. Well, endophytes may be a key determinant of the quality of our plant medicine. As more and more research is pointing to just how much our health and emotional state are impacted by the health of our

Endophytes, you say?

Most endophytes identified so far are filamentous fungi though many are bacteria (4), and they’re tough little bastards to study. Most of the research looking at endophytes are folks interested in “drugifying” the metabolites that they make. To study them scientists have to surface sterilize a plant then grind it up to release the endophytes, which they’ll attempt to culture on various growth media. But not all endophytes are willing to cooperate with this arrangement and refuse to be cultured. Just how many different endophytes are out there? One study alone cultivated 181 bacterial endophytes from 13 medicinal herb species (1). This, of course, doesn’t include those that can’t be grown in culture and the study didn’t look for fungal endophytes. Thus, the answer to how many endophytes are out there is “a shitload”. So, what do plants get out of this intimate arrangement? In some cases, the endophyte grants the plant increased resistance to parasites or to grazing insects and animals. Or a better likelihood of surviving changing environmental conditions. Or more robust growth. And the endophyte? Many survive in the soil for a long time without a plant home.

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When inside the plant, the endophyte gets necessary nutrients or completing its life cycle (3). Though this relationship is not all roses; sometimes the relationship is antagonistic (Married with Children?) or parasitic (The Hunger?) rather than mutualistic (3).

endophytes also make secondary metabolites, many that we typically associate with plants. Endophytes may be influencing our plant medicine in multiple ways. Clearly there are more plant chemicals by sheer mass than endophyte chemicals in that jar of macerating Peppermint in the cabinet. But it’s evident that endophytes have an impact on that medicine. For example, there may be chemicals in those jars that likely wouldn’t be there if not for endophytes (8). In some cases, this is because the endophytes are synthesizing stuff that the plant doesn’t make itself. Alternatively, the endophyte may be stimulating the plant to make something it wouldn’t without the endophyte’s influence;

When and how did endophytes get there initially??? Who the hell knows… Have they been tagging along since the beginning? Or, did plants become colonized somewhere down the line? Plants are thought to have first set foot (er, root) on land by about 700 million years ago. Fossil evidence points to a plant-endophyte relationship being in place by about 400 million years ago (5). So it’s certainly not a new partnership. As to the how, it’s known that some endophytes are transmitted vertically, meaning that they’re passed from mama to baby plants via seed. These are thought to be “obligate” endophytes that can’t exist outside of the plant (3). Other endophytes are transmitted horizontally, meaning that they’re spread from plant to plant by endophyte spores (6). These are thought to be “facultative” endophytes, capable of hanging out in some form elsewhere but living inside of the plant for a good chunk of their lifecycle (3). So maybe at some point way back when, a spore made it’s way into a plant. After all, fungi were already hanging around on land long before plants showed up. Or, given that some plants need their endophytes in order to grow to maturity from seed (4) or to survive in a stressful environment (7), maybe endophytes were there from the very beginning and were pivotal to successful plant evolution.

resveratrol in Doug Fir is an example (4, 8). Endophytes may also influence levels of metabolites the plant already makes on its own. Echinacea’s immune modulating alkamides are an example of this (9). Sometimes both the plant and the endophyte produce the same metabolite(s). In this case, the plant and endophyte may be sharing genes via gene transfer from one organism to the other, or they may have co-evolved the ability to make a particular metabolite, as seems to be the case in some Artemisia species (2).

Back to medicinal plants The existence of endophytes has been known for over a hundred years (4), yet I can’t claim to have though about them and their contribution to the medicine sitting in jars on my shelf until recently. Plants obviously provide great medicine. Herbal medicine works because many of the secondary metabolites that aid the plants also benefit us. What’s become clear is that

It’s theoretically possible that endophytes may be responsible for the primary medicinal actions of a plant in some cases. Either by directly producing strong medicinal metabolites that you 143

don’t need a whole lot of for effects, or by influencing the plant’s production of medicinal stuff. Endophytes themselves make a veritable cornucopia (yes, I went there) of medicinal compounds. There’s a handy table included here that was compiled for you tabley types. It lists many of the categories of secondary metabolites that endophytes produce, along with some specific examples. Anyone familiar with plant chemistry will immediately recognize that endophytes make a whole pile of metabolites that we typically think of as plant medicine.

would work if you live in Sedona, Arizona and your second cousin lives in Presque Isle, Maine. I bet some endophytes will “take”. •Is there a potential problem in trying endophyte transfers such as these? A chance, for instance, of transmitting an unwanted infection by a diseasecausing organism? One idea that is appealing in this age of environmental degradation and overharvesting is the idea of an endophyte library being created to help propagate endangered medicinal plants (10). This would also reduce the chance of transferring unwanted critters cross country.

As mentioned, the majority of the research being carried out on endophytes is towards the discovery of novel new drugs. The relevance of endophytes is perhaps different for us herbalists…more on this monetarily. It’s known that fungal endophytes produce a larger array of secondary metabolites than bacterial do. And, endophytes in desert and tropical plants make a wider variety of compounds than endophytes in temperate climes (4). In any case, it’s interesting for us medicine making herbalists to know that the origin of our plant medicine is more complex than it seems at first glance.

These meanderings may be a bit more technical than the level at which many of us work day to day, but they’re relevant to our medicine and are something to chew on until next time, when we delve deeper into the critter chemical factories within some of our best known and loved medicinal plants. References & Further Reading 1.

At this point, there are more questions than answers. For example… •How much is the quality of our herbal medicine determined by the influence of growth conditions on the plant itself versus on the plant’s endophytes? It seems likely that the answer is that both are important. Many of us consider role of growing location and conditions as key determinants of how good our plant medicine will be. Studies to date show that these factors also impact who is living inside our medicinal plants (10), which is likely influencing our medicine.

Goryluk-Salmonowicz, A, et al (2016) Endophytic detection in selected European herbal plants. Pol J Micro. 65(3):369-75. http://www.pjmonline.org/ endophytic-detection-in-selected-european-herbalplants/

2. Huang, WY, et al (2007) Methods for the study of endophytic microorganisms from traditional Chinese medicine plants. Econom Bot. 61(1): 14-30. https:// www.jstor.org/stable/4257167?readnow=1&loggedin=true&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents 3. Gouda, S, et al (2016) Endophytes: A treasure house of bioactive compounds of medicinal importance. Frontiers in Microbiology. 7:1583. https://www.frontiersin.org/ articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01538/full REVIEW 4. Owen, NL & N Hundley (2004) Endophytes — The chemical synthesizers inside plants. Science Progress. 87(2):79-99. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43423175? seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents REVIEW

•Along those lines, how much do endophytes contribute to how good your Mugwort medicine is compared to the Mugwort grown in your second cousin’s garden on the other side of the country? If hers is a stronger dream herb, would it work to expose your soil and plants to her ground up Mugwort? Research shows that environmental conditions do influence the endophytes present (10), so I wonder how such a transfer experiment

5. Krings, M, et al (2007) Fungal endophytes in a 400million-yr-old land plant: infection pathways, spatial distribution, and host responses. New Phytol. 174(3): 648-57. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 6380784_Krings_M_Taylor_TN_Hass_H_Kerp_H_Dotzle r_N_Hermsen_EJ_Fungal_endophytes_in_a_400 million-

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yr_land_plant_infection_pathways_spatial_distribution_ and_host_responses_New_Phytol_174_648-657

as their hosts. Hellenic Plant Prot J. 10:51-66. https:// www.researchgate.net/publication/ 318656074_Endophytic_fungi_residing_in_medicinal_pl ants_have_the_ability_to_produce_the_same_or_similar _pharmacologically_active_secondary_metabolites_as_t heir_hosts

6. Kaul, S, et al (2012) Endophytic fungi from medicinal plants: a treasure hunt for bioactive molecules. Phytochem Rev. 11(4):487-505. https:// www.academia.edu/17123332/ Endophytic_fungi_from_medicinal_plants_a_treasure_h unt_for_bioactive_metabolites REVIEW

15. Kual, S, et al (2013) Prospecting endophytic fungal assemblage of Digitalis lanata Ehrh. (foxglove) as a novel source of digoxin: a cardiac glycoside. 3 Biotech. 3(4): 335-40. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC3723867/

7. Rodriguez, R & R Redman (2008) More than 400 million years of evolution and some plants still can’t make it on their own: plant stress tolerance via fungal symbiosis. J Exp Biol. 59(5):1109-14. https:// academic.oup.com/jxb/article/59/5/1109/538568

16. Kuar, A, et al (2017) Secondary metabolites from fungal endophytes of Echinacea purpurea suppress cytokine secretion by macrophage-type cells. Nat Prod Commun. 11(8):1143-6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC5414731/

8. Huang, L-H, et al (2018) Endophytic fungi specifically introduce novel metabolites into grape flesh cells in vitro. PLOS One. 13(5): e0196996. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0196996

17. Nicoletti R & A Fiorentino (2015) Plant bioactive metabolites and drugs produced by endophytic fungi of spermatophyta. Agriculture. 5:918-970. http:// www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/5/4/918/htm

9. Maggini, V, et al (2017) Plant-endophytes interaction influences the secondary metabolism in Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench: an in vitro model. Sci Rep. 7: 16924. https://www.nature.com/articles/ s41598-017-17110-w

18. Zin Z, et al (2017) Antimicrobial activity of saponins produced by two novel endophytic fungi from Panax notoginseng. 31(22):2700-03. https:// www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/ 10.1080/14786419.2017.1292265

10. Jia, M, et al (2016) A friendly relationship between endophytic fungi and medicinal plants: A systemic review. Front. Microbiol. 7:906. https:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4899461/ REVIEW

19. Lu, H et al (2000) New bioactive metabolites produced by Colletotrichum sp., an endophytic fungus in Artemesia annua. Plant Sci. 151(1):67-73. http:// www.paper.edu.cn/scholar/showpdf/ NUz2MN2INTz0kxeQh

11. Yu, H, et al (2010) Recent developments and future prospects of antimicrobial metabolites produced by endophytes. Microbiol. Res. 165(6):437-449. https:// www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ S0944501309001128 REVIEW 12. Gunatilaka, AAL (2012) Natural products from plantassociated microorganisms: Distribution, structural diversity, bioactivity and implications of their occurrence. J Nat Prod. 69(3):509-26. https:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3362121/ 13 Golinska, P, et al (2015) Endophytic actinobacteria of medicinal plants: diversity and bioactivity. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. 108:267–289. https:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4491368/ 14. Venieraki, A, et al (2017) Endophytic fungi residing in medicinal plants have the ability to produce the same or similar pharmacologically active secondary metabolites

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vagus, Baby! Herbs & The Vagus Nerve

by Betsy Miller The following excellent article is the companion piece to a class taught by Betsy at the Good Medicine Confluence in Durango. She continues to write and teach, while excitedly preparing for the birth of her first child. The vagus nerve, once known as the pneumogastric nerve, is the 10th cranial nerve that serves as the highway for parasympathetic interaction between the heart, lungs and

digestive tract. This nerve supplies parasympathetic control to all of the organs from our neck through the transverse colon, with the exception of the adrenal glands, as well as

several skeletal muscles. The name vagus reminds me of the term ‘vagabond,’ a wandering meandering entity that extends through much of our body and oversees the way we respond to inputs from the world around us. When that communication system becomes disrupted, our body switches into sympathetic dominance, under the influence of adrenaline and cortisol, and we begin to see the world as an unsafe place to exist. A recent quote from Sean Donahue, in his writings about Lobelia, perfectly captures one of the amazing manifestations of the vagus nerve:

in an overall loss of vagus tone by keeping us in sympathetic dominance (like a muscle that we can’t exercise and so it atrophies); this can create symptoms that seem entirely unrelated and are often dismissed as psychosomatic. The loss of vagal tone happens over time, and is often (initially) subtle in nature, so the many varied symptoms often seem to be occurring without the presence of any defined ‘disease,’ but are still incredibly debilitating to the one experiencing them. Symptoms of imbalance within vagus nerve functioning include digestive patterns normally associated with irritable bowel syndrome, such as pain and diarrhea with no known origin; nausea or unease within the gut; heart palpitations; tension, tightness or pain in the neck; anxiety/nervousness/excitability; tightness in the chest; dizziness, weakness and brain fog; difficulty with speech, especially in social situations; and so many more.

“In its conveying our relative sense of safety and thus signaling us to become more open or more closed, the vagus nerve serves a function similar to the Chinese pericardium – the heart protector that helps us maintain appropriate boundaries.” Because the vagus nerve has branches that extend into so many different centers of the body, any trauma, fear, tension or injury (particularly when ongoing in nature) can result

What’s interesting, from a botanical perspective, is that many of the herbs that seem to exert an influence over the vagus nerve are our strong 148

alkaloid medicines that exert either a powerfully stimulatory or sedative effect over the nervous, cardiac and respiratory systems, likely through their action upon the vagus nerve. Belladonna, for example, was noted in King’s Dispensatory as having a “depressant influence upon the pneumogastric nerve, excites the sympathetic, depresses the cerebro-spinal system…” whereas opium, frequently used as an antidote to belladonna poisoning, exerts a distinct sedative effect upon the sympathetic nervous system. Many of our more ‘gentle’ alkaloids, such as lobeline and caffeine, exert similar stimulatory or sedative effects upon the nervous system, and can either aggravate or soothe our level of sympathetic/parasympathetic balance.

over vagal function, and their importance in strengthening vagal tone. Satiety, rooted in vagal function, can be shifted by incorporating bitter herbs; bitter herbs communicate directly through cranial nerve feedback to delay gastric emptying, encouraging a sensation of fullness when we eat. Bitter Deficiency Syndrome, a term first coined by James Green, also plays a significant role in satiety; the absence of bitter tastes in the average diet significantly contributes to atony of the digestive organs, which can be corrected in part by stimulating vagal control over our digestive function through the use of bitters. Bitter herbs are also important for many of those seemingly ‘unrelated’ symptoms that a lack of vagal innervation can create. Our cooling bitters, particularly Blue Vervain, Gentian and Oregon Grape, are particularly indicated when an individual tends towards agitation, excitability, heart palpitation and restlessness as symptoms of vagal atony; blue vervain is a particular favorite of mine here for when constant sympathetic innervation makes one quick to anger and explosive reaction.

The focus on adaptogens to help increase our resiliency is just one approach to working with sympathetic overdrive and loss of vagus tone. Herbs that are bitter, acrid and sweet, but not traditionally defined as ‘adaptogens’ all have an important role in helping restore our body’s (and mind’s) ability to move with grace between relaxation and fight/flight (or freak, as Jim McDonald likes to say).

Taste, Energetics & The Pneumogastric Nerve Bitter The central role that the vagus nerve plays in controlling digestion and, more importantly, satiety, has made it a key focus in modern/ allopathic weight-management therapies. Vagotomy, or the severing of the vagus nerve, was initially designed as a treatment for peptic ulcer disease, but for the last decade has been explored as a ‘less invasive’ alternative to gastric bypass surgery. Fortunately, plant medicines offer us a much more sensible alternative to restructuring our relationship with nutrition than severing one of our body’s most crucial information networks. Bitter herbs work on so many levels to restore digestive function, and we’re constantly learning more about their range of function throughout the body. The fact that bitter receptors have been discovered in the heart and lungs directly points to their influence

Warming bitters, including Angelica, orange peel, Prickly Ash and Yarrow are most indicated when the individual tends to shut down and turn inward in response to a loss of vagal tone; these are the individuals more prone to feelings of weakness, dizziness and clammy sweat during times of extended sympathetic dominance. 149

I also think there is significant medicine and vagus nerve benefit from learning to listen to our gut wisdom; the vagus nerve is just one of the pathways through which our gut and brain communicate, and by learning to trust ourselves, our instincts and the messages from our enteric nervous system, we are able to strengthen each of those paths.

action; it works its magic in the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems through innervating the vagus nerve and parasympathetic response. Sean Donahue says of Lobelia â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lobelia is often one of the first herbs that I will give someone, because it opens the way for other medicines to move through the body â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and especially for other medicines to make their impression on the heart.â&#x20AC;?

Acrid One of my favorite and overall underutilized nervines is Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). In addition to their overall action of increasing parasympathetic tone, the nervines that seem to exert the strongest influence over the vagus nerve are those that also have a particular affinity for the heart. Their action is definitely amphoteric in nature- enabling the heart to work more efficiently without asking it to work harder. Liriodendron captures both the acrid and sweet tastes, which serves to both disperse tension and restore when there has been

Acrid herbs are dispersive by nature, helping to release the tension held in our nerves and muscles that results from sympathetic overstimulation and parasympathetic atony. I feel this phenomena when I notice my neck and shoulders start to clench and spasm during a particularly stressful stretch of time, and then experience the profound melting away of that tightness when I massage Lobelia seed liniment into the muscle. Lobelia is one of the herbs most associated with that acrid taste and dispersive

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depletion. This tree medicine is another example of an alkaloid exerting it’s influence over the vagus nerve. John Uri Lloyd writes:

Kava, a wonderfully acrid and tingly plant, is one of my top choices for working with both excitable anxiety or disengaged/shutdown mode, depending on the dose. Lower doses, 5-15 drops at a time, has a wonderful ability to strengthen the parasympathetic response and encourage a sense of energy and vitality by lessening the weight of overwhelm. Larger doses, 60-90 drops, has a much more sedative effect, and is amazing at calming down the spastic, ‘wired’ sensation that accompanies long periods of intense sympathetic output. I like to give those larger amounts in the evening when the individual is so anxious yet fragile that they have too much erratic energy to achieve restorative sleep.

“When the effects of tulipiferine begin, the action of the heart is increased in the number of its pulsations, in correspondence with the decline in the excitability of the vagus, but when the vagus ceases to be excitable, the cardiac pulsations diminish in number, but gain in force, the rhythm being preserved… The alkaloid will, no doubt, be found useful whenever a tonic to the heart is required.” I have found Liriodendron to be particularly useful in the circumstances where we usually think of motherwort: anxiety and fear that presents as heart palpitations, sweaty palms and feet, and shallow breathing. 5-10 drops of the tincture, when the heart first begins to flutter, serves as a reminder to the body to breathe deeply and know that it can choose to return to parasympathetic dominance. My other primary use for Liriodendron is to remove the tension and overwhelm around the heartspace that is presenting as lethargy- when someone is afraid of opening themselves to the world, so they turn inwards, and that constant hiding and self-doubt becomes exhausting to maintain. In this picture, Liriodendron (especially when combined with wild rose) gentle relaxes away that hardened barrier around the heart, facilitating a sense of re-invigoration and energy.

Lower doses of Kava, by targeting our acrid taste receptors and innervating the vagus pathway, can also be incredibly supportive in relaxing ‘butterfly’ gut- when the stress response is held in the gut as a sensation of knots or flutterings. A study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology that explored the effects of anxiolytics on low vagal control of heart rate due to anxiety disorders showed that Kava significantly improved baroreflex control of heartrate (Watkins et al., 2001).

The inner bark, which contains the tulipiferine, was historically most commonly used as medicine, but I find the blossoms to be gentler in nature yet just as relaxing to the heart. The sweetness of the blossoms helps to temper the bitterness and acridity of the bark. I make my tinctures using the fresh blossoms (tricky to harvest as you want them directly off the tree, not off the ground, and without low-hanging branches you have to get creative in scaling the tall trees!) as well as young twigs. The twigs in particular are a useful addition to our bitters blends to encourage an increase in vagal tone and improvement in gut function. It makes a lovely addition to lymphatic formulas, particularly with ocotillo for pelvic stagnation and violet for breast health.

Sweet The sweet herbs have an overall balancing effect on vagus tone and the relationship between parasympathetic and sympathetic response; they’re not overtly stimulating or sedating, but 151

combined with wild rose, helps teach our heart, particularly the emotional heart, that the world we live in is safe- this message is the most profound way to switch us out of sympathetic mode and back to the parasympathetic state. Sweet in the form of oligosaccharide-rich roots, like burdock, chicory and dandelion, provide food and energy for our microbiome. Improving our gut ecology is one of the most efficient ways to improve the enteric nervous system, our overall nutrient status and nervous system balance. Recent animal studies (always to be taken with a grain of salt, but fascinating nonetheless) show our gut microorganisms can directly activate the vagus nerve, and form a pathway of microbiome-gut-brain communication. One particular study (Forsythe et al., 2014) demonstrated that the vagus nerve has the ability to differentiate between nonpathogenic and pathogenic bacteria, even in a non-disease state, playing a crucial role in helping to maintain gut homeostasis.

instead fortify our ability to respond to appropriately stressors and then shift back to rest mode. Avena, specifically the fresh oat in its milky stage, is my go-to for filling the deep need of restoration and normalizing of vagal response. Ellingwood describes Avena as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;permanent tonic,â&#x20AC;? and I see it as one that is able to give us back the steering wheel when we feel that our nervous system is a runaway train. Hawthorn berry and flowers, sweet and aromatic (flowers) in nature, work their magic through strengthening the resiliency of the heart, even in the face of vagal atony and sympathetic dominance. Hawthorn, especially when

All of this is just scratching the surface of the potential for therapeutics and the vagus nerve. In addition to its influence over digestive and cardiac function, the vagus nerve is directly involved with inflammatory mediation, immune function and brain neurochemistry. With the range of herbs that either directly or indirectly impact the vagus nerve, there is so much to explore, experiment with and learn about how our plant medicines converse with our physiology.

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Entheogenic Herbs in The Treatment of Addiction by Sean Croke Here being published for the first time, is the companion piece to a class taught at the Good Medicine Confluence in Durango. Sean was a practitioner, organizer, and main medicine maker for the Olympia Free Herbal Clinic, currently operates the Hawthorn School of Plant Medicine and Understory Apothecary, and will be back to teach classes for you at the Good Medicine Confluence come May, Often the most challenging times in a recovering addictâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey out of intensive substance use is not necessarily the acute withdrawal phase in which they are sick but rather the period when they are over their physiological addiction and are now reorienting to the world without the use of drugs or alcohol. This phase is sometimes called the post-acute withdrawal period or can be defined as post-acute withdrawal syndrome, or PAWS. Depending on the substance used and the frequency of use, this period can be one of intense symptoms that resemble mental illness

brought on by the withdrawal of the drugs. Symptoms can last from six months to several years, and it is during this period of time that a person is most likely to relapse because they are having such a hard time in the world. Often there is a lot of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and other issues that the person may have been dealing with by using substances in the first place. While recovering addicts get a lot of support for the first couple of months when they first get sober, especially if they go into some form of rehab (although this experience

may not be helpful depending on the person), once it is time for them to reenter society and figure out their new life path there is not a lot of structure or encouragement during what may be their most difficult time. In American culture especially, this is where AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) or NA (Narcotics Anonymous) come in, providing community and support for the long haul while the person gets used to a new way of walking through the world and while their nervous system recovers some neurochemical equilibrium and can better handle the stressors of modern life again.

John Hopkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University has been studying the affects of psilocybin, one of the alkaloids found in the visionary mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe (among others), on helping volunteers to quit smoking tobacco and to ease the anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis. MAPS (the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies is currently doing research into the use of ibogaine (an alkaloid from the plant Tabernanthe iboga which is native to the rainforests of Cameroon and Gabon on the Western coasts of Africa) and Ayahuasca for drug addiction and PTSD. Religious groups that work with visionary plants, such as the Native American Church who work with Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) or the Santo Daime who work with Daime (also known as Ayahuasca, a tea made usually from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis), have long been utilizing psychedelic therapy to help people who are recovering from addictions to regain some clarity and purpose as part of their spiritual workings. Dr. Gabor MatĂŠ has also done quite a bit of work around helping people who are recovering from long term drug addiction through the ritualized use of Ayahuasca.

More and more research is being done to support the idea that entheogenic or psychedelic substances can be utilized as medicines for various mental and emotional health reasons. MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) currently (2018) has a breakthrough therapy designation for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from the FDA, meaning that if studies continue to show promise than it may be reviewed for potential medical use more quickly. It is already in phase 3 clinical trials meaning that it is being given to people in clinical settings to test the safety and efficacy of it as a medicine. 156

It is interesting how all of these studies are often fond of LSD after his initial experience, presented as being the very cutting edge of suggesting that it could be of great use to the addiction research since prior to the scheduling AA community to reliably engender a spiritual of all the psychedelics by the US government experience in a person, which he felt was the and then promptly the UN, much of the research number one thing that a person needed in order being done on the medicinal benefits of these to stay sober. Wilson certainly showed clear compounds was focused on their use in treating signs of improved mental health during the time alcoholism and drug addiction. One of the more from when he first took LSD to the time of his surprising proponents of psychedelics to help death. Once all the psychedelics were scheduled people with addictions (specifically helpings and generally made to seem evil and detrimental alcoholics with LSD), especially given the to health AA quietly buried most of the current attitude that alcoholics need to be sober discourse around Wilson’s experiences. from all substances (except coffee and tobacco) Working with these plants and compounds can within this organization, is Alcoholics cause physiological changes for the human brain Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson. Wilson was that in many ways can help to balance out the one of the two founding members of the detrimental affects of long term substance use. organization in the mid 1930’s and one of the They can also help to address some of the main authors of many of the staple AA books. underlying mental health challenges that are so One of the code terms often present for a for describing oneself as person that will an alcoholic without encourage them to have outing yourself in case the proclivity to take a the other person is not lot of mind altering also part of the program substances. is to say that you are “friends of Bill W’s”. It In many ways the is well documented culture in which I am that, like many addicts/ enmeshed is evolving alcoholics, Wilson its ideas about suffered for most of his addiction. Within the life from intermittent United States only fifty crippling periods of or sixty years ago drug depression. In the mid addicts were criminal 1950’s Wilson learned first and foremost and about the use of LSD to morally depraved, successfully treat therefore they needed alcoholics that was punishment. Over time being researched by the culture shifted to Abram Hoffer and the model that the Humphrey Osmond in addict is sick and Canada from his friends therefore needs Aldous Huxley and treatment. Recently we Gerald Heard. Huxley “There is in all of us a desire, sometimes latent, have started seeing and Heard had both had sometimes conscious and passionately expressed, to more and more their own psychedelic escape from the prison of our individuality, an urge evidence that the addict experiences and to self-transcendence. It is to this urge that we owe is the result of their suggested that it could mystical theology, spiritual exercises and yoga — to upbringing and their be very helpful for this, too, that we owe alcoholism and drug early childhood addiction.” Wilson’s mental health. experiences. –Aldous Huxley Wilson became very 157

Gabor Maté did a lot of good research on this subject which is summarized in his book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. This research shows that many of the people who come to be drug addicts are living with some kind of traumatic stories from their childhoods. Maté mostly worked with residents of the Portland Hotel in Vancouver, BC who were at the far ends of drug addiction and homelessness so their stories of childhood abuse and neglect are at the extreme end also. These early experiences often cause a physiological change in the neurochemistry of the person in question, which then leads them to want to supplement a neurochemical deficit in themselves with outside substances such as street drugs. While this model is still a way of saying that the addict is ‘sick’ and ‘needs treatment’ it also makes the nature of the sickness and the treatment more manageable than the standard idea within American drug treatment culture that addiction is a mysterious and baffling disease that has no cure except for lifelong abstinence.

Alcohol had been introduced to indigenous communities by the European colonizers as a sort of chemical warfare to keep the populace subdued and dependent on the Europeans as a source of the alcohol. Clearly, being an indigenous person in America at that time (or most times post contact) of history was extremely traumatic and alcoholism is a very reasonable and predictable response in communities that are subjected to the horrors of genocide and assimilation. Since the beginning of the Church folks who take part in the ceremonies have found that it becomes easier to get off alcohol and stay off. Alcohol use is frowned on in general as a part of NAC culture so that in and of itself helps to change the habit, but people also gain some perspective on why they drink like they do, a sense that the divine is real and present, and the ability to process their way through some of the trauma or thought processes that are leading them to drink in the first place. The medicine is generally looked upon as a cure all by many members of the Peyote Road, the desire to drink just naturally goes away when a person begins to work with Peyote. As John Rave of the Winnebago said in 1934:

Gabor Maté focused on Ayahuasca as the medicine to help and heal the people that he was working with around their addictions. He also brought in traditional healers from the ShipiboConibo tribes of the Amazon since the people who have been working with the medicines the longest are the most knowledgeable about how to run ceremonies or healing sessions with the plants. The Native American Church, or NAC, has been in existence since the late nineteenth century as a recognized religion. It started in Oklahoma after the knowledge of the use of Peyote travelled to that region from Mexico. Peyote has been worked with by humans in a ceremonial and healing context for at least four or five thousand years and probably for much longer than that, of course, but the NAC is a group who we can look to as an effective ceremonial structure that uses an entheogenic medicine to help people, reliably, to get off of drugs or alcohol and stay that way. The NAC was developed at around the same time that the reservation systems were being set up and following the Wounded Knee massacre and the end of the Ghost Dance movement.

There was a man named Walking-Priest and he was very fond of whiskey; he chewed and he smoked and he gambled. He was fond of women. He did 158

everything that was bad. Then I gave him some of the Peyote and he ate it and he gave up all the bad things that he was doing. He had had a very dangerous disease and had even had murder in his heart. But today he is living a good life. (The Peyote Book, p. 30) People go to NAC meetings today still to get rid of the desire for alcohol and other drugs. It is certainly not an easy road, but it is a beautiful and often very effective one for people trying to change their relationship to alcohol and other drugs. There have been multiple studies comparing the health both physical and mental of long term NAC members and generally the NAC members who have been eating peyote their whole lives are in better shape than those who have not. A religion that began farther South but has also spread to North America and around the world is the Santo Daime, a syncretic religion that was

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founded in the 1920’s after Mestre Irineu, at the time a Catholic rubber tapper, began drinking ayahuasca and receiving visions and guidance from the Virgin Mary, also called the Queen of the Forest. He began teaching the lessons that he learned from the Ayahuasca (called Daime) while also becoming a spiritual healer. The lessons of Santo Daime were originally spread orally as many of the practitioners were illiterate, but over time Santo Daime became an officially recognized religion by the government of Brazil. The government of Brazil did a study on the influence of the Santo Daime in the communities in which they operated and found that although members of the church sometimes drank ayahuasca two or more times per month for years or decades, they were often in better emotional and physical health than their non participating counterparts and that overall, the Daime was a good presence in the community as a whole, encouraging social integration and harmony. The religion has since spread to most of the other continents and is especially well established in Europe and North America. There have been several rulings in favor of both the Santo Daime and the UDV (União de Vegetal) at the level of the Supreme Court in the United States affirming the rights of these organizations to import and drink Ayahuasca as their sacrament. Since most forms of the tea do contain N,n-Dimethyltryptamine, a Schedule 1 substance in the U.S, this provides the only legal protection for this molecule currently available in the States. Daime churches exist in many parts of the country now and they are bringing social integration and harmony with them. The rituals, called ‘works’ are inherently healing in their nature, and people come to the church to be healed in one way or another, but addictions are certainly one of the big things that people seem to seek out the church about. The first time that I went to a Daime work there were a clear group of people who were the addicts; they were smoking cigarettes some ways away from the building before the work started. Everyone casually shared their drug of choice and where they were at in getting or being off it once one person came out about their main reason for being there.

One researcher found that within the UDV: “a majority reported a prior history of moderate to severe problems associated with alcohol or other drugs, but all had stopped using substances other than Ayahuasca (including tobacco) after joining the church and attributed their improved health behaviors to Ayahuasca drinking” (Grob CS, McKenna DJ, Callaway JC, et al. Human psychopharmacology of hoasca, a plant hallucinogen used in ritual context in Brazil. J Nervous Mental Disease 1996; 184(2): 86-94. ) Clearly there is also the influence here of the churchgoing benefits of having positive social interactions while living in a culture that values health and moderation. Another plant, and especially one alkaloid from that plant, namely ibogaine from Iboga (Tabernanthe iboga) has become something of a miracle cure for drug addiction in many parts of the world.

The plant Iboga is the sacred teacher of the Bwiti, a spiritual discipline among the Babongo and Mitsogo of Gabon and Cameroon. The root bark of this plant has been used by humans since they learned from the monkeys to eat it (the story is that the Pygmies learned about it from watching the gorillas and monkeys dig and eat the root). It is taken one time at a person’s coming of age in huge doses to open the person in question to the ancestors and is taken in more reasonable doses at all night ceremonies throughout the person’s life. 160

The main alkaloid of Iboga, ibogaine, has been extracted from the plant and utilized as a pure compound since the early 1900s. It was even sold as a mental and physical stimulant in pill form in France until the 1960’s. It was also in the 1960’s that Howard Lotsof, a nineteen-year-old heroin addict and drug enthusiast took some ibogaine that he had ordered through the mail for fun. He noticed that although he was physically addicted to opiates at the time of the experiment, he never experienced withdrawal symptoms after taking the ibogaine. He tried it on friends with similar results and went on to take out a patent and make a lifelong study of interrupting addictions with ibogaine. The FDA finally blocked any further study on ibogaine as a medicine in the 1990’s over concerns of cardiotoxicity (it does cause brachycardia and has caused deaths). There have been clinics in the countries where it is legal such as Canada, Mexico, and the Netherlands since the 1990’s in which many people have managed to escape from their physical addiction without suffering through prolonged withdrawals.

antidepressant metabolite noribogaine flowing through the system. While there are certainly examples of people going back to old habits even after taking an ibogaine cure, there are also many stories of changed lives forever. Now, all of this is clearly very far away from the traditional use of Iboga and the quality of care from one ibogaine clinic or provider fluctuates wildly. Some people that I have know who have become ibogaine providers seem to get pretty far into the plastic shaman/rock star persona that we can also see with many people who provide new age Ayahuasca ceremonies. I would feel remiss if I did not say at this point that I have several concerns about the current upsurge of interest in traditional indigenous visionary plant allies within the Western/First world. While I am so glad that there is an appreciation for the knowledge about working with these plants that indigenous cultures around the world hold and have been holding for millennia, I see a continuation of the general colonial/imperial trend of first world/wealthy people of the world stealing the traditions and resources of those in the Global South. Lophophora williamsii is on the CITES endangered species list. While the plants involved in brewing Ayahuasca are abundant and fast growing, the worldwide popularity of that brew combined with the rapid deforestation of the Amazon rainforest leads to concerns about overharvest. Also, there is a continual influx of Westerners to the jungles both to drink the brew and to open up Ayahuasca resorts in which other Westerners can drink the brew in a more comfortable and affluent setting than has before been available. These resorts, as well as the often illegal Ayahuasca circles that are led all over the United States and Europe by self-proclaimed shamans, are a major source of pressure on the plants and in many ways are undertaking cultural appropriation.

Ibogaine therapy is still quite a process. The drug effects can last for over 24 hours and the visions are deep. People do not often want to repeat the experience. It can be hard to walk for a couple days and a person’s sleep schedule often changes so that they need much less sleep for sometimes months after the experience. There is often a deep examination of the person’s life and childhood. It is important to have after care, which may include microdosing ibogaine for several weeks after the treatment to keep the

There have been several public call outs essentially by indigenous groups (such as ‘An Open Letter in Support of the Cofán People and Against the Activities of Alberto Jose Varela) in the form of open letters to the public making it clear that they feel that those people who are 161

making claims to dubious indigenous connections in order to essentially sell Ayahuasca as a commodity to people without proper training or respect are harming the plants and the humans who have a long history together. From the above letter (one bullet point of many):

therefore benefit from the great knowledge of these traditions, in many ways it makes more sense for those medicines that are endemic to a specific place to be worked with by the people who live where they live or who have a long tradition of working with them. There are several medicines that can be easily cultivated or that grow wild in many parts of the world that have a similar physiological and spiritual medicine to them as the plants that I have mentioned above. Finding a group of people to pray with and a structured belief system that leads to long lasting changes and deep experiences with the medicines is a lot more challenging but worth pursuing. Grow your own visionary medicines where the law will allow, let the gardening be a part of your recovery.

We denounce the commercialization of YajĂŠ as if it were an ordinary product or service, generating an artificial demand based on crass manipulation of what it means to consume the YajĂŠ medicine, and taking advantage of the ignorance, credulity, good faith, and vulnerability of many people. This statement can be applied to many of the ways that are available to Westerners to work with the majority of the plant medicines that we have discussed so far. This is unfortunate for Western people who are seeking the opportunity to work with these medicines to try and heal themselves from their addictions. Often the Iboga or Ayahuasca trip can really feel like that final choice, magic bullet that will finally fix everything. The desire for the wise old shaman to give you a magic brew so that you can all of a sudden just get better without really needing to work at it is so seductive. There is no magic bullet, unfortunately, and you will still have to do a lot of work even after the magic brew. While there are opportunities for people who are not of indigenous heritage to get involved with the NAC or especially with the Santo Daime and

The genus Psilocybe is a group of mushrooms that grow all over the world that are rich in the alkaloids psilocin and psilocybin, both of which have similar molecular structure and physiological affects to dimethyltryptamine, which is one of the alkaloids in Ayahuasca that give it its medicine. Of course, this genus of mushroom has a very long tradition of use among indigenous people on many continents, and the main species that is cultivated and taken in North America (Psilocybe cubensis) is part of the complex of species that is still and has been worked with by the Mazatec people in night 162

time curing sessions for millennia. While it is a good thing to think about the ways in which American drug culture looted and harmed the people who taught them about these mushrooms (Maria Sabina, a curandera who first allowed a Westerner to document and experience the mushrooms, later said that the mushrooms lost their powers and stopped speaking to her after all the hippies came and started taking them all the time). But that cat is long out of the bag and P. cubensis at this point are cultivated in huge amounts on almost every continent. They are very simple to grow without much in the way of inputs, so in ecological terms it makes a lot of sense for people to work with them as medicines.

entheogen that has gained quite a bit of notoriety from being wildly misused and over commercialized by the Western world, named Salvia divinorum, Ska Maria Pastora or simply Salvia. This mint family plant is endemic to a very small area of the Sierra Mazateca cloud forests in Oaxaca, Mexico. It is traditionally chewed in night time ceremonies for purposes of divination and healing. It has some interesting affects and has been shown very helpful in working with depression in the limited studies that have been done with it.

In the same vein, cacti in the genus Trichocereus, while also having their own long history of interaction with a specific group of people in the Andes, are readily propagated through cuttings and are very fast growing. They have a similar though different alkaloid profile to Lophophora while being much more sustainable of a source of medicine. Many plant people love this genus very much. They are known as Achuma, Wachuma, or Huachuma down in the Andes, also San Pedro is a common name.

It is very easy to propagate and grow from cuttings and for that reason would be a good one for more people to work with. Most people are familiar with this plant from smoking a

From the same region that we learned of the mushrooms from comes a beautiful and unique 163

concentrated extract as a teenager, which probably terrified them, and letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just say when used with more respect and intention things go much more gently.

not carry with it the culturally appropriative aspect as heavily and is much more sustainable for the plants concerned (so far). While a large part of what makes these medicines so effective in helping people to change their relationships to the substances that they put in their bodies is the spiritual experiences that they engender in people and the periods of deep introspection and empathic communion with the rest of the living world, there is also a huge social piece that is crucial for the healing to take place in a really deep way. This is often felt lacking in healing circles that do not have a tradition of their own to work with and do not want to steal the traditions of others. Working out the best methods for working with these plants in healing ways is a challenge. There are some good guidebooks left over from the psychiatrists and counselors that worked with the psychedelics in a therapeutic context in the States before the laws changed and these are worth looking into. Myron Stolaroff has written a great book called The Secret Chief Revealed about Leo Zeff, a psychotherapist who worked as a psychedelic therapist both before and after prohibition. This book has great insights on how this person set up psychedelic sessions for safety and healing. The Chilean psychotherapist Claudio Naranjo also has several great books about how he worked with the medicines in a healing context. The best is entitled The Healing Journey.

Finally, there are other plants out in the world that contain similar alkaloids to those contained in the two plants in the Ayahuasca brew that make it effective.

In the original brew, the vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) provides alkaloids that are classed as MAO inhibitors, while the leaves of (Psychotria viridis) provide the dimethyltryptamine. Both are crucial for the brew to truly work well. Another plant that has a similar alkaloidal profile to the vine is Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala). This plant also (they all do) has a long history of medicinal and visionary usage in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homeland of the middle east, but it has spread across the world and is considered a noxious invasive weed in some parts of the world, so it is a more sustainable source for these alkaloids than the vine. Dimethyltryptamine is very abundant in the world and is found in a number of different plant sources, some of which are very abundant in the landscape indeed. For sustainability, the best choice would be Phalaris arudinacea or Reed Canary Grass, which is an invasive species currently choking out wetlands all across America.

Beyond these spiritual and social effects, the visionary medicines do also have specific physiological effects that occur to the human being that ingests them. Most of the alkaloids that cause the effects of the plants cause changes in many of the same parts of the brain and body that are implicated in those with a tendency for addiction, as well as those who have caused themselves some damage from many years of sustained drug use and those with mental health issues or trauma in general. Studies have shown that ibogaine, psilocybin, and the harmala alkaloids harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine all lead to neurogenesis, or the creation of new brain cells, often through the intermediary (especially in the case of ibogaine)

The art of brewing new plants to make a medicine that has effects like Ayahuasca is a new thing and has much less tradition and is riskier than working with the jungle plants, but it does 164

of increasing the amount of GDNF in the brain. These effects are thought to be a big part of the ability of these drugs to heal depression, help people to change their habits with substances, and even in some cases to apparently heal neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS and Parkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (. Perhaps the safest way to get some of the physiological benefits from these medicines without needing to go too deep without guidance (although as long as you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a family history of mental illness and are in pretty good mental and physical shape, really everyone should go deep at least once, find a therapist or circle?) is through the technique known as microdosing. This concept is relatively new (yet all the rage) in psychedelic circles (and I have some critiques about it being a way to prop up capitalism with sacred medicines but that is another paper) yet will be very familiar to us as herbalists. If you have taken a drop dose of a plant than you have taken a microdose. The main difference being that when taking drop doses of plants we often have these strong experiences of them, taking a microdose of a psychedelic is meant to be a small enough dose that there is not much of a classic psychedelic effect. You do not want the person to be tripping, just a lightening of everything and an awakening of intuition. People generally say one tenth of an active dose. Some people will tincture the plant and just take a drop per day, this also seems to work well. This technique provides people with a lift in mood, more creativity, colors look brighter and things like that. I have seen it reverse a few crippling depressions. Part of the effect is certainly the intentions that you put into the medicine when you take it every day, but there do seem to be underlying and long-lasting changes in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bodies and neurochemistry. Ibogaine, for instance, has been shown to increase the amount of GDNF in the brain by a factor of 12 at a dosage of 4 mg. An active dose of ibogaine in addictions treatment for stopping withdrawal is about a gram of the alkaloid, or 1,000 mg, so in that case a microdose clearly has a marked physiological effect.

may be taken daily but a common schedule is every 4 days. It is recommended that you reflect on why you are taking the medicine when you take it, to record any effects that you notice, and generally to journal or chart the time to see how you feel and how that changes. The tracking is part of the healing. If there is a safe environment to work with the compound at a full dosage this can be nice at the beginning or the end for any added spiritual wisdom available. This can be a nice process for a person who is living through PAWS or adjusting to being off of their drug of choice since you do get to take something to make you feel a certain way, just like taking drugs, and there is a ritual to it. The ritual consumption is often the thing that people miss the most. I will say that for some people who are getting off of drugs it can be a big mistake to give them (entheogenic) drugs because it can trigger someone out and get them back on a bender or craving or etc. Also, anyone who takes a large dose of an entheogenic compound may have a really unpleasant time and never want to do it again. It is good to remember that things can go bad or weird no matter how prepared you are. That is why working in groups and working with people who are well experienced with the medicine in question and with working through deep dark stuff and coming out the other end.

Generally, a microdose is taken for a set period of time, say a month or a moon cycle. The dose

Be careful. Keep a garden. Take care of each other!

While I again do not think of the entheogenic medicines as magic bullets, I think that there has been abundant evidence both from long lasting traditions and from more modern research showing that there is a lot of potential to help people who are wanting to change their relationship to drugs or alcohol via working with these plants and compounds. There are a lot of ways to get involved with them, but it must be stressed that approaching them with deep respect and an open heart is generally the simplest and most effective way. There are many traditions that may provide guidance but maybe in the end you will have to learn how to heal yourself.

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Hail, Graffiti, & Chickenshit by Phyllis D. Light www.phyllisdlight.com

“I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail, poisoned in the bushes, blown out on the trail; hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn, ‘Come in," she said, "I'll give ya shelter from the storm.’” –Bob Dylan Nothing can prepare you for the sound of a hail storm. It’s as if Thor is throwing, throwing not dropping, giant balls of ice upon the earth from the heavens. There is a distinct...thud...as the ball of ice hits the ground. Because the earth is solid and dense, there is no after reverberation, no echo of a sound, just the thud and then silence...final and complete.

The raining of hail has the distinct feel of a throw. It’s not the patter of rain falling or even the feel of a storm with the wind whipping the rain. No, this is definitely a hard thud, the heavy weight of the stone dropping like a bomb upon us mere humans below. It’s like no other sound I’ve ever heard. Hail forms when updrafts in thunderclouds carry drops of water high into the air, above the freezing point of water. The frozen water grows and grows until it’s too heavy for the updrafts to support. And then it falls. Sleet is also frozen water, but sleet freezes near the ground while

hail freezes high in the clouds. A hailstone grows as more and more water freezes around the first frozen drop and can range in size from very small to soccer ball size.

begins to fall, the warmer air starts the melting process and then it hits the warm earth. And in a short time, the hailstones have disappeared and the cause of mass destruction is no longer visible. It’s as if by magic, devastation happens and the culprit vanishes. Hail can be a bully. And like many bullies, it makes a lot of noise, causes some damage and then vanishes into the distance leaving behind a mess for others to clean up and a lot of trauma.

I can totally understand why some ancient cultures believed that when hail fell upon the earth, the gods were angry. Hail rips and tears into the earth destroying crops, plants and trees and homes and building. It can injure people and animals alike. In 1888, in India, 246 people were killed in a hailstorm. And closer to home, in 2018, in Colorado Springs, 14 people were injured and two animals died during a hailstorm.

“A wall is a very big weapon. It's one of the nastiest things you can hit someone with.” Banksy

When these giant balls of ice fall upon your home and your land, it has a Biblical feel, the scale is so large. There were hail stones the size of soccer balls that hit my roof, my awning and my deck. Golf ball sized hail pulverized my vehicles breaking windows and cracking tail lights. I wasn’t alone, it seemed like half the state felt the effects of that hailstorm.

Back in my youth...way, way before Facebook and other social media, we had graffiti. If you’re not familiar with graffiti, let me enlighten you. First, please don’t confuse street art with graffiti though many people use the terms interchangeably. Graffiti is word based, street art is image based, though you may have graffiti with images and street art with words. Yes, I know it’s a bit confusing but I think you get the broad, overall perspective.

Somewhat Zen-like, hail only exists in the moment. My front porch was solid white with stones of ice and so was my side yard but within minutes all traces were gone. As soon as the hail

Being a teenager, I was already pulsing with the various emotions and hormones that young people process and to see my name in graffiti on the side of the Piggly Wiggly was almost more 167

than I could bear. I lived in a small Southern town where social structure, economics, and the Bible defined our very existence. Folks took seriously the verse: “Thou shall not suffer a witch to live.” This phrase was used as justification for the witch hunts against wise women and herbalists during the early modern ages of Europe and Colonial America where thousands of women were put to death for their knowledge. Scary....

me based on some unknown person’s graffiti written on the side of the Piggly Wiggly. At school, boys made rude comments as I walked by. Girls shunned me. None of them really knew me, no one asked me about it, but they all had an opinion because it is so easy to judge. Junior high is hell on earth. But graffiti is a lot like hail....it doesn’t last long very long and people’s memories are short. Within a week someone had painted over the graffiti about me and had written “Delphina is a whore.” I waited for life to slowly settle down as someone else came under the lens of judgment.

So there on the side of the Piggly Wiggly, for the whole town to see, in gigantic black spray paint was, “Phyllis Light is a red-head witch.” It didn’t help that I had been born both red-headed and left handed. During that time period, in many such communities across the South, being lefthanded was associated with the devil and being red-headed was associated with being a witch. Damn, I was double-doomed. My mother, and later the school system, wasted no time in forcing me to use my right hand but there wasn’t much that could be done about my naturally red hair.

Such is the nature of judgment – It offers a way to feel power over another. The people who judged me and Delphina based on what was written on the side of the Piggly Wiggly, did so because they felt superior. They felt their lives were more ethical and moral than ours. But who were they to judge? They did so because their judgment felt morally superior than someone else’s judgment. Their judgment was not based on experience, was not based on knowing anything about my life or Delphina’s life, simply based on an energy and emotion of suspicion. By avoiding learning any deeper truth, their

Judgement.....there is no other word to describe the energy and emotions flung in my direction...judgement. People were now judging 168

shallow judgment was designed to diminish our integrity. In other words, making others feel bad made them feel good and look superior. Pretty soon they are feeding off the negativity of the judgment they created. I would forever be a suspicious person in their eyes.

herbalist, clinical herbalist, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, Ayurveda practitioner, Native American shaman or witch....you could find a place in the herbal community. Our mutual love of the plants and of the earth and our desire to help folks improve their health was our common ground. Even if we didn’t agree with another herbalists’ approach, we had a place to begin a conversation without rancor, without hostility and without anger. It was the Talking Stick approach, everyone had a right to be heard in entirety before others could comment.

That experience was horribly traumatizing and taught me much. I’ve never been able to look at graffiti the same whether on the side of a building or on Facebook. Was Delphina really a whore? And what is a whore anyway? Why was Delphina’s sex life such a subject of interest? In the grand scheme of things would it really matter if I was a witch and Delphina was a whore?

But those were the days we actually talked in person, or at least on the phone. All that has changed as technology has progressed. Comments can be tricky on social media. It’s way too easy to misunderstand, not necessarily the words, but the intent and the emotion behind the words, without the full import of the voice or a view of the face. And what’s up with all those emoticons? Just recently I meant to click “Like” but clicked “HaHa” instead, which was not an appropriate comment for the post. Total embarrassment as I straightened out the mess with the Facebook friend.

Social media, our new form of graffiti, is a bit different. Once something has been posted, it’s there for everyone to see....forever and ever and ever. A wall is a very big weapon whether we are talking about the wall on the local Piggly Wiggly or the wall on social media. “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” –Coretta Scott King The herbal community is always interesting and seems to be getting more interesting all the time. It is many-faceted and complex, non-cohesive in some areas and very cohesive in others. It is filled with out-spoken personalities, herbal elders, beginning students, quiet, steadfast practitioners and everything in-between. What tends to bind us together is our love of the herb, love of the earth, and desire to make ourselves and the world a better place.

And a sense of humor? Forget it on social media. A joke can quickly be taken for gospel truth and offend the masses while the truth is often mistaken for a joke and receives an lol. I can only speak for myself, but I miss the personal interaction. I fear we are losing a vital part of what made the herbal community a unique community. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that social media is very useful, especially as a marketing tool or a place to come together as a community and share information about plants and practice. No doubt of that.

One of the things I’ve always loved about the herbal community is our acceptance of each other. It didn’t matter if you were a Folk 169

Truthfully, the herbal community is no longer small...it’s growing in leaps and bounds. One of my desires in this growth process is that we don’t lose sight of what drew us together in the beginning....our love of the plants, love of the earth, our desire to help other folks, our desire for personal growth, and our desire to make the world a better place.

the chickens stop scratching. It’s not a very long lasting fuel. The most common meaning of the term chickenshit means coward, or lack of courage. For me, my dream meaning had to do with living my life in fear, not living my authentic self – Not standing up for my beliefs, letting other folks push me around, not setting appropriate boundaries, and the list goes on and on. I realize that I’m not unique in this aspect. It seems that half our country is running on chickenshit these days.

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” –Malala Yousafzai I dreamed I was driving a little scooter, not a fast motorcycle, a little scooter. I turned to my companion, who was also riding a scooter, and remarked, “We’ll never get there in time. These scooters are just too slow.” It was at that moment that we both realized that the scooters were out of fuel.

“Oh yes,” I remarked. “These scooters run on chicken power.” I opened the side of my scooter and there was just enough room for a chicken to stand and run. “What we need,” I continued, “is something to make the chickens run faster.” Being a country gal, I immediately knew what my chicken needed. Chickens love to scratch. They love scratching at dirt and digging for worms and bugs. But what they really love is scratching at shit, any animal’s shit. They love eating bits of pre-digested plants and they love digging for bugs and larvae in the shit. I began filling both scooters with dirt and shit to make the chickens happy. I closed the doors and away we went. Unfortunately, you can only go so far on chickenshit before the energy is gone, before

Personally, I’m ready to move up to a higher, longer-lasting octane fuel like love and respect. I use to run on that higher octane fuel, but life traumas and health challenges took their toll and it was very easy to move to the lower octane chickenshit. Ultimately, I have no one to blame but myself. Yes, life trauma’s suck and often can’t be avoided. But if I had met them with a different attitude, a better understanding, more courage, or a different approach, I might have recovered faster. My energy wouldn’t have gotten suck away for so long in victim mode and love and respect for myself might have stayed intact along with my self-esteem. 170

I couldn’t change what happened to me, couldn’t stop the traumas, but I could change how I reacted. And in all that mess, I might have continued liking myself. I might have been open to a life lesson. I might have become stronger. But no, that didn’t happen because I was running on chickenshit and stayed the victim.

Along life’s journey, we can strive to find our unique voice. Most of us have to search for our voice, finding it in bits and pieces along the way. That’s been my road. Others are born with their voices intake and strong, seeming to never waiver or break their whole lives. Some people find their voice as one in the crowd, feeling the safety of numbers. I’ve never been one to follow the voice of the crowd preferring instead to find my own voice. Sometimes this has meant speaking out and sometimes this has meant staying silent. Regardless of the choice, it is still my voice and it’s what I feel most comfortable doing.

Yes, that love and respect that I’m taking about, the same love and respect which is required for higher octane fuel, is our love and respect for ourselves. If we don’t have it for ourselves, for that Me that resides within the deepest part of our being, then fear will be our fuel and life’s traumas will offer an unlimited supply of that cheap energy. And ultimately, if we don’t have it for ourselves, how can we have it for anyone else? How can we have it for our partners, our children, our friends, our community? I woke from the dream knowing I was done with chickenshit.

I have many voices, as we all do. Things that anger me bring out my voice most quickly. Cruelty in any form, whether to animals, children or adults is sure to bring my voice out. There’s also my Mama voice that commands. My teacher voice that enlightens. And my sexy voice that entices. We all must find our voice along life’s road but we also have to be cautious that finding our voice doesn’t harm others. Yes, our voice must be true, but not cruel. A cruel voice can cut to the bone. A sarcastic voice can bring shame. A cynical voice brings contempt. Ultimately, our voice is just a reflection of ourselves. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” Martin Luther King, Jr. What is it that matters to you? Where to you find your passion, your voice? Let us not be silent about the things that matter. Let us speak with conviction, in a manner that others can hear. Let us speak with a vocabulary that includes people of all age ranges, socio-economic status, sexual orientation or identity, generations, educational levels, and political leanings.

“Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret.” –Laurence J. Peter Finding our voice is a first step in reclaiming ourselves, but ultimately, that is only the beginning. That voice we seek just initially allows us to vent and doesn’t offer any big change of fuel, because that venting voice is driven by anger and offers no peace of mind. So maybe, that moves us up to horseshit as fuel.

As practitioners, let us meet people where they are, holding ourselves in a neutral space to better serve those in need. As teachers, let us continually strive to appropriately share our knowledge and experience to those who seek. As students, let us continually strive to be receptive 171

to the knowledge we seek and learn the wisdom of many teachers. As a community, let us hear the many and diverse voices of our members without sitting in judgment or suspicion. And as humans, let us not power our lives with chickenshit but seek the more refined energy of love and respect. And let us remember...we are all humans.

Herbs For The Voice These herbs can be used as teas, gargles or syrups. Use honey or sugar in your syrups as the taste of sweet is relaxing to the voice and soothing to the throat. In a pinch, a nice herbal cough syrup is an excellent choice to help relax the throat, strengthen the voice, and ease the passage of both phlegm and words. Calamus strengthens and clarifies the voice. It also improves the memory, concentration and blood flow to the brain. Yerba Mansa reduces inflammation in mucous membrane tissues including the throat, helps clear phlegm, and numbs a sore throat. Slippery Elm coats the throat and soothes irritated membranes. Licorice coats the throat, and along with propolis, can be used as a gargle to help heal laryngitis. Osha or Angelico can soothe a sore throat and help clear the voice. Sage can help strengthen the voice and help cure laryngitis. 172

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Iodine Part III: Iodine & The Organ Systems

by Matthew Wood An Exclusive Plant Healer Excerpt From from the upcoming book Herbs, Iodine, and the Thyroid (2018), by Matthew Wood and Phyllis D. Light Iodine is the original, primeval organ system of the multicellular organism. Out of it developed the connective tissue system, which gave various structures to the ancient multicellular creatures. Simple cells in the matrix called â&#x20AC;&#x153;fibroblastsâ&#x20AC;? generated cord-like fibers with improved cohesiveness. Further along various connective

tissue cells such as chondroblasts and osteoblasts that developed cartilage and bone. To these simple structures would be added the symphony of organs that run the complex organisms of higher animal life. Iodine flows from the blood, extracellular fluids, cerebrospinal fluids, lymph into these various and sundry structures.

Gastrointestinal Tract

Eighty percent of our immune system is located in the GI, where the membranes are constantly stressed by materials that were already toxic before chemicals were added by modern madscientists. The walls of the small intestine are studded with Peyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Patches, lymphatic/ immune tissue built into the walls. This material also goes by the modern name of gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). The immune system originated in the matrix, but it became concentrated around the digestive tract, where foods have to be brought into the organism â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and foods are essentially toxins broken down for nutritional use. Out of this, as Venturi mentioned, developed the thyroid, which was originally an immune organ concerned with the use of immune as an antioxidant/antiseptic/ antibiotic immune agent. This helps to explain the relationship between thyroiditis and intestinal food sensitivities and immune problems that we so frequently see. Any woman suffering from thyroiditis should consider food allergies.

Iodine is concentrated in the salivary glands. It obviously acts as an antiseptic, but it may also have a regulatory effect on salivation. When there is a shortage there may be inability to produce saliva, with dry mouth. This will retard the digestion from step one. When the mouth is dry the stomach is usually lacking in digestive secretions and there will be gas and bloating. Proceeding further down the GI tract, iodine and iodides are taken up in the intestines. The mechanism for assimilation of iodine differs from the transport system used by the cells to take up T4. This fact was clinically overlooked until Abraham and Brownstein noticed a half dozen patients (out of hundreds? thousands?) that had an efficient iodine pick up in the intestines, but an inefficient transport for T4. This ironically caused a severe cellular transport defect for the T4 going into the target cells.

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“Leaky gut” is often a result or cause of food sensitivities. There are two basic causes of leaky guts. The “mortar” between the cells, consisting of GAGs, can become deficient, allowing materials into the inner world of the body. This is the kind of leaky gut that is so amenable to treatment by mucilages similar in makeup to the GAGs. These are found in Calendula, Marshmallow, Plantain, or its cousin Psyllium seed. This is also where Irish Moss is helpful. Another type of “leaky gut” occurs when the intestines become inflamed. The tight junctions (pores) in the GAG mortar opens up to allow serum containing immune cells and factors to flow in and onto the inflamed surfaces. This type of leaky gut is made worse from mucilage, which contains carbohydrates that can irritate the gut linings. Gluten not only irritates the lining but contains the substance zonulin, that opens the tight junctions. Therefore, gluten almost always has to go from the diet; dairy too. Herbs for this inflammatory state exist however: Yellow Dock Root (Rumex crispus) and Blue Flag (Iris versicolor) are ones I have proven in practice.

Muscles ! Lack of iodine can cause nodules in the muscles (why is this not surprising?), scar tissue, pain, and fibrosis. Low thyroid hormone causes additional problems, like muscular exhaustion, pain, achiness, inflammation, tenderness. This condition can probably be helped by Cleavers, Chickweed, Red Clover, Black Cohosh, and Solomon’s Seal. The Cardiovascular System It was my intention to discuss the cardiovascular system in relationship to the thyroid in chapter 4 because the main influence on this system is through TH, not iodine. However, we must remember that T4 developed before the thyroid and its function in regulating the cardiovascular system probably predates the thermogenic applications of T4 and T3 in the warm-blooded animals. The control of cardiovascular distribution of blood in the cold-blooded animals anticipates the thermogenic use.

Liver

The discussion naturally belongs here, where we are beginning to see the “whole picture” with regard to the action of iodine in the maintenance and healing of the organism. We see in fact that iodine is associated with the very important interactive functions of fever, thermoregulation, and circulation.

The liver takes in a higher concentration of T4 than is naturally found in the bloodstream, so it is “stripping” the blood, to an extent, of this substance. Enzymes in the hepatic cells break it down into free T4 and T3. These are then dumped into the bloodstream and become available for the cells to pickup and metabolize. The liver, however, with its massive load of toxins, must need some of the extra iodine that has been stripped off the T4. There is some relationship of the thyroid (and iodine) to cirrhosis, as mentioned in the next chapter. It is likely that iodine-rich foods and herbs are beneficial for the liver. Calendula, for one, has cured hepatitis C to my knowledge and that of other herbalists.

The thyroid has an important and fascinating effect on the cardiovascular system. When inflammation is required by the body to remove invading microorganisms, repair wound, metabolize foreign material, or eliminate waste, the hypothalamus sets the “thermostat” of the body higher, and this requires higher levels of TH to fire the metabolism. Heart rate is increased to allow more blood to move through the vasculature and TH carries messages that cause their dilation. This keeps blood pressure from becoming intolerable and promotes the escape of heat to the surface and out of the body. When the irritant substance or organism has finally been dealt with the sweat pores open, the fever breaks, the nervous system relaxes, TH levels go back down, and cardiovascular

Respiratory Tract !

As mentioned above, iodine has long been used as an expectorant, to thin mucus, breakup congestion, and support expulsion. The antiseptic powers of iodine may also come into play here. 184

function returns to normal. The thyroid is functionally very “elastic” and can adopt to even long term inflammation, resulting in a condition known as “sick euthyroid syndrome” (SES). Even then the thyroid is still healthy: we should think of “sick” as referring to the condition of the larger organism.

(myhdiet.com): Iodine also has an impact on glucose metabolism. There have been no studies on this to date, only observations of clinicians who have patients taking high amounts of iodine. It appears that iodine increases the sensitivity of the insulin receptor, which improves glucose control. Lower amounts of insulin are needed to keep blood glucose levels in the normal range. Dr. Flechas has found that iodine can reduce the need for insulin in diabetic patients, using 50 to 100 mg of iodine per day. Of 12 patients, 6 were able to completely come off their medications with random glucose readings below 100 mg/dl and a HbA1c less than 5.8 (normal), and the other 6 were able to reduce the amount and/or number of medications needed to control their diabetes. . . . More research should be done in this area to confirm and expand these results. In the same way that iodine modifies insulin receptors it is possible for iodine to modify other receptors as well. This is as yet an unexplored area of research.

Since thyroid levels are ratcheted up or down to control heat during fever, a person suffering from hyperthyroidism will experience fever, while another who suffers from hypothyroidism (a less active thyroid) will experience a decrease in body temperature. Hyperthyroidism can cause a rise in heart rate, rapid pulse, blood pressure, palpitations, atrial fibrillation, and reductions in exercise performance. Insomnia is frequently associated with this condition. In these cases the tip of the tongue, which is associated with the heart, and the very tip, associated with the thyroid, will usually be quite red. In severe cases the quickened metabolic rate will cause wasting from the need to consume large amounts of fuel for the cellular metabolism. This occurs despite a great appetite. Hypothyroidism causes the reverse problems: low heart and pulse rate, and a low blood pressure. Atherosclerosis and cardiac infraction (heart attack) can result.

The original study is in Flechas (2005). Iodine, the Brain, & Nervous System

Iodine & Glucose Metabolism

The snug passage of the carotid arteries along the thyroid has long been believed, in alternative medicine, to mean that the area serviced by the carotids – the front of the face, head, and brain – get more iodine, with its positive effects. (These areas are ruled by the astrological sign Aries – the “me first” sign – so it must be true). The exact mechanisms are not known, but it has been shown that people with hypothyroidism have an increased incidence of carotid arterial plaques and strokes (Dörr, et al., 2008). This shows that the thyroid (or iodine) does have a direct effect on the carotids.

! By increasing energy production efficacy in the cells, iodine can use up glucose and stored sugars in fats in the production of energy. Very often people who are overweight also lack energy. This approach can therefore “kill two birds with one stone.” It may also increase the ability of cell receptors to pick up insulin, thereby reducing hyperinsulinemia and diabetes type II. Dr. Michael Donaldson writes in Research Advances in Iodine Nutrition

Located in the front of the frontal cortex, the hypothalamus gets almost the first shot at this incoming blood. It screens venous blood for hormones, neurotransmitters, proteins, and their waste products. It stands to reason that the hypothalamus depends on iodine keep the blood in a good enough condition that it can obtain a useful reading. Or perhaps the hypothalamus is extra endowed with iodine. It tightly controls the thyroid through TRH (thyroid releasing

Iodine stabilizes the heart rhythm, lowers serum cholesterol, lowers blood pressure, and is known to make the blood thinner as well, judging by longer clotting times seen by clinicians. Iodine is not only good for the cardiovascular system, it is vital (Donaldson, mydiet.com).

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hormone), which signals the pituitary to release TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). Without iodine it is doubtful the hypothalamus could get a “really good look” as the sanguinary flood passes by.

Dare I say it: a good supply of iodine potentially can maximize our intelligence, while a deficiency or excess can unhinge the mind. “Elemental Sunshine”

The blood coming up the carotids also supplies the sinuses, where mucus is more likely to be generated. Clearly, a good, healthy supply of iodine in the blood would tend to control mucus production – iodine is still used to thin the mucus in bronchitis. !

Alternative medicine, intuitive as it is, particularly associates the cleansing action of iodine with the brain. Victor G. Rocine (1921, 77), the great food healer and mentor of Dr. Bernard Jensen, wrote for the alternative intellect when he penned his work on Food and Chemicals. Life began at the edge of the ocean, where sunlight warmed the dark waters to make the environment hospitable for living organisms. The first plants – blue green algae – converted sunshine into energy, but this produced excess oxygen that threatened their tissue with oxidation. They took on the iodine as an antioxidant, so iodine entered the biological world in conjunction with sunshine. ! From that origin iodine continued to expand its range of action, as life evolved. In the multicellular organisms, it helps to maintain the basic fabric between the cells, from which arose the support (connective tissue) system. It warms every corner of the economy in its role in thyroid hormone, also causing the cardiovascular system, in its dispersal of heat, oxygen, and fuel, and keeping the fluids thin and dispersible. ! Iodine, first entering organisms with sunlight, is like the sunshine beating on the warm pavement to dispel the puddles, and like the sunshine warming old, tired bones resting at the beach. What can we liken it to but the warmth generated by the beams of sunlight as they warm our environment? And yet, paradoxically and beautifully, this “elemental sunshine” emerges out of the cold, dark depths of the sea, in the seaweeds and fishes, to warm our terrestrial world.

Iodine seems to be a sanitary police officer and brain guard, having his headquarters in the thyroid gland, evidently placed there by the Wise Creator, to guard the brain, destroy the toxins that are harmful to the brain, to increase assimilation of certain salts and establish more normal metabolism, and to promote the oxidation of the brain. When Iodine is not present in normal amounts in the thyroid gland, certain albuminous toxins and other toxins, injurious to the brain, are not neutralized. In 1921, when Rocine wrote, the function of the thyroid as an endocrine glands was not fully known, so he explains its actions in terms of the cleansing effects of iodine. Today, we associate iodine and the thyroid with the metabolism, rather than with cleansing, which we tend to overlook. Metabolism, of course, is a form of cleansing – to be discussed shortly. It has long been known that severe iodine deficiency causes severe cognitive damage. Modern research shows that mild deficiency results in mild cognitive decline. Mild insufficiency may affect some elements of cognition. This is because TH is required to build tissue, including the brain. Lack of iodine during pregnancy can cause various levels of fetal brain damage. This is uncommon in the United States but is still a problem throughout the world. 186

The idea of “elemental sunshine” may be “too poetic” for the language of science (vox scientifica). It is not the design I had in mind when I began to write this chapter on iodine, but it is the conclusion to which I was driven and vision I want my readers to hold in the eye of their imagination.

The scientific voice was parodied by “the Professor” on Gilligan’s Island – for those who are interested in such things. ! Because I am an intuitive, ever gnawing at the materials of herbal medicine with a holistic eye, I borrow the metaphor of sunshine from the name we so often call Calendula in our profession: “herbal sunshine.” This beautiful orange flower (the part we use) is high in iodine. It wins its sunny nickname from the fact that it looks like a piece of the sun fallen to earth. If the reader has not seen it growing then he or she has missed a beautiful experience. ! Calendula: “Herbal Sunshine”

“Holistic Science” ! The vox scientifica is engineered to remove metaphor, imagination, and intuition. Yet, if we really what to understand something, then we need to adjust our glasses so that we can see it. We have not been seeing iodine: now it is time that we change the view. Every discipline needs to develop its own guiding lights, and for holistic medicine this means the use of all our faculties of perception and analysis: imagination, intuition, artistic vision, emotions, physical perceptions, and experiential, hands-on knowledge. We do not judge our subjective faculties, but develop them. ! This type of “holistic science” was used by the poet William Blake (he called it “fourfold vision”), the German philosopher J. W. Goethe, the “occult scientist” Rudolf Steiner (he called it “Goethaen science”), and the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung (who identified the use of all faculties of perception: sensation, thinking, feeling, intuition, and imagination, with wholeness, healing and health).

It is widely stated in alternative medicine that Calendula contains iodine. However, we have not been able to verify this in modern pharmacological literature. Every living organism contains iodine, but Calendula does not seem to be remarkable in this regard. However, Phyllis found that in the late nineteenth century Calendula was used to detect the presence of iodine. What this means is that Calendula, more than most land plants, interacts chemically with iodine. This may explain why it possesses properties that remind us of the peripheral action of iodine in the matrix and tissues, but is not known as a thyroid medicine. (Please contact us if you have found evidence that Calendula contains substantial amounts of iodine).

I have discarding the scientific voice of the invaders (Western culture), who have foisted their reductionist, non-holistic, Natureconquering perspective on the whole world in a bravado of self-declared superiority. It was Euclid who first developed the scientific voice as a way of inventing an exclusive field of knowledge separated from the “profane” society, in other words, “sacred.” In Euclid we see the first tendency towards a sort of scientific arrogance of “insider” knowledge versus “outsider,” that has been with us ever since and is intentionally maintained in science. The scientific voice has been perpetuated on down to the present, so that one has to speak the vox scientifica in order to be taken seriously in the scientific community. 187

The beautiful golden orange flower of Calendula – in flower through the “calends” of the year – looks like a drop of sunlight fallen to the earth. It is my model for iodine as the “elemental sunshine.”

substance to a person repeatedly, in large, small, or sub-physical doses, until symptoms are produced. These are recorded, the remedy is discontinued, and the person almost always returns to health. This is called a “proving.” Today the identity of the remedy would not be revealed until after the experiment, in order to guarantee a lack of bias on the part of the “provers.” However, it is apparent that Hahnemann looked upon the process as an opportunity that could be directed by the selection of provers “sensitive” to the remedy. Therefore, he assigned Calendula to a young medical student who had been badly injured as a child by falling into some mill wheels; he came away from this with scars all over his legs. In his proving of Calendula the old scars started to hurt, opened up and discharged pus. Hahnemann, then, had what he evidently was looking for: a plant for cuts and injuries.

Calendula is one of a group of herbs that are classified as “solar remedies” in astrological herbalism. The English astrologer Joseph Blaugrave (1671) listed the ones he used as Angelica, Rosemary, Calendula, and St. John’s Wort. This category is similar to the “yang tonics” of Chinese medicine. These remedies warm the body, remove dampness, and energize the tissues, organs, and circulation. They are like the sun shining on a wet sidewalk, vaporizing away the excess water. !

In Western herbalism we frequently use the astringents to dry up water, but in astrological and Chinese herbalism the sunny warming plants are preferred. Angelica, Rosemary, and Calendula are all circulatory stimulants that increase the dispersion of the blood to the periphery, bringing more blood to the surface to “vaporize” the excess water through the skin, lungs, kidneys, and colon.

Over time, Calendula came to be proven several more times and many interesting indications were obtained, though none of them added to the importance of the first proving, which established the place of honor for Calendula as a wound healer. Clinical experience also contributed a great deal to the use of this plant, since it was eminently useful to doctors, housewives, workers, herbalists, and essentially everyone. The herbal use of Calendula is not substantially different from the homeopathic.

As far as we know, Calendula is not a direct remedy for the thyroid. It has never been used in this manner. For instance, the European peasants used it as a warming soup ingredient in the winter, but they were not aware that it worked on goiter – for this they used blood sausage. The testimony of people living close to the earth should never be overlooked. However, Calendula does have a system-wide peripheral warming effect. This suggests a relationship to iodine out in the tissues.

Energetics In Greek medicine Calendula is classified as warming in the fourth degree and temperate with regard to damp and dry. This means that, (1º) it expels cold chill or warms the body to prevent chilling; (2º) it thins fluids to remove “humors” (pus in wounds); (3º) warms the center like a mild carminative, to improve digestion, soothe abraded and irritated GI mucosa, and promote circulation to the periphery, which drives out putrefaction and sepsis; and (4º) it is an escharotic which, applied topically to the skin, can remove warts and cancers. It is not nearly as hot and corrosive as many escharotics, like Blood Root and Celandine.

Calendula flowers were used in German folk medicine when Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homeopathy, became interested in them. It was used in homeopathy for a hundred and fifty years. It was concurrently used in homeopathy and herbalism in Europe but crossed the line into herbal practice in the US in the mid or late twentieth century. The homeopathic method of investigation, as many people know, consists in giving a medical 188

This is a fairly good representation of the properties of Calendula. It is not considered damp or dry because it dries up purulent, pusbearing wounds, yet also moistens, plumps, and feeds the skin. It soothes both internal and external membranes.

and iodine) shows that it brings water into hardened tissues. So far we have the properties analogous to Hyiodine. But then we have the bitters. These usually give the ability to provoke secretions in the GI tract and activate the liver, so it is digestively and metabolically cleansing and activating. The slight warming pungence indicates that Calendula stimulates mild peripheral circulation that throws off toxins, putrefaction, and strengthens the periphery against external pathogens.

Taste In modern Western herbalism we would analyze the taste to understand the properties of a plant. The petals are sweet and mucilaginous (damp, thick, chewy, and slightly sticky). The rest of the flower head is bitter, salty, and mildly pungent. This indicates a plant that is nutritive (sweet and mucilaginous), increases and decreases water (mucilaginous and salty), cleansing (bitter), and warming (pungent).

Pharmacology This plant has been subjected to numerous biomedical studies because it is widely sold and used in European herbal commerce. T. K. Lim, in Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants (2013, 7:213-45) treats us to thirty pages of research. Calendula officinalis contains water soluble polysaccharides, sugars, fatty acids including sterols, triterpenes, oleoresins, pigments (xanthins, carotenoids, and others), phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids that are antioxidants, less than 1%),

The polysaccharides that give the mucilaginous taste indicate that Calendula is soothing to the skin, mucosa, and matrix underneath. The sweetness indicates that it is mildly nutritive. It plumps up the skin by nourishing and healing the matrix. The salty taste (including sodium

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essential oils (including pinene, limonene, borneol, geraniol, caryophyllene), sesquiterpenoids, coumarins, chlorophyll, proteins and amino acids, saturated hydrocarbons, vitamin C, and minerals.

with a good extract of calendula.” “It has absolutely inhibited the formation of pus in every wound that he has ever dressed with it.” Extensive burns are often contaminated by burnt clothing, but if dressed with calendula and a saturated solution of boric acid “the burns will remain perfectly clean and sterile till healing is complete.” It also “alleviates the pain of burns better than any other remedy ever discovered” (Therapeutic Gazette, 40:805; 1916).

It is hard to get mineral assays in modern pharmacological literature, because they don’t care about that kind of thing anymore, so I have not been able to verify the widespread statement that iodine contains iodine. It certainly contains sodium (salty taste) and potassium (bitter).

Skin Care & Repair Wound-Healing

Moving on from wound healing, it is used in general skin care. Lim (2013, 7:236) reports that a paste of the flower heads, applied externally, has proven effective in warts, plantar warts, hyperkeratosis (thickened skin), and fungus under the nails. One study showed improved hydration and firmness of the skin after 8 weeks. These properties are probably due to the polysaccharides and minerals (sodium and iodine), repairing and rebuilding the matrix, assisted by bitters that clean and sanitize the area.

Calendula flower heads in various preparations have long been used in wound healing. I think of a cat scratch as the archetypal Calendula wound. It is one of the few agents that will help a cat bite – on a human or a cat. It keeps bacteria from proliferating, but is not strongly antimicrobial. Instead, it keeps and repairs the wound, supports peripheral immune function, and the bacteria eventually go away on their own. It is also beneficial for minor or moderate burns and sunburn. A product containing extracts of Garlic, St. John’s Wort, and Calendula had an estimated 99% effectiveness in skin repair in a pilot study of 25 men and women, “without significant effects on the microbial flora” (Lim, 2013, 7:226).

A cream of Calendula and Rosemary proved effective in a clinical study of contact dermatitis. Calendula was also helpful in the reduction of radiation-induced skin pain. Diaper rash responded successfully to calendula and aloe vera. It has been found to protect the skin from UV radiation.

An article on the wound-healing and particularly the anti-purulent applications of Calendula appeared in the New York Medical Journal, July 8, 1916, written by a Dr. Gregory. This is an allopathic journal. About fifteen years previous, the doctor read in a medical journal that “a good extract of calendula will absolutely prevent the formation of pus in all contused an lacerated wounds, no matter how dirty, unclean, and far from aseptic they may be,” etc. He thought this was probably an exaggeration, “but tried the remedy, and found that it made good in every instance.” This was in accidents, emergencies, and “some exceedingly filthy wounds,” caused by railroad and stone quarry accidents, sometimes contaminated by coal dust, machine oil, or dirty clothing. “Not one of them has ever produced a drop of pus when dressed

Diaphoresis In addition to acting on the tone of the skin, Calendula acts as a diaphoretic to promote sweat. However, it acts on the sebaceous glands, which release oil, rather than watery perspiration. This means it is warming because oily sweat protects us against cold and damp. Sailors and fisherman on the sea dress in wool clothing because, if it gets wet, it is still warming and insulative. So the few plants that increase sebaceous sweating are warming, though not drying, yet countering to cold and damp. They are, in fact, slightly moistening through the increase of oil. 190

By warming and oiling the skin, the action of Calendula as a skin care remedy is explained: it is suited to dry cold conditions but also to purulent (that would be damp), inflamed conditions as well – so it is fairly universal. Because it moistens the skin with oil, yet clears pus and swollen tissue, the Greeks classified it as both damp and dry, or “temperate” (balanced) with regard to these properties.

to many tests for gum disease because there are many products in Europe designed for this purpose. Interestingly, the studies did not find that Calendula killed bacteria in the mouth or gums; rather it improved the quality of the tissue. This is how we want an herb to work: clean up the environment and the bacteria will go. Two cases of chronic lichen planus were significantly reduced for at least two years. The presenting symptoms were gingivitis characterized by desquamation or shedding of tissue.

Mucosa Calendula has an action on the mucosa and synovial membranes, similar to that operating on the skin. It is beneficial on both exterior and interior ulcers: we know this from decades of experience so I do not feel it is justified to refer to animal studies undertaken to “prove” these well-known facts. It is used for ulcers of the gastric and intestinal mucosa.

Gastrointestinal System Moving further down the GI from the mouth, Calendula has long been used to sooth or remove ulceration of the stomach. This has been justified by scientific research – as if we needed justification, but thank-you anyway, as long as you guys didn’t torture any animals to prove “what everyone already knew.” An attenuated dilution of Nux vomica (which is toxic) and Calendula was found to act on gastritis, gastric

Calendula has long been used in “chronic catarrhal gingivitis.” That would be gum disease with canker sores. It has been subjected 191

ulcers, and inhibited Helicobacter pylori. Only alcohol extracts worked, not water. Although Calendula may have an action of H. pylori, it is used for external ulcers with excellent results and these don’t have any H. pylori inside them. Like Hyiodine, it works on the matrix to reknit the tissue; bacteria vacates the premises as their feeding ground is eliminated. In 1981 gastric acidity and duodenal and gastric ulcers were treated with Comfrey and Calendula in 137 patients with good results. Today we would not tend to the use the former since it can have serious side-effects in the liver. Another study of 24 patients with chronic nonspecific colitis, using Dandelion, St. John’s Wort, Melissa, Calendula, Fennel lessened symptoms of pain, reduced constipation significantly (Lim, 2013, 7:231).

growing season, then added them to their stew pots. Northern peoples generally have tonics for winter. This one gently opens the sebaceous glands, so it is suited to a damp, cold climate. In addition, it is suited to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – depression from cold, dark, winter weather. I have seen it work here several times in the Far North. It also improves lymphatic health, and therefore the immune functions that rely on the lymph – movement of white cells, elimination of debris from the matrix. And finally, it improves immune function. “Calendula officinalis extract was one of several herbal extracts that was shown to be not inferior to Echinacea purpurea tincture in terms of stimulation of humoral immune response, phagocytic and bactericidal activity of peritoneal macrophages in mice but exceeded effect of E. purpurea on phagocytic activity of peripheral blood neutrophils” (Lim, 2013, 7:233).

Going conceptually deeper, Calendula is widely used today in American herbalism for leaky gut, because it is reparative on the “glue” between the cells. It will probably be counter-productive in yeast infections, because the little critters would feast on the sugars.

Calendula is also antiviral – here the tincture is required, the tea does not generally work as well. However a hot tea “inhibited replication of tickborne encephalitis virus” in mice (233). It is only mildly antibacterial, however. It is really bacteriostatic, holding the microorganisms in check as it swiftly or slowly improves the environment so that they cannot remain. Antimicrobial studies of the mouth did not show much activity and yet Calendula was fundamentally curative for gingivitis, mouth ulcers, etc.

Dr. Gregory found calendula to be “the best remedy he has ever found for a certain very acute and inflammatory type of gastric catarrh” (Therapeutic Gazette). Lymphatic System We know from the way that Calendula acts on closed wounds full of pus that it stimulates lymphatic drainage. This means it cleans the matrix. This is an excellent remedy for lymphatic congestion, especially when it is chronic, because it is so gently warming and stimulating. Cooling lymphatics like Cleavers would be better in recent cases, with fever, and Red Root is neutral with regard to hot or cold so it can be used in formulas for the lymphatics.

Menopausal women with vaginal dystrophy, gel containing calendula, lactic acid and lactobacillus sporogenes reducing itching, burning, vulvovaginal erythema, vaginal dryness. Lungs Sajah Popham writes, “I have found Calendula most beneficial in cases where the acute cough, cold, flu or infection has passed, but there is a lingering after effect of the sickness, where the person just doesn’t feel all the way better, perhaps with low grade fever and lymphatic congestion” (evolutionaryherbalism.com; Calendula pdf).

Immune System The lymphatics are, in a real sense, the vehicle of the immune system, so it is not surprising that Calendula has immunological powers. This was intuitively understood by the northern European peasants, who picked the flowers during the 192

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This is an excellent expansion on the use of Calendula as a lymphatic and a wise and intuitive observation. Also, I would like to say: when the flu or respiratory condition is not clearing up or relapsing, or changing from viral to bacterial infection and the kidneys are implicated (urine darker and scantier) the remedy is Goldenrod (Solidago spp.), a sunny cousin of Calendula.

syrupy) and lead acetate on absorbent cotton to prevent complications with synovitis in bad sprains and injuries of knees and ankles (Therapeutic Gazette, 1916, 40:805).

Kidneys

Cancer

A flower extract lowered elevated creatinine and urea in the urine. These were animal studies but they are important so I mention them (Lim, 2013, 7:228). Nettles have proved themselves in so many cases like this, but it is always good to have a second, third, and fourth option to fall back on.

Calendula was classified in the 4º in Greek medicine, meaning that it was an escharotic that would dissolve away warts and cancer. It was specifically used for breast cancer in traditional German folk medicine, but this was long before adequate diagnosis – it may have been for nonmalignant sores on the breasts. Even this is interesting in light of the action of iodine on breast tissue. However, modern research supports the idea that it is inhibits cell proliferation and cancer. There are good remedies for cancer of the breasts and lymphatics – Red Clover, Poke Root, and Violet Leaf and Flower.

Nervous System Research has justified the traditional uses for abdominal cramps and constipation.

Female Reproductive System According to Dr. Gregory, “an exceedingly efficient treatment for very bad cases of leucorrhea contains equal parts of non-alcoholic calendula, non-alcoholic hydrastis, and glycerin,” to be used on tampons or a medicated douche. If hydrastis is unavailable he substituted boric acid. Uterine tonic.

Tongue & Pulse Indications These are important as they point to the specific persons in whom Calendula will act most deeply, or who need it on a constitutional level. One is always happy when one’s students build on what one teaches them so I would like to quote from a student who is now an excellent herbalist and teacher in his own right, Sajah Popham “The tongue will be slightly puffy and swollen, which indicates an accumulation of fluids within the tissues (i.e., lymphatic stagnation). There will also be red or pink papillae along the edges of the tongue, which is the region in correspondence with the lymphatic system and the Spleen. The red and pink coloration indicates heat patterns and “unresolved infections.” The edges of the tongue may be “scalloped” or with indentations, also indicating damp accumulation within the system and poor absorption in the GI.” I did teach the red or pink (especially) papillae along the edges of the tongue – halfway between the center and the edge, that is, but Sajah fills out the picture.

Cardiovascular System I believe that “herbal sunshine” has a stronger action on the CV system than is generally recognized, though there is some use of it in venous repair and studies showing that it is a relaxant because Relaxant (calcium channel blockers), ardioprotective, antimutagenic and antiproliferative, immunomodulation. Venous leg ulcers. 7 out of 21 completely cured, rest improved. 231. Muscular & Skeletal System Synovial membranes are analogous to mucous membranes that are not only to the outside world. Calendula paste showed positive results in tests on bursitis and tendonitis (paste). An extract assisted inflamed bursa (Lim, 2013, 7:231). Dr. Gregory used a compress of concentrated extract of calendula (which is 194

“The pulse will be indicative of coldness and dampness, and will typically be low, sluggish, languid, and difficult to find.” I didn’t have that at all, so thank-you, Sajah.

J. H. Duncan Bassett and Graham R. Williams. “Role of Thyroid Hormones in Skeletal Development and Bone Maintenance,” in Endocrine Rev, 2016, Apr; 37 (2): 135-87.

Preparation

Michael Donaldson. Recent Advances in Iodine Nutrition, at myhdiet.com/pdf/researchAdvances_in_Iodine_Nutrition.pdf [accessed Sept. 14, 2017].

The best preparations turn out to be the alcoholic extracts and tinctures. The flower heads need to be dried out or they dilute the product. Also, a higher percentage alcohol gets out more of the resins and terperenes and sesquiterpenes.

M. Dörr, Klaus Empen, Daniel M. Robinson, Henri Wallafschopkski, Stephen B. Felix, and Henry Völske. “The association of thyroid function with carotid artery plaque burden and strokes in a populationbased sample from a previously iodine-deficient area,” at eje-online.org/content/159/2/145.full [accessed Sept. 14, 2017].

Dr. Gregory found the most reliable preparation of the remedy to be a fluid extract “so concentrated that it is almost of the consistence of syrup.”

M. E. Everts. “Effects of thyroid hormones on contractility and cation transport in skeletal muscle,” in Acta Physiol Scand. 1996 Mar; 156(3):325-33. J. D. Flechas. “Orthoiodosupplementation in a primary care practice,” in The Original Internist 2005;12(2):89-96. K. F. Cutting. “Wound healing through synergy of hyaluronan and an iodine complex,” in Journal of Wound Care, 20 (9): 424–430. https://doi.org/ 10.12968/jowc.2011.20.9.424

References Abraham, G.E., “The History of Iodine in Medicine Part III: Thyroid Fixation and Medical Iodophobia,” in The Original Internist, 13: 71-78, June 2006. Abraham, G.E., Brownstein, D., “Evidence that the administration of Vitamin C improves a defective cellular transport mechanism for iodine: A case report.” The Original Internist, 12(3):125-130, 2005.

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Gregory. “A Trusty, Non-Poisonous Antiseptic,” in The Therapeutic Gazette. Detroit: E. G. Swift, 40:805. T. K. Lim. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants. v. 7. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013. Bernard Lown. The Lost Art of Healing. Houghton Mifflin, 1998. J. Maier, H. van Steeg, C. van Oostrom, R. Pachke, R. E. Weiss, K. Krohn., in “Iodine deficiency activates antioxidant genes and causes DNA damage in the thyroid gland of rats and mice.” Biochim Biophys Acta. 2007 Jun; 1773 (6):990-9. Gerald McDonnell, A. Denver Russell. “Antiseptics and Disinfectants: Activity, Action, and Resistance,” in Clin Microbiol Rev, 1999 Jan; 12(1): 147–179. Iordanis Mourouzis, Efstathia Politi, and Constantinous Pantos. “Thyroid Hormone and Tissue Repair: New Tricks for an Old Hormone?” in Journal of Thyroid Research, 2013 (2013), Article ID 312104. Victor G. Rocine. Foods and Chemistry. Chicago: Published by the author, 1921. Sebastiano Venturi, Francesco M. Donati, Alessandro Venturi and Mattia Venturi. “Environmental Iodine Deficiency: A Challenge to the Evolution of Terrestrial Life?” in Thyroid, 2000 Aug;10 (8):727-9.

Online sources Iodine, thymus, and immunity (PDF Download Available) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/ 26710026_Iodine_thymus_and_immunity https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/IodineHealthProfessional/ http://www.ryandrum.com/thyroid1.html, “Thyroid Function and Dysfunction.” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26710026 _Iodine_thymus_and_immunity [accessed Sep 1, 2017]).

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Constitutional Assessment Through a Global Lens by Kristin Henningsen The following is the informative companion essay to Kristinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class at the Good Medicine Confluence We hope to run her work more often in these pages!

For thousands of years holistic systems from around the world have closely looked to the individual nature of a person when assessing imbalances in the body. These traditional systems often looked to nature as a whole to describe commonly seen patterns, that when reflected back upon an individual, developed into a way in which to describe an individuals constitution, or way of being. In Ayurveda we have three doshas, made of the five elements of water, earth, fire, water, air, and ether. In traditional Chinese medicine five phase theory, the elements of wind, fire, earth, water, and metal are also prevalent. Even Western herbalism traditionally used the elements to describe the four humors manifesting from air, water, earth, and fire. And although my experience (and so my focus) thus far has largely

been with these three systems, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to note that many indigenous cultures have healing systems founded on an energetic basis, including Native American, Tibetan, Middle Eastern Unani, and African medicines to name a few. While more modern medicine may find such individualization chaotic and antiquated, this approach is far from an ethereal shot in the dark. Quite systematic, this approach can not only recognize imbalances manifesting in an individual, but also match the energetic nature of the tool used to rectify it. Whether using diet, herbs, or lifestyle support, these assessment systems can provide a clearer picture with which to work. We look beyond disease, to the person, and the deeper imbalance that caused the disease in the first place.

In fact, it was when western herbalism turned away from this holistic approach in the 17th and 18th centuries in favor of a more simplified mechanistic view, that it was quickly deemed ineffective and largely pushed the margins. When herbs are applied to treat diseases solely according to their therapeutic properties and chemical constituents, the disease is separated from the individual and the plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s components are separated from the whole plant. This fracture creates a barrier to effective support.

Three Doshas We start here, not in that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most important system, but one could argue one of the oldest of the three. Over 5,000 years old, Ayurveda is one of the oldest consistently practiced medical systems. Originating in India, we see the prevalence of the five elements that reflect back to nature, and even the plants themselves. According to Frawley & Lad (1986) the root corresponds to earth, connected and grounded. The stem to water, as it conveys it upward. The flowers to fire, which manifest as light and color. The leaves correspond to air, as the wind moves through them. And the fruit corresponds to ether, the subtle essence of the plant. The seed itself contains all five elements, containing the entire potential plant within.

Similarly, when we become deeply entrenched in one energetic system, it can limit our approach to supporting an individual. We may begin to project our innate biases and assumptions within the framework of the system we have gotten most comfortable with. We may also develop blinders to less common patterns, instead only picking up on those more widely seen. Viewing imbalances through several lenses can allow us to see commonality between systems to strengthen our assessment, as well as open up new possibilities for our approach. The nuances of each system can (and have!) fill a book each in their own right.

These five elements combine and shift to make up the three doshas, or constitutions within Ayurveda. Individual constitutions are acquired at birth, and these can be recognized by physical and mental attributes. At times they may be hard to read, as they are also influenced by climate, stage of life, season, and even time of day. From these constitutions we can determine the relative nature of the individual, the imbalance that is occurring, and the method of support that will best bring them back to harmony.

While my work here is intentionally just scratching the surface, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my hope it will provide enough of a scaffolding to build an understanding on different ways of working with the pattern in front of you.

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Vata

written that Pitta energy dwells in the small intestine.

The Vata dosha is made of ether and air, and so general qualities are cold, light, mobile, dry, and changeable. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the coolness and dryness that comes with the Fall and early Winter. Vata types tend to have thin frames, with prominent bones and joints. Hair may be thin, curly, and dry, as is their skin. When in balance, they are often creative and active, and quite witty. They can also be spontaneous, but energy and attention wanes fairly quickly as they get restless.

Imbalance often manifests as signs of heat, such as inflammation and infection. Sores and ulcers can be common, as well as other skin outbreaks. Heat may also be dispelled in the form of diarrhea, or manifest in high blood pressure. Anger and jealousy can be dominant emotions, and stress is often a common underlying issue. This heat calls for cooling, calming, and sometimes drying. Cooling bitters can be one of the most effective ways to support Pitta, but diaphoretics at times can also help dispel excess heat when used in moderation. Slowing and grounding are essential, and so bulk forming demulcents are useful, as are cooling sedatives and nervines. Long-term support can be provided with circulatory tonics and grounding adaptogens.

Vatas also tend to be worriers, and anxiety and fear are one of the more common psychological imbalances. Absent-mindedness may lead to irregular meals, affecting digestion. The colon is said to be the main site where Vata accumulates, and constipation is common, as is insomnia. Circulation is poor, often leaving their hands and feet chilly. Many diseases that â&#x20AC;&#x153;come and goâ&#x20AC;? also affect Vata, such as arthritis, which is quite common.

Kapha

This cold, dry, and light nature of Vata calls for warming, moistening, and grounding. Pungent herbs can be helpful to warm, however, can also aggravate the dryness of Vata, so moistening demulcents are good companions, as are tissue tonics. Carminatives help alleviate some of the GI discomfort, but steer away from cold, dry bitters that may aggravate it. Antispasmodics and nervines can be helpful to alleviate the tension that plagues Vata. This can also be supported by nutritive herbs and grounding adaptogens which rebuild both the physical and mental capacity of this dosha.

Kapha is formed of water and earth. It is the cold dampness of late Winter and Spring. Qualities associated with it are a cold, heavy, dense, and slow. Kapha constitutions are usually of stockier frame with broad chests, often muscular, but can build to excess weight. Skin tends to be soft, oily, moist, and cold. When in balance, Kaphas are steady and loyal, positive, forgiving, and loving. They also have excellent stamina, and sound sleep. Imbalance comes in the form of loss of digestive power, accumulation of phlegm and mucus, and lethargy. Weight gain is common, and often Kaphas will suffer from respiratory issues, edema, and low metabolic function. Kapha energy resides in the stomach (Frawley & Lad, 1986). Psychologically they can be prone to possessiveness, and often clutch onto physical objects as well as relationships that are no longer serving them.

Pitta Pitta is made of fire and water, and thus key attributes are hot, light, sharp, and clear. It is the heat of Summer. Pitta constitutions are usually of medium height with moderate weight and frame. Skin tends to be fair and soft, often with freckles, and can flush quite easily. When in balance, Pittas are great leaders, courageous, and can digest and assimilate both emotions and food quite easily, and Frawley & Lad have

Kapha needs warming and drying, and stimulating to return back to balance. Pungent herbs are specifically indicated, but warming bitters, carminatives and astringents can also 199

help to lighten, stimulate and dry. Diuretics and lymphatics help to regulate the water balance in the body, and expelling some of the accumulated phlegm through expectorants and diaphoretics is also key.

Wood Wood represents spring, expansiveness, and growth. Those with strong wood constitutions tend to be motivated, planners, and organizers. Your typical Type A personality, when balanced, Wood types tend to be creative, expressive, and driven to make their way in the world, no matter what obstacle. Often compared to a young flexible shoot, breaking through the earth to meet spring, they thrive on resistance.

Five Phases The Five Phases were first described around 3,000 years ago in the Yellow Emperorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Classic from China. These five elements were described as wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, with each representing an interactive phase fundamental to nature and to human health. Together, they show the dynamic relationship between the internal physical and emotional processes, which can be influenced by external factors such as seasons and tastes. It also represents the natural cycle of life, reflecting principles of transformation and change.

Physical characteristics of a balanced wood type will be a medium build, muscular and square, with strong and sinewy hands. Skin tends to be coarse with a ruddy complexion. Common imbalances usually involve the GI tract, and may manifest as bloating, gas, and constipation. Stress is often held in the neck and the shoulders, with TMJ and migraines being common. Liver congestion is often at the root of many issues, as the main organ associated with this element.

How each of these elements manifest in a person can be determined though various observations. Noticing tone of voice, dominant emotions, skin pallor, tension or movement in the body, and noting key preferences (taste, color) can allow us to determine constitution from the five-phase lens. Such determinations can provide a framework in which to address the requirements needed for balance in an individual, as well as correct imbalance.

When deficient, Wood types may still have the outer drive, but inside is a hollowness and brittleness that can lead them into depressive states. Still pushing and striving for control, they can tend towards passive aggression, and develop anxiety, insomnia, and hypertension as they become ungrounded. Putting up strong fronts, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often hard to see as they start to unravel, and they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ask for help. Dryness will manifest in the nails and eyes, as well as a laxity in the joints and tension in the muscles. Gently stimulating the liver can be helpful here with bitters, choleretics, and cholegogues, but also mildly stimulating adaptogens in combination with grounding rooty herbs can provide the stability they need to reach up and out again. When in excess (which is more common) wood types move towards classic aggression and domination. They may have a shouting quality to their voice, red face, and take up a lot of space in the room. The push away from community, determined to make it on their own. Cardiovascular problems can manifest, in addition to insomnia, constipation and nervous twitching. Skin and hair can build to oily with 200

acne, rashes, and other outbreaks common. Offer cooling bitters and choleretics here as well, with the addition of demulcents, relaxing nervines, and heart tonics.

cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke, as Michael Tierra has explained.. Physically we may notice increased sweating and perspiration, a propensity to overheat, and painful eczema. Intense dreaming that doesn’t lend itself to a restful sleep is also common. Cooling, but not quenching the fire is key. Offer cooling heart tonics, nervines or gentle sedatives, bitters, but also demulcents and “yin” tonics, which can support the water element to rise to cool the flame.

Fire Fire represents the light and warmth that the wood is moving towards. It’s the energy of vitality, joyfulness, and the spark that can easily spread to others. Those with strong fire constitutions have a naturally positive, spirited way even when confronted with negative experiences. Easily excited, they can be intense conversationalists as their speech and topics can move quite rapidly. Representing the dazzling potential of all beings, fire types can be as radiant as a full summer bloom.

Earth The Earth element is involved with nourishing and sustaining life. As fire burns to ash, it enriches the soil. Earth types are exceptionally grounded and focused, and have an easygoing compassionate perspective. In balance, they have an abundance of qi, and the ability to support and nourish others. Just as the soil provides essential nutrients and vitality for the harvest in late summer, earth types help others flourish to their full potential.

Physical characteristics of a balanced fire type may be manifested in a soft, willowy body, with graceful hands and warm moist skin. Long neck and limbs are also common, as is a rosy glow. Common imbalances lend to an over expression of fire with acute inflammation and infection, as well as diseases related to the heart, the organ associated with this element.

Beinfield and Korngold state that physically our Earth types have a more round, muscular form, with broad hips and shoulders. Hands and feet can be quite dainty, and the skin has a soft, peachy texture and tone. GI problems are quite common, as the primary organs of this element are the Spleen/pancreas in charge of transforming food and fluids. As this ultimately creates the vitality of blood and qi, lack of focus and blood sugar dysregulation are also common.

Deficient Fire types tend to withdraw, being reclusive, timid, and relatively noncommunicative. Focused more on an inward exploration, they shy away from excessive interactions and can be prone to bouts of depression. Low metabolic function is common, leading to a cold, pale complexion, and a propensity to “hypo” type symptoms such as hypothyroid, hypoglycemia, and low adrenal function. Low blood pressure can also be prevalent. Support can be offered in the way of warming and stimulating herbs. Circulatory and heart tonics, stimulating adaptogens, nutritive herbs and gently uplifting nervines can be useful here. Including bright beautiful blossoms in tea formulas can be therapeutic in and of itself.

Deficient Earth types can be prone to sluggishness, in both energy and digestive fire. As their inner drive wanes, they may require sympathy and support from others in the form of reassurance, and they may also become overly compassionate. GI imbalance may lead to weight gain, bloating, and a deficiency of vitality that contributes to organ prolapse, poor immune function, as well as varicosities. Rebuilding blood and vitality can come in the form of sweet tonics and nutritive herbs. Stimulating digestive function with bitters, and regulating water balance with lymphatics can all be helpful strategies to help rebuild the foundation that earth needs to thrive.

Excess fire manifests like a fire blazing out of control. Excessively loud and interrupting talk, insensitivity, and impatience abound, as well as an almost manic and forced jovialness. “Hyper” function is common here as metabolic function quickens and manifests as inflammation and 201

Excess Earth can lead to a damp stagnation throughout the body. Digestion slows, as does energy and movement. Edema is common, and they may be prone to excess mucus. A lack of understanding for others opinions can develop as well as they get mired in their own view of the world. Draining some of the dampness and moving stagnation is an important part of care. Larken Bunce tells us that symphatics, circulatory tonics and stimulants, even diuretics may be called for. Aromatic carminatives can support digestion by dispersing dampness and spark an emotional shift as well.

either cold and damp flowing, or hot and dry leading to respiratory blockage and infection. Constipation may be quite prevalent, due to an underlying tension that also is reflected in skeletal muscle with stiff neck and rigid posture. Larken Bunce points out how aromatics, pungents, as well as expectorants, can be helpful to soften tension and break up congestion. Including lymphatics and circulatory tonics will also be necessary to move such blockages. Water As Michael Tierra writes, the Water element represents a reservoir from which all life emanates. It embodies our inherited constitution, our essence that can maintain all vital functions. It has the ability to flow, and in that, can circulate, lubricate, and deeply nourish. Associated with winter, it does so even then, as it freezes and readies the seed in the soil. In simplest terms, balanced Water types will have a high level of self-confidence and awareness, pulling from their deep reserves. The concept of Will, assigned to the kidneys, is understood as the primary function. Their flowing nature will allow them to handle challenges evenly, without getting thrown into insecurity and fear.

Metal As described by Beinfield and Korngold, the Metal element, derived from earth, is seen as a pure substance, generated by a process of reduction. It is letting go, and transformation as leaves fall in autumn and in turn nourish the seeds that the earth brought forth. This detachment is part of the spiritual nature of Metal types. In balance, they are able to regulate both physical and emotional life with an even rhythm and steadiness, no matter what circumstance or events may arise. Physically, Metal types tend to be lean, with light clear skin and delicate features. Imbalance may lead to a blockage of energy flow, giving rise to tension or rigidity and an inability to let go of the past. The lungs and skin are the organs associated with this element, and as such, respiratory disorders can be prevalent as well as problems with the skin, which has its own respiration at a micro scale. When deficient, Metal types can lack the inner strength that is their nature, leading to emotional vulnerability as well as depressed immune function. Allergies can be common here, as well as colds and flu. The breath is seen to be a key source of qi, activating the circulation of blood through the body, so when respiratory strength wanes, we also see a lack of vitality. Qi and immune tonics can help build such vitality, as well as aromatics to open, inspire, and disperse.

Physically Water types are said to be dense and lean, with long large bones narrower at the shoulder and wider at the hips (Beinfield and Korngold, 1991). Their face may be narrow with deep set eyes. Common imbalances are with memory and alertness, sensory and motor function, as well as disrupted cycles in the body (i.e., sleep, growth, menstrual). Deficiency in this element can be regarded as essence leaking out. This may manifest as insomnia, nightsweats, hot flashes, anxiety, and frequent urination. The lack of cooling nourishing water (yin) can contribute to inflammatory conditions, as well as intolerance for physical or emotional stress. Here grounding adaptogens and juicy yin tonics can be especially lovely when combined with astringents to stabilize and plug the leakage. Nutritive herbs, but also relaxing nervines to calm and quiet the mind can support deeper nourishment.

Excess metal often manifests as congestion both in the lungs and the bowels. Phlegm can be 202

Theoretically you cannot have too much essence, and so instead of excess water, this is commonly seen more as a submersion of water, which has quenched the spark (or yang). Common signs here will be coldness, fragility, fatigue, and frequent urination. There is an inability to mobilize resources and energy, so there may be weak digestion and constipation, joint rigidity, as well as low libido. Zippier adaptogens may be called for here as well as uplifting nervines. Demulcents and tissue tonics can soothe dry tissue, and circulatory stimulants and lymphatics can help provide the nourishment (Bunce, 2011).

Each element can be used to describe the four humors (or fluids) in the body. Air corresponding to blood, Water for phlegm, Earth for black bile, and Fire for yellow bile. For each element and fluid there is a corresponding constitution that takes physiology, personality, and behavior into consideration. As with the systems above, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to keep in mind that we hold all of these elements inside us, just as nature holds them all. However, we may exhibit much more of one or another, just as there are certain places on this planet that showcase certain elements over others (i.e., the hot dry sharpness of a southwest canyon vs. the cool moist softness of a northeast forest). Just as it is inconceivable to try and change forest to canyon and vice versa, so is it unrealistic to expect one constitution to be something other than themselves, in all their individual glory.

Four Temperaments The four temperaments are based on the four elements of the Greek humoral system that evolved from Greek medicine in the 5th Century BCE (Wood, 2008). Although technically the foundation for western energetics, this system has been less intuitive to me personally (and therefore super fascinating), and so much of what I offer here comes from the incredible work of Jim McDonald, Christopher Hedley, and those before them. I highly recommend you check out their works found in the references below.

Choleric Choleric constitutions can be a force to be reckoned with, just like the Fire element theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re associated with. They are full-steam-ahead doers, confident in their own ability to make things happen. Extroverted, they are the leaders of a project with a vision and the ability to make hard decisions. They tend to thrive on challenge and competition and need to be physically active to burn off some of that fiery energy. Physically, they tend to be of medium height, muscular, with warm dry skin and thick hair. Look for tension being held in the body, especially neck and shoulders. When in balance, cholerics are an inspiration to be around, as their optimism and passion inspires others. They are determined, focused, can organize and start projects, and yet pass them off once confident itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in good hands. Digestion is strong, as is metabolism. Stress and overwork can lead to excess, manifesting as frustration, anger, tension, high blood pressure, and heart issues. As the fire blazes and dryness becomes more prevalent, digestive issues arise, as do hemorrhoids and increased menstrual 203

cramping. Keep in mind that blocking a choleric from their mission or intention can also cause imbalance. Standing in their way can lead to depression, stress, self-doubt and insomnia. They need to do! Support them in action, and help them see that resting is “doing” something.

that aren’t too pushy. Still the focus must be on cooling and grounding, and so rooty bitters can be useful here, as can heart tonics to support the cardiovascular system and ease anxiety and selfdoubt. Phlegmatic

Cooling bitters can be a great way to keep digestive fire from getting out of control. Demulcents too, as they cool and nourish tissue and modulate activity. Offer cooling nervines to support the nervous system, and bitter alteratives to keep heat from building in the blood. Grounding adaptogens may also be indicated to keep the fire burning at a sweet and steady pace.

Phlegmatic constitutions correspond with the water element. Like the water, they are adaptable, can flow into the world around them, taking on the things they come into contact with. Phlegmatics are some of the most compassionate and empathic beings out there. This openness and sensitivity allows them to play music by ear or change a recipe on the fly, but can also lead to a lack of boundaries, and overstimulation as they take on others problems. Physically phlegmatics may be more fleshy, solid, short to medium in height. Like water, they tend towards cold and dampness, with cool skin and a slow fluid movement.

Sanguine Sanguine types correspond with the element of Air. As such, they can be characterized as quick, light, creative, and exciting. They like to move and talk quickly, are full of ideas, and are social creatures. They need some freedom to thrive. Like cholerics, they are doers, however, they tend to not focus on the outcome and may have lots of half –finished projects. Physically, sanguines may be taller and thinner, with smooth soft warm skin. Like the wind, they are restless, fidgeting in their seats and eyes rapidly moving about the room.

To stay in balance, phlegmatics need some solitude and connection with close friends and nature. Boundaries are key. They can be incredibly open to other points of view, and easy to talk to. Solid and stable, they can hold a group together with excellent stamina. When boundary lines become blurred, however, they can become too intense or project their own emotions into a situation. Respiratory issues and allergies can arise, as can water retention, lax tissues, and lethargy.

When in balance, sanguines are upbeat, outgoing folks that are a delight to get swept away by. They have an open-mindedness and generosity of spirit that’s infectious . The digestive system is strong, as is circulation. Without grounding sanguine can lead to excess, however, manifesting as impulsivity and self-absorption. They can be prone to substance abuse and an inability to commit to anything in this state. As heat and function speed up, they may be prone to skin issues, diarrhea, and anxiety. Creative outlets can be helpful to not only release some of this excess energy, but also to keep them from feeling trapped, which may lead to deficiency and depression.

In order to hold this water, focus on gentle astringents to re-form boundaries with phlegmatics and make them less porous. Gently warming and aromatic carminatives can support digestion, and diuretics can help bring water back to balance. Consider more stimulating adaptogens if there is lethargy, but with overwhelm include grounding adaptogens and heart tonics. Melancholic Melancholic types represent the Earth; solid, grounded, and stable. They thrive on structure, so much so it can appear repressive as that

Although sanguines may be drawn to stronger herbs, consider gentle nervines and sedatives 204

structure holds in their thoughts and feelings too. Planners, melancholics like to mull things over before diving head into anything, since failure can be a crushing blow. Once a course is set, however, they are unstoppable in their approach and stubborn as hell. Physically melancholics are colder and drier than the other temperments, with solid bones and medium height. Skin is rough, hard, and thick, with darker hair.

and wane as we travel through day, season, and the cycle of life. By having a basic understanding of these assessment systems, however, we can use the model that best fits the needs of our client in the moment. And while it remains tempting to check the boxes and “solve” the very essence of who our clients are, viewing constitution through various lenses gives us permission to see folks as complex beings that can’t be figured out in one session. We form a loose picture, using the patterns directly in front of us to support an individual’s present needs, versus what we project is a deeper constitutional imbalance. They may indeed be one and the same, but a wider lens can bring that picture more into focus.

In balance, melancholics are loyal, stable, and excellent listeners. They tend towards “hypo” functioning, with low blood pressure and low inflammation. Generally, melancholics have decent digestion, but can move to constipation when thrown out of balance. Rigidity (in body and mind) and over thinking can lead to paralyzing inaction and isolation as they build walls of protection around them.

References

Focus on gentle warming and moving herbs to stimulate function, such as carminatives, warming bitters, and aromatics. Demulcents can soften and nourish tissue, and heart tonics can help to ease anxiety and break down some walls. Antispasmodics will soften rigidity, and uplifting nervines may give courage to those who have retreated so far they can’t find their way out.

Altman, R. (2015). On Temperments, Part. 1. Thorn & Thunder blog Beinfield, H. & E. Korngold. (1991). Between Heaven and Earth. Ballantine Books: New York, NY. Bunce, L. (2011). 5 Phases: Bodies, Minds, Hearts Mirror the Changes of Place. Presented at Plant Healer’s Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference

Putting into Practice

Frawley, D. & V. Lad. (1986). The Yoga of Herbs. Lotus Press: Twin Lakes, WI.

Clearly while there is overlap between these three assessment systems, there isn’t a simple 1:1 correlation. And although there is temptation to overlay these models into one “super” model (believe me I’ve tried!), there’s really no need. The world is not black and white, and we as individuals cannot and should not be tightly bound by one set category. While we may have a strong tendency towards Pitta/Vata, or Wood, or Choleric/Sanguine, or whatever system resonates with you most, our tendencies wax

McDonald, J. (2017). Four Humors Workshop, VCIH. Montpelier, VT. Tierra, L. (2003). Healing with the Herbs of Life. Crossing Press: New York, NY. Tierra, M. (1998). Chinese Traditional Herbal Medicine, vol. 1. Lotus Press: Twin Lakes, WI. Wood, M. (2008). Earthwise Herbal vol. 1. North Atlantic Books: Berkley, CA.

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Herbs in Breastfeeding by Jaunita Nelson Juanita is an amazing S.W. midwife and plant healer, whose periodic articles will add much to the Quarterly, and whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classes at the Good Medicine Confluence are much treasured.

With this article, my goal is to give you some basics about the mechanics of how various substances go from being taken or ingested by the mother. their transformation into breast milk, their delivery to the baby via breastfeeding, and eventually the effect on the nursing baby. We’ll talk about how that knowledge can inform you, as an herbalist, in the way you prescribe, how those herbs might affect both mother and baby, what to be cautious about, how to apply your knowledge within the context of recent research. I want to give you some tips on prescribing based on who you’re trying to treat (mom or baby) and info for issues specific to breastfeeding. Once we get a basic feel of the issues, I hope to enter into a discussion about the specific concerns about cannabis use while nursing and the legal ramifications of continuing to breastfeed here in Colorado.

The focus was on the mother’s needs and how cessation of nursing might affect both partners was irrelevant. Because formula has become a mainstay in our culture and easily available it became the standard response to addressing maternal issues rather that finding a way to keep mom and baby together during treatment and maintaining breastfeeding. For many years, rather than increasing research, the standard was to categorize both pharmaceuticals and botanicals as potentially harmful to the baby so the options were to not treat or if the situation was concerning enough to recommend not nursing. Hopefully, some of that is changing but there is still a long way to go. Case in point, the CDC recently recommended that breastfeeding mother’s with the flu either stop caring for their baby and/or stop nursing implying that the risk of the baby contracting the flu was worse than the benefits of continuing to breastfeed. The ramification of that statement were widely criticized for not taking into considerations the relationship between the nursing mother and baby and the profound impact of separating them. Consumer response is changing the way things are viewed.

I want to start this discussion with some commentary about the difference between the scientific view of how and what substances enter into the breast milk and the traditional, historical view. There has been an explosion of information recently about both the physiology of milk production, the pharmacology of drugs and herbs, and most exciting-the amazing transformative ability of the body to sense specific environmental stimuli that then alters the chemical make-up of breast milk in direct response to the baby’s needs. This is mindblowing information that has to change the way we view both the mother/baby dyad and the way we treat and prescribe herbs.

Second, there has never been a strong incentive to study breastfeeding because there was no demonstrable, financial incentive by the pharmaceutical companies who fund most of the research. The side effects to the baby of a particular drug prescribed to the mother was always downplayed because there were alternatives available. Formula companies and pharmaceutical companies were happily partnered. Proving the benefits of formula over breastfeeding was for many years the incentive of the formula makers as a way to market their product-downplaying and disregarding breastfeeding and discouraging research into the profound health benefits thereby affecting generations of babies in all parts of the world.

While research is coming in fast and furious now, studying how drugs/herbs effect the baby it has not historically been a major focus of study. There are a few reasons for this. First, nursing has not been particularly valued by the medical community, not because the effect on baby wasn’t a concern but that the importance of breastfeeding itself was not taken into consideration. If there were maternal health concerns that required medical interventions most recommendations were to temporarily or permanently stop breastfeeding because there was no in depth understanding(much less research) of how treatment might affect the baby.

Third, the misunderstanding of the difference of the physiology of pregnancy with that of the nursing mother was poorly understood. They tend to get lumped together in treatment considerations. The statement “If pregnant or nursing consult your provider before using” is 207

still a common finding and few people make a distinction between the two. The concerns we have for the impact of herbs during pregnancy have very little correlation during the nursing period and the herbalist can play a role in understanding the difference.

So how do herbs enter into the milk supply? It is a fairly straight-forward process defined by a few specific factors. Substances enter into the milk supply after being ingested by the mother, processed by her body, and delivered into her blood supply. As the maternal blood passes by the alveolar cells lining the milk buds within the milk sacs, substances are diffused across the cell membranes. Herbs, or their components, must pass through both lipid membranes to enter into the milk supply. The degree that substances pass is affected initially by the gaps between the alveolar cells. During the first 3-4 days postpartum the gaps are larger and allow for greater diffusion of herbs, immunoglobulins, and maternal proteins. Once prolactin, a hormone produced in the pituitary gland, begins to enlarge the size and number of the alveolar cells, the gaps between the cells is dramatically decreased and the exchange of substances transferring from the maternal blood supply is reduced. Once milk production is established the amount of any substance entering into the milk supply is relatively small. The standard, with some exceptions, is that 1% of the drug/herb

Empirically, how we address issues for the breastfeeding pair has been somewhat different than the scientific model. Herbalist, midwives, and folks caring for new moms and babies have always recognized the essential value and importance of the breastfeeding couple. Financial incentives have rarely played much of a part in providing care. However, the one area we have been somewhat lax is the treatment of maternal health issues during the breastfeeding period. So much of the time we back off of any significant treatment for fear of negatively affecting the baby. While important, I think we need to re-evaluate how herbs cross into the milk supply and re-think our treatment protocols. The way we do this is to understand both the physiology of milk production and the pharmacology of the herbs we want to use. 208

ingested by the mother, ie. maternal dose, makes it’s way into the milk supply and ultimately into the baby. There are some substance that will cross more readily or accumulate in the milk up to 10% but the 1%-10% standard defines that substance as “safe.” [1]

the substance will cross the membranes into the milk supply. [1] When considering whether or not an herb is relatively safe during breastfeeding there are a few things to consider. This is true whether you are the herbal provider prescribing specific herbs for a particular condition or a breastfeeding mother trying to treat a cold. Knowing the age and weight of the child is significant. A 3 day old infant is much more at risk for having a stronger reaction because of the degree which substances can cross the plasma/milk barrier than a 6 month old baby whose metabolism has matured and organs have developed. The amount of milk consumed is significant. An older baby may consume more milk but will also weigh more and be able to process substances differently as their metabolism matures. A premature or lowbirth weight baby is more at risk for adverse reactions.

There are a few factors that will influence how well a substance will enter into the milk supply. The most important of these is the mother’s plasma levels. Remember that whatever herb/ drug the mother ingests must traverse through her own metabolic process in order to be active. If the substance does not easily enter into the maternal plasma it will be greatly reduced in the milk supply, thus the bio- availability of the substance is reduced.. As the level of the herb increases in the mother’s plasma it will increase in the milk supply. It enters into the milk supply as a process of diffusion as the body seeks equilibrium between fluids. As the plasma levels decrease they will automatically decrease in the milk. There are exceptions to this: a few substances may actually concentrate in the milk supply because of a change in pH or affecting an active pumping system in the alveolar wall preventing them from traversing back across the membranes from the milk supply into the maternal plasma. Iodine and alkaloids do this and therefore can be in higher concentrations in the milk supply compared to other substances. Other factors that influence the degree at which a substance enters the milk supply are lipid solubility, protein binding, the half-life of the substance in the maternal plasma, and the molecular size and weight. If a substance is highly lipid soluble in the maternal circulation then it will enter into the milk supply in higher quantities.

There is a Lactation Risk Category that can prove helpful in deciding on a specific substance. It ranges from L1-safest to L5-contraindicated. The problem with these categories is there are almost no extensive lists that define specific risk levels for herbs. Pharmaceuticals have had a much more rigorous scientific exploration in terms of their affects on breastfeeding-whether baby, mom, or the affect on nursing itself. However, even here there is very little in-depth information and many new drugs often have no studies done. Interestingly enough, the lack of studies has not deterred the basic blanket statement that most drugs (and by referral most herbs) are considered safe to use during nursing. There are almost no studies that track the use of drugs or herbs across the full spectrum of nursing gauging bio-availability, maternal and newborn serum levels, protein binding, or halflife at different times in the relationship at differing degrees of nursing. [1]

Cannabis, because of it’s fat soluble qualities is an example here-although the actual effects of that higher concentration is under debate. It has generally been understood that .8% of the maternal plasma levels is found in the milk supply-however, even that number has recently come under question. Protein binding in the maternal circulation greatly affects the way a substance accumulates in the milk supply. The higher the percentage of protein binding, the less

The American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook has created it’s own set of safety classes. Class 1 is herbs that can be safely consumed when used appropriately and Class 2 as herbs for which the following use restrictions apply, unless otherwise directed by 209

an expert qualified in the use of the described substance.

When we can plant our feet in both worlds and take the improving scientific information that is exploding right now and balance it with our deep intuitive knowledge about plant use we can meld the two together to create a comprehensive way of caring for moms and babies as they journey through their breastfeeding time.

Class 2a: For external use only Class 2b: Not to be used during pregnancy Class 2c: Not to be used during lactation. Class 2d: Other specific use restrictions as noted Class 3 includes herbs to be used under the supervision of a qualified expert. Specific labeling is recommended for Class 3 herbs. [2]

There are a few things I take into consideration when I’m working with breastfeeding moms and babies. I try to break it down into a few categories to help myself determine the best route of care. First, determine who (what) I’m treating. Is this a breastfeeding issue? Is it straight mechanics: sore nipples, engorgement, clogged ducts, full-blown mastitis, weaning? Sometimes increasing or decreasing the milk supply is a simple mechanical issue and sometimes it’s a more involved hormonal issue. Is there a medical issue happening and mom happens to be nursing as well? How significant is the issue? Does she have a cold or is she dealing with something more serious? Is this something that was present prior to pregnancy, birth, and postpartum or is this something new. Was it being treated before and in what way? Herbs, pharmaceuticals? What worked historically?

While, in general, most herbs are going to be safe for mom and baby there are a few categories of herbs that I do try to avoid during breastfeeding. Here is a basic list: 1. Known toxic herbs 2. Herbs containing PA’s unless they’re being used strictly topically 3. Herbs that have the potential of reducing Mom’s prolactin levels 4. Strong laxatives 4. Herbs containing high levels of caffeine One of the concerns about the few studies that are done on herbs and lactation is the relatively small range of the 1. length of time that the study was conducted and 2. the number of people studied. The gold standard of a double-blind, placebo controlled study that assesses a large number of breastfeeding pairs over a long period of time have not been done. What we are left with are small, often poorly designed studies that investigated a small number of breastfeeding pairs and then applied results onto the larger population.

Am I trying to treat the baby through mom’s milk? While we now understand that only a small percentage of herbs make it into the milk supply, yet empirically I have seen baby’s respond to treatment by treating the mother. It’s possible that there is something else going on here that has nothing to do with the chemical substance transferred into the milk supply. The more we learn about the adaptability of the chemical composition of milk on a day to day basis, and its ability to directly respond to the needs of the baby, the more I think that there is a mechanism for treating baby here. Certainly if there is a cold circulating within the family it is possible to boost the mother’s immune system with both herbs and vitamins. A portion of those substance will get into the milk supply but so will the mother’s increased antibodies thereby decreasing the chance that baby will get sick.

So where does that leave us as herbalists trying to navigate the information available and help the moms and babies seeking our help? In general, I think we can be pretty happy about what we do know while always striving to increase our knowledge base. One thing we can access is the empirical knowledge that has been passed down for generations about how plants can provide specific actions on either mom, baby, or both. Over thousands of years of observation, the traditional healers witnessed the results of their prescriptions and treatment and some of that knowledge is available to us even now. 210

There is some controversy about whether or not foods ingested by the mother will adversely affect the newborn. The scientific analysis of breast milk after eating strong substance like onions, broccoli, or chocolate will tell us that there is very little chemical presence of those foods transferred into the milk. But tell that to the mother whose child has spent the night awake crying and it becomes clear that there is something else at work here. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen babies with chronic issues resolve seemingly overnight by simply removing certain foods from the motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diet. I usually recommend that new mothers start our with restricting a few basic foods until we know how this particular baby responds. Early postpartum can be challenging enough without adding in a fussy baby due to mom ingesting certain foods.

1. Cruciferous vegetables, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Kale 2. Stimulants containing caffeine 3. Onions, Tarlic, Curry, Chili 4. Very acidic foods like Tomatoes (sauce), Pineapple, Citrus 5. Foods that the mother is sensitive to. If the mother is truly gluten sensitive then not eating food high in gluten will make everybody happier. 6. Foods know to be specific for increasing specific issues: for example dairy and reflux disease I want to talk a minute here about looking at the bigger picture when working with breastfeeding folks. Taking into consideration the overall situation with this pair will guide you in your recommendations. It is really easy to want to prescribe an herb, for example, a galactagogue to increase milk supply. I would encourage you to take a step back and really investigate what

Here is the list of foods I recommend being careful with: 211

might be creating that need. Understanding some basic physiology and it’s timing can make a huge difference. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.

there is a three year old and a 6 year old at home. Her baby is exclusively breastfed and nurses during the day every 2 hours for around 10 minutes. At night the baby is sleeping through the night. At a recent well-baby check the baby has started to plateau in weight gain and length. Mom is pretty proud of the fact that she weighs a few pounds less than she did before she got pregnant. She has had a couple of bouts of mastitis. She is concerned about her milk supply and wants to know what she can take to increase it. Before you pull our the galacatagogues, take some time to look at the bigger picture here.

You receive a phone call from a new mother who is concerned because she doesn’t think she is producing enough milk and she wants your recommendation for a tea that will increase her milk supply. She is in day 3 postpartum. She had a normal, vaginal delivery and her baby weighed 9 # at birth but has dropped to 8# 8 oz. She nurses every 3 hours around the clock usually. There is nothing wrong here! While colostrum is produced early and provides the perfect food it is not produced in quantity. At three days postpartum, the milk may not be “in” and you have a baby who is big, hungry, and maybe not nursing frequently enough to trigger prolactin production-yet. A certain amount of weight loss in the first few days is normal and not unusual and in this case is not excessive. You want to encourage maternal hydration and ensure she is receiving adequate protein and calorie intake, but the best advice you can give her is to nurse, eat, and rest. Three to four days postpartum is often when the reality of caring for this newborn is starting to settle in, hormones are starting to shift, and mom needs encouragement. She may need to evaluate how well baby is latching with someone who is well trained in lactation support. If you give her something to increase her milk supply right now then you may make the days following this one more difficult rather than less so. Engorgement happens in differing degrees for different moms but when the milk does come in she often will have more than she knows what to do with. Baby will get satisfied soon. Eventually, there is a regulation of production that happens. This is how it’s designed. When you increase the volume at that time you make it much harder for baby to latch well and run the risk of creating a clogged duct or worse mastitis.

There are a lot of reasons for a decrease in milk volume. The two at the top of the list are mostly mechanical. If this mom did not establish good habits early in the breastfeeding relationship, she may have not created a good latching pattern with the baby and while baby still gets some milk, it’s not the fat-rich milk that is triggered with a relaxed prolonged nursing session. If the mother is not focused on high quality protein and calorie intake, she made not be producing enough milk. The body will sacrifice milk production before it sacrifices maternal tissue and or function. While sleeping through the night might have been a well-meaning goal for this mother, it is not necessarily an appropriate one. Babies need to nurse frequently enough and long enough to maintain high prolactin levels. Prescribing a galactogogue may be really helpful here (Fenugreek is my favorite) but supporting this mom to spend more time at each feeding with an actively sucking baby until the fat milk descends, go back to nursing at night, and increasing her protein and caloric intake will do wonders. There are “breastfeeding lifestyle” issues that need to be addressed or the Fenugreek tea will have only limited success. The take away here is that expanding your knowledge about why something might be occurring through expanding your historytaking, clinical skills will only improve the success you have as an herbalist treating breastfeeding couples. Breastfeeding is a mechanical, hormonal, emotional, social, and culturally influenced activity that can be enhanced through providing a wide-range of

Now, let’s compare that to another scenario. A mother and her 6 month old baby come to see you about herbal support for nursing. You spend some time with her and start to understand some of her history. This is her third child and 212

community support. Mom’s need a full spectrum of support during this time that goes beyond herbal teas.

salve. I know there are people concerned about comfrey and the PA’s but when used for a few days I believe it to be safe. Calendula salve is also a wonderful choice. Any residual can be gently wiped off before the start of the next nursing session. I do not recommend straight or even diluted essential oils as I find them to be more more problematic- inflammation of the sensitive nipple tissue as a result of their being too strong or having an allergic reaction in mom or baby is an unnecessary result. It is important to remind mom that practicing good hygiene is important here. Changing a diaper and then grabbing the breast to nurse without washing her hands (and yes, we’ve all done it) can lead to all kinds of contamination and infection.

So, lets talk about some specific breastfeeding issues that can be treated with herbs. I want to re-iterate the importance of knowing where the mother and baby are in their nursing journey. How you address a newborn/new mother’s concerns will be very different from treating a mother with a nursing toddler. Before I recommend anything to the new mom I want to know a few things. How was the birth itself? Long? Super fast? Were there any pharmaceuticals used in labor? How soon after the birth did baby latch on and nurse? How long has it been since the birth? How often has baby nursed since then? How long will the baby nurse during each session? Has the milk come in yet? How often is baby pooping?

Thrush Thrush, a fungal infection, can be transferred from baby’s mouth to the mother’s breasts and can cause extremely sore nipples as well as pain in the baby’s mouth. This can usually be differentiated from normal sore nipples because it often happens after the initial soreness of new nursing has worn off. My first line of defense is not specifically herbs but rather treating it as an imbalance rather than an infection. Probiotics given to the mother and infant probiotics given to the baby by letting them suck it off mom’s finger 3-4 times a day will often times be enough. In really stubborn cases I will have the mother wash her nipple with Yerba Manza decoction after each feeding. That along with eliminating obvious sugar intake will usually kick it. Clogged Ducts/Mastitis

It seems like a lot of questions to ask but getting a sense of how both mom and baby are adapting to breast feeding will go a long ways towards helping you know how to support both the Mom and baby. Cracked, Sore Nipples Going from occasionally having someone interested in your breast to having a baby attached 24/7 can be a huge transition for a lot of women. In the beginning, most women find that some soreness is par for the course as the sensitive skin gets used to being sucked on. If the baby’s position and latch have been well evaluated and corrected if necessary, treating the skin becomes the focus. If the nipples have cracked and are bleeding, it becomes the challenge of wound care. Mom should be encouraged to continue nursing and changing up the baby’s position for each feeding. That provides a slightly different point of pressure and can give the sorest areas a chance to heal. Air drying off the breast before putting it away can reduce the risk of fungal infections. Once the baby has finished with the nursing session, I like putting a vulnerary rich salve on the nipple. My favorite is a combination plantain leaf and comfrey leaf made into an olive oil/beeswax

When you look at the anatomy of the breast you have alveolar milk sacs that channel down into the ducts that then carry the milk out through the nipple. When these ducts don’t get drained completely they can plug up and cause a painful lump. This is differentiated from mastitis in that the former is uncomfortable where as the latter causes increased inflammation, fever, and the potential for going systemic. A clogged duct can easily lead to mastitis if left untreated but is often much easier to resolve. When a mother calls me complaining of a sore spot on her breast 213

that is hard and painful unless she’s running a fever, I will treat it as a clogged duct. The most important piece here is to release the plug and get the milk to flow again. Baby is the most efficient at this so encouraging nursing from that affected side is essential. (Caution the mom to not neglect the other side but to not shy away from the sore side because of pain.) If baby is not nursing every 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours around the clock then I have mothers use a breast pump. Standing in the shower and letting hot water flow over the breast, using hot water compresses, and massaging the breast with downward and outward strokes can help release the clog. Grated potatoes or bruised cabbage leaves applied to the sore area covered with a warm washcloth helps to soften and draw out the clog. This alternating with massage, nursing/pumping and repeating until the pain has eased will usually release it. If there is fever and red inflammation visible from the outside then we’ve crossed a line into true mastitis. It feels like you’ve been hit by a truck and can come on very fast. All of the above recommendations are still suggested but to reduce the inflammation I will have them alternate hot compresses with cold packs. I have them take 250 mg of Vt. C, 60 gtts of Echinacea tincture every 2 hours around the clock. I like Calendula and Chamomile tea to help ease and relax. It’s important to let folks know that this will not resolve in a few hours and they will need to commit to stopping everything else and take care of themselves. I see these women describe their lives as overwhelming. They are trying to care for their baby, their partner and family, often a job or other responsibilities and life is stressful and chaotic. When asked they often describe dealing with increased life stress, lack of sleep, forgetting to hydrate, not eating well, and underwire bras. Moms with other children at home sometimes forget to take the time to fully empty their breasts by letting baby nurse longer or more frequently feeling the pressure to be up and doing. Supporting these moms with infusions of lemon balm, motherwort, and nettles is both nutritive and calming and helps remind them to slow down and take care of themselves.

Milk Supply The concern about whether or not a mom feels like she has enough milk is a universal theme. Because the actual amount of milk transferred to baby via breastfeeding is invisible it can make the question come up over and over. Knowing where they are in their breastfeeding journey like we talked about before is important. Habits that are created early postpartum can continue for a long time. It’s often not until the baby is a few months old that milk supply, or a decrease in it, becomes more apparent. When a mom calls or comes in to see me it becomes pretty obvious quickly that her biggest concern is milk supply. Often this is because she has taken her baby to a doctor and they have indicated that the baby is not gaining enough weight. A typical scenario starts to be revealed. She describes baby as “fussy”, he/she is sleeping through the night, there is often three hours between feedings intermixed with periods of cluster feeding when she can’t put the baby down, pooping has decreased to once a day or every few days. Mom has lost all her pregnancy weight and struggles to find 214

time to eat during the day. Her menstrual cycle may have returned. Not everybody has all these but everybody will have some of them. Before I look at hormonal issues that might be affecting supply, I look at this as a mechanical issue. There is so much information available to folks about proper feeding schedules, and the importance of babies sleeping through the night, and the extreme pressure that moms feel to be “functional.” It’s not a surprise that a simple supply and demand cycle gets thrown off.

4. This seems obvious but so many times the need to lose weight and/or a busy life style with influence how much mom is eating. The other thing I see is that so many people are so focused on what they can’t or shouldn’t eat they forget that they just need to eat. The best way I have ever found to increase a milk supply that has dwindled is to send mom and baby to bed naked. They are instructed to let baby touch, taste, smell, and handle the breasts as much as possible. Let baby nurse as much as they want. They literally just get to hang out together and nurse. Make sure that mom has plenty of food and water and all other pursuits of the day are put aside. The idea here is to re-set the hormonal triggers that support good milk production. I suggest doing that for 24 hours and watch what happens. Occasionally, it might need to be 48 or 72 hours but almost without fail the supply will be back and everyone happy again. In support of this process, adding herbs into the mix can be very beneficial. Fenugreek is my favorite tea to increase the supply. I have moms drink 3-4 cups a day. Here is where good evaluation skills come into play. If the mom has described being anxious or stressed out then adding plants that will help her relax and enjoy each nursing session can be included into your mix. Lemon balm with nettles added to the Fenugreek, combined with an hourly dose of motherwort tincture can help her overcome some of that daily anxiety. If mom is describing depression then adding St. John’s Wort to the mix is helpful. Creating support systems so that this mother has multiple people/avenues to decrease isolation becomes essential.

There are some basic elements that need to be present to both avoid a lack of supply or to bring it back. These things are: 1. Nursing frequently enough and for long enough to trigger the regular, consistent production of milk. This means baby is nursing at least a couple of times throughout the night as well as often enough during the day to maintain supply. When baby nurses long enough they trigger a second let- down reflex that will bring milk down from the rear milk sacs. This milk is higher in fat content and will sustain baby and encourage growth. The milk that is released in the beginning of each session is higher in sugar content and is designed to stimulate and waken baby for continued nursing. If that is the only milk they receive then eventually they will get hungry, fussy, grow less, and the milk supply will decrease. 2. Ensuring a good latch. This is a hot topic these days. Unless the latch has been evaluated and there is a clear indication of a problem, I encourage Moms to not assume the worse. Tongue tie is the issue dujour but I have seen latching problems with no tongue tie and dramatic tongue tie that does not affect latching in the least. Getting the nipple far enough back in the baby’s mouth up against the palate triggers the release of milk and is the whole point of a good latch

Cannabis & Breast Milk Now, let’s talk about the use of Cannabis during breastfeeding. As you know, recreational Marijuana use in adults was legalized a few years back in Colorado (and more recently in California.) THC, both recreational and medicinal, is still considered a Schedule 1 drug under both federal and Colorado law. Schedule 1 drugs are defined as 1. The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse. 2. The

3. Making sure that mom is consuming enough protein and calories and water to make the milk. 215

drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. 3. There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.

mother is breastfeeding her baby and has been identified as a Marijuana user or baby tested positive for any amount of THC after the birth she is required to stop breastfeeding. If she declines or baby is re-tested and tests positive for THC then Social Services has the right to begin legal proceedings to remove the baby from the mother’s care and the home. [7]

Based on that definition alone it’s easy to see that there is discrepancy in how Marijuana is classified. With the current administration, the chances of Marijuana being removed from the Schedule 1 list and re-classified are slim.

ACOG, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, came out with a position statement titled “Marijuana Use During Pregnancy and Lactation in October,” 2017. While it goes into detail about the concerns about Marijuana use during pregnancy, it’s policy on breastfeeding is considerably more limited. It states that “There are insufficient data to evaluate the effects of Marijuana use on infants during lactation and breastfeeding, and in the absence of such data, Marijuana use is discouraged. Breastfeeding women should be informed that the potential risks of exposure to Marijuana metabolites are unknown and should be encouraged to discontinue Marijuana use.” It also went on to list the supposed social impact of Marijuana use as creating dysfunctional mothers who would neglect their babies and/or that Marijuana use was hand in hand with cocaine, heroin, and pharmaceutical abuse. [5] Currently, the status of research concerning 1. the amount of THC that is crossing into the mother’s milk and 2. it’s affect both short and long term on baby is extremely limited. The studies that have been done have been irregularly if not poorly designed. Many of the studies have included the simultaneous use of tobacco and/or other drugs. Most studies are done on animals with the results applied to humans as proven fact (studies done are rats are especially misleading as there is a 1:1 or 100% transfer of substances in maternal plasma into the milk supply compared to humans which is commonly 1%.) Some of the studies have started with a defined negative bias. Some of the studies have extrapolated information on a statistically small number of participants and applied that information to the general public. One study that has been used to define policy had a total of two participants. With other herbs, individual case

Current Colorado law states that if a women voluntarily reports Marijuana use to their health care provider and/or have a positive drug test during a prenatal visit that information can not be used in a criminal investigation. However, once she has been flagged, she has implicitly given her permission to test her baby after the birth for THC. If baby tests positive at birth for a Schedule 1 substance, Colorado law defines that as an instance of child neglect which automatically requires a report to social services. Social services is required to follow up by doing interviews, home visits, and blood testing to ensure that there is no ongoing exposure. If a 216

studies have been introduced into the literature and helped define risks of use and exposure, but in no other case has the widespread release of poorly done research so dramatically defined policy or so impacted families.

1. THC rapidly distributes to the baby from the milk supply into both brains and adipose tissue 2. THC is easily stored in fat tissues for up to a few months. 3. Cannabinoids easily bind with human endocannabinoid receptors and can either act as an agonist or antagonist to the action of that receptor. [6]

There is an independent study currently being implemented by Dr. Thomas Hale out of the University of Texas that is being done in Colorado using specific cannabis strains and amounts and then testing breast milk for quantity of THC. [7] I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe that study is also testing any short or long term effects on babies who are ingesting the milk. Previous studies done on the amount of THC transferred to baby in the milk are contradictory. They state that anywhere between <1% to >10% of the maternal dose gets into babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s circulation. Maternal dose is the biggest factor but the wide range of products and the wide range of THC in those products is not taken into consideration.

How the presence of THC in brain tissue affects neural development and cognitive function is the crux of the matter. Some studies have indicated that using Marijuana during breastfeeding in the newborn period decreases motor function when tested at 1 year of age. Except those studies where not done on humans but rather baby rats. Other studies have indicated that there is no change in expected cognitive or motor development at one year of age but the number of participants was very small. Another study indicated that using Marijuana at three months postpartum seemed to have no side effects on baby.

Clearly, there is a huge gap in our knowledge of how maternal Marijuana use affects babies that are breastfed. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we think we know.

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The other factor that has been studied is the effect on cannabinoids (specifically THC) on maternal prolactin levels. Animal studies suggest that Marijuana could inhibit lactation by inhibiting prolactin production and possibly by a direct action on the mammary glands. There have been no human studies to date to either prove or disprove this assumption.

of baby’s growth it’s good, however those things may or may not be apparent immediately. 3. Know your legal rights. Just because a substance is legal for adults does not mean that the state, county, hospital, or provider wont pursue legal action if your baby tests positive for THC and you are continuing to breastfeed. 4. Encourage parents to push for scientific studies that will clarify the actual effects on baby and breastfeeding and support legislation that is reflective of that research.

So how do you take all this information and make suggestions to your clients when they ask for recommendations on using Marijuana and breastfeeding? We know that folks are going to use it and some of those folks are going to be breastfeeding. As an herbalist, your job is to gather information about the bigger picture in this mother’s life. Asking about the way she has, is, or wants to use Marijuana can help. Is she using it recreationally or is there a medical reason? Does she smoke a joint to help herself relax due to high stress in her life? Is she smoking or ingesting flowers or is she taking something more concentrated? What is the legal status of Marijuana use in your state? Is there a precedent for alerting social services and are they actively pursuing women who continue breastfeeding? Are they actively prosecuting women for child endangerment or abuse and removing children from the home? As an herbalist, can you provide herbal alternatives that can help produce similar actions for the mother without the legal or potential physical ramifications?

What you can do as the herb specialist in your community is to understand your clients needs and support them accordingly. Teaching a new mother how to make a cup of tea and what to use gives her a process for daily ceremony. When you encourage her to take the time everyday to make her medicine and even share it with others you empower her to make healthy choices. Acknowledging that what she does is valuable and essential to her child’s well-being reminds her that she is doing sacred work.

References 1.

Here is how I’ve begun talking to folks. 1. There may be some long term affects on cognitive and motor function in baby but the research is mixed. Until good quality studies are done that prove cause and affect it’s probably better to avoid it if possible especially in the first couple of months postpartum. 2. There may be some effect on actual milk production. If there has been a problem with maintaining milk production/prolactin levels in the past it may be best to avoid it. If there is no sign of reduced milk supply or decrease or lack

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Hale, Thomas. Medications and Mother’s Milk, Ninth Edition 2000: 5-22. Pharmasoft Publishing 2. Gardner, Zoe, McGuffin, Michael. Botnical Safety Handbook, Second Edition, 2013: Appendix 4. 989-998. CRC Press 3. Romm MD, Aviva. Botanical Medicine For Women’s Health. Second Edition 2018: 464-484, Elsevier 4. The American College of Obestricians and Gynecologists, Committee Opinion No. 722, October, 2017 5. Merritt, T. Allen, Wilkinson, B., Chervenak, C. Maternal Use of Marijuana During Pregnancy and Lactation: Implications for Infant and Child Development and Their Well-Being. November 4, 2016. Academic Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatology. 6. Simmons, Kate McKee. Breastfeeding and Cannabis: New Colorado Study Looking For Participants, Westword, March 7, 2017. 7. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Marijuana Pregnancy Guidance For Colorado Health Care Providers. March, 2015

Welcome To Your

True Food Beauty Kitchen by Lisa Valantine Plant Healer feels strongly that health and well being are served best by a combination of medicinal herbs, physical activity, time out in the natural world... and the eating of not only nutritional but also flavorful and enjoyable food. Our new columnist and Good Medicine Confluence teacher, Lisa Valantine, is the creator of Serene Cuisine and True Food Beauty, a gourmand artist and celebrant of the food arts, who will be brining youa panoply of skills, tales, and recipes sure to enrich your lives!

An Introduction To The Column I am the creator of True Food Beauty in Thousand Oaks, California. I work privately as a holistic chef and mostly plant-based culinary artist in Southern California. The work that I began 20 years ago when I created Serene Cuisine and True Food Beauty reflect a strong botanical sensibility and aesthetic. My kitchen is very much about community building, very much a place where people gather, to experience local food. The classes I hold, both group and private, are all about celebrating sensual, seasonal, local, organic and biodynamic food. When I travel and teach in a new location I focus on sourcing and showcasing the food of that region. The classes I hold adhere to a rigorous standard and aesthetic and I do not compromise on ingredients. I want people to be empowered

to make healthy choices for themselves and for the planet. Beautiful food, in my opinion, feeds not only the body but also the soul. Food is love. Local food prepared with loving and healing intention is the best. It is infused with the highest vibration and has the highest healing capacity. In the past, people were so identified by place that they could actually distinguish the flavor of the cheese made in their village from the cheese made in the neighboring village. It was not uncommon for generations to live and pass their lives within the sight of a particular hill or valley. The fruits and vegetables grown on the land, the milk and cheeses derived from the particular grasses and flowers of the region, produced distinctive colors, flavors and aromas. These foods, essential to the health and survival of the community, produced distinctive people.

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The people were kindred to the land. Just as the trees and plants that grew from the soil were a product of the land; so were the bodies, blood and bones of the people a product of the land. One of the things that most people today have lost is an intimate connection to the land and to the plants and animals that sustain them. We are a highly mobile culture, often moving from place to place, and reliant on an industrial food system that trucks produce from far away places. Agribusiness has done much to produce a lot of food that is easy to ship and is relatively uniform in size and shape but poetic souls such as myself do mourn the loss of food diversity, the lineage of lost foods, sacrificed to the expediency of monoculture and its preference and predilection for food that can be monetized. Is there a way to create and establish, at least in part, for poetic folk such as myself, a sense of local food culture and community with its connection to land and place?

One of the most powerful things that I do to engage with this healing is to teach. Like a school of lost arts, in each class, we work to restore the lost heritage of accrued ancestral knowledge and knowing surrounding food and we tell stories that help us remember, help our bodies remember. The idea of being able to create, or in some sense recreate, a local food culture and identity is a subject I do get excited about. Even in the face of a firmly established industrial food system there is much we can do. For all of my students everywhere, I would like to outline four simple steps that we can each do to begin the process. 1 - Grow a garden and seek out heirloom seeds 2 - Support local growers and farmer's markets 3 - Forest bath and forage 4 - Create a food family

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One of the first things that we can do on a daily basis, no matter where we live, is to eat locally produced food as often as we can. In the wisdom of nature, the leaves, roots, berries and herbs that grow around us possess the very qualities that we need to support vibrant health and vitality. We don't need superfoods imported from far away places. I am particularly drawn to the permaculture concept of creating healthy, sustainable, water-wise food forests and gardens. I enjoy gardening, permeated with permaculture sensibility, and favor a mingling and mixture of plantings over tidy row planting or monoculture. I have a theory that plants like to cuddle. I am drawn to the idea of planting hedgerows, a haven for birds and other creatures, and foraging for Elderberry, Hawthorn, Rosehip, and Blackberry to create jams and jellies, wines and meads. I favor wild-ish fruits as those mentioned above berries, Currants, Huckleberry, Gooseberry, Mulberry, Pomegranate, and Fig. Wild Roses are a favorite of mine mixed with vining things such as Honeysuckle or Jasmine, butterflies and bees. When I had a large yard in Seattle I grew vintage Roses, non-grafted, with their own roots, one dating back to the time of the Ovid.

I grew Eglantine, with its green apple fragrance and scent glands in the leaves as mentioned in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night’s Dream and other blowsy wonderful old Roses varieties. I planted a hedge along the road to keep the bears out so that children could play in the wooded area and the meadow. The hedge of rosa rugosa, a fragrant single rose and feral, grew magnificently. After the first year, it had naturalized and never needed water, care or pruning again. Backyards, front yards, side yards can and should be transformed into delightful edible landscapes filled with the gifts of Gaia.

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Even if you don't find yourself living in a state of perpetual permaculture perfection a simple home garden, shared neighborhood garden plot, or even a few pots placed on an apartment balcony are a superb way to begin experiencing the flavorful bounty of local food.

geographic region, not from another hemisphere. Wild foraged fruits and vegetables can be a veritable local food treasure trove. Learning about wild foods that grow in your particular area can be an education that connects you to the land. The property that I am presently on is the last house on a dirt road before one steps off into the wilds. It is not particularly suited, with its serpentine soil and rocky slopes, to traditional gardening. Rather than impose an unnatural vision of lush fertility, with a heavy reliance on city water, on this drought-ridden land, my vision for the land has been to preserve and encourage its wildish nature. Thankfully my landlord has been tolerant of my views and so over the years I have tucked in mostly native species such as Elderberry, Currant, Sage, Mallow and Mugwort, including some that are losing habitat, and then sat back to see what happens. I have come to appreciate the tenacity and strength of these plants. California natives are adapted to poor soil and they will actually sicken if fertilized or if overwatered. Having Elderberry, a feral Mulberry, along with sage and mugwort right outside my front door for a little front yard foraging has been convenient and enjoyable.

Farmers Markets are a great way to get connected to local food and local people. Everyone who attends my classes knows that I am a proponent of farmers markets. When we buy produce and artisanal products from local growers, farmers and artisans we support the local economy and develop relationships with the people that grow and produce our food. This is a lot more interesting, intimate and sustainable than going to a grocery store. Not only is local food fresher but most likely it is more nutritious and better tasting. In addition to locally grown fruits and vegetables, often heirloom varieties not easily found in supermarkets, one often finds locally produced ferments, krauts, kimchi, kombucha, pasture raised eggs, nut butter, sourdough bread, grassfed meat, cheese, local honey and any number of tempting edibles. When I do visit a grocery store I try to seek out foods that are in season and that are, in the very least, produced within my 224

I do go enjoy the time I go out to forage in the hills, mostly in the spring and early summer. Those are good times for my floral and food work as I like to bring wild elements into my preparations. Nature is a teacher, a presence and a preserve in my life. I walk and talk to trees and feel as if I can feel through my feet and my eyes moss, lichen, new plants stirring.

minded folk begin to gather and get excited about local food then things start to get interesting. A food family might form. No matter how much of the rugged homesteader, or even urban homesteader, you fancy yourself, having a food family in place really is preferable to doing it all alone. When people come together local flavor is amplified and gets so much bigger and better.

The work of my hands is among the plants of the understory, my fingers have a deft facility for the smaller plants and flowers. Being in nature, immersing myself in what the Japanese call forest bathing is how I get out of the cave of practical necessity (aka kitchen) and spread my wings. If you are new to foraging I highly recommend taking a few herb walks with an experienced herbalist and having a good plant identification book at hand.

By connecting people like points of light in a community we reap myriad rewards as we discover that Suzanne bakes amazing sourdough bread, Meriko has an abundance of Plums, Nellie would like someone to come and help her pick lemons, Tom has vegetables and fresh herbs to share, and Elizabeth can tell you where to forage for wild Elderberry. What about creating a scholarship to send a promising baker in the community to apprentice with a master baker? What about getting people excited about growing heirloom squashes? Or raising goats? With a little built-in or planned redundancy, you simply create more local food security.

Creating a food family can be fun. One of the first things I do when I bring people in the community together is to let them taste and experience local foods for themselves. Once like225

Begin organizing local gatherings and events around food and the seasonal junctures. I like the idea of midsummer gatherings, harvest gatherings and winter solstice gatherings. Send out artful and seasonal invitations. Get others involved. Many hands make light work. Another way to meet your food family may be to join a local organic gardening club or the like.

our condition improves or as other life changes occur. To thrive and to live in harmony at all times of the year and in all seasons of life, we must remain flexible, intuitive and sensitive to our body. Autumn is the traditional time of gathering, harvesting and preparing for the darker months. It is a time to stoke the digestive fire to contract and consolidate after the wild expansion and extravagance of summer. At this time of year, fruits swell to the limit of their capacity and strength, before giving way to the cycles of decay and death. The earth provides hearty fare which ripens beneath the ground or near it, giving us roots, tubers, and vegetables full of starch, carbohydrate and complex nutrients to stay us and satisfy our bodies throughout the winter and carry us through the seasonal transitions in joy and health. Colorful, uniquely shaped and textured the fall harvest overflows with plentitude. But even in the midst of plenty, there is often a poignant sense of loss associated with this fleeting and liminal season. There is often a sad quality in the autumn which can be heightened by the changes we sense around us and in the luminous and often transparent quality of light. In the twilight in the autumn, I like to light a candle while I prepare the evening meal. By candlelight, I am more receptive to the darkness and can focus on listening, smelling, touching and tasting as I cook. To prepare for autumn we slow down and root. We become more introspective. We turn inward. To reflect these inner qualities we want to focus on foods that are nourishing yet slightly contracting in nature. Root vegetables, brown rice, winter squash, Onion, Ginger, Apples and Pears supply us with long-lasting energy and sustain us through the transitional weeks of seasonal change and adaptation. As the days become shorter and colder sourdough bread, sauerkraut, olives, pickles, Leeks, Rose hips, Lemons and Grapefruit with their sour flavor gently begin the contraction process. We bake more and cook food using less water to harmonize with the autumn season.

People often ask for dietary guidelines, AKA a list of rules, and I like to surprise them by telling them there is only one rule. Avoid GMO foods. This may be an oversimplification but if you avoid GMO foods you are doing a lot. I find that giving people one rule is a really great segue into deeper discussion and inquiry. In my opinion, one of the most powerfully political things we do on a daily basis is what we choose to eat. We literally vote with our dollar. Rather than expend energy worrying about all the bad stuff out there, simply choose to buy and consume local organic food (non-GMO foods). BE the solution. It is so powerful to let go of worry and negativity. When we BECOME the solution we channel our energy in a positive direction. A primary indicator of health has always been the human ability to adapt and thrive in the environment in which they live. When we eat locally grown organic food we strengthen that adaptive capacity. As we engage in the preparation of local foods, I do recommend preparing our own food as often as we can, we learn how to nourish the body appropriately so that we remain comfortable and vital at all times of the year and especially at the seasonal junctures. We can even learn, by instinct, as our knowledge and instinct improve, to make subtle distinctions as we anticipate cyclical change, the equinoxes, and solstices. Nature is not static. It is dynamic and ever-changing and in order to remain healthy, our diet should, likewise, reflect a dynamic quality. Our diet, at the very least, should reflect the cyclical seasonal changes in nature. We are each physiologically unique and different. A dietary approach that works for one person may not be suitable for the next person. The foods and proportions that support us one year may not be optimal for us the following year. We must be flexible and willing to change with the seasons and to make modifications as

One of my favorite things to do in the autumn is to gather wild Rosehips. For those that don't forage Rosehips can be purchased from 226

Mountain Rose Herbs. Although Rosehips have been used traditionally to make teas, jams, jellies, Rosehips soup, beverages, wine, mead called Rhodomele, and marmalade, one of my favorite ways to use Rosehips is to make Rosehip vinegar.

One of the best root vegetables for strengthening the heart and calming the spirit is Beetroot. Beets are an ancient, even a prehistoric food, that once grew wild along sea coasts. Beets have an earthy sweet flavor. There are so many interesting varieties of Beets available from heirloom seed companies such as Bull's Blood, Chioggia, Egyptian, Albino, Cylindria, MacGregors (an almost extinct sold Scottish heirloom), and Golden just to name a few. Beet Salad

2 pounds of red Beets - sometimes I mix varieties for a beautiful color effect 1 - 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil Juice of 1 large orange 1 T. red wine vinegar or Rosehip vinegar 1/4 t. ground Cumin 1.4 t. ground Coriander 1.4 t. ground Cinnamon 1/4 t. Garlic powder 1/4 t. sea salt 3 minced Scallion or about 1/2 c.

Rosehip Vinegar To make Rosehip vinegar take your gathered wild Rosehips and fill as many jars as you can to the brim with the hips. Pour apple cider vinegar over the Rosehips until the jar is full. Make sure you fill it right up to the top. If you are using a metal lid place a piece of wax paper between the lid and the jar so that the lid will not rust. Put the lid securely on the jar or jars and place the jars in the back of a dark cupboard for 6 weeks. At the end of the 6 weeks the full magical matrix of nutrients and phytonutrients will be imparted to the vinegar. You can strain off the hips or leave them in the jars. Rosehip vinegar has the most indescribable delicious fruity flavor. It is my favorite vinegar. Use it in salad dressing, over steamed greens, or stir into soups.

Wash and steam the Beets for about 45 minutes or until they are tender. While the Beets are steaming whisk the olive oil, orange juice, Cumin, Coriander, Cinnamon, Garlic powder and sea salt together and set aside. When the Beets are tender, remove from heat, and let them cool for a few minutes. While still warm slide the skins off and cut into Beets into 1/2-inch chunks. Place Beets in a shallow serving bowl or dish and pour the dressing over. Toss together and top with Scallion. Serve at room temperature. 227

Autumn Yellow Beetroot Salad

flower petals and chopped toasted walnut. For those that like dairy products a good goat cheese or feta can be sprinkled on top. Drizzle with dressing.

4 medium yellow Beets, steamed, peeled and sliced 1 pear, sliced 2 handfuls of Arugula - can mix in other varieties of lettuces for beautiful color effect Edible Flowers if available Goat cheese or feta - Optional Chopped toasted Walnuts

My Favorite Salad Dressing 1/2 c. good extra-virgin olive oil juice or 2 lemons or substitute Rosehip vinegar 2 T. of local raw honey 1 - 2 tsp. good mustard sea salt to taste

Arrange sliced yellow Beetroot and sliced pear on a bed of Arugula. Sprinkle with a few edible

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The Herbal Pantry: Culinary Herbs in the Kitchen

by Susan Evans Susan is the owner of Chrysalis Herbs, where she conducts herb walks and teaches extensively on herbs, herb crafting, wild edibles, cooking and gardening. She teaches when she can at the annual Good Medicine Confluence, and is committed to working with groups and individuals to develop a reverence and partnership with the earth. Growing up, all I remember of kitchen herbs were the occasional pale green floaters in my soup and the wilted sprig of Parsley on the side of my plate, quickly relegated to the far rim. Today we can find an expansive selection of fresh and dried herbs everywhere, from pots in the garden center to racks and bunches of fresh herbs at the grocers and farmers markets. What to do with this abundant supply? One of my favorite ways to use herbs is to pick them fresh from my garden and develop some new dish. I use domesticated and wild herbs to add pizazz and health benefits to everything from a cheese soufflĂŠ to an Elderberry cocktail. My appetite, which has ruled my life in a truly despotic way, is a constant motivator for new and creative ways to use herbs. Beautiful, fragrant, edible, easy care, resistant to insects and diseases, and full of antioxidants and phytonutrients, an herb garden is a must for the home cook. Provided with the right conditions culinary herbs are easy to grow. Plant yourself

an herb garden. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be a Tuscan farm replica, a pot or two on the back porch will provide more than enough herbal bounty to season and uplift your favorite dishes. I first fell in love with herbs while managing a garden center. They were so tough and easy going. While the Roses broke out in black spot, the tomatoes arrived from the nursery with wilt and the delphiniums crashed with their topheavy blooms the herb bench exuded health, happiness, and appetizing fragrance. My first experience making Basil pesto hooked me for life. To keep your herb garden healthy be sure read the tags and put plants where they will thrive. The Mediterranean herbs like Rosemary and Thyme do quite well in hot, dry conditions with marginal soil. A lot of your annual plants for example Basil and Parsley, appreciate a richer soil and more frequent watering. Your tags and/ or a bit of research will help you in planning for the best environment.

Pinch off flower buds and harvest on a regular basis. Flowering will compromise flavor and hasten the demise of the plant. I teach edible flower classes so I allow one quarter of my herb garden to flower, the rest I deadhead diligently. When cutting back, always cut right above a leaf to encourage the plant to send out new growth. When cooking with herbs add fresh, easily bruised herbs like Basil at the end of your cooking or as a garnish. Dried herbs can be added at the beginning for simmering sauces, soups and stews.

Basil can grow from 6” to 2 feet or more, depending on variety. It needs 5-6 hours of sun to be happy and grows easily from seed. Plant seed every 3-4 weeks for a constant supply of this essential cooking herb. Basil works well in container gardens. It’s not crazy about cold temperatures so an area that will retain some heat at night, up against a rock, house, or cement wall is ideal. Basil likes a rich, moist soil, but never soggy. Try to keep Basil from blooming and getting lanky. Snip sections off overgrown Basil plants and root in water for an easy way to multiply your collection.

Following are some of my must-have culinary herbs for the home garden. All have medicinal properties but we’ll focus here on growing hints and culinary ways to use them. Suffice it to say that these tasty additions to your dishes will add nutrition, antioxidants and healing goodness for all your epicurean occasions.

There are several varieties of Basil for your culinary creations. The classic is Genovese Basil, my personal favorite, also called sweet Basil; this is the one you’ll find most often at your grocery store. Perfect for pesto, it can grow up to 3 feet and features white flowers. It is delicious in salads, pasta, Thai and Asian dishes or just ribboned over summer tomatoes with a dash of good olive oil. There are also purple and

Basil Ocimum Basilicum Basil is an annual herb originally from India. Delicious with any cuisine it is usually affiliated with Italian and Asian cooking.

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burgundy varieties, including Dark Opal, African Blue, and Red Rubin Basil. These work great in containers, are easier to grow than Genovese and make colorful vinegar. They look beautiful paired with gray and silver plants in the garden. I personally find the green Basils better tasting.

You can also use ice cube trays. Add Garlic, Parmesan cheese, and some walnuts or pine nuts, and you’ll have ready-made pesto. Once frozen, you can store the individual mounds in freezer containers and add to soups, veggies, pasta or wherever you would normally use Basil.

The bush Basils which are smaller with tiny leaves include Spicy Globe and Greek Mini. They have great flavor, are wonderful for borders or containers and are easy to grow. There are also the scented Basils, including lemon, lime, cinnamon, and licorice to name a few. They all impart a distinct flavor, the cinnamon and licorice Basils work well in Mexican cooking and fruit salads. The citrus Basils are great with fish, poultry, veggies and fruit and are a delightful addition to summer drinks.

Marjoram Origanum marjorana

Basil can be used in salads, sandwiches, in Italian, Asian and Mexican cuisine and beyond. Try it with fruits, beverages, veggies, eggs, and cheese. Marjoram is Oregano’s milder sister and I find it to be more versatile. Marjoram finds happiness in full sun, well-drained soil and regular watering; meaning let it dry out a bit between waterings but once dry, water well. The roots are susceptible to root and crown rot, so don’t overdo it.

Basil does not dry well so preserve it by processing it into a paste with olive oil in a food processor. You can then measure it out in spoonfuls on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper and freeze.

Marjoram forms a bushy plant with small oval leaves, usually growing from 8-12 “and has small white flowers. There are different varieties available from green to variegated forms. The creeping golden Marjoram does great as a ground cover or hanging over a pot but has little taste so check your tags to confirm culinary properties. Buy plants at the nursery for best results. Marjoram does well in containers. Marjoram can be used fresh or dried, tasting like a mild Oregano. I love it with egg and cheese dishes, with poultry or fish, with Italian or tomato dishes, and with roasted veggies. It’s also great with pork and sauSage and soups. 232

Chives Allium sp.

with thicker leaves that provide a zesty Garlic flavor and beautiful white flowers.

Chives are a foundation of the herb garden and one of my personal favorites. They are easy to grow, with great edible flowers and available to harvest from early spring till late fall. These tasty little plants can be used in all your savory dishes. Chives are in the onion family and impart the same flavor, though milder.

Clip a few leaves, double them over a few times, and snip with scissors over your dishes. You can harvest flowers and dry them by hanging them upside down and then storing in glass in a cool dark place. Scatter the white, pink and purple petals over casseroles, soups, and sauces in midwinter for a lovely shot of color. You can also use them in herbal vinegar and fresh in salads and summer dishes. Allowing them to flower will cut down on flavor for the plant, so designate a few plants for this purpose and snip the buds off the rest.

Chives are perennial and prefer a sunny to part sun location with loose, well-drained soil. They will tolerate drying out but prefer regular watering. You can grow them from seed or buy the plants. Divide larger plants in early spring by digging up the plant and pulling apart the clumps of bulbs. They work great in containers. During the heat of summer they may appear somewhat weary but should revive once cooler weather returns.

To preserve the leaves, wash, air dry, then chop and freeze on a cookie tray and once frozen store in an airtight container. You can also freeze in an oil paste, see Basil. Chives are great with potatoes, eggs, cheeses, butter, beans and to flavor and decorate dips and veggie dishes. Add them to any dishes where you would use onions, leeks or scallions.

The leaves are grass-like and should be snipped from the base. Garlic Chives are a larger variety 233

Parsley Petroselinum crispum

Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis

There are two basic varieties of Parsley, the fringed Parsley which is curled and Italian flat leaf Parsley. Both are used in cooking, the Italian Parsley being the culinary favorite. Parsley is a biennial that likes sun to part shade, regular watering, and well-drained garden soil. Seed germination can take up to 4 weeks, so I buy plants at the nursery.

Rosemary is a tender perennial. You can bring it inside and have good results providing it gets good light and circulation and is not overwatered. There are many different varieties of Rosemary from the upright to the trailing form. The upright form is shrubby with small aromatic leaves. Some popular varieties include Tuscan Blue, Albus, and Arp.

Parsley plants are bright to dark green and ferny. Flat leaf Parsley looks very similar to Cilantro. They look great in borders and containers and are fairly cold hardy. I have to say that Parsley and Cilantro are two herbs I usually just buy. It is so easy to buy the organic version of these plants year round at the grocers that I save my garden space for more expensive and less available herbs.

Rosemary usually blooms with small blue flowers but some varieties feature pink or white blooms. It is great for hedges, knot gardens or in containers and its piney scent helps to keep away deer, rabbits, and insects. The prostate form is not as tasty but still usable, and it looks lovely cascading out of rock walls or containers.

Parsley is very adaptable and can be used in all savory dishes. It has a light celery taste and is wonderful in stocks, salads, dips, pasta, cheeses and most savory dishes. I use it in pesto to cut the sometimes bitter aftertaste of some herbs and to fill in for Basil when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in short supply.

Rosemary is picky about water and circulation. It likes it on the dry side and will not tolerate soggy roots. Like Sage, it is somewhat antisocial and is subject to powdery mildew if placed in a humid, crowded location. It is somewhat difficult to grow from seed; you can purchase plants from the nursery or take cuttings from an existing plant.

Available year-round in grocery stores, it is a wonderful blast of green in the middle of winter. I use it every morning in my juice for a nice shot of chlorophyll and accompanying vitamins and minerals. If you chew Parsley it will freshen your breath, one of the reasons it was used as a plate garnish in restaurants.

Rosemary has a strong scent and taste and is great with bread, potatoes, grilled or roasted veggies, pork, poultry and lamb. It makes a flavorful marinade for meats and veggies, and can also be used sparingly in drinks and dips. Too much of the fresh or dried herb can be overpowering.

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It was and still is, woven into bridal wreaths to remind the couples of their wedding vows. Used in funerals, it symbolized the memories of the dead and how they would not be forgotten.

Thyme is a wonderful accent for so many dishes. Salad dressings, marinades, vinegar, butter, cheeses, meats, fish, and poultry all are enriched with a pinch of Thyme. Add some into your tomato sauce, pasta dish, soup or chowder. Also nice in bread and braised meats. Thyme was used to preserve meat in medieval times and worn by medieval knights as a sign of courage.

Legend has it the Virgin Mary hung her cloak over a bush of Rosemary while fleeing Herod and the flowers changed from white to blue. Mediterranean women hang their sheets and towels over Rosemary shrubs for the fresh scent.

Sage Salvia officinalis

Thyme Thymus vulgaris

Sage is a perennial that likes full sun and good circulation. It prefers well-drained soil and responds to overwatering with fungus and root rot. Other than that it is an extremely hardy, easy-to-care-for plant.

Thyme is a perennial and loves the sun. It is very drought tolerant and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appreciate wet conditions. Several different varieties are now available; Lemon Thyme is my personal favorite.

There are several different varieties available, from the solid green to purple, and variegated with cream, pink and yellow. One of my favorites is a Pineapple Sage, with bright red blossoms and a lovely pineapple fragrance. Unlike other Garden Sages, it does not usually survive the winter. Sage is easiest to grow from plants purchased at the nursery.

There are also Thyme plants that are strictly for groundcovers, not the kitchen, so check your tag for culinary attributes. Thyme is ridiculously easy to grow unless you overwater it or put it in the shade. Cut it back hard in the spring when it first peeks out of the snow and it will grow into a fragrant carpet you can snip until Thanksgiving. Flowers are usually pink or white.

Sage is wonderful with fatty meats like pork and goose and helps the liver to digest fats. Like Rosemary, it has a strong taste that can be overpowering if used too generously. Sage is a great seasoning for poultry, ham, sausage, bread, cheeses, and fruits like apple and pear. Soups and stews, especially lentil and bean, go very well with Sage. So break out of the turkey stuffing mold and use this wonderful herb to add a healthy, robust kick to your dishes.

Thyme loves to creep between flagstones, around a rock wall or hang over a container. Plants go from a deep green to variegated yellow and silver. Seed is slow to germinate. 235

Sage has long used for ritual purposes to clear out negative energy. Sage was used in ancient Greece and Rome as a meat preservative. In a garden where Sage flourishes, the home is said to be ruled by the woman.

The leaves are great in salads, Fennel bulbs can be shredded for salads and play well with soups, sauces, chicken, fish, and beverages. Fennel seed is nice to munch to de-accelerate those sugar cravings and freshen your breath.

Other Herbs to Consider

Garlic Allium sativum

Coriander/Cilantro Coriandrum sativum

Garlic is a perennial provided you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t harvest it, and why wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you? It likes full sun and well-drained soil. It can be used in just about any savory dish and is a true superfood. Mince or roast it and add to meat, poultry, fish, soups, stews, salsas, sauces and so much more. I eat it on a daily basis. I always have some roasted Garlic butter to drop and spread on everything. Good for what ails you.

The seed of Cilantro is known as Coriander, the leaf as Cilantro. Cilantro is an annual and will grow in part shade to full sun. It flowers easily so you need to be diligent about pinching off the flower stalks. You can reseed every 2-3 weeks for new plants as it grows fast. It is a favorite for Mexican, Thai and Asian cooking and a tasty addition to salads and flavoring soups and stews. Cilantro is one of those love or hate plants. If you strongly dislike Cilantro it is likely due to your olfactory - receptor genes which can impart a soapy smell and taste to the herb.Â

Lavender Lavandula angustifolia

Dill Anethum graveolens Dill is an annual and will grow in sun to part shade with moderate water. There are dwarf Dill plants available but the standard plant can get quite large so plan accordingly. Great addition to eggs, cheese, fish, and vegetable dishes. Flowers are nice in salads and used in pickling. English Lavenders are perennial and very hardy. I dry the fragrant flowers when they are about half open and use them to flavor custards, ice cream and seasoning blends such as Herbs de Provence. Lavender works well with dairy, chicken, duck, and pork and adds a delicious and unique taste to lemonade and cocktails. Use sparingly, too much Lavender and your dishes will taste like soap.

Fennel Foeniculum vulgare

Mints Mentha species Mints are perennial and can be a conquering force in the garden. They love to take over and can be quite prolific in their quest to obtain dominance. I grow Mint in pots or give it its own little kingdom. If it starts to go crazy I threaten it

Fennel is a tall, tender perennial that likes sun and moderate water. The whole plant has a mild licorice taste. 236

with drought. Mint loves to grow in rich soil and shade to part shade conditions with lots of moisture. Think creekside.

Savory Satureja hortensis (Summer), and montana (Winter) Summer Savory is an annual; Winter Savory is a perennial. I don’t know why more people don’t grow this lovely little perennial. It appreciates full sun and well-drained soil and is quite drought tolerant once established. Savory has a peppery flavor that works well in soups and stews and with meats, fish, and beans. Also good in vinegar and salad dressings. Winter savory has a long growing season, dries well and is a perfect herb for those hearty winter dishes.

I love the fresh, clean, bracing scent and flavor of Mint. From mojitos and tabbouleh to digestive teas and Cauliflower Couscous with Cherries and Pistachios, mint is another herb I couldn’t do without. Very easy to dry and preserve. Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus

Sorrel Rumex species One of the few cultivated perennial greens. Sorrel likes sun to part shade and moderate water. You need to be diligent about cutting back the flower stalk. It likes cooler weather and will turn bitter in hot temperatures. Keep cutting it and cooler fall temps will bring the mellow back. Sorrel soup has long been used as a spring tonic. Good salad and potherb. Its versatile uses include soup, fish, chicken, and salads. It has a lemony sharp flavor. Tarragon Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa Nasturtium is an easy to grow annual that prefers full sun and moderate watering. Nasturtium's peppery leaves and fragrant flowers add beauty and a bit of sassy to salads and stir-frys. Stuff the colorful flowers with herbed goat cheese, dip in a beaten egg, roll in some corn meal and brown lightly in butter for a delicious show-stopping appetizer. Unripened seedpods can be pickled and used as capers. Easy to grow from seed. Oregano Origanum vulgare Oregano is a hardy perennial and very easy to grow. It likes full sun, well-drained soil and moderate water. Use it in more moderate amounts in the same applications as Marjoram, the taste of Oregano is similar but a lot stronger. Takes a while to start from seed. I buy my plants. Give it room, that little plant you got at the nursery will be shrub size in a year or two. High in antioxidants and very easy care.

French tarragon is a perennial, that likes sun to part-shade, rich garden soil, and moderate watering. It gets up to 3 feet and usually needs to be staked unless you go after it consistently with pruners. Tarragon has a delicate licorice flavor. Use it in béarnaise sauce and with fish, eggs, salads, cheese spreads, salads and veggies. 237

A Few Recipes to Try

1 cup herbed feta cheese, cut into small cubes, recipe follows 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced

Herb Vinegar Fresh herbs, a variety is nice. The vinegar mellows the flavor. Vinegar (I use organic apple cider vinegar but rice, champagne or wine vinegar also works.)

Spray a small, shallow glass container with cooking oil. Line the container with plastic wrap, spreading the wrap out evenly. Make sure to bring the wrap outside the container perimeter so there is an overhang on all sides. Put down a layer of sundried tomatoes, followed by herbed cheese, followed by pesto. Press down firmly with the back of a spoon after each layer. Make sure you can see each layer when looking at the side of the container. You can do thick layers and be done or do thinner layers and double. Chill for at least 8 hours. Lift the torta out of the container by turning it over onto a serving plate, clasping the plastic wrap and gently pulling down as it releases onto the plate. Top with a Basil leaf or some edible flowers and surround with crackers and admire your masterpiece. You can also add a layer of chopped olives.

Coarsely chop the herbs and put in a widemouthed jar. Stuff them so the jar is full. Add the vinegar, making sure all of the herbs are completely covered. Stir with a knife to release air bubbles. Tightly seal the jar with a nonmetallic lid, making sure the herbs are submerged and let sit for at least 2-3 weeks. Strain bottle. Herb Pesto Cheese Torta Impressive and actually pretty easy. 1 cup pesto (recipe follows) 238

Pesto

2 parts Parsley ½ part Thyme ½ part Rosemary ½ part ground Sage Blend together and use for cheeses, butter, meats and poultry, soups and chowders.

¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts 1/3 cup olive oil, if you need more, use it, you want a thick sauce texture. 1 cup fresh Basil ½ cup fresh Parsley 1/3-cup Parmesan cheese 2-3 cloves of fresh Garlic

Herbed Croutons Take slightly stale bread and cut into small squares. You want a porous bread here, French bread works great. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil, granulated Garlic, an herb blend or dried herbs of choice Chives and bake at 350 until crisp stirring occasionally.

Add above ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Use on pasta, sandwiches, roasted vegetables, potatoes and more. Pesto is usually made with Basil but you can use Sage, mint, Cilantro, and other leafy herbs as substitutes. Get creative.

Herb Cheese and Butter Herb Cheese 8 ounces cream cheese or butter at room temperature, could also use goat or feta cheese 4-5 cloves of roasted Garlic 2 scallions, minced fine ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper 1 tablespoon Chives 2 tablespoons herb mix or fresh herbs of choice 2-3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Mix together and serve, decorate with fresh edible flowers and herbs.

8 ounces feta cheese 2 tablespoons herb mix or dried herbs of choice In a glass jar, layer herb mix, then chunks of feta and continue to layer a light layer of herb mix with the cheese. Pour quality olive oil over to cover and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature. Olive Tapenade

Marinated Olives 1 cup pitted olives; I like Kalamata 1 tablespoon drained and chopped capers 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tsp olive oil ½ tsp anchovy paste (optional) Cracked black pepper and Thyme, Marjoram and Chives, about ½ teaspoon of each. Blend ingredients together lightly in a food processer and use with pasta, pizza and with cheese, dips, and sauces. You can add ½ cup of toasted nuts to increase volume and cut the intense flavor.

¼ cup chopped Parsley leaves 1 teaspoon fresh or dried Rosemary, Oregano, Thyme (or whatever herbs you have on hand) 2 cloves minced, fresh Garlic Zest and juice of one lemon or lime 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) 2 cups olives, drained and dried on paper towels Olive oil to cover

Herb Blend (all dried herbs) 2 parts granulated Onion flakes 2 parts granulated Garlic flakes 1 part Chives 1 part Marjoram 239

Mix herbs together, toss with olives, put into a glass jar with a lid and cover with olive oil. Let marinate for at least 24 hours. Store in refrigerator and serve at room temperature.

well with cheeses, lamb, chicken, on sandwiches, and in vinaigrettes.

Fruit Chutney

Take 1 or more heads of Garlic, cut in half. Place in aluminum foil that is lined with parchment paper. Pour olive oil over both halves, sprinkle with Rosemary and Thyme. Put the separated bulb back together and twist up in foil. Place in an ovenproof dish and roast at 350 degrees until tender, about 50-60 minutes. When Garlic has cooled squeeze out the Garlic pulp. Delicious!

Roasted Garlic with Rosemary and Thyme

Olive oil 2-3 cloves minced Garlic 4-5 Scallions, minced 1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded (or not for hotter chutney) and diced 2 cups, fruit of choice, apples, peaches, mangoes etc., peeled, cored if necessary and diced ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon grated ginger root ½ cup raisins 1 teaspoon minced Savory and Thyme

Lavender Cream 2 cups milk ½ cup sugar ¼ cup cornstarch ½ teaspoon salt ½ cup sugar 2 eggs, slightly beaten ½ cup milk 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon crushed Lavender flowers, dried or fresh, taken off the stem

Sauté Garlic, jalapeno, and scallions in oil over low heat until soft. Add diced fruit, sugar, herbs and vinegar and cook on low heat until fruit is softened and congealed somewhat, about 45 minutes to an hour. Chutney is a lovely side dish with Indian and Mid-eastern cuisine, and works 240

Bring 2 cups milk and ½ cup sugar just to a boil, reduce heat. In the meantime, mix cornstarch, salt, sugar, eggs, and ½ cup milk and whisk slowly into hot mixture. Over low heat, stir until thick. Take the pan off the stove and stir in butter, Vanilla, and Lavender. Cool and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a film. Once cooled you can either strain out the Lavender flowers or leave them in for a stronger taste. Serve chilled.

This can be served with berries and whipped cream, cake, or used as a pie filling. To make chocolate Lavender cream add ½ cup (or more) chocolate chips when you add the butter.

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Brewing Beer & Mead With Juniper by Jereme Zimmerman Jereme (pronounced Jeremy) is the author of “Making Mead Like a Viking” and the new release,k “Brew Beer Like a Yeti,” which we excerpt from in the next Herbaria Monthly. You are invited to attend his hands-on demonstration mead, beer, and other classes at the next Good Medicine Confluence. Read more about his work at: Jereme-Zimmerman.com For many years I brewed like pretty much every modern homebrewer. I added hops to all of my beers and little other botanicals, I sanitized heavily with chemicals, and I followed the strict 60-minute wort-boil time (some brewers do a 90minute boil). If you’ve ever brewed from a brew

kit or read modern homebrewing recipes, these are all things that you have to do. Over the past several years, though, I’ve delved deeper and deeper into historical beer brewing recipes and techniques and found that these things have only been “required” in fairly recent times.

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plethora of technicalities you can get wrapped up in but all you need concern yourself with is staying within certain parameters (or intentionally straying past those parameters in the spirit of experimentation). If you’re not a brewer and some of this goes over your head, don’t worry. I’ll provide some simple recipes to get you started and provide some options for more experienced brewers. But first, let’s talk about Juniper. Bring Us… A Shrubbery! There are several species of Juniper and not all are edible. The most common edible species that grows wild in eastern North America is Juniperus virginiana. You likely know it by a different name: Eastern Red Cedar.

Juniper has become one of my favorite botanicals to brew with of late for various reasons, but primarily because it gives me reason (even more so than other botanicals) to ignore the aforementioned rules. First off, it was used in brewing beer for much longer than hops was, and still is in some parts of the world. Secondly, it is a natural antiseptic, so not only does it help prevent beer spoilage, but it can also be used to disinfect your brewing equipment. Finally, brewing with it doesn’t require a 60-minute boil time. This time was came up with primarily as a convenient number for adding various additions of Hops for their bittering and aroma effects (the later you add Hops, the more aroma and less bittering they provide). That said, I still often boil for 60 or even 90 minutes, but I don’t worry if I go under or even over. Primarily, my boil times are more about how much I want to concentrate the wort and thus get higher fermentability.

The other edible species are Southern Cedar (Juniperus silicicola) and Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum). Ironically, the “cedars” native to North America aren’t true cedars, in that they don’t belong to the genus Cedrus. True cedars are native to the Mediterranean and Middle East. But some explorer back in the days of yore decided to call these trees cedars so now we’re stuck with the name. So, from here on out, when I talk about using Juniper for flavoring, I’m referring to Eastern Red Cedar and Southern Cedar for North American folks. While the edible varieties aren’t dangerous to consume, like many edibles, they do contain trace levels of toxin. You would have to ingest vast amounts for the toxins to show any effect though. So, don’t shove tons of Juniper down your gullet every day, and avoid ingesting large amounts of its essential oil.

There are all kinds of factors to consider when it comes to heating beer wort and malt, which I won’t be going into here. My mantra when teaching people about brewing is to start simple and to feel free to stick with simple. There are a 244

There are species not native to North America that are highly toxic though, including Juniperus sabina and Juniperus oxycedrus, which hail from southern Europe. You will often see J. sabina planted as an ornamental shrub. The best way to ensure you are being 100 percent safe is to avoid ingesting any Juniper that is in a shrub-like form. Although there are non-toxic Juniper shrubs, it can be difficult to distinguish them from the shrub, and sometimes toxic and non-toxic varieties hybridize.

with an herbal clinician or trusted physician if you are pregnant or taking other medications. Native American tribes used Juniper for treating colds, swollen joints, stiff muscles, and various other maladies. Juniper can be used to treat digestion problems, heartburn, bloating, intestinal worms, and urinary tract infections. It has even shown in studies to possess anti-cancer properties and to be useful in treating diabetes due to its ability to relieve symptoms of hyperglycemia. Its ability to release insulin from the pancreas also makes it a useful tool for alleviating hunger. From my research, these qualities are all well-known, but as always, do your own research and triple-check all medical claims when it comes to any plant.

When identifying Juniper for edible purposes, the first trick is to only go for varieties that are in tree form. Not all Juniper trees grow large but it should be clear if they are a tree (even if a small one). Eastern Red Cedar is known to grow taller than other varieties and gets its name from the reddish hue of the inner bark residing just under the shaggy outer bark. Once you’ve identified a Juniper in tree form, look at the foliage. The “leaves” will be in two forms depending on the age. The younger leaves will be in the form of sharp, pointy somewhat scaly needles while older leaves (which take up the majority of the tree) will be short, rounded, clumped together and scale-like. Another key feature of Juniper is the “berries” (technically they’re a very small cone), which are only on the females. Unlike most tree species, Juniper is dioecious, meaning that each plant can be either male or female (look for little brown cones on the males). The berries aren’t seasonal and can be found throughout the year, taking as many as two to three years to fully mature. While young they are green, and mature to a dark blueish purple. The green berries have more of a resinous, piney flavor and are used to flavor gin while the blue berries take on more of a citric flavor and are ideal for using in food, such as seasoning game or sauerkraut. I use both in flavoring beer.

Historically, Juniper berries were used by the Egyptians to cure tapeworm infestations, by the Romans for purification, and by the Greeks to increased physical stamina. It was also used in medieval times and earlier to stimulate contraction of the uterine muscles during labor, or as an abortive. In folklore, references to Juniper are strangely minimal, but I’ve been able to uncover a few references. An early Icelandic belief was that Juniper and rowan could not be grown together, as they both produce so much heat that they would catch fire. Bringing the wood of both into your house was therefore a big no-no. Building a boat with both Juniper and rowan was a bad idea too, as it would cause the ship to sink. Don’t cut down a Juniper tree in Wales or you’ll be dead within the year. In Newfoundland wolves and bears were believed to avoid Juniper and hence stockades and other

A Powerful Medicine A bonus to using Juniper for flavoring is that it is also a powerful medicine. Like any powerful medicine, overuse can be problematic. Juniper is a diuretic and ingesting large amounts can irritate the kidneys. It also has strong antiviral properties, particularly when young. Consult 245

enclosures were built from its wood. In druidic and other magikal and spiritual practices, the incense of Juniper was used for ritual purification and to aid clairvoyance. It was also used in medieval Europe to stave off effects of the plague (likely ineffective, since rats don’t seem bothered by it) and to cast out witches (also likely ineffective since witches don’t seem bothered by it either).

as standard in homebrewing was by no means commonplace, or even possible, historically. The book is also a treasure trove of herbs that were used in brewing throughout Europe.

Brewing With Juniper Juniper has a rich history in brewing, but sources are elusive and more serious scholarly work needs to be done. I’ll touch upon what I’ve learned here but I highly recommend reading through the “The Juniper mystery” entry of one of my favorite brewing blogs, Larsblog (www.garshol.priv.no) for an in-depth study on the subject. In his blog, Lars starts out by saying “When I started looking at farmhouse ale back in 2010, one of the first things that struck me was that nearly everyone seemed to be using Juniper…I'm beginning to realize that the international beer community has somehow managed to miss a huge story here.” Like Lars, I have come across several references to the use of Juniper in brewing in my studies of Scandinavian farmhouse brewing, but it’s likely that using Juniper in brewing was much more widespread.

Juniper was (and still is in pockets of Scandinavia today) used for a number of purposes in brewing. It is often used as a strainer in the mash tun (the vessel in which malted grains are heated in water to extract sugars) to filter out sediment and keep the wort (unfermented beer) running clear. This would also introduce the other effects that Juniper provides, namely its flavoring, bittering and disinfectant properties. Juniper infusion is also used as a disinfectant to clean brewing equipment (goodbye chemical sanitizers!). The amounts of Juniper used varied by farmhouse, with some using very little for only flavoring purposes and others using large amounts for filtering, flavoring, bittering and antiseptic purposes. Berries can be used on their own or with branches. Keep in mind that the branches are what provide the bittering qualities, and the flavor can be very “woodsy” and off-putting to some. But consider that Juniper is essentially the “farmhouse hop” and is much more prevalent and hardy than hops (Humulus lupulus), which are very resource-intensive and require highly specified conditions.

Thankfully, we have a strong grasp as to how Juniper can be used in brewing beer due to farmhouse brewers in places like Norway and Finland who are still brewing by the old traditions, and to the excellent book Brewing and Beer Traditions in Norway: The Social Anthropological Background of the Brewing Industry by Odd Nordland (Universitetsforlaget, Oslo, 1969). Nordland spent nearly a decade conducting extensive surveys, researching, and interviewing people throughout Scandinavia on brewing traditions that were at that time beginning to fall by the wayside. He uncovered vast amounts of data on traditional brewing equipment, techniques, ingredients, and even differences in brewing style between each farmhouse brewer. My big takeaway from the read was that much of what I had come to accept

All varieties of Juniper help to prevent erosion. While some may consider it invasive, when planted with proper planning, it can be an important asset to a homestead. Knowing all that, the only question that seems to remain for me is “why not brew with Juniper?” 246

Recipe 1: Juniper Wild Ale

7. When the liquid is clear and there are no signs of CO2, transfer into a vessel with a spigot and add 2 tablespoons of cane sugar or honey to “prime” the ale for carbonation. 8. Bottle, preferably in flip-top bottles (plastic soda bottles also work if you have them), store in a room temperature area and begin opening carefully in about a week. Always store bottles in a box or wrapped in a towel and open carefully!

When Juniper beer made from malted grains became less prevalent in Scandinavia, a popular drink that continued to be made was a Juniper “beer” made from sugar and Juniper berries. I like to continue the historical tradition of brewing with whatever sugar is on hand by making what I call “simple ales,” which are simply cane or brown sugar (sometimes molasses) dissolved in water and made into a tea with whatever botanical I feel like brewing with, and then fermented into a mildly alcoholic beverage. In my following recipe for Juniper simple ale, I also add in carminative herbs for their digestive properties, and because these herbs are common in Scandinavian digestif spirits such as aquavit.

Carbonation levels can be unpredictable. You’ll get anything from a slight hiss to a pop and gushing. If the carbonation level is where you want it, refrigerate the bottles to keep them at that level.

Recipe 2: Juniper Small Mead

Ingredients for 1 Gallon (4 L)

This is simply a variation of the above recipe using honey instead of sugar to create a mead. The only difference is that you’ll need to use a pound of honey rather than a pound of sugar. Everything else is the same.

1 gallon (4 L) water (spring or filtered tap water) 1 pound (.5 kg) cane sugar or brown sugar (or mix cane and brown sugar) 1/2 teaspoon dried wormwood or mugwort 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1 tablespoon Juniper berries 1 teaspoon caraway or dill seeds Brewing yeast, ale yeast, bread yeast, or follow process outlined below for making a wild ale Process 1. Bring the water just to a boil in a stockpot. 2. Stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. 3. Add all other ingredients except yeast and Juniper berries, reduce heat to medium-low, and allow herbs to steep for half an hour. 4. Shut off heat, and let the wort cool to 60°–80° F (15°–27° C). 5. For wild-ferment option, transfer the liquid into a 1-2 gallon (4-8 L) glass or ceramic vessel, add Juniper berries and cover with a cheesecloth or dish towel. Stir the mixture a couple of times a day to aerate and speed up fermentation. You should see clear yeast activity (fizzing and foam) within 3-4 days. 6. Strain into a one-gallon jug with an airlock, add yeast (if you skipped step 5), and ferment for 2 weeks. 247

Recipe 3: Juniper Malt Beer

Water, Yeast, and Kettle Adjuncts

If you homebrew with grains or malt extract, here’s a recipe for you. Although I’m not going to go into all of the details on brewing beer with grain, even if you haven’t done it before, do a bit of research on homebrewing procedures, gather some equipment and you’ll be able to do this in no time.

6 gallons (24 L) spring water or filtered tap water British or Belgium ale yeast, bread yeast (the Finnish beer sahti uses bread yeast and Juniper) or kveik (a Scandinavian farmhouse ale yeast) if you can find it 1 quart (1 L) wildflower or other light honey at end of boil

You can use a small amount hops along with the Juniper in this recipe if you want it to have a bit more of a modern beer flavor but I’ve come to appreciate the flavor of Juniper and tend to leave the hops out. You can really use any kind of malt you want and flavor it with Juniper. I often make a 100% barley Juniper beer, but sometimes I add adjuncts such as flaked wheat or smoked or caramelized grains. The following is a slightly modified recipe from my book Brew Beer Like a Yeti.

Process All grain: Mash the grains for 1 hour at 145 to 155°F (63–68°C). Mash out, vorlauf, sparge, and gather 6 to 6½ gallons (24–26 L) of wort. ! Extract: Steep the rye malt in a mesh grain bag for half an hour in one gallon (4 L) of hot but not boiling water and then remove, taking care to let as much liquid as possible drip out but not squeezing out any extra. Add five gallons (20 L) of water and bring to a boil. Cut off heat, add extract and stir constantly to prevent boiling over. Bring beer wort slowly back to a boil and keep stirring until the foam at the top has calmed down.

Ingredients for 5 Gallons (20 L) Grains 5 pounds (2.5 kg) pilsner malt 4 pounds (2 kg) light Munich malt 1 pound (0.5 kg) rye malt

For both all grain and extract, boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding ingredients according to the above schedule. Cool the wort and pour into a fermentation container such as a bucket with a lid and an airlock, add the yeast, ferment, prime with 1/2 cup (125 ML) honey or 3/4 cup (50 g) cane sugar, and bottle. Allow to age for at least two weeks before drinking.

Extract Alternative 6 pounds (3 kg) plain amber dry malt extract (DME) 1 pound (0.5 kg) rye malt ! Flavoring Ingredients and Schedule 2-3 Juniper branches (about 2 feet / 0.6 m in length) with berries; in the eastern US, you can use eastern red cedar, in the western US Rocky Mountain Juniper, or spruce branches for a spruce beer (add branches and berries 30 minutes into the boil) ¼ ounce (7 g) meadowsweet flowers at end of boil ¼ ounce (7 g) yarrow flowers at end of boil 1 ounce (28 g) Saaz or other low-alpha hops (optional) at end of boil

By using Juniper in beer, even in small amounts for its antiseptic qualities, you can experiment with all kinds of other herbs with little fear of your beer spoiling and, if you desire, leave the hops behind altogether. Welcome to the world of brewing without hops. You’ve got a long journey with all kinds of interesting stops along the way. Until next time—enjoy the simplicity of brewing your own herbal, healing beers and meads!

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Sources & Inspiration: www.garshol.priv.no/blog/368.html http://www.eattheweeds.com/ Junipers/ De Medina, S., et.al., “Hypoglycemic activity of Juniper ‘berries’,” Planta Medica Journal. Jun 1994:60(3): 197-200. Ju, JB., et.al., “Investigation of Antidiabetic, Antihyperlipidemic, and In Vivo Antioxidant Properties of Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. in Type 1 Diabetic Rats: An Identification of Possible Biomarkers,” Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Jan 2008:115(1): 110-5. Benzina S, et.al., “Deoxypodophyllotoxin isolated from Juniperus communis induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells,” Anticancer Agents Med Chem., 2015;15(1):79-88. https://treesforlife.org.uk/forest/ mythology-folklore/Juniper2/ Odd Nordland, Brewing and Beer Traditions in Norway: The Social Anthropological Background of the Brewing Industry (Gjovik, Norway: Mariendals Boktrykkeri). Buhner, Stephen Harrod, Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentations (Boulder, CO: Brewers Pub). Mosher, Randy, Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales, and World-altering Meditations in a Glass (Boulder, CO: Brewers Publications, 2004). Zimmerman, Jereme, Brew Beer Like a Yeti, Traditional Techniques, Recipes, and Inspiration for Unconventional Ales, Gruits, and More (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018).

Plant Healer Interview:

Jolie Elan In Conversation with Jesse Wolf Hardin Introduction: Jolie Egret Elan is a deep ecologist, ethnobotanist and educator, teaching classes on connection to wild nature at the Good Medicine Confluence. She is and the founder and Director of Go Wild Institute, weaving science, myth and spirit to awaken our nature and find balance within the great web of life. Jolie has studied herbalism for over two and a half decades. Some of her teachers include Matthew Wood, 7Song, Native Healer Bobby Lake Thom and Jane Bothwell. Jolieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work focuses on reclaiming our wild hearts and psyches, which, when out of balance, results in illness â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ecological, societal and personal. JolieÂ is a field botanist, certified forester, and permaculture designer, with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and her M.S. in Natural Resources/Forestry, studying the sustainable harvest of medicinal plants as well as botanical taxonomy. She has worked on ethnobotanical projects on four continents, including restoring sacred forest groves in India, and developing the herbal medicine sector in war-torn Kosovo. Jesse Wolf Hardin: Thank you for taking the time for this exchange, Jolie. We appreciate it, and appreciate you.

important now to keep alive an alternative narrative of self empowered folk herbalists, still in touch with and informed by the earth?

To begin, you know that plant medicine is an ancient healing art, which through most of its history manifested as accessible, community based care: folk herbalism. Only since the 1700s has there been a movement towards hierarchical organization and regulated practice, focused on credibility and profit over spirit and service, and generally divorced from the ethos of nature and experience of the land. Why and how is it

Jolie Elan: We live in very interesting times and I am sure your readers will agree that much of our society has lost its way. When we live from within the ethos of nature it can help us find the inspiration and wisdom we need to move through this Great Turning/ Great Unraveling and find our rightful place in within the web of life. Nature knows how to live in balance, when we tune in profoundly, we see viscerally how we

are nature and a gigantic healing takes place, for us individually, societally and also for the Earth. In my worldview Nature does the real healing. Removing folk medicine from the experience of the land could work at counter purposes to deep healing of our society and the Earth.

Jolie: I agree with you. I see my role as a liaison to the natural world, which is the ultimate source of healing. After all, real healing resides in relationship: The relationship of the healer to the patient, the relationship of the healer to the plant, AND the relationship of the plant to every other living being woven within its web. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take Elder (Sambucus nigra) for an example, the medicine we make from the Elder is inseparable from the little Ruby-crowned Kinglet and the Red-shafted Flicker, who carries the power of Grandfather Sun in her wings. It is a western delusion that the medicine can be separate, denuded of the songs of the crickets and frogs, amputated from the fungus and foxes.

Wolf: Tell me what you think. I have always said that herbalists and other practitioners of â&#x20AC;&#x153;natural medicineâ&#x20AC;? can serve as a much-needed nexus or bridge, holding the vital connection between natural healers and the natural world from which our finest instincts and the helpful herbs we use arise. And I, in fact, cannot fathom an herbalism apart from the great outside, divorced from the wildcrafting or gardening of plants, certified but sterilized, absent the inspiration and lessons of wild nature, without the magical or spiritual feelings that lie at the core of the materia medica of our practice, and at the heart of the materia of our world.

While I work with many plants, I focus on the plants that have given me permission to work them via dreams or visions. These plants have gifted me with insight into their medicine partly because I treat them with respect, honor their gifts, and spend quality time in nature building 252

ecology and healing. For example, we may notice that members of the rose family, like raspberry and blackberry, are often growing on the borders of wet areas and we make the connection that this astringent plant is good for drying up wet soils as well as damp tissues. We learn to read the land. Instead of gaining knowledge only from second hand sources, we learn how to go directly to the source.

my relationship with them. This medicine feels stronger than learning about plants solely from books and second-hand experience. However, half of our world population lives in urban areas, so I don’t want to judge other herbalists in how they make medicine. Wolf: In what ways can conscious sense of place benefit herbalists and healers in general, wherever they are at? What are some positive ways that place can inform and shape us and the ways we practice?

Wolf: Adding ecopsychology classes to our Good Medicine Confluence events feels like an important adjunct, using reconnection to the natural world and our own original natures, in combination with herbal and other therapies, to better serve and affect our clients, associates, and thus our unhealthful and de-natured society. How do you define ecopsychology, how does it impact physical health and repair, and how can it inspire and equip herbalists in their work?

Jolie: By developing a conscious sense of place we deepen our relationship with ourselves and with the world around us: the leafless winter maples with promising buds; frosty creeks flowing just under an icy veil; the dormant gardens bedded down in blankets of wet golden straw; vibrant winter moss resuscitated by winter rains. It’s my first winter in twenty-five years and this experience is reshaping the emotional, imaginal, and mythopoetic dimensions of my life. As I bond with my new home land, my story intertwines with the landscape. Characters in the story become the moss awakened from its long-desiccated sleep; the dormant Angelica roots sleeping beneath the snow awaiting the warm, bright glimmers of the sun; the fluffy black Fisher sauntering down the trail at sunrise. The landscape is seeping into my dreams of learning to ski and getting rescued from mountain lakes. The land and I are cocreating a new story with every muddy stop on the trail.

Jolie: Ecopsychology focuses on how to restore our healthy emotional bonds with nature. It’s about dispelling the false and destructive belief that we are separate from our sentient and sacred earth. The reality is that we are nature: the minerals in our bones originated in rocks, our intestines team with vast complex ecosystems of bacteria, and our breath is given to us by plants. We inspire what plants expire and they inspire what we expire, we are so woven in this conspiration that somehow don’t see it. Our beings have adapted to be informed by, and immersed, in the more than human world. We evolved to live in community with nature, practicing rituals and ceremonies that show our gratitude. Humanity has a natural empathy with nature. Most Indigenous societies view natural beings as our Relations in Nature: Father Sky, Mother Earth, Brother Bear, Rock People, etc. When we think we are separate from nature, we suffer because we have exiled ourselves from the garden; we are lonely, dis-eased, addicted and mentally ill.

Developing a conscious sense of place can help us be better healers in many ways. When we come into an authentic, humble relationship with nature we become grounded and rooted. It is from this place that our healing instincts and intuition become honed as we get downloads from the Earth. As plants, animals and elementals become characters in our narratives we come to know them as neighbors and friends – Relations in Nature. We know what they like, who they love and where they live, which is another way of saying we start to understand their ecological relationships. A conscious sense of place also fosters intuitive insights about

When we live by the delusion that we are separate, we pollute our waters, we foul our air, and fail to see the correlation with growing cancer rates. We are in a collective denial that 253

our human society is on a suicide mission, thinking that rising stock prices will offset the dangers of a seriously feverish Earth in the throes of climate calamity. Ecopsychology aims to heal our mental health as well as the health of the planet by highlighting that they are intimately connected.

Additionally, understanding nature’s processes and cycles helps us understand our own nature. For instance, if we feel impatience with the pace of how our life is unfolding, we might be heartened to compare our situation to a seed silently resting in the ground breathing (yes, seeds breathe). Seeds are little earthships waiting for the right conditions to sprout, blossom, and fruit. In knowing that we cannot force a seed to sprout, we might be able to accept our natural unfolding. Reconnecting with our outer landscapes helps to heal our inner landscapes, which, in turn inspires us to heal our outer landscapes, because in reality there is no inner or outer.

But when we do bust through our denial and bond fully with our nature, our hearts break open at the ecocide of our day: Two hundred species go extinct EVERY Day, sea lion starving due to overfishing, nuclear disasters in Japan, and on and on and on… We want to turn away because our pain feels unbearable, but here is the rub: when we turn towards our pain, we actually reclaim our humanity and our wildness. Only from this humble, heartbroken place can we stop the madness; our broken open hearts activate the Earth’s immune system. We are the medicine she needs right now, she is the medicine we need. Ecopsychology helps us honor our pain for the world and become agents for change.

Wolf: Healing through nature, and the healing of the natural world, are twin themes animating not only the ancient cosmologies of land based peoples, but also the thoughts and works of some of the more caring and creative of contemporary teachers. In the sciences, I think of James Lovelock and Lynn Marguelis of course, and my old pen pal Paul Shepherd. Sociologists

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like Theodore Roszak, musicians including Paul Winter, poets and novelists such as Gary Snyder, Ursula LeGuin, Philip Pullman, and Terry Tempest Williams. The cosmology of radical Episcopalian priest Matthew Fox, NeoDruids and the Wiccan activist Starhawk, the Buddhist thinkers and activists Joanna Macy and Thich Nhat Hahn. What is it that brings each of these folks to similar conceptions and convictions, coming from such widely disparate backgrounds? And is that what is missing from the much larger majority of people who view the composition of Earth as little more than exploitable resources, or as a soulless God-given stage for the play of human activities?

described as a living planet, Mother Earth, Gaia, looks every bit as miraculous and inspirited when viewed through the lens of a wonder-filled scientist. Jolie: We are at a fabulous crossroads of thought and culture where modern science is backing up Indigenous knowledge that the earth is interconnected and sentient. (It’s not that we need modern science to prove the Earth is sentient, but it sure is interesting to watch). The research on plant intelligence is blowing my mind and lines up with Indigenous thinking that plants can sense, make decisions, warn their kin of danger, call for help from the insect world, and contribute to the well-being of their community.

Jolie: In this age of untruths, it is important to remember that reality is not relative. Perhaps the reason that so many of us, throughout time and culture, subscribe a worldview that nature is alive, interconnected and sentient is because this is actually the nature of the world. It’s just that we often forget it or can’t access this reality because we are distracted. If you have ever spent a good amount of time with people in denial or addiction, its clear that many people can’t acknowledge the pathology at play in the system because that virus has also got a hold of them, and they are playing a role in that pathological system. Being present to what is real and true requires for us to face what is holding us back from being present and this can be excruciatingly painful. I am not saying that everyone who does not share my view that the Earth is alive and sacred is in denial or addicted, some of us just are not taught to see the ensouled world, perhaps the concept is foreign, or their religion or culture runs counter to this world view.

The research on mycorrhizal networks is right out of the movie Avatar. The mushrooms we see and eat are the fruiting body of a huge underground organism. Fungi, it turns out are some of the most gargantuan of organisms. One giant honey mushroom (Armillaria ostoya) was found to be over 100 tons, over 1500 years old and over 2000 acres big. Fungi connect to the roots of many trees; the trees provide them with sugar while the fungi extend the root system several hundred to several thousand times. Mycorrhizal (myco – fungus, rhizal- root) fungi act as a web that connect many plants. These network move sugars, nutrients and communication hormones around to support the community. What’s more, is that the fungal matts probably have their own intelligence. Researchers have documented that in nutrient poor communities, the fungi will actually lure insects such as springtails, consume them and direct the nutrients to the trees. Dr. Susanne Simard has shown that great big fir trees in the Pacific northwest actually use the extensive fungal networks to nurse their young who can’t yet reach the sunlight.

Wolf: The scientifically framed Gaia Hypothesis proposes that the planet and all its elements and life forms form together not just a community of components and relations, but that in its dynamic totality, functions much like a living being. It’s self regulatory processes work to maintain a delicate balance of atmospheric gases, PH, and temperatures, without which no human could ever have existed here. What so called “primitive” cultures have for millennia

Research on the intelligence of animals is also the stuff of Indigenous legends: squirrels and crows planning for the future; Spiders with problem solving abilities; Sea lions can think logically understanding that if A=B and B=C than A=C. Crows mourn their dead, use tools, 255

recognize human faces and teach their young to avoid onerous humans. The Indigenous perspective that more-than-human life is sentient is actually becoming mainstream. So, the next giant leap is to extend basic rights to our Relations in Nature.

imperiled world. Healing does not exist in a vacuum, we live in a sick society on an ailing earth, no wonder we are sick. What we are experiencing on this planet is trauma gone amok, a lethal virus infecting all life in its path. Wars, ecocide, poverty, oppression and violence all produce more trauma fueling the cult of death. Trauma make us more fearful, less trusting and less compassionate, which creates more trauma, and on and on. A vital role traditionally played by shamans is to heal ancestral and personal trauma to bring back balance. Shamans have traditionally used a variety of herbal medicines, like ayahuasca or peyote, to restore harmony and a sense of belonging to the Earth and spirit. I have personally used these medicines, under the care of wise healers, to cure my own debilitating PTSD. I am happy to see the resurgence of ancient healing ceremonies and entheogens, like ayahuasca, but am very wary of untrained, egoinflated, millennials calling themselves shamans.

Wolf: If you look back into human history, things have always been difficult, challenging, and in some ways odd and surprising... but we have to admit, the 21st Century and beyond are increasingly some batshit-crazy times. It is getting hard for me to think about herbalism without reference to current trends, values, and politics. It seems both impossible and unwise to ignore the mindsets and actions of the dominant culture, as both marginalized human communities and natural ecosystems are being harmed like never before. Jolie: It is all connected. Herbalism canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be separated from what is happening in our 256

It is encouraging to see that the California Institute of Integral Studies is offering a certificate program in psychedelic-assisted therapies for therapists, doctors, and clergy.

reclaimed and healed me. Along the way, my teachers showed up. Gaia is the greatest teacher but we have to make sure to show up to class with our phones turned off.

Wolf: While pre-civilized tribes precipitated some regrettable ecological problems from extinction of early American megafauna to deforestation in the Southwest, their world view and accompanying ceremonies and taboos often spoke of the sacredness of the living earth, and the importance of our giving back to inspirited nature for all it provides us. These efforts at reciprocity are a conscious reflection or emulation of the give and take of the natural world, and are sorely missing from the codes and behaviors of most modern civilized people. Through what means might we hope to raise awareness and stimulate response?

As to why we moved from embracing an ensouled world to a mechanistic world, many authors like Carolyn Merchant and Ralph Metzner have addressed this exact topic, so I will spare you my musings on the witch burnings, the scientific method, agriculture, written language and Earth trauma. In the end, I care less about how we lost our way, becoming indoctrinated into the dualist, mechanistic, addicted and traumatic narrative of our day, what’s important now is finding a way to move through this bottleneck of human evolution into a consciousness that honors the sacredness of all life. This is what the Great Turning is about. Isn’t it an exciting time be alive?

Jolie: I want to be careful to not aggrandize all Indigenous societies because honestly, I have no idea what the reality of life in those cultures is like, especially for an outspoken woman like myself. That said, I would rather live in a society that honors and respects Mama Earth then venerates money.

Wolf: What are some ways that we can substantially, meaningfully, effectively, and continually give back? Jolie: Some simple ideas: Do what makes you come alive; act on behalf of life; practice gratitude and true humility.

Sam Oliner, a professor and a holocaust survivor hidden by non-Jews, spent his life researching why some brave people risked their lives to save others while the majority of folks did not. He discovered that most rescuers were taught empathy and responsibility as children; empathy is a learned behavior. I think it’s the same for reciprocity and responsibility to life. If we had all be taught in kindergarten that the plants and animals are our relations, we would be living in a different reality. I think we are all born tuned into the cosmic dance, but we are forced into just doing the Box Step. It’s a matter of helping folks relearn that they can dance, even if they think they don’t know how; our bodies naturally know the moves.

Wolf: Unfortunately, to most people in modern countries, “wild” is a derogatory term, used to describe out of control children, animals that are dangerous, hairs on our face in need of plucking, and weeds in the yard that have proven hard to kill. What exactly is the quality of wildness, the way you see it, and can you think of avenues for bringing people around to seeing the benefit and beauty of things wild? Jolie: Wildness is an inside job. To know the wild, we must bravely trek into the wilderness of our beings and study the wild from within. That thing you call your intuition – it’s your wild nature - you can trust it. What is it you love? What scares the bejezzus out you. Who are you? Who are you - really? What parts of yourself have you exiled to the borderlands or shadows? Until these exiles are repatriated they will contort our thinking and impulses, domesticating us.

If there is no teacher we can always go to Mother Earth for instruction. I was not taught reciprocity and the sacredness of nature as child, instead I watched a lot of Gilligan’s Island and suffered depression and anxiety. Somehow, through my broken heart, Mother Earth 257

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Pay attention to what makes you growl or howl. What gets you chirpy and makes you want to prance? You might have preconceived notions of what wildness “should” be but find yourself moving in a way counter to your notion. The reality is that your inclination, or deep desire, is your wildness. Wildness isn’t an intellectual concept, it is your vital energy – your Elan Vital.

recognize and cooperate with their relatives to make room for kin, while fending off unrelated plants. And check this out: Dr Monica Gagliano from the University of Western Australia has shown that plants, like the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), can learn and remember learned behavior like animals do. Do these capacities collectively constitute awareness and consciousness? In my mind it’s a definite yes!

And if you are looking for a less heady answer to restoring your wild heart, may I suggest jumping naked into a cold stream and lying on a warm rock in the sun.

All this makes me wonder: when we sit with a sentient plant, make an offering and ask for its medicine, could there actually be a scientific reason why the medicine becomes stronger? After all, if the plant can sense us and increase its chemical brew in response to stress, perhaps they can also increase their medicinal qualities in response to a loving relationship based on respect and reciprocity. I believe the plants want to heal humanity and in doing so bring back balance, which actually benefits all our Relations in Nature.

Wolf: We could impose almost any script we want on plants since they do not yell if misrepresented, but they are definitely intelligent, including in some not very human like ways, and they definitely communicate with each other, if through electrical and chemical languages often beyond our ken. Talk about the nature of plant intelligence, how we can best understand it, and how it is put to use by the plants in relationship and in their ecosystems?

Wolf: An unintended drawback of increasing numbers of people buying over the counter herbal remedies, is the impact on populations. Gathering herbs from mountains and fields help connect us to ourselves, to the plants we use, and even to our purpose and sense of place. But when we fail take into account the rarity of certain species in particular regions, herbalists can actually contribute to the demise of the very plants they love so much. What, in your estimation, are the essential knowings and guidelines for ethical wildcrafting?

Jolie: Scientists working in the nascent field of Plant Intelligence have documented that plants have a least twenty different senses including the ability to sense moisture, gravity, hardness of soil and electromagnetic fields. Plants are able to sense and respond to light and can even jetlag if photo rhythms are disturbed. Researchers have determined that plants also respond to sound. Plants make choices; presented with two piles of differing nutrient values, plants will repeatedly grow towards the richer, more nutrient dense soil.

Jolie: United Plant Savers has some good guidelines on this. What stands out to me: • Always ask permission from the plant and WAIT for an answer to come. Sit with it for a while until it the answer is clear. • Never, ever gather a plant without an offering. Never. • Positively identify the plant you want to gather; know its identifying characteristics; know if it has any rare relatives nearby.

Our photosynthetic friends can detect airborne volatile chemicals, analyze them to sense danger and communications from other plants. Some might call this smelling or tasting. What’s more, is that when plants sense danger they can increase levels of chemicals, like tannins, that protect them from predation, at the same time releasing chemical signals into the air warning others of the impending danger It’s becoming clear that plants have complex social systems and family lives. Our green beings 259

• • • • • •

Know what plants are rare in your areas and get clear on their identifying characteristics. Do not gather more than ten percent of the population - Don’t be greedy. Try not to compact soil and avoid trampling when the ground is wet. If you don’t know botany, now is a good time to learn. Use what you gather in a spirit of gratitude and healing. Look around a take note of all the other creatures that are connected to the plant you are gathering because those creatures are part of its medicine.

Jolie: When we slow down to look at a flower, with the close attention we usually reserve for our most intimates, we can fall ridiculously love with life. We notice the fine line of silky hairs; the bite marks on the calyx; the pool of sticky sweet nectar collecting in the hollows. From this place of engagement, ecological inquiry arises naturally: who pollinates it? why are the hairs sticky? why is the pollen blue? Who eats it? How does the nectar taste? Some might say that dissecting flowers under a microscope is for eggheads, but I want to dispel the misconception that botanists are geeks - the reality is that is we are in it for the sex! I can't walk down the street in spring without being blown over by the sexual exploits of the plant world. Just like some humans, when plants get ready to reproduce they put on a pretty flower dress, drench themselves in scent and get out there into the orgy of spring. The difference between plants and people is that plants can do it in an unimaginable number of ways and their

Wolf: Accurate plant identification is important, especially when using wildcrafted species. But what else can we derive from observation and intimacy with a plant? What can it tell us about itself... and about us?

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sex parts come in the most exquisite, outlandish and fantastical shapes and colors. When you know what you’re looking at, you cannot help but be turned on. As far as what we can be derived from increased intimacy with plant, it’s the same as relationships with people – with enough wholehearted attention and familiarity the potential for understanding endless. Georgia O'Keeffe said it best: Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time - like to have a friend takes time. Wolf: Well, thank you again for your insights and time, our readers appreciate the sharing, and this Plant Healer movement benefits from the reminders of nature’s lessons, needs, and inspiration.

Jolie: It’s an interesting ride from here on out; I am happy to be on the right bus!

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The Enchanter’s Domain At The Edge Of The Forest

by Kiva Rose Hardin Kiva has been so busy with creating an herbal resurgence, that she has never been able to complete any of her many ideas for books... until now! The following is a first peek at her upcoming work, a collection of tales of healing plants and transformation, a call to the magic found only at the far wooded edges of our realities and wonderings. We hope you will enjoy this advance excerpt, setting the stage for the January release of “The Enchanter’s Herbary” “Faërie contains many things besides elves and fays, and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants, or dragons; it holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all things that are in it: tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted.” ―J.R.R. Tolkien (Fairy-Stories) “Inevitably they find their way into the forest. It is there that they lose and find themselves. It is there that they gain a sense of what is to be done. The forest is always large, immense, great and mysterious. No one ever gains power over the forest, but the forest posses the power to change lives and alter destinies.” ―Jack Zipes (The Brothers Grimm: From Enchanted Forests to the Modern World)

Each morning as the sun comes up over the canyon wall, I work from my tiny tumbledown cottage. Around me is a peculiar array of jars filled wrinkled mushrooms and air-dried herbs that line the shelves of my kitchen while bottles of Violet blossom syrup, Spikenard berry elixir, and Elderflower cordial are sheltered within the pantry. Small bottles of vivid green absinthe are interspersed among the tinctures. There are small pots of unguents and balms on every counter. Paper wrapped packets of devotional incense crafted from forest-gathered resins, berries, and roots are tucked into a drawer awaiting the blaze of the cast iron wood stove to steep the air in honeysweetened aromatics.

My gardens are these wild lands sweeping out from a tiny cabin perched in the midst of the mountains, all these Pine forests, Oak woodlands, Alder thickets and tangles of Redroot. For a decade and a half, I have been gathering small baskets of Mountain Nettles by the river and bunches of Wild Valerian from the rocky draw that leads up to the ridge above.

home on tropical islands, in Hawthorn-spiked swamps, on sun-scorched prairies, along a rocky Pacific coast, and in a Birch forest beneath the Northern Lights. I lived barefoot in the streets of seething cities, slept in abandoned shacks on the edge of a great swamp, and walked for sweltering miles through the Corn Belt. Always my eyes sought out the nearest tree, my fingers looking for leaves wherever they might fall, my feet following paths of leaves back to a forest.

I live in the land of enchantment, and while it’s so frequently said as to be a cliche, it’s also absolutely true. New Mexico’s remote mountains reach into an impossibly blue sky that encases a surreal landscape of flora and fauna sometimes so odd and unlikely that it gives visitors the impression of having travelled into the Otherworld. There’s a trail that curves its way from the river up the canyon wall, between enormous rocks and moss painted caves, through wind twisted Oaks, below ancient Pines to a sliver of road that carves through the wilderness and back toward civilization. I call the point at which you break from the trees to the road The Veil. Whether you’ve been here for a day or a decade, you can feel the sudden shift in reality when you cross that boundary line.

Back to this forest. My mother’s people came to America from the boreal forests of northern Sweden and the Bavarian and Black forests of fairy tale legend. Spruce and Pine, Fir and Beech all towering above the fertile green ground to create the mythic stories that formed my childhood‘s inner world. Now fading in the ruthless wake of climate change, I still see them in my mind the way they must have looked hundreds of years ago when my favorite tales were first being written down. Reaching adulthood, I found myself forever circling back to those same great green forests, a continent away from a Europe and yet familiar in the way of meeting kin for the first time.

In my thirty something years of life, I’ve found myself in many a strange place. I have made my 264

While I love the Sage covered steppes and the wildflower studded deserts of New Mexico, it’s only here, in the coniferous forests of the middle and upper elevations that I feel truly at home. My mind is only quiet when I’m encircled by the border of encroaching woodland, at ease only where I can see mountains on all sides of me. Tiny, spiked acorns falling around me, lacy webs of Usnea at my back, bobcat tracks beneath my own feet.

watery places and their plants with the liminal spaces from early on. Knee deep in water, I was sure I could feel where the Otherworld meets this one and the veil between thins to breath and mist. I felt it in the Cypresses and Evergreen Oaks with their roots the mud, Mangroves and Gumbo Limbo all along the islands I spent my early childhood on. Nothing changed when I moved to these mountains split through by the San Francisco River. Here it’s tangles of twisty rooted Canyon Alders, thickets of River Hawthorn and Black Elder, thorny stands of Woods’ Rose and lush patches of Evening Primrose along the river. Each of these plants is a window into a wilder magic.

Waymarks on the Path: Enchantment & The Edge We Walk "Thus are the Shrines of the path, or Waymarks, cognised in the forms of grove, hedge, field, stone, church, bone-yard, and well. Each portends its own wisdom, and partakes in the eternal nature of the Lonely Place, the hidden plot well-beloved of Elphame’s kin.” –Daniel A. Schulke

It’s not only that the plants grow more abundantly near the watery veins of the Southwest rivers and springs, but also that the plants that grow on any border – between earth and water on the riverbanks, between earth and air on the branches of trees or the edges of cliffs, between earth and fire, springing up in the ashes of a wildfire. These are plants that tend to tell us the most about the health of the land and contain

Growing up in the South, and most especially in the swamplands of the Deep South, I associated 265

the most potent magic. At the edge of their range, the phytochemicals of plants can shift in discernible ways. Medicine made from those boundary pushers is most often unpredictable and at least somewhat different in effect than those populations growing in the center of their chosen homes. In some cases, it is less desirable for that very reason, as is the case in the strange variations in salicylic acid found in Red Osier Dogwoods at the edge of their range. The edgewalkers of every species are changing faster, growing stranger, pushing the limits of the possible than those sheltered in the center.

quiet and with cunning hands that found morels that would have been hidden from untrained eyes. Even as a small child I preferred the forest to the company of humans. When I did spend time with people I went looking for musicians, artists, dancers, the strange, the outcast, the neurodivergent. Always searching for those who knew how to walk the borders between many worlds. I was tracking the elusive footsteps of magic, seeking out the enchantment that I knew was just around the next corner or somewhere inside an impossibly green hill. Because even then, I knew. Magic is wild. No matter what you have been told, no matter the domesticated illusions of hero-humbled gods, servile fairies, and passive land spirits that are sometimes created for your late night viewing pleasure on network television and summer vacation cinema, the world is not yet tame. Magic still wears a cloak woven from living Nettles by hags from under the hill. Magic still speaks in Foxglove flowers that will stop your heart and seize your breath. Magic opens your

For most of my life, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been actively seeking out those edgewalkers. Looking for what I saw as the most magical facets of life. I found much of what I was looking for in the natural world, in the intricate weavings of moss and the clever antics of coyotes, traipsing down fox trails just to see where they led. I followed the mushroom hunters into the woods and hedgerows, watching how easily they moved from the company of people to the company of the forest,

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eyes in an acrid rush of Baneberry root that leaves you vision stripped of comforting mist, raw to a world busy rotting and reveling and revolving.

dressed at three in the morning, watching the full moon fall through the sky into the forest. You will almost certainly give over to eating food with your fingers, and paint Brambleberry ink spirals on beige walls, abandoning manners in favor of delight and hunger.

Magic is not a distillation, complete and perfect in its stasis. Magic is a simmering brew born of the wild yeast on Juniper berries and the juice of overripe fruit from deep in the forest. It is yet foaming and frothing, gasping its transformation and bursting every vessel meant to contain it. When you are enchanted, you are mantled by this wild magic. Wearing it will change how you see and experience your life, adding a shimmer to what once seemed like empty disconnected space until you can see the threads that make up the tapestry of reality.

Remember this, magic is not simply your will in action, allowing you to manifest your mortal desires. It is the very spirit of the land beneath your feet, ancient and unknowable. It is the life that animates, insistent and unstoppable. It is the tiny blue mushrooms growing in circles on the dark meadow, curving their mycelium down into the earth, speaking to the microbiome that is your body, reminding you without thought of what your body longs for, even while your mind is still gazing at the setting moon.

In this process, the very fabric of yourself will also be changed, enchanted, be-spelled by the ley-lines looping up out of the earth and settling into your skin. Be careful, enchantments are rarely placid and tame. Even the kindest ones are likely to turn your vision feral, make you hunt for more. You may find yourself inappropriately

Magic is not ours to control, and it will never allow us to forget that. We may study its currents or learn a piece of its rhythm, but it is as other as the Cordyceps bursting from the backs of dying grasshoppers and as intimate as the breath that shudders through our paper-thin lungs.

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Three Plants of Enchantment All plants can act as windows into enchantment, if we allow them. And while certain plants seem more likely to do so than others, much of this is due to a person’s relationship with the plant. However, specific plants are also simply more suited to the task. The obvious leap here is to what is currently referred to as entheogens, those mind altering plants that are capable of shifting perception in radical ways, but they are not the only path. Not everyone is well suited to such methods, and may benefit more from more subtle plants. Many relaxant nervines can provide a gentle but productive push in the direction of enchantment. Here are a few examples that are safe for most folk to try that at also widely available and usually abundant where they grow. Additionally, all of these can be easily grown in a garden, or even as houseplants, as long as you fancy unusual and weedy houseguests.

•Holunder/Ellhorn/Frau Holle/Flieder/Elder: Sambucus nigra, In Southern German tradition, The Elder is a benevolent spirit to those who respect her and the forest she guards. She is the only woodland spirit to hold all the secrets of the healing plants. She not only knows each herb and its powers, but the best ways to brew their medicines. In many cases, to experience the revelatory action of the Elder requires only that we sit beneath her branches, and even hanging a bough in our houses can be enough to shift perception enough to experience enchantment in a greater way. Syrup, cordial, and elixir of flowers and/or berries are all relaxing and protective, and I almost always add at least a tiny portion of Elderflower to any Otherworld opening formula I make as her gentle guidance can be a tremendous help to the sensitive. •Nettle Fruit: Urtica spp., The ripe, fuzzy fruits of Stinging Nettle specialize in revitalization, stimulating and , they can bring back the glittering enchantment of everyday life by

•Vervain: Verbena officinalis (and often other Verbena species will work as well), is one such plant, and a good place to start for many. This bitter but beautiful herb has been sacred by a number of cultures, and known for its protective powers when carried. Ingested, it has the power to dramatically shift perception. For some, Vervain is so strong as to be sedating and has brought up past trauma in unexpected ways for some of my students and clients, so I would suggest working with this plant intentionally and paying attention to how it impacts your emotional well being. Small doses are usually sufficient for this work. Bitter of taste, a tisane will certainly work but many will prefer a tincture or elixir. 268

restoring our vital force. They also repair damaged kidneys, restoring health to the body’s precious waterways. Dried fruit/seeds can be taken by the pinch, added food, stirred into honey, clarified butter, or blended with spices to be generously sprinkled on your favorite dishes.

endophytes where I am birch bark skinned and moss clad. Always, since first memory, to touch a tendril of vine was to fall under the best sort of spell. As a tiny toddler, to wrap myself in branches was to find the arms of a mother and a haven to rest within. Outside my circle of blossom and earth, I was anxious, afraid of every sound. I ran from open arms into the embrace of sun-warmed dirt. Burying myself in leaf mould and bark, I felt safe again, wrapped up in the quiet of unwavering earth. Enchantment is mystery, to be overcome by delight, a feeling of wonderment, to be tricked by the light. An enchantress is a manipulative woman that, were she male, might be known as a trickster. But tricksy women by moonlight are known as deceivers, at least in recent history. An enchanter casts a spell upon you, sends you to sleep for a hundred years, causes you to fall upon the wet grass in the shape of a colorful bird. The enchanter may wake in you in the feeling of rapt wonderment, overtaken by the moment in such a way that everything else is forgotten. That, perhaps, is the enchantment we most long for, and most fear. To enchant just as often means to reveal the true nature or an unknown facet of a thing as it does to change it. Transformation is its own magic, but enchantment is most often found in the slipping of skins, the performing of tiny tricks, the act of unexpected illumination. The line between revelation and transformation is razor thin, one leading to the other and then back again. To see, to understand, to realize – is to change.

Unearthly Music: The Enchanter’s Realm “It had always seemed to Emily, ever since she could remember, that she was very, very near to a world of wonderful beauty. Between it and herself hung only a thin curtain; she could never draw the curtain aside-but sometimes, just for a moment, a wind fluttered it and then it was as if she caught a glimpse of the enchanting realm beyond-- only a glimpse-- and heard a note of unearthly music.” ―L.M. Montgomery, Emily of New Moon

Sometimes all the Enchanter does is point at what already exists, bring attention to a previously hidden or camouflaged space that allows us to see the existing magic where our eyes normally would have passed over. Other times, the enchanter’s own magic adds a shimmer to an otherwise mundane situation, allowing us to experience it with greater presence or learn from something we would have normally ignored. It’s not always possible to tell the difference, but what matters is that the change is wrought.

“The delight we inspire in others has this enchanting peculiarity that, far from being diminished like every other reflection, it returns to us more radiant than ever.” ―Victor Hugo, Les Misérables If there is one word for what the plants do to me, it is enchantment. Beguiled, I follow roots down to ghostly mycelium; bewitched, I lose myself in in the soft copper of Autumn leaves; glamoured, I find myself again, awakening within dreams of 269

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Enchantment is as much about how you experience something as what you experience. Where making the morning’s first pot of tea transforms from a sleepy habit necessary to getting through the day into a sensual ritual of delight. This sort of enchantment is as simple as the reengagement of the senses, ideally without lessons or theory, but rather through a falling back into the body that results in a sudden inhalation of scented steam, Lavender and Bergamot on the tongue, honey on the lips, mouth curved upwards, face now cat-like with the pleasure of standing there, barefoot, sun spilling through the kitchen window on someone lost in the now.

to remind the jaded of the beauty that unfolds from one moment to the next. To bring the cynic back to a childlike delight that strips back the known, the expected, the worn thin, and plunges them into pleasure, or at least into an active awareness of where and who they are, what they’re doing and what they want. Thus, enchantment changes the perception of those involved, hopefully revealing previously unseen beauty and delight, but sometimes instead exposing a poisoned interior or ruined facade. It’s not always that reality is one or the other, for most often every person or situation is a mix of light and dark, growth and rot. The Enchanter herself has the gift of casting a glow that can make something attractive or repulsive, satisfying or wanting. Part of her work will always be awareness of what effect she’s having and if that is, in fact, the desired approach. Constant reassessment of impact upon those around her will be necessary. Most enchanters have little control over whether they exert an enchanting influence upon those around them, but they are capable of awareness and direction of their gift.

Our precious, ephemeral world is still spilling over with natural enchantments, liminal places, portals to the Otherworld. For me, the easiest doorway has always been through the plants. To touch River Birch’s curling root and find myself in a place I recognize but never remember, forgotten strains of song tugging at my consciousness even as I lose myself further in the forest. I am not alone in this experience, human lore is full to brimming with accounts of those who have climbed through the door in the tree, fallen through the mossy carpet, flown from the nest of an eagle. Nibble the mushroom, bite the berry, sip the dew from a Lady’s Mantle leaf and be lost to this time, enchanted by what we have always belonged to. And therein lies the lesson, we are not being put under by supernatural anesthesia, but instead being awoken into the world as it is.

As with most magic, this is all a good deal more hard work than is often first supposed, or even desired. And more than difficult, it can be draining to discern what shift in perception is needed and to provide it in a consistent, meaningful way. At times, this work feels effortless and comes without conscious thought. Other times, it is a methodical trudge that requires studying interpersonal dynamics, exerting self control, and a disciplined cultivation of sensory awareness so that they are better able to give to others. For a plant person, the work of enchantment will usually be woven through with the threads of the green world. The plant healer tribe is easily enchanted by the mere sight of leaf and petal, root and rhizome, mushroom and mycelia. It’s not difficult to remind them of the profundity of gathering blossoms from their overgrown gardens, drying them in the quiet dark, and then performing the ritual of tisane brewing for the benefit of healing. In this, they have a great

To be an enchanter then, is to find myriad ways of making the familiar strange and new, to unveil the delight in life’s most pivotal periods as well as the seemingly mundane. It is our work 271

benefit over the general population. Plant people walk around with one foot already in the Otherworld, one hand holding onto soil, one eye scanning the ground for well-rooted friends. We herbalists are grounded in the old ways, still holding onto storied rope of ancestral knowledge and our folkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lore in ways that have been lost to many for at least one generation if not several.

us, leaving us feeling broken but also leaving us more open to seeing without filters, or at least with filters that greatly differ from the accepted norm. Likewise, the neurodivergent may fail to fit into the mainstream but are more likely to remain focused on the magic that most miss or dismiss. In this way, enchantment is healthcare, self-care, the vital work of walking the boundaries between worlds and peoples, of holding hard onto the shifting fabric of the veil so that we might act as a portal for those who have greater difficulty accessing these liminal spaces.

Those in need of healing are often those who most benefit from falling into enchantment. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also true that those who have borne the weight of chronic pain, extended illness, or traumatic events often have the easiest time, along with the innately neurodivergent and children, in finding and accessing rifts in the veil where magic is seeping through. Pain and trauma can fracture

The work of the enchanter is the shifting of vision, perception, culture.

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The Heart of Enchantment is Here

them across twelve lane highways filled with the hopeless hordes, through hazy cities where I lingered too long, into chemical infested agricultural fields where I lost my way, penthouses and projects, strip clubs and factories, squats and city parks where I slept in the arms of a welcoming Oak.

“To enter with heart and mind into the world of the imagination is to head deliberately and directly toward engagement with the real world.” ―Ursula K. Le Guin, Tales from Earthsea

The point of enchantment is not to remove us from our daily lives. After all, escapism works best when it works exactly like it says, when it teaches us to flee the unhelpful and restrictive, and to reshape our lives in a form in accordance with the beauty and magic we crave. This doesn’t mean vacating our lives and living only in our heads, it means insisting upon making our day to day life something worth inhabiting.

Through domestic violence, drug abuse, an eating disorder, chronic pain, and more mental illness than I’ll ever care to recount, I have fought to see that trail, to walk insistently to the next tree. To the edge of these woods where I remain, a strange girl in a stranger story. But that is a tale for another time, when we are enchanted.

The Otherworld is immanent, here and not here, always presents and sometimes seemingly impossible to access. At times, the most powerful magic is that of pulling back a shred of the veil to reveal the inner nature of a place, a person, a moment.

“....Dreams, dreams, enchanter! Gone with the harp's echo when the strings Fall mute; with the flame's shadow when the fire Dies. Be still, and listen. Far on the black air Blows the great wind, rises The running tide, flows the clear river. Listen, enchanter, hear Through the black air and the singing air The music….” ―Mary Stewart

I did not come to this little cottage at the edge of the forest by chance, or by luck. All my life, I have been tracking these breadcrumbs, following 273

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Plant Healer Contributors Plant Healer Contributors In Alphabetical Order

Rebecca Beyer is a farmer, forager, folk herbalist, woodcarver, and witch from Asheville, NC. She holds a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont and a Masters in Appalachian Studies from Appalachia State University and has been learning and teaching in the Southeastern Primitive Skills community for the last 7 years. She teaches foraging professionally and runs a school for folkloric herbalism, traditional witchcraft and folk magic in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Her passions include botanical illustration, the folkloric uses of Appalachian plants and writing her blog: www.BloodandSpicebush.com. She is currently stewarding land at the Hawk & Hawthorne, a community of magical people growing food and teaching classes on foraging and esoteric arts. Becky strives to find the ways in which folkways can bring meaning and connection to modern folks, while allowing for the revitalization of the rich and complex culture of her beloved home, Appalachia.

Juliette Abigail Carr is a clinical herbalist and the proprietor of Old Ways Herbal School of Plant Medicine (Newfane, Vermont), which offers hands-on learning in her Botanical Sanctuary forest classroom. Multiple levels of learning include beginner and intermediate courses, and a rigorous apprenticeship tailored to student interest in cultivation, medicine-making, and more. Clinical consultations specializing in the health of women, babies, and children are available, including fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum concerns. She writes a regular quarterly column for Plant Healer Magazine entitled “Heart & Hearth: Radical Home Herbalism,” as well as for numerous magazines and on her popular blog. She also works as an RNC-MNN at her local birthing center, and raises pastured heritage meats with her family in the grand tradition of multi- tasking Vermont farmers. Betsy Costilo-Miller is a clinical herbalist and nutritionist who specializes in women's health, digestive disorders and immune system support. Betsy attended the University of Vermont and completed her undergraduate studies in ecological agriculture, and received her Masters Degree in medical herbalism from the Maryland University of Integrative Health. During this time she also completed her 200 hour training in Vajra yoga, and taught for several years in the Burlington, Vermont area. While in school she spent a semester abroad in India, furthering her study of yoga and receiving an introduction to Ayurvedic healing. Betsy currently teaches in the herbal medicine program at MUIH, and is a founding instructor with the Mid-Atlantic School of Herbalism. Betsy spends her time playing in the Shenandoah, sitting with and gathering plants, seeing clients and teaching yoga… and trying to find the time to work on her first Food as Medicine cookbook!! Although she lives in a fairly urban setting, Betsy is always looking for ways to bring wildness into her life and the lives of her clients, and leads regular weed walks and forays into urban foraging. Sean Croke is a wildcrafter, medicine maker, and (somewhat compulsive) gardener who has been working with the plants of the Pacific Northwest for over a decade. He is a co-founder of Understory Apothecary which produces small batch tinctures of local herbs and provides fresh herbs to other medicine makers, and is also involved in Cascadia Terroir which produces essential oils from locally abundant plants. He is a graduate of The Evergreen State College with a BA/BS where he focused on Ethnobotany and Organic Chemistry. He has studied wildcrafting and plant spirit medicine with the School of Forest Medicine, studied under Sean Donahue, and most recently has been studying under GaChing Kong (and Ajo Sacha). Sean can be found vending at the Olympia Farmer's Market, was a practitioner, organizer, and the main medicine maker for the Olympia Free Herbal Clinic, and runs the Hawthorn School of Plant Medicine. You can learn more about Sean’s products and teaching by clicking on Understory Apothecary website. Sean Donahue is a highly neurodivergent wild forest creature (possibly a woodwose or a faerie giant) who lives in a yurt at the edge of a village at the foot of Pahto (Mt. Adams) on traditional territory of the Yakima Nation near the Washington/Oregon border. He is an herbalist, a poet, a teacher, an initiated priest of the Blackheart line of the Feri Tradition of witchcraft, and a reluctant revolutionary. He is the co-founder of the Portland School of Herbal Wisdom, and a member of the faculty of the School of Western Herbalism at Pacific Rim College in Victoria, BC. He is a columnist for Plant Healer Magazine and a frequent contributor to the Gods & Radicals website. See: http:// www.seandonahueherbalist.com and https://www.facebook.com/seandonahueherbalist/

Jolie Elan is the Founder and Director of Go Wild Institute that weaves science, myth and Spirit to awaken our Nature to find balance and wonder within the great web of life. Her educational programs blend modern science with the ancient awareness that the Earth is alive, sentient and sacred. She is a deep ecologist, ethnobotanist, educator and a consulting field botanist. Jolie has studied herbalism for over two and a half decades. She has worked on ethnobotanical projects on four continents including 276

restoring sacred forest groves in India and developing the herbal medicine sector in war torn Kosovo. Jolie is also a certified Spiritual Director offering nature inspired spiritual mentoring to individuals and groups in person or online. Jolie received her B.A. from the Evergreen State College in Environmental Studies and her M.S. in Natural Resources/Forestry from Humboldt State University where she studied the sustainable harvest of medicinal plants as well as botanical taxonomy. She received her Spiritual Direction certification at the Chaplaincy institute. She can be found hanging out with oak trees and eating acorn food. You can learn more about Jolie’s work at www.gowildinstitute.org. You can contact her at jolie@gowildinstitute.org. Susan Evans has worked with plants all her life. After running garden centers for Veldkamps Florists of Denver, CO, she started her own landscaping company, Flowerscapes, and worked with commercial and residential clients designing and installing gardens for twelve years. Changing focus, she turned to her true passion, medicinal herbs, and attended the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanic Studies, receiving certification through their advanced program in clinical herbalism. She is now owner of Chrysalis Herbs, where conducts herb walks and teaches extensively on herbs, herb crafting, wild edibles, cooking and gardening. Susan is committed to working with groups and individuals to develop a reverence and partnership with the earth. She is experienced in all facets of healing gardens from design and plant selection to medicinal and nutritional applications. She has volunteered time as a master gardener and open space naturalist. Susan is devoted to the concept of green spaces that are not only beautiful, but also restorative, useful and in harmony with the environment. Shana Lipner Grover is a clinical herbalist, health educator, field botanist, ethical wildcrafter, medicine maker and forever student of life and wonder. Shana is the director of Sage Country Herbs Botanical Apprenticeship in north county San Diego, a field based ecology, botany and native plant medicine school specializing in making our nature our classroom. She has also taught 350 hours of herbal medicine and nutrition programs at Healing Hands School of Holistic Health over the last 10 years. After completing numerous botanical medicine schools, like Columbines School in Eugene Oregon and the SWSBM with Michael Moore in Arizona, Shana found she loves to teach! You can find her at a variety of herbal symposiums and conferences like the Good Medicine Confluence as well as higher learning institutions such as Bastyr University and CSULA. She has a clinical practice in southern California with a focus on educating and empowering clients to be personally responsible for their health. Sage Country Herbs also has a high quality product line by the same name specializing in effective internal formulas and topical herbal preparations like liniments, deodorants, lip balms and salves. Come out on a plant walk with Shana and experience how the world can open up when you can see the interconnectedness of physiology and nature! Jesse Wolf Hardin is a long acclaimed ecosopher, author, ecological and social activist, artist, musician, historian – a champion of both human and bio diversity, as well as of nature’s medicine. Wolf was a leading voice of and for the natural world for over four decades, coining the term “ReWilding,” He has been a featured presenter at hundreds of conferences and universities, and was the creator of cross cultural ecospiritual collaborations appropriately called “Medicine Shows,” melding his powerful spoken word with live music. Wolf is the author of over 600 published articles in over 200 different publications, and over 20 books, his work earning the praises of luminaries such as Gary Snyder, Joanna Macy, Ralph Metzner, and Starhawk. His early titles ≠ Full Circle (Llewellyn Pub.), Kindred Spirits, and Gaia Eros (New Page Press) – were followed by his trilogy for healers The Plant Healer’s Path covering the core whys and hows of herbalism, The Enchanted Healer focused on heightened awareness, the senses, plant spirit and the spiritual heart of healing, and The Healing Terrain on sense of place, lessons, the healing power of nature... plus an inspiring historical novel The Medicine Bear, a book of herbs and empowerment for kids I’m a Medicine Woman Too! (Hops Press 2009), and The Traveling Medicine Show: Pitchmen & Plant Healers of Early America. His work is featured in The Encyclopedia of 277

Nature & Religion (Continuum 2005), The Soul Unearthed (Tarcher/Putnam, 1996) and How Shall I Live My Life? (PM Press 2008). Many of his books are available on the Plant Healer Bookstore page,while his most recent writings can be found both in the colorful quarterly Plant Healer Magazine that he created with his partner Kiva Rose, and in the free Herbaria Monthly that you can subscribe to on their website. As Terry Tempest Williams tells us, “Wolf’s voice inspires our passion to take us further —seeing the world whole — even holy.” For more information and opportunities, go to: www.PlantHealer.org Kiva Rose Hardin is a culture-shifting author, folklorist, and new-myth maker, a determined advocate for neurodivergence and ethnic and gender diversity, a natural perfumer and sensualist chef – as well as a noted practitioner of plant medicine, and proponent of the interconnected healing of self, society, and this living Earth. From her difficult early years as a runaway on the streets, to her decade and a half tending an enchanted wilderness sanctuary far from so called civilization, her life has been anything but ordinary – a sometimes traumatic but always magical faerytale. Kiva’s special “juju” can be seen in her catalyzing of what Paul Bergner called “a new herbal resurgence,” inspiring the coming together of an entire community of unaffiliated and sometimes sidelined herbalists, kitchen witches and community providers, committed activists and unashamed celebrants. She and her husband Wolf Hardin provide a home and venue for this resurgence, as founders and editors of the quarterly Plant Healer Magazine, and creators of the unique Good Medicine Confluence educational conferences and annual parties. While contentedly busy with her homestead, family, and new baby Ælfyn Thorn, Kiva is still somehow able to co-organize the event, coproduce their periodicals, and write new and inspiring works for Plant Healer Magazine, the free periodical Herbaria Monthly, and her engaging Enchantments Blog. Her powerful essays appear in a number of books including The Plant Healer’s Path, The Enchanted Healer, and Radical Herbalism, and you can follow Kiva’s flow of Enchanter’s Herbary postings on both Instagram and Twitter. Anna Marija Helt is an herbalist in Durango, CO. Before falling in love with herbalism (and mushroomism), she earned her doctorate at the University of Washington School of Medicine and focused on cancer and infectious diseases. Burnout hit, she dropped out of research and ran a motorcycle cafe while studying Western Herbalism, aromatherapy and a small dose of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She eventually sold the cafe and moved to Durango to be a full time plant geek. Marija has a small clinical practice and teaches locally, as well as every year at the Good Medicine Confluence. She prefers weeds, mushrooms and only the most abundant native plants as her allies. Her goals are to introduce herbs to folks who aren’t already on the bandwagon and to empower clients with herbal traditions augmented by a critical evaluation of herbal research science. You can read her quarterly “Fungi & Friends” column in issues of Plant Healer Magazine. Kristin Henningsen is a clinical herbalist, yoga therapist, writer, & educator, who first fell in love with plants in the desert southwest. There she was inspired to complete her graduate work, researching the Ethnobotany of the region. In addition to studying Native American herbal medicine in the Southwest, she has worked in academia and for non-profit organizations in the field of botanical research all over the country. Her passion has always been bringing this medicine to the people, however, integrating Western Herbalism, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Ayurvedic practices to empower those who are seeking a healthier path. Although she has been inspired by many herbalists along the way, some of her primary teachers have included Phyllis Hogan, Michael Moore, & Michael & Lesley Tierra. Currently she serves as faculty and clinician for the Vermont Center of Integrative Herbalism, Kaplan University’s School of Health Sciences, and adjunct faculty for UMass-Amherst, teaching a variety of courses on clinical herbalism and holistic health. She has been researching, writing, and teaching about medicinal plants for over 15 years. Look for her wandering through the woods, kids and dogs in tow. More at: www.banyanmoonbotanicals.com 278

Phyllis D. Light is a practicing herbalist and health educator with over 30 years of herbal experience. She is traditionally trained in Southern and Appalachian Folk Medicine and began her studies with her Creek/Cherokee grandmother in the deep woods of North Alabama. Phyllis continued her studies with her father and other Appalachian elders, such as Tommie Bass, as well as studies in conventional Western bio-medicine. She holds a Master's of Health Studies degree from the University of Alabama.Â Phyllis is Director of the Appalachian Center for Natural Health, offering herbal and natural health classes in north Alabama as well as an online program. She is a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild and a licensed massage therapist. Phyllis travels and teaches classes in integrative medicine and herbalism at universities, hospitals, and symposia across the country. She is currently secretary of the American Herbalist Guild, president of the American Naturopathic Certification Board, and board member of Old Spirits, New Lives, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Indigenous knowledge. Above all, Phyllis devotes herself to building a bridge between traditional knowledge and modern-day science; to help hold sacred the traditional herbal and healing knowledge that has been handed down from generation to generation while embracing the relevant scientific knowledge of today. Please see: www.phyllisdlight.com Juanita Nelson has been a practicing midwife for 38 years in the Four Corners region of the Southwest, as well as a mother and a grandmother, artist, gardener, and a being of spirit. Included in her practice is ongoing clinical herbal care for moms, babies, and families. She has a particular passion for working with this population, and has always been interested in the ways that herbs can be used safely and effectively to support and assist them. Juanita is licensed as a midwife in both New Mexico and Colorado, and nationally certified as a Certified Professional Midwife, requiring ongoing educational and clinical development on a yearly basis. She works with women and their families in all stages of their lives providing preconception, prenatal, birth, postpartum, newborn, and well-women care, as well as providing breastfeeding and herbal consultations. She worked as the Director of the National College of Midwiferyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mexico Midwifery Immersion Program for many years, giving her the opportunity to work with traditional midwives and herbalists, and to train midwifery students with a goal of providing the cultural sensitivity lacking in so many other programs. Juanita is dedicated to teaching and sharing information with women and families that empowers them to birth naturally and fully present, trusting themselves and their bodies. For more information, check out her website at: FourCornersHomeBirth.com Dr. Kenneth Proefrock graduated from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 1996. He and his family live deep in the desert of Arizona with numerous reptiles, amphibians, ducks, chickens, horses and goats. Prior to naturopathic medical school, he received degrees in Chemistry and Zoology from Northern Arizona University and worked as a Research and Development/Quality Assurance Chemist for Procter & Gamble. For the past 20 years, he has conducted a very busy Naturopathic medical practice in Surprise, Arizona. He is also sole owner and formulator for Vital Force Naturopathic Compounding, which provides consulting services and a wide variety of unique and effective compounds for other Naturopathic Physicians and their patients. He speaks at conferences across the country sharing his perspective on the modern practice of Naturopathic Medicine. Kenneth is also the Vice-President for the North American Board of Naturopathic Examiners, the chairperson for the biochemistry portion of the Naturopathic Physician's Licensing Exam, and co-founder and current President of the Naturopathic Oncology Research Institute (NORI). In his spare time, when such a thing really exists, he can be found in the desert with his kids, honing his skills in primitive archery, gardening, home-brewing, wildcrafting, reading and writing poetry and studying obscure and old texts on spiritual matters, healing, and philosophy. For more information please see the Vital Force Naturopathic Compounding & Total Wellness Medical Center website.

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Dara Saville is the founder and primary instructor of Albuquerque Herbalism and the Director of the Yerba Mansa Project. The Albuquerque Herbalism program takes a bioregional approach to herbal studies and combines classroom instruction with hands-on medicine making and field experiences in wild places and cultivated gardens to connect people to plant-based healing and general well-being. As Director of the Yerba Mansa Project, she coordinates an all-volunteer endeavor to restore native plants in the Rio Grande Bosque and provide educational outreach regarding the importance of native plant communities. Dara is also a regular columnist for Plant Healer Magazine, writing on topics relating to Southwestern landscapes and their medicinal plants as well as the interconnection between people, plants, and wilderness. Dara has a Bachelor’s degree from New York University and a Master’s degree specializing in Geography of the Southwest from the University of New Mexico. She is also a graduate of Dr. Tierona Low Dog’s Foundations of Herbal Medicine Program and has apprenticed with several New Mexico herbalists. The rest of her time is dedicated to homeschooling her 2 sons, hiking the mountains and desert valleys around her home, and maintaining her own wild-spirited medicinal herb garden. www.albuquerqueherbalism.com Dr. Jill Stansbury is a naturopathic physician with 30 years of clinical experience. She lives in Battle Ground, Washington, and is the medical director of Battle Ground Healing Arts. She is the author of Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, a five-volume set that serves as a comprehensive, practical reference manual for herbalists, physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals. Lisa Valantine, creator of Serene Cuisine and True Food Beauty, was born and raised in southern California. Early experiences of time spent in the kitchen with her grandmother, as well as years of travel and living abroad, informed her relationship with food and over the years a unique food style and expression began to emerge. Continually fascinated by the relationship between food, our microbiome and beauty, Lisa not only creates beautiful and healthful food for cherished clients, she also creates beauty products that specifically nourish, hydrate and protect the skin against premature aging. When not cooking, hiking or foraging you will find her photographing her latest concoctions for her posts on Instagram. Matthew Wood has been a practicing herbalist for more than 30 years, with an MS in Herbal Medicine from the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine.. He is the author of 6 books on herbal medicine. He lives in Wisconsin after many years in Minnesota, and has often taught at Plant Healer events. See: WoodHerbs.com Jereme Zimmerman is a writer and traditional brewing revivalist who lives in Berea, Kentucky with his wife Jenna, daughters Sadie and Maisie. He is a quarterly columnist for Plant Healer, as well as writing for various sustainability, homesteading and farming magazines, and travels nationwide to present on topics such as fermentation, natural and holistic homebrewing, modern homesteading, and sustainable living. He is an avid fermenter and researches extensively into traditional fermentation practices in order to revive lost food arts and to educate people on how to preserve food and drink using traditional, natural and healing techniques and ingredients. He is the author of Make Mead Like a Viking (2015) and Brew Beer Like a Yeti (2018). Read more on his website: Jereme-Zimmerman.com

And special acknowledgment goes out to you, our special readers, without whom there would be no Plant Healer Magazine, and no Plant Healers to keep these vital herbal healing traditions alive.

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