As we are rapidly moving towards both winter solstice, a full moon, and a lunar eclipse, I am inspired to write about another concept or idea of medicine that can inform our understanding of healing, nature, and our souls and spirits.
In both ancient Eastern and Western occult traditions, there is a stream of teachings around the process of alchemy. In some cases, in both traditions, there was a literal search for external elixirs that would produce immortality or for philosopher's stones that would turn lead to gold. However, both of these traditions also had the understanding that another level of the process was Internal Alchemy. In some ways, this was an even more important tradition or superior path. Looked at from this point of view, Alchemy is really about transmuting our bodies, our vital energy, and our spirit into something more powerful and divine. In the West, this process is referred to as The Great Work, and in the East it is the creation of an Immortal. Not only does this produce great harmony inside of us, it also produces great harmony in the world all around us.
How does one go about transforming into an Immortal? How do we go about the Great Work? In some senses, our life's path is all about this process. Our fate, our wyrd, our dan, our ming, our destiny is about engaging in the process of transforming our bodies and minds ever towards a more refined spiritual state. In the course of our life, we will be forced to confront and integrate our shadow and deal with the illusion of duality between our spirit and body. However, there are ways to become consciously engaged with the way as well. This is where we come to Internal Alchemy.
Internal Alchemy is a way of cultivating, "Medicine". In this sense, we are talking about an internal fusion of vital energy, deep layers of our essence, and our spirit. In Eastern traditions, this is illustrated in the Daoist-influenced traditions of qigong, taijiquan, baguazhang, and internal meditations. In these practices, a person learns to harmonize their internal rhythms with larger macrocosmic cycles of the sun, moon, and starts. They learn to absorb energy from nature and the elements that supplements their own vitality. They learn to store and save their own energy and not waste it through excessive talking, thinking, and stimulation. What happens if this path of cultivation is undertaken? The three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit begin to fuse. Stillness, peace, and brightness radiate from a person. The are simultaneously very relaxed but full of vitality. They become an embodiment of Medicine.
What are the implication of this for the practice of Wild Medicine? Well, some of the most powerful practitioners of the healing arts have also been practitioners of internal and external alchemy. The literally blend their medicine with their medicine, if you know what I mean. In order to be truly powerful healers and revive the power of Wild Medicine, we must cultivate our own Medicine and begin the process of the Great Work. How is this done?
The basis of this process is stillness and observation. So, as we approach Winter Solstice engage in these practices. What does the full moon feel like? Stand beneath it and feel it's silvery light caress your skin. How does this nourish you? What does the solstice feel like? What is the reflection of winter solstice inside your body? What can you do at this time of year to cultivate your Medicine?
Happy Solstice
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Herb of the Week: Evergreen Allies Part 2, Western Red Cedar
After last week's herbal post, people should have a good idea about the origins of the use of conifers as a ceremonial decoration around the winter holidays. Hopefully, there has also been some understanding created around how and why conifers can be powerful medicines. I'd like to expand upon that idea this week by looking at Western Red Cedar.
David Crow, author, herbalist, visionary, and grassroots community organizer has done a lot of work around the use of aromatic medicines especially those from trees (Check out his websites floracopeia.com and medicinecrow.com and his book In Search of the Medicine Buddha). It was from David that I first heard an excellent explanation for why the scents of conifer trees are so potent. Conifers actually use their scents, and especially their aromatic resins, as their own form of medicine. This medicine actually functions as their immune system to protect them from insect, pests, and diseases. Hence, the similar use by humans.
A fascinating side effect of these potent aromatic compounds is that they have powerful effects on our emotions, our mind, and our spirit. In fact, in many cultures aromatic conifers are burned to ward off negative emotions, energies, and even negative spirits. Examples of this include Junipers, True Cedars, Cypresses, Spruces, and the trees which produce Frankincense and Myrrh.
In the Pacific Northwest Bioregion known as Cascadia where I make my home, without a doubt Western Red Cedar takes on this role as a spiritually powerful medicine. It is both a medicine in the conventional sense and a medicine in the way that I have been describing in other parts of this blog. Let's take a closer look:
Western Red Cedar
Western Red Cedar, Thuja Plicata, is a common coniferous tree of the Pacific Northwest that has played a profound cultural and practical role in the lives of indigenous people of the Northwest for a very long time. Note: Western Red Cedar is not a true Cedar, but is rather a part of the cypress family.
Description and Appearance:
Western Red Cedar has very fibrous deep red-brown bark. It's needle are scaly and long and are not in bundle as you will find on Pines and are not individual like you will find on Firs and Spruces. Rather, they grow in a fine branching pattern at the end of woody branches. The needles are light green and potently aromatic, especially if crushed. Cones are very small and not common. Branches also grow in distinctive drooping "U" or "J" shapes.
Uses:
1)Needles-Very Potent Aromatic Smudge for Spiritual Purification
While this doesn't fall into your typical "medicinal use", I think that Cedar's highest value may be it's use as a spiritual Medicine rather than as a medicine for colds and flus. Cedar needles can be burned over coals and the smoke can then be inhaled and also wafted close to the body from head to toe. This has a very powerful effect of dispersing negative emotions and energies. Taking the smoking needles and wafting the smoke throughout a room can have the same effect on the space you are in and remove the effect of invisible negative forces.
The herb doesn't have to be burned to activate this part of it's medicine. Cedar needles or "fronds" can simply be rubbed on the body and gently discarded. Or, you can even allow yourself to be gently brushed by the needles of a live cedar tree by walking near or around it.
When collecting the needles it may be best to look for green needles that have fallen or been blown down. When needles turn brown they start to loose some of this potency.
2)Live Tree-Very Potent Spiritual Power and Dispeller of Negative Energies
Again this doesn't exactly fall into the conventional category of medicine, but in the world of Wild Medicine the healing power of a living tree is definitely recognized. Western Red Cedars are so powerful spiritually and energetically, simply touching one can give you a very powerful energy boost and also provide a spiritual smudge in the same way that the needles do as described above. Being in a grove of Old Growth Cedars may be one of the most powerful healing places people can actually experience. Also, if you have deep and old emotional wounds simply sitting against a Western Red Cedar tree on a daily basis can be extremely healing. You can also express and let go of grief, anger, sadness, and other emotions verbally at or near a cedar. They can definitely take it. Regularly touching and spending time with Western Red Cedars will start to act as a regular emotional purifier and spiritual buffer such that you may find that you need to smudge less often and actually function as a smudge more yourself.
I am consistently flabbergasted at the number of 50, 100, or even 150 year cedar trees that are still cut down. To me this is like killing our spiritual elders.
3)Needle Tea-
Boiling WRC needles for 20 minutes or so creates a tea that can be used to treat colds, respiratory infections, and even early stage urinary tract infections. It is definitely diuretic and should not be drank frequently as there are compounds in the tea that can irritate the kidneys. When acutely sick with the above, the tea can be drunk for a few days to help clear away the illness. The notion of drinking the tea daily or using a needle tincture every day as an immune system booster strikes me as careless and dangerous to one's kidneys.
4)Ethnobotanical Uses of Bark and Wood
It is important to note that WRC can be made into a variety of items that are very useful to survive in the damp, cold climate of the Northwest. Cloths were made from Cedar bark. Longhouses and canoes were made from Cedar wood, and Cedar was used as a bow-drill or hand-drill wood to create fires. The ethnobotanical uses of the bark and wood are almost endless. There are many good resources available on this topic. One last note, in some traditions WRC was not burned as a firewood due to its importance for so many other uses and due to its sacred qualities.
David Crow, author, herbalist, visionary, and grassroots community organizer has done a lot of work around the use of aromatic medicines especially those from trees (Check out his websites floracopeia.com and medicinecrow.com and his book In Search of the Medicine Buddha). It was from David that I first heard an excellent explanation for why the scents of conifer trees are so potent. Conifers actually use their scents, and especially their aromatic resins, as their own form of medicine. This medicine actually functions as their immune system to protect them from insect, pests, and diseases. Hence, the similar use by humans.
A fascinating side effect of these potent aromatic compounds is that they have powerful effects on our emotions, our mind, and our spirit. In fact, in many cultures aromatic conifers are burned to ward off negative emotions, energies, and even negative spirits. Examples of this include Junipers, True Cedars, Cypresses, Spruces, and the trees which produce Frankincense and Myrrh.
In the Pacific Northwest Bioregion known as Cascadia where I make my home, without a doubt Western Red Cedar takes on this role as a spiritually powerful medicine. It is both a medicine in the conventional sense and a medicine in the way that I have been describing in other parts of this blog. Let's take a closer look:
Western Red Cedar
Western Red Cedar, Thuja Plicata, is a common coniferous tree of the Pacific Northwest that has played a profound cultural and practical role in the lives of indigenous people of the Northwest for a very long time. Note: Western Red Cedar is not a true Cedar, but is rather a part of the cypress family.
Description and Appearance:
Western Red Cedar has very fibrous deep red-brown bark. It's needle are scaly and long and are not in bundle as you will find on Pines and are not individual like you will find on Firs and Spruces. Rather, they grow in a fine branching pattern at the end of woody branches. The needles are light green and potently aromatic, especially if crushed. Cones are very small and not common. Branches also grow in distinctive drooping "U" or "J" shapes.
Uses:
1)Needles-Very Potent Aromatic Smudge for Spiritual Purification
While this doesn't fall into your typical "medicinal use", I think that Cedar's highest value may be it's use as a spiritual Medicine rather than as a medicine for colds and flus. Cedar needles can be burned over coals and the smoke can then be inhaled and also wafted close to the body from head to toe. This has a very powerful effect of dispersing negative emotions and energies. Taking the smoking needles and wafting the smoke throughout a room can have the same effect on the space you are in and remove the effect of invisible negative forces.
The herb doesn't have to be burned to activate this part of it's medicine. Cedar needles or "fronds" can simply be rubbed on the body and gently discarded. Or, you can even allow yourself to be gently brushed by the needles of a live cedar tree by walking near or around it.
When collecting the needles it may be best to look for green needles that have fallen or been blown down. When needles turn brown they start to loose some of this potency.
2)Live Tree-Very Potent Spiritual Power and Dispeller of Negative Energies
Again this doesn't exactly fall into the conventional category of medicine, but in the world of Wild Medicine the healing power of a living tree is definitely recognized. Western Red Cedars are so powerful spiritually and energetically, simply touching one can give you a very powerful energy boost and also provide a spiritual smudge in the same way that the needles do as described above. Being in a grove of Old Growth Cedars may be one of the most powerful healing places people can actually experience. Also, if you have deep and old emotional wounds simply sitting against a Western Red Cedar tree on a daily basis can be extremely healing. You can also express and let go of grief, anger, sadness, and other emotions verbally at or near a cedar. They can definitely take it. Regularly touching and spending time with Western Red Cedars will start to act as a regular emotional purifier and spiritual buffer such that you may find that you need to smudge less often and actually function as a smudge more yourself.
I am consistently flabbergasted at the number of 50, 100, or even 150 year cedar trees that are still cut down. To me this is like killing our spiritual elders.
3)Needle Tea-
Boiling WRC needles for 20 minutes or so creates a tea that can be used to treat colds, respiratory infections, and even early stage urinary tract infections. It is definitely diuretic and should not be drank frequently as there are compounds in the tea that can irritate the kidneys. When acutely sick with the above, the tea can be drunk for a few days to help clear away the illness. The notion of drinking the tea daily or using a needle tincture every day as an immune system booster strikes me as careless and dangerous to one's kidneys.
4)Ethnobotanical Uses of Bark and Wood
It is important to note that WRC can be made into a variety of items that are very useful to survive in the damp, cold climate of the Northwest. Cloths were made from Cedar bark. Longhouses and canoes were made from Cedar wood, and Cedar was used as a bow-drill or hand-drill wood to create fires. The ethnobotanical uses of the bark and wood are almost endless. There are many good resources available on this topic. One last note, in some traditions WRC was not burned as a firewood due to its importance for so many other uses and due to its sacred qualities.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Putting the Medicine Back in Medicine part 1
If we are to truly practice Wild Medicine, I think it is necessary that we really take a deep look at what we mean by medicine and look at other ways of conceiving of it. For many of us, especially if we have been raised in modern culture without exposure to other ways of thinking, medicine is mainly associated with doctors, hospitals, and pills. However, the term medicine has a lot of other connotations and definitions.
Take for instance the idea of the "medicine man or woman". This concept is mostly used in the context of Native North and South America and is often equated with a holy man or woman (though sometimes African spiritual practitioners are also thought of as medicine men or women). However, in these cultures the giving and receiving of plant medicines, often within a ceremonial context, is inextricably linked with the sacred power that holy men and women possessed. This sacred power was cultivated through time alone in nature, guidance under a mentor, dreams and visions, and some form of self-sacrifice in the form of fasting or intentional hardship. In this sense, medicine means healing and also sacred or holy.
There is a specific teaching handed down around this concept and it's application to using plants for healing. Gilbert Walking Bull, a Lakota holy man who has now passed on to the spirit world, taught that in his traditional culture holy men and woman used different herbs and roots to heal people. However, they would put a certain power or "electricity" into the plant to make it work. Often they had been taught how to do this by the plant itself in the form of a dream or vision. If someone else tried to use the same plant in the same way, it would probably not work or even worse make the patient sicker or even die! These healers would only use the plants that they had this relationship with, and they might use less than ten plants to treat all of their patients. This concept of medicine is a far cry from our modern use of both hundreds of pharmaceuticals and also from the immense number of dried, powdered herbs available in every natural foods store around.
This idea of medicine extends beyond the plant realm as well. In this sense, medicine can become equated with the power or sacred ability of virtually all things. Animals each have a medicine. Objects have medicine. Natural phenomenon have medicine. Thus, we start to talk about Deer Medicine or Bear Medicine, Thunder Medicine and Water Medicine, Stone Medicine and Sun Medicine. This points to the idea that for something to be healing and holy and useful for treating illness (spiritual or otherwise) it does not necessarily have to be ingested into the body.
How would our practice of medicine in our current culture differ if we truly valued the sacred medicine or holy power of the practitioners who were dispensing medicines?
What if it was considered normal for healthcare practitioners to cultivate their own sacred powers and gifts in order to be more effective healers?
What if we were to support them in this practice rather than demand that they work endless work weeks crammed full of seeing as many people per day as possible and buried under insurance paperwork, phone calls, and practicing under sterile hospital conditions? (What kind of medicine does someone possess who is forced to practice under these conditions?)
What kind of medicine do we want for the future?
What is the medicine you carry? (It's a good time of year to think about this...)
More ways of thinking and looking at medicine to come...
Take for instance the idea of the "medicine man or woman". This concept is mostly used in the context of Native North and South America and is often equated with a holy man or woman (though sometimes African spiritual practitioners are also thought of as medicine men or women). However, in these cultures the giving and receiving of plant medicines, often within a ceremonial context, is inextricably linked with the sacred power that holy men and women possessed. This sacred power was cultivated through time alone in nature, guidance under a mentor, dreams and visions, and some form of self-sacrifice in the form of fasting or intentional hardship. In this sense, medicine means healing and also sacred or holy.
There is a specific teaching handed down around this concept and it's application to using plants for healing. Gilbert Walking Bull, a Lakota holy man who has now passed on to the spirit world, taught that in his traditional culture holy men and woman used different herbs and roots to heal people. However, they would put a certain power or "electricity" into the plant to make it work. Often they had been taught how to do this by the plant itself in the form of a dream or vision. If someone else tried to use the same plant in the same way, it would probably not work or even worse make the patient sicker or even die! These healers would only use the plants that they had this relationship with, and they might use less than ten plants to treat all of their patients. This concept of medicine is a far cry from our modern use of both hundreds of pharmaceuticals and also from the immense number of dried, powdered herbs available in every natural foods store around.
This idea of medicine extends beyond the plant realm as well. In this sense, medicine can become equated with the power or sacred ability of virtually all things. Animals each have a medicine. Objects have medicine. Natural phenomenon have medicine. Thus, we start to talk about Deer Medicine or Bear Medicine, Thunder Medicine and Water Medicine, Stone Medicine and Sun Medicine. This points to the idea that for something to be healing and holy and useful for treating illness (spiritual or otherwise) it does not necessarily have to be ingested into the body.
How would our practice of medicine in our current culture differ if we truly valued the sacred medicine or holy power of the practitioners who were dispensing medicines?
What if it was considered normal for healthcare practitioners to cultivate their own sacred powers and gifts in order to be more effective healers?
What if we were to support them in this practice rather than demand that they work endless work weeks crammed full of seeing as many people per day as possible and buried under insurance paperwork, phone calls, and practicing under sterile hospital conditions? (What kind of medicine does someone possess who is forced to practice under these conditions?)
What kind of medicine do we want for the future?
What is the medicine you carry? (It's a good time of year to think about this...)
More ways of thinking and looking at medicine to come...
Monday, December 6, 2010
Herb of the Week: Evergreen Allies Part 1, Douglas Fir
This week for the herb of the week, I am going to start unveiling the deeper relationship that we as human beings can have with trees. Especially at this time of year (early winter heading towards solstice), as most of the herbaceous plants are gone for the year, the main source of green in our vision of the outdoors is probably a conifer of some sort. Conifers, which are often referred to as evergreens, are trees that have adapted to winter conditions in such a way that they reproduce through cones and generally speaking, keep their needles year round (technically conifers do lose their needles, just at a slow rate and not at the same time except for larches which do lose their needles at the same time).
Conifers have traditionally been revered at this time of year in a variety of ways. The most obvious one is the European tradition (which is now popularized over a lot of the world) of bringing in evergreen boughs, branches, and even trees in the form of the Christmas tree. But why do we do such a thing? Well, there are some pretty obvious symbolic reasons. These evergreen trees are potent symbols of surviving the harshness of winter. Keeping their needles and still appearing alive and fresh at this time of year is an indication of their power. However, there are also a number of practical reasons. Almost all conifers are rich in essential oils which are emitted from their needles, branches, and sap or pitch. These essential oils are very effective medicines especially against respiratory illness. There is the distinct possibility that the origin of bringing in evergreen decorations during the winter time was a form of preventative medicine.
In honor of this tradition, for the next few weeks our herbs of the week will actually be coniferous trees. We will start with the Douglas Fir, one of the classic trees used as a "Christmas" tree.
Douglas Fir, "Pseudo Fir"
Douglas Fir or Psedostuga menziesii, is a conifer widely distributed in the Western United States.
Appearance and Description:
Douglas Fir is characterized by extremely rough, thick bark in mature trees (in young trees the bark actually contains large numbers of resinous blisters filled with the potent pitch of the tree). It's needles are flat and friendly like most firs, but technically it is not a true fir only a pseudo-fir hence it's latin name of pseudotsuga. Douglas fir trees tend to have very few lower branches because they break off easily. Many consider the most distinctive feature of Douglas Fir it's cones. The cones are 3-5 inches long with very wide open "teeth". Inside these "teeth", are very recognizable structures that look like a little tail and possibly the small hindquarters of an animal. This has led to the popularization of a story about Douglas Fir trees saving the lives of a number of mice during a time of great fire.
Uses:
1)Needle and Branch Tea:
Collecting the still green branches and needles from Douglas Fir is quit easy. Often after a windstorm, there are numerous boughs on the ground. Taking two to three handfuls of needles and boiling them in water for 20-45 minutes produces a quite pleasant tea. This tea (or decoction) is very useful at fighting off early stages of cold, especially those characterized by thick nasal discharge and white or clear phlegm in the lungs. It can also be helpful for coughs, but more for the kind of cough that has not yet produced yellow or green mucous. The tea is very warming to the body and may produce a light sweat. The only precaution associated with the tea is that it can be very drying to the throat and lungs.
2)Needle and Branch Steam or Bath:
Douglas Fir is also used to make an herbal bath or steam. In this case you make the tea the same as above, but then that is either poured into bath water or a part of the body is held over the steaming kettle. This steam or bath is very good at driving out arthritis, join pain, and general aches especially those brought about by cold. This includes both chronic pain (especially arthritis made worse by cold) and body aches from flu that are made worse by cold.
3)Pitch, Sap, or Resin:
Many of the medicinal qualities of Douglas Fir seemed to be concentrated in the pitch from the tree. Usually found at wounds on the tree, the pitch can be collected and put directly on cuts or scrapes that have been thoroughly cleaned. The pitch can also be saved an added to salves, liniments, or even wound powders as a powerful antiseptic. Finally, burning of the collected pitch on hot coals produces an amazing aromatic smudge. This smoke has the effect of purification as well as many of the respiratory benefits mentioned above.
This holiday season as you bring greenery into your house, remember the original connection behind this now symbolic act. As we move towards the solstice, how can you work with the evergreens and their medicine to support your own journey to health and vibrancy?
Conifers have traditionally been revered at this time of year in a variety of ways. The most obvious one is the European tradition (which is now popularized over a lot of the world) of bringing in evergreen boughs, branches, and even trees in the form of the Christmas tree. But why do we do such a thing? Well, there are some pretty obvious symbolic reasons. These evergreen trees are potent symbols of surviving the harshness of winter. Keeping their needles and still appearing alive and fresh at this time of year is an indication of their power. However, there are also a number of practical reasons. Almost all conifers are rich in essential oils which are emitted from their needles, branches, and sap or pitch. These essential oils are very effective medicines especially against respiratory illness. There is the distinct possibility that the origin of bringing in evergreen decorations during the winter time was a form of preventative medicine.
In honor of this tradition, for the next few weeks our herbs of the week will actually be coniferous trees. We will start with the Douglas Fir, one of the classic trees used as a "Christmas" tree.
Douglas Fir, "Pseudo Fir"
Douglas Fir or Psedostuga menziesii, is a conifer widely distributed in the Western United States.
Appearance and Description:
Douglas Fir is characterized by extremely rough, thick bark in mature trees (in young trees the bark actually contains large numbers of resinous blisters filled with the potent pitch of the tree). It's needles are flat and friendly like most firs, but technically it is not a true fir only a pseudo-fir hence it's latin name of pseudotsuga. Douglas fir trees tend to have very few lower branches because they break off easily. Many consider the most distinctive feature of Douglas Fir it's cones. The cones are 3-5 inches long with very wide open "teeth". Inside these "teeth", are very recognizable structures that look like a little tail and possibly the small hindquarters of an animal. This has led to the popularization of a story about Douglas Fir trees saving the lives of a number of mice during a time of great fire.
Uses:
1)Needle and Branch Tea:
Collecting the still green branches and needles from Douglas Fir is quit easy. Often after a windstorm, there are numerous boughs on the ground. Taking two to three handfuls of needles and boiling them in water for 20-45 minutes produces a quite pleasant tea. This tea (or decoction) is very useful at fighting off early stages of cold, especially those characterized by thick nasal discharge and white or clear phlegm in the lungs. It can also be helpful for coughs, but more for the kind of cough that has not yet produced yellow or green mucous. The tea is very warming to the body and may produce a light sweat. The only precaution associated with the tea is that it can be very drying to the throat and lungs.
2)Needle and Branch Steam or Bath:
Douglas Fir is also used to make an herbal bath or steam. In this case you make the tea the same as above, but then that is either poured into bath water or a part of the body is held over the steaming kettle. This steam or bath is very good at driving out arthritis, join pain, and general aches especially those brought about by cold. This includes both chronic pain (especially arthritis made worse by cold) and body aches from flu that are made worse by cold.
3)Pitch, Sap, or Resin:
Many of the medicinal qualities of Douglas Fir seemed to be concentrated in the pitch from the tree. Usually found at wounds on the tree, the pitch can be collected and put directly on cuts or scrapes that have been thoroughly cleaned. The pitch can also be saved an added to salves, liniments, or even wound powders as a powerful antiseptic. Finally, burning of the collected pitch on hot coals produces an amazing aromatic smudge. This smoke has the effect of purification as well as many of the respiratory benefits mentioned above.
This holiday season as you bring greenery into your house, remember the original connection behind this now symbolic act. As we move towards the solstice, how can you work with the evergreens and their medicine to support your own journey to health and vibrancy?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
What do we mean by Barefoot Doctor?
A decade or so ago, Japanese health practitioners began noticing an odd series of symptoms in patients. These included fatigue, stiff neck, anxiety, chronic pain, and weak immune systems. What was particularly odd about the patients with these symptoms was that they were all from urban areas. There were many ideas developed about the cause of these symptoms, but ironically one of the best cures for this "disease" was spending time in the countryside walking barefoot (this story is documented in Kiiko Matsumoto's book The Eight Extraordinary Meridians). What these traditional doctors had discovered was that cities were literally making these people sick.
While these Japanese doctors did end up developing an acupuncture treatment protocol to help patients who didn't have the freedom or luxury to head to the countryside frequently, to me the more important point is that Cities were making people sick...and the best treatment was to spend some time barefoot.
In the history of medicine, in pre-modern times, there is often the assumption that people suffered greatly and died in vast quantities at the slightest illness or infection. This story reinforces the power of our modern medical system and the story of the inadequacy of traditional medicines. What most people don't realize is that historically, in most cultures there were health practitioners with local plant remedies that could treat many common illnesses. Were these remedies as powerful as modern antibiotics? Definitely not. But many of them could be just as effective, if not more so and without all of the side effects that we are now seeing from the large scale use of antibiotics for decades. Were the traditional medicines able to treat very severe trauma the way a modern ER unit could? No way. But these traditional practitioners had very powerful treatments for even serious conditions such as broken bones and internal traumas (there's a whole branch of Chinese Medicine devoted to this called Die Da medicine).
Who were these practitioners of these older medical traditions? The wise or cunning women and men of ancient Europe, the Medicine men and women of North and South America, and the traditional doctors Asia are just a few. These "barefoot doctors" of antiquity wandered around dispensing remedies from their medicine bags treating people in their local areas. Most of their medicines were made from local ingredients, with perhaps a few exotic ingredients being traded for. Perhaps when they went to gather their medicines they would perform ceremonies, sing songs, or chant mantras before harvesting plants in a sacred manner. Imagine the power of someone so connected to the Earth and Place and People and the kinds of medicine they could dispense. Contrast that with people being made sick by living in cities.
This is what we mean by a Barefoot Doctor...this is one of the medicines that we as a people need now. And, it may simply be the future of medicine in our life time or our children's life time.
Assignment: Spend some time barefoot these week. Feel the connection between the "bubbling spring" acupuncture point (just below the ball of the foot) and the deep primal energy or chi of the earth. How do you feel when there is rubber or plastic between you and the ground? How do you feel when that is removed?
While these Japanese doctors did end up developing an acupuncture treatment protocol to help patients who didn't have the freedom or luxury to head to the countryside frequently, to me the more important point is that Cities were making people sick...and the best treatment was to spend some time barefoot.
In the history of medicine, in pre-modern times, there is often the assumption that people suffered greatly and died in vast quantities at the slightest illness or infection. This story reinforces the power of our modern medical system and the story of the inadequacy of traditional medicines. What most people don't realize is that historically, in most cultures there were health practitioners with local plant remedies that could treat many common illnesses. Were these remedies as powerful as modern antibiotics? Definitely not. But many of them could be just as effective, if not more so and without all of the side effects that we are now seeing from the large scale use of antibiotics for decades. Were the traditional medicines able to treat very severe trauma the way a modern ER unit could? No way. But these traditional practitioners had very powerful treatments for even serious conditions such as broken bones and internal traumas (there's a whole branch of Chinese Medicine devoted to this called Die Da medicine).
Who were these practitioners of these older medical traditions? The wise or cunning women and men of ancient Europe, the Medicine men and women of North and South America, and the traditional doctors Asia are just a few. These "barefoot doctors" of antiquity wandered around dispensing remedies from their medicine bags treating people in their local areas. Most of their medicines were made from local ingredients, with perhaps a few exotic ingredients being traded for. Perhaps when they went to gather their medicines they would perform ceremonies, sing songs, or chant mantras before harvesting plants in a sacred manner. Imagine the power of someone so connected to the Earth and Place and People and the kinds of medicine they could dispense. Contrast that with people being made sick by living in cities.
This is what we mean by a Barefoot Doctor...this is one of the medicines that we as a people need now. And, it may simply be the future of medicine in our life time or our children's life time.
Assignment: Spend some time barefoot these week. Feel the connection between the "bubbling spring" acupuncture point (just below the ball of the foot) and the deep primal energy or chi of the earth. How do you feel when there is rubber or plastic between you and the ground? How do you feel when that is removed?
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Herb of the Week: Yarrow
As part of this blog and part of the larger message of rewilding, freedom, wild medicine, and deepening our relationship with nature and our body, each week I will post an herbal profile. This profile will focus on a different plant each time and will provide clear instructions on how to use the plant as a medicine, food, ally, friend, and partner. Along the way, different examples will provide the opportunity to delve into the myriad ways of using and relating to plants. To start off, we will begin with a plant that may be the single most useful wild green ally you can find and a plant that might save your life some day.
Yarrow, friend of Achilles
Yarrow, also known as Achillea millefolium, is one of the most widespread useful wild plants in the world. It is common in most of the Northern Hemisphere, and has been used by a wide variety of cultures since ancient times. It's name is linked to legends of Achilles, from Greek times, and it was reputed to be part of this warrior's legendary near invulnerability. While we shall soon discuss how useful yarrow is for wounds and how it could save your life, it is actually Yarrow's diversity of uses that makes it so special.
Description and Appearance:
Yarrow is a low growing herbaceous plant that has extremely lacey leaves, hence the second part of it's latin name millefolium, which means millions of leaves. It produces a single flower stalk that has many, many small white or pink, flat flowers that grow clustered together. It is very important to be able to distinguish Yarrow from members of the carrot family. Several members of this family are poisonous including the various poison hemlocks.
Uses:
1) Stops Bleeding- Far and away the most useful aspect of this plant is that it can be used topically to stop bleeding. It may be the single most powerful natural substance at stopping bleeding, and if it's not, it is definitely the most powerful common plant that can be used to stop bleeding. To use the plant this way simply apply crushed leaves to a bleeding wound to quickly stop the bleeding.
It is important to thoroughly clean a wound before using Yarrow, since it stops bleeding so powerfully that it can cause dirt or germs to be trapped inside a cut.
The leaves can also be dried and saved for future use. The dried leaves work almost as well as fresh leaves, though they may need to be chewed or macerated before being applied. Dried leaves can also be ground into a very fine wound powder.
2) Causes sweating, treats fevers and colds- Dried or fresh Yarrow can be made into a quick tea by steeping the leaves in water that has been boiled. Drinking the tea after fifteen or more minutes will cause the body to sweat. This is useful in treating fevers and early stages of cold, especially those characterized by aversion to cold, body aches, nasal symptoms, and a scratchy, itchy throat. Some Native tribes of North America used Yarrow as a drink before entering the sweat lodge as an aid to the detoxifying process of the sweat.
3) A Key to Divination- A completely different use of Yarrow involves the collection of it's dried stalks. Dried Yarrow stalks were cast in a bundle and then picked up in a variety of ways as one of the older forms of I Ching divination. While other methods such as burning of bones or turtle shells were also ancient techniques, the tossing of Yarrow stalks is a tradition that is alive and well in some parts of Asia today.
When developing relationships with plants and beginning to find allies in the green world it helps to have friends that can help you with a variety of issues. Yarrow with it's ability to powerfully stop bleeding, help treat fevers and colds, and be helpful as a tool of divination is a rare treat. Get to know it!
Yarrow, friend of Achilles
Yarrow, also known as Achillea millefolium, is one of the most widespread useful wild plants in the world. It is common in most of the Northern Hemisphere, and has been used by a wide variety of cultures since ancient times. It's name is linked to legends of Achilles, from Greek times, and it was reputed to be part of this warrior's legendary near invulnerability. While we shall soon discuss how useful yarrow is for wounds and how it could save your life, it is actually Yarrow's diversity of uses that makes it so special.
Description and Appearance:
Yarrow is a low growing herbaceous plant that has extremely lacey leaves, hence the second part of it's latin name millefolium, which means millions of leaves. It produces a single flower stalk that has many, many small white or pink, flat flowers that grow clustered together. It is very important to be able to distinguish Yarrow from members of the carrot family. Several members of this family are poisonous including the various poison hemlocks.
Uses:
1) Stops Bleeding- Far and away the most useful aspect of this plant is that it can be used topically to stop bleeding. It may be the single most powerful natural substance at stopping bleeding, and if it's not, it is definitely the most powerful common plant that can be used to stop bleeding. To use the plant this way simply apply crushed leaves to a bleeding wound to quickly stop the bleeding.
It is important to thoroughly clean a wound before using Yarrow, since it stops bleeding so powerfully that it can cause dirt or germs to be trapped inside a cut.
The leaves can also be dried and saved for future use. The dried leaves work almost as well as fresh leaves, though they may need to be chewed or macerated before being applied. Dried leaves can also be ground into a very fine wound powder.
2) Causes sweating, treats fevers and colds- Dried or fresh Yarrow can be made into a quick tea by steeping the leaves in water that has been boiled. Drinking the tea after fifteen or more minutes will cause the body to sweat. This is useful in treating fevers and early stages of cold, especially those characterized by aversion to cold, body aches, nasal symptoms, and a scratchy, itchy throat. Some Native tribes of North America used Yarrow as a drink before entering the sweat lodge as an aid to the detoxifying process of the sweat.
3) A Key to Divination- A completely different use of Yarrow involves the collection of it's dried stalks. Dried Yarrow stalks were cast in a bundle and then picked up in a variety of ways as one of the older forms of I Ching divination. While other methods such as burning of bones or turtle shells were also ancient techniques, the tossing of Yarrow stalks is a tradition that is alive and well in some parts of Asia today.
When developing relationships with plants and beginning to find allies in the green world it helps to have friends that can help you with a variety of issues. Yarrow with it's ability to powerfully stop bleeding, help treat fevers and colds, and be helpful as a tool of divination is a rare treat. Get to know it!
Friday, November 26, 2010
What do we mean by Wild Medicine?
As we struggle to negotiate the ever more challenging and complicated aspects of modern life, occasionally we discover that the antidotes to the poisons that plague us may be found in the wild. Maybe, we are overwhelmed by industrial pollution and are being labeled as having "Multiple Chemical Sensitivity". Or, we are faced with the common plague of Depression/Melancholy/Malaise that the grind of a 50-hour work week produces and which alcohol and "Dancing with the Stars" cannot cure.
Strangely enough, no matter what our "situation" often the best cures are found in wild places around us. The fresh air provided by the density of a forest, the soothing rush of the river, and the feeling of soft loam beneath our bare feet are all medicines of the highest magnitude. Our wild place may be a cedar tree at the corner park or a desert wash in our backyard or the view of the mountains in the distance. Maybe it is simply the empty lot in which "weeds" are fighting back against the oppression of concrete and broken glass. Whatever our wild place may be, it can be a threshold, a sacred place in which begin our process of reawakening our wild, vital self. Soon, we may find ourselves keeping odd hours, ducking out at lunch time to watch the birds, and pausing to really feel the wind brushing against our skin.
This is the beginning. In our future plants become friends and allies. Animals become teacher and mentors. The sun and moon become the only true clock. We are on the edge of true freedom. This is the journey towards wild medicine.
Strangely enough, no matter what our "situation" often the best cures are found in wild places around us. The fresh air provided by the density of a forest, the soothing rush of the river, and the feeling of soft loam beneath our bare feet are all medicines of the highest magnitude. Our wild place may be a cedar tree at the corner park or a desert wash in our backyard or the view of the mountains in the distance. Maybe it is simply the empty lot in which "weeds" are fighting back against the oppression of concrete and broken glass. Whatever our wild place may be, it can be a threshold, a sacred place in which begin our process of reawakening our wild, vital self. Soon, we may find ourselves keeping odd hours, ducking out at lunch time to watch the birds, and pausing to really feel the wind brushing against our skin.
This is the beginning. In our future plants become friends and allies. Animals become teacher and mentors. The sun and moon become the only true clock. We are on the edge of true freedom. This is the journey towards wild medicine.
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