Tea as Medicine part 1

Happy New Year everybody!

I know that when I last wrote we were in the middle of discussing the very potent and special plant known to some as Devil's Club and to others as the Most Sacred.  I would like to continue that discourse in the future, but I wanted to write a quick post about something exciting: Tea!

I have been given the opportunity to teach to a wide audience through a Webcast about the most famous herbal beverage of all time: Tea!

Two weeks from to day, on January 25th, I will be presenting a 90 minute talk on Tea:
Here's the link to the webcast:
http://www.medicinecrow.com/teachers-event-pages/511-tea-as-medicine-a-deeper-look-at-camellia-sinensis#a_aid=4eb2ee492ec7d&a_bid=90df65a0


Camellia sinensis, more commonly known as tea is the second most widely consumed beverage on the planet!  The first is water!

This plant also has been consumed for millennia with a variety of health benefits attributed.

For instance, in the Tang dynasty, Chinese scholars determined that tea had the following 10 benefits:



1. Tea benefits the Qi and clear blockages


2. Tea helps refresh one after a night of drinking alcohol


3. Tea, mixed with other things such as milk or nuts can provide nourishment


4. Tea is cooling especially in the summer


5. Tea helps against fatigue and drowsiness


6. Teas purifies the spirit, Calms the shen, support meditation practice, removes anxiety


7. Tea aids digestion


8. Tea removes heat and toxicitiy from the body, flushing them from the blood through the Urinary Bladder


9.Tea is conducive to longevity


10. Tea invigorates the body and inspires creativity

(source, The Way of Tea, Aaron Fisher)

The Webcast is free and I will go into a lot more detail about it then!  Feel free to spread the link and share it with others: http://www.medicinecrow.com/teachers-event-pages/511-tea-as-medicine-a-deeper-look-at-camellia-sinensis#a_aid=4eb2ee492ec7d&a_bid=90df65a0

Leading up to the webcast, I will also be putting a few more nuggets about tea here on my blog to be shared with folks who read it!

Thanks.

Most Sacred or "Devil's" Club part 1

This week I wanted to present a very special plant that is not that common, but is truly a potent and powerful medicine.  Even though we might not have a chance to work with it directly, it is an interesting plant that illustrates the attitudes we have towards plants and how our current attitudes might be informed by the wisdom of indigenous cultures.

This plant's latin name is Oplopanax horridus.  Already a certain bias is apparent in the name in that the second-half of the name implies something horrible or horrendous.  Ironically, the first-half of the latin name is more forgiving.  It actually contains the root "panax" which is also the root of the word panacea which means cure-all.  The two differing attitudes about this plant are contained in its scientific name as well as the common names!

Most folks who have encountered this plant know it as Devil's Club.  Encountering this plant deep in a shady, wet forest and placing your hands on it unknowingly,  might very well give you an understanding of why this was the name chosen by early naturalists and settlers.  The plant does have thick, intense thorns that can break off and cause infections in the skin.  In the Pacific Northwest and up to Alaska where this plant is found, it's spiny nature does stand out compared to the lush green moist plants common in the under story of forests.


However, in this same region (Cascadia up to Alaska), this plant is considered the most important plant as a medicine and one of the most important plants spiritually.  Among a variety of Native Northwest peoples, this plant has played a huge number of roles in traditional culture for a very long time.  An ethnobotanist friend of mine who lives in the  Snoqualmie Valley watershed where I live, has shared that the name for this plant among the Snoqualmie people is Most Sacred.  So, we have Devil's Club or Most Sacred.  What an interesting insight into the psychology and cultural beliefs of the people interacting with this plant.

One could almost make the conjecture, that the name Devil's Club reflects the colonial, oppressor, destructive mindset that sees nature as something to exploit while Most Sacred reflects a more sustainable, nature-connected mindset that appreciates the value of all parts of an ecosystem and even understands that plants might be something to revere.

Obviously, this is a vast generalization, but it does really take me to the heart of why I am writing about plants, the rhythms of the seasons, and our connection to our bodies and the natural world.  I am hoping that we can all come closer to understanding this idea of a plant being the Most Sacred.

When working with students and colleagues who are studying nature connection and plant medicine, there has been a lot of anecdotal reports of people having very powerful, sometimes strange experience with this plant.  Almost everyone talks about how intelligent and alive the plant seems.  Many of my students have been able to feel a palpable energy from the plant when they put their hands near it.  This is even the case with people who do not consider themselves energetically sensitive, are skeptical about such things, or who do not have a lot of experience with these kinds of things.

A friend of mine and I were talking about this plant recently and she mentioned how every time she walks past this plant she feels like she needs to stop and pay attention to it.  Her attitude that naturally arises within is one of reverence.

The Most Sacred is in the Araliae family of plants which do include Ginsengs and Spikenards.  I find the fact that this plant is in the same family as the Ginsengs quite interesting.  In fact, stories about this plant have many parallels to the Ginsengs because the cultural context around Ginseng in its different forms is a lot broader than most people realize.  In China, Ginseng was not just prized as a Qi-enhancing medicine.  It was considered to have the very energy that we need to live a long and vital life.  It was made of fundamental life-force.  Old, wild-harvested Ginseng roots were considered potent enhancers of the spirit as well.  Recently, one of my students sampled a Ginseng Elixir in a class of mine and mentioned that suddenly she had the desire and energy to meditate all day!

A Cherokee herbalist I once took some classes with discussed the way in which American Ginseng was used by his people.  He mentioned that not only was it considered a powerful herb to consume (which could give one the energy to run up a mountain!), but that if old roots were found that they would be harvested in a ceremonial way.  Then these old roots would sometimes be hung and beaded and kept as a talisman for protection and prosperity. Apparently, these forms of American Ginseng were actually too valuable to consume!

I think it is important for us to be careful to not make broad assumptions about the similarities of medicinal properties of plants in the same family.  In fact, studies of the Most Sacred have shown that it is chemically quite different from Ginseng.  However, many people with a background in Chinese Medicine who have been exposed to fresh the Most Sacred bark or roots comment on the similarities in odor and even taste.

Obviously, there is a lot to write about this plant.  I haven't even begun discussing it's specific medicinal qualities!

I want to finish this entry by introducing a pet theory of mine.  In the last 50 to 100 years, a lot of research has been put into a plant known as Eleutherococcus senticosus.  This plant has also been known more commonly as Siberian Ginseng.  It has been researched a lot in Russia and is said to have similar properties to Ginseng, both American and Asian.  Apparently, there is quite a bit of controversy around this name as it is not really a Ginseng (Panax species), so now it is some kind called Eleuthro.


Whatever you call this plant, what is known about it is that it has long spiny thorns that grow on it, and when you compare the medicinal properties between Eleuthro and the Most Sacred you find a lot of overlap.  My theory is that these two plants are more closely related than we realize and probably have similar chemical make-ups.  They are probably part of a group of plants that are "Spiny Ginseng-like" plants.


Next week, I will write specifically about the medicinal uses of the Most Sacred, but I will try and do so in a way that is respectful of the deep cultural traditions around its use.

Winter Roots

We've had our first sprinkling of snow and next week is Thanksgiving, so it seems appropriate to talk a little bit about nourishing ourselves in the winter especially through food and herbs.  One of the best ways to harmonize with the energy of a season is to eat food or take medicines that reflect the nature of the season.

In the winter, the energy of the plants is sinking into their roots.  Our energy is similarly traveling deep into our body and can be best supported by rooted activities especially sleeping, meditation, and very slow, gentle physical practice.  We can also nourish ourselves by literally eating roots.  Eating warm, cooked vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, yams, potatoes, turnips, and others can nourish our own deeper energy.  Roasting these kinds of vegetables in the oven with some olive oil and warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, and anise can produce a simple kitchen medicine treat for our bodies in the cold winter.

Traditional medicines take this practice one step further by having us ingest special root herbs that are considered Tonic or Elixirs.  These special medicines are considered to enhance the life force (qi or prana), benefit the immune system, strengthen fertility, and nourish the mind.  Late fall and winter is a traditional time to incorporate more of these kinds of medicines into your diet and life-style as a way to strengthen, protect, and augment the body during the harshness of winter.

Here is a list of some common Elixir herbs:

Astragalus-This golden root from Chinese medicine strengthens our digestive organs, our lungs, and our reproductive organs, and specifically enhance our Wei Qi or protective qi.  It is great to take as a preventative medicine against colds and flus.  Traditionally, it is contraindicated when we have an acute cold or flu.

Ashwaganda-This warming root from Ayurvedic medicine is a powerful rejuvenative medicine, but is not overwhelming.  It boosts our energy and vitality, including reproductive energy and immunity without being overly heating or stimulating.  It is often taken with milk as a milk decoction and is safe for children, adults, and elders.  It both gives us energy and helps us sleep.  A truly precious treasure.

Ginseng-There are many different kinds of ginseng available, especially in our 21st century e-commerce world.  The traditional Ginseng, Panax ginseng is from China or Korea and is often red in color.  It is a very strong, Qi enhancing medicine and can be over-stimulating for many people or in too large of a quantity.  It also boosts immunity, reproductive energy, and nourishes the spirit.  In Chinese Medicine, it is often considered the king of medicines.  Used cautiously in small amounts, it can strengthen and warm us through the winter.

American Ginseng is now cultivated in many different places in the US, though it is still protected as a wild plant.  This potent medicine has a distinctively cooling energy that enhances our lungs, stomach, and yin reproductive fluids.  It may need to be combined with warming herbs such as ginger or cinnamon to be effective in the winter, but it does boost energy and vitality.  It might be the herb of choice for folks for whom Chinese Ginseng is too warming or too intense.  This herb was considered very powerful, potent, and sacred in Cherokee Medicine and was also used by other Native American tribes.

Eleuthro-this plant used to be known as Siberian Ginseng and is now classified as a kind of spiny ginseng.  It is warming, boosts energy, and is especially effective at strengthening the joints, tendons and low back.  It is often used to treat arthritic types of pain made worse by cold weather, and is balancing to a stressed out mind and spirit.

These are just a few of the myriad Tonic and Elixir herbs that are out there.  Some of my students and I will be making some Elixirs at our next class using some of these herbs as well as Elecampagne root and Goji Berries.


At this time of year it may be difficult to grow or harvest these plants in your own area.  Fortunately, they are available from some excellent, sustainable green companies.


Mountain Rose Herbs has an excellent supply of organic herbs.


Floracopeia has a new line of extraordinary Elixirs.  Their Ashwaganda Rejuvenating  formula  and Ginseng Supreme are two of my favorites.


A word of caution: While the above mentioned herbs have been used traditionally to support health for a very, very long time, they may not be appropriate for everyone.  It is always wise to consult with our healthcare practitioners before taking any new substances.  Please be particularly careful and cautious if you are taking any pharmaceutical drugs or have any pre-existing medical conditions.


Next time, we will look at another of the powerful Elixir or Tonic herbs from North America: Devil's Club!

Harvesting Moonlight

There is a quality and nourishment from moonlight that is vital to our human souls.  After the rare event of two cloudless full moons in a row (not typical in a Pacific Northwest fall) that were just astonishing, I have been inspired to write about the way in which we can more consciously bring moonlight into our lives as a form of nourishment.

This idea of deriving nourishment from light of various kinds dates back to the ascetic practices of Daoist Immortals, yogis and yoginis, and medicine people from around the world.  From the Asian medical perspective, the Moon is another source of Qi or Prana, a vital energy that we can ingest.  While we indirectly ingest moonlight and sunlight through their transformed forms in the food we eat, there are also traditions of going directly to the source and supplementing our own vital energy from the Sun or Moon.

The Moon has particular qualities that we might find specifically nourishing.  The moon is considered Yin, cooling, sattvic, soma-like.  While the full moon is actually the most Yang aspect of the moon's cycle (the new or dark moon is the most yin), it is still considered to have potent Yin qualities.  These yin qualities are particularly valuable in our overstimulating, mentally erratic times.

Simply tracking the moon's cycles and watching your own ebb and flow of energy can be a valuable exercise for most people.  Many of my students and patients have been astonished to find how dramatically their energy shifts during the course of one moon cycle.  Most folks find that there is a peak of their energy during the full moon with it being harder to sleep and having vivid dreams.  Creativity also tends to be high.  The lull of energy is often greatest at the time right around the new moon, with more a of a desire for introspection, sleep, rest, and inactivity.  From new moon to full moon (waxing) energy seems to increase , and from full moon to new moon (waning) energy seems to decrease.

How does one get in touch with these cycles and harvest the energy from this luminous orb that watches over us?  Here are a few suggestions:

1) Keep track of the moon's cycle-especially through directly observing during the night and day (yes, the moon is sometimes out during the day!)

2) Near the full moon, spend time outside under its light and feel it bathe your skin with its light (this is a form of passive moonlight harvesting).

3) Gaze at the Moon-this is an ancient practice from both China and Tibet.  Gazing at a full moon for extended periods of time with your eyes relaxed and body relaxed is a way to expand consciousness and nourish yourself with its light.

4) Swallowing Moonlight- In this practice you gently raise your hands as if reaching out to gather up the full moon, then you bring them towards your face, and then down the front of your body to the level of the navel.  As your hands are coming from the moon towards your body you are inhaling and as they sink down the front of the body you are exhaling.  As you exhale, make an audible swallowing sound.  Repeat this 3-18 times and on the last repetition finish with your hands resting on your navel, palm over palm.   Visualize the moon in your belly, illuminating you from within.

These four practices are an excellent foundation for developing a relationship with the moon's energies.  In the future, we will discuss moon dream practices, moon meditations, and other moon qi ingesting practices.

Enjoy the Moon!

Herb of the Week: Rosehips


Alright, it's been a little while since I've done an Herb of the Week.  Maybe I should switch to Herb of the Month!  That being said, it is truly an amazing time to go out and collect Rosehips.  These little ruby gems are an easy entrance to the world of Wild Medicine.  The are prolific, easy to identify, easy to collect, and very versatile.


Rose spp.


Description: The red fruits or ovaries of rose flowers, rose hips are easily identified by being one of the few fruits still on the branches in the fall and winter.  They are found on rose bushes which are also easily identified by their prominent thorns.  There are many different wild and cultivated species.  Beware of nightshade berries that may appear similar (but no thorns).  Strangely enough many species of cultivated roses do not produce "hips".

Collecting: The fruits can be collected any time after reaching maturity and ripening, however many people recommend waiting until after the first frost.  This produces 2 results: 1)It can kill off any little bugs living inside the fruits and 2)It firms up the fruit making them less mushy to handle and work with.

Properties: Edible, mildly medicinal, rich in vitamin C, slightly astringent

Medicinal Uses:
1) Medicinal and Nutritive Tea-Rosehips' big claim to fame is that they are a very rich source of winter Vitamin C.  There are many anecdotes of settlers being taught to use rose hips to prevent scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) from Native North Americans.  Pouring hot water over fresh or dried rose hips will produce  a beautiful, fragrant tart tea.  Don't boil them though as this destroys a lot of the Vitamin C content.

2) Medicinal Honey-Another wonderful way to use rose hips that is easy enough for beginners and even kids to do is to make a rose hip honey.  There are several ways to do this.  The simplest way is to clean your fresh rose hips.  Then place them in a jar after removing the vegetative part that connected them hip to the flower and the stem.  Pour honey one the rose hips (you can fill a container 1/3 to1/2 full or more) and fill the honey as close to the top as you can.  Steep the hips this way for at least 30 days and turn the jar every other day or so.  After 30 days, strain the honey.  You will have an amazing ruby-red honey flavored with tart complexities of rose hips!  This can be taken straight for sore throats and mixed into tea or hot water to help through the cold season.

3) Rose hip decorations-While not exactly medicinal, rose hips can be dried and add a lot of color and scent to natural potpourri mixes and even strung and made into necklaces.  There is some argument that this is where the word "rosary" originally came from: a string of dried rose hips that were then used to focus one's thoughts and prayers.  This is a really beautiful way to include plants in our lives as more than just food.

4) Rose hip Syrup-Finally, rose hips can be used by themselves or combined with other herbs into an herbal syrup.  This process can be quite simple, though many medicinal syrups are quite sophisticated.  To make a simple syrup, pour 4 cups of hot water over 4 cups of rose hips.  Simmer this for 15 minutes.  The water will turn a bright red color.  After 15 minute, strain the mixture and then simmer the remaining liquid for another 30 minutes.  You are reducing the liquid here to try and be half or less of the original amount.  After reducing by half, you can add sugar, honey, or maple syrup to sweeten and thicken.  Sugar will actually produce the thickest syrup, the other two will be thinner.  This Rose hip syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-6 months.  The syrup can be combined with hot water or tea as needed or taken directly for sore throats.  Rose hips also combine nicely with blueberries, black berries, raspberries, or other naturally tart berries for a more complex syrup.

Transition: Fall to Winter

It was cold this week.  Not just the coolness of fall and dampness at night and in the morning, but cold.  A few mornings this week it felt like there could have been frost.  In the traditional seasonal calendar of China, broken into 24 periods, we just entered Frost Falls.  The hint of winter is in the air.

How do we nourish ourselves during this time?

Well, what does our natural appetite and body wisdom suggest?

Have you been wanting to sleep more?  Have you been wanting to put on an extra layer?  Have you not been feeling quite as active?  I would suggest that the wisdom of the seasons is reflected in the wisdom of the body, and our body has a lot to tell us right now.

For instance, which would be more nourishing right now: watermelon or baked squash?
Iced mint tea or hot chai?
Cinammon or Lavender?

In the transition from Fall to Winter, we can reflect in our bodies the changes that are happening in the external landscape.  As the energy in the plants and trees sinks into our roots, we can sink our own energy by eating more root vegetables.  As the animals eat more food and store up extra calories, so too can we eat more rich and deeply nutritious food such as butter, nuts, animal products, and oils.  As the outside rests more at night in response to the external cycle of light, so too can we sleep more and wake up slower  (Some of us might not have as much choice in this one as we'd like!).

Rather than going for a five-mile run, we might find it more nourishing to go for a walk.  Rather than doing ashtanga yoga for 90 minutes, a shorter session of movement followed by a long periods of time in restorative yoga might be more nourishing.  Instead of doing the Tai Chi form 2 or 3 times, doing it once very slowly with pauses might be what our bodies need.

Experiment with standing and sitting meditation practices-this time of year is a good time to enter into these kinds of practices.

In Japan, from this time of year all the way until March or April, many people wear a piece of wool, silk or cotton cloth wrapped around the lower back and abdomen from the pelvis to just above the navel.  This hard-maki or hara warmer keeps the center of vital energy (qi or prana) near and below the navel supported and strong through the cold months.

Traditional Exercise to Nourish the Kidneys, the Water Element, and Protect the Body in Winter:
Sit or stand in a comfortable position where your hands can reach your lower back.  Place the palms of your hands on your low back facing your skin.  Gently massage up and down 81 times until your kidneys and lower back feel warm and nourished.  This practice promotes longevity, nourishes the kidneys, and protects the body from cold in the winter.

Herb of the Week: Prickly Pear

Now for something completely different...Prickly Pear.

Recently, my wife, daughter, and I made our annual spring sojourn to Arizona, land of the young springs.  There we spent time in the Sonoran Desert, a truly remarkably landscape filled with amazing fauna.  There is an abundance of exotic foods and medicines to be found there including Green Ephedra (a.k.a. Mormon Tea), Agave (source of Agave Nectar), Wild Goji bushes (Lycium species), Desert Lavender, Octotillo, Cholla cacti (whose buds are edible), Creosote bushes, and Mesquite trees (medicinal sap and seed pods can be made into a nutritious and yummy flour).

Amidst the return of old friends (meaning all my plant buddies of course!), I reconnected with the one plant from the desert that I actually knew before I got there: Prickly Pear Cactus.  While this plant is abundant beyond belief in the Sonoran Desert, it has a surprisingly wide range of distribution.  I have found this cactus in Illinois, Pennsylvania, the San Juan Islands of Washington State, and Montana.  Other folks have told me they have found it in Michigan and New Jersey as well.  In fact, it seems to thrive in any sort of rocky desert micro-climate even at decent elevations.  Well, besides being a very adaptable cactus, what other mysteries does the Prickly Pear hold?  Read on and find out!

Prickly Pear-Opuntia species

Description: A cactus with distinctive paddle-like lobes covered in 2 kinds of needles: long easy to see sharp ones and small delicate hairs that are incredibly painful and difficult to remove.  Red-purple "pear-like" fruit appear on the cacti in the summer time.

Harvesting: Prickly pear can be quite difficult to harvest, even with gloves.  A pretty decent method is to knock off a relatively young paddle (they grow out from one another) with a stick.  Then using another stick repeatedly flip the paddle on the ground breaking off needles and hair.  The same method works with the fruit as well.

Uses:
1) Fresh Poultice-The inside of the paddles (fresh or old) make an amazing skin poultice.  Paddles should be harvested as described above and then split in half and applied topically.  The fresh poultice treats cuts, scrapes, rashes, bruises, sunburns, and snakebites! 

Yes, snakebites.  Prickly pear poultices were one of the traditional remedies for snake bites including rattlesnake bites!  The poultice was applied directly on the bite.  The plant is often abundant in the same areas as rattlesnakes.  Of course, seeking modern medical help is probably a really good idea.  But snakebites can happen in remote areas far from medical help.

2) Food-Both the paddles and the fruit are edible.  The younger paddles can be sliced up and cooked, and in fact are the famous nopales of Mexican cuisine.  The sour and somewhat slimy cooked nopales are traditionally good for battling summer time extreme heat and fever.  The fruit can be eaten fresh, but is quite seedy it also clear heat and is cooling.

3) Syrup-The fruit can be harvested in quantity and boiled down into a sweet syrup.  Harvest the fruit and be sure to clean off as many needles as possible.  Then cut up the fruit and cook on a low heat (seeds and all).  Then strain the seeds and pulp out saving the beautiful purple-red syrup (no sweetener is needed and is not desirable).  This syrup can be added to cool drinks in the summer time to clear summer heat or fever and add nutrients.  However, it is more importantly used as an adjunct treatment for Diabetes!

That's right the sweet syrup has been shown to be effective in treating type 2 Diabetes by lowering blood sugar and is used as a treatment in Mexico.  If you have Diabetes and wish to try this remedy further research is recommended and be sure to work with your doctor or health care provider.

Keep your eye out for this very useful plant in unlikely areas!  Or if you're in the Desert Southwest appreciate it's abundance almost everywhere!

Nourishing Life Part 2: Spring Medicine

Spring is here!  There is a reason that ancient cultures recognized the Spring Equinox as a major turning point in the year.  Ceremonies were held to honor the time that night and day are equal.  From now on for the next few months, the abundance of sun, warmth, and light will be ever increasing.  We should feel corresponding changes in our own body and energy.  Have you been waking up earlier?  Have you had more energy recently?  Have you felt restless and the need to move more?  Welcome to Spring.

How do we nourish our bodies and harmonize with the qualities of Spring?  What feels natural at this time?  How can we harness and harvest the energy or qi of spring?  

Spring is connected with the dawn and early morning.  Spring time is like the dawn time of the year, just like winter is like the midnight of the year.  It is a good time to get up early and be present with the dawn.  Waking up and exercising gently can provide abundant energy for the whole day.  Engaging in exercises that allow our body to move are beneficial, especially exercise that emphasizes flow and smoothness.  Tai chi, qigong, flow yoga, going for walks or light runs are all beneficial.  But, beware!  We are not at the time of uber-yang energy that happens in summer time.  Don't over do it!  Doing too much, over stretching, or over extending is likely to injure our tendons and muscles!  

Eating lighter and eating spring greens should be another easy practice to incorporate.  Our ancestors were literally starving for the fresh nutrients provided by wild green foods at this time.  Dandelion leaves and nettles are particularly strengthening and nourishing to our bodies at this time.  Dandelion soothes and cleanses the liver (which can be challenged in the spring) while nettle builds and strengthens our blood and vital energy (partially by being very rich in iron, minerals, and vitamins).  There should be less heavy animal products in our diet and more vegetables.  Though, one shouldn't feel like they need to jump into all raw foods...the fruits of the summer time are still off in the future.

While it is normal to feel the abundance of energy in the morning time, it is still natural to feel a drop in energy in the afternoon and even to be tired in the evening.  However, one should not feel exhausted!  After the stillness of Winter, our restlessness in Spring can push us to do too much.  If you are feeling exhausted, have low back or knee pain, or are finding yourself prone to injuries (especially to your tendons) it would be wise to cut back activity levels some and rest more.

There are some specific practices that are designed to gather the special energies of Spring time.  Here are two simple ones:

5 Breaths at Dawn: After waking up in the morning and dressing adequately, go outside and face east as the sun rises.  With the hands relaxed at the sides gently inhale and exhale 5 times.  Imaging breathing in the energy of the east and spring into your body with each breath.  To end, gently place your right palm on top of your left palm, with your finger pointing opposite directions.  The back of your right hand should face the sky and the back of your left hand should face the ground.  Let you mind rest below the navel a couple of inches, inside the body.  This is a traditional Daoist practice.

Barefoot Dew at Dawn-In Japanese folk tradition and the macrobiotic world, the dew in spring time is supposed to contain a very nourishing quality.  Once a week, waking up early and walking barefoot in the dew is supposed to help bring in the qi of spring.  This is particularly useful for treating heat conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, red skin conditions, acne, anger, and red face.

Wander and nourish in the spring dawn.

Lengthen the tendons and move like the wind,

The body becomes smooth as the world reawakens.

Watch the flowers and the plants and allow yourself 

to bloom as they do.

Nourish life by gathering Spring Medicine!

Plant of the Week: Cottonwood

Over the winter months, we explored the value and depth of the evergreen medicines that are a part of our life.  As we are moving into spring, before we delve into the wonders of young spring greens, I feel it is appropriate to honor one more tree.  This time a deciduous tree is our focus: Black Cottonwood, also known as Balsam Poplar.  In many part of the country (or world) it is still possible to harvest the swelling buds of this tree which possess potent medicines.

Black Cottonwood
Populus Balsamfirus
The poplar species are used around the world for their medicinal properties.  While I am speaking specifically about Black Cottonwood which is prolific through out the Western United States, other varieties can be used similarly.


Description: A deciduous tree found almost always near water.  Waxy green leaves that are spade-shaped. White to gray smooth bark when young, turning into deeply furrowed bark in mature trees.  Leaves will move quite a bit in a strong breeze similar to Aspen species.

Collection: The main part used for medicine are the resinous leaf buds.  These aromatic medicinal treasures can be collected from late fall all the way until early spring.  They are best in the early spring/later winter before they leaf out.  It is often possible to collect buds after a windstorm from branches on the ground.  The buds can be dried and then stored in a brown paper bag or jar, but be sure to dry them first.

Uses:
1) Medicinal Oil: The salves can be soaked in Olive Oil (or another oil though olive oil works best) for anywhere from 2 weeks to a year.   After being strained, this oil is a powerful antiseptic for cuts, scrapes, burns, or minor wound.  It also has strong pain-killing properties especially for trauma and bruising.

2)Salve-The above oil can be made into a salve by gently heating it on a stove (or using a double-boiler) and then add 1/3 beeswax to 2/3 oil.  After the beeswax has been melted, pour into glass or metal containers.  When it cools it will re-solidify, so go easy with the beeswax.  This salves can be used the same as above, but will store easily, perhaps indefinitely and is more portable.  Great for a first aid kit.

3)Tea/Decoction-Both the buds and the inner bark of the tree can be made into a very foul-tasting bitter decoction.  Simply boil a handful or two in water for 20-30 minutes.  This intense tea can then be taken internally for coughs and colds, especially those that linger in the chest for weeks with yellow or green phlegm.  This tea will also lower fevers and treat body aches.

4)Other Uses- Buds can be used directly on wounds in the field as a messy first aid plant.  Buds, leaves, and barks can be used in medicinal baths for aches and pains.  Inner bark and cambium can actually be scraped and eaten in the spring time.  And, being able to recognize cottonwoods from some distance can be a valuable sign of water in an arid landscape.

The window for collecting cottonwood buds is rapidly closing!   Go get some now!

Nourishing Life Part 1: Winter Medicine and Spring Medicine

Ah, February that supremely awkward month where we see the first hints of Spring arising and our hopes begin to rise.  Then, often the cold comes and pummels our hopes into fear.  At this time of year, there are a  surprisingly high number of people afflicted by illness and whose emotional patterns get intensely stirred.  It seems as if we are ill-equipped to handle the stresses of this transition, at least in our modern world.  What is going on?

In ancient cultures, Eastern and Western, Indigenous, Agricultural, Hunter/Gatherer, one of the supreme manifestations of wisdom, health, and longevity was through harmonizing with the cycles of the seasons.  In Chinese Medicine and Daoist Philosophy, one of the most obvious manifestations of the great Dao was through the seasons and their cycles.  In Ayurveda, the science of life from India, how we matched our internal elements with the external elements was a source of vitality.

One way to describe this process is through the term Nourishing Life.  This term is a translation of the Chinese term Yangsheng which encompasses such practices as diet, lifestyle, exercise, meditation, qigong, martial arts, herbal medicine, and living in tune with the cycles of life.  One of the foundations of Nourishing Life is "Eat when you are hungry and sleep when you are tired."  The reciprocal is also true.  Don't eat when you aren't hungry (and don't overeat) and be active when you feel like being active.  But, wait what does all of this have to do with February?

Well, part of the wisdom of the ancients is that each season has a certain quality, a certain energy, a certain spirit, a certain Qi.  One of our jobs as humans is to tend to these qualities and harmonize are bodies and lifestyles with them.  The quality of Winter is different than Spring (which is also quite different than Summer or Fall) and we can't expect our bodies and spirits to act the same in both.  But unfortunately that is exactly what we are expected to do!

What is the quality of Winter?  What are its gifts, its Medicine for us?  Quiet, stillness, resting, storing, relaxation.  Think of a frozen pond at midnight with snow all around.  The animals are hibernating, and we are resting quiet in our homes with a fire dying down under warm blankets asleep in dreamless sleep.

What is the quality of Spring?  What are its gifts, its Medicine for us?  Reawakening, stirring, gentle movement, inspiration.  Think of the snowdrops and daffodils pushing through the cold ground reaching out towards the rising sun just after dawn.  The animals are rousing from their winter sleep, hungry and looking for mates.  We are waking too, slightly grumpy from the winter needing to move our vital energy, looking for mates (there's a reason why Valentine's day is in February!).

How do we harmonize with these energies?  Well, if we have truly rested in Winter then our energy should naturally be awakening now.  We should feel a little bit more energy in the morning.  In Winter, we should go to bed early and wake up late.  In Spring, we go to be early, but wake up early and catch the fresh qi of Spring.  In Winter, we practice stillness through meditation or restorative yoga.  In Spring, we begin to move our bodies with gentle exercise such as tai chi, qigong, or gentle yoga.  It is beneficial to practice in the morning outside in the fresh air and light.

 But don't be fooled, the cold is still around so protect your body from the cold with layers of clothing.  Eat the light green medicine foods arising from the ground: chickweed, dandelion, wintercress, and nettle.  They contain the medicine harmonize with this time.

Most of all, listen to your internal rhythms.  Find out what is nourishing for you and follow that path.  It is a medicine all your own.

Thunder rousing amidst snow,
Spring awakens with frog song,
Green vitality pushing through frozen ground, 
Wind and cold dance in the air above.
Can you find harmony?


Ask the Dao and watch Nature.

Herb of the Week: Evergreen Allies Part 3: Juniper

As we step into this new year, it can be useful to reflect on what ways medicines can play a part of our life to create vibrant health and vitality.  Previously, we have looked at two examples of evergreen trees as useful aids to combat illnesses common in winter.  I'd like to wrap our exploration of evergreen trees as medicinal aids by turning to a tree that is used as a powerful medicine across the world.

Juniper species are used as powerful medicinal agents and ceremonial aids on 3 different continents.  I'll say that again: 3 different continents.  In Asia, Europe, and North America Juniper has been used as a medicine since ancient times.  I don't know of use of Juniper in Africa, Antarctica, or Australia, but if Juniper species do grow there, I'm sure they are used as a medicine as well.

Juniper, like a lot of it's coniferous cousins, continues to combine the properties of being a potent medicine for treating illnesses and sicknesses while also playing an important role as a remover of negative energy or thought patterns.

Juniper spp.
While I usually try to not make broad sweeping statements about plants that have many variations, for Juniper I make an exception.  Junipers are characterized by prickly needles, reddish brown shaggy bark, and in most species an edible blue-green berry.  (Before using a local species be sure to check it's edibility!!!).


Uses:


1) Needle Tea- Similar to the other coniferous trees we have looked at, Juniper needles can be made into a tea that can treat coughs, colds, and fevers.  It is especially good for colds that are characterized by copious nasal or bronchial mucous that is white, clear, or slightly yellow.  In addition, due to its anti-pain characteristics (see below) Juniper tree will also aid with the body aches that can come with colds or flu.

2) Anti-Rheumatic-Many different evergreen species can be used to treat pain, especially achy, joint pain made worse by exposure to cold, damp weather.  Juniper may be one of the most effective of these remedies.  It can be used a hot soak or bath.  Or, alternatively you can actually take juniper branches or twigs and soak them in hot water and apply them directly to the effected area.  In fact you can use the steam from juniper teas or even the smoke from burned needles or bark to treat painful areas as well.

3) Ceremonial-Juniper smoke from either needles or dried shredded bark is considered a very powerful remover of negative energy.  It is used ceremonially in North America and across Asia, and there is even a tradition of Juniper smoke being used as a kind of smudge among Scottish peoples.  This tradition known as saining has been described by Frank MacEowen in his work on Celtic Spirituality.  People on three different parts of the world can't all be wrong!

4)Trauma-Juniper can also be used to treat acute trauma such as muscle aches, sprains, strains, etc.  The method is the same as above including steam, fomentation, soak, topically, etc.

Other Uses and Precautions:
Juniper Berries are considered edible in their fresh and dried from.  In fact, Gin is flavored with Juniper berries (which points to the fact that many old European liquors may have originally been medicinal tinctures or beverages).  The berries are diuretic increasing urination.  This may cause irritation in large quantities and also could be problematic for those with chronic kidney or bladder issues.  Also, Juniper species of a variety of kinds can be dangerous for pregnant women leading to early labor or miscarriage.

Putting the Medicine Back in Medicine Part 2

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

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.

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...

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?

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?

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!

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.