Loving Lemon Balm, Part 2
Lemon Balm has so many great benefits, I had to write two blogs about it!
• Lemon balm also has anti-viral properties. It can be used topically and internally for viruses like herpes and shingles. It mixes well with another anti-viral herb, licorice. A suggested formula would be 3 parts lemon balm to 1 part licorice as a tea or tincture.
• Lemon Balm is good for your heart. It helps to lower blood pressure and can be mixed with motherwort to strengthen the heart.
• Lemon Balm is helpful for colds and flu. Drink hot lemon balm tea to help with the aches and pains that accompany fever. It can also help to induce sweating to break a fever.
• Lemon Balm also can lower the thyroid and is useful in hyperthyroidism. However, it is good to avoid too much use of lemon balm is you have a hypothyroid.
Lemon Balm essential oil has also been studied to be helpful with calming the agitated state of Alzheimer’s. To order the best, high quality organic lemon balm (melissa) essential oil, visit the Floracopeia website.
Tags: herbal medicine, Herbs, lemon balm
Healer Heal Thyself, Part 2
During the end of the December I had a very challenging time due to a health crisis with my father. I spent a lot of time in the hospital visiting my dad, who was in a critical state for over two weeks during the end of December.
As a healer, I am always learning from my personal experience and this time was no different. I have been reflecting on the things that helped support me and my family during this extremely difficult time. First and foremost were the countless prayers from friends and family. Many people of all religious and spiritual persuasions were praying for us and we could all feel the comfort, strength and support that came from these prayers. Thank you to everyone for your prayers, they most definitely did make a positive difference.
Polish Madonna, Our Lady of Czestochowa
Herbs and flower essences also held me through this stressful time. A bottle of Rescue Remedy was always on hand and I used it liberally on myself and my dad. I made a flower essence mister with Rescue Remedy and an essential oil of Jatamansi from Floracopeia that I used to spray in and about the hospital room. I also used a flower essence formula for extra psychic protection created by Dori Midnight, called Boundaries in a Bottle. Flower essence misters are a great way to bring the healing power of nature into sterile and clinical environments like hospitals and the work place.
My trusted herbal allies helped keep me healthy, rested and calm. Each day I took several doses of elderberry cordial and echinacea root tincture to keep my immune system strong. Herbal nervous system tonics like scullcap, california poppy and passionflower helped me to sleep and also helped to restore my overworked and shaky nerves. Medicinal Mushrooms and herbal adaptogens gave me strength, endurance, and the ability to adapt to a very stressful situation in the best way possible. I particularly loved taking the Ayurvedic herb ashwaghanda in warm milk (with a sprinkle of nutmeg) each night to nourish my body and to also insure a good night’s sleep.
I also received several acupressure and Jin Shin Jyutsu® sessions from my beloved colleagues (Thanks Toni and Claudia!) that helped to return my mind/body/spirit to a place of balance. I would arrive at Toni’s office exhausted, overwhelmed and tense and leave calm, relaxed and energized. I realized, once again, how valuable it is to have hands-on healing work to help support the body during a stressful or traumatic time.
Basically, during the month of December I was the recipient of all of the healing systems that I practice. For the past 18 years I have supported many people through crisis using similar tools: herbs, flower essences, bodywork, and spiritual support. In this New Year, I have renewed faith in the power of these ancient systems of healing because they really work! I give thanks to the healers of all eras and all cultures who have dedicated their lives to keeping these sacred and precious arts alive.
Many Blessings,
Atava
Tags: Healing
Ancestral Apothecary Gifts and Specials
Give the Gift of Health this Season.
Miakoda, Healing and Transformation Consultant
for all Ancestral Apothecary Products and Services
(Most consultations with Atava are available by phone, email or Skype, so you don’t have to live in the Bay Area to benefit from her healing expertise.)
Services Include:
Herbal Consultations: Wish to fine tune your health for the New Year? Looking for someone to help support and guide your path back to good health? In these individual appointments, we will discuss in detail your health history and concerns. You will receive a unique herbal formula made just for you by Atava to address your particular needs and constitution. Follow-up visits continue until your health issues have resolved. Occasional herbal consultations are a great idea for health maintenance as well.
Flower Essence Consultations: Stuck in an emotional rut? Wish you had a magic wand to conjure up some special energy for yourself? Flower essences are like this kind of magic in a bottle. They work particularly on the emotional, spiritual and mental realms to help us come back into balance and harmony.
Acupressure and Jin Shin Jyutsu®: Stressed? In pain? Feeling run down or in poor health? A quick way to help tune up your body is to receive a hands-on healing session from Atava. After sessions, clients report feeling immediately much better, including having more energy, more mental clarity and focus, and a greater sense of peace and well being.
Limpias: The limpia is a traditional Mexican ceremony that helps cleanse the body and spirit of unwanted energies. Limpias are a great way to work with shock, trauma, loss, and grief and they are also good if you just want help letting go of something.
Deep Genealogy Coaching: For people of all backgrounds who wish to connect more deeply with the indigenous spiritual traditions of their ancestors. In theses sessions, you will work one-on-one with Atava to navigate your personal ancestral remembrance process.
For more information including rates, click here to go to my website.
Buy Three Get One Free!
Purchase a package of three of any Ancestral Apothecary services and get the fourth free!
Treat your loved ones and yourself!
Mix and match any three services.
Call 510-541-2715 or email atava@ancestralapothecary.com, or click here to go to services page.
Good towards Herbal & Flower Essence Consultations, Acupressure and Jin Shin Jyutsu Sessions, Limpias, or Deep Genealogy Coaching. Purchase package of any three services and receive one free of equal or lesser value. Sliding scale rates do not apply.
Offer Expires 12/31/09
Tags: december specials, gifts
10 Tips to Stay Healthy This Season
1. Slow Down. Winter is for slowing down, taking time to rest, and drawing our focus inward. Many of us continue to stay too busy this time of year when our body naturally wants to slow down and get more rest. Learn to pay attention to your body’s signals for rest and make it a practice to not push yourself (or grab another cup of coffee) when you’re tired.
2. Eat well. Nutrition make a big difference for the immune system. Refined sugar both depresses your immune system and also feeds viruses and bacteria, so limit your intake of white processed sugar. It is best to limit wheat products, dairy products and cold food (ice cream), which all create more mucous & dampness in the body.
As the days grow colder, it is better to eat more cooked foods than raw. This means eat less salads or raw fruit and more steamed veggies, apple sauce or fruit compote. The best foods to eat this season are warm, cooked, nourishing foods like soups and stews. Cook with pungent foods that nourish your respiratory system like garlic, onions, and leeks. To make my soups more medicinal, I like to to add my Wei Chi Vitality mix, a blend of medicinal mushrooms and herbs, to my soup stock. It’s a very easy way to eat your medicine!
3. Sleep More. People need on average eight hours of sleep per night. Most people are getting less and are suffering from a sleep deficit. Lack of sleep can depress the immune system and contribute to many physical and emotional disorders including depression, anxiety, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
4. Wash your hands thoroughly. A client of mine who is a nurse recently told me that to get rid of all pathogens on your hands, you must wash your hands for at least 15 seconds. Anything shorter than that can leave bacteria and viruses on your skin. Friction is also important, so scrub your hands well. Good old fashioned soap works just fine…. don’t contribute to the polluting of our waters by buying anti-bacterial soap.
5. Garlic. Garlic is one of our most powerful herbal allies. It has anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. With a strong affinity for the respiratory system, garlic has been traditionally used for colds, sore throats, coughs, and respiratory infections. When I feel the first signs of a cold I start eating lots of raw garlic- up to one clove 3-5 X/ day. My favorite thing to do is to cut it up and put on toast or on top of my food. You need to eat garlic raw to keep its anti-microbial benefits. To lessen garlic breath, chew on some fresh parsley or cilantro. Personally, I like the smell of garlic! For children and for people to whom garlic can be irritating to the digestive tract, a nice way to consume garlic is to make garlic honey or fire cider. Both garlic recipes can be found on other blog posts.
6. Elderberries. Elderberry brandy is a traditional wintertime tonic. Science has demonstrated that elderberries help protect the cell walls against viral attack. Daily consumption of Elderberry cordial can help prevent both flus and the common cold. For more elderberry recipes, see my blog post on elderberries.
Reishi (ganoderma lucidum) decoction.
7. Medicinal Mushrooms. Medicinal fungi like Reishi, Shiitake and Maitake mushrooms are amazing allies for our health. Mushrooms have been shown to boost the immune system and to help both prevent and treat many chronic illnesses, including cancer. Eating a few mushrooms (always cook them) every day or taking a Power Mushroom extract can boost your overall health tremendously. Click here to buy Ancestral Apothecary’s unique line of Power Mushroom medicinal mushroom extracts.
8. Vitamin D: I recently attended a panel on the H1N1 influenza virus. The panel consisting of a medical doctor, acupuncturist, western herbalist and a naturopath all unanimously agreed that boosting our levels of Vitamin D is one of the most important things we can do to support our immune system. A minimum recommended dosage is 4,000 IU/day and can be safely increased up to 10,000 IU/day.
9. Essential Oils. Most essential oils have amazing anti-microbial properties. This is because the essential oils are part of the plants’ immune systems. Over thousands of years, the plants developed these chemical compounds to protect themselves against bacteria, viruses and fungi.
To have the protection of essential oils when I go out in public, I like to carry an essential oil hand spray that I made to spritz my hands when needed. Good anti-microbial essential oils include lavender, rosemary and tea tree.
A good investment is an aromatherapy diffuser to infuse your home, car or office with the essential oils. I highly recommend the Community Immunity Diffuser Blend Series from Floracopeia. They blend together many plants of similar ecosystems to create powerful anti-microbial protection for your living environments. My favorite blend is called Forest, and smells like a good walk in high Sierra woods. Click here to visit the Floracopeia website.
10. Make an appointment with your herbalist and your bodyworker! The best way to create a health care regime that is custom designed for you is to work with a professional clinician. I may see several clients with the same condition, but I will treat each one with different herbs, based on each person’s unique constitution and set of circumstances. Also, as an herbalist I am trained to help guide and support you to make nutritional and lifestyle choices that will help you achieve better physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. I am available for appointments via phone, Skype or email for people who do not live in the California Bay Area.
Acupressure and Jin Shin Jyutsu® sessions can help to tune up your body’s energy, can help to release emotions stored in the body (which can lead to illness), can boost your immunity and vitality, and can leave you feeling calm, energized and totally rejuvenated. Many of my clients report that they “feel like an entirely new person” after receiving a session from me. For more information about making an appointment, click here to go to our website.
Tags: flu, Health, herbal medicine
I heart Ginger
This month, despite careful hand washing and herbal preventative care, I fell prey to a nasty stomach virus. Or it could have been food poisoning, due to eating Thanksgiving leftovers that had been left out a little too long. (Good thing I don’t have to see or smell another stuffed turkey for at least one year!)
One herbal ally played an important role in nursing me back to health: ginger, the fabulous tropical root. Warming and spicy, ginger is one of the best all-around remedies for digestive upset caused by unwanted bacteria or viruses. Ginger is anti-spasmodic and anti-microbial and has a strong affinity to the digestive tract and is great for relieving nausea, diarrhea, indigestion, gas, and intestinal cramping. It is good at warming up the body and can be used for poor circulation and cold hands and feet. It is also warming to the uterus and can be helpful with menstrual cramping due to congestion. Because of its anti-nausea effect, ginger has also gained attention for being helpful for motion sickness.
There are many ways to ingest ginger! You can decoct (gently boil) a piece of the fresh root for 20 minutes to make a strong tea. I like to add 1/4- 1/2 tsp of powdered ginger to hot water to make an instant cup of tea. For nausea, it sometimes helps to suck on a small piece of the fresh root. I have found candied ginger to also be helpful for nausea.
Here are some more specific ginger recipes for the stomach flu:
Ginger-echinacea tea for stomach virus or food poisoning
1 tsp echinacea tincture
1/4 tsp powdered ginger root or tincture of ginger
Add ingredients to your favorite tea mug. Cover with boiling water, allow to steep for a few minutes. Best to drink hot.
Alternative Recipe:
3 TBS echinacea root
3 TBS fresh ginger root
4 cups water.
Add ingredients to pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and drink hot.
For diarrhea, add 1 tsp blackberry root tincture or 2 TSP blackberry root to either recipe.
Ginger Honey Recipe
Fill small jar with lots of chopped or grated fresh ginger.
Cover with honey.
Store in cool dark place for 2 weeks.
It’s ready to eat! You can scoop it out of the jar and add to warm water or enjoy a spoonful by itself.
Whole Foods Ginger Tonic Recipe
Thanks to my sister, who figured out this recipe.
Ingredients:
Fresh ginger root
Limes or lime juice
Agave nectar
Chop big piece of fresh ginger root.
Add to pot with 1 quart water.
Simmer gently for at least one hour.
Cool, then blend the contents of the pot (ginger and water).
Strain and add lime juice and agave juice to your taste.
Garlic, Garlic, Garlic!
With all the media attention to the H1N1 virus, everyone is talking about remedies for preventing the flu. One of my favorite herbal allies for the cold & flu season is garlic.
Garlic has anti-microbial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. With a strong affinity for the respiratory system, garlic has been traditionally used for colds, flu, sore throats, coughs, and respiratory infections. Garlic has also been used for earaches, parasites, intestinal infections, fungal infections and weak digestion. Garlic also has great benefits to the circulatory system as it helps with impaired blood circulation and also helps to lower both cholesterol and blood pressure.
When I feel the first signs of a cold I start eating lots of raw garlic- up to one clove 3-5 X/ day. Garlic needs to be consumed raw to keep its anti-microbial benefits. My favorite thing to do is to cut it up and put on toast or on top of my food.
To lessen garlic breath, chew on some fresh parsley or cilantro. Personally, I like the smell of garlic! For children and for people to whom garlic can be irritating to the digestive tract, a nice way to consume garlic is to make garlic honey, syrup or fire cider. For babies and small children, mash several cloves of garlic, mix with olive oil and tape to the soles of the feet. Cover with socks and leave on for a few hours or overnight. The garlic is absorbed through the skin and moves quickly to the respiratory tract.
GARLIC HONEY
You will need: A jar, lots of garlic (2-3 heads), and honey.
Chop up or press the garlic and fill the jar.
Pour enough honey over the garlic to cover it. (Garlic may float to the top)
Cover, place in a cool, dark spot for 2 weeks.
Your garlic honey is ready. You may eat directly, or mix into some warm water. Enjoy!
ENCHANTED GARLIC SYRUP (From A Kid’s Herb Book by Lesley Tierra)
“This syrup is especially good for stubborn coughs, bronchitis, penumonia, mucus and lung congestion due to coldness (when there is clear to white mucus).”
Mix together thoroughly:
1/2 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is preferable
1/2 cup water
5 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp grated ginger or 1/4 tsp ginger powder
a dash of cayenne powder
1/2 cup honey
Take in teaspoon doses every two hours or as needed.
FIRE CIDER
Ingredients: Garlic, ginger, onions, horseradish, cayenne, mustard seeds, black pepper, honey.
Mix together in equal parts (or adjust to your liking):
Lots of garlic
Lots of ginger
Lots of onions
Lots of horseradish
Optional ingredients: Cayenne powder, mustard seeds, black peppercorns.
Chop, mince or grate all the fresh herbs. Fill into a glass jar.
Add additional ingredients.
Cover with apple cider vinegar.
Sit in a cool dark place for one month. Shake daily.
Strain, add one part honey to 3 parts of the vinegar mixture to help preserve.
Drink 1 tsp daily as a tonic. Increase to 3 X/ day when feel first signs of a cold.
Can be taken when you have a cold with cold symptoms (feel cold, clear runny mucus). Not recommended when you have fever and signs of heat (yellow mucus).
Tags: garlic, garlic recipes
10 Tips to Stay Healthy this Fall Season
1. Slow Down. Winter is for slowing down, taking time to rest and drawing our focus inward. Take time to read, write, be creative, cook yummy foods and to rest.
2. Sleep More. People need on average 8 hours of sleep per night. Most people are getting less. Lack of sleep can contribute to many physical and emotional disorders including depression, anxiety, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
3. Avoid Processed Sugar. Refined sugar (including corn syrup) is very inflammatory. Inflammation in the body is the leading cause of many diseases, including heart disease, arthritis, asthma, colitis and chronic pain. A sugar binge can depress your immune system and make you more susceptible to getting sick.
4. Listen to your dreams. When we pay attention to our dreams, they can advise us and guide us about our physical, emotional and spiritual health. Find a dream journal, keep it next to your bed and jot down your dreams when you wake up.
5. Do what you love. Happiness releases serotonin in our brains, which naturally boosts our immune system. Happiness is good for your health!
6. Spend time in nature. Breathe fresh air, watch birds, feel the ocean breeze….
7. Elderberries. Elderberry brandy is a traditional wintertime tonic. Science has demonstrated that elderberries help protect the cell walls against viral attack. Daily consumption of Elderberry cordial can help prevent both flus and the common cold. Ancestral Apothecary sells Elderberry Cordial.
8. Exercise regularly. Exercise boosts both our mood and our immune systems. Find some kind of exercise that you enjoy. It’s best when it is something you look forward to doing!
9. Medicinal Mushrooms. Medicinal fungi like Reishi, Shitake and Maitake mushrooms are amazing allies for our health. Mushrooms boost the immune system and help both to prevent and treat many chronic illnesses, including cancer. Eating a few mushrooms (always cook them) every day or taking a Power Mushroom extract can boost your overall health tremendously.
10. Give thanks. If you need inspiration, check out this great website: www.gratefulness.org.
Tags: Health, immune system
Adaptogens, Herbal Allies for Stressful Times
As a clinical herbalist, one of my favorite categories of herbs are the adaptogens. I love adaptogens because they help us to adapt to all kinds of stress, including physical stress, emotional stress, and environmental stress. This means that they help the human body to adapt and better handle the stresses we face everyday, from being stuck in rush hour traffic, to a fight with our boss, to being exposed to countless toxins in our food, air and water.
“Adaptogen” is a term that was coined by a Soviet scientists in 1968. At this time in Soviet history, the Soviet Academy of Science was given an assignment to create a product that would help increase the performance of its top athletes, dancers, cosmonauts and military class. Their research led to an extensive study of herbal medicines that could help optimize the potential of the human body.
The first modern definition of adaptogen, as defined by Soviet scientist Nikolai Lazarev is:
1. An adaptogen is nontoxic to the recipient.
2. The adaptogen produces a nonspecific response in the body- an increase in the power of resistance against multiple stressors including physical, chemical or biological agents.
3. An adaptogen has a normalizing influence on physiology, irrespective of the direction of change from physiological norms caused by the stressor.
Modern adaptogens include plants and fungi that have been held in highest regard in different cultures for thousands of years. They include Siberian Ginseng (eleutherococcus), Reishi Mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum), Ashwaghanda (Withania somnifera), American ginseng (Panax quinqefolius), Asian Ginseng (Panax ginseng), Schizandra (Schisandra chinensis) and Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea).
An excellent book on adaptogens is Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief, by David Winston and Steven Maimes. They cover the history of adaptogens and the physiology of stress and how adaptogens work in the body. The book also covers in depth many of the modern adaptogenic herbs and talks about how to use them in clinical herbal practice. I love this book and consider it one of my most treasured herbal referenced.
Tags: Adaptogens, herbal medicine, stress
Flower Essences for Healing, Recovery & the 12 Steps
This post is based on a workshop I taught on Flower Essences for Recovery at the Mandana House in Oakland, CA.
Flower Essences are a form of vibrational or energetic medicine. They address the emotional, mental, and spiritual components of wellness. By connecting the individual to the spirit of Nature, flower essences help awaken the beneficial and healing qualities within us. Flower essence remedies are safe and effective for adults, children, the elderly, animals and plants.
Rescue Remedy/ Five Flower Formula
Crisis: Desert Emergency Formula- Encourage calmness and stability in any time of shock, trauma, stress, or injury. Great for all levels of recovery, whenever in place of extreme stress, transition, or crisis.
Cherry Plum- For fear of nervous breakdown, or losing control of the mind. Helps one to connect and surrender to their Higher Self/Higher Power. (To “Let Go and Let God”.)
Sweet Chestnut- For the “dark night of the soul.” Helps cultivate courage, as well as and faith and trust in a Higher Power/Goddess/God/Spirit World. Indicated when one has reached “rock bottom” in their addiction.
Self-Heal- To connect to one’s innate ability to heal. Helps cultivate a strong sense of wellness. For taking responsibility for one’s healing.
Sacred Datura- For disintegration of a known form of reality. Feeling as if your being/identity is dissolving. To help see beyond one’s present view of reality to a much more expanded state.
Angelica- For connecting with one’s Higher Power/Higher Self, as well as benevolent angels and spirit guides in one’s life.
Centaury- For an unhealthy need to serve or please others, a remedy for those working with co-dependence.
Sticky Monkeyflower- For deep fear of intimacy and sexuality, which can manifest as either sexual addiction or anorexia. Helps build balanced integration of human warmth and sexual intimacy.
California Poppy- For those who are attracted to the glamour of spiritual highs that come from outside of the Self. For addiction to narcotic and hallucinogenic drugs, materialism, and fame. For cultivating a true spirituality centered in one’s heart.
Black-eyed Susan- For penetrating insight into the painful and buried aspects of personality. Cultivates ability to consciously acknowledge all aspects of self, including the “shadow”.
Holly- Remedy for a closed heart. For jealousy, suspicion, anger. Opens the heart, develops compassion.
Willow- For feeling resentful, bitter, like one is a victim. Encourages acceptance and taking personal responsibility for one’s life.
Pine- For guilt and self-blame. Promotes self-acceptance and forgiveness.
Mimulus- For known fears, and shyness. Helps with courage and confidence.
Mariposa Lily- For healing emotional wounds around childhood, especially issues around mother and mothering.
Saguaro Cactus- For feeling powerless, and not trusting one’s inner wisdom. Helps us access our deepest inner wisdom. The “true father” remedy that helps us to empower ourselves.
Scarlet Monkeyflower- For repression and fear of intense emotions, such as rage and powerlessness.
Buttercup- For low self-esteem issues. To cultivate self love, and a knowing of one’s inner beauty.
Wild Oat- For finding one’s true calling and vocation. For developing a life and work that is a true expression of one’s inner values.
California Wild Rose- A remedy for apathy. For enthusiastic love for and service to All Our Relations.
Iris- For creativity and divine inspiration. A remedy for feeling dull and uninspired.
Administering Flower Essences
How do I use Flower Essences?
The most common way to take flower essences is directly from a dosage bottle. A common dosage is to take 4 drops 4 times/day. We can take a single flower essence at once, or in combination with other flower essences or herbs.
Another way to use flower essences is to add seven drops into a mister bottle. In this way, we can mist our home or office environment with our flower essences. By adding essential oils to the mister bottles we enhance our flower essences with the benefits of aromatherapy.
For topical use, add 4-7 drops of flower essences to your favorite cream, lotion, or massage oil. You can also apply the essences directly to the skin.
Flower essences are safe and effective for adults, children, infants, animals and plants. Animals and children are especially sensitive to the healing energies of flower essences. For children, add 1-4 drops of flower essences to juice or water. For animals, add 1-4 drops to their food or drinking water. Essences can also be applied topically to skin or fur. For plants, add flower essences to watering can. Diseased or injured plants, as well as transplants all benefit from Rescue Remedy. Mist with flower essences in the home environment of the animal, child or plant.
SHAKE WELL! Always shake your flower essences before taking. Shaking helps activate the energy of the flower essence. As I like to say, shaking the dosage bottle wakes up the sleeping flower fairies and lets them know it’s time for work.
