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Zero deaths caused by herbs

So many people suffer from what I have termed “phyto-phobia”….. a paranoid suspicion that medicinal plants will cause harm or death.

Well here’s the proof from US National Poison data that those suspicious are absolutely untrue! By contrast, pharmaceutical drugs cause over 100,000 deaths per year. That number doesn’t even take into consideration the hundreds of thousands of people who suffer from sever “side effects” of medications, including common over the counter drugs like NSAIDS.

To be honest, I think the phyto-phobia hysteria is intentionally fueled by the super toxic and dangerous pharmaceutical drug companies, but that’s another story.

Read the longer report in Natural News here.

Loving Lemon Balm, Part 1

Spring is here and the Lemon Balm is flourishing in my garden. Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) is in the mint family and a common weed in the Bay Area. It looks like a mint, but the leaves when crushed give off a lovely lemony scent.

Lemon balm is a great herb to introduce to your garden. It is easy to grow, (as a weed, it needs virtually no care) and it has a broad range of medicinal value. It has so many applications that I am dedicating two blogs to its uses.

USES FOR LEMON BALM, PART 1

• Lemon Balm is a nervine, which means it is a nourishing tonic to your nervous system. Taking lemon balm has a very centering, grounding & calming effect. It can help relieve anxiety and worry and even can help back off a panic attack.

• Lemon Balm also can help to lift your spirits and is mildly anti-depressant.

• In the digestive tract, lemon balm is also very useful. It helps with gas and intestinal spasms, colic in babies, & tension in the gut. Lemon balm can also ease a headache you get from eating too much or from eating food that you are allergic or intolerant too.

• Lemon Balm is a great herb for women too. It helps to regulate and balance the menstrual cycle. With its nervine properties, it is also helpful in PMS. In menopause, lemon balm can be combined with motherwort and used to aid hot flashes, night sweats and heart palpitations. Lemon Balm is also safe for pregnant women.

HOW CAN YOU USE LEMON BALM?

Lemon balm makes a great tea or tincture. You can make a tea of the fresh leaves, or dry and store them for future use. I prefer the taste of lemon balm tea from leaves slightly wilted or dry.

The best way to tincture lemon balm is from the fresh plant.

Lemon balm is also great for baths. It is a very healing plant and I have prescribed it in baths for women suffering sexual trauma.

Lemon Balm Aromatherapy: Just pick some lemon balm, rub it in your palms, and inhale! Its lovely lemon scent will pick up your spirits and clear you mind.

To be continued……stay tuned for more uses on Lemon Balm!

Read the rest of this entry »

Ancestral Apothecary Gifts and Specials

Give the Gift of Health this Season.

“I have spent the last two years deeply immersed in a physical, emotional and spiritual healing process. I have arrived at the other end of this journey strong, happy, clear and peaceful thanks to Atava’s magical hands and the brilliant herbal allies she introduced me to.”
Miakoda, Healing and Transformation Consultant

Gift Certificates Available

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.

December Special with Ancestral Apothecary

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

Featured Product of the Month: Siete Flores

Siete Flores is inspired by the traditional Mexican remedio Siete Azares, which is a tea made of seven flower blossoms and traditionally used for relaxation. I created Siete Flores also from seven flowers: four herbal flower blossoms and three flower essences. The herbal ingredients include passionflower, chamomile, scullcap and magnolia blossoms. These four herbs are called herbal nervines which are herbs that nourish and calm the nervous system. They are helpful with stress, tension, anxiety, insomnia, PMS, and many other nervous system disorders.

The other ingredients in Siete Flores include the flower essence of California Wild Rose, which helps to open our hearts and to feel love and joy. The flower essence Angelica connects us to our spirit guides and guardian angels, thus helping us to feel more protected, guided and comforted. The flower essence of California Wild Valerian is deeply calming and relaxing. This is a very special plant that grows wild in the Sierras but rarely blooms. We came across this plant a few years ago on an herb trip and had a lovely afternoon making this special flower essence.

Siete Flores is a remedy to calm your nerves, nourish your spirit, and to uplift your heart. It is a perfect remedy for the emotional challenges of this wintertime season. It can be useful for seasonal depression, stress, and the feeling of grief and loss that often comes up for people around this time of year. To order on-line, click here.

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.

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).

Tulsi Distillation Project

I have been very excited to discover Floracopeia, an essential oil company that integrates spirituality, ecology, fair trade practices and healing into its business. This weekend I will be attending their retreat, “In the Garden of Medicine Buddha,” and we will be making an essential oil distillation of Holy Basil, or Tulsi.

Tulsi is a wonderful plant for physical healing and spiritual growth and development. It has been held sacred in India for thousands of years. It is also an adaptogen and has many healing effects on the body. It benefits the respiratory system and can help with chronic asthma and allergies. Tulsi also benefits the mind and can help with memory and cognitive skills. According to herbalist David Winston, Tulsi is exceptionally beneficial for the kind of brain fog that one gets from smoking too much pot. On an energetic level, tulsi can help to balance the energy in the seven chakras. Tulsi is also anti-depressant and can work well in combination with other herbs to help lift the spirits.

Tulsi should not be used by pregnant women, women trying to get pregnant or by people with hypothyroid.

For more about all the wonderful Floracopeia oils and global projects, click on the picture link below.

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.

Elderberries

Where I live in Northern California, we are at the end of our elderberry season. They started ripening in early August. Last weekend I found a tree that still had some beautiful, blue-black elderberries.

Blue or black elderberries (Sambucus nigra)have traditionally been made into wine, brandy and cordials. It has long been a folk remedy for good health. Folks made their elderberry brandy in the late summer and sipped it throughout the winter. Recently, science has discovered that elderberries protect the cell wall against viral attack. That means they can help to protect your body against any virus, including H1N1.

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