"Oak. Silence. Time. I bet it's not a far stretch for you to consider how well Oak, Silence, and Time know one another. It's an easy leap considering Oak can live a thousand years or more and stand in one place, sometimes deep in the obscured mystery of the forest. It is this very thing that strikes me first whenever I walk up to an elderly tree and I instantly, as if it's an innate reflex, enter silence and an altered sense of time. 

There is this syncopated rhythmic resonance orchestrated by Nature that still creates a vibrational hum in The-Silent-No-Time-Place-Of-Now. OAK is there. OAK knows the silence and the hum behind the silence. It’s behind the sound of birds, and insects, and animals as they sing with the trees on the wind. The human heart knows this resonance too. It trusts it instinctually and can follow the hum in pilgrimage to a destination unseen, even unknown, and yet like the migration of our genes in order to support life, the heart knows things. Inexplicable things like the silence and hum that OAK knows.

We’re all faced with the challenge of designing a life that integrates making plans and attempting to steer our own personal greatness while navigating by the stars and the planets as we attempt to find comfort within being guided by the mysterious. The modern mind gets distraught as it senses its limits. It relays this discomfort to the body sometimes too. Maybe it's a way to ease the intensity of the mind? But still the heart knows that resonant hum of a universal guidance system. We must slow down to make the leaps. It’s a paradoxical reconciliation that feeds our resiliency, our ability to show again, and again. There will be more on this from OAK on innate and cultivated resiliency..

Are you opposed to it? Do you seek it? What is it actually if truth reigns around the existence of a constant resonant hum behind it? To keep silent and to be in silence takes tremendous strength. We are the keeper and/or the seeker of silence depending on our conditions. What we hold while silent becomes mysteriously hidden and protected, out of sight or ear shot, away from scrutiny or judgement, and even thwarts disintegration and death sometimes which can be a necessary and good medicine. To retreat to silence and sit within the resonant hum brings another set of challenges. The psyche loves it, and yet not. It will test our resolve, our strength, and our ability to remain with silence by throwing iron monkey wrenches into the wind generated turbines of life just to see what happens.

There is this pivotal moment or that still point place at the very bottom of a ship where the sea-sick seek peace from the motions of the waves. That place for the seeker. And there's that place where the keeper of silence is challenged to stay silent too or honor the overwhelming urge to speak, to take a stand, to honor a confrontation, or ignite a worthy argument and even risk death. If we pilgrimage well with our soul in time, will the keeper of silence learn the path of least resistance from the resonant hum of Nature in The-Silent-No-Time Place-Of-Now, and speak well? I pray for this. The seeker of silence and the keeper of silence hold a similar set of challenges that at first appear to be different. I wonder if they are one in the same at the soul level? What do you think?
​

After years of making Elderberry syrups and elixirs I find Fresh or Fresh Frozen Elderberries are the 'secret ingredient' for a super charged syrup. Should your good fortune include fresh berries landing into your hands, pluck them from the stems and flash freeze them on cookie sheets (takes about 1 hour) and then fill your labeled freezer containers. If you need a recipe, I got you covered here. If you only have dried, this is good too and noted in the recipe. A simple request to Elder along with some deep honoring and seeking will draw these black beauties to you in good time. And I got you covered should you decide to delegate the making for your home apothecary to me. I'm always honored to provide when Elder is abundant here. Blessed this year with 30 quarts from this beauty I've been walking with for over a decade now. It's a tenuous thing from year to year. No guarantees ever, like any relationship. But I show up no matter what. Listening is probably the most important thing in our plant relationships too. ElderMoon's Bee Blessed Elderberry Elixir is in stock for your winter needs to keep microbial boundaries strong, fluids running clear, and vitality boosted.

Super passionate here about recipe sharing and honoring creating space for our creative input to riff off of a good solid recipe. This recipe has evolved numerous times and is the current working recipe we lean on until change comes and inspires a new twist. It will. Inspiration always comes. Keep it close in your apothecary and enjoy! Please share your riffs too. I LOVE hearing about what plants inspire you, nudge change, and direct your formula.  

​INGREDIENTS:
2 cups fresh/frozen elderberries (1 cup dried if that's all you have)
2 1/2 cups water
1 inch ginger root fresh, sliced thin
1 lime zested and juiced
2 sticks of cinnamon bark
1 cup wildflower honey
4 tablespoons (2oz.) elecampane root tincture (or a lung herb you love)
4 tablespoons (2oz.) elderberry tincture (or immune herb you love)
​
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine elderberries, water, cinnamon, and ginger root in a pot and bring a gentle simmer uncovered for 35-45 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
2. Once lukewarm strain through a sieve and press all the juice as best you can from the berries.
3. Stir in honey, tinctures, and lime juice. Label, date, keep refrigerated, and shake well before dosing. Good for 3 months.

Options: A straight good brandy can be added for the tinctures. Herbal infused vinegars or straight apple cider vinegar can be added instead of tinctures but I suggest using up within 1 month.

Dosing: 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per day. Increase dosing to 1 tablespoon every 4 hours while awake with signs and symptoms of microbial invasions.

Enjoy! May you be blessed with abundance from Elder in all the magical ways that the medicine comes when we're in need and when we can share the overflow. 
Much Love, Jen

psst... and should you feel the call to get closer to Elder, have a peek at our plant diet planned for 2019. 

Thank you for landing here. I decided to revisit and revise this article a little here and there - timestamp is 1/5/25 and LADY'S MANTLE is the "Plant for the Year of 2025" in my world.

I'll share with you why. For starters, it's arrived in my dreams.  

I'm pretty sure I lack memories of life without Lady’s Mantle.
​
Lady's Mantle has been among all the gardens I've ever lived with and tended since before I could speak.

It’s hard to describe the feeling too when you sit still near this one. Key words rise up, like...

Expansive. Subtle. Redirection. Steady. Persistent. Transformation. Change. Prime Directives. Begin Again. 

Lady's Mantle is easily over looked and was far more popular in the past with an astounding lineage that’s walked with humans for a very long time. Science says it has ‘insignificant green flowers’. This always makes me chuckle. Corn, Nettles and Mugwort are in this group too. Need I say more about how these beauties are far from insignificant on any level of existence. More likely it means they are wind pollinated and so the do not need showy flowers for attracting pollinators which is ‘better science language’, eh? Wind pollinated. Let's feel into this. The need to ride on the great winds of Earth in order to recreate. Mmmm.... Let's look deeper into the potent, humble, unassuming presence of Lady's Mantle. 

Traditionally Alchemilla was considered one of the very best wound healing herbs, even for infected wounds and cases of gangrene. We don't often see Lady's Mantle on plant lists for wound care today, but it's worth noting if you have it near already or plan to invite it close.  Most likely the wound healing properties are due largely to its rich tannin content. Tannins give plants their astringent or binding qualities that when applied to the skin, make it a valuable remedy for healing skin abrasions.  Astringency has an overall drying effect on tissue, drawing it together. Astringency can act also as a styptic too, which works to slow or stop bleeding and can also be beneficial for tissues that are lacking tone, such as in long term festering wound.

The body is continuously trying to stop germs from getting deeper into our tissues and bodies. When we have fetid boggy wounds, this water environment is excessively so and a perfect breeding ground for germs to thrive, multiply and travel for new resources. Astringency is an action the dries this kind of thing up and reminds our tissues on how to be well, strong and resilient. 

Matthew Woods, in his book Healing Wise, speaks to healing ruptured ear drums that remain open by massaging tincture around the ear and taking internally. Please do not drip anything into the ear canal if the drum is ruptured. Matt also shares stories of healing hernias with Lady's Mantle infusions or tincture taken internally. I would consider rubbing the tincture over the hernia as well for the medicine moves through the skin to the membranes that need tone and tightening, thanks to these astringency qualities. Tightening and toning tissue integrity is part of the potency of Lady's Mantle as a medicine. I'd consider this for post surgical care as well where the body has been cut deeply and is in the process of healing this. Surgery is always a scheduled or emergent "wound" by nature if we were to ask your body. Even when needed it is a wounding that needs tending. 

Lady’s Mantle has developed a reputation in current herbal repertories as being mainly a “women’s reproductive system herb.” For the purposes of this discussion I'll use the term “female” to refer to organs commonly known as the uterus, ovaries and breasts without assigning gender. Lady’s Mantle supports the well being in many conditions relating to female reproductive organs and issues.

Lady’s Mantle is an ally for an array of menstrual conditions including staunching excessive menstrual blood flow (menorrhagia), irregular menstrual bleeding at times in between menstruation (metrorrhagia or "spotting" mid-cycle), excessive vaginal discharge like in yeast infections, vaginitis and other issues of discharge, for menstrual cramping when there is a dull achy pain caused by congestion, sometimes called a “boggy” quality to the uterus. Fibroids, endometriosis, kidney, ovarian and breast cystic conditions respond well to Lady's mantel in formulation. 
​
Lady's Mantle is an emmenagogue (menstrual promoting) and is taken to promote a regular cyclic menstrual flow.  This could be seen as counter intuitive due to its astringent actions.  Lady’s Mantle, like many other plants, possess these miraculous regulatory abilities due to most likely a profound effect on the endocrine system where such things are organized. Lady's Mantle also has a reputation for easing menopausal symptoms like mood swings, hot flashes, and night sweats.​ Matthew Wood gives the constitutional indications, meaning the typical picture of the person needing Lady’s Mantle, as “the pale, anemic, sensitive woman with prominent blue veins and moist skin” as well as the indicators of “nervousness, agitation, insomnia and mood swings.” 

During my time running with the midwives for home-birthing mothers, we found the tea of the leaves and flowers sipped throughout the weeks post-partum also assisted the uterus to regain its natural inherent tone. It's a specific herb when there are prolapsed organs, like the uterus or bladder, post birth. In this case, I recommend both drinking the tea daily and preparing a sitz bath 1-2x/day a day with Lady’s Mantle (plus Rosemary and Lavender flowers in equal parts) while drinking infusions of Lady's Mantel leaf and flower too.

There are times when a woman enters a period of disappointment around how her birth process unfolded. Lady’s Mantle not only helps us to heal emotionally from this but also from any disappointments we experience as a human born woman. Lady's Mantle always supports healing from trauma, past or present, related to our “female” organs. Women have found emotional support from Lady’s Mantle after abortion, miscarriage and also for working through issues of sexual trauma, or generalized misogynistic oppression experienced just by being born a woman. Many of these unresolved emotions move for a woman during pregnancy and after giving birth. These kinds of stored trauma emotions also begin to move with invasive medical procedures to the reproductive system, as well as when we are ready at any time in life to heal such things. They body will hold it for only so long in silence. These traumas move in search of healing due to the powerful creative forces that move through the pelvis and breasts as we create and birth our children, or through any transformational experience where we die to the old and birth ourselves to the newer version of who we are. These become self-healing opportunities for women and Lady's Mantle proves to be a gentle and potent ally for navigation that can be intense sometimes.

​Lady’s Mantle promotes emphatic engagement with life and our surroundings. It helps us push past boundaries that may be restrictive, get outside our comfort zone and find a way to forge a way. It dissolves apathy, boredom and the doldrums, and helps us feel energetic, cheered up and excited. It revitalizes our childlike essence, giving us a fresh perspective on what we’re experiencing today.

It has a Winter into Spring energy. There can be no rushing through these seasonal shifts - be it physical or metaphoric. To rush spring is fall on our face and exhaust ourselves. The fine art of pacing is embodied within Lady's Mantle. Divine time is the time signature here with Lady's Mantle. After having endured many challenges, you are ready for spring. And—you are ready to spring forward and not be held back in any way. Projects that may have slogged along and bogged you down are ready for a fresh infusion of energy. You may have felt limited or slowed down, and you are now ready to break free of all boundaries and pioneer a new path.

It can facilitate a more outgoing, uninhibited approach in areas you might previously have kept under wraps or been more conservative. Just as a flower leaps out of the ground in spring, Lady’s Mantle helps us conjure up and express joyful, fresh energy from within ourselves, helping us expand in unique new ways.

Lady's Mantle is an easy to grow perennial making it a sustainable and invaluable herb to incorporate into our apothecaries and practices. The tea from the leaves is delicious. It has a rich taste with a delicious and very slight bitter flavor that I find many can quickly learn to love, if not instantly love, because their body knows this is needed. Harvest leaves and flower late morning and they are easy to dry through a dehydrator or hung in bundles, which I might add are incredibly gorgeous to have hanging around!

Flowers bloom here, in the Northeast from June to July and if cut, a second bloom often occurs. Herbalists love 'bumper crops' for they make for tending an apothecary well. Lady's Mantle likes to be well watered, prefers fertile soil, thrives in partial shade to full sun, and is hardy in zones 5 to 9. This plant is steady and gently yet boldly arrives year after year in an unassuming way. I have an entire row along the entrance of the first bed of our main garden here with back drops of Meadowsweet, interspersed with Rue and Anise Hyssop. It worked itself into quite a gorgeous crew of plants I equally love to greet each time I open the garden gate. 

Latin Name: Alchemilla vulgaris of the Rosaceae family. Lady’s mantle is one of the 3,000 species within the Rosaceae (rose) family.
Medicinal Parts: Leaf & Flower

Medicinal Actions: Astringent, Mild Bitter, Stomachic, Vulnerary, Emmenagogue (brings on a bleed), Reproductive Tonic (especially for in between menses spotting), Renal System Tonic, Mild Diuretic

Medicinal Preparations Include: dried for infusions and bathing, tinctures, infused vinegars and oxymels, and flower essence.

Dosing Suggestions: 1 quart of infusion daily or 30-60 drops of tincture 3x/day is standard for more acute to long term dosing for months for the more physical conditions. Three drops of tincture 2x/day would be considered a homeopathic dose which proves to have profound effects as well, particularly when we are aware of the symptoms being rooted in our emotional, mental, and spiritual conditions of the more subtle bodies. Addressed here, physical healing can be rather quick but again is very personal and based on your journey through a condition where you would be seeking healing.

Flower Essences can be taken for the same reasons as the low dose tincture. Bathing is simple by creating a yoni steam or sitz bath with a strong infusion or pouring 1-2 cups of infusion into the bathtub for a good soak. One can float some leaves and flowers in the bath as well or add 3 drops of tincture or flower essence to your bath.

The Dew Drops: Then there's sipping the dew drops as a magical essence straight from the leaves in the morning. Yes, an ancient practice where the essence of Lady's Mantle beads out at the tips of the leaves as water droplets and slides into the cup like structure of the leaves while mixing with the magical forces of the water in the air that has condensed onto the leaf's surface. This was considered, and still is among many healers, an anointing holy water, a magical holy water for sipping and was gathered by medicine makers in ancient times and combined into physical medicines for healing.

“We lady's mantles really like it cool. So we invented what plant lovers call ‘guttation’: I can produce and collect little droplets of water with my leaves. So the evaporation of water droplets helps me to cool down. Quite refreshing, I can tell you. And this true of my medicine as well, cooling with plenty of fluid reorganization.” - Gurudas

Our time here would fail to be complete for me if shied away from and ignored the spiritual qualities of this blessed beauty, Lady's Mantle. 

So as we venture along our plants-as-healers path, we are often asked to revisit (or get newly acquainted) with one that jumps up and enchants. The alchemist within Lady’s Mantle has caught my heart, again. It has medicine in the form of support for the now of where we all are. Let’s listen deeper for the medicine of walking with and embracing change. Lady’s Mantle embodies elegance and strength. This low growing perennial plant has ruffled scalloped bluish green leaves that are finely toothed at the edges and covered with soft fine hairs and a slight waxy coating. It's flowering stalks, or racemes, at first glance appear like three dimensional lace bearing tiny star-like yellow green flowers. It can take part and full sun and grows well tucked near larger plants or as borders along stone. Here Lady's Mantle, at one foot tall, stands her tiny ground with massive plants just as potent. She's compact and potent. Let's never let small in size impress upon us a meaning of lacking potency or strength. This thinking has no footing in the plant world.

Most notable, Lady's mantle has an exquisite ability to funnel and collect morning dew upon its leaves, which persists well into the day when all other dew has long since evaporated. The edges of the leaves show this beading up of transpired water from the internal waters of the plants tissue to mix with the moisture from the air that is settling upon the leaves and the shape of the leaf functions like a bowl or vessel to hold this transformed water.

The water preserved on its velvety leaves was used for alchemical distillations, which amplified the healing powers of other plants. The “mantle” refers to a women’s protective cloak, and (in the words of Nicholas Culpeper, a seventeenth-century physician and author of The Complete Herbal), “Venus claims the herb as her own”, meaning that it had long been perceived as a cure-all for the full range of “women’s problems”.

This plant is called “alchemilla”, which means “little alchemist” in Latin. 

Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) is rich in symbolism. The soft, cloak-like leaves were thought to resemble the mantle of the Divine Feminine, associating it with notions of femininity, protective fierceness, and holiness. In medieval gardens, the herb was also a symbol of purity and the divine. 

As stated, this substance is woven back in time to a long lineage of medicine making people who knew its potency and so gathered, sipped, anointed, and mixed it with remedies to be taken for healing. It is 'Holy Water' for many. It's a personal choice to consider or even state such things for herbalists today.  

Lady's Mantle meets us where we are with gentle guidance through nurture. It supports transformation or change but without any sort of push or nudge. More of a coaxing is my way of understanding the actions. There is a redirection of forces, energies, even fluids on the physical level, in order to support this. Support through the hang-over or cyclic replay of any sort of trauma is assured. Real change from the deeper levels is where Lady's Mantle works well. There is a balancing and enhancement of the Solar and Lunar aspects of our souls. Solar masculine-feminine relations and Lunar feminine-masculine relations along with how these relationships enter a larger dance with our Solar and Lunar cyclic nature. 

As a spiritual medicine, remember the "less is more" phenomena. Dose in micro dose or homeopathic amounts as this vibrational medicine is more easily read by the subtler bodies where real change happens. 

Ways To Dose:
- 3 drops of fresh tincture in your water for the day sipped. 
- add fresh tincture and water in a 1:1 ration to a spray bottle. Mist as often as you need or want to your body or space. Yes, you can add an ally essential oil for aroma if you like.
- Sip one cup of tea daily and meditate with Lady's Mantle while you enjoy this. 
- Prepare tea for baths, foot soaks, pelvic steams, sitz baths, compresses of the face or a facial steam (great for skin!).
- Bring tea to add to your sauna water for splashing the rocks in there. 
- Take the Flower Essence Daily.  
- Grow it. Invite it to your garden where you can live together and harvest fresh flowers, leaves for tea and even morning magical dew. Cultivate the relationship slowly like any good relationship building happens. 

We go into deeper discussions with our archived Monthly Herbal Council dedicated to Lady's Mantle from 7/2018. If interested in further learning on how support is given with the medicine of Lady's Mantle, see my patreon and newly formed substack where folks get access to the archived recording of this council from the ElderMoon School Library.

Send along questions you have.

From my apothecary to yours... I have fresh leaf and flower Lady's Mantle Tincture HERE and Lady's Mantle Flower Essence HERE if you're in need.​

Thank you for traveling through.  Much Love and Safe Journey, Jen

Our parallel lives with plants play out in so many ways. Each plant has a big handful of qualities where it can help for nourishment and healing. Then they have a small handful of qualities that really shine and help direct the medicine more deeply. And then, if we look with a more discerning eye, there are those 3-4 qualities where we know them to be true masters for healing. One could hope, as a human, that we do the same through our walk here and hone a few innate qualities that would be our soul gift to the world.

Elecampane is a master of physical medicine for respiratory, skin, and gut support and as a soul and spirit medicine for seeking our way back home. For tapping into what is true for each of us. Abundant, yes, and maybe a little off the beaten path, come wander a little with me as we shine some love on this torch carrier for the soul.

​Medicinal Parts & Growth Habit:
Root - dig in fall. Perennial

Elecampane is the richest source of inulin. The amount of inulin varies according to the season, but is more abundant in the autumn which is why I also dig Burdock roots in the fall (biennial) versus 2nd year spring as it too has a good inulin component to it's roots. Inulin is a bulking agent, encourages growth of beneficial gut flora, tones mucosa linings, and helps with the dynamic and complex balancing of blood sugar through good communications between the GI tract, the blood, the pancreas, and the liver.

Medicinal Actions:
Diuretic, tonic, diaphoretic, expectorant, alterative, antiseptic, astringent, gently stimulant/blood mover. It was given by the ancients in phthisis (old word for pulmonary tuberculosis), in dropsy (old word for edema/swelling), and in many if not all skin disorders. So we think of the GI tract, lungs and throat, liver, and the skin for internal and external treatments, The name 'scabwort' arose from the fact that a decoction of it is said to cure sheep affected with the scab, and the name 'Horse-heal' was given from its virtues in curing the many skin diseases of horses. We can apply it similarly as humans for skin conditions as a wound wash or compress. 

Common Names:
Scabwort. Elf Dock. Wild Sunflower. Horse-heal. Velvet Dock.

Habitat and Description:
It's found wild throughout continental Europe, temperate Asia as far as Southern Siberia and North-West India. As a cultivated plant for medicine, it's wandered to North America, where it's become thoroughly naturalized in the eastern United States. It now resides from Nova Scotia to Northern Carolina and maybe farther south, and westward as far as Missouri, growing abundantly in pastures and along roadsides, preferring wet, rocky ground at or near the base of eastern and southern slopes.

Elecampane is one of our largest herbaceous plants. 
The leaves are tropical-like in size and number and sometimes reach three feet long arching out from the central stem that can reach 6-8 feet in height. The root harvest is generous and rather easy if you're skilled at using your body and a good spade fork. They take about three years to get fully established from seed. And they demand space! Sometimes it's hard to imagine in early spring but I continually find myself transplanting loved ones farther away so as to not get lost and shaded in such massive leaves. Chickweed and others that thrive in dappled sun and crawl out to the sun as needed love growing around the base of Elecampane. 

Exerpt from– M. Grieves Book: A Modern Herbal
“In herbal medicine it is chiefly used for coughs, consumption and other pulmonary complaints, being a favorite domestic remedy for bronchitis. It has been employed for many years with good results in chest affections, for which it is a valuable medicine as it is in all chronic diseases of the lungs asthma and bronchitis. It gives relief to the respiratory difficulties and assists expectoration. Its principal employment as a separate remedy is in acute catarrhal affections, and in dyspepsia attended with relaxation and debility, given in small, warm and frequently repeated doses. It is, however, seldom given alone, but most frequently preferred in combination with other medicines of a similar nature. It is best given in the form of decoction, the dose being a small teaspoonful, three times a day.” 

-An extract from Elecampane demonstrated ulcer healing properties, relieving symptoms and improved gastric mucosal circulation in a clinical trial with 102 patients with peptic ulcer disease. Identifying the stress which causes such ulcers is more important work but Elecampane with help when combined with Marshmallow root and a adaptive nervine such as Tulsi. 

-Experiments with extracts of Elecampane in the laboratory showed it to have potent antibacterial activity against an array of infectious organisms. European scientists have shown that Elecampane contains a substance (alantolactone) that helps rid the body of intestinal parasites. Again this would be part of a treatment plan for such conditions.

-The root was long ago candied and eaten as a sweetmeat or made into lozenges for sore, infected throats. It's often called upon for acute and long term treatment of whooping-cough, pneumonia, and chronic bronchitis. It's fast acting for acute conditions with more frequent doses but also helps chronic conditions with lower, long term dosing. 
 
Safety Concerns:
Elecampane is generally a safe and well-tolerated herb so long as it's taken in moderation, especially for the young or elderly. Excess doses will likely cause significant gastric upset fairly quickly so it would be difficult to overdose on this herb. I love this built-in safety mechanism. If you feel nauseated, back up your dose to half and see how you feel. Resisting the 'more is better mentality' is wise here. Elecampane is not recommended to take during breastfeeding (the sesquiterpene lactones will pass into the milk and upset the baby's stomach - I repeat again if the dose is too high - read on). It's unlikely to be of any direct danger but it's still 'recommended to avoid it during pregnancy'. This being said, when I was pregnant and breast feeding I did take Elecampane in very low 3-5 drop doses three times a day if I was sick or baby was sick and needed this support. My milk provided the medicine in minute doses to my baby. I always suggest dosing for baby's comfort even if the medicine is for Mama. I'm sharing my experience here is all. 

Mouth Washes with Elecampane Root:
Yes, I love this fresh root tincture added to a tincture blend for sensitive or infected gums and where lots of dental work is underway. It tones and tightens the gums and disinfects the mucosa while supporting rapid healing. The drawback here? Taste. It's pungent and I love it but many complain, unless they are threatened with loosing teeth! The priority list changes in this situation. Comfort is not always the priority when healing is asked for. So I formulate a gentle easy-tasting mouth rinse for general care and for children that can be added to water for swishing, to put into a water-pick, or applied straight on the gums if needed. I offer the Elecampane root addition when the condition and situation calls for a bit more. 

Dosing Suggestions:
Fresh or dried root tincture can be taken in water 3-5 drops to 60 drops 3 times per day or every four hours for acute intense conditions. Decoctions of dried root are made by simmering 1 tablespoon of dried root in 1 1/2 cups water for 20 minutes. Keep covered and allow to cool another 20 minutes and drink 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) every four hours for acute situations. It's deliciously strong but an acquired taste for some. Learn to at least like it is what i would say next. I don't bother with pills or capsules.  

Consider the lower dosing for chronic long term conditions and for those of you that know your system needs less medicine to respond. Being more sensitive is a strength and it's also economical. We need less medicine. 

I LOVE this plant like a deeply trusted friend that just might know me better. As always the knowings between us are unfolding with time and these things will not be rushed. Slow cooked is the way with the plants and the souls of humans. I add my two cents here from this long walk that started when I was in  my mid twenties and continues with me damn near close to my mid 50s. Phew. It really does happen if we're lucky and maybe a little cleaver!

Plant dieting on Elecampane is in the plans for a future group experience and I do look forward to what Elecampane will reveal to us in such a setting. Elecampane will inform me as to when, where and how. This I trust. I'm sure there will be some juicy things to chew on as we step closer for a listen in shared space. Stay tuned... hands to heart here. 

So what I know of Elecampane so far as a soul medicine it that it works like the torch of the Hermit in the tarot, heralding a way to see through the mist in a time where discerning can be challenging. There's an anchoring to the indigenous soul that is always wanting to rise and express itself in these times. Maybe we shy away from this? Some do and it's fine. But once aware of this, we can call on Elecampane to anchor and support flow from this soul space that carries a healing we long for and also thrive within. So 'finding and seeking home' is the key phrase Elecampane gave to me long ago about how to do this. To be this. To find a way no matter what. And to also find comfort, acceptance and healing in finding this place within us that is always present and available. Elecampane stands at the portal shining this light for us. 

Suggested 'Dosing' to Work with Elecampane Spirit and Soul Medicine:

• 3 drops of fresh root tincture added to water and taken morning and night.
• Make an altar and call on Elecampane. It could be a tiny movable one made in a plant saucer with sand so it can be by your bed, bath, or larger altar.
• Draw pics or seek art or photos.
• Make a syrup for daily doses and keep on your altar for morning and evening doses, before journey or meditation, during journal time.
• Get the Flower Essence and take orally, make a spray for yourself, or add to your bath.
• Add 1/2 cup of decoction to your bath for spiritual bathing.
• Grow it! This is the best learning if your landscape and region lend itself to this.
• Create a plant diet experience for a plant spirit quest if this calls to you. 
• Pilgrimage to someone's place that does grow it. I traveled to Ecuador to sit with Cacao. It was one of the reasons, yes. These can be acts of great love and honoring and while not necessary, they might just be for you. You know you. 

Excerpt from Felter & Lloyd's Kings Dispensatory from 1898
“Elecampane is an aromatic stimulant and tonic, and is much used in chronic pulmonary affections and weakness of the digestive organs.
Night-sweats are relieved by Inula, as are some cases of humid asthma, and, by its tonic properties, it tends to sustain the strength of the patient in chronic disorders of the respiratory tract. Inula is somewhat slow in action, and should be used for quite a time to get its full action.
That it is an important remedy in irritation of the trachea and bronchia is now well established. It is adapted to cases with free and abundant expectoration, teasing cough, and pain beneath the sternum, conditions frequent in the grippe (old fashioned term for the flu), and the severer forms of colds.”

"grippe" ... "severer"... Just love the old writings!

You can make this in less than one hour.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups cold water
• 1 TB each of dried Elecampane root, Comfrey root, Coltsfoot leaf, Thyme Leaf
• 1/3 -1/2 cup honey
• 1-2 TB Echinacea root or Ginger root tincture

DIRECTIONS:

1. Simmer herbs in water slow, (gentle simmer here!) with the lid off for 30 minutes. - Cover allow to sit for another 20 minutes.
2. Strain herbs out squeezing all the goodness - you should have about 1 cup of liquid remaining or simmer this again slowly until you are close to 1 cup (this is technically a 'double decoction' concentrated to increase shelf life and strength with lower doses). 
3. Cool to touchable, add honey (can be an herbal infused honey if you have) and tincture (also optional but leave out if you don't want the alcohol).
4. mix and taste - adjust sweetness but know that Elecampane packs a nice pungent flavor. Get to know it and teach your children or finicky ones to accept strong flavors too. My family did. It's possible! I not a fan of any syrup too sweet and so will add apple cider vinegar in small amounts to find the tangy sweet I prefer. This helps with healing and supports a good shelf-life too. 
5. Bottle with your own funky personal label and store in the refrigerator- use up within 8-10 weeks.

DOSING SUGGESTIONS: adults / over 100 lbs - 2 TB every 4-6 hours for acute symptoms and three times a day as symptoms improve. Do remember to increase rest, fluid intake, and simple quality food to support recovery. And ask a loved one to percuss on your back - yes, drum on your back for helping to loosen the congestion. This is done in the ICU all the time to save lives. Why wait until then, percuss now. 

Hint Hint: YES! This syrup can be made with just Elecampane root as a spirit medicine for dosing over time. Seek your medicine. Walking with you, Jen  

Use Discount Code: ELECAMPANE15 for a 15% discount on 'Birthing and Herbalist in 13 Moons on-line Course for the Summer of 2018. Good through 8/31/2018 Enjoy! Jen

Grief work happens. It needs to and it's not about comfort, at first. We're beekeepers now through deep love and desire, through honoring the harsh conditions bee are seeking to survive in, through being gifted bees unexpectedly while helping a friend through death and grief, through knowing that receiving such a gift means stepping up in way we haven't before, and through tending in a way that will include death and grief. No life exists without this. We lost two hives this year, alive in February, that died during the long and cold March of this year of 2018.

To make it that long and die happens. I walked wide around these hives for several weeks before stepping in closer, knowing full well death had come. It was silent. It felt silent too. No, I'm new to death but each time we dance uniquely with each other and I watch myself closely as I learn more about death, grief, and myself. I finally scooped dead carcasses up bare handed for honoring on our communal grief altar. It’s bigger than these little hives for bees. And it's bigger for me or my little life too. 

Many bees come from southern farms and can struggle with these harsh NY winters and we help them get through. We weren't going to get southern bees again and so had shelved the whole thing as we each grieved this death in our little tribe here. Accepting and working this perceived lose is good medicine for us.

Bees change your property. They do this fast too. And it's incredibly apparent when they leave too. You just feel it. Within the very same day of placing these dead bees on the altar and facing the feelings of it all, a call came in near sunset. We received a connection thru our friend to a local young man who quietly and steadily loves the bees and has bees to share that made it through this hard winter. Considered a hardy community of bees that know the NY cold well with a seasoned more than 20 years bee keeper too, it was one of those serendipitous big blessings really to find each other and for us to try again. I have my thoughts on how it's larger than that too when life jumps up again. The new hives are thriving and very different. Death and grief in flow has taught us to walk differently and it may just be part of the purpose of it all.

So we're excited and busy preparing, again, to receive. This means cleaning the hives. And they were so full of honey, beeswax, and propolis. Nope, we didn't plan on such bounty for we had our course set on success which meant these gorgeous bee products from all their hard work would be theirs, not ours. We hoped for a little extra only with them thriving among all the gardens we already have here. And we hoped in a year or two as well. 

I watched myself closely as I learned how to harvest this bounty. In the wake of death we move differently. And it's so astoundingly unique each time which amazes me still. What bubbled up for me? Humor at how clumsy I am in this equation for I've never done this and have no idea what I'm doing harvesting honey. What a delicious mess! There's the bittersweet, the reverence, the acceptance, the honoring, a deeper commitment to lean in and listen more closely to them as we walk together through hard times. Yeah, let's lighten this up now because we can laugh and rejoice in the wake of death and grief too.

What I was most unfamiliar with and most excited about was getting to know propolis better. Until now I've shied away from this as medicine in hopes of helping them survive by reducing demand for their products. I laugh at myself because there is a surplus of this from them thriving with humans. Honey companies would never exist if they received propolis through the way I did here. It comes from finding a way to thrive with them too. As we switch out frames with other hives and negotiate for their needs first which includes scraping hives and frames of propolis just so the parts will fit back together, we receive this amazing substance.

Now let's talk about what propolis is, how to make this medicine yourself, plus the circumstances where it thrives in support of healing. 

​So first what is bee propolis? It’s a resinous substance that bees gather from trees and flowers. Just like honey, propolis varies from hive to hive. It’s used for many things inside the hive, including patching holes and air leaks so they can regulate temperature and air flow while keeping opportunistic ones out. Propolis inhibits bacterial and fungal growth, and prevents putrefaction when large intruders crawl into the hive and die. once brood/baby bees are hatched, they line these cells with propolis to sterilize them for receiving honey or packing with pollen, their food and medicine. This is how wax gets the different hues as it gets used over time. The broad make-up of propolis is “primarily resins and vegetable balsams (50%), waxes (30%), essential oils (10%), and pollen (5%)”, with a thank you to our scientists for analyzing propolis for us. 

Bee propolis at room temp is sort of sticky and can be pressed together like this ball my friend gifted me. You can pull it apart with your fingers too into small chunks. For tincture making I break into small pieces, freeze these chunks for a few hours and then powder it in a standard dedicated to herbs coffee grinder. (pics below) This prevents you from getting a sticky impossible-to-work-with goo from the generated heat in the grinder. Being powdered increases the surface area exposed to the alcohol for easier more efficient, waste nothing, get all the medicine kind of tincturing I love.

I'm doing my best to distill it here or there's a threat of falling into a dissertation abyss! My focus is not to comb the scientific research for you. Other herbalist data collectors do this. I already know and trust what is now being 'proven' so my focus is on testimonials and experience I've witnessed among my tribe, herbal friends, and now being among bee keepers. This not complete but good enough for you get the idea on how potent and versatile Propolis is. 

Health Benefits Of Propolis:

1. Propolis Kills Bacteria, Mold, and Viruses:
This is one of the reasons the bees make it and it's part of their apothecary in the hive. They are astounding herbalists and combine, mix, and transform plant parts into medicine to keep themselves strong and well. Consider internal treatment during any active infection, cold, flu, or mysterious malaise while you seek answers to why. Propolis has a long, long traditional story upon story of treatment among people for treating colds, flus, and infection anywhere in and on the body. Works great as a throat spray too for sore throats when tincture is mixed with honey.

2. Propolis Protects Injured and Decaying Teeth:
Traumatic injuries and decay to the teeth present challenging situations for the clinician because of pre and post-treatment complications that include excessive inflammation. Propolis is potent for anti-bacterial  and anti-inflammatory capabilities in the mouth, and especially with regard to needing root canals. You'll see it in well-made tooth pastes. I add the tincture to my water-pic water on occasion. With any dental trouble, I'd increase to 1-2x daily. I often recommend pre and post dental visit treatment due to all the scrapping and prodding can bust bacteria deep below the gum line and cause issue. Sea salt and water gargles help too. 

3. Propolis Helps Lowers Blood Pressure - Honey too in small daily doses: 
​Okay so I did a little research and got disturbed by the rat studies, again. I hear both sides and I am a trained scientist but we have historical information so I'm not one for animal studies at all. Anyway, this holds a bit of interest for me. Nitric oxide is a very important substance for healthy hearts. The inner lining of our blood vessels use nitric oxide to signal the surrounding smooth muscles to relax, thus resulting in vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels) and increased blood flow. Reduction in the bioavailability of nitric oxide plays a significant role in the development of high blood pressure. And without it, you’d have a heart attack. There is an enzyme called Tyrosine hydroxylase (or TH for short) that limits that amount of nitric oxide you can produce. Propolis has TH and so helps provide the enzyme for regulating our nitric oxide levels. 

If you struggle with hypertension, you may want to consider taking raw honey, which contains propolis, as it has been proven to lower blood pressure. Consider two tablespoons per day. Or take doses of propolis tincture 30-60 drops per day. Please refrain from thinking you can replace your BP medications today with either of these. A weaning trial would be a better experiment, along with other changes in lifestyle, additions of other herbal remedies, spiritual work and support, creative pursuits, and dietary considerations. Being safe is the goal. No one walks to hypertension overnight, or from it either. 

4. Propolis Helps Treat Some Bone Diseases:
It's in the inflammatory process that we loose bone density over time. Inflammation is a healing response within the body. Inflammation is needed sometimes to begin the healing process. Gone unchecked or never reigned in so the body can never truly rest and recover nudges us into a chronic inflammatory state of being. This feeds all disease. Period. I feel we're in a chronic inflammatory state as a whole culturally, and even at large for humanity. But we don't have to walk in this state all the time within our bodies, or outside our bodies either. 

If you’re working with bone density loss taking a daily dose of propolis could be a very wise thing to consider, along with exercise, good sleep, dietary support, and... and.. and... you get my drift here. It's not just "take propolis" and carry on as you are. People recovering from critical illness requiring ICU hospitalization would do well to take propolis for at least 6 months after such an event. The bone loss in just two weeks in bed is astounding and measurable. Some loose 30% of their jaw bone in this time due to the mouth has so many opportunistic bacteria. Consider propolis for recovery. 

5. Propolis Helps Treat Pollen Allergies
An amazing health benefit of propolis is its ability to calm the symptoms of seasonal allergies.
Scientists gave propolis to rats for two weeks and found that it significantly inhibited histamine release from the rats’ mast cells. Histamine is the compound that makes you sneeze, gives you watery eyes and a runny nose – generally making your life more difficult. Anti-histamines are the main allergy drugs sold over the counter.

Their results clearly demonstrated that propolis "may be effective" (we all have to say it this way for now) in the relief of symptoms of allergic rhinitis through inhibition of histamine release. So come allergy season, don’t only take your bee pollen but add a daily dose of propolis tincture 30 drops/day.

6. Cancer Cells in the Presence of Propolis:
Research continues. Prostate cancer cells become suppressed (at least in a test tube) in the presence of propolis. Colon cancer cells too. Scientists are finding that it causes the cancer cells to die by necrosis, which means that it interrupted the blood supply to the cell. This causes just the local cancer cells to die and NOT the healthy living cells. 

Chemotherapy does the opposite of this – it kills both healthy living cells and the cancer cells and is the reason why chemo often has some violent and devastating side effects. We have choices. Ultimately, this research is very promising. 

My suggestion to this is more complex than take propolis, but this will help if you get to know your local bee keeper who cares for the bees and their needs first, and support their work as you get to know and understand bee products that are ecologically harvested as best as possible. 

7. Propolis and The Gut:
Research is underway and scientists have found that propolis inhibited the growth of Campylobacter jejuni, Enterobacter faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus, the three germs that are commonly found in food poisoning cases.

They went on to say that propolis preparations "could be used as support to traditional therapy for infection, especially when antibiotics show no activity against these micro-organisms." And so we thankfully see more bridging happening between modern medicine and ancient practices. 

In my house and my practice I am always suggesting honey water, 1 teaspoon in a warm cup of water sipped slowly, for stomach flus and GI disturbances with vomiting and/or diarrhea. The propolis is added if it doesn't resolve in 24 hours. Rarely do we need the propolis but I keep it close just in case.

8. Adapting to Stress & Propolis:
One of the reasons the health benefits of propolis are so vast is because it is so full of antioxidants. An active ingredient in propolis known as caffeic acid phenethyl ester, or CAPE, triggers a broad spectrum of biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral actions.

So let's look at once kind of stress. Heat stress is considered to be the main factor underlying the early fatigue and dehydration seen during prolonged exercise in the heat. Researchers examined blood from 30 competitive cyclists who engaged in endurance training for two to four years prior to the investigation.

The lead researcher stated at the conclusion of the study that CAPE, one of the powerful compounds in propolis, just might promote rapid recovery from such a stress.  Knowing this I travel with propolis. Travel is a stress and one small bottle travels easy and addresses many issues while on the road, one being rapid recovery from stress. I like to take this intuitively while on the road, meaning I check-in with my body as I head to sleep and consider it then. 

9. Propolis is Part of an Effective Treatment for Warts:
While this viral stimulated states happens often with children, it can happen at anytime in life. I take propolis internally 3-15 drops daily while dropping the tincture right on the warts. If plantar warts happen on the bottom of the feet or warts in other odd places, band-aid or tape a small piece of saturated cotton ball to it. I've seen successful treatment of many warts with internal immune support, apple cider vinegar soaks, beach trips (seriously, all warts among our tribe have shrunk to 1/2 in less than a week with ocean swimming), and topical applications of propolis ( taken internally daily too). 

Thank you for traveling this far.

Here's a simple thing you can do for the bees that they'll so appreciate for they travel miles a day to harvest. Lay out a shallow bowl that's pie plate shaped with marbles or stones in it and fill with fresh water each day for them. They drown easy which is why they need the stones to walk on. Plant flowers for them. Find a good bee keeper who loves them and cares from that place. 

And if you need some ElderMoon Propolis? We thank you for delegating to us to provide medicine for you and your family. Our stock ebbs and flows depending on the year.

Much Love, Jen

Welcome Herbalist - Herbalist In The Works - Plant Lover - Fierce Beauty Walker Anyway in an Intense World that Calls To and Needs Us...

​This month in our Monthly Herbal Council at EMS of Herbs, we'll sit together to peek deeper into the practice of 'Plant Dieting', also called 'Sacred Plant Initiations'.  Deepening our practice in relationship with the plants and Earth by drawing wisdom from ancient tools such as 'Plant Dieting' is the goal. These coined phrases encompass the paradoxical simple and profound act of working with or dedicating one's practice to one plant deeply by ingesting only that one plant for period of time. Consider 12 hours to 4 days as the window of time often considered.

We'll explore in council the why's and how's of this practice and how it embodies a feminine form of a  'Questing' in it's deepest expression based on how we prepare and move through it as a practice to deepen consciousness. Dedicated nourishment is woven into the practice here versus intense deprivation. So we'll speak to the elements of a 'Quest' through connecting, preparing, and retreating for self healing and growth.

Preparation is everything (wink wink) meaning you get out of it what you put into it. It's all connected to how we show up. And yes, 'dieting' means we ingest small amounts of just that one plant for a predetermined amount of time while engaging our supportive consciousness shifting tools. 

My desire is for this to be informative and inspiring to deepening your practice of walking strong with the plants and to raise awareness around this ancient way that indigenous cultures put into practice as part of their sacred tending to life. It's worded as 'fasting on one plant'. It can be that, but it's so much more. 

The Why? 
​As an herbalist, or plant lover who turns to plants for healing support where possible, (the same thing), our work with the plants as medicine requires a dedication practice and creative fire to be tended regularly within us. Plant Initiations ~ Plant Dieting can be that bit of lighter fuel to make this fire within jump up for us.

While it may not be for everyone in this moment, I do believe eventually it is for all plant lovers seeking deeper connections and relationships with the plants and Earth. (Jen's take. Leave it at the door if it doesn't feel true for you.) Plus, the benefits of fasting are beautifully researched and gaining awareness and practice for healing all levels of our being. Yes, ancient practices consider spiritual are now proving to heal the physical. Imagine that! 

Consider these as some of the reasons why you might consider embarking on plant dieting. Add your voice to this:
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• You're intuitive. You know it and want to engage this gift further for your walk with the plants, as a beginner or seasoned one, for understanding your unique gifts for personal, family, community and  global expression.

• You desire exploring Earth Medicine based healing and spirituality that's grounded in personal growth, humor, and the simple act of showing up with more of your authentic self. And you know that no other spiritual practice can keep pace humans better than Nature. 

• You're a curious beginner and first timer to the herbal world or are circling back around with a beginner-again mindfulness for a deeper walk on the spiral path of your relationship with plants.

• You're feeling a call to exploring how your relationships, energy, and soul growth can create healing change in the deepest places within you. 

• You believe in the unexplained and so called magical forces of the plants and Earth and want to lean in closer for listening and engaging.

• You know devotional work is the foundation to building your relationships and knowledge with the plants. 

​

• It's a soul call with no need for explanation.  ​

​The How?
As stated, preparation is the key. There can be a longer, steady preparatory movement into retreat and return. There can also be a more narrow window with a deep drop and return. Either way can be an incredibly informative experiential ride into unknown terrain where developing our unique skills will be called into action. You know you. Being guided by a space holder seasoned in Plant Initiations is available and resources will be shared for this. But there are those who know this a solo journey and trust their skill set to begin on their own. We'll speak to the creation of this as well.

The What?
What is plant dieting actually? To give the simplest explanation we partner with one plant that calls to us. It begins with the 'yes' in your heart. We then prepare. This includes exploring intentions for healing. Consider one circumstance you know you are seeking support with. Another way is to come to this from a place of deep trust that what comes up is what is needed. 

An elixir or syrup is curated from this one plant you're called to and made in a sacred way. It can include and combination of honey, liquor, tinctures, vinegars, juices, infusions, decoctions, flower essences and even edible honey pastes. A little math to calculate how much you will need based on how long you plan to diet needs to be done (we'll cover this). Space and time are consulted, altars and sacred space worked, journey, meditation, artistic expression, song and sound, writing, dreaming, bathing, limpias, pilgrimages to sacred places, and much more can be woven in. 

It can be a community experience (I've been with 25 people sometimes). It can be created with a partner, a sister circle, or on your own. The rules are loose in these many choices meaning the alchemist within rules here in weaving a ceremonial plant diet that supports you. 

The Apprehensions?
Yes, they come up. Considering all the choices above, and there are more, one can get overwhelmed and easily think 'I can't' but I will ask you to hold that in your right hand and set it down over there, by the side of the road. Thank you for considering coming to infuse with something new and different, or considering a new way to this, if you're already a seasoned plant dieter. 

Then there's the idea of no food for a period of time. No coffee or tea. No Sugar. Yes, plenty of water and a supportive infusion can be taken in freely. What comes up when you close your eyes and feel into this? Mmmmm.... there's good medicine there. Light fare for those who medically cannot fast are often provided or outlined. This would be a good place to start to ease the apprehension of those who have never fasted before. It's like working a new muscle. It takes time. 

​Cautions? You bet with stronger herbs or poisonous plants but there are ways to work these beauties. We'll speak to this too. ​

Saying 'No' is completely fine. Remember, you know you best. As you feel into this idea of embarking on a plant dieting experience consider journaling to get behind the "no" and see if there's some medicine there for you sequestered in the shadow. How does your body feel and how can you partner with this from a place of just honestly looking for a place of loving self versus judging self. Maybe there's no more to the discussion. Maybe there is. Only you know you here. 

I also consider stepping behind the 'Yes' too for mining the medicine we are seeking in saying yes. If you're sitting with curious intrigue laced with a little nervousness, this is a 'yes' for me. What say you? 

The Monthly Herbal Councils are free if you're enrolled in other courses at
ElderMoon School of Herbs

- Jim MacDonald, Herbalist says, “The best way I know to get Mullein to grow where you live is to burn a brush pile and come back in a year.”

Yes, Mullein is called a pioneer plant for this very reason. It has ease and a tenacious ability to begin to grow in disturbed, traumatized land as a regenerative force for starting the settling of healing energies while steadily moving forward into the healing process.

This is Mullein’s super power. It reorganizes limited resources for regeneration.

Even in our bodies as we sip leaf infusions for the lungs that are flooded with deadly fluid devastation, the gut that is devastated by a regular lousy diet of stress or poor quality food, or we drip Mullein flower oil into inflamed, infected ears as we consider what is not being heard.

Mullein blankets the land where fire has cleared forests. In this, it appears as though the plant is invading the land, but after a year or two, new plant species emerge and diversity expands. Mullein acts as a kind of soothing balm that eases and covers with its leaves the devastation and disruption and helps regenerate new growth.
​

​Medicinal Plant Part: Leaf, Flower

Medicinal Actions:
Demulcent, emollient, astringent, antimicrobial, antispasmodic, pectoralis, expectorant, and relaxant properties, which makes it beautifully helpful in pectoral/respiratory complaints and bleeding of the lungs and bowels. The whole plant seems to possess slightly sedative, mild narcotic properties.

Common Names:
White Mullein. Torches. Mullein Dock. Our Lady's Flannel. Velvet Dock. Blanket Herb. Velvet Plant. Woollen. Rag Paper. Candlewick Plant. 

Habitat, Description, Harvest:
Mullein is a widely distributed plant, being found all over Europe and in temperate Asia as far as the Himalayas, and in North America is exceedingly abundant as a naturalized weed in the eastern States. This plant is biennial and there are many species too. I stay with the ones that have a white mid vein and white hairs along the flower stalk. The leave can get huge, up to 2 feet long when happy, but the plant starts as a small and fuzzy rosette each spring that grows larger and larger the first year. The second year rosette emerges large and the flower stalk quickly rises from the center by late spring of the second year. Leaves are harvest through the summer of the first year to spring of the second. Flowers are harvest in the summer of the second and final year.

Herbalists seek these easily found abundant medicine plants for they provide through efficiency and potency for the relevant conditions of our times, and also provide teachings of the power of simplicity, abundance economics, and ease through their actions. 

Traditional Medicine Preparations:
For year I’ve harvested fresh Mullein leaf for tincture, dried Mullein leaves for infusions, teas and for smoke blends, freshly wilted flowers (leave out on a towel for a day so some of the water evaporates off) for Mullein Flower Infused Olive Oil. 

Harvest & Drying:
Enjoy harvesting healthy, green fuzzy Mullein leaves mid summer to fall on first or second year plants. I take from many plants so I don’t harm any one plant from taking too many. Carefully examine each leaf to check for mold or decay on the leaf undersides as these should not be harvested for medicine making. ​
​
My favorite way to prep Mullein for drying is to stack the leave up and slice thin with a good sharp knife. Then load on trays or in a dehydrator. They dry quick too but be sure that center rib, which has a lot of medicine in it, is dry. Roll it between your fingers and it needs to crumble. If it stays intact and rolls around your finger, then it needs another day or two. Store in glass if possible in a cool dark place, label with date. 

​The hairs are prominent so have a good straining method before ingesting to prevent irritation in the throat.

Mullein is found in many formulas addressing the lungs for any respiratory ailments from coughs due to colds and flus to management of asthma.

​Less often noted but just as potent are the GI Tract benefits of toning and supporting digestion while soothing irritation to mucous lining. Taken as infusion, homemade syrup, or tincture, many feel the expansion of the entire chest cavity and a lengthening of the spine as breathing muscles of the diaphragm and between the ribs are relaxed so they can work more efficiently in a regular healing breath rhythm that improves air flow, oxygenation, and expectoration of excessive mucous and/or infection lodged and festering in our lung tissue. Coughing is good. But we want efficient deep coughs to clear the lungs well. The calming and expansiveness of these actions is specific for easing the spasms associated with asthma. Mullein is safe for long term dosing for such chronic conditions as this. Recover from irritated and inflamed GI tract conditions is hastened in the presence of the demulcent and astringent properties of Mullein that encourage toned well-functioning mucosa to get back on tract.

These delicate yet potent flowers are harvested for making oil for the ears for impacted ear wax mobilization and for inflammation and infection, though I tend to combine with garlic to enhance the antiseptic properties. I suggest just Mullein flower oil for impacted ear wax, any visible lesions, or abscesses in the ear canal. Please drop NOTHING in the ear canal if the ear drum is ruptured, draining mucous with a bit of blood, and already in a healing process. Before rupture, the pain is of course excruciating, but is relieved instantly with the pressure release of rupturing. The ear drum is designed to do this, and quickly, and needs no help other than keeping the outer ear clean and dry with warm soapy cloth as it drains. I encourage the person to lay affected ear down and allow the ear to naturally drain with the help of gravity onto a towel. It looks much like blowing your nose through your ear with a little blood show. Nasty, yes… but so good it’s draining away and they have found comfort from the pain! You will do more harm than good putting anything into the ear at this time. Treat the immune system internally instead, along with rest, ample hydration, and simple nourishing soups.

It is easy to find traveling otoscopes (to look inside the ear canal) for less than 15$ today and it’s a great simple tool for the practice of visualizing the ear canal when healthy and sick. It’s the only way to truly learn what an infection looks like. We must know the tissue when well for comparison so I encourage regular peeks inside the ear canal to learn. It's not hard and one can get quite good at it quickly with a little practice. Inner ear infections versus outer ear infections of the canal are easily discerned as well, though treatment is the same with localized instilling of an oil, pain management, and immune support with herbs, rest hydration and simple nourishing soups. 

Pain is managed best with nervine herbs such as Chamomile, Skullcap, or Valerian root (there are others too), and hot salt packs I learned years ago from Rosemary Gladstar.

HOT SALT PACK RECIPE: Simply warm 2 cups of dry salt in a dry pan until warm to the wrist, but not too hot to touch. Pour into a bowl lined with a clean hand towel, gather up the corners and tie closed and place over the infected painful ear. Sometimes I add a few drops of Eucalyptus or Lavender essential oil. Lay over the infected ear and neck area and rest. This stops pain almost instantly and is so soothing while waiting for other therapies to start kicking in. It increases circulation to the area and speeds drainage of the infection through opening the Eustachian tubes and sinuses. So simple and works great. 

"The flower stalk oozes a brown protective, self-healing resin for the plant that was once used in baking like Vanilla is today for it has a faint vanilla aroma and has also a great history in fermentation of stouts and liqueurs.  

Rotenone is a fish poison and very effective insecticide originally of plant origin but now synthetically produced by our government.  It occurs in mullein seeds and seed capsules, and leaves. Mullein seeds and seed capsules have been used as fish poison in the past.  Mullein seeds and flowering stalks were also used to get rid of lice and scabies. Rotenone is water insoluble, but readily soluble in ethanol, acetone, and other organic solvents such as olive oil. Fatal rotenone poisoning causes respiratory failure, ironic, huh?  Mild rotenone poisoning from inhaled mullein smoke may be spasmolytic (reduces spasms) for asthmatics and chronic bronchitis. It may suppress the cough reflex, and, act as a local anodyne (pain killer) for inflamed ear canals. Rotenone is more toxic when inhaled than when ingested. Once again, the poisonous substances of plants in low doses produce some of our strongest medicines." – Thank you to Ryan Drum.

My first year in herbal school I received visions from Mullein as the tall flower stalk superimposed as the spine within our human form. Mullein had me see and feel this in my body so I could truly know this expansion and lengthening as my cells, tissues, and bones as they made more space within my body for movement both physical and energetic. Grief work, which was in my lap back then, I learned would be a healer and teacher who would be present all through life, not just for me, but we all have this work in our lap. While I sat with these gentle giants, I learned how Mullein deeply assists us with re-patterning our stance in the presence of the grief we attempt to carry. It allows the protective heart posture of collapsing our shoulders forward with a rounded back as we pull our heart away from the world to open, to expand. Mullein supports movement, flow, and the release of the tears behind the rage, which is often one of the many masks of grief, as we re-learn a new posture, a new stance, in the presence of our grief as teacher. Solidified and held grief makes us sick. It must move. Mullein is often communal in how it grows and this mirrors the medicine of grief that also needs community. We are learning still. 

Asthma, respiratory, ear and GI tract lessons have all been learned on the job as a mom of three sons who each gave me the lessons I needed on how to assess and treat such conditions as I nudged their bodies back to health. And yes, our children carry their own grief too, sometimes lineage, personal, or collectively rooted. Mullein has always been in my home apothecary since my very first creation of an apothecary. It’s easily found in herb and health food stores for reasonable prices due to abundance and ease of harvest, or found when away from home in wild places where newly disturbed soil encourages the seeds to germinate as one of the first plants to do so in such places. Each mother plant in seed makes thousands of tiny black round seed on the huge stalks that can get up to 10 feet tall. If you find yourself on new land without Mullein there are two ways I love to entice Mullein closer. One is to call to Mullein deep within. Make an offering too. It will always come to those who wait and our work is to remain poised and ready to receive. Many are surprised at how Mullein shows up too. The other way is to find stalks in seed and carefully transport to your land in some creative way. Then wave and whack these as massive wands over areas you think Mullein will love, partly to full sun is preferred. I sing softly and speak praise to this beauty too. I imagine I’m quite a sight and it makes for great conversation from non-gardening or non-herbalist neighbor folk!  
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Thank you for wandering through here. Much love, Jen



(Article Updated 12/2024)

COMMON NAME: Usnea
Other Names: usnea lichen, old man's beard

BOTANICAL NAME: Usnea barbata, Usnea longissima, Usnea hirta. Usnea plicata, Usnea fillipendula, (there are 600 known species but these are the most commonly studied and utilized species for medicine).
Plant Family: Usneaceae

CONSTITUENTS: Usnic acid, essential fatty acids, mucilage, sterols, and many more not being listed here at this time.

PARTS USED: dried thallus, also called lichen strands.

PREPARATIONS: Tincture, liniment, compress/fomentation, poultice, cough syrups, cold lozenges, decoctions, wound washes, wound packing & powder, douches, sitz baths. Taken internally and applied externally. Tincture can be applied as liniment to skin full strength or added to mister bottles with water and essential oils for skin fungus and infections. To bathe sinuses add 2-3 drops of tincture to netty pot washes.
 
MEDICINAL ACTIONS: Analgesic, Antimicrobial, (Antifungal, Antibacterial, Antiviral, Antiparasitic, Antiprotozoan), Antiseptic, Antiproliferative (cancer), Immunostimmulant, Anti-inflammatory, Antineoplastic (cancer), Antioxidant

PRECAUTIONS: Not for use during pregnancy is often reported by many. No other known precautions exist. I will share that with flu and pregnant, I did enlist the support of Usnea with great results. My rule with plants where we just don't know the effects during pregnancy and yet there seems to be good reason for it to be fine is to take 1/4 the dose to start. The pregnant body is very sensitive and requires very small doses and can work with this well because of the heightened state we are in when pregnant. You get to decide for you and your baby. This is not based in any research nor is it a suggestion. I only share what I've experienced. 

Walking through the forest is where one will encounter Usnea. Did you know know that the inconspicuous gray-green fuzzy plant covering many of the trees is one of the gentlest yet strongest immune tonics and antimicrobials in the herb world?

Usnea is a lichen; a combination of an algae and a fungi growing together symbiotically on the surface of the tree. Also known as Old Man's beard, it grows in little hair-like tufts, with the green algae covering the white string like fungi. The best way to identify Usnea is to pull a string apart and look for this white thread. No white thread means it's not Usnea. I do recommend showing a sample to a knowledgeable person to confirm you've got the right plant. Some people say that the Usnea lichen likes to grow in old growth forests. It must be true but I've seen it on younger trees too. Stephen Buhner has suggested that Usnea serves as the lungs of the forests they grow within, and in some way supports the overall health of the ecosystem. I believe this to be true. It carries the energy of a wise elder, maybe a grandfather for me. 

This plant grows profusely in wet climates, like the Pacific Northwest, where tufts can be up to a foot long. The species that grow here in the northeast tend to be smaller, which can make gathering it a tedious task. I find gathering after a big wind storm good because the wind will blow down the Usnea from the higher branches. I grew up in orchards and the old abandoned apple trees had lots of Usnea growing on them.

Usnea is an immune system tonic that can be used in acute situations as well as for long term immune enhancement and general prevention. It has no side effects or contraindications, and is safe for children and animals. It can be taken along with or instead of Echinacea. Usnea is more specific for strep and staph infections than Echinacea, and the antibiotic properties are most specific to the respiratory and urinary systems. We take to help heal respiratory and sinus infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, strep throat, colds, flus, as well as urinary tract, kidney, and bladder infections. Usnea is also beneficial for women with yeast infections, trichonomosas, bacterial vaginosis, and chlamydia. It can be helpful as part of the plant-based remedies taken for people with chronic fatigue, HIV, herpes, and other chronic conditions related to depressed immunity, especially when taken in a pulsed fashion for acute flare-ups within the chronic condition expression.

Usnea can also be used externally for outbreaks of staph, cellulitis, or infected wounds. I generally use the powdered herb, strong decoctions applied with a cloth, or the diluted tincture for open skin and straight tincture for closed skin. The moistened herb also makes an excellent bandage to be used directly on the wound or affected area. Should you have the great fortune of being near this one fresh when an injury happens, packing the wound with fresh plants after bleeding has been addressed is perfect for keeping the wound tended until you can get to a better situation for cleaning the wound.

This tough yet delicate looking little plant (not plant, lichen) doesn't make much of a tea due to having so little water soluble properties, so I recommend using it as a tincture. The heat required to make many medicines will however take the place of the alcohol so you may stay water-based in your preparation if alcohol is a concern. Increase your dose by 1/4-1/2. I've made a throat spray by diluting the tincture with water, Essential Oil of Eucalyptus, and Honey. It was a spontaneous creation that works great and seems to have the ability to kill microbes on contact. I also, as stated above, place 2 drops of tincture into a full netty pot for sinus irrigation. I do this when I know I've been around the flu or have started active symptoms. I also take it internally 30 drops 3-5x/day and add to cough syrups too.

I've found it to be quite effective with serious cases of bronchitis and pneumonia. Dosing will be increases from 2-3x/day to every 4 hours 30-60 drops to 1/2 teaspoon of tincture with convalescence and bone or medicinal mushroom broth based soups for a few days. Let’s be wise my friends. If someone can no longer walk well or maintain their oxygen levels so they look pale and grey (awful), seek medical attention. These are advanced distress signs of a very weak system so unless you are comfortable with what this looks like and what to do, seek help and learn. Watch closely so you can learn well from the experience. And yes, one can treat with plant medicines and modern medicines together. Seek guidance on how if you are inexperienced. 

Herbalists were ordered with threats to be silent by the FDA during the Anthrax scare. This was the first plant turned to for protection from inhaled life threatening situations; second to quarantine. Hypothetically speaking, dilute the tincture in a spray bottle with Eucalyptus essential oil and mist in front of the face for inhaling. I add 60 drops of Usnea tincture to 2oz. of water with 20 drops of the Eucalyptus essential oil. It could be called, hypothetically speaking, an "air purifying spray". Also use the netty pot with 2-3 drops of tincture only (more than this burns the sinuses).

For Weight Loss? NO.
It was reported to help with this by isolating Usnic acid and concentrating it and people were hurt most likely due to toxicity from receiving the plant in compound isolated form. Work with the full spectrum of whole plant preparations for safety reasons. The FDA was considering banning the plant due to this but it has fallen away a bit thankfully. Do educate that this is not a way to work with Usnea. 

Usnea has water soluble and non-water soluble compounds and so there are suggestions by herbalists to provide a two part preparation for making the tincture in order to extract the full spectrum of the medicine offered. For alcohol sensitive people, a syrup or glycerite made with heat will provide a good option but I would suggest larger dosing (double the dose).
The polysaccharides are found in the fungi portion of Usnea (white inner core) and are part of the water soluble medicine. The alkaloids and acids found in the outer green algae part of Usnea are extractable in 90-95% alcohol, this being the non-water soluble parts. There are other compounds identified and unidentified but by making your tincture in this two part process you will be getting the full spectrum of what Usnea has to offer for healing.  
 
Making Usnea barbata Tincture – A Two Part Extraction Process
Usnea Tincture at 1:5 dried 45% alcohol – Adult Suggested Dose: 1-2 dropperfuls 1-4x/day depending on the health condition and presenting symptoms.

PART 1: You’ll need 3-4 oz dried usnea, Everclear 90-95% Alcohol + 1 quart jar

1. Chop up your ½ of the Usnea you have into smaller pieces with a good knife or clippers. Loosely fill a clean quart jar with the Usnea.
2. Pour organic 90% alcohol over the Usnea until it’s completely covered. Seal jar, label and date, and store in cool dark place.  Shake twice a day for at least 3-4 weeks.

PART 2: You’ll need a strainer, cheese cloth, filtered water, + crock pot on lowest setting.

1. Strain the Usnea from the tincture using a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.  Make sure you give it a good squeeze to get out all the tincture. I compost this and use the other ½ of fresh dried Usnea.
2. Measure the volume of tincture that you just strained, then set it aside in a sealed jar (you’ll be using it in a couple of days).
3. Measure out filtered water that is double in volume to the amount of tincture you just measured. Place the fresh dried 2nd portion of Usnea into a crockpot and cover it with the filtered water.
4. Turn crock pot to its lowest setting and let the Usnea and water cook for 48 hours. Keep an eye on it and add a little water if it gets too low. Keep cooking as we need this long slow cook to get all the medicine. We’ll measure again later once strained.  
5. After 48 hours, allow to cool to room temperature, strain the Usnea from the water. At this point the water should have cooked down to half the amount, so it should be equal in volume to the alcohol tincture you have saved. If less that’s ok, but if more you can simmer to reduce it more.
6. Combine the alcohol extract (tincture) with the cooled water extract (decoction). Bottle in brown glass, label and date, and add to your apothecary. 

CONGRATS! You now have a dual-extracted, highest potency Usnea tincture made by you!  ​

I also do this cook process for other healing herbs such as Astragalus root, all medicinal mushrooms, Ginger root, and a few other tinctures to honor their water soluble compounds as well as their converted-by-heat compounds they have. Cannabis is proving to fit into this category of healing plants/lichens/fungi as well with it's need for decarboxylation to potentize certain compounds. Some herbalists now do this two-part extraction with all dried roots and barks to be tinctured. I’m grateful to Stephen Buhner, Ryan Drum, and Christopher Hobbs for pioneering the simple techniques of a two part process to make a more potent tincture. 

Usnea is also an indicator plant to the health of an area as far as pollutants are concerned. Christopher Hobbs has shared many a time on how Usnea will recede from highly contaminated places because it absorbs such toxins easily due to the nature of it's growth pattern. We would not want to make medicine from this and this wise medicine lichen will not allow it either. This is surely another way the wise protection held in the medicine reaches through. And so to find it is a great reason for ceremony and rejoicing for me. 

Processing Usnea for External Use
Usnea has very tough cell walls!  Therefore, you need to break up its surface area— by grinding, mashing, or chopping to make its medicine more bioavailable. For an herbal powder which can be used to clean and treat wounds, simply air dry the Usnea (it dried so fast and often in a few days just sitting around in basket), and then grind it into a fine consistency using a mortar and pestle or an electric grinder. This powder can be sprinkled directly into wounds, or you can simmer for 30 minutes, and add other antimicrobial plants (love rosemary, plantain, yarrow, calendula to name a few), steep, strain, and wash wounds or apply compresses with the warm to cool tea.

​Harvesting Usnea
Usnea takes a long time to grow. Therefore, I only harvest it from dead fallen branches rather than from living trees.  Make sure you’re harvesting the right lichen!  One distinguishing feature of Usnea is the presence of a thin, thread-like, white central “cord” that is revealed when you pull apart the outer sheath of the thicker main strands of the lichen.  These cords have an elastic consistency to them, so when you pull them apart, they should be rather springy/snappy.
When harvesting Usnea, look for the vibrant, brighter colored specimens as opposed to those that have been hanging out on the ground for a long time and look semi-decayed and brownish.  I like to harvest Usnea using a knife or clippers, that way I can easily separate the lichen from the branches that they’re growing on and leave any bark or other debris behind. This also leaves the “roots” of usnea embedded in the tree where it can continue with its own life process. Make sure you harvest away from roadsides or developed areas as Usnea can absorb toxins and heavy metals from the environment.

​
When in Ecuador high in the Andes Mountains hiking in the forest, tufts of Usnea floated down into my hands one morning. It was one of those moments that stops you for it's undeniable how plants can come to us in seen and unseen ways, calling our attention deep in our heart and soul to connect. To make and honor that bond deeper than before. Thank you so much for wandering through here with me. Much Love, Jen

I've been working with Cacao in a new way of late and wanted to share what Cacao is teaching me to support your discovery of Cacao as a healing addition to your world in a ceremonial way that can remain among your more private practices. Yes, Cacao supports bonding in groups. While there are many heading to Cacao Ceremonies these days, and I for one have hosted them and attended them too, I find the deepest and most meaningful way for me to work with a plant closely is to bring this work to the personal and intimate level by inviting ceremonial work through out my life in increments of dedicated time that are so very private. Let me explain. 

Where and When Did Cacao Ceremonies Start? 
It’s thought cacao was first taken as a health elixir and ceremonial medicine as far back as 1900 BC by the ancestors of Central America, the Olmec people, before becoming a ritualistic medicine used by the Aztec and Mayan cultures. Signifying both life and fertility, it was ingested by Royalty in ceremonial God worship and in sacrificial ritual. Of course it depends on where you go in Central and South America for the true beginning stories change from place to place (wink wink).  

As with many things that involve practice, we only get better with time. I suggest enjoying opening to this practice by choosing a week and drinking it daily to start. Some are drinking it daily and I do hope with much intention for something that requires such tending. For me I feel seasonal changes are a good time to engage cacao's healing for a week, or more if called, within the container of being a dedicated practice. Your experience of cacao in ceremony will likely evolve over time as you do. This is a natural and integral part of the process. The important thing is to make sure you set enough time aside to really allow yourself to dive in. I suggest anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours each day. But only you will know what time frame works best for you.

Here's the rhythm that unfolded organically for me with Ceremonial Cacao in my everyday. 
My commitment is often for one week and Cacao teaches me to visit each chakra each day for this practice. I drink my Ceremonial Cacao Dose (we'll cover this below) first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This is traditional with Cacao, first thing in the morning with an empty belly. I love the seasonal pulsing to help me shift more smoothly. For me it's likened to meeting an honest lover for a beautiful romp from time to time (wink wink). So once taken in slowly, then I sit quiet for 20-30 minutes and just allow my feelings and mind to wander to see where I'm taken along with checking in with my physical state of being. Review of the previous day can filter in since I take for many days in a row. Spontaneous knowings come up usually within two hours. Visions and dreams through awake and asleep time drift in as the cumulative effect takes hold, and this begins usually by day three. I journal cryptically when taking my morning dose for the in-the-moment feelings but also for a review of the unfolding of the previous day and night that have happened. It's like reviewing a movie with a deeper seeing clearer lens. Here's the honest part. The first two to three days can, but NOT always, be really hard to bordering on down right sucking sometimes. But if you stay with the practice it shifts. Our sequestered residual emotional debris can be unearthed. But only if we want this and are willing to work with it. Pull up, and dust off if need be, your self care skills here too. I retreat to paint, drum, go to Nature, build altars and work them, medicine make, adjust my diet and sleeping, spiritual bathe, yoni steam, sauna, take other plants in as directed intuitively, and basically follow Cacao's inspiration through this process.

Are you following me on this? I hope so. It's a personal and intimate quest of sorts. Do send me questions if they arise. 

Oh I laugh my friend. It IS this and more. This is so individual based on right where we are. Ceremonial cacao works almost magically at opening up the heart.  For some people this will mean FEELING YOUR FEELS. So this looks different for each of us depending on where we are. Maybe what surfaces is your deep and intimate connection to Mother Earth, your guides, or what you hold as Divine. The Spirit of Cacao may present strongly from the plant world. For others, it may mean connecting with your inner-child, or with sabotaging archetypes you've created for survival that need integration, or for grief work around loss of beloveds or more, and feeling emotions that have been suppressed, avoided, or misunderstood for years. And still for others, this may mean tapping into a level of gratitude and abundance beyond that which you have ever experience before. You may make sudden decisions and abrupt life changes with precision and clarity too. 

This Cacao Ceremony round that I'm just completing has brought up some of the deepest grief around the death of sweet and dear sister, more than 20 years ago, and Cacao is sweeping the cracks from that time in my life when the perceived loss of her stimulated a tsunami that changed the course of my life  and all my relations on every level. Cacao is our ally for deep transformation core work. Calling in the medicine for support is our natural course of action. Cacao is there whenever I ask. We need only ask.   

Whatever comes up for you to feel during your time with cacao, it's important to remember that the Spirit of Cacao is your personal partner on this journey, and being your partner, Cacao will assist you in processing your emotions when and where you invite this. Bliss can happen. And it does. But sometimes painful growth comes too in the form of grief work, release work, and expansion of our understanding. Then the bliss can rise. I have to be straight with you on this. Cacao meets us where we are and supports growth. Know you are supported even if it might seem hard at first. 

Sometimes we do need the sort-of mundane, practical side of things spelled out for us. Drinking cacao for ceremonial purposes invites us to slow down and to intentionally set time aside for ourselves. This means stepping out of the daily 'to do' as much as you can and stepping into our self in a more expansive way. So often we rush from one experience to the next without even understanding why we're doing what we're doing. Cacao ceremony invites us to tune in to our inner-knowing, our inner-self, our inner-guidance system, and to take action from a place of inspiration rather than by habit or unconscious, even manic 'doing' places we all can fall into. Set your intentions and begin with baby steps. Choose the number of days you'll drink your Cacao (I like 7 days). Source good Cacao paste, which means you'll want 7-14oz. of cacao paste to cover this time for yourself. Make sure you have a scale to weigh your paste, a natural sweetener, and spices that resonate with you. Consider why you're wanting to do this. Make an altar dedicated to this practice, even if just a tiny one near your bed. Engage determination no matter what to see it through. Have a journal ready too and just a little retreat space of 30 minutes to two hours is good per day. Closely watch or observe yourself throughout your day to see what comes up and what needs attention. Trust Cacao has a process for you that is uniquely yours and within your own personal synchronous healing. Watch for magic to jump up too. So amazing how it truly does.

For the scope of this article I'm avoiding analyzing the individual chemicals in detail that we know of in Cacao. It's fascinating! It's well-studied thus far too and continuing to be further studied as well. Do follow this research if you're intrigued. But reducing Cacao to chemical parts is not my favorite way to introduce or speak of a beloved. Plant or human. Cacao contains a whole host of natural "feel good" chemicals known to influence the body and brain in subtle ways, so don't be surprised if you start to feel the effects of this too. You may notice feelings of warmth rise up the trunk of your body, and have feelings of calm, tranquility, peace, bliss, or others rise up. Maybe your face is hot, you feel flushed, your heart flutters a little. Relax into this. Find comfort in your body through moving to positions of comfort. Twinges and such happen. Trust and move to comfort and breathe deeply. Cacao is a great partner for journey and meditation practice too.  

There are many sources for organic cacao paste so do your homework and feel into the integrity of the company. Central and South America have many beautiful suppliers and then some who are questionable but you will see this with a few questions. One good question is where are the trees from and are the people passionate about their cacao and forthcoming on how they work and tend the land around the trees? If not, move on. 

A Ceremonial Cacao Dose is 1oz. per person per day.
No more than 2oz. per day if you're moved to have more but do space the doses out a bit until you understand how Cacao works with you and your body. These are adult doses so offering to children means smaller amounts please. Sometimes just a spoonful is plenty. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 4oz water per person by volume - you may have 4 oz. Lemon Verbena tea here as a traditional option too.
• 1oz cacao per person by weight
• Pinches of cayenne pepper
• Pinches of cinnamon 
• Honey, Agave, Maple Syrup, or other sweetener to taste (keep it on the bitter side and acclimate to this taste) Black Sugar is traditional but hard to find here in the states.
• Optional: cardamom powder, vanilla to taste
• The ratio of cacao to water is simply a matter of the consistency you like. If you want it thinner, simply add more water.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Start with the cacao block. Chop with a knife into fragments about 1/4 inch  or smaller and weigh and measure out your water and cacao.
2. Heat water with chili to not quite a boil. It should be just too hot to the touch and around no more than 180 degrees.
3. Add the cacao shavings and turn the heat very low or off completely.
4. Use a whisk to stir the brew until all the chunks are blended in and a bit frothy.
5. After the cacao has ‘dissolved’, add whatever sweetening and spices you want. 
6. It’s helpful to have a spoon or stirring stick to keep the consistency even as you consume it. The cacao will settle at the bottom over time. Sometimes I put it all in a small mason jar with a lid so I can shake it well between my tiny sips. This keeps the lovely froth stirred up too. 
7. Sip slowly over 10-15 minutes on an empty stomach while you unplug and relax. Effects are felt almost instantly to hours after with a cumulative effect when working for days in a row. 
8. I like my second dose around 2-3:00pm in the afternoon if I'm home and will unplug. I currently do not take Cacao daily. Some do. It's a precious medicine to me that takes so much time and work to bring to us in the states and so I choose to save it for the deeper connections of soul work. 

How do you know if you're too sensitive, at least for today, and need to slow your dose down? 
Simple. Read the language of your body. I am super sensitive to meds, herbs and just about anything. It's just how I am. Know you and adjust accordingly. This is not a competition and has nothing to do with body size either. Besides, isn't it fabulous to get there with less?! I find the overdose symptom picture looks like this: shaky, sweaty, antisocial, racing pulse, racing thoughts, disconnected feeling (we are), slow moving, heart palpitations, anxious, nauseated to mild and intense vomiting. Not fun! If these symptoms begin to appear during drinking your first dose slowly, then stop for now, drink plenty of water, and lay down. I keep stronger sedating nervine plants as companions on hand such as Skullcap, Chamomile, or Kava Kava root to sip as a tea or take in tincture doses of 10-20 drops with plenty of water and rest. I've not felt these effects with 1oz. but I have with a second  1oz. dose close to the first. And this can happen to anyone and anytime for it's dependent on you and Cacao and the work together in the time you are together. One session can have you feeling this come on half way through your first dose and another session you drink the whole dose with no symptoms at all. Listen to your body as it speaks and adjust your practice. Start low and go slow is my take for safety as these compounds in Cacao are quite powerful, stimulating, bitter, and have potent detoxifying compounds. These symptoms are a strong liver and heart response and we can work with this gently, with care and awareness. 

Contraindications to Consider
If you take anti-depressant medications or cardiac medications of any kind, are pregnant or breast feeding then I ask that you prepare 1/4 of the dose 1/4 oz in 2oz. or more of water will do). Take with extra water and no more Cacao for the day. Some say none at all. I have seen this very low dose to be very safe time and again. The connection is made with a very small amount to none at all and just holding the seeds will do. You decide.  Pure cacao can be fatal to dogs, and possibly horses and parrots, so be sure to keep it away from all pets to be safe.

​Cacao is a powerful heart-opener, increasing blood flow significantly with these small ceremonial doses. It increases focus so that meditation, yoga, and therapeutic work are more accessible. It’s gentle, supportive energy allows me to expand and experience heightened states as well as drop safely into the shadows to clear out some murky heaviness my soul just does not want to carry any longer. We always smile after some good tears fall. Thank you for witnessing what I'm exploring which is a deeper, private, ceremonial way with Cacao. I hope this inspires you to weave Cacao medicine into your medicine bag and apothecary as a healer of self who continues to be medicine for Earth too. So much love to you, Jen

Self-observation and self-reflection are definitely forms of self care that I'm finding absolutely require we keep our humor about us. For one, it's not as painful as the self-judgments we toss around so easily. I often laugh more these days as I catch myself in any form of sabotage mode. Then I adopt a third person conversation which delivers quite the therapeutic effects of kind self-talk, even if stern, that has that element of humor. "Oh, look what you're doing now, Jen!", is my chat with a curious and inquisitive laugh. With Valentine's Day here and all the social media and commercialization that surfaces, it's easy to get lost or lulled to sleep in the lousy chocolate, mass produced over priced roses that die in days, moving blood diamonds around more, and yeah, some seriously bad cards with ridiculous prices. I walked away years ago from this. Sorry but it's true. Now visiting flowers and trees wherever they're alive, visiting sacred waters of the Earth and other landscapes that heal us, making handmade gifts, and sourcing cacao from kind stewards of the land, plus other ways that really feel true, well that's another story all together (smile).

The truth is this time of year is triggering for many. Many struggle this month around the heart. What's heavy in the heart for you? Are tears trying to move in that self-cleansing way? Is there a struggle to find the space or language to actually feel into it all and therapeutically convey in some creative way what is happening on the inside? Addictions of all sorts are included in a mass of coping skills we've masterfully honed over the years as avoidance tactics and they rear their head often this time of year in place of embracing dropping deeper into the heart to do some dusting and cleaning. Growth hurts. But the truth is holding on takes far more energy than letting go of heart pain. 

As spring walks closer and stirs our subtler bodies, I know for me I feel this as either as a scattered way or a sluggish can't get focused way. Obsessive behaviors, irritation, anxiety, and poor timing crop up among my people too. Complaining and whining are at an all time high. So how do you clock this unique way in yourself and own that there's some simple good medicine for this? The number one medicine for this for me is to get outside, anyway, no matter what the weather is doing to re-calibrate with the natural forces. Bundling up for us cold weather dwellers means pulling out the hardy weather garb, again, but let's face it, 40 degrees feels like spring after this much winter and most of us don a thick sweater instead!

"Go to the Water" is the mantra of my ancestors and I seek this inside and out with hikes to natural water places and also through more spiritual bathing in the tub, and sauna. I also sit with my drum and rattle more, journey and make sounds that carry what I cannot find words for. And I paint for visual release and inquiry. Of late I've turn to our food choices too for my body is giving subtle clues to lighten it up. Salads, raw foods, and fruit look more appealing now. Here's another way that I like to re-calibrate on the inside. Jay and I are starting a Kitchari Cleanse this week, Cyrus is not so game for this yet but he's watching as we prepare for a short 3-4 day one to start. We'll go longer if we want to at the end. 

This simple, soupy Ayurvedic cleansing dish is made primarily of rice, split mung beans, seasonal veggies and spices. Sometimes I have to start at the physical and walk step by step. This satisfies that in me. It changed my whole outlook on cleansing and transformed my relationship with food and my body. Instead of feeling deprived, it made me feel nourished. Instead of frazzled and delirious with a headache or nausea, I felt grounded, safe, and secure. Coming off it I feel clear and connected. The idea is to stimulate your natural cleansing processes in a slow, sub-radar like cleanse that doesn't stimulate chelation toxicity (releasing too much too fast for our elimination systems). This is hard for the body and a stress that is not good for us. Seasoned fasting lovers know that this is a muscle that must be exercised slowly or one pays dearly. 

The beauty of this dish and cleanse is that you can eat. You can eat Kitchari for a single meal to give your digestion a break or do a full cleanse of 3-7 days where you really begin to release stored toxins and accumulation for safe release from the body. It’s a great introductory or seasonal cleanse because you still get to eat something throughout the day but at the same time it's the most effective tool I've found for healing and soothing the digestive system, increasing digestive fire, reducing bloating, clearing the mind, healing attachments to food, sleeping deeper, and kick starting the body’s natural ability to heal itself. While weight lose is not the goal, that just might happen too.

I follow this cleansing diet for days before the plant diet initiations I go to with my teacher where we sustain ourselves on a few ounces of a single plant elixir every four hours for three days and vision quest with one plant. Eating kitchari from one pot prepared each morning reduces our focus and energy demands on food. Think about how much time we spend on food alone from making the money to getting it or growing it, to planning meals, preparing, eating, and cleaning up. It's all good and communal supporting, yes, but a break to focus elsewhere is also so good for us. This eliminates much and frees up so much time. This is also a great diet for a day or two upon returning from questing or fasting of any kind to support integration and landing back in well.  

Determine the number of days you will cleanse for with 3-7 days being a good place to start. You can always go longer if you feel you want to. Trust yourself on this. 

• Begin to eliminate common foods that cause imbalances for you a few days before the cleanse such as alcohol, caffeine, refined sugar, meat, processed foods, and foods you know affect your unique physiology. 
• Make kitchari daily (if possible) and eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Seek organic ingredients and stock up. 
• Drink warm water and warm herbal teas of nettles, red clover flower, oatstraw, milky oats, chamomile (deeply calming and clearing), or peppermint (gives a 'pep').
• Get plenty of rest and take time for self care (warm oil massage at the start or end of the day, warm baths, steams, saunas, yoga, meditation)
• In the mornings drink a cup of warm water with lemon followed by another glass of warm water to flush the system
• If you need to eat something other than kitchari try some fresh, seasonal fruit in the morning, handfuls of nuts and seeds, or cooked grains with ghee and a sprinkle of sea or rock salt
• Set an intention. Remind yourself of why you're doing this re-calibration cleanse and dig in for your higher purpose for this. For me, I like to set an intention to heal and connect to my deepest self. Often I observe myself swaying away from self and this whole practice reels me back in. Setting an intention brings the practice from the ordinary to the sacred.
• Clear out your calendar as much as you can and involve willing family  or friends either to share with you or at least inform them of what you're doing. Let this be a time for total self-love, reflection, and connection. Having someone to share this time adds a depth to the process but is not a prerequisite by any means. It's amazing how much time and energy we have when we don’t need to think about food and preparing it! Use that time to connect to spirit, your Divine, and the deepest part of you.

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I love adding the ghee and salt later in the process because it makes the flavor jump up more for me. I do this with simple tomato sauce too by infusing olive oil with garlic, basil, salt and pepper, and pinch of rosemary and stir in just before serving. It's amazing how these late additions retain and pull forth the essential oils in the dish. 

This makes about 4-6 servings. Double it if there's more people in your home joining you or to eat throughout the week, though I do recommend making it daily if that's a possibility for you. To accommodate my work schedule I I make enough for 2 days at a time. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup split mung beans - these can be found at most natural food stores or online. You can use whole mung beans but I soak them over night, or at least for a few hours, in cool water with a little whey or buttermilk if you have. Discard that water in the morning and proceed.  
• 1/2 cup organic basmati rice
• 1 3x2 inch strip of kombu (kelp), cut into small pieces
• 6-8 cups of filtered water
• 3-4 cups fresh, organic and seasonal veggies - use at least one green veggie and one orange or root vegetable such as carrot, sweet potato or squash
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed ground 
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed ground
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed ground
• 1/8 - 1/4  teaspoon asafoetida powder
• 1/2  - 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup loosely packed chopped, fresh organic cilantro and reserve some for serving
• 2-3 tablespoons ghee, coconut oil, or sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon rock salt and more to taste if needed at serving time
• fresh lime wedges for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse the rice and split mung beans in the 2:1 ratio of rice to beans and then put them in a pot with the kombu and water enough to cover by at least an inch or 2.
2. Boil until soft 20-30 minutes roughly with the lid ajar. Chop veggies and cilantro and grind spices in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder dedicated to herbs (if using whole spices) as the rice and beans cook.
3. Add the veggies (keep kale or quick-cooking veggies like zucchini out for now), add 2 more cups of water and cover. Cook 3-5 minutes or so until the water boils veggies are starting to soften. Add more water and adjust temperature as needed.
4. Once veggies start to soften, add the diced ginger, coconut and spices of cumin, coriander, fennel, asafoetida and turmeric. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of black pepper in the Winter.
5. Add the kale, spinach or other quick-cooking veggies and the fresh cilantro. Stir adding more water if needed.
6. Then I turn off the heat and add the ghee, coconut oil or sesame oil, and the rock salt.
7. Serve with fresh cilantro and coconut garnish and a thick wedge of fresh lime. 

Enjoy! Thank you for coming in for a read and may your day be blessed and your re-calibration plans be underway as Spring approaches.
Much Love, Jen

Are you ready to gently infuse your heathcare with simple green plants for healing? It truly is easier than many think because we hold this knowing through our ancestral lines. Beginning anyway is a beautiful way. xo-Jen