Me too. I always think about the skin as our first line or boundary marker. It's like the line drawn in the sand where the landscape changes from what is outer to what is inner; what all can see to what no one can see. What rules these inner and outer landscapes changes too. Boundaries are so important, yes? So we can start with the physical level. What we eat and drink, how we rest and exercise, and more all make a difference in our skin quality. These choices we make are actually the easy part when it comes to boundary work! Keep it simple and turn to chemical free care of body and home. There are so many cosmetic and cleaning chemicals isolated in cancerous tumors today for the body has no idea how to break these substances down. Yes, I read labels or make products I can't find to fit this way of being. All you need are some very basic kitchen skills. So here's one solution that works in our house. One quality I love about massaging this Shea Butter Plus into my moist skin after bathing is that it's not greasy at all. After a few minutes the skin drinks this deep into the lower layers of our protective barrier and you are left with a silky soft skin texture. The Rosemary is an anciently rooted skin healer meaning we have known for a long time that it will soothe chapped irritated areas, protect open areas from opportunistic microbes looking for an easy ride into our bodies, and strengthen the barrier structure of our skin so it can repair and do as it's designed to do by staying intact and protecting our inner landscape. Shea butter comes from a nut from the African Shea Tree and is an off- white or ivory-colored fat extracted from the nut of this tree (Vitellaria paradoxa). It’s highly revered globally as a skin protectant and healer which began with the people who are profoundly fortunate to live among these trees. Shea butter is honored among drummers and dancers for protecting the integrity of overworked and overexposed skin. When blended into this butter, this can be massaged all over the body. This works for wherever you need it from tired, sore drummer-gardener-farmer-stonelayer-baker-worker hands, to massaging as a hair pomade into the scalp and hair, to massaging on tired feet from long hours of walking and working, to chapped cheeks from too much cold or wind or saltwater swimming skin. Here's to nourishing your skin.... xo-Jen Shea Butter PlusINGREDIENTS: 4 tablespoon rosemary infused olive oil 3 tablespoon shea butter 1 tablespoon beeswax 1 tablespoon cocoa butter 1 tablespoon coconut oil 30 drops lavender essential oil - or any essential oil you love (this is optional - this salve can stay unscented too if you prefer that by just leaving this out). 1. Make your rosemary infused olive oil. Easy - warm fresh rosemary from the healthfood store or your garden in a double boiler with gentle boiling water underneath. Add 4 tablespoons of fresh leaves to 1/2 cup of olive oil and warm, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 hours. You can chop up the leaves too and this will allow the medicine to come out more quickly. Carefully strain and pour into a glass container, label with the date, and store in cool shaded area. You will have enough for a two batches of this recipe now. 2. Wipe out your double boiler and re-set on the stove with a pan of simmering water underneath and add all your ingredients to the pan and warm until all is just melted. 3. Pour into a wide mouth jar and allow to cool. Make a funky personal label and enjoy! Yield 5oz. which is enough for one winter. Interested in deepening your knowledge of the medicine plants and developing earth medicine skills?
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I have to say that when your throat is on fire, a good cough drop can save the moment!There is the issue of sugar when making these for we know too much sugar can suppress the immune system. We cannot live without glucose and our brains will actually seize up and die fast without it. I had to get okay with some quality sugary sweet products, seek quality sugars, and realize that it’s like water and the sun, too much will kill us. We still need them all, right? Sweetness is part of the chemistry of preserving the medicines we make and it just improves flavor for some situations. Here’s an easy recipe for honoring what White Pine can offer us when we have fiery throats, lots of mucus, and coughing from ailing lungs. Honey does not have the chemistry for this to work. I tried with poor results and hate cooking honey most of the time. I do have an old canning book that uses honey exclusively for making jams and they are delicious! Yes, you loose some of the benefits of raw honey but you never sacrifice flavor or health benefits. So let's visit White Pine for a moment. Many forget to tun to this tree when we have colds and flus. White pine is usually right outside or near, depending on where you live, and you can simply pinch the tips with much gratitude for her greenery in the winter! This tree has a strong mothering kind of energy when we are sick and needing help. Making tea for drinking or pouring into the bath are ancient practices available to us for addressing infections and flus deep in our respiratory system and for keeping mucus fluid and flowing outward. This is the body's way of healing itself. Decongestants dry us out and will only compound the problem of making mucus too thick to move and then the bacteria have a perfect world to thrive in and secondary infections begin, such as bronchitis, sinus, or ear infections. Think rest and fluid, rest and fluid. I added Thyme to this for I had so much from the summer abundance! Thyme is a fantastic immune supportive herb, is a potent bronchodilator, meaning opens airway passages for better air movement, and has much to offer for antimicrobial strength too. Why do you think it made it into our food so long ago? It was for these very reasons when we were without refrigeration and still learning about germs, right? These are a hit in my house and they're pretty easy to make and delicious too. Bringing the outside in and remembering that winter does end, so enjoy the now, is good medicine this time of year. White Pine in the belly works for me! Enjoy! xo-Jen Mama White Pine, Lemon & Thyme Cough DropsINGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
ElderMoon School of Herbal Medicine and Earth AwarenessCultivating lunar awareness is what it's all about here. Synchronizing with the Moon as our ancestral women did keeps us in flow with the cyclic nature of our world. We make better choices from this place of being and this affects ourselves, our families, our communities and the collective whole. Yes, it will make your life easier. Yes, it starts with you. Join me for a once a month virtual MoonLodge that I pray sparks in-person lodges for your community women. Thank you for sharing. xo- Jen MoonLodge TeaA lunar connecting blend to grace our walk with the Moon as we circle and hold council together. It can be a challenge to stop and drop down into ourselves these days, right? But life is easier when we make this happen. Support is all around with the New Moon and the medicine plants beckoning us to do just this. Try drinking this around the New Moon and see for yourself how easy it can be. Deliver some to a sister in need and watch how easy it is for her too. Ingredients: 3 parts each Red Raspberry Leaf and Nettles 2 parts each Oatstraw, Lemon Balm and Hibiscus 1 part Jasmine Flower and Roses -Blend your dried herbs together and store in a glass jar with a label. -Add 4 heaping tablespoons to 1 quart of boiled water, cover and steep 1 hour. -Find your favorite mug for sipping, add honey if you like, and plan to sip it all over the course of each New Moon. ENJOY! Trust your way, wise one. May our paths cross soon. Thank you for commenting and sharing. xo-Jen Midwifing the Sun Back into BeingOne way we can honor the Winter Solstice is by creating a releasing ritual at home or in circle with family or others in order to release what is out of date, outmoded and no longer serves you and therefore the greater whole. Winter Solstice is the shortest day, and longest, darkest night of the year. It holds the promise of the Light, just on the other side of it, beginning to return. We help birth the Sun back into being just by simply releasing what is no longer needed. We are deepest and longest, on this very day, with the Divine Feminine within her dance with the Divine Masculine, which peaks on the Summer Solstice. This ancient practice honors the dance, the medicine generated from their dance, and helps us open to healing. We need only to make ourselves available through simple, intimate acts with our Divine. Creating an altar, making releasing bundles, time together, and sparkling celebratory drinks are our way on the Winter Solstice. My third son was born today and this deepens the already special night that it is for our family. He always tells me he's from the Sun. I believe him. Being an herbalist means I deeply desire to fill your belly with something nourishing, especially when we work deep in the darkest time of year. My celebratory contribution this year to my tribe includes Elderberry Bellinis and Elderberry Sparkling Water. I share in the hope that you'll fill your belly with the goodness of Elder. xo-jenElderberry Bellini & Elderberry Sparkling WaterElderberry Bellini 1-2 tablespoons Elderberry syrup Prosecco Lime wedge Mix gently in a beautiful glass and enjoy! Elderberry Sparkling Water (The Non-alcoholic Bellini) Yes! Simply use sparkling water with your syrup. Children rave over this and delight in having beautful drinks in elegant glasses with their favorite grownups. As I'm writing this, I'm sipping this one... it's in the pics and so good! The Prosecco is in the frig for tonight. Our immune systems often get taxed this time of year, right? Elderberry provides. Elder shores up the boundaries in all directions to the possiblity of passing colds and flus around as we celebrate through the holidays. This is such a delicious, gorgeous, and easy way to celebrate. Who said medicine usually tastes awful? Never with Elder! – Quick & Easy Elderberry Syrup Recipe– 1 cup fresh (or 1/2 cup dried will do) Elderberries 1 1/2 cup water 1 cup raw wildflower honey ½ tsp fresh chopped ginger root 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice ½ tsp Cinnamon powder
Making Winter Solstice Releasing BundlesThis is another way to honor the releasing season we are in. As we reflect on the year passing and what worked, what bloomed, what was a complete bomb, and how we may have tripped ourselves up, making bundles to burn today solidifies our accepting of our part in it all. It's a simple act with deep rippling effects on so many levels. Here's what you'll need to gather to make your releasing bundle:
Assembly:
What if, in this release, the inspiration and energy comes forth to fund your forward motion towards a dream for yourself? What if your dream-made-reality is actually connected to the whole as your gift to making this world a better place? Would you choose to step forward through the simple act of letting go? I pray you do. xo-JenBirthing an Herbalist in 13 Moons - You want to make good medicine, right? And deepen your knowledge of healing yourself too. Me too and it started an outrageous journey into the world of plants for me years ago. Come join me. Our new group begins April 2016 - This is an interactive on-line course in herbal medicine for 13 Moons together. Our time will provide you with a solid foundation for learning not only the skills and language of an herbalist and the science of the body but also the way we approach Nature and the plants in order to learn directly from them. We cultivate ourselves all along the way too. The on-line course starts March 18, 2016 and the in-person course begins May 28, 2016. xo-Jen Enjoy a 20% Discount on Classes through December 2015!Come learn the language of the plants and deepen your way of healing yourself, your family, and your community. It's time. It's always an outrageous journey! And it's easier than you think.
Are you stocking your pantry with medicinal mushroom yet? Packed sinuses and congested lungs always open to such medicines as this. Thinning secretions so they can run out along passageways that are less inflammed is the name of the game here. You can literally live on this broth for days with herbal teas and honey-lemon water and get through the roughest of flus in less time if you choose to stay in bed too. This is simple and tasty and satisfies all eating styles (omit the butter for vegan diets). Most health food and specialty grocery stores stock these items. The Reishi and Astragalus are easily sourced on-line if need be to get your pantry stocked well for flu season. I shave my whole Reishi mushrooms with a wood rasp which sounds like work but not really. Reishi mushrooms weigh nearly the same fresh as dried and are quite solid as they carry very little water in their cells. Health-wise they are worth the little extra effort. Rasps are found in hardware stores, are inexpensive, and mine lives with my knives. Otherwise buy it already shaved. I plan ahead and stock up by buying enough for a pot 1-2x/months through peak flu season. Let's look a little deeper at some of the ingredients...Astragalus Root – Astragalus membranaceus - Astragalus Root slices are a regular item in my pantry for more than 20 years now which was when I first learned of this anciently rooted plant that has walked with us humans for a long time. Related to our common vetch plants that grow easily here, Astragalus has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a powerful adaptogenic herb and supports deeply restorative and surface immune responses. Astragalus has gained popularity recently as research has emerged about the "possibility that it can protect DNA and increase longevity". Such a broad, safe statement for what time has already taught us about this one, right? I was taught that it needs to be cooked to get the full benefit so I encourage this way instead of pills. Each slice can be cooked for up to six hours before all medicine is released. Shiitake Mushrooms- Lentinula edodes - Shiitake’s flavor is 4 to 10 times more intense than that of ordinary button mushroom. Ordinary button mushrooms actually should be eaten in low to moderate amounts due their toxicity. Not shiitakes though! It is a fleshy fungi and is rich in nutrients. It contains proteins (18%), potassium, niacin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and B vitamins. Another ancient medicine brought in on a food level to enhance and organize immunity, this thins secretions so they can move and opens respiratory passage ways by reducing inflammation. Did you know that Shiitake is said to love music? Yes, classical and rock and roll. It also likes company and flashlights. At least that's what some farmers report who grow Shiitakes on a daily basis. They assert that when you grow Shiitakes on an isolated log, it does not produce as much as when the log is in a cluster of logs. Word has it that it also produces generously when the people attending to it emit positive energy. If there are some clumsy people near it or arguments or fighting going on, Shiitake tends to be defiant and wilts. We drum and play music for our medicine plants here as well and this is an ancient practice too that even some modern grape producers for jelly making won’t talk about but actually do. Reishi Mushrooms - Ganoderma lucidum - Regular consumption of Reishi, and there are a few different species that all have medicinal value, can enhance our body's immune system and improve blood circulation, thus improving any health condition. Reishi is also anciently rooted in use with humans and is recommended as an adaptogen, immune modulator, and a general tonic. Reishi is also used to help treat anxiety, high blood pressure, hepatitis, bronchitis, insomnia, and asthma. I love the immune enhancing and organizing characteristics of Reishi. The immune system has great power but can get dis-organized and over or under reactive even to the point of being life threatening, such as anaphylaxis (over reactive), and sepsis (under reactive). To this extreme, one usually needs modern medicine interventions to live through the ordeal. Coming down the intensity spectrum a bit, we can still see immune system disorganization and over or under responsiveness that is not life threatening but definitely not life enhancing either. There are a beautiful number of plants, and mushrooms, that carry this beautiful way of shoring up the immune system and reminding it that it can get organized and fight the good fight for re-establishing the boundaries necessary with the microbial world in our inner world. Indeed, boundary maintenance is one of the biggest jobs our immune system has. Reishi can help. Mushroom Broth Medicine - The RecipeIngredients:
Instructions:1. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the carrot, celery, leek, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and leeks have softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant which only takes a minute. 2. Add the mushrooms, bay leaf, and peppercorns and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to release some moisture, about 5 minutes. 3. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to the low and simmer with the lid on the pot until the vegetables are completely soft and the stock has a pronounced mushroom flavor, about two hours. 4. Remove from the heat and add your parsley and thyme. Cover and allow to cool to warm for an hour or so. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large heatproof container or saucepan; discard the contents of the strainer. Stir in the salt or tamari and taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. If not using immediately, let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Therapeutic Dose: 3 big mugs per day or 2-3 bowls of soup using this broth as the base. Turn this into a pot of soup or do as I do and drink it hot by the mug full with a splash of tamari. You can also cook grains in it or make traditional noodle bowls. Boundaries get re-established with the microbial world deep within thanks to the deeply nourishing and medicinal actions of broths like this. I trust the mushrooms to keep my people strong and well and bow deeply to these magical, mysterious medicine keepers found often in the forest who foster deep connections between all species there. Enjoy. xo-Jen Interested in deepening your knowledge of medicine plants?~ Seasonal Digestive Tonics ~ |
Birthing an Herbalist in 13 Moons is starting again in March 2016 - This an interactive on-line course in herbal medicine that will provide you with a solid foundation for learning not only the skills and language of an herbalist, and the science of the body but also the way we approach Nature and the plants in order to learn directly from them. We cultivate ourselves along the way. The on-line course starts March 2016 and the in-person course begins May 2016. See our classes at: |
Day of The Dead ~ Dia de los Muertos ~ Samhain
~ All Soul's Day ~ Halloween ~
The Day of the Dead is such a mystical, magical, and ancient holiday celebrated in central and southern Mexico during the chilly days of November 1 and 2. It makes such sense too. We need more holiday celebrations. Tradtionally many cultures have one at least every 6 weeks. For The Day of the Dead, many believe that the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and the spirits of each family revisit and celebrations ensue through November 2. In most villages in central and south Mexico, beautiful altars are made in each home. They're decorated with candles, buckets of flowers, mounds of fruit, peanuts, plates of turkey mole, stacks of tortillas and big Day-of-the-Dead breads called pan de muerto. The altar needs to have lots of food, bottles of juice, hot cocoa, and water for the weary spirits. Toys and candies are left for the children and tobacco and shots of mezcal tequila are offered to the adult spirits.
The Day of the Dead can be a very expensive holiday for the many self-sufficient, rural based, original intact people of this part of the world. Many spend over two month's income to honor their dead relatives. It's believed that to honor spirit and to honor the spirits of our ancestors, one must be lavish, provide a respite, and create beauty. We want the same in return for they care for us too in unseen ways, right? Happy spirits will provide protection, good luck and wisdom to the family. Altar building keeps a family close and is a sacred act of creating the doorway for this beautiful sharing. It is the time of the Watery West on the Medicine Wheel as a compass and the “veil is naturally thin” at this time between the worlds.
On the afternoon of Nov. 2, the festivities are often taken to the cemetery. People clean tombs, play cards, listen to the village band, and share stories about their loved ones. Tradition and ceremony keeps a village close. Day of the Dead is becoming very popular in the U.S.~ perhaps because we don't have a way to celebrate and honor our dead, or maybe it's because of our fascination with its mysticism. Deepen connection is the what draws many.
Day of the Dead is also celebrated throughout Mexico and the Catholic world in Italy, Spain, South America and the Philippines but under a different name where all celebrate “All Souls and All Saints Day” on November 1st and 2nd. Special Masses and perhaps cleaning and decorating of the cemetery tombs are part of the traditional activities. It's only in Central and Southern Mexico where the colorful parties take place in the cemeteries and elaborate altars are built in the homes to honor specific family members who have passed on. But you can change that in your home.
Samhain
Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The old year has passed, the harvest has been gathered, cattle and sheep have been brought in from the fields, and the leaves have fallen from the trees. The earth slowly begins to die around us. This is a good time for us to look at wrapping up the old and preparing for the new in our lives. Think about the things you did in the last twelve months. Have you left anything unresolved? If so, now is the time to wrap things up. Once you’ve gotten all that unfinished stuff cleared away, and out of your life, then you can begin looking towards the next year.
In our home we celebrate Samhain in the Celtic tradition, Holloween too, and the Day of the Dead in the Central American tradition by spreading the festivities out over three consecutive days. The very day we began building our family altar, calls came in from two family members not spoken to for many years and hours of sharing about childhood goodness and sorrows surfaced. Healing happens this way. That's the magic in action and we haven't even put the finishing touches together on anything quite yet. We are making fresh picked apples into apple sauce with sour cream for one grandmother who ate this everyday, Chaga Hot Chocolate for another beloved elder, and Day of the Dead Bread for all with plates of fruit and flowers and candles.
Here's Our Day Of The Dead Bread Recipe we love!!
Day Of The Dead Bread Recipe
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons anise seed
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons sugar
Directions:
1. Heat the milk and the butter together in a medium saucepan, until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and add the warm water. The mixture should be around 110 degrees F (43 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Beat in the warm milk mixture; then add the eggs and orange zest; beat until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft and manageable.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic - about 5-10 minutes.
4. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1 to 2 hours.
5. Punch the dough down and shape it into a large round loaf after keeping about 1/4 of separate for decorating the loaf. Make two long bones and lay across the loaf with a round piece either in the center or off-set as the skull.
6. Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.
7. Bake in a preheated 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes; then lower heat to 325 degrees for 15-20 minues; watch for browning. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with glaze.
8. To make glaze: In a small saucepan combine the 1/4 cup sugar, orange juice and orange zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes. Brush over top of bread while still warm. Sprinkle glazed bread with sugar (optional).
Yes, you can substitute other sweeteners if sugar is out of your diet. Wheat and bread making is missed but I'm so indulging with my ancestors this weekend!
Chaga Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
1 Tbsp ground chaga per quart of water
Optional Additions: Maple Syrup, Honey, Cream, Cocnut Milk
-Slow simmer chaga in the water covered for 1-2 hours
-Strain through a fine seive and enjoy. The tea is delicious on its own with natural vanilla compounds already in it so try some by itself first. Depending on your source, the outer black layer is more bitter but a welcomed tonic this ime of year.
Chaga Hot Chocolate
Ingredients
1 cup Chaga tea recipe above
1 cup Coconut Milk - we like the full fat kind (or 1/2 cup Cream)
1-2 Tbsp cacao powder (or 1-2oz. dark chocolate works great too)
1-2 Tbsp Maple Syrup - yes, from the tree
Whisk or you can use a blender.
-Return your warm tea to a pot and add all other ingredients and whisk on the lowest heat gently until frothy and mixed well but do NOT boil. Play with the amounts to suit your taste. I've also been known to add a sprinkle of cinnamon or cayenne depending on my mood. Find the perfect mug and ENJOY!
Deeply bowing to you and your ancestors... XO-Jen
So, chlorophyll exists in leaves to help facilitate the process of photosynthesis, where plants absorb carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to produce oxygen and sugars - yes, they literally make matter materialize as plant tissue. Chlorophyll is green and while other colors are present, the tree leans on the chlorophyll so heavily to turn the suns rays into matter that the green color dominates. This can happen easily during the times of year when there is plenty of daylight hours. But when there are more hours of darkness per day than sunlight, things change. Priorities change. The deciduous - leaf -trees find keeping chlorophyll working on the process of photosynthesis far too expensive in terms of energy expended to thrive. The shortening days and lengthening nights are the prompt to stop focusing on the whole photosynthesis process and just let that whole thing break down and fall away. Once the abundant green chlorophyll shrivels and fades, other pigments hiding in the leaf, such as the anthocyanins which give us burgundy and reds, and carotenoids which give us the golds and bright yellows, reveal their color briefly for a few weeks before the leaves fall off altogether to become a brown crunchy mass on the forest floor. This then feeds so much more on the forest floor as the trees prepare for the cold and conserve their energy with promises of spring blooms.
More than 1/2 of the plant material taken from nature heads into the pharmaceutical industry to become pills. This led me to look deeper at the modern drugs so many take without question as the governing authorities and formularies often do not disclose the source of their raw material they begin with. So with some digging I learned that Heparin - a common blood thinner needed in acute hospitals situations - is made from pig intestines. Now this was surely not the information I expected and I thought deeply about how vegetarians and those refraining from pig intake for religious reasons would feel about such information. True, your life may be at stake when a nurse is hooking intravenous Heparin into your vascular system and so the priority list and questions do re-organize themselves, as they should.
Coumadin - another common blood thinner prescribed in pill form for use at home is made from Turmeric Root - a common cooking spice and the main ingredient in many curries. What I do love - and many medical professionals hate - about Coumadin is that it is hard to track and "control" for it acts differently in different people. These people need frequent blood tests and dose adjustments in an attempt to control the therapeutic effects. One thing to consider are the risks of frequent venous punctures. How about all the chemicals made and used to analyze blood? Where does it come from and go to? So what if one went deeper into the why of needing a blood thinner like this. What if it leads one to shift their diet and address issues at a healing restorative level? What if one learned to make a tumeric paste and stirred it into warm water to be enjoyed with honey or coconut milk?
The questions about where the Turmeric came from is logical. Was it sprayed with toxic fungicides and herbicides? Most likely and that is in your medicine too unless you ask the right questions and seek good roots to make good medicine. Formularies are not doing this or they would state it.
Back to Heparin, there was a huge and quieted problem with the quality of the pig intestines harvested in remote areas of the world and this made bad medicine that ended up in people's bodies who subsequently got very ill. The problem was "found and corrected" we are told from authorities.
So my question remains this, if you can make your own medicine and learn to care for your body well using simple changes in diet, lifestyle, and turning to the plants for healing that stimulates our natural way of restoration and regeneration, would you do it? Our bodies know what is happening and responding in every moment. I love that Turmeric Root, within the Coumadin manufacturing process, has retained some of its original wildness - that which will not be controlled essence.
What do you think and feel about this? What are you willing to do about it? Refusing modern medicine may not be the best answer in all situations. Taking only herbals can be a luxury some cannot afford either. So we have to sit respectfully at the same table to address our healing needs as a society and consider how things are made too. It affects everything right on down to how the raw material is farmed or where it is sourced and how it is handled in transit. Shutting down and taking what you are told is another option.
I do suggest a middle ground of stretching out of the comfort zone and learning new ways and asking the hard questions. What say you?
Jennifer Costa, Herbalist-RN, Teacher, Botanist BS, EM-CST, and Founder of ElderMoon School of Herbs & Earth Medicine
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