Herbal Mondays

The Echinacea plant is native to the areas west of Ohio, in America.  It belongs to the Aster (Asteraceae) family.  Echinacea can grow as high as 2-3 feet.  The leaves are “thick, rough, hairy, and broadly landscaped, 3-8 in. long (Hutchans, 113)…” The flowered head appears from July to October. The color of the flower ranges from white to a pale purple.

The Lakota used the Echinacea plant (freshly scraped root) for hydrophobia, and snakebites.  The Cheyenne used boiled leaves and stems making a yellow colored liquid to draw poison out of a snake bite and to relieve the itch of poison ivy.(James Stubbendieck, et al)

                                                                        

For Homeopathic use, the whole fresh Echinacea plant is tinctured.  It is recommended for Appendicitis, bites of rabid animals, blood poisoning, just to name a few.  Echinacea’s dried root homeopathic is used at a ratio of 1:2 which means 75% of the tinctured root to 25% water.  For the fresh root, it is used at a ratio of 1:5, meaning 50% tincture and 50% water[i]. 

I was taught that the volatile properties of the tinctures were reduced by continuous dilutions and succession (vigorous shaking). The author of the above information stated you should feel a “buzzing” on the tongue. 

With proper homeopathic dilution, you would take the tincture and dilute it with 99 parts of water and alcohol before each succession for 1C homeopathic solution or one part tincture to 10 parts water or alcohol for a 1X solution.  

Typically you would see the remedies labeled 6C, 30C, 200C, 1M (1,000C) or higher.  For home use 6C and 30C are what is usually recommended. 

As with Flower Remedies, Homeopathic Remedies use the “essence” of a plant, mineral, etc. That “essence”  is as Robin Hayfield states, “entering the realms of pure energy (15)”.  It is actually the signature of the plant, or other organism.  It acts upon the vital force of the body. 

References:

Hayfield, Robin.  The Family Homeopath: safe, natural, effective health care for you and your children.
     Healing Arts Press, 1994

Hutchens, Alma R.  Indian Herbalogy of North America.  Shambhala, 1991

James Stubbendieck, Stephen L. Hatch, and Charles H Butterfield.  North American Range Plants, 4^th Ed.
     University of Nebraska Press, 1992.

Weyers, Elisheva. http://elisheva-weyers.suite101.com/echinacea-a-natural-immune-stimulant-a236105

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[i] Use only spring water or distilled water. 

Nutrition Fridays

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN:

The best diet for healing is Veganism. 

The next best is Vegetarianism [in which there are numerous types]

The worst diet for good health is what the average American eats.

 Spirit of Place: If Nothing Ever Changed...
Collage Painting. Copr. Donna Duncan, 2012

Unlike what you hear from the beef industry, beef is the worst meat produced! Unlike what was grown 30 to 40 years ago, the beef produced today has been given feed that is GMO, unless labeled as “free-range” and “Grass-fed”, although I did find a site where concerns were expressed about GMO in alfalfa seed[i] . It is a well-known fact that chemicals are sprayed on crops grown for cattle feed, and that growth hormones are given via feed to cattle slated for the market.  Also, keep in mind that beef is a $74 billion industry as of 2010[ii]. 

If you have not seen the video “Fast Food Nation”, I advise that you go rent a copy.  You will never wish to go to Burger King or McDonald’s again! The new “healthier” menus are very interesting.  Processed yogurt, fruits that do not taste right (after eating organic for a year, you will understand what I am saying here), but definitely better than the old menus.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to take the risk that what I eat may harm me.  Much less spoon or fork that food onto your children’s dinner plate!

It’s all about choices, EDUCATED choices. We can chose to be spoon-fed a bunch of hype from a billion-dollar industry. Nor should you allow the FDA to assist in your decisions, who do not require labeling of GMO food sources, but DOES require everything else to be labeled and has a former Monsanto CEO large and in charge.

The American public needs to understand how food affects health.  Remember that old adage “You are what you eat”? There is truth to that saying! If we stuff ourselves with empty calories, fats, low-vitamin and mineral (and “enriched” with only a few vitamins) content, possibly GMO fed meats, and sugar than what can we expect? 

High percentages of people diagnosed with Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Acid-Reflux, numerous digestive disorders, Chronic and Morbid Obesity, female and male hormonal imbalances, etc.

Are you ready to try something different?

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[i] http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/

[ii] http://www.ers.usda.gov/news/BSECoverage.htm

Alternative Healing Wednesdays

Balm of Gilead.
Watercolor. Copr. Donna Duncan, 2001

There are several ways in which herbal healing is administered.  These are: teas, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, fluid extracts, essences[i], fomentations, ointments, poultices, syrups, and capsules. We will discuss the method of making herbal teas, infusions and decoctions here[ii]:

Tea 
                             

Use fresh water (spring water is best, filtered water is next-best), and bring to a boil, shut it off.  Place 1 teaspoon of tea to 8 ounces of water. Cover the pot. Let steep for 5-15 minutes. Use a non-metallic strainer to strain the tea.

Infusion

Pour 1 pint of boiling water over a full ounce of herbs. For smaller amounts you can reduce, for example 1/3 ounce of herb to a full cup of water.  Then let it steep for 10-20 minutes (lid on). Then strain as instructed with tea.

Decoctions

Used for hard, and woody type of roots and / or stems. It is the bitter principles and mineral salts that are extracted through this process. First you would need to cut or crush a full ounce of herb. These are added to a full pint of water. Bring them to a boil, and then reduce the temperature to simmer until ¼ of the volume is gone.  Allow the liquid to cool, and strain (as before).  The decoction is intended to be taken in small amounts several times a day. The strained herbal liquid should be refrigerated and kept for only 72 hours.

What should you do with the herbs, after straining? Place them in your compost, or around your plants to naturally decompose.  DO NOT throw into the garbage or garbage disposal! Plants do sense our attitudes, and doing these two things would send the message we do not respect and honor their healing qualities. I always thank the plant when placing the used parts out in the garden.

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[i] Not to be mistaken with Essence Oils, or Flower Essences

[ii] The remaining methods will be covered in detail, in my course

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