Herbal Medicine

The medieval herbalist and mystic Hildegard of Bingen talks of Viriditas, the greening power. This greening power is the vital energy that is Life, the Spirit of the Earth, Earth Gaia in action that heals and transforms humanity. The natural healing that comes to us so freely and abundantly from the plant realm is indeed a greening of the human condition. The wisdom of plants is reborn every day with each new green shoot coming up from the deep within the Earth. Behind their beauty and living greenery is a deep, underlying consciousness, a sense of universal spirituality of which their vitality is but the means of expression. Plants appeal to the senses, that is how we discover and know them, but this appeal goes deeper than the senses. The cosmic sense of plants goes into our minds and hearts, ineffably linking our nature with their own in one chain of life and consciousness. This long-hidden wisdom has always been available for the asking and some curiosity. The ancient peoples of old understood and lived with this wisdom. We study herbs and see in them a special awareness that complements our human nature and desire. Healing green plants are passive, … Read more

Published in New Directions Magazine February 2000 The common cold is still our most common complaint during the winter season. It is usually our first indicator that our immune system is low. There are numerous different rhinoviruses that are causing it. There are also causes, which include exposure to cold winds, cold, damp, mucus-forming food, and of course the seasonal changes. The main thing is finding out what is happening within our internal environment that would allow the virus to take hold. Is there a particular deficient? Is there an excess of body fluids or energy? Is there a particular block in one of our major body systems? General herbal treatment may be helpful such as taking garlic, Echinacea tincture, herbal cough and flu formula, and drinking a warm cup of ginger tea. By doing this type of approach it becomes a hit and miss, it may help and it may not. In most cases, it will help but it may be only for a short period of time. We need to find out what the underlying cause is. Treat the cause and find out if it is a long-term inherited tendency or has your body just gotten run down … Read more

How do we deepen our connection to the healing world of plants? How do we go beyond the physical realm of this heals that and that heals this, to beyond just treating symptoms, treating just the obvious or treating just the disease? How do we deepen our healing herb practice? How do we deepen our love relationship with the Green world? If we look to our not so distant past we will see the approaches that all ancient cultures from around the world used. Be it Ayurveda from India, Traditional Chinese Medicine from China, Tibetan Medicine from Tibet, Unani Tibb System from the Arabic/Persian, or any the Shamanic practices from around the world, they all worked with the energetic qualities of the plants. It was also practiced by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and by herbalists throughout Europe until the 17th century. Numerous Native American tribes, most especially the Cherokee, all evolved energetic healing systems, which are still in use today. Understanding the principles of energetics is essential for treatment. The traditional herbalists considered the complete healing essence of the plants from the physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. They all approached healing plants as something sacred. THE SACREDTo recognize and … Read more

“When you look at nutrition from a purely scientific point of view,there is no place for consciousness. And yet, consciousness could be one of the crucial determinants of the metabolism”~Deepak Chopra, M.D. Just as light passes through water, sound travels through air, and in a similar way, the food we eat is permeated with its own subtle vibrations, and those it has picked up from the environment it was growing in, as well as all the people who have handled it along the way. All these subtle vibrations are incorporated into the consciousness of the person eating the food. So, we could say that plants grown, prepared, and eaten with positive energy can uplift the spirits and nourish the body of the individual. THE LIFE FORCE IN PLANTS Plants are themselves living systems when they are used as foods or medicine they still have some of their original qualities. Plants are an aggregate of physical elements and energy-life force field. Live plants or picked plants, of course, don’t have exactly the same type of energy-life force; the more time elapses from the moment of cutting, the more the field of the cut or picked plant changes, until eventually it disintegrates and the … Read more

As the days gradually become longer and warmer, and we prepare for the increased activities of Spring, our bodies respond by mobilizing the eliminative organs to detox the accumulated waste of winter. While the colon, kidneys, lungs, and skin all play a major role in this important cleansing process, it is the liver that is most in focus now as springtime energies stimulate the liver to cleanse the blood and internal organs of impurities. These impurities may be due to fatty, processed or undigested foods, a deficiency in enzymes, or environmental toxins including heavy metals, drugs, poisonous chemicals, polluted air and contaminated water. When the body is overburdened with toxins, the liver may be stressed causing symptoms such as allergies, headaches, nausea, irritability, foggy thinking, muscle tension, skin eruptions, itching and fatigue. In women, PMS, fibroid tumours, and endometriosis are signs of liver stress, since the liver must process excess estrogens out of the bloodstream. The Body in Spring The body is moving right along with its yearly cycle of rebuilding and cleansing various organs and systems, whether we acknowledge it or not. Throughout Spring, our bodies mimic the plant cycles, for as the sap rises in the trees, it … Read more

“Look deep, deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”~Albert Einstein  What is Herbalism? The term ‘herb’ refers to a plant used for medicinal purposes. The medicinal benefits of herbs have been known for centuries. Humans have always been dependent on plants for medicine, food, and healing. The healing properties of herbs have not changed through the centuries – what was a healing herb a few hundred years ago is still a healing herb today. Many of the benefits of herbs are not so much based on the scientific study but rather on the consistent observations made by herbal practitioners throughout the centuries. In India, herbal therapy is the most important traditional treatment method today. We are now seeing an increased acceptance and popularity of herbal use in Western countries. The recognition of their value is widely increasing as many people seek a greater understanding of their body and mind, and thereby assume more responsibility for their own health and well-being. Herbal medicines have soared in popularity. People are looking for safe, effective, and time-proven medicine. Herbs, when properly used, are safe, gentle, and effective. Herbs should be treated like other medicines in that it is important to … Read more

“Stress is the Spice of Life.”– Dr. Hans Selye, M.D. During this holiday season of rushing here and rushing there, our nervous system begins to feel run down. It is the time of year when we all need some extra TLC for our nerves. It’s dark and cold outside, and there are deadlines, and people are pushing themselves harder than usual. This is the time of year when many people get ill and their nervous system needs reinforcements. First, we need to ask ourselves some basic questions on how we usually get ourselves through this time of year. How do you unwind after a busy day?How do you cope when times get tough?Where do you go to nourish your nerves and spirit?What do you take to support your essential nervous system? Defining StressStress is a fundamental part of being alive and should not be avoided. The key is to make sure that the degree of stress we experience is such that life is a joy, not a drag. What’s so joyful about stress?Stress is a unique reaction. It’s all up to you. Stress can be fatal, or it can be fantastic. Learning how to interpret your body’s messages about your … Read more

THE ROOTS OF HERBAL ENERGETICSHerbal Energetics, the study of the subtle energies emitted by plants, has been an integral part of healing practices around the world for centuries. The Asian medical healing systems of India, Tibet, China, and the Middle Eastern Unani, as well as in the Traditional Western practices of the Greeks, and the Native American Cherokees, all knew that understanding the energetic language of each plant was essential to understanding it’s medicinal value and how to administer it. The knowledge of the medicinal and energetic properties of herbs in ancient cultures was culled from wisdom handed down over generations by the shamans, holy men or sages of that culture. The medicinal properties of herbs are related systematically according to their physical and energetic properties, which include the elements, tastes, heating, cooling, digestive effects and other special potencies they possess. It gives us a structure in which the plant can be easily identified and used wisely according to an individual’s constitution and disorder. Hippocrates, a Greek philosopher and physician, worked with a systematic approach called the Four Humour system. This system categorized each individual as one of several physiological constitutional types. Likewise, plants were also classified and applied according … Read more

Trigonella foenum-graecum Papilionaceae Names: Fenugreek What is fenugreek? Fenugreek is one of the world’s oldest medicinal herbs. It has a variety of uses, including increasing breast milk production. Habitat: North Africa, India, cultivated worldwide. Fenugreek is indigenous to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, but it is grown in India, Morocco, Egypt and England. The herb can grow to be about two feet tall. It blooms white flowers in the summer and has very aromatic seeds. Part Used: Seeds, Leaves, and/or Sprouts Constituents: * Volatile oil containing 3-hydroxy-4, 5-dimethyl-2-furanone, dihydrobenzofuran, dihydroactinidiolide, muurolene, elemene, selinene * Alkaloids including trigonelline, gentianine and carpaine * Saponins based mainly on the sapogenins diosgenin and its isomer yamogenin, gitogenin and tigogenin * Flavonoids including vitexin and its glycosides and esters, isovitexin, orientin, vicenins l and 2, quercetin and luteolin * Mucilage, mostly a galactomannan Actions: Expectorant, demulcent, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, tonic, emmenagogue, galactagogue, hypotensive. Ranking Health Concerns Primary: ~Diabetes ~High Triglycerides Secondary: ~Atherosclerosis ~High Cholesterol ~Other Constipation Fenugreek sprouts are considered to be an herbal digestive aid. You can add fenugreek seeds to your sprouting mixtures. They grow quickly and combine best with fast-growing legumes like mung beans or moth beans (moth beans are … Read more