The Medicine That Grows In-Between: Lamb’s Quarters, Plantain, and Red Clover

 Uncategorized
Jun 192020
 

Written by Meghan Gemma with Juliet Blankespoor
Photography by Juliet Blankespoor
(except where credited)

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Your garden wants to feed you—not just with the cultivated plants you tuck into the soil, but with a profusion of wild greens and herbs that spring up of their own generous accord. These feral guests surpass domestic veggies in nutrition and are often brimming with medicine, which makes them worthy of our attention and care in cultivated spaces. In fact, you might consider celebrating their arrival with a bit of seasonal fanfare—another helping of compost, anyone?

These “weeds,” which include lamb’s quarters, plantain, and red clover, will naturally arrive and make themselves at home in your garden—and can peacefully cohabitate with planted veggies and herbs. You can employ plenty of tricks to help them play nice, and, as a reward for acting as a botanical referee, you’ll harvest even more food and medicine from your garden! This is the bounty that grows in-between: the medicine and food that you didn’t plant but still get to reap.

Plant teacher Frank Cook, who has passed on, used to say that more than half the bounty of a garden could be found in the “in-between” in the form of useful opportunistic plants. People all around the world capitalize on this abundant resource, casually “cultivating” weeds in the in-between spaces.

Let’s take lamb’s quarters (also known as wild spinach) as an example of this useful-weed-and-planted-crop polyculture. In my garden, I leave the lamb’s quarters that comes up between recently planted vegetable and herb crops. After harvesting the wild spinach for a few weeks or a month, the veggies fill out, and then I pull out the lamb’s quarters and use it as mulch for the garden. Wild spinach requires no additional tending and is relatively disease and insect free.

Why wouldn’t we invite low-maintenance and nutritious wild plants to populate our gardens? This is practical, sustainable, and reliable kitchen gardening at its best.

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Lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album)

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Lamb’s Quarters
 (Chenopodium album, Amaranthaceae)

If I had to recommend just one wild food to let run rampant in your garden, it might be lamb’s quarters. This edible is common, easy to identify, and a nutritional powerhouse. In fact, lamb’s quarters is so desirable as a food plant that it was cultivated by early Eurasian and North American peoples—predating corn as a staple crop.1

Lamb’s quarters is well aware of the fertile opportunities presented by your garden, and will appear in the springtime as dainty seedlings with arrowhead- or goose foot-shaped leaves (cheno = goose, podium = foot). The seedlings quickly develop into stout plants that typically reach maturity at 3 to 5 feet (0.9–1.5 meters) in height. A classic identification trait is the textured, waxy bloom found on the undersides of the leaves resembling miniature pearls of dew.

I strongly favor the rich, mineral flavor of lamb’s quarters, which is also called wild spinach. Like many wild foods, lamb’s quarters is more nutritionally endowed than its domestic counterpart, garden spinach (Spinacia oleracea). It is a superior source of iron, calcium, zinc, and potassium, and also provides trace minerals, B-complex vitamins, and vitamin C. Plus, lamb’s quarters is delicious.

If you’re excited about bringing this nourishing plant into the kitchen, see our recipe for Wild Greens Pâté, or substitute a couple handfuls of lamb’s quarters leaves into saag paneer (a family favorite at our house). You can use lamb’s quarters anywhere that you would traditionally use spinach—in omelets, stir-fries, spanakopita, soups, and casseroles. The leaves can also be dried and reconstituted for later use.

If you’d like to know more about identifying, cultivating, and using wild spinach, please see our in-depth article on Lamb’s Quarters.

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Plantain
 (Plantago spp., Plantaginaceae)

I rejoice at plantain’s return each spring, and return it does—in great numbers and with tenacious vigor. In truth, plantain seems to have a penchant for hard living—it’s not unusual to find it spreading its leaves over the gravelly surface of driveways and parking lots. You’re also likely to see it sprinkled about the lawn and certainly in the soft soil of your garden (even tough plants like to take it easy sometimes). This adaptability means that plantain is almost always around when you need it—which may be more often than you’d think. I’m not exaggerating when I say plantain is one of my most reached-for warm season remedies.

You will commonly see and use two types of plantain for medicine: broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) and narrowleaf plantain (P. lanceolata). The botanical differences are implied in their names: broadleaf plantain has wide, oval-shaped leaves, while narrowleaf plantain bears leaves that are long and slender. Both species grow basal leaves, although P. major’s will hug the ground more closely than P. lanceolata’s, whose leaves stand more erect.

The flowers of each species are also remarkable and distinct. P. major raises a sturdy green stalk that bears miniature white blooms and, eventually, a motherload of tiny seeds. The stalk, which I liken to a wizard’s wand, may wave anywhere between 3 inches and 1 foot (7 to 30 cm) in height. P. lanceolata, on the other hand, sprouts long, slender stems upon which sits one wizard’s hat each—a cylindrical or cone-shaped flower head encircled by starry white flowers and stamens.

The plantains possess prominent parallel leaf ribs that become fibrous and stringy by late spring. If you plan to dine on plantain, it’s best to gather the tender greens early in the season and add them fresh to salads and smoothies. Later, when the leaves become tough to chew, they can still be used in teas, fresh-pressed juices, and soup stocks.

I will say that I keep a close eye on plantain in the garden. A few years back, I encouraged several narrowleaf plantains to languish in my herb and vegetable beds for the sheer appreciation of their beauty. However, when it came time for the plants to disperse their seeds, they went straight to town (and to every corner of the garden). I still welcome plantain into my cultivated spaces, but I take care to snip off the flowering parts before they set seed.

Note: The plantains we’re discussing here are not related to the banana-like fruit by the same name (Musa genus).

Plantain’s Medicinal Uses

Parts used: Leaves and seeds (all plantain species are interchangeable as medicine)
Preparations: Infusion, poultice, salve, sitz bath, food, vinegar
Herbal Actions:

  • Vulnerary
  • Demulcent
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Antimicrobial
  • Mild astringent
  • Nutritive
  • Expectorant

Plantain is one of our finest first aid remedies, in large part because it’s so common and therefore frequently on hand right when you need it. It is also a true and proven healer that quickly brings cooling, moistening relief to rashes, burns, blisters, and other skin inflammations. Its cooling properties calm painful heat and its vulnerary qualities help to repair tissues. This also makes plantain a remedy of choice for wounds, cuts, scrapes, splinters, and bites and stings from insects, spiders, bees, and mosquitoes. Plantain’s antimicrobial qualities make it effective even when infection is present.

On a recent barefoot walk in the woods, I stepped on a piece of glass that left a small sliver embedded in my foot. I wasn’t able to remove the shard and it quickly became too painful to walk without limping. I stopped to soak my foot in a cold mountain stream and then picked a few leaves: wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) for astringency and sheer softness, yarrow (Achillea millefolium) for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, and plantain for quick, cool relief. I chewed everything up, spit it out in my hand, and applied the wad to the bottom of my foot. I sealed the poultice with a violet leaf (Viola spp.) and slipped a sandal on. While I continued to favor my other foot, the relief was immense and immediate. The next morning, the pain and swelling were gone altogether.

Plantain’s fresh leaves, applied as the elegantly simple chew-and-spit poultice described above, is a classic on-the-fly remedy that you’ll likely use again and again. You can also dry the leaves for winter use, rehydrating them with a little warm water as needed.

Taken internally, plantain is a healer for inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract—ulcers, leaky gut, acid reflux, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A strong infusion of the leaves is recommended for best results, although it can also be taken as food. The seeds, which are high in mucilaginous fiber, are moistening to the digestive tract and can aid in bowel regularity.2

The strong tea is soothing for hot, dry conditions of the lungs, including persistent, hacking coughs and irritation from inhaling particulate matter. Recently, I was spreading mulch on my garden from a round bale of hay. As I pulled armfuls away from a moldy portion of the bale, the air filled with green clouds of fungal spores. Half an hour later, I was coughing in fits and my lungs were aching. This persisted for a couple of hours before I took action (silly herbalist faux pas) and brewed up a pint of plantain and peppermint (Mentha x piperita) tea. In less than 15 minutes my cough had subsided and my chest had relaxed. The effect was so notable my partner commented on it before bed. Give thanks for the common healing herbs!

Contraindications: There are no known contraindications.

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Red Clover
 (Trifolium pratense, Fabaceae)

The swaying grace of red clover in bloom is reason enough to let it grow up between your lettuce and kale. In general, I love flowers of all kinds mixed into the greenery of a garden—edible, medicinal, and ornamental. In this light, red clover has a lot to offer. The young leaves and fuschia flowers are edible; the blooms are medicinal, and they are altogether as charming as a meadow in May.

Red clover is also a nitrogen-fixing legume whose sturdy roots help to break up compacted or clayey soils. This means it works double-duty on behalf of your garden while it fulfills a cornucopia of other uses. It is often grown as a gorgeous cover crop for this reason. According to wild foods writer, Roger Phillips, red clover is traditionally planted in fields where corn has been grown to restore fertility to the soil, earning it the name “mother of corn.”3

Red clover is an early summer wildflower that grows in fields and pastures as well as in the welcoming earth of your garden. The leaves bear charming white chevrons, the sepals are intricately patterned, and the round blossoms dance along the pink-purple spectrum. Red clover is one of our tallest clovers, reaching toward the sky up to 18 inches (46 cm) or so in height.

As an edible, red clover’s flavor is fresh and sweet. Both the tender young leaves and fuzzy blossoms can be added to salads and such, and they make an enchanting garnish. I enjoy adding red clover to seasonal herbal vinegars—it makes a regular appearance in this Springtime Fairy Vinegar. Red clover tea is delicious, offering us both a pleasant medicine and a refreshing summertime beverage. The individual pink florets each cradle a drop of nectar at their base—pull them from the flower head and enjoy much as you would honeysuckle.

Being possessed of a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, red clover is a versatile and nourishing food-medicine. The leaves and flowers are rich in vitamins B and C, bioflavonoids, magnesium, zinc, copper, and selenium.1

Be sure to gather red clover in its freshest state, which is typically in late spring or early summer. Pinch off the flower heads, including the leaves nestled beneath the blooms. If the flowers are beginning to turn brown, pass them by. Use fresh, or dry immediately.

Drying red clover requires special care as the blossoms can easily mold, oxidize, and ferment. I like to spread them on a clean screen and place them in a dry, warm place with good airflow. I try to remember to shuffle them each day to disperse any lingering moisture. Because red clover requires extra care, I recommend growing or gathering your own if possible. Commercial red clover is often of poor quality.

Red Clover’s Medicinal Uses

Parts used: Flowering parts; upper leaves and blossoms
Preparations: Infusion, food, vinegar, poultice, oil
Herbal Actions:

  • Alterative
  • Lymphagogue
  • Phytoestrogen
  • Nutritive tonic

Red clover is a traditional liver and blood tonic, and an esteemed reproductive herb. I use it in two primary ways: as a cleansing, alterative remedy and as a phytoestrogen for addressing hormone imbalances in women.

As an alterative, red clover’s cleansing and detoxifying properties help rid the body of metabolic wastes as it nourishes the liver and kidneys. Combined with herbs like burdock (Arctium lappa, A. minus) and chickweed (Stellaria media), red clover is a beneficial daily tonic for skin conditions like acne, eczema, and psoriasis. Its proclivity for creating movement in the body also gently stimulates the lymph, and it can be used for lymphatic swellings and as a mild, nourishing medicine for the immune system.

Red clover is a classic herbal phytoestrogen—a source of plant estrogen that is capable of binding to estrogen-receptor sites in the body and eliciting an estrogenic effect. This makes red clover beneficial for folks with hormonal imbalances and conditions such as infertility, early menopause and menopausal complications, breast lumps or tenderness, irregular menstruation, and painful menstruation. See our article on phytoestrogens for a detailed explanation of how they function, when to use them, and how to integrate them into your diet.

As a complement to its other uses, red clover is deeply nutritive and can be taken daily as a nourishing tonic. It can aid in convalescence, debilitating illness, or when other foods are not desired. Its sweet flavor is building to the tissues and invites pleasure into the ritual of taking one’s medicine. Red clover is best prepared as tea for medicinal use so its mineral content is preserved.

Contraindications: Avoid using brown, moldy, or fermented blossoms. These can dangerously thin the blood. Red clover is a traditional folk remedy for cancers and lymphatic swellings. However, there is some speculation that its phytoestrogenic properties may exacerbate estrogen-receptor-positive cancer. Until there is more research, it is recommended that people who have, or have had, estrogen receptor-positive cancer refrain from using red clover.

Other Wild Edible + Medicinal Garden Herbs

Curious who else might show up to your garden party without RSVPing? The following guest list isn’t comprehensive and the descriptions are brief, but you’ll meet some of our all-time favorite herbal free spirits. Please do extra research on their medicinal and edible uses, identification, and possible contraindications. We’ve included links to our other articles where applicable, and you can refer to this list of our Favorite Foraging Books for field guides and culinary inspiration.

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Harvesting chickweed (Stellaria media)

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Chickweed (Stellaria media), with its starburst blooms and tender green leaves, is the forager’s poster child. It arrives in the cool, moist days of early spring and is likewise cooling and moistening as a medicine. Chickweed is a helpful remedy for hot, dry conditions like irritating coughs, acne, boils, diaper rash, and blisters. It is also a classic spring cleansing herb and nutritive wild food. You can read more about chickweed in our article on the Ten Best Wild Foods for Beginning Foragers + Wildcrafters.

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Burdock (Arctium minus)

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Burdock (Arctium minus, A. lappa) is a gorgeously leafy herb with a notable taproot. The tasty, medicinal root is bittersweet in flavor and contains high levels of inulin, a prebiotic nutrient relished by gut flora. It is a nutritive food-medicine par excellence, and I enjoy it in culinary dishes and dried for earthy wintertime teas. It has a nourishing effect on the detoxifying systems of the body and is a useful ally for skin conditions like acne and eczema. Keep reading about burdock’s edible and medicinal uses here.

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Purslane (Portulaca oleracea). Photo courtesy of Steven Foster

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Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is an edible succulent, with branching stems and bright yellow flowers that open in the sunshine. It is one of the most populous weeds in the world, and is common throughout North America—in both hot climates and cool. The leaves are a fantastic source of potassium and iron, and have been found to be higher in omega-3 fatty acids than any other researched leafy green.4 Purslane can be added fresh to salads, sandwiches, and tacos, or pickled and added to ferments like kimchi. It can also be cooked, but this enhances the plant’s natural mucilage, which may be too slimy for some palettes.

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Wood sorrel (Oxalis spp.). Photo courtesy of Steven Foster

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Wood sorrel (Oxalis spp.) is a common, sour-flavored herb that makes itself right at home in the garden. Also called sour grass, sour clover, or lemon clover, wood sorrel is a favorite wild treat for children. Its three heart-shaped leaflets emerge from a central stem and are reminiscent of clover. There are many species, and all are edible. The garden variety that grows around my home bears yellow flowers, but they may also be pink or white. As far as food goes, the leaves are the main attraction, these being most tender and delicious before the flowers appear. Wood sorrel is a classic trail-side snack, but I also love it fresh in salads. Wild foods expert Samuel Thayer recommends it steeped in cold water (chopped finely first) and then strained for a tangy, lemonade-like refreshment.5

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Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

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Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is one of the first floral foods for bees in springtime, and is also one of the first wild greens of the year to appear on my family’s table. It is a classic edible that was cherished by many of our temperate-climate ancestors and has even been cultivated in kitchen gardens for its nutritious leaves, which can reach great lengths when pampered with a little compost. Dandelion is reemerging as a homegrown vegetable, but you likely needn’t bother; it will arrive of its own accord in no time. For the tastiest greens, choose new leaves from the heart of the plant. Use them raw in salads and smoothies, sautéed and topped with toasted sesame seeds, or added to wild pesto. The flowers can be fermented to make a fine dandelion wine, strewn across birthday cakes, or added to sparkly springtime drinks. Gather up more appreciation for dandelion here.

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Cleavers (Galium aparine)

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Cleavers (Galium aparine) is an emerald-green herb, imbued with the color and freshness of spring. It often sprouts up at the same time and in the same place as chickweed, and shares some tandem uses: as a seasonal cleansing herb and all-star ingredient in healing skin salves. For internal use, I much prefer my cleavers juiced. It can be combined with any other greens, fruits, herbs, or veggies. My favorite combination is a cleavers/pineapple duet, inspired by Rosemary Gladstar. Beware of sampling cleavers au naturel, as the stems, leaves, and seeds are all covered in itsy-bitsy hooks that can catch in your throat. Thus, it is not a salad herb. Instead, if you prefer, you can roll a stem or two into a tight ball between your fingers to disarm the hooks (a cleavers “pill”) and munch away. Want to use cleavers in one of my favorite seasonal remedies? Make a Springtime Fairy Vinegar using this recipe.

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Violet (Viola spp.)

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Violet (Viola spp.) is nearly unsurpassed in its destiny as an enchanting springtime herb. The flowers draw the eye with their bioflavonoid-rich purple petals, and the heart-shaped leaves are one of our primary medicines for spring cleansing, nourishing the lymph, and soothing wounded tissues. There are so many ways to partake of violet’s food and medicine that we’ve devoted a whole hub to this beloved herb. You’ll find materia medica, recipes, and a seasonal cleansing protocol.

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References

  1. Brill S., Dean E. Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
  2. De la Forêt R., Han E. Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. Carlsbad: Hay House Publishing, 2020.
  3. Philips R. Wild Food: A Complete Guide for Foragers. London: Macmillan, 2014.
  4. Simopoulos A., Norman H., Gillaspy J., Duke J. “Common purslane: A source of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.” J Am Coll Nutr 11, no. 4 (1992).
  5. Thayer S. Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants. Forager’s Harvest Press, 2010.
Meghan Gemma

MEGHAN GEMMA is one of the Chestnut School’s primary instructors through her written lessons, and is the principal pollinator of the school’s social media community—sharing herbal and wild foods wisdom from the flowery heart of the school to an ever-wider field of herbalists, gardeners, healers, and plant lovers.

She has been in a steady relationship with the Chestnut School since 2010—as an intern and manager at the Chestnut Herb Nursery; as a plant-smitten student “back in the day” when the school’s programs were taught in the field; and later as a part the school’s woman-powered professional team. Meghan lives in the Ivy Creek watershed, just north of Asheville, North Carolina.

Juliet Blankespoor

JULIET BLANKESPOOR founded the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in 2007 and serves as the school’s primary instructor and Creative Director. She's been a professional plant-human matchmaker for close to three decades. Juliet caught the plant bug when she was nineteen and went on to earn a degree in Botany. She's owned just about every type of herbal business you can imagine: an herbal nursery, a medicinal products business, a clinical practice, and now, an herbal school.

These days, she channels her botanical obsession with her writing and photography in her online programs and here on her personal blog, Castanea. She's writing her first book: Cultivating Medicinal Herbs: Grow, Harvest, and Prepare Handcrafted Remedies from Your Home Garden. Juliet and her houseplants share a home with her family and herb books in Asheville, North Carolina.

Want to take a deeper dive into medicinal herbs and their uses?

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Eastern vs. Western: How the Medical Practices Differ

 Acupuncture
Jun 152020
 

Almost everybody knows there are two very unique ways of treating disease and maintaining health. But not everybody knows how these two methodologies differ from one another. And depending on where you live in the world, there may be one that is more prominent than the other. Both systems have their pros and cons. So let’s differentiate between the two. This is the battle between Eastern and Western medicine.  Let’s get ready to rumble!

To begin, we have to look at the history of both systems. Eastern medicine has been around for nearly 5,000 years and began when ancient herbalists experimented with plant substances and their effects on humans. There are substances that have been found to enhance health, beauty, energetics of the body, and the mind. Western medicine has only been around, in its current form, since the 19th century, although the roots began in ancient Greece and Egypt. It wasn’t until World War II that the development of synthetic drugs really began. This is also when the current Western medical system discovered it can manipulate certain actions in the human body through the use of synthetic pharmaceuticals. This difference is huge, as Eastern philosophy uses whole food formulas to nourish the body’s ability to heal itself, while Western philosophy isolates and forces therapeutic actions throughout the body by utilizing laboratory modified medicines.        

Next, we compare the examination methods. Eastern medicine is much more holistic in this regard, as it takes every aspect of the body into account. Because the body cannot be compartmentalized based upon the disease, it makes sense to consider how each bodily system is affecting the others. Eastern medicine does not evaluate an illness purely based on the symptoms a person is showing, but rather, on complex patterns of disharmony in the body.

The process of determining a person’s diagnosis begins with an evaluation according to the Eight Principles, which describe the basic qualities of a disease – Yin/Yang, Interior/Exterior, Hot/Cold, Deficient/Excess.

Western medicine compartmentalizes a person’s diagnosis, looking at each system individually rather than how they work together. This could be why there are more specialists in Western medicine, such as a psychiatrist, an endocrinologist or an orthopedic surgeon. Also, Eastern medicine practitioners are trained to listen with the whole body and pay attention to every ounce of sensory input.  This is quite different from Western medicine, where the focus is generally only on the system affected. Because of this way of thinking, pharmaceuticals and surgical procedures are based on how they affect each individual organ or organ system, instead of considering how the systems are intertwined with one another.

Another difference is the ultimate goals of each medical system. As Western medicine is all about fixing the physical body, the mind is also considered an organ, the brain. If the body is missing a substance, the Western medical approach is to supply that substance.  And while things like nutrients may be necessary to be supplemented sometimes, most man-made pharmaceuticals have far too many adverse side-effects.

The Eastern medical approach is to engage and support the body’s own self-healing mechanisms. This is done by balancing the energetics of the body and ridding the body of energetic blockages. If the body is missing a substance, the Eastern approach is to stimulate the body to create it, thus allowing the body to heal itself. However, when the body is severely compromised, as with trauma and severe illness, the body is undermined and the capacity to heal itself may be impossible.  

Obviously, there are several differences between the two medical systems. But if the two can work together, then humans will be ultimately better off. However, since Western medicine focuses so heavily on physical proof and Eastern medicine is more subtle focusing on the energetics of the body, the two systems have a long way to go until meeting eye-to-eye and working alongside one another. In the meantime, it is the decision of the patient to decide which route he or she will take. But it should be noted that the two systems can and do work very well together.

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Our Covid-19 Remake Tour

 Acupuncture
Jun 022020
 

Just like all other businesses adapting in the time of Covid-19, we’ve made many changes at Acupuncture Together for the safety of our patients and staff. Here are photos of our clinic with our new safety measures in place.

Front desk check-in, payment and Covid-19 screening with temperature check
Office for new patient intakes and re-evaluation appointments
Our big treatment room capacity has been reduced in half, now with 5 recliners instead of 10 recliners in use. Seating is assigned to the numbered yellow recliners only. All recliners are more than 7′ apart head to head.
Recliners are sanitized after each use and a sanitized bin is provided for your personal belongings.
Capacity in the small treatment room has been reduced from 4 recliners to 2 recliners.
Small treatment room.
Each treatment room has a brand new Winix air purifier.
We converted our massage/storage room into a treatment room with a zero gravity chair, which is available on a first come, first serve basis upon request (it’s not assigned).

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The Flu & You – How Can TCM Help?

 Acupuncture
Jun 012020
 

Chinese medicinal clinical studies have suggested that using acupuncture as a preventative approach to colds and flu can reduce the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection and shorten the duration of the illness. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine work by rebalancing the body’s systems, regulating the body’s healing energies, and enhancing the immune system.

Even though germs, bacteria, and viruses are everywhere—in the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink—according to Chinese medical theory, they do not cause disease. Illness occurs when our Wei Qi and our meridian organ systems are weak and out of balance. When this occurs it creates a hospitable for germs, bacteria, and viruses to thrive, leading to a cold, the flu, or worse.

What in the world is Wei Qi? One of the main theories supporting acupuncture and its treatment of colds and the flu is the concept of Wei Qi. The concept of Wei Qi is similar to the Western concept of the immune system. It functions as a barrier protecting and defending the body against foreign substances, which can cause illness and disease. When it is strong and abundant, we remain healthy. When the supply of Wei Qi becomes inadequate, health is compromised and we become vulnerable to outside invaders.

Throughout our lives, a variety of factors affect our health and well-being. Although most of the time we recover quickly and regain our health, when these factors are numerous, our internal mechanisms become compromised and weakened. Our Wei Qi becomes depleted, and we get sick. By the time we notice the symptoms of our illness, the body’s self-regulating, self-balancing, and healing systems have already been affected.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine support and strengthen the systems of the body that are involved in the production of Wei Qi, and can help rebalance and support the immune system and stimulate Wei Qi energy. By building up the supply of Wei Qi, and facilitating the smooth and free flow of it throughout the body, the body’s organs and meridian systems become strong, enhancing their ability to effectively fight off illness and disease.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine are safe, natural, and effective ways to support the body’s self-regulating, self-balancing, and healing systems. If illness does occur, acupuncture can help you get back on your feet again, helping to stave off prolonged illness without the use of medication and over-the-counter drugs.

Tips for Staying Healthy:

  • Consume 8-10 glasses of filtered water daily
  • Exercise regularly to support the immune system
  • Eat a healthy, organic diet, including foods with beta carotene (carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, garlic, and tomatoes)
  • Limit sugar intake. Sugar taxes the immune system, especially when feeling under the weather
  • Talk to your acupuncturist about herbs that can support your immune system
  • Get plenty of rest
  • Enjoy fun and relaxing activities
  • Stimulate specific acupuncture points that support Wei Qi – such as Stomach 36
  • Schedule regular acupuncture treatments to support the body’s self-regulating, self-balancing and healing systems

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Meridian Point: Large Intestine 4

 Acupuncture
May 182020
 

Large Intestine 4 is one of the most important and influential acupoints in the entire body. The Chinese name for Large Intestine 4 is “He Gu” meaning union valley or converging valley. The point is located on the hand in the web between the thumb and index finger, also described as the depression where the index finger and thumb bones part. This area of the hand is often described as “valley like” hence the name converging valley.

The large intestine has many important functions in the body. Connected to the Western medicine function of the large intestine, it is vital in digestion and bowel regulation, but it also has many functions above and beyond that in Chinese medicine. The large intestine is associated with the emotions of sadness and grief, it can help build immunity as it works as a paired channel to the lung meridian and has a big effect on the flow of Qi and blood in the body.

Large Intestine 4 is a strong point for building the immune system and can be used for when someone has a cold or a virus like the flu. It can be used to treat febrile illnesses, rashes from wind or heat, allergic reactions causing rhinitis, as well as sore throat and difficulty swallowing. It is the command point of the face, nose, jaw and mouth and can be used to treat many problems associated with those. Toothaches and TMJ can be painful, but Large Intestine 4 can reduce the pain without even going near the affected areas. It is one of the main points for headaches and many people instinctively press it on their hand when they have a headache, without even realizing it is an acupuncture point. If someone has suffered a stroke, this point can help with paralysis and aid in recovery.

The large intestine has a great effect on the flow of qi and blood in the body and Large Intestine 4 is a very strong point to get everything moving. Pain, according to Chinese medicine, is often described as Qi and blood being stagnant or  “stuck” and Large Intestine 4 is critical to move this stagnation, especially when coupled with another point called Liver 3. Together, this pair of points is called The Four Gates and together they are a powerhouse in getting the Qi and blood circulated. They can effectively treat pain, depression, constipation, promote labor, expel retained placenta and help alleviate menstrual disorders caused by stagnation such as endometriosis.

Large Intestine 4 is contraindicated in pregnancy because it is so powerful and moving, but it can be effectively used to induce labor. Used in conjunction with another powerhouse acupuncture point Spleen 6, these two points are commonly used together to start labor, often with electroacupuncture to stimulate the points even more than needles alone.

Once labor has started, Large Intestine 4 can be used if labor is stalled or prolonged as well as used after childbirth to expel the placenta, decrease postpartum bleeding and decrease the time between childbirth and the discharge of the placenta.

Large Intestine 4 is an exceedingly influential point and one of the most commonly used points in acupuncture treatments. It can also be effective in treating a range of emotional issues such as depression, insomnia, stress, irritability and severe PMS. This point should not be underestimated and its alternative name of Tiger’s Mouth is barely descriptive of its strength in acupuncture treatments.

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Harvest Medicinal Trees in Your Backyard

 Uncategorized
May 152020
 

Text and photos by Juliet Blankespoor

This article was originally written for Mother Earth Living magazine and is published here with permission from the publisher. Mother Earth Living is an American bimonthly magazine about sustainable homes and lifestyle.

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As a child, I spent many afternoons scaling the white pines my father had planted in our backyard. Decades later, when I bought my first home, my dad set to planting trees right away, including a weeping willow by the creek in our front yard. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree: My daughter spent her youngest years learning to climb in the low branches of that willow. Those white pines and that willow are now towering giants. Watching a tiny sapling grow into a massive being is deeply satisfying.

When we think of healing plants, our minds gravitate toward the plants growing at our feet – the garden herbs, weeds, and woodland plants of the forest floor – but there’s a veritable treasure trove of healing remedies towering above. Humans have been harvesting and using medicine from trees for millennia, and medicinal trees and shrubs probably already grow near where you live. Perhaps you’re already able to identify the trees in your midst, and you merely need to learn their medicinal qualities and how to harvest them.

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With a pruning saw, harvest limbs that are 2 to 3 inches in diameter

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Harvesting Tree Medicine

Ethically gathering medicine from trees has its advantages – with their larger stature, it’s easier to collect a sizable amount of medicine from trees without hurting them. Be sure you have permission or the legal right to harvest. Avoid roadways, railways, power lines, and any other areas that may have been sprayed with herbicide. Only harvest from tree species that are both locally abundant and widely distributed. Be 100 percent sure of your identification before harvesting! There are poisonous shrubs and trees. Two examples are yew (Taxus spp.) and oleander (Nerium oleander). Be sure to use scientific names, as common names can be misleading. For example, desert willow (Chilopsis spp.) is not a true willow (Salix spp.) – the two trees are unrelated and possess different medicinal uses.

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Saw off side branches into workable sections

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Most folks think the medicinal part of trees is the bark. But woody botanicals have a diversity of medicinal parts, including flowers, inner bark, fruits, leaves, roots, resin, and root bark. You have to learn which parts are used for food or medicine from any given tree species. Harvest resin by looking for trees that have already released it, and then scraping it from the trunk right into little jars. Resin is much easier to gather after it’s begun to harden. Gathering flowers, leaves, and fruit from trees is pretty straightforward as long as you’re leaving more than half the medicine behind so the plant can still reproduce or photosynthesize, and local wildlife can share in the bounty.

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Harvesting pine resin from a tree's that already been damaged

Harvest resin by looking for trees that have already released it, and then scraping it from the trunk right into little jars

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Harvesting and peeling bark, on the other hand, may be new for some of you. Three pieces of information are crucial for harvesting bark.

First, spring and early summer are the best times to harvest bark, because it’ll peel more easily from the plant’s woody portions. Second, woody plants have two layers of bark, and it’s the inner bark you’re after. The outer bark is void of medicine or flavor. Third, girdling a tree – removing all the bark from around its trunk – will kill it.

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A thin strip of outer bark is peeled back, revealing the medicinal inner bark

A thin strip of outer bark is peeled back, revealing the medicinal inner bark

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You can sustainably harvest bark through a few methods. The simplest approach is to look for fallen limbs after a storm, making sure they’re free of disease by inspecting the leaves and twigs. You can also harvest limbs 2 to 3 inches in diameter from larger trees using a pruning saw, and subsequently peel off the bark. Harvesting small branches is less harmful to the tree than peeling bark from the trunk. Wounded trees are more vulnerable to disease.

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man holding sticks

For a simple and less damaging method of harvesting, gather fallen limbs from the forest floor

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Once you harvest the limb, scrape off any lichens from the bark and remove dead portions. Peel off the leaves. Using pruners, cut off all the twigs under 1⁄2 inch and set them aside. Saw off the remaining side branches. Begin to harvest bark by placing a clean blanket or tarp on the ground to catch the peels. With the branch positioned upright on the blanket, take a compact, sharp knife, and peel the bark in long strips, slicing away from your body.

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Scuff off any lichens, loose bark, and debris from outer bark.Remove smaller twigs with pruners and strip away leaves.

Scuff off any lichens, loose bark, and debris from outer bark. Remove smaller twigs with pruners and strip away leaves.

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You’ll know when you’ve reached the inert inner portion of the wood, as it’ll be a lighter color and different texture than the layers of bark. Wood isn’t used for medicine, but it’s fine if you end up with a little bit of it in your bark peelings.

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The thin, dark outer bark and inner white wood lack medicinal properties, but are harmless.

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Look closely at the bark peelings. The outer bark will be like a thin, darker skin, and the inner bark will be moister, thicker, and lighter in color. There’s no need to separate the inner bark from the outer bark when harvesting from a limb of this size, because the outer bark is so thin. Take up your bark shavings and cut them into 1-inch pieces using pruners. The bark can then be dried in loose baskets or on screens, or it can be made into medicine right away.

The small twigs you set aside can also be used, but they’ll be weaker medicine compared with the bark. Cut the twigs into smaller pieces with pruners, as they’re too fiddly to peel, and process them like you did the bark.

Peeling bark from large trees is another matter. Enterprising foragers work with their local sawmills, gaining permission to harvest bark from recently felled trees. If you’ll be harvesting trees from your land for lumber or firewood, you’ll need to use a drawknife to peel the bark. Remove and discard the outer bark first, before peeling and saving the inner medicinal bark.

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With a compact, sharp knife, peel the bark in long strips, slicing away from your body. Cut the bark strips into smaller pieces with pruners or heavy-duty kitchen shears

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Peeled and processed bark, ready for medicine making or drying.

Peeled and processed bark, ready for medicine making or drying

Spotlight on 5 Medicinal Trees

Please research herbs and check with your health care provider before ingesting, as many medicinals are unsafe in pregnancy and may interact with medications. This article is intended as a brief introduction and doesn’t contain all the safety information known for each medicinal.

Hawthorn flowers provide a remedy from hypertension

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp., Rosaceae)

Parts used: Flowers, leaves, and fruit
Preparations: Tea, tincture, honey, cordial, jam, vinegar, and syrup

Hawthorns are small, thorny trees or shrubs in the rose family, with clusters of fruit resembling miniature apples. Hawthorn berries are variable in color – they can be yellow, red, or black – but they’re all edible and medicinal, with a long history of use. The berries have long been a staple famine food, seeing many people through lean winters.

Contemporary herbalists use hawthorn’s flavonoid-rich flowers and fruit as remedies for hypertension, atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, and angina pectoris.

The flowers and berries are also used by people suffering grief and loss. Hawthorn is a “food herb,” and thus can be ingested in a wide variety of mediums, including teas, tinctures, honey, jam, syrup, cordials, elixirs, and vinegar from the fruit. Hawthorn-infused honey is a beautiful rose color and fruity in flavor. Consult your health care provider before combining with cardiac medications.

Cultivation: Full sun; well-drained soil; zones and sizes vary by species. The seeds need to be stratified and are slow to germinate, so you may want to purchase potted saplings or bare-root trees to plant.

 

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Linden leaves can be eaten raw while in their peak stage

Linden, Basswood, Lime Tree (Tilia spp., Malvaceae)

Parts used: Flowers
Preparations: Tea, tincture, honey, and syrup

You may be familiar with European linden, popular city trees planted for their small stature and delightfully aromatic blossoms. There are approximately 30 species in the Tilia genus, and they go by the names linden, basswood, or lime. The American basswoods are large deciduous trees with heart-shaped, toothed leaves.

All linden species possess fragrant blooms that are popular with bees, which transform the nectar into a delectable varietal honey.

Lindens are arboreal all-stars, with edible leaves and medicinal flower clusters.

The tender young leaves are edible raw or cooked and have a pleasant flavor and slightly gummy texture. Linden flower is one of my favorite remedies for children, as it’s generally safe and pleasant-tasting. The tea is used to address coughs, fevers, sinus infections, hypertension, stress, insomnia, colds, and flu.

Linden is a natural decongestant through its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s a gentle sleep aid, safe for children and elders alike.

Cultivation: Full sun to light shade; neutral to alkaline soil; Zones and size vary by species. The seeds are renowned for poor to null germination, so you may want to purchase potted saplings or bare-root trees to plant. Softwood cuttings can be made in early summer.

 

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Pine is a traditional remedy used globally for coughs, colds, allergies, and urinary tract and sinus infections

Pine (Pinus spp., Pinaceae)

Parts used: Springtime tips, resin, bark
Preparations: Tea, honey, syrup, salve, and oil

There are more than 100 species of pine worldwide, and most have recorded medicinal uses. Cultures around the globe have used the needles, inner bark, and resin for similar ailments. Internally, pine is a traditional remedy for coughs, colds, allergies, and urinary tract and sinus infections. Topically, pine is used to address skin infections and to lessen joint inflammation in arthritic conditions.

For internal use, use the needles in tea form, as they’re the mildest form of the plant. The resin is the best part to employ for topical use – it can be melted into a salve, or it can be softened, applied like a broad bandage, and held in place with a wrap bandage. Don’t use internally during pregnancy, and avoid using the bark long-term.

Cultivation: Full sun; acidic, well-drained soil; Zones and size varies by species. Stratify seeds and scarify them if they’re winged. Select species suited to your region.

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Spruce (Picea spp., Pinaceae)

Parts used: Springtime tips, resin
Preparations: Tea, honey, beer, salve, and syrup

Spruce trees are familiar conifers, with distinctive evergreen foliage and pendant cones. There are 35 species of spruce worldwide, primarily distributed in colder forested regions. Some varieties are striking landscape trees with glacial blue needles. Many species of spruce have been used for medicine throughout North America and Eurasia.

The fresh growing tips of spruce are helpful in tea, honey, or syrup for expelling thick lung congestion. The resin is antimicrobial and used topically like pine resin. Don’t use internally during pregnancy.

Cultivation: Full sun; cooler, acidic soil; size varies by species. Slow to germinate from seed. Purchase balled and burlap-wrapped trees, and transplant in spring.

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Willow (Salix spp., Salicaceae)

Parts used: Bark and twigs
Preparations: Tea, tincture, compress, wash, and poultice

Worldwide, there are more than 300 species of willow, most of which are small trees or shrubs that grow near water. Willows have been used throughout the temperate world for their medicinal bark and long, supple twigs for basketry.

Willow bark and twigs can be dried for tea or prepared as a tincture. Willow is antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, astringent, and analgesic, and is used to assuage headaches, muscle strain, arthritic pain, and menstrual cramps. It’s a traditional topical first-aid remedy for cuts, scrapes, and bruises because of its astringent and antimicrobial qualities. White willow is often cited as “the medicinal willow,” but dozens of other species have been used similarly throughout Europe and North America.

Cultivation: Full sun to partial shade; moist, fertile soil; size and Zones vary by species. Plant the seed immediately after it ripens in spring, as it doesn’t tolerate dry storage. Softwood cuttings and hardwood cuttings, taken from November through March, will root readily.

Medicinal Trees and Shrubs for Your Landscape

Bayberry (Myrica cerifera)

Black birch (Betula lenta)

Black haw (Viburnum prunifolium)

Black walnut (Juglans nigra)

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.)

Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus)

Cramp bark (Viburnum opulus)

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

Green tea (Camellia sinensis)

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)

Linden (Tilia spp.)

Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin)*

Olive (Olea europea)

Oregon grape root (Mahonia aquifolium)*

Pine (Pinus spp.)

Prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) and (Z. clava-herculis)

Redroot, or New Jersey tea (Ceanothus spp.)

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus)

Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra)

Spruce (Picea spp.)

Sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina)

Willow (Salix spp.)

Wild cherry (Prunus serotina)

Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima)

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*Can be invasive, so research its ability to spread in your region before planting.

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For more details on sustainable foraging guidelines, please see our article here.

Juliet Blankespoor

JULIET BLANKESPOOR founded the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in 2007 and serves as the school’s primary instructor and Creative Director. She's been a professional plant-human matchmaker for close to three decades. Juliet caught the plant bug when she was nineteen and went on to earn a degree in Botany. She's owned just about every type of herbal business you can imagine: an herbal nursery, a medicinal products business, a clinical practice, and now, an herbal school.

These days, she channels her botanical obsession with her writing and photography in her online programs and here on her personal blog, Castanea. She's writing her first book: Cultivating Medicinal Herbs: Grow, Harvest, and Prepare Handcrafted Remedies from Your Home Garden. Juliet and her houseplants share a home with her family and herb books in Asheville, North Carolina.

Want to take a deeper dive into medicinal herbs and their uses?

Our 1,000-hour Herbal Immersion Program is the most comprehensive handcrafted online herbal course available, covering botany, foraging, herb cultivation, medicine making, and therapeutics.

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Germ Theory: 101

 Acupuncture
May 042020
 

Why do some people always catch a cold, and others don’t?
 Viruses, germs, and bacteria are everywhere. They are in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink, but not all of them are bad or harmful.

Think of the immune system as your body’s security detail. The cells, tissues, and organs that comprise it help repel foreign invaders like harmful bacteria, parasites and other microbes that can cause infections. Disorders of the immune system range from everyday annoyances like mild seasonal allergies to serious illnesses like leukemia. Stress, lack of sleep and other common conditions can contribute to a weakened immune system, which can make you vulnerable to infections.

When a particular meridian/organ system is already weak and unable to resist “outside” invasion, it is therefore prone to attack by germs, such as viruses and bacteria. Illness and disease can only result when our body provides a hospitable environment.

Your meridian channels control the flow of healing energy, called Qi (“chee”) throughout your entire body, including your organs. The function (health) of your lungs and the strength of your immune system all depend upon the quality, quantity, and balance of healing Qi. According to Chinese medicine, the “true cure” of disease is simply NOT to kill germs, but to reestablish and build up the body’s amount of Qi so it can fight them off naturally. Ultimately, an adequate amount of Qi is required to restore the integrity of your meridian and organ system. Germs simply struggle to set up camp in a strong and healthy body.

It is also thought that your body has a protective layer surrounding it called Wei Qi. Your Wei QI also acts as a protective barrier to help keep illness at bay. When your Wei Qi is weakened, you become more vulnerable to illness.

Germs gather and thrive only in weakened parts of a person’s body. When there is an imbalance of Qi, the normal functions of your body will ultimately be affected. This can compromise the normal immune system response to germs and lead to illness.

The onset of disease requires both a pathogen and a host. When germs are strong, but the environment of the host (you) is stronger, the disease could be resisted. If the host is weak, however, then your environment can become a hospitable refuge for viruses, germs, bacteria, and other microbes to set up shop.

Good news! Acupuncture therapy can treat a wide range of health conditions, including immune deficiency, by stimulating and balancing the immune system. The goal is to strengthen the body’s response to foreign invaders, therefore, preventing illness and disease. Acupuncture can strengthen a weakened immune system by increasing red and white cell counts, T-cell count and enhancing humoral and cellular immunity. Acupuncture can regulate immune function and treat the underlying cause of the disease by reducing symptoms, speeding up the healing of infection and normalizing the body’s immune response.

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Acupuncture: The Original Biohack for Migraines

 Acupuncture
Apr 202020
 

Having recurring migraines is similar to parenting a temperamental toddler. When they go from being annoying to actively disruptive and mildly infuriating, there is often little one can do but grit your teeth and persevere. The helpful suggestions for managing this occurrence involved a mixture of expert opinion, anecdotal hearsay, individual tinkering and a big dose of patience. So where does acupuncture fit into this picture?

We’ll start with expert opinion. Consider a 2013 systematic review that compared actual and placebo effects of several interventions for the treatment of migraines 1. The study showed  that sham acupuncture had a stronger placebo effect than the oral pharmacological placebo, and furthermore the placebo effect of acupuncture was shown to be as strong as the true, active-drug treatment. So the research currently suggests even if one were to receive only the placebo benefit of acupuncture, it may still be as effective as taking a pharmaceutical for the treatment of migraines.

That is promising research, but let’s add anecdote for good measure. It is possible to stop a migraine in its tracks if one is able to see an acupuncturist during the acute stage of migraine. The release of endogenous opioids, the body’s natural pain-relievers, combined with the stimulation of endorphins, can turn the worst headache into no more than a mild annoyance within that hour-long session. Acupuncture also treats nausea and vomiting, and it balances the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis 2, which is implicated in migraine pathology 3.

Now for individual tinkering. Acupuncture is hyper-individualized, with each treatment responding to your body’s symptoms at that exact moment, in a way specific to only you. Coming in for acupuncture during the acute stage provides the acupuncturist with valuable information about how your body is experiencing the strongest symptoms of migraine attack. This informs the treatments given afterward to prevent or reduce the severity of the next migraine. Weekly treatments downregulate stress hormones and create a more clear baseline from which to observe physiological patterns such as dietary and environmental triggers. This can help make your individual-lifestyle adjustments more effective in reducing migraines.

And finally, patience is still the key when treating migraines. Acupuncture must be used regularly for an individually determined period of time in order for its full benefit to become apparent. In the same way that eating one kale leaf will not make one a beacon of health, neither will having just one acupuncture treatment. The goal is to set up and then reinforce a pattern of signaling in the body that is closer to the “rest and digest” mode of existence and further away from the “fight and flight” mode that governs our modern lives. Each acupuncture treatment helps reinforce the beneficial relaxing mode that reduces the prevalence of migraines.

1) Meissner, K, et. al. Differential effectiveness of placebo treatments: a systematic review of migraine prophylaxis. JAMA Internal medicine. 2013 Nov 25;173(21):1941-51.

2) Wang, S-J, Zhang, J-J, and Qie, L-L. Acupuncture relieves the excessive excitation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis function and correlates with the regulatory mechanism of GR, CRH, and ACTHR. Evidence based complementary and alternative medicine. 2014; 2014.

3) Tietjen, G. and Peterlin, B. Childhood abuse and migraine: epidemiology, sex differences, and possible mechanisms. Headache. 2011 Jun: 51(6):869-879.

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Successful Herbs to Move Liver Qi

 Acupuncture
Apr 062020
 

We often say in Traditional Chinese Medicine that the liver is the system most easily susceptible to stress. Stress knots the Qi (energy) and makes its flow stagnate – this happens most quickly in the liver energy system. The liver, in TCM, is in charge of the smooth flow of Qi throughout the body. This means that if Qi flow is impaired (ie, by stress), the liver system will suffer. Likewise, if the liver energy system is weak or stagnant (from lifestyle choices, diet, trauma, emotional stress, illness or genetic factors), Qi flow throughout the body may be impaired.

Common symptoms of liver Qi stagnation include irritability, anger, tension headaches, migraines, trouble sleeping, PMS, irregular menstrual cycles and just a general stagnation of feeling stuck or blocked.

Chinese herbs can be a very useful treatment for moving stuck liver Qi and helping it to flow smoothly, to reduce these sorts of symptoms. Chinese herbs are safe and effective when prescribed by a licensed practitioner. To effectively treat liver Qi stagnation, other supportive energy systems must also be moved or nourished, depending on the person. For this reason, these herbs are almost never taken alone, but rather as part of a formula targeting liver Qi stagnation as well as the backdrop on which is occurs.

Chai Hu (Bupleurum): Chai Hu is one of the most commonly used herbs to regulate the liver Qi and treat Qi stagnation, so it can be used in formulas targeting depression, stress, tension headaches and menstrual pain. It also has a function of harmonizing the liver and the spleen energy systems, for treating indigestion, bloating and flank pain. It has a rising action, so needs to be used cautiously in patients with high blood pressure, but making it ideal for patients with sinking energy causing issues such as prolapse or hemorrhoids.

Xiang Fu (Cyperus Rhizome): Xiang Fu directly spreads and regulates liver Qi, for treating symptoms such as hypochondriac pain, menstrual pain, irregular periods, epigastric pain and stress. Xiang Fu moves the Qi but is said to “move the blood within the Qi,” meaning it can move stuck blood by moving the Qi, and that it is a powerful Qi mover. It is an excellent herb for gynecological issues stemming from liver Qi stagnation.

Bo He (Field Mint): Bo He is an herb for “releasing exterior heat,” which means fighting off acute infection with symptoms such as sore throat, fever, cough and headache. However, it has a secondary function of mildly soothing the liver Qi. As such, it can be a great supportive herb for liver Qi stagnation. It can therefore be used to treat menstrual issues, emotional issues, PMS, temporal headaches or pain along the sides of the body.

Yu Jin (Turmeric Tuber): Yu Jin is an herb used to move stuck blood. It is therefore frequently used in formulas to treat pain following traumatic injury to an area. However, it also has the function of moving liver Qi, so it can be added to formulas for symptoms such as chest and flank pain, muscle pain or menstrual pain.

Fo Shou (Finger Citron Fruit, “Buddha’s Hand”): Fo Shou is another herb that directly regulates the liver Qi, specifically for symptoms such as rib pain or belching. It also strengthens the digestive system through tonifying the spleen and stomach, as well as drying dampness and transforming phlegm to treat chronic wet coughs.

For the most effective and safe treatment, consult a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Safe home treatments for liver Qi stagnation include mint tea, turmeric tea and exercise.

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The Many Uses of Violet: A Round-Up of Herbal Resources & Recipes

 Uncategorized
Apr 032020
 

The Many Uses of Violet:
A Round-Up of Herbal Resources & Recipes

Written by Meghan Gemma
Photography by Juliet Blankespoor (except where credited)

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When it comes to flowers, it doesn’t get much sweeter than soft springtime violets. With nodding blossoms atop slender stems and heart-shaped leaves, these low-growing plants are sometimes described as diminutive. But please don’t presume they’re shrinking! In fact, violets are a powerhouse of mineral-rich food and medicine.

Does this quintessential bloom speak to your heart? Many folks are deeply drawn to violets, and for a rainbow of good reasons. Here, we’ve compiled a library of articles on violet’s cleansing, moistening, and anti-inflammatory medicine, plus a handful of spirited seasonal recipes and indispensable identification tips.

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Gathering violets for medicinal and culinary concoctions (Felted bilby figure created by Johana of Rustles in the Meadow)

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Violet: A Springtime Medicinal

Although violet is a wildly common herb, it’s somewhat underrepresented in edible and medicinal circles. The truth is, violet is one of our finest and most delicious cooling and moistening herbs—perfect for folks who run dry, experience skin issues like eczema, or seasonally want to cleanse and revitalize their tissues after a long, cold winter.

Violet’s Edible and Medicinal Uses This is our personal ode to the healing food-medicine of violet. Uncover our favorite ways to eat and imbibe this tasty ally.

Gentle Spring Cleansing with Violet Curious how to cleanse with the wild herbs of spring? This is our guide to deep and gentle restoration with violet.

Violet Herb by jim mcdonald. A wonderfully thorough treatise on violet’s medicinal qualities, with a special nod to its herbal energetics. 

Three Faces Under a Hood: The Many Aspects of Violet by Kiva Rose Hardin. Another enchanting violet profile, with a fascinating dose of herbal lore and floral poetry stirred into the mix.

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Violet and chickweed on a bagel with medicinal garlic sauce

Violet and chickweed on a bagel with medicinal garlic sauce

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Violet Recipes

Violet is one of my very favorite springtime wild foods. The young leaves are tender, delicious, and rich in minerals and soluble fiber. The flowers are a bright splash of color atop cakes, breakfast toast, and green salads. Their purple petals are packed with antioxidant bioflavonoids. We could hardly ask for a more nourishing wild spring green!

Violet Springtime Fairy Vinegar: A Mineral-Rich Spring Tonic Our recipe for crafting a whimsical and mineral-rich herbal vinegar for spring cleansing, seasonal nutrition, or good old-fashioned culinary fun.

Wild Greens Bagel A simple staple from our kitchen that easily integrates violets and other seasonal wild greens right into your breakfast or lunch.

Calendula’s Benefits for the Skin: How to Make Calendula Oil and Salve You’ll notice that this recipe actually features calendula, but you can just substitute violet leaves in for the calendula, or combine them for a soothing, skin-healing remedy.

Wild Violet Ardor: Whipped Honey Butter by Gather. Read about the romantic legacy of violet while whipping up a buttery-sweet floral treat. The folks at Gather are unparalleled in sharing a great herbal story alongside the most magical recipes you can imagine!

Wild Violets 4 Ways: Simple Syrup, Tincture, Candies and Lemonade by Amanda Waters of Homesong. Don’t miss this bouquet of spring recipes featuring violet! For a good time, I especially recommend experiencing the alchemy of wild violet syrup (followed up by making a glass of pale purple violet lemonade).

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From the book Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi; illustrated by Wendy Hollender

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Violet Botany & Identification

When it comes to gathering wild plants, I recommend being 150% sure of your identification before harvesting or nibbling. Violets actually have many look-alikes, some of which are inedible or poisonous. If you’re new to violets, please only harvest them when the flowers are present (this helps immensely with i.d.). You’ll also want to reference a reliable plant identification guide when gathering any wild edible or medicinal herb. You can use this book list for my personal recommendations. The following resources will help you along:

An Illustrated Guide to Identifying Violet, designed by Dina Falconi and illustrated by Wendy Hollender. Seeking a beautifully illustrated guide to identifying violet? Look no further, this is it!

Violets, Violas with Green Deane. Join this wild foods expert in the field on YouTube as he explains how to identify violet.

Even Violets Need a Plan B Our exposé on the secret subterranean lives of violets. Intrigued? You’ll have to read the article to get the full scoop.

Meet Our Contributors:

Meghan Gemma

MEGHAN GEMMA is one of the Chestnut School’s primary instructors through her written lessons, and is the principal pollinator of the school’s social media community—sharing herbal and wild foods wisdom from the flowery heart of the school to an ever-wider field of herbalists, gardeners, healers, and plant lovers.

She has been in a steady relationship with the Chestnut School since 2010—as an intern and manager at the Chestnut Herb Nursery; as a plant-smitten student “back in the day” when the school’s programs were taught in the field; and later as a part the school’s woman-powered professional team. Meghan lives in the Ivy Creek watershed, just north of Asheville, North Carolina.

Juliet Blankespoor

JULIET BLANKESPOOR founded the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in 2007 and serves as the school’s primary instructor and Creative Director. She's been a professional plant-human matchmaker for close to three decades. Juliet caught the plant bug when she was nineteen and went on to earn a degree in Botany. She's owned just about every type of herbal business you can imagine: an herbal nursery, a medicinal products business, a clinical practice, and now, an herbal school.

These days, she channels her botanical obsession with her writing and photography in her online programs and here on her personal blog, Castanea. She's writing her first book: Cultivating Medicinal Herbs: Grow, Harvest, and Prepare Handcrafted Remedies from Your Home Garden. Juliet and her houseplants share a home with her family and herb books in Asheville, North Carolina.

Want to take a deeper dive into medicinal herbs and their uses?

Our 1,000-hour Herbal Immersion Program is the most comprehensive handcrafted online herbal course available, covering botany, foraging, herb cultivation, medicine making, and therapeutics.

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Gentle Spring Cleansing with Violet

 Uncategorized
Mar 312020
 

Gentle Spring Cleansing with Violet

Written by Meghan Gemma
Photography by Juliet Blankespoor

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Spring is a season of pure genesis. As the earth warms, the landscape exalts in a profusion of fresh greens, pastel blossoms, and joyous birdsong. The energy is fecund, yet undeniably gentle. Like eggs in a nest, creation is having a grand moment—but there’s a distinct softness and tenderness about it all.

I keep these nuances in mind as I approach the yearly tradition of spring cleansing: a ritual centered around restoring vitality and coaxing our bodies back into balance after a long winter.

Are you ready for an internal clean sweep? Let me first say a few words about cleansing and fasting. There are plenty of protocols out there, and some can be harder on the body than others. I’ve noticed a general tendency to approach cleansing with a go hard or go home attitude. And sometimes, an aggressive strategy can yield desired results. However, if you’re wanting to experiment with a rigorous cleanse, I recommend consulting with an experienced holistic healthcare practitioner. This will help you to cleanse safely, and to make the most of an appropriate protocol.

But cleansing needn’t be all or nothing. In fact, it can be ever so gentle.

Spring cleansing is traditionally a simple and natural invocation of the wild green plants that appear as the days grow warm—and it can be as sweet and soft on the body as tulip petals on new grass. Done right, it can leave us feeling restored and renewed.

Life is attuned to this renewal. Every spring, a plenitude of cleansing, detoxifying, and mineral-rich herbs abound across the temperate landscape. These plants have a signature exuberance—they are generous and vibrant with green life force energy. Herbs like violet, dandelion, and chickweed are innately possessed with the cleansing properties and minerals needed by the body after a winter of hibernation and heavier foods. Incorporating them into meals and teas is often all the body needs for a revitalized sense of health.

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Spring wild greens harvest

Spring wild greens harvest

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Violet & Other Herbs for Spring Cleansing

Violet is one of my most beloved spring cleansing herbs—just the sight of its tender heart-shaped leaves and soft flowers fills me with hope. The leaves are a classic alterative herb, stimulating the release of wastes from the body by optimizing liver, kidney, lymphatic, and digestive functions. They are also sky-high in minerals and soluble fiber, which encourages healthy populations of beneficial intestinal flora. The pleasant mucilage in the leaves can soothe inflammation in the digestive tract and impart dew-fresh moisture to our tissues.

You can read more about violet’s medicinal uses here.

Violet flushes out in the spring with an entourage of other alterative detoxifying herbs. In truth, it’s no mistake that these plants burst forth in tandem green glory—they’re meant to work together. Consider integrating any of the following herbs into your gentle spring cleansing protocol:

  • Violet, leaf and flowers (Viola spp.)
  • Dandelion, leaf and flowers (Taraxacum officinale)
  • Stinging nettles, leaf (Urtica dioica)
  • Cleavers, leaf and stem (Galium aparine)
  • Chickweed, leaf and stem (Stellaria media)
  • Burdock, root (Arctium lappa, A. minus)
  • Plantain, leaf (Plantago spp.)
  • Purple dead nettle, leaf and flowers (Lamium purpureum)
  • Mint, leaf (Mentha spp.)

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Want to read featurettes on the herbal co-stars mentioned above? Just click on the links we supplied. Curious where and how to find these plants, and safely identify them? Take a wink at our list of the Ten Best Books on Foraging Wild Foods and Herbs. You can also refer to our article on The Top Herbal Foraging Blogs, Podcasts, and YouTube Channels. Please always be 150% sure of your identification before you gather any wild plant!

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Salad of violet leaves and flowers, chickweed, and dandelion flowers

Salad of violet leaves and flowers, chickweed, and dandelion flowers

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Planning Your Gentle Spring Cleanse

There are many ways I like to work with spring cleansing herbs and they’re all traditional, with the exception of juicing. What’s more, they’re gentle, and can be safely used by most people—including children and the elderly. Please see the end of this article for a brief list of contraindications.

1) Eat Herbally. Eating your herbs is an easy way to bring them into your spring cleansing practice—and it’s such a tasty one. Violet, chickweed, and dandelion greens are all delicious additions to spring salads and pestos. For salads, try combining them with lettuce, arugula, and radicchio in generous quantities. Then sprinkle violet blossoms and other spring flowers on top for a dose of beauty and bioflavonoids.

For pesto, you can substitute wild greens into any recipe that you enjoy. You can also refer to my recipe for Cold Season Wild Greens Pesto (sub in any greens that are available to you).

Some spring greens are delicious cooked, and here stinging nettles steal my heart. Nettles are fantastically rich in vitamins and minerals, and add a dark, leafy appeal to sautées and stir-fries. You can prepare them as you would kale or spinach, but note that they must be well-cooked to disarm the fine stinging hairs that cover the stems and leaves. Handling nettles requires some care (and perhaps gloves), but their flavor and nutrition are worth it!

If you’d like recipes and serving suggestions for a wealth of spring greens and wild foods, check out this book list, which includes several cherished wild foods cookbooks, and this roll call of online wild foods resources.

2) Enjoy Juice. Freshly pressed juices are a popular and delicious way to get your cleanse on. I love adding handfuls of cleavers and chickweed that are still wet with morning dew to juice blends, and relish a tip I got from Rosemary Gladstar: add fresh pineapple to your juice1—it’s phenomenal! Other additions can include fresh parsley, carrots, apples, ginger, turmeric, lemon, celery, and beets. Follow your palate!

I prefer to make juices first thing in the morning, and to drink them about half an hour before having breakfast. You can also opt to drink them between meals. If you don’t have a juicer, blend your ingredients of choice in a high-powered blender with some water and strain.

3) Steep A Cup of Tea. Tea employs one of our most ancient channels for medicine and healing: the fluid element of water. Water is vital to cleansing the body at any time, and the more you can integrate it into your practice, the better. All of the herbs mentioned in this article can be steeped into tea. I personally favor stinging nettle, violet, dandelion, chickweed, and mint. Follow the guidelines in our article on Herbal Infusions and Decoctions for making medicinal-strength teas.

4) Infuse Herbal Vinegars. Vinegar is a classic solvent for extracting minerals from herbs, and is a traditional preparation for capturing the vitality and nutritional blessings of spring greens. Herbal vinegars can be taken by the spoonful with meals, or, more pleasantly, can be integrated into salad dressings, condiments, and marinades. See our recipe for Violet Springtime Fairy Vinegar for inspiration!

Whatever ways you choose to gently cleanse with spring herbs, try your best to stick to a regular routine or plan, and to set attainable goals. For instance, if you decide to drink one quart (32 ounces) of violet and nettle tea every day for 2 weeks, help yourself out by preparing 2 days’ worth at a time and storing the tea in quart-sized jars in the fridge. If you favor salads, gather enough greens and blossoms for several meals at one time.

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Alterative herbs--starting at one o'clock and moving clockwise--Red clover, cleavers, plantain (center), dandelion, stinging nettles, and chickweed

Alterative herbs--starting at one o'clock and moving clockwise--Red clover, cleavers, plantain (center), dandelion, stinging nettles, and chickweed

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Take Your Gentle Spring Cleanse to the Next Level

Tending to our health is a multi-faceted and living ritual. If we cleanse periodically and fine-tune other dimensions of our lives and lifestyles, we can create real change in our present and long-term well-being. At the same time, it’s certainly worth noting that taking our medicine—whatever it may be—in small doses can be helpful. In this light, you can support gentle cleansing with as many, or as few, of the following as you care to:

  • Hydrate each and every day (set your sights on at least 64 ounces per day). Drinking clean, fresh, mineral-rich water is one of the most important foundations of health. Keep in mind, by the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated! If you’re one of those folks who isn’t naturally inclined to drink water throughout the day, try infusing your water with a sprig of mint, basil, lemon balm, or anise hyssop—or a few slices of lemon, lime, or orange.
  • Engage in joyful movement as often as you’re able—brisk walks down the lane, yin yoga, dancing in the kitchen as you make dinner, and whatever else tickles your fancy. Movement shakes things up, gets the blood moving, and aids the body in detoxification. It’s also one our best natural remedies for banishing the blues. If you have a rebounder or trampoline, bouncing gently for 10–15 minutes per day can help to stimulate the circulation of your lymph, which boosts the immune system.
  • Get your sweat on. In addition to gentle movement practices, try to have a nice sweat once or twice throughout the week. When our bodies heat up—as in a sauna or sweat lodge— our cardiovascular system pushes blood away from our internal organs toward the surface of our body, releasing deep toxins. I enjoy steam saunas and hot yoga classes, but any kind of sweat-inducing activity or higher-intensity cardiovascular exercise that feels fun to you will be beneficial.
  • Eat a fresh and whole foods diet. Our diet—everything we ingest, including herbs—affects us top to bottom. Nutrition plays a starring role in the quality of our emotions, energy levels, heart health, cognitive abilities, digestive processes, and immunity. Food is our first medicine, and Hippocrates’ famous medical adage from the 1st century BC is more relevant now than ever: “let your foods be your medicines, and your medicines your food.”
    Curious what kind of food choices we’re talking about? Whole foods are foods in their natural state, as you would find them right off the farm or growing in the backyard—think vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, milks, and wild or farmed meats and fish. I’d also encourage you to seek out the fresh seasonal foods of spring as you cleanse: greens, carrots, radishes, and turnips will all be at their peak.
  • Rest, deeply. Don’t skimp on your beauty rest: deep sleep also promotes inner beauty! Sleep has a direct effect on our overall longevity, health, and immunity—our bodies do their deepest healing and repair work while we snooze. So if you’re skimping on your zzz’s in order to get more done or to accommodate your social calendar, it might be time to get to bed early.Supporting your natural circadian rhythms can help if you’re sleep-challenged. Artificial blue light—emitted from computer and phone screens, televisions, and LED lighting—is especially detrimental to sleep. Anytime artificial light strikes our retinas between dusk and dawn, sleep-promoting neurons are inhibited and arousal-promoting neurons are activated. To enhance your ability to sleep at night, put all screens away 2-3 hours before bedtime and use soft, warm light bulbs (or candlelight!). If you work a night shift, or frequently use electronics in the evenings, invest in a pair of blue light filtering glasses or download a blue light filtering app to your phone and computer. And make sure you spend some time outside in natural light every day!
  • Sync with the season. Step out into the sunshine and fresh air of spring. Synthesize some vitamin D (produced by our bodies when we soak up the sun). Walk barefoot on the earth if possible. Gather springtime herbs and flowers. Let your body attune to the fresh, clean spirit of the season.

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Violet and chickweed on a bagel with medicinal garlic sauce

Violet and chickweed on a bagel with medicinal garlic sauce

Safety & Contraindications: The herbs mentioned in this lesson are typically quite safe for general use in large quantities. But there are a few exceptions to note:

  • Violet: Avoid internal use with folks who have the rare inherited disorder G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) deficiency, because it can aggravate hemolytic anemia.
  • Dandelion: The leaf is a powerful diuretic, and will compound the effects of pharmaceutical diuretics. People who are allergic to bee pollen or honey have a high likelihood of reacting to dandelion pollen, and therefore should avoid ingesting the flower or any preparation from the flower that would contain pollen (i.e., the infusion).
  • Stinging nettles: Nettles are diuretic and astringent, and can be very drying (when taken frequently) for folks who already have dry skin and dry mucous membranes. Additionally, the diuretic effects may compound pharmaceuticals with the same action. Nettles may potentially alter blood sugar levels—diabetics should monitor blood sugar levels closely when ingesting the plant as food or medicine.
  • Chickweed: Avoid use if you are prone to kidney stones, as this plant contains dietary oxalates, which can increase the formation of kidney stones.

References

  1. Gladstar, R. Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health: 175 Teas, Tonics, Oils, Salves, Tinctures, and Other Natural Remedies for the Entire Family (Storey Publishing, 2008).

Meet Our Contributors:

Meghan Gemma

MEGHAN GEMMA is one of the Chestnut School’s primary instructors through her written lessons, and is the principal pollinator of the school’s social media community—sharing herbal and wild foods wisdom from the flowery heart of the school to an ever-wider field of herbalists, gardeners, healers, and plant lovers.

She has been in a steady relationship with the Chestnut School since 2010—as an intern and manager at the Chestnut Herb Nursery; as a plant-smitten student “back in the day” when the school’s programs were taught in the field; and later as a part the school’s woman-powered professional team. Meghan lives in the Ivy Creek watershed, just north of Asheville, North Carolina.

Juliet Blankespoor

JULIET BLANKESPOOR founded the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in 2007 and serves as the school’s primary instructor and Creative Director. She's been a professional plant-human matchmaker for close to three decades. Juliet caught the plant bug when she was nineteen and went on to earn a degree in Botany. She's owned just about every type of herbal business you can imagine: an herbal nursery, a medicinal products business, a clinical practice, and now, an herbal school.

These days, she channels her botanical obsession with her writing and photography in her online programs and here on her personal blog, Castanea. She's writing her first book: Cultivating Medicinal Herbs: Grow, Harvest, and Prepare Handcrafted Remedies from Your Home Garden. Juliet and her houseplants share a home with her family and herb books in Asheville, North Carolina.

Want to take a deeper dive into medicinal herbs and their uses?

Our 1,000-hour Herbal Immersion Program is the most comprehensive handcrafted online herbal course available, covering botany, foraging, herb cultivation, medicine making, and therapeutics.

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Homemade Medicinal Garlic Sauce

 Uncategorized
Mar 252020
 

Homemade Medicinal Garlic Sauce

Text and Photography by Juliet Blankespoor

In our kitchen, we almost always have a batch of this sauce on hand. We store it in the refrigerator and pull it out as needed. It is delicious spread onto toast or bagels and topped with fresh tomatoes and chickweed. This sauce is a convenient way to add fresh garlic to dishes just before serving. Baked fish, home fries, and roasted roots are all enhanced by this tasty sauce.

  • ¼ cup (60 ml) garlic, finely minced (about 1 bulb)
  • 1 cup (240 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) sea salt
  • ½ cup (120 ml) nutritional yeast

Yield: 1½ cups (360 ml) You can substitute grated Parmesan cheese for the nutritional yeast if you’d prefer, and omit the salt. Mix all ingredients by hand and refrigerate. Use within one week.


Note that we recommend refrigerating the sauce. This is to reduce the chance of bacterial contamination, namely the botulism bacteria (Clostridium botulinum). Oil infusions create an oxygen-free environment where botulism spores will thrive if given a chance, and the water contained in fresh herbs can introduce these bacterial spores. Nonetheless, some people prepare culinary oils with fresh herbs, but we caution against it because the results can be deadly. More on fresh herbs and the risk of botulism.

Meet the Green Mastermind Behind Blog Castanea:

Juliet Blankespoor

JULIET BLANKESPOOR founded the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in 2007 and serves as the school’s primary instructor and Creative Director. She's been a professional plant-human matchmaker for close to three decades. Juliet caught the plant bug when she was nineteen and went on to earn a degree in Botany. She's owned just about every type of herbal business you can imagine: an herbal nursery, a medicinal products business, a clinical practice, and now, an herbal school.

These days, she channels her botanical obsession with her writing and photography in her online programs and here on her personal blog, Castanea. She's writing her first book: Cultivating Medicinal Herbs: Grow, Harvest, and Prepare Handcrafted Remedies from Your Home Garden. Juliet and her houseplants share a home with her family and herb books in Asheville, North Carolina.

Want to take a deeper dive into medicinal herbs and their uses?

Our 1,000-hour Herbal Immersion Program is the most comprehensive handcrafted online herbal course available, covering botany, foraging, herb cultivation, medicine making, and therapeutics.

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Maple Medicinal Mushroom Concoction

 Uncategorized
Mar 252020
 

Maple Medicinal Mushroom Concoction

Text and Photography by Juliet Blankespoor

  • 1 cup dried shiitake slices (1 ounce, or 28 g) (Lentinula edodes)
  • 1 cup dried maitake slices (¾ ounce, or 21 g) (Grifola frondosa)
  • 2 cups dried reishi slices (2 ounces, or 56 g) (Ganoderma tsugae, G. lucidum, or G. applanatum)
  • 2 Tablespoons cinnamon chips (Cinnamomum verum, C. burmannii, or C. zeylanicum)
  • 2½ teaspoons cardamom seeds (decorticated, or hulled) (Elettaria cardamomum)
  • ¾ cup maple syrup
  • 10 ounces organic corn, grape or cane alcohol (190 proof [95%}), or 25 ounces 100 proof (50%) vodka

Yield: 48 fluid ounces (1.42 liters) if using 95% alcohol and 63 fluid ounces (1.86 liters) if using 50% vodka

  1. Add the mushrooms, cinnamon, and cardamom to a medium pot and add 40 ounces (1.2 liters) of water. Stir the mixture well to coat the mushrooms and herbs.
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  2. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for six to eight hours. Stir and check the water level frequently. When the water dips below the mushroom-herb mixture, add enough water so the mixture is completely submerged.
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  3. Turn off the heat and leave the lid off to let cool for half an hour.
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  4. Strain the mixture through a funnel or ceramic coffee filter lined with a straining cloth into a half-gallon (1.9 liters) jar. Wring out the mushrooms in a cloth with your hands or press with a stainless steel potato ricer.
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  5. Measure the mushroom/herb tea into a half-gallon mason jar, or another vessel you can cap and shake. You’ll want exactly 32 ounces (1 liter) of the tea. If you have less, add just enough water to bring the volume up to 32 ounces (1 liter). If you have more, store the excess by freezing in ice cube trays, and take one tablespoon daily.
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  6. Add the maple syrup first, and then the alcohol.
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  7. Shake well until all ingredients are combined, and pour into storage bottles using a funnel.
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  8. Label with the ingredients and date. Store in the refrigerator if you have space. If you don’t have space, store in a dark cabinet. Will keep for one year refrigerated and six months unrefrigerated.
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  9. Adult dosage (150 pounds) is 2 teaspoons (10 ml) to 1 Tablespoon (15 ml), two times a day. Note that 2 teaspoons (10 ml) will have 2 dropperful of alcohol. One Tablespoon (15 ml) will have 3 droppersful of alcohol. Calculate children’s dosage by weight.
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As an alcohol-free alternative: Follow the steps outlined above, but omit the alcohol. Instead, freeze the mushroom tea concentrate in individual dosages in ice cube trays to thaw and ingest, as needed.

This recipe has less wiggle room than other medicinal preparations. There’s a narrow window we’re aiming for with the alcohol percentage—it has to be high enough to preserve the concoction but not too high, or it will break up the long-chain polysaccharides, which are some of the primary active compounds in the medicinals.The final alcohol volume of the concoction, if the recipe is followed exactly, is approximately 20%. Therefore, carefully measure liquid ingredients.

Meet the Green Mastermind Behind Blog Castanea:

Juliet Blankespoor

JULIET BLANKESPOOR founded the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in 2007 and serves as the school’s primary instructor and Creative Director. She's been a professional plant-human matchmaker for close to three decades. Juliet caught the plant bug when she was nineteen and went on to earn a degree in Botany. She's owned just about every type of herbal business you can imagine: an herbal nursery, a medicinal products business, a clinical practice, and now, an herbal school.

These days, she channels her botanical obsession with her writing and photography in her online programs and here on her personal blog, Castanea. She's writing her first book: Cultivating Medicinal Herbs: Grow, Harvest, and Prepare Handcrafted Remedies from Your Home Garden. Juliet and her houseplants share a home with her family and herb books in Asheville, North Carolina.

Want to take a deeper dive into medicinal herbs and their uses?

Our 1,000-hour Herbal Immersion Program is the most comprehensive handcrafted online herbal course available, covering botany, foraging, herb cultivation, medicine making, and therapeutics.

-

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Can I Make Vitamin C Serum with Orange Essential Oil

 Ayurvedic
Mar 182020
 

by Indus Valley

March 18, 2020

Topics: Ayurveda

Since oranges are the rich source of vitamin C, there is often a myth in people about making vitamin C serum with orange essential oil. This oil has a nice citrus fragrance that feels refreshing when used in creams, lotions or any other grooming product.
Pure orange essential oil apart from providing a pleasant aroma is also loaded with antifungal and antimicrobial properties. This makes the oil ideal for eradicating your skin and hair problems while keeping the germs and impurities at bay
Is it possible to make vitamin C serum with orange oil? Read on to find the best ways to make vitamin C serum and how to use orange essential oil for skin care at home.
Best Tips to Use Orange Essential Oil at Home
Skin Brightening Orange Oil Scrub
Take a teaspoon each of Epsom salt and brown sugar in a bowl. To this add a few drops of lemon juice and orange essential oil.
Mix all the ingredients to a fine combination and apply it to your face or body and rub gently. Wash off thoroughly to ensure all the scrub is rinsed properly with normal water.
If you already have fair skin, don’t add lemon juice.
Make a Homemade Lip Balm for winter
Most commercially prepared lip balms do not provide an effective moisturizing solution. To keep your lips soft and hydrated in winter, this home remedy can save your money and give you desired results.
Take about two tablespoons of shea butter and add a few drops of orange oil. Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container. This will last for several days so you can use it every day to get a nice scented experience while keeping your lips moisturized and problem-free.
Dandruff Treatment
You can add a few drops of orange essential oil to any carrier oil (preferably extra virgin pure coconut oil). This can have a miraculous effect when you massage the oil every day before bath on your scalp. Allow at least 30 minutes for the oil to act on your scalp for quick absorption. Wash your hair during bathing with plain water after each application.
Vitamin C in orange oil helps to curb dandruff problems. If you do not like using coconut oil, you can replace it with extra virgin olive oil that also acts well on the flaky scalp. A natural cleanser, orange oil will prevent your scalp from getting greasy especially during summer.
How to Make Vitamin C Serum at Home
Now that you know how to use orange essential oil at home, it is the turn to prepare your vitamin C serum. It is best to prepare your vitamin C serum with Indus Valley rosehip essential oil.
Mix a tablespoon of vitamin C powder to lukewarm distilled water till it forms a smooth paste. Now add a few drops of rosehip oil to this mix and stir well.
Store this in an airtight brown bottle and use it as and when required.
Wrap Up,
There are numerous ways to use <a href=”https://www.indus-valley.com/wellness/essential-oils/orange-essential-oil.html”>orange essential oil for skin and hair care. You can use this oil to treat your skin and hair woos at home without opting for costly parlor treatment.

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How to Purchase LifeWave Patches

 Acupuncture
Mar 172020
 

To learn more about LifeWave patches and how to use them, check out my Acu-Patching page or set up an Acu-patching consult!

What to know about ordering?

LifeWave patches come in sleeves of 30 patches which will last 30 to 60 days depending on the recommended protocol. The retail price of a 30 day supply costs $79.95, except the X39 patches which are $149.95. I would highly recommend enrolling in a WHOLESALE account. Depending on how many sleeves you purchase, the price per sleeve can be as low as $49.95.

How to set up a wholesale account:

Go to the website: lifewave.com/drdevon

Next select JOIN and enter in the country you live in.

The wholesale enrollment kit options will then load. Choose the enrollment kit depending on how many sleeves needed for your Acu-patching protocol. For example, the BRONZE kit includes two sleeves and the SILVER kit includes six sleeves.  Once enrolled, you have a wholesale account for life so you can try new products as you like. NOTE: One X39 sleeve equals two of any other sleeve.

Next fill out the form with basic information and payment. **Do not worry about the binary placement for new members. Just keep whatever is selected.**

Once you click on the option title to begin ordering, your cart will pre-fill with an X39 sleeve. If you do not want to purchase this sleeve, please click the X in the right hand corner and then add your desired patch selection.

If you need assistance, please call the office at 510-998-8027 and we will be happy to help.

To learn more about patching on your own, join my Facebook page at Acupuncture by Devon or LifeWave Team Learning.

Happy patching!

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Our Office is Temporarily Closed

 Acupuncture
Mar 172020
 

Out of an abundance of caution and the recommendation for social distancing as a public health measure, our office closed on Friday, 3/13/20, until further notice. We will follow the guidance of public officials about when to re-open and notify you at that time.

As many of you know, we have always done our absolute best to make acupuncture as accessible as possible, always limiting office closures.

We do not take the decision to close lightly, and thank you in advance for your understanding and support.

To Be Notified of Our Reopening:

We’ll be emailing all patients to announce our plans to re-open using our Schedulicity online appointment scheduler system. If you already receive our periodic email newsletters then you’re all set. If you don’t receive these newsletters and would like them, please email info@acupuncturetogether.com and ask to be added to our email list.

If You Had a Week Unlimited Package…

If you were in the middle of a week unlimited package when we closed, we will pick up on where you left off when our office returns and honor the remaining visits at that time.

Please Donate Used or New Twin Flat Sheets To Our Office

If you have used or new twin flat sheets in good condition, in any color/style, we’d love to take them off your hands. We’ll be changing sheets more often between patients when we re-open and could use more sheets from you if you have them, which will help us cut down on expenses. Feel free to drop off your sheets anytime in the box located at the door of our office suite (our office building will continue to be open, so come in and come up), or bring them in at a future visit. THANK YOU, we appreciate it!

Last, But Not Least…

Take care of yourself and be well. We wish you good health and look forward to seeing you in the near future!

Sincerely,
Justine Myers, Lic. Ac. and the fantastic staff at Acupuncture Together

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COVID-19: IMMUNITY AND OUR COMMUNITY

 Acupuncture
Mar 172020
 

Dear patients and our community,

As you already know, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is very real and it is everyone’s responsibility to help keep our community safe from the rapid spread of Coronavirus.  To help slow the spread of this virus, it is now more important than ever to take an abundance of caution to help protect you, your family, our community and our healthcare system. 

Because there are many unknowns about Coronavirus and things can change rapidly, we believe using common sense is the best measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If you are feeling ill, or experiencing any of the following symptoms, please stay home and limit your exposure to other people in your community.  By taking action, you will significantly delay the spread of COVID-19:

  • Fever (oral temperature 100.4° or higher) or symptoms of fever (such as chills or body aches) within the past 24 hours. Please do not consider yourself fever-free until your temperature has been normal for at least 24 hours without the use of Tylenol (acetaminophen). The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends avoiding Advil (ibuprofen) and other NSAIDs for COVID-19 symptoms until more information is available.
  • Shortness of breath and/or cough that is not known to be caused by another condition (for example allergies).  
  • Travel within the past 14 days to areas that have people known to be infected with COVID-19. 
  • Close contact with a person known/suspected to be infected with COVID-19 within the past 14 days.
  • Healthcare workers who have been in contact with patients known/suspected to be infected with COVID-19 within the past 14 days. 

Prevention is the best medicine.  Here are some additional resources for our patients and community during this critical time.

What You Can Do To Take Care Of Yourself

The most important things you can do to support your immune system are really basic:

  1. Don’t panic.  Stress is bad for your immune system.  It’s normal to have worried thoughts. Just don’t entertain them for too long.  Make some time to do something enjoyable each day and connect with loved ones.
  2. Wash your hands frequently and don’t touch your face unless you just washed your hands.
  3. Get enough sleep.  Turn off the screens and start winding down a little earlier.
  4. Drink lots of water to support healthy mucous membranes as a first line of defense.  Hot water and tea have been shown to inhibit viruses in our throat.
  5. Eat more nutrient dense whole foods, soups, and bone broth.
  6. Eat less inflammatory foods: sugar, industrial seed oils, processed foods, alcohol, and foods you are sensitive to (wheat, dairy, eggs, nightshades etc.)
  7. Support lung health by doing some even breathing, preferably outdoors in fresh air, to move circulation and clear out toxins.  Breath in through your nose for a count of 5, hold for 1 count, then out through your mouth for a count of 5, hold for 1 count. Repeat.  Make the counts even and not too long that you struggle.  

What You Can Do To Help Boost Your Immune System

  • Immune boosting and antiviral herbs!  Herbs boost and support your immune system.  Let us know you are interested in herbs and we’ll figure out the best way they can help you.
  • Probiotics are an important part of your immune system.  They are available in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, raw sauerkraut, specifically labeled pickles, miso, kombucha (careful because it can contain lots of sugar and some caffeine).  Consider supplementing with a concentrated pill or powder.
  • Elderberry syrup is a go to recommendation for antiviral support that you can order online or get at Whole Foods.
  • Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Zinc are also good supplements to boost your immune system.

To the Point: Immunity System Support PDF

As part of our ongoing support to you and our community, we’ve included a FREE PDF download to help give you the tools to strengthen your immune system at home.  Click here to download this FREE PDF resource.

Up-to-date COVID-19 Data from the World Health Organization

For the current number of cases worldwide, the World Health Organization maintains a COVID-19 Situation Report worldwide. Click here.

As acupuncturists and practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine, we are committed to the health and safety of our community. With your help and support, we can all take part in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. 

While these times may feel unusually challenging, please know we will continue to monitor the current situation and evaluate additional measures to help support our patients, employees and community.

Thank you and stay safe.

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How to Stay Healthy As Winter Changes to Spring

 Acupuncture
Mar 162020
 

For most people, the change of seasons from winter to spring is something to look forward to. But it also means a time when people tend to get sick or seasonal allergies start to flare up. This can make things miserable for a lot of people. As the weather fluctuates between freezing cold and warmer, sunnier days, it also wreaks havoc on our immune system and our sleep. Frequently, our bodies can’t keep up with the constant changes and we get physically run down. But there are some things everybody can do to help during the time of transition from one season to the next.

One of the most common things we hear during this transition time is to stay warm.  This may seem like common sense, but so many people who are sun worshippers just waiting for the warmer days to return, forget this bit of advice as soon as the days start to warm a little. By wearing less clothing or clothing that is not as heavy and warm, we make ourselves susceptible to illness. Even if it’s warm out, you still need to dress appropriately. Save the shorts for a little later in the season.

Another way to stay healthy during the changing seasons is to make sure that you’re getting enough sleep. This is another common sense statement, but with longer hours of daylight, many people’s sleep cycles become disrupted. This can cause the immune system to become compromised, making it easier to get sick or for seasonal allergies to flare up.

A study from the National Institute of Health showed that dry winter air allows cold and flu viruses to survive longer and transmit more easily once everything starts to warm up.  With this being said, hydration is important. If dry air makes it more convenient for germs to remain dormant, then flushing them out by keeping your body hydrated is a great way to avoid an infection.

Eating according to the seasons is very important too. As the weather gets warmer, most people gravitate towards healthier food options in an effort to lose some of the winter weight. For spring, eating lighter, more natural foods will actually give the liver a chance to repair itself and that alone can help us feel more energetic and improve our clarity of thought. The immune system also functions better when excess sugar and dairy are removed.

Acupuncture is another great tool that can help make the transition from winter to spring easier. Acupuncture can balance the body as it reacts to the changes in the weather and activity levels. Regular acupuncture treatments have also been shown to boost immunity. Spring can also cause flare ups associated with seasonal allergies and acupuncture treatments can help with the inflammation, sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes that accompany the allergic reactions.

Contact us to learn more about how Traditional Chinese Medicine can promote greater health.

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10 Ways to Implement Ayurveda in Everyday Life

 Ayurvedic
Mar 162020
 

by Dr Nitesh Khonde

March 16, 2020

Topics: Ayurveda

It is a natural tendency to associate Ayurveda with herbs and minerals, but this is not true. This is because Ayurveda concerns your diet, your lifestyle, the environment that you live in and the state of your mental health. Ayurveda guides how to modify your lifestyle and optimize body functions. In Ayurveda lot of importance is given to mental health as it plays an important role in determining your physical health. Ayurveda benefits in everyday life are such that you need to look at ways to implement it in your daily life.

  1. Wake up early – Ayurveda says that you should rise before dawn at 4:30 – 5:00 AM. This is the purest and most fresh time of the day. Waking up at this time will help you to remain positive and energetic throughout the day. 
  2. Eat an ayurvedic diet – If you want Ayurveda benefits in everyday life then it is advisable to emphasize more on seasonally fresh and organic vegetables and fruits along with whole grains and legumes. Stay away from processed, oily or junk food.
  3. Start your day with honey water – For this, you need to add one teaspoon honey in half a pint of water and drink it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This will aid in clearing the toxins from your body. 
  4. Get sufficient sleep – The body needs time to detoxify and rejuvenate and the best time for this is when you are sleeping. If you get good quality and enough sleep then the inner cells work in harmony and it will strengthen your immune system and circulate energy throughout your body.
  5. Take a walk every day – Walking is simple and yet the best form of exercise. The best time to take a walk is early morning.
  6. Follow a schedule – Make a schedule of all the things that you need to do during the day and stick to it. This will create a mental, emotional and physical balance in your life.
  7. Eliminate toxins – As soon as you wake up the attempt to clear the toxins from the body in the form of urine or stools. Do not delay the activity of excretion because this will add toxins to your body.
  8. Drink a lot of water – If you drink plenty of water every day then it will aid in flushing out the toxins from the body faster. It will also ensure the smooth running of the digestive system which is good for overall well being.
  9. Oil massage – Massaging yourself with oil every day is a good way to activate your muscles and it will also prevent wrinkles and other damage due to aging. It is also a good way to activate your muscles and ensure that you remain energetic throughout the day.
  10. Meditation – Some form of meditation is necessary to keep your mental health intact and this, in turn, will ensure that you remain physically healthy.

These simple activities will help you to gain Ayurveda benefits in everyday life. They will keep you mentally, emotionally and physically healthy and ensure that you stay safe from many lifestyle ailments.

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Our Covid-19 Coronavirus Precautionary Measures

 Acupuncture
Mar 032020
 

By Justine Myers, Lic. Ac.

The Covid-19 coronavirus is on the minds of many people these days. We’d like to share with you our precautionary measures to ensure the health and well-being of our patients and staff, as well as some links to helpful public health information.

There are common non-contagious/non-serious upper respiratory symptoms that some of our patients present with such as allergies, asthma or a lingering cough following a cold, and we will continue to treat these conditions as they do not pose a risk to others. It is also understood that being 3 feet away from those who are coughing or sneezing is considered to be safe, and our recliners are spaced appropriately.

Here are the measures we are taking at Acupuncture Together. We appreciate everyone’s participation and understanding:

–If you have a fever or flu-like symptoms, please stay home. The main symptoms of Covid-19 are fever, coughing and shortness of breath. Call your primary care physician if you’re in need of medical attention for these concerns.

-If you have an appointment scheduled and aren’t feeling well, you may call our office to cancel it on the same day and will not be charged.

-We’ll be regularly sanitizing surfaces that are frequently touched such as door knobs and call buttons. Sheets on chairs will be changed after patients who have upper respiratory symptoms. If you’d prefer to bring in your own sheet to place on a chair, you’re welcome to do so.

-Please use hand sanitizer when you check in at the front desk, or wash your hands in the bathroom if you prefer that to hand sanitizer, in order to help prevent the spread of germs. We have hand sanitizer placed on the reception area front desk and coffee table, and at every station in the treatment room. Feel free to help yourself at any of those locations. When washing your hands, please wash for at least 20 seconds.

-Cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than onto your hands. If you sneeze or cough on your hands or into tissues or a handkerchief, please use hand sanitizer afterwards.

-If you are coughing we will provide you with a face mask and ask you to wear it.

-Avoid touching your mouth, nose, eyes and face with unwashed/non-sanitized hands.

Here are some more guidelines and links to inform you about how to take care of yourself and recommended practices regarding Covid-19:

CDC Facts about Covid-19

FAQ by an Intensive Care and Infectious Disease Physician

American Society of Acupuncturists Covid-19 Fact Sheet

Business and Employer Guidelines

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