Herb of the week: Rose Petals!!

 Used prolifically in beauty care for its lovely aroma and astringent properties... added to baths, facial steams and rinses, and in body care products, it is cooling and toning and eases sore muscles. Internally it can be added to tea for a fresh floral flavor and is excellent for breaking up congestion, regulating menstrual cycles, calming anxiety, depression, and anger. Can also be helpful in easing diarrhea, bleeding, and erectile dysfunction. The flower essence is helpful in dispelling sexual shame and opens the heart to sexual acceptance. Rose oil is also commonly used and is often found in perfumes and body care and is extracted through either distillation, solvent, or CO2 methods. The CO2 method is the most pure, while distillation is less expensive and yields rosewater used in cooking and as a facial toner.

Herb of the Week: Albizzia

 This Eastern herb is from the Mimosa tree, also called the Tree of Happiness...and for good reason. Albizzia has long been a valued Chinese botanical for relieving anxiety, stress, depression and grief. Sometimes called "the herbal prozac" by modern herbalists, it is considered comparable with other powerful herbs for treating depression such as St. John's Wort and Kava Kava. Both the bark and the flowers of Albizzia are used as a calming sedative in Eastern traditional medicine. The bark is thought to 'anchor' the spirit, while the flowers lighten it. The flowers have also been used for the treatment of insomnia, amnesia, sore throat, contusions and topical swelling.

Flower Essence of the Week: Chaparral

Chaparral as a medicinal herb has gone up and down in popularity, but few know of or consider its energetic properties in flower essence form. While chaparral as an herb is contraindicated during pregnancy & nursing, and in large doses over extended periods of time, the flower essence is completely safe to use at any time, in any quantity, and for any length of time. That said, I'll compare the herbal properties with the energetic properties to give you a sense of how the two complement each other.

Chaparral flower essence (by FES) is used primarily for detoxification, especially benefiting the liver. Liver-related symptoms chaparral flower essence helps to clear are disturbed dreams, a chaotic & busy mind, and any residues of drug use, whether prescription or otherwise. Since the liver is also damaged by stress, rushing, and overly goal-oriented pushing, chaparral flower essence is also useful in clearing the effects of these modern-day realities. Consider chaparral flower essence if you feel harried, like you have a short fuse, if you're plagued by impatience you cannot resolve, if your sleep is light, easily disturbed & fraught with nightmares, and if your mind is moving in too many directions at once.

Chaparral as a medicinal herb is also used in liver toxicity, and is particularly helpful in people who have used drugs (prescription or otherwise) in the past. It clears residues. In addition, chaparral as an herb is antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and helps to reduce tumors.

In comparing these usages, you can see two main patterns of influence in both the flower essence and the medicinal herb:
1. Chaparral helps to release impurities from both the physical and energetic body, be they chemical residues, invading organisms, or invading energies and paces.
2. Chaparral reduces inflammation, whether of the mind, spirit or body.

Whether you want to support your spring detoxification program or find your own peace amidst the chaos of modern life, chaparral flower essence is an effective & noninvasive contemporary ally.

HERB OF THE WEEK: Black Pepper

Ok, so it's already Thursday, and we're just now taking the time to blog about our Herb of the Week. But, this little powerhouse of a pepper is a good one! Black pepper seems like one of those things that's just so commonplace it's often overlooked. With so many peppers to choose from, and each recipe seemingly more fancy than the next, black pepper just isn't getting the attention we think it deserves. It has been used medicinally for centuries by Buddhists, Ayurvedic practitioners, and perhaps even the ancient Egyptians. Ramesses II's mummy was found with black peppercorns stuffed in the nostrils. We won't go quite that far, but here is our own little Ode to Black Pepper.

WHY WE LOVE IT

1. It's delicious! Paired with a dash of salt, generously shaken on meat or tofu, or as a tasty added kick to homemade chai.

2. It has long been used to aid in digestion and relieve stomach ailments from gas to constipation. Consuming pepper stimulates the production of digestive enzymes and stomach acid, promoting better food digestion and shorter gastrointestinal food transit times.

3. Well-known for its sneeze-inducing properties, black pepper is great for clearing nasal congestion or relieving sinusitis.

4. The essential oil of black pepper is used to improve circulation and treat pain.

5. And perhaps the coolest benefit of all: Piperine, a compound found in black pepper, increases the bioavailability of a large number of nutrients. So, by adding black pepper to your meal, you're not only giving it an extra tasty kick, but you're actually boosting your body's ability to use all the good stuff that's in it.

So, not only does black pepper come complete with its own impressive list of direct health benefits, it helps you benefit from a variety of other foods and nutrients as well. A true team player! It doesn't get much better than that.

Bayberry, what have i got myself into?

so, seriously people.  this is another week where the herb i am drinking matches up with symptoms that present themselves in my family.  and this time it was me!

I woke up one morning with a swollen left gland under my jaw line.   it quickly turned into a sinus issue with incredible pain and a sore throat.  gargling with saltwater and turmeric powder really soothed the sore throat, works every time.  but i was still left with this awful sinus thing.  aha!  bayberry!

Michael Moore  suggests that it "increases lymph circulation and helps prevent the ineffiecient, poorly drained engorgements of the sinus membranes."  it is very astringent, which can help tone atonic tissues.  in my notes from herb school, James Snow lists it as a stimulating anticatarrhal and decongestant.  the botanical or Latin name for bayberry is Myrica cerifera, but the species californica is also used...though less often.

so, I mixed up some bayberry...and added osha, thyme, balsam root (which i never would have thought of if it weren't for drinking it earlier in this blog) and red root.  man, was it astringent!  that bayberry really puckers you up.  the tea was sorta red and had this dark, thick look to it...probably a combination of all the herbal magic going on.  I have to say, it really helped.  The next day, i was in much less pain in my sinuses and was feeling much less tired and sick as well.  Cheers to bayberry and friends.

but now i am left to wonder what herb is next?  and to hope that i don't have to get sick to see that it works!

melissa