Methow Valley Update (Mid April)

We went on a beautiful evening walk tonight and I want to record all that is happening so that I can compare notes with the following years.

Today was the first day we noticed the river growing - caught us totally by surprise. A few days ago we were down by the river chasing marmots when we found a hawthorn! Quite the find. It's strange we've never seen it before, but we've been eating a lot of hawthorn berry vinegar lately and it's like it jumped out of the landscape.

So many plants have just shot out of the ground. Lomatium dissectum, or chocolate tips, is out and flowering and seems to be everywhere!







Buttercups are dotting the hillside as are yellow bells and blue bells.










It's the perfect season for harvesting yellow dock leaves - see all that green? It's all dock!









Switching from flora to fauna - can you see the marmot tracks? They like to hang out in my dock field.










Oregon grape is getting ready to bloom its tart yellow flowers.









Today we also noticed the elderberry is starting to sprout leaves and we did a little pruning to clear out the dead branches and make room for the new. (My elderberry wine is sitting in bottles right now and I can hardly wait for it to be ready... just six more months!)

Arrowleaf balsam root was just peaking it's head out of the ground a few days ago and now the leaves have grown tremendously and the flower heads are out as well.

Mullein is looking healthy and the sqaw currants are completely leafed out. The pussy willows outside the house are covered in green fuzzy tips and the bees have been busy buzzing around while the warblers and swallows have been busy eating them up. The red wing blackbirds are constantly crying out to "poke yerrr neighberrr" and at times there are at least fifty robins eating in the field.

Dandelions are growing in the garden as are little tiny leaves that are too young to identify. Xavier wonders if it will be all the squash we composted last fall... In general the hillsides are getting greener, but there is still snow in the not to distant mountains.

Roots: Valerian

Common Name: Valerian
Botanical Name: Valeriana officinalis, V. sitchensis + 150 spp.
Plant Family: Valerianaceae
Major Plant Constituents: Isovaleric acid, valeric adic, valerine, chatinine alkaloids, volatile oil
Parts used: Roots

Historical Uses: Some Pacific NW tribes cooked and ate the leaves and roots - not very palatable reports Tilford. Pied Piper had these roots in his pocket to lead the rats off the island.

Uses: Mainly known as a safe sedative. It is also anti-spasmodic, carminative, and hypotensive. Useful for insomnia due to the mind racing about. Because it is also stimulates digestion, lungs, and cardio output, a thorough understanding of a person's systems should be known before using. (Michael Moore)

Contraindications/Cautions: Some people do react poorly to this herb, especially in high amounts. It's suggested to not use it daily for more than three weeks. The dry root tincture has more stimulus and accumulative effects.

Personal Experience: I use valerian for menstrual cramps, especially at night. This time around I tinctured some of the fresh root, and currently some is drying for a dry root tincture - just to explore the differences. I remember the first time I smelled valerian and had the typical reaction of "that is so gross." This time around I really loved it. It was earthy and pungent in a good way. Gail Faith Edwards suggests that those who don't like the smell probably should find another plant to work with.

I had read about animals being attracted to this plant and got a nice first hand experience of that this time around. I walked through our door with lots of bags in my hands and set them all down on the kitchen floor - including a brown bag of valerian roots. Almost immediately our cat, Alfalfa, was brushing up against the bag, though, I'll admit I didn't really pay attention. I just thought he was so happy to see me. (Yeah right.) After greeting my husband I turned around to see Alfie plunged head first into the bag. Quite adorable. The entire time I was making a tincture and preparing it for drying, Alfie was right there with me incredibly interested in all that I did. I've never seen him get that excited over catnip, but valerian, let me tell ya, was a big hit.

Works consulted:
Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West, Michael Moore
Opening our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs, Gail Faith Edwards
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory Tilford

Roots: Elecampane

My local herb farm, Ancestree Herbals, harvested some spring roots that I had signed up for. I've been watching the slowly emerging new plant growth thinking it was going to be a long time before actually getting my hands on plant materials and then surprise! They emailed to let me know I had a pound of elecampane waiting for me.

Common Name: Elecampane
Botanical Name: Inula helenium
Plant Family: Asteraceae
Major Plant Constituents: Inulin, alantolactone, helenin
Parts used: Roots

Historical Uses: Alleviate suppressed menses, strengthening tonic. Very important herb to Greeks and Romans who even used it as a seasoning (Wild Hearts, Edwards). Cherokee used the roots as a remedy for all lung ailments and women used it to strengthen their womb during pregnancy

Uses: For chronic respiratory illness especially bronchitits and asthma. Indicated for cold, wet coughs. Promotes expectoration, is warming and soothing for mucous membranes. Effective against TB and whooping cough. Expels intestinal parasites like pinworm and giardia. Bitter-tonic to promote digestion. Bacteriacidal, fungicidal, sedative, anti-spasmodic, diaphoretic, antiseptic, and anti-bacterial.

Contraindications/Cautions: Because it has been used to promote menstruation, care is needed for use in pregnancy. Diabetics should use smaller amounts and approach with caution.

Personal Experience: I have very little experience with elecampane so I had a great time getting to know this plant. I tasted some of the root - a great bitter that produced a lot of saliva. (I gave some to my husband who looked at me like I played a practical joke on him.) I made some infused honey, tinctured some in Scotch Whiskey, and then dried some for later use. I also had a whole root ball with trailing roots, so I put that in the garden - we'll just have to wait and see.

I am looking forward to trying a cordial recipe that I found on Herbalpedia. It's basically infusing a syrup of elecampane root in port wine.

Cold Sore Care

Well, I took a little break from blogging, first because we had an intensive training here at ISM and then second because I came down with a cold for a week. It was a typical cold, sore throat, a little coughing, a little achiness and stuffiness. I never like getting sick, but it's always fun to be able to try different herbal allies. I drank a lot of elder tea and made some slippery elm lozenges that I learned about from herbmentor.com.

The worst of the sickness actually came at the end of the cold - the dreaded cold sore. I was thinking about it the other day and I think cold sores are the first things that I started treating naturally when I was a teenager, so I've learned a few things over the years. This time around I even learned a few more tricks.

It's best to head off a cold sore before it starts. I've done this in several ways. The first less herbal approach is to take a lot of lysine at the very hint of the tell tale tingle that says a cold sore is on it's way. I take as much as 3,000 mg every hour until it is gone. It is usually quite effective. I've heard it explained that cold sores occur when there is an imbalance of the amino acid arganine to lysine. Arganine can be found in beer, chocolate, peanuts, and grains, so I limit my intake of these foods as well.

I've also used St. John's Wort oil, again at the very onset of a cold sore. I've used both the oil straight as well as a lip balm that I made. This tends to work some times, but isn't as effective as the lysine. I've heard that lemon balm can be effective against cold sores, but I have never had this work for me.

The last thing I use, right at the onset, is tea tree oil. I apply it with a Q-tip straight to the spot that is tingling. This is also very effective.

In my past experience, once a cold sore has formed a blister, there is very little you can do to help it go away. At this point it just has to run it's course. I have a special salve I made up of cottonwood, plantain, and St. John's Wort that does help to alleviate pain. If my lip becomes swollen I use an ice cube to get the swelling down.

I first got the virus about 12 years ago. At first I would get cold sores often and seemingly for no reason. I was in high school at the time and terribly self conscious about having the herpes virus. At first I just stayed home when I had one, but later I went on prescription drugs to control the outbreaks. (Obviously I was a little different back then.) Over the years I tend to get them less and less and now only when I am sick.

Well, as I said the worst part of the cold this time around was the cold sore. I've never had one this severe before. My lip started tingling so I start my usual regimen, but nothing worked! Not lysine, or tea tree oil, or anything. It soon became apparent that this was not an ordinary cold sore. Instead of a small sore on my lip it was going to cover my entire lower right lip and part of my chin. I watched in horror as it grew in size and pain. My lip felt like a softball it was so big. I iced it to shrink it's size, but then of course the blisters started. I can't really explain to you how incredibly gross this thing was. It was so huge and puss was literally weeping down my chin. I was applying my favorite salve, which helped with the pain, but felt like I was going to have this monstrosity for a long while.

Finally, I thought, enough is enough. I am an herbalist, the plants will help me. I started getting ideas about wanting to create some kind of bandage around the wound. I experimented a little and here's what I came up with.

I grounded red clover flowers, chamomile flowers, and rose petals into a powder. I then added a little white clay and mixed it well. To this I added a little St. John's Wort Oil and a little water to form a nice paste and then applied this to the entire area. Immediately I felt better psychologically. Instead of having this horrible gaping wound on my face I now had some beautiful plants - just like a facial. :)

I chose the herbs for what I had on hand. Red Clover for it's alterative properties and because I always think of it as nourishing for the skin (probably due it it's action on the liver, but it felt like the right thing to put in there), chamomile for it's anodyne properties, and rose petals because I needed a little beauty at that point. I really wished that I had plantain, but unfortunately I had run out.

I let the mixture stay on my face for half the day, I wiped it off, and then re-applied. I slept all night with another application, which was great because it really helped to protect it while I was sleeping. The next day I was absolutely amazed. The cold sore had all but disappeared. I had expected this to last for a least a week, so it was shocking to me to see most of it completely gone.

This cold sore made me feel very grateful to be on the path that I am. It was empowering, once again, to be able to help myself heal.

I'd love to hear other people's remedies for cold sores.

Hemorrhoids and suppositories

Hemorrhoids thrombosis can be an uncomfortable and embarrassing situation. The symptoms include pain or burning when defecating, pain when sitting, itchiness, and bright red blood from the rectum. Everyone has hemorrhoids, hemorrhoid thrombosis is simply swollen blood vessels. There are many in-depth websites full of information about hemorrhoids - try googling it if you are looking for more information.

If you are looking for herbal solutions to hemorrhoids you know you have then read on. If you are unsure whether or not you have hemorrhoids, please seek medical help for a proper diagnosis. Hemorrhoids can easily be confused with other problems such as anal fissures.

I've never given much thought to hemorrhoids until a friend of mine got them after giving birth and asked me for help. She was very uncomfortable, so I suggested she make some herbal suppositories.

The recipes for suppositories can vary greatly, we just worked with what she and I had on hand.

1 cup of coconut oil
2 T powdered calendula buds
2 T powdered plantain leaf
2 T powdered comfrey leaf
2 T powdered yarrow leaf and flower
(I am guessing on herb amounts as small handfuls were ground and added in.)

Melt the coconut oil over medium heat - once it has liquefied add the powdered herbs and stir well. Remove from heat. As it begins to firm up keep stirring the oil so that the herbs are mixed in well. It should be a nice green color. Once the oil is mostly firm, use clean hands to form the green goop into smooth tampon shaped suppositories. Keep them stored in the freezer until ready to use.

To insert, just before going to sleep at night, lie on your side, find the right the opening for your anus and then insert gently. Your symptoms should clear up within a few days, but keep using the suppositories for a few days after that. If symptoms do not go away after several days, seek a holistically minded medical professional.

Instead of a suppository you can also do an herbal sitz bath with the above herbs. You don't want a lot of water in ratio to herbs, so a small amount of water with the herbs in a small tub should suffice. Let your booty rest in there for twenty minutes, twice a day until symptoms have gone away.

I chose the above herbs because they were what we had on hand. A variety of different herbs could be used. If you know your plant properties you can easily substitute different herbs. I was looking for soothing, demulcent herbs, vulnary herbs, astringent herbs, antiseptic herbs and anti-inflammatory herbs. Off the top of my head other herbs that could be used are slippery elm (demulcent), rose (anti-inflammatory and astringent), Geranium (antiseptic and astringent), etc.

Hemorrhoids can be caused by too much straining or bearing down (i.e. constipation or birth), sitting for too long, tight muscles or vigorous anal or vaginal sex. You probably know which one of these caused yours and you may want to take preventive care in the future.

If you frequently have swollen hemorrhoids changing your diet and increasing aerobic exercise might be appropriate. You may also find this blog post by Henriette to be helpful.

Tasty bread spread

One of our current students at the Institute of Structural Medicine (where I live and work) has dedicated his life to helping those with chronic disease. Dr. Paul Chhabra immigrated to the US over ten years ago and has spent more than twenty years in various fields of integrated health. He is an ayurvedic practioner, a physical therapist, and naturopathic physician, master herbalist, an author and more.

He has a very fascinating approach to chronic disease and he addresses nutrition, the lymph system and the fascial system. You can read more about him here as well as buy his latest book.

He is also an incredible chef. Give him twenty minutes in the kitchen and he will whip up healthy vibrant cuisines from all over the world. He left us with some bread seasoning last time he was here and we just can't get enough of it.

The following recipe is from his book, which is full of nourishing recipes.

Olive oil toast

1 1/2 teaspoons of ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon olive oil
Sea salt to taste (optional)

As I said we're using the seasonings he left behind, so I am not sure what optional ingredients he may or may not have used, but let me tell you it's delicious.

We take a heaping tablespoon of seasonings and mix with with about two tablespoons of olive oil and stir to make a paste. We then spread it onto some sprouted bread and toast it.

Top 9 Pro-active Choices for Health

I believe very strongly in taking personal responsibility for our health. Making informed choices in our every day lives is the first key to optimal health. Here is a list of nine choices I think are incredibly important for optimal health. (A later post will address things to avoid.)

1. Pay attention
Our bodies have incredible communicating abilities. If we are aware and attuned with our natural processes we will become easily informed of small mishaps within the body before they become disasters. By paying attention to our whole being we can realize the whole healthy beings that we all are. Paying attentions also means being aware of what gives you juice in life - to when you are most fulfilled, most joyous, and then living that way as best as you are able. Not living out our dreams is a sure fire way to health challenges.

2. Nourishing Herbal Infusions
I drink a nourishing herbal infusion every day. On the rare days I am unable, I really miss this health ally. Nourishing herbal infusions are like a powerful multi-vitamin that nourish our body. Since I've started drinking them daily there have been subtle, but important shifts in my body that would be hard to explain. More easily to explain is the lack of sickness I have had since drinking these daily. If you want to learn more about these infusions check out my earlier blogs.

3. Eating Organic Real Foods
When I was 23 years old I was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease the doctors said would first debilitate me then then kill me very young. There's nothing like a bad prognosis to get you inspired! After my initial diagnosis it took me about six months to get rid of all symptoms. I did multiple things during that time: acupuncture, energy work, and nutrition changes. I had always eaten very healthy. Even though I was raised in a small mormon town in Utah I sought out health food stores in unlikely nooks and crannies ever since I could drive. But, even though I was eating healthy, it was often "healthy" processed food.

(I am sure by now I don't need to list the incredible benefits of eating organic whether it be for the health of your body or the health of the planet, so I will assume we are on the same page with such a given.)

I no longer buy organic in a bottle or can. Everything we eat is fresh from the earth or fresh from the butcher. This has also made for much less fuss in the kitchen. Our meals are generally protein and veggies. So, Salmon and a Salad. Steak and Winter Squash. Chicken and Artichokes. Easy to cook, easy to clean, and absolutely scrumptuous.

Eating local is one of the most powerful things you can do for the health of the planet as well as the health of yourself, family and community. They say that most people's food has been shipped an average of 1500 miles before it reaches their plate. By eating food that has been shipped from so far away we lose our ability to take responsibility for our food. We don't know how this food was farmed, if the people who farmed it were treated fairly, we can't possibly know the damage that has happened because of the oil usage in the shipping of these foods. On the other hand by visiting your local farmer's market and getting to know your farmers you'll end up with dinner on your plate that you will have a connection with. The list could go on about the benefits of local food and on and there are plenty of other articles and books on the subject.

I also eat according to my Metabolic Type. This "diet" is a way of determining how individual bodies metabolize food and creating a lifestyle that is supported by that metabolic type. I really appreciate this method as it puts the responsibility of food choices in each person rather than making a generalized statement like: "the mediterranean diet is the healthiest way to eat." I am sure it is... for Mediterraneans.

When it comes to eating Real Foods there is an easy to way to determine if it's real or not. Just ask the question, did my ancestors eat this 200 years ago? No? Then you'd probably better stay away from it now.

4. Dance, Yoga, Qi gong
There's nothing like exercise - especially the kind that feeds your soul. Dancing is a given in our household. I've done yoga for many years now and really appreciate the many aspects of this ancient art. Qi gong is something I have only done through tapes and DVDs, but even still I have to say it's incredible powerful. The days I choose to do Qi gong in the morning are the days I am vibrant and full of energy.

5. Spend time outside
Being outside reminds me of why I am on this beautiful earth. Seeing this valley and our river teeming with life makes my heart swell and is a strong reminder of why I believe humans are here - to caretake all life. Being outside in the sunshine also has the practical application of giving me essential nutrients like Vitamin D.

7. Bodywork
Call me biased, I am a bodyworker, and I also absolutely love bodywork. Whether it's Structural Medicine, Craniosacral, Reiki, or general massage - I'll take it. Often seen as a luxury, I think it's a necessity. Regular bodywork can help us to avoid injury and prevent other structural problems before they start. And, as someone who regularly works with structural issues: It's much easier to solve them 20 years ago.

8. Say thanks
Upon waking, before eating, after eating, as the deer play in the yard, as I drink clear tasty water, as a client walks away with reduced pain, as I walk by my plant friends I give thanks. I give thanks to remind myself of all the good things in life. I give thanks, simply to give back.

9. Love and relationships
There's no greater thing on earth than love, whether it be love for ourselves, our partners, friends, family, the earth and the creatures we share it with.

I'd love to hear what your pro-active health essentials are.