American Herbalist Guild Symposium II

This has been a fabulous trip. I have equally enjoyed attending the American Herbalist Guild Symposium as well as spending time with friends. For the past two nights I've stayed up late talking to John and Kimberly, reconnecting with two people who have played such an integral part of my life. Because of John and Kimberly I moved out of Seattle to the countryside, my eyes were opened to the world of herbalism, and because of their daughter Hailey my husband and I fell in love. I am truly thankful and amazed at their creative contributions to the world.

I only took one class today at the American Herbalist Guild Symposium and it was stellar. Chanchal Cabrera has been my favorite part of the symposium. Today I took her demulcents class which I thoroughly enjoyed. Well, to be honest, the first part was a little too heavy in chemistry for my understanding, but the second part focusing more on the plants was very fascinating. She highlighted marshmallow root, comfrey, mullein, flax, violet, fenugreek and slippery elm.

I especially appreciated that she passed around samples of these plants for us to feel and taste (nice to have a real plant while sitting in the Marriot Hotel). The biggest Ah Hah for me was learning how mucilaginous herbs can help a cough/congestion. I've heard this explained before but never quite understood it. (not that I fully understand now, but I can say I have a clearer picture.)

When you have mucous in the lungs that is hard and not coming up easily your body wants to keep coughing in an attempt to bring up this mucous. By eating mucilaginous herbs you coat the stomach. This coating of the stomach gives a vagus nerve response which translates to the lungs and then thins the mucous in the lungs making it easier to cough up. If you tried taking a stimulating herb in this instance you would create harmful, painful, incessant coughing with no results (e.g. lobelia). If you took an anti-tussive herb in this instance you would trap mucous in the lungs creating even more problems (e.g. wild cherry bark). Cabrera recommends always starting with mucilaginous herbs when it comes to congestion/coughs because these will do no harm, where as more stimulating herbs could.

During the afternoon I felt very full of information so John and I stayed at the booth and then later packed up Wildcraft! and came home.

Besides the herbal classes being offered another highlight at the American Herbalist Guild was meeting Annie Humphrey, herbalist and musician. I traded her a quart of pickled bull whip kelp for her CD, the Sound of Ribbons. You can learn more about Annie at www.anniehumphrey.com. I highly recommend her music.

After the American Herbalist Guild Symposium I got a five element acupuncture treatment from John which left me feeling like a breath of fresh air. Later, I got a phone call from my husband who's been busy braintanning deer hides. We actually haven't had our own phone for the past month. It's my experience that living without a fridge is challenging, but living without a phone is downright painful especially when I have two businesses to run and a husband who I love, miss, and expect to talk to every day while away. Tonight he reported that we should have a phone tomorrow!

I'll wake up tomorrow, spend some quality time with Kimberly, run errands in the big city, and then make it home before dark.

If an American Herbalist Guild Symposium is in your future budget I highly recommend attending.

American Herbalist Guild Symposium I

The last two days have been absolutely full of learning on so many different levels. The best thing about the American Herbalist Guild Symposium has been being surrounded by other herbalists. So often when I say I am an herbalist, those I am talking to give the impression that herbalism is so quaint, in a "that's nice dear" kind of way.

To me, herbalism is a way of life. Connecting me to the earth and to the divine. Yesterday, Jonathon Treasure addressed the American Herbalist Guild to say that there were no healers in that room and furthermore, plants were not the healers either. Instead it is the magic of interaction between the two of them that is the healer. For me herbalism is the evidence of the divine, the magic and ultimate fulfillment of love. Herbalism is a living entity. The use of plants outside my door for food and medicine is how I worship in this incredible church we call Earth.

Which is a rather strange thing to contemplate in the Marriot Hotel of Redmond WA. We sit there surrounded by concrete and shopping malls being served Lipton tea and Starbucks Coffee.

I have so enjoyed it though. My favorite class at the American Herbalist Guild Symposium so far has to be Chanchal Cabrera's on Humoural Medicine. I've been searching and searching for a clear explanation of a western constitutional analysis and finally found it in her class. I could have spent the whole weekend learning with her on this subject, and I am sure I'll spend a lifetime attempting to understand it. I wish I could summarize this here, but that's hard to do with a 90 min lecture - especially with material so new to me. As many of you know Kiva Rose and Matt Wood are both good resources for energetic diagnosis.

Today I have another class by Cabrera on Demulcents and I am still undecided for the afternoon class.

As much as I have loved the American Herbalist Guild Symposium I am, of course, already looking forward to returning home to my loving husband and to our little cabin in the woods far away from shopping malls and Lipton Tea.

American Herbalist Guild Symposium (Pre-intensives)

Yesterday I traveled over the Cascadian Mountains to attend the American Herbalist Guild Symposium. I've been looking forward to this event all year, not only because of the event itself, but also to be able to spend time with my friends the Gallaghers.

The ride over was spectacularly colored with rich reds, yellows and oranges. The summit even had a good dusting of snow - a hint of what's to come.

As soon as I got to town however, everything seemed to go disastrously wrong. I made it to Redmond and was here about all of 30 secs. before I was pulled over for speeding. I have never ever ever in my life been pulled over because I am so meticulous about speeding. It was just a crazy moment where I was lost and trying to follow directions, and having just been in a 40 mph speed zone that had switched to a 25. The cop (and I have good friends who are cops) was a complete $%#&$, with no consideration for me as a person. But I guess that's his life and his problem. Of course the $160 ticket is my problem.

Then, immediately following this incident I spilled gas all over me while trying to fill up. So, you can imagine my relief at finally making it to the Gallagher's house, safe and sound. (although smelling horribly)

The drama wasn't over for the day however. All the stress had me breaking out in cold sores and then to top it off, my alarm clock was dysfunctioning, waking me up at 5:30 am (instead of 6:30 am) and then later not going off at all.

Of course in the grand scheme of things, life was still filled with so many blessings, especially safe travel and time with friends. (I would think that one moment, and then remember the ticket tarnishing my record the next moment, and then get a good whiff of myself the next moment.)

After everything that went wrong yesterday I woke this morning trying to be positive while also holding my breath.

John and I arrived at the American Herbalist Guild Symposium to attend the first day of pre-intensives. My first intensive was an indepth class on Fibromyaglia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrom.

I have to give a full round of applause to this wonderful class. Khalsa was very clear, organized, witty, and engaging in this very informative talk. Obviously I am not going to type out all that was discussed in those three hours, but I'd love to give highlights.

First and foremost I thought it was incredibly interesting to hear his perspective that the list of symptoms that people diagnosed with Fibromyalgia experience could quite possibly be caused by chronic sleep deprivation. It would be too simplified to say that he primarily works with people to get restful sleep, but this did seem to be a big part of his treatment plan. I also appreciated his outlook on vitamin D and the role this important vitamin plays in chronic pain issues. His basic protocol for fibromyalgia was:
T -touch (massage twice a week can be helpful if possible for the patient)
H - herbs (for pain, restful sleep, depression)
R - Rest (12 - 14 restful hours of sleep per day is ideal)
I - Immune Support (Could be caused by underlying chronic infections)
V - Vitamins and Nutrition (Besides vitamin D, he also spoke highly of magnesium)
E - Exercise (Very light exercise - not overdoing it)

Having works with hundreds of "fibromites", he had very practical assessments of the reality of what people can and can't do when faced with this debilitating "syndrome." He also spent considerable time discussing the importance of treating a person and not the "Fibromyalgia" - which of course is always appreciated.

So that was three hours of my morning.

The afternoon John and I took a class from Michael Tierra entitled, "the many external uses of herbs." This fascinating class that gave me a whole new perspective on herbal usage. Countless times Tierra discussed the importance of working with herbs outside your front door. Something I didn't think I would hear from Tierra, the "Chinese Herbs Herbalist."

In this class he gave a short history of naturopathic medicine, and then discussed the work of Massague, a French herbalist who used herbal foot and hand baths as a primary means of treatment. In these baths he used a variety of common herbs - several of them poisonous when taken internally. (Scotch broom and Ivy for example.)

I found this to be an interesting method of dispensing herbs to complicated cases that are on multiple prescription drugs, and may be sensitive to taking things internally.

Today were the pre-intensives for the American Herbalist Guild Symposium, with the actual symposium starting tomorrow. It was a full day and I'll be processing all that I've learned for weeks if not years to come. I can hardly believe that there are still three more days to go!

After the classes today, John and I came home to a lovely meal prepared by Kimberly. There was a delicious souffle, salmon, a yummy squash soup, and cooked greens. It was so nice to sit with friends and enjoy such a good meal.

I am so thankful that things not only didn't go wrong today, but that it actually went quite well. Tomorrow I have two classes at the American Herbalist Guild Symposium, and if I get home early enough I'll post about those tomorrow night.

Herbal Lip Balm for Cold Sores

This has been one of those months for me - just insanely busy and a little stressful. Luckily my body lets me know when it starts to get run down by this little tingly red spot on my bottom lip - the dreaded cold sore.

I am currently assistant teaching at the Institute of Structural Medicine. Trainings here run 16 days and each day is a 12 hour day. I've got four more days to go and I'd rather do it without this big blob on my lip. When I was younger I had no problem taking prescription medication to control cold sore outbreaks. (Oh the power of Acyclovir.) I have a few problems with acyclovir - namely the side effects which include:

nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or headache, hair loss, dizziness, fatigue, skin rash, anorexia, leg pain, medication taste and sore throat

I'll take a cold sore over hair loss thank you very much!

I've experimented with several more herbal remedies, but lately my favorite is a Cold Sore Care Herbal Lip Balm I made up this summer. To make it I infused St. John's Wort flowers in coconut oil, lemon balm in olive oil, and added alcohol extracts of both of these and some drops of tea tree oil for good measure.

As reported I started getting a cold sore two days ago and at the first sign I repeatedly applied the lip balm. My cold sore didn't entirely go away, but it never came "out" of my lip. It's been very little trouble to me and isn't visible unless I get right up to the mirror.

Besides being unsightly, cold sores can be incredibly painful. A couple of months ago I got a cold sore and didn't get too it soon enough, so it did become quite big, but the Cold Sore Care Herbal Lip Balm relieved the pain. I love being an herbalist!

Some herbalists have reported a photo-sensitivity when using St. John's Wort. This isn't something I've had a problem with.

I used to be ashamed of getting cold sores. Now I just realize it's one way my body lets me know I've gone too far. Besides applying Cold Sore Care Herbal Lip Balm, I've been taking more breaks, deeper breaths, and drinking some nourishing bone broth soup and infusions. It's nice to get this little warning sign before a cold or flu makes it's way in.

I sell my lip balms (Cold Sore Care, Soothing Lip Balm, and Cottonwood 'N Coconut) at the Saturday Market in Twisp - $3 for one or two for $5. If you are interested in trying some out, drop me an email and I'd love to send some your way.

I've also written about cold sores here.

What's Chemistry Got to do With It?

I originally wrote the following article for www.herbmentor.com.

I've really enjoyed being a part of that community and helping out in the forums. Earlier this summer I got the idea of doing some more ebooks for the site and videoing Lexi and Chris at Ancestree Herbals about growing and harvesting tips for a variety of medicinal herbs. All of those projects along with another round of moving has kept me pretty busy. Currently I am busy being the Director of Student Affairs at the Institute of Structural Medicine, and once that is done I will be heading back to the woods for more herbal adventures. (I have several gallons each of elderberries and chokecherries which I will be attempting to turn into delicious wine - not to mention the frozen dandelion flowers hiding out in my freezer with the same fate.)




In this article we'll be delving into the chemistry involved with herbal medicine. Herbalists, and others who work daily with plants understand the complexity inherent in each green friend. Please keep in mind while reading this article that while knowing a plant's constituents can be very helpful, it gives us only a small piece of the puzzle to a plant's inner workings.

As a top-notch Herbmentor student you most likely go to the herb of the month entry in Herbalpedia as the first of the month rolls around. You read the botanical description, historical uses, and so far so good. Then comes the constituents section. Let's see, according to Herbalpedia dandelion's constituents are:

Root: taraxacin, triterpenes (taraxerol, taraxasterol), lactupicrine, inulin, sugars, glycosides, phenolic and citric acid, asparagine, vitamins A, C, B, potassium.

Leaves: contain carotenoids, vitamins A, B, C, D, minerals (potassium and iron).

If you know all of those strange words, the effects they have on our bodies, and how we can use different mediums to extract them (water, alcohol, vinegar, oil, etc) then you can skip this article.

If you maybe know a few of these but are interested in reaching for the next step as an herbalist then please read on.

Knowing the constituents of a plant helps us as herbalists to explain the action of what is going on. When first learning about plants we may learn that hawthorn is useful for the heart. Later we may refer to it as a cardiac tonic. The next step is learning that hawthorn is high in flavonoids, which protect our capillaries and slow down the rate of oxidation.

Knowing the basic constituents of a plant is useful in the herbalist's world. That burdock or dandelion root is high in inulin or that hawthorn berries are high in flavonoids gives us a deeper understanding of how that plant can be used to help us.

Also knowing which medium to extract these plants in is invaluable. If you are searching for the soothing (mucilaginous) effects of marshmallow root for example, you do not want to extract this plant in alcohol. Likewise, if you wanted to use the expectorant qualities of cottonwood buds, you wouldn't be very successful with a small glass of tea. Just as you would use water only for some herbs, or alcohol only for other herbs, a complex mixture of water, glycerin, vinegar and alcohol is optimal for others. Richo Cech's book, Making Plant Medicine, is a great reference for formulas.

The following is a very basic list of constituents and the mediums they are soluble in. To synthesize this information, I relied heavily on previously published materials. To delve into the chemistry behind plant constituents please refer to the reading list at the end of the article.

Common Chemical Compounds

Alkaloids:

Soluble: alcohol, water, vinegar

Alkaloids posess a huge variety of effects ranging from benign to extremely poisonous. They are extracted extremely well by alcohol and much less so by water (Cech, Nic en Fleishdier). Plants high in alkaloids are goldenseal, lobelia, and motherwort. Alkaloids can be sometimes dissipated with heat or tannins, or magnified with vinegar (Cech).

Glycosides:

Soluble in: water, alcohol

A glycoside is chemically described as a compound that contains a sugar as part of the molecule. There are several different types of glycosides with a variety of effects including beneficial and toxic effects on the heart (cardiac glycosides found in Digitalis and Hawthorn), laxatives (anthraquinone glycosides found in senna, rhubarb), and antiseptic qualities (arbutin found in Uva ursi). Stevia, rebaudiana bertoni, another glycoside, has 40-300 times the sweetness of sucrose.

Saponins
Soluble in: water, alcohol

Saponins are a special type of glycoside. We use saponins (hopefully) daily in our soaps. Saponins break up fat molecules (think of the Dawn commercials and the big piles of dirty dishes). They also have a variety of other effects including adaptogenic, diuretic, anti-spasmodic, and expectorant (Cech). Horse chestnut, licorice, and chickweed all have saponins.

Flavonoids:

Soluble in: water, alcohol

Flavonoids are another type of glycoside. Among the important effects of flavonoids is their antioxidant effect. An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. They are also known to decrease capillary fragility.

Tannins:

Soluble: glycerin, water, alcohol

Oak, tea, witch hazel, and red clover all contain tannins. Herbs with high tannin content are generally used as an antiseptic, a styptic, and to shrink tissues. Tannins are rendered inactive with the presence of milk and may have the ability to render some alkaloids inactive (Kress, Cech).

Mucilage:

Soluble: Water (Cold preferred)

Soothing to the gut and urinary system, herbs high in mucilage also tend to be nutritive and nourishing to the immune system (Cech). Herbs with high mucilage content include marshmallow, mullein, comfrey, and slippery elm.

Polysaccharides:

Soluble: water

Generally immune stimulating and nutritive, herbs high in polysaccharides are burdock, astragalus, and boneset (Cech).

Minerals, trace elements:

Soluble: water, vinegar

Vitamins:

Soluble: water,

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, with the rest being water soluble (Kress).

Resins:

Soluble: alcohol, oil

Resins are typically expectorant and bitter. Herbs containing high amounts of resins include cottonwood buds, calendula, and gumweed.

Solvents

Alcohol:
Almost everything is extracted by alcohol with the exception of minerals and trace elements. Mucilage is extracted by alcohol and then broken down by it, so it's best to use a cold water infusion and then add just enough alcohol if wanting to preserve it.

Glycerin:
Glycerin is a sweet substance made from plant or animal sources and is chemically related to alcohol. It's made by the breaking down of fat and oils with the use of high pressure steam (Cech). Herbalists use glycerin to extract medicinal properties from plants when wanting to avoid alcohol. Glycerin does poorly at extracting properties with dried plant material so fresh plants are highly recommended. According to Henriette Kress, some minerals and trace elements, some alkaloids, some acids, and some mucilage are extractable with glycerite. Richo Cech reports that tannins are extracted very well by glycerin.

Oil:
Oils have the ability to extract oils and resins.

Vinegar:
Vinegar has the ability to extract minerals, trace elements, and alkaloids. Most herbalists use apple cider vinegar, balsalmic vinegar, or other high quality vinegars. (Distilled white vinegar is not reccomended for internal use.) Besides extracting a variety of constituents, vinegar can also add other benefits to the end product as well.

Water:
Water extracts almost everything with the exception of resins. Different temperatures may effect the extraction (simmering for barks and roots, just boiled for leaves, cold for mucilaginous plants). Some herbalists prefer to use distilled water.

Further Reading

Making Plant Medicine, Richo Cech

Henriette Kress' website:http://www.henriettesherbal.com/

Medical Herbalism, David Hoffman

Village Herbalist Series on Herbmentor with Heather Nic an Fhleishdeir

Homemade presents galore and Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday I celebrated my 28th birthday and it was a great day! My husband had been busy working on lots of surprises for me - which is exactly how I like my birthday - filled with lots of surprises.

Each gift he gave me was homemade including four gourd bowls, and beautiful painting of a butterfly and a fun game called Kubb.

If you've never heard of Kubb I'd highly recommend checking it at at Wikipedia and giving it a go. It's a fun outdoor game that is a cross between bowling and horseshoe tossing. Some friends of ours brought the game when visiting and we loved it so much that Xavier decided to make it himself. You could buy a set, but it's so simple and easy to make, just requires some wood and an ax. Check it out and have a blast.

I also received some beautiful gifts from friends and family including gorgeous homemade earrings, beeswax candles, flowers, lots of birthday wishes, and a beautiful wooden backed mirror for our new home. Thanks for the special birthday!

Update on rendering beeswax

The beeswax is rendering quite well, although the summer months aren't quite cooperating. Supposedly it's August when it's really hot - still in the peak of summer, but here in the Methow we are experiencing temps in the 70's - and lots of cloudy rainy days - none of which are conducive to melting wax. So far we have two gallons of wax, with a half barrel more to go.

What you see in the photo is the "slum gum" left behind with the wonderful wax in the bread pan in the bottom. I hear the slum gum works great as a fire starter so we'll be giving that a try.

Here's a close up of the wax. We'll melt it again on the wood stove this winter to clean it up even more. Then we'll be making candles and putting some aside for salves.

Here's a toast to bees and their incredible gifts.