Wise Woman Wisdom

Lusty Herbs for Valentines

Lusty Herbs for Valentines

by Susun S Weed

 

Saint Valentine groans, no doubt, at the bawdy day crowned with his name. He was, of course, celibate, and our celebration of love and lusty connections surely stands as a mockery to his forbearance. The original holiday had nothing to do with St. Valentine or celibacy. It was a Roman festival of unfettered sexuality in which even married women were allowed the freedom to be intimate with anyone of their choice for the day. And back before the Roman time, further back, in the times of the Ancient Ones, we celebrated the beginning of Spring and fertility, the return of Innana, the rising of Eoster with her red eggs and fecund bunnies in the early days of February.

Herbal aphrodisiacs abound, as Mother Nature is passionately fond of love and fecundity. In the Wise Woman Tradition, we nourish vibrant health, rather than seeking out stimulants, even when it comes to sex. Thus my favorite lover’s herbs are not damiana or cannabis, but oatstraw and seaweed, burdock and roses, and, of course, chocolate.

Oatstraw is the leaves of the plant that produces oats for oatmeal. Brewed up as an infusion, using a full ounce by weight in a quart jar filled to the top with boiling water and steeped for at least four hours, oatstraw is one of the world's premier interest and performance enhancers. A quart a day frees up bound testosterone, sending sexual interest soaring. It encourages "the most incredible slippery slime!" exclaimed one crone, "and I thought I was all dried up down there." Oatstraw improves blood flow, heightening sensations; it strengthens the heart, making it easier to frolic; and it calms the nervous system, bringing a deeper calm and greater fulfillment to the culmination.

Seaweeds, especially the many varieties of kelp, live in the home of Venus, and they make making love a lot more fun. The swells of the ocean, and its salty taste, are erotic and enticing. Kelps concentrate ocean minerals, much needed by the endocrine glands and sexual organs. Make seaweed a regular part of your diet and your skin will be touchable, your hair will gleam, your eyes will shine, and you may find yourself more graceful than ever in bed. Wakame, kombu, sea palm, and bull whip kelps are far better than dulse or nori. And not just a sprinkle. For orgasms that curl your toes you need to eat lots.

Burdock root is the gentle giant of herbs. Digging one out of the ground is a lot like making love to a woman who just can't get enough of you. The root goes down and down and down, holdingfast and drawing you into her space, her life, her home. For those who want to use their time spooning instead of digging, burdock root is for sale in many health food stores as the vegetable gobo or as a dried herb. Eaten or brewed as a strong infusion, using two ounces of root in a quart of boiling water and steeping for at least eight hours, burdock root is unequaled for getting the juices flowing. Regular use improves lymphatic flow, sweetening your body odor, nourishes the oil glands, giving your skin and hair a healthy glow, and opens deep, powerful energy channels in your root chakra.

Roses are the flower of love for very good reason; they are rich in hormonal precursors. If even the smell of a rose can heighten sexual interest, just imagine what eating rose petal honey or drinking rose petal tea can do. When the roses bloom, drop their petals into a wide-mouth jar and pour honey over them. The longer it sits, the more aromatic it will be, but this honey is ready to use almost immediately if you can't wait. Be cautious about roses bought from a florist; they may be sprayed with chemicals you'd rather not eat.

Chocolate is the food of the gods, and a rising star in healthy eating. You need a healthy heart to be a great lover, and chocolate is certainly heart medicine. A mere ounce of dark chocolate (organic, and fair trade, of course) has more polyphenols than a cup of green tea or a glass of wine. Chocolate is a better antioxidant than vitamin C and protects the lipids better than vitamin E. Chocolate keeps the blood thin and free-flowing, and keeps plaque down while protecting platelets from fragmenting. Daily doses of chocolate lower blood pressure, prevent stroke, and decrease risk of heart attack.

A big red heart-shaped box of dark chocolate, a sweetly-scented rose, an earthy burdock root, some salty seaweed, and a mug of oatstraw. Now you're ready to celebrate love and lust on Valentine's day.

Green blessings.

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material herein is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.

If you wish to contact Susun with questions or comments, please email her or write her as follows: 
 
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498

LEARN HOW TO PREVENT ILLNESS AND HEAL YOURSELF safely and easily the Wise Woman Way. Women's health forum, FREE women’s forum, weblog, and email group. Topics include menopause, breast health, childbearing, fertility, disease prevention, nutritional advice, and cancer prevention. Visit the Wise Woman Web.

Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. To learn more, visit her websites The Wise Woman Center and Ash Tree Publishing.
 
For permission to reprint this article, contactus.

 

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Minerals Make the Difference - Part 2

Minerals Make the Difference - Part 2

by Susun S Weed

EAT WILD SALADS DURING MENOPAUSE

Eating a few wild leaves in my salads helps keep me connected to the earth even when I'm in the city. (I figure the pollution on the plants is the same stuff I'm breathing!) Wild foods nourish the wild woman within and help me remember that Mother Nature does, indeed, provide.

It's easy to find chickweed (Stellaria media) in large planters on street corners and in gardens. Mince her stalks and leaves into your salads to nourish your thyroid and help prevent excess weight gain during menopause. (Ten to fifteen pounds can be normal and healthy however.)

Mallow (Malva neglecta) likes city parks as well as country farms and is often found in drainage ditches. Both the roots, thinly sliced, and the leaves (flowers, too!) can be added to salads to soothe and strengthen intestines and reproductive organs, to ease nerves, and to cool our hot flashes.


The two similar tasting but unrelated sour grasses - sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella) and wood sorrel (Oxalis) - are found under trees and shrubs, and are vitamin C rich additions to salads.

Spicy cresses - such as wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris), cowcress (Lepidium campestre), and garlic mustard (Allaria officinalis) - are common weeds throughout much of the world and renowned as cancer preventatives.

And, of course, the seaweeds, added to salads either fresh or dried. Some of my favorites include hijiki/celery/shitake salad and seapalm fronds soaked, sliced and tossed with salad greens.

USE TONIFYING HERBAL VINEGARS DURING MENOPAUSE

Vinegar is the ideal medium for extracting minerals from fresh herbs. Making them is easy and fun. Chop the herb finely, enough to fill any jar. Add enough room temperature pasteurized apple cider vinegar to fill the jar to the top. (Be careful not to put in too much herb; an 8-ounce jar will hold a cup of chopped herb and about 6 ounces of vinegar.) Cork your jar or cover it with plastic wrap, and don't forget the label. For best mineral extraction, wait at least six weeks before using the vinegar. (You can eat the pickled roots and leaves or discard them.)

Tonifying herbs add specific effects to their mineral-rich properties. Fresh leaves of any mint (including motherwort, rosemary, lavender, thyme, sage, lemon balm, and bergamot) are excellent tonics. So are dandelion, burdock, and yellow dock roots. And everyone lives near my favorite tonic: the herb I call cronewort - in honor of the visionary powers of old women.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) may be the single most useful herb for menopausal women. Taken as a vinegar or as a tincture (dose is 5-25 drops as needed), motherwort leaves and flowers act to calm the nerves, relieve premenstrual tension, ease menstrual cramping, restore lubrication and elasticity to the vagina, strengthen the heart, and maintain hormonal balance. Motherwort vinegar is exceptionally rich in minerals, too.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) is a powerful ally for the menopausal woman who suffers from endless hot flashes. All parts of the herb - leaves, roots, and flowers - can be used to strengthen the liver, aid digestion, and cool off those volcanic flashes. Dandelion also helps promote healthy breasts and clear skin. It's rich in bone-building minerals and contains enormous amounts of cancer-preventing carotenes (14,000 units of pro-vitamin A in 100 grams of leaves).

Burdock (Arctium lappa) roots may be, with great difficulty, dug out of the ground at the end of their first year of growth. Or they may be, fairly easily, bought in health food stores and Oriental markets. Cook the fresh roots as a tasty vegetable (see Healing Wise for recipes), preserve them in vinegar, or tincture them (a dose is 10-50 drops, up to three times a day). All will help strengthen the liver, clear the skin, promote re-growth of thinning hair, cool hot flashes, ease mood swings, and reverse pre-cancerous changes.

Yellow dock (Rumex crispus and other species) roots are intensely bitter, suggesting moderation. The vinegar is delicious as a condiment with beans and cooked greens. Both tincture and vinegar encourage the blood to utilize more iron, important for the menopausal woman who's bothered by flooding or fibroids.

Cronewort/mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is an ideal tonic for older women: it strengthens the cardiovascular, urinary, and nervous systems. Mineral-rich cronewort builds steady nerves as it relaxes. As with all Artemisias, cronewort has visionary properties and can be used to help us see menopause differently: More than the end of physical fertility, menopause is also the beginning of one of the most creative, productive times of a woman's life.

(c)Susun Weed

Get Real! Wise Women Speak Documentary

A new documentary by Third Fire Films implores women to Get Real

Get Real! Wise Women Speak features extraordinary women who speak about their journey to the wise woman years and the inner fire that motivates them to use their wisdom and experience to change the world.The film features a diverse group of women including:

Actress Jane Fonda
Poet Nikki Giovanni
Nobel Laureate Jody Williams
Entertainer Della Reese
Editor Susan L. Taylor
Author Marianne Williamson
Buddhist nun Tenzin Palmo
Oceanographer Sylvia Earle
Artist Martha Jackson-Jarvis.
Floredemayo and Agnes Baker Pilgrim, both of the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers

Get Real! Wise Women Speak had more than 37,000 fans on its Facebook page before the film’s official release, which demonstrates the nerve the film has struck among people of all ages. The film is a call to action: Celebrate your wisdom and experience and use it to make the world a better place! In the words of wise woman Tenzin Palmo, “If I don’tdo it, who will?”

Wise Women Susan L. Taylor explains, “It's mature women that can help society get back on course. We can make peace, we can heal communities, we can house people, we can feed them, and we can be happy."

The film has recently has recently won a first place award at the Monaco Film Festival Angel Awards and a first place at the My Hero Project Awards, the Audience Award at the Soho International Film Festival, the Festival Award at the Miami International Women’s Film Festival, an Award of Excellence by the Accolade Competition and an Honorable Mention from the L.A. International New Wave Film Festival. It is as an official selection of the Atlanta, New York’s Soho International, Sacramento, Miami’s Women’s International, L.A. Women’s International, St. Catalina Island, the L.A. Awareness Festival and the Newport Beach Film Festivals.

The film was directed and produced by Joni Steele Kimberlin who traveled across the US, London and India to interview these women. She said, “I want to celebrate this powerful time in a woman’s life and create a counterpoint to the youth-obsessed media that bombards women day after day with superficial, crass and unrealistic images.”

For more information: http://thirdfirefilms.com/
Facebook page Get Real! Wise Women Speak
Official trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UekJL-dGjdg

HEALING THE SOURCE EXPERIENCE: The Defining Breath - Free Tele-Summit

HEALING THE SOURCE EXPERIENCE: The Defining Breath

Binnie A Dansby ( www.ecstaticbirth.com / www.sourcebreath.com ) will be presenting during the coming Shift Network Free Tele-Summit.

Our physical birth had a profound impact on our relationship to all that we encounter. We ‘inhaled’ the environment, physical, emotional and spiritual, with the first breath. We are carrying the memory of this defining breath, and that memory is being subtly reactivated with every breath until we learn to enjoy the breath. The defining breath is an inextricable part of birth, our Source Experience. Ms. Dansby’s event will be February 1, 2:30 Eastern.7:30 PM GMT

Please, join us for  The Breathwork Summit – a FREE 4-day virtual event, January 31^st – February 3^rd, dedicated to harnessing the power of your breath for healing yourself and transforming our world. 

The Summit will include  Gay Hendricks, Stan Grof, Jack Kornfield, Sondra Ray, Leonard Orr, Dr. Dan Siegel, Binnie A Dansby and many other experts. 

Learn more and sign up for free here:https://shiftnetwork.infusionsoft.com/go/bwsBD/BAD/

Join us, learn to consciously breathe and experience these benefits in your life:

• Relieve stress and feel calmer in your mind and body
• Unblock and resolve painful, energy-draining emotions, trauma and conflicts
• Sharpen your mind
• Connect more strongly to your life force
• Increase your capacity for joy, peace and love
• Experience deep, permanent healing on a cellular level
• Open the door to becoming a more vibrant, loving, creative and responsible being – a true agent of change

We hope to see you at the Breathwork Summit! Sign up for free here:https://shiftnetwork.infusionsoft.com/go/bwsBD/BAD/

 

 

Minerals Make the Difference - Part 1

Minerals Make the Difference - Part 1

by Susun S Weed

By 2015 half of the female population of the United States will be post-menopausal. But this group of post-menopausal women won't be old fuddy-duddies with broken hips, heart attacks, and failing memories. Women of today expect to emerge from menopause energetic, zesty, and passionate! Are hormones necessary? No! Wise women nourish their hearts, bones, and spirits with simple, safe, mineral-rich herbs.

The secret to keeping your bones flexible, your spirits high, your sleep deep, and your elder years free of chronic problems is not complicated. It doesn't require a vast knowledge of herbs. It can be summed up in a single word: minerals.

Minerals are critical building blocks needed for optimum functioning of the nervous system, the immune system, and all muscles - including the heart. The production of hormones also requires large amounts of minerals. During menopause 30 to 60 times more hormones are produced than at any other time of a woman's life. If the diet is not mineral-rich the deficit is drawn out of women's bones.

Minerals are plentiful in well-balanced diets composed of organic whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, dairy products (especially yogurt), seafoods (especially seaweeds), and small amounts of meat. But if your diet is only partially organic, or if you limit it (by choice or necessity), or if you are menopausal, you need extra minerals.

Herbs, especially the weedy ones, are minerals powerhouses. Getting those minerals isn't as easy as taking a tincture (alcohol extracts little to no minerals) or swallowing a pill (minerals are poorly utilized from encapsulated herbs) but it isn't difficult either. At the Wise Woman Center we include mineral-rich herbs in our daily diet; it's easy, tasty, and very rewarding. How do we do it?

1.Drink 1-2 cups nourishing herbal infusion each day.
2.Eat wild plants in salad.
3.Dress salads with olive oil, tamari, and 1-2 tablespoons of a tonifying herbal vinegar.


HERBAL INFUSIONS

Herbal infusions differ from herbal teas: they are darker in color and richer tasting because their long brewing extracts many more nutrients - especially minerals. My favorite nourishing herbal infusions for menopausal women are oatstraw, red clover blossoms, stinging nettle leaves, and comfrey leaves.

To prepare your infusion:

1.Put a quart of cold water up to boil.
2.Weigh one ounce of dried (not fresh!) herb into a quart canning jar.
3.Go brush your teeth and count your grey hairs until the teapot whistles. Pour the boiling water into the jar with your herb (only one herb at a time, please!), screw on a tight lid, turn off the light, and go to bed.
4.Next morning strain out the herb and drink the liquid: cold, hot, or at room temperature. Add honey, tamari, or milk if desired.

Oatstraw (Avena sativa) has a mellow taste. It eases frazzled nerves, lowers cholesterol, improves circulation, strengthens bones, eases headaches, relieves depression and encourages us to be sexy old ladies!

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) infusion not only builds bones, and prevents cancer, it reduces serum cholesterol (protecting heart health) and helps maintain strong pelvic tissues - thus preventing incontinence, lowered libido, atrophic vaginitis, and uterine prolapse. Red clover contains ten times more phytoestrogens than soy, without soy's bone-damaging, thyroid-impairing side-effects.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) infusion contains more than 500 milligrams of calcium per cup. (Nettle tea has none, neither does the tincture.) Nettle strengthens adrenal functioning, promotes sound sleep, increases overall energy, prevents allergic reactions, strengthens the blood vessels, and prevents hair loss.

Comfrey (Symphytum uplandicum x) is controversial. Ingestion of its roots can cause severe liver congestion. The leaves are safe, though labeled otherwise. Comfrey leaf infusion helps maintain good vaginal lubrication, strengthens the bones, protects against cancer, soothes painful joints, and improves mental functioning.

(c)Susun Weed

~Featured Website ~ Unveiling: The Inner Journey

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www.theunveilingjourney.com

 

About Unveiling: The Inner Journey:

Archetypes: Drawn from the Major Arcana, and relating back to the Kabbalah, our primary archetypes actually form a “life road-map.” This is particularly pertinent to women as their careers are stabilized, and their children leave home.

Around this time, women ask, “What next?” Completing our archetypal journey often emerges as a dominant life-goal at this time.  http://theunveilingjourney.blogspot.com.

 Pathworking: As we mature, we need a combined body/mind/psyche/spirit integration pathway. I recommend physical aspects (yoga & dance), tension release for integration and healing, and other steps within Unveiling’s chapters.

“Fountain of Youth”: Ch’i circulation – as often used in arts such as chi kung, tai chi, and pranayama – and also in Mantak Chia’s Microcosmic Orbit, along with esoteric practices from Western European traditions – now brought into a framework expressly for women. See Chapter 29: “Pragmatic Esoterics.”

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Wise Woman Nutrition

Wise Woman Nutrition

by Susun S Weed

The biochemical and energetic nutrients which we digest, absorb, and metabolize from foodstuffs, are the foundation of all cellular activity in the body, including growth, repair, reproduction, resistance to disease, and maintenance. Good nutrition is critically important to every form of life we know. Finding, growing, preparing, and storing food has been women's work and women's genius since time out of mind.

THE SPIRIT OF THE FOOD

Nutrition begins with milk from mother's breast, from the breast of the Great Goddess. In earth-centered cultures, the harvesting and gathering of food is interwoven with sacred threads, and the consumption of the food is a sacrament. This aspect of nutrition is invisible, unmeasurable, undiscussed, but of utmost importance to the health of the individual and the ecology.

HEALTHY DIETS

When food choices are limited, women eat whatever is available.  As long as adequate carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals are consumed and clean water is available, health is easily maintained.1 

Restricted diets (vegan, vegetarian, impoverished) generally fail toprovide adequately for women, and the addition of milk products, eggs, or meat to these diets optimizes health.

When the food supply is abundant and foods are highly refined, as is the case in most Western countries, food choices may adversely affect health. This is due in part to an innate (healthy) craving for sweet, salt, and fat (which are scarce in nature but commercially abundant, leading to over consumption) and in part to the degradation of the foodstuffs themselves.

PROTEIN

After water, protein is the most plentiful substance in our bodies. Without protein we cannot create enzymes, antibodies, milk, menses, skin, hair, nails, muscle, brain, heart, or organs. We require twenty-two different amino acids (building blocks of protein), of which eight are considered essential nutrients. Animal foods contain all essential amino acids. No one food of vegetable origin contains them all, but combinations (such as corn and beans) do.

Each and every amino acid must be present at once in the body, and in the correct proportions, for protein synthesis. If even one essential amino acid is low or missing, even temporarily, protein production slows or stops altogether.2 Adult women can be healthy on low protein diets; however children, pregnant, lactating, and menopausal women require high levels of protein. 

FATS

Fat is the most concentrated source of energy in the diet. Found in vegetable seeds, beans, and nuts, fruits such as olives and avocados, and in all animal products, fat is vital to women's health. Unfortunately, many American women avoid fat. A recent study (1999) found 26 percent of women deficient in vitamin E due to low-fat diets.
   
Linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic fats are the essential fatty acids, but all fats, especially cholesterol, are vital for the formation of sex hormones (especially postmenopausally), adrenal hormones, vitamin D (for strong bones), and bile. Low cholesterol diets make women's skin and vaginal tissues dry and impede the functioning of the brain and nervous system. 
   
The belief that saturated fats elevate blood cholesterol, causing blocked blood vessels, s¬trokes and heart attacks has prevailed since the mid-1960s. Yet most researchers consider this idea simplistic and without scientific justification. In the Framingham Heart Study (USA), the greater a person's intake of total fat, saturated fat, and monounsaturated fat, the lower their risk of stroke. And, while high blood cholesterol levels were a risk factor for heart disease, fat and cholesterol intake in the diet were inversely correlated with blood cholesterol. Swedish studies confirm that saturated fats promote breast health, while vegetable oils (such as canola, safflower, corn, cottonseed, and sunflower oils) promote breast cancer.
   
Animal fats are more stable than vegetable oils, which become rancid within days after pressing. (Rancid fats promote cancer and heart disease.) Hydrogenation and partial-hydrogenation slow rancidity but create trans-fatty acids that create deposits on the blood vessels. Even unhydrogenated vegetable oils are unhealthy: They flood the body with omega-6 fatty acids (the primary fat component of arterial plaque), and contribute large amounts of free radicals that damage the arteries and initiate plaque deposits.3
   
VITAMINS

Vitamins are small organic compounds made by all living tissues. They are found in whole, fresh foods. Vitamins are absorbed best from dried, fermented, or cooked foods. Some vitamins are fat-soluble (A, E, D); some are water-soluble (B, C). All vitamins are groups of related enzymes that function together. Eighteen hundred carotenes and carotinoids contribute to the liver's production of vitamin A, two dozen tocopherols function together as vitamin E, and only when ascorbic acid is joined by bioflavonoids and carotenes does it function as vitamin C.
   
Healthy diets supply adequate vitamins so long as refined foods are rarely eaten. "Enriched" flour is really impoverished, as it does not contain the entire complement of B vitamins and minerals found in the whole grain. When vitamins are synthesized in the laboratory, their complexity is reduced to one active ingredient. In situations of impoverishment and famine, supplements have health benefits. They do not replace healthy food, however, and long-term use of vitamin supplements poses health risks including more aggressive cancers (alpha tocopherol), faster growing cancers (ascorbic acid), and increased risk of cancer and heart disease (beta carotene).

MINERALS

Minerals are inorganic compounds found in all plant and animal tissues as well as bones, hair, teeth, finger and toenails, and, of course, rocks. Minerals are also found in, and critical for, optimum functioning of the nervous, immune, and hormonal systems, and all muscles, including the heart. Our need for some minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, manganese, and calcium, is large. But for trace minerals, such as selenium, iodine, molybdenum, boron, silicon, and germanium, our needs are minuscule. 4
   
Minerals may be difficult to get, even in a healthy diet. Overuse of chemical fertilizers reduces mineral content. According to US Department of Agriculture figures, during the period 1963-1992, the amount of calcium in fruits and vegetables declined an average of 30 percent. In white rice, calcium declined 62.5 percent, iron 32-45 percent, and magnesium 20-85 percent.5 Not only are commercially grown grains low in minerals, refining removes what little minerals they do have.

Seaweeds and herbs are dependable mineral sources when eaten, brewed (one ounce dried herbs steeped four hours in a quart of boiling water in a tightly covered jar), or infused into vinegar, rather than taken in capsules or tinctures. Many herbs, such as dandelion l¬eaves, peppermint, red clover blossoms, stinging nettle, and oatstraw, are exceptional sources of minerals, according to researchers Mark Pedersen, Paul Bergner, and the USDA. 6, 7 For instance, there are 3000 mg of calcium in 100 grams dried nettle.

PHYTOCHEMICALS

Individual nutrients can be created in the laboratory, but they are unlikely to have the life-giving, spirit-enhancing properties of real foods. Hundreds of different chemicals occur naturally in foodstuffs, many of which avert cancer, promote cardiovascular health, improve sexual functioning, enhance energy, and promote longevity. Primary among these c¬hemicals, especially for w¬omen, is the class of compounds known as phytoestrogens.
   
When phytoestrogens are plentiful in the diet, breast cancer incidence is lowered significantly. Phytoestrogens probably also help prevent osteoporosis, high blood pressure, congestive heart disease, and senility. Whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits are high in phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogen-rich diets also protect against the harmful effects of estrogen-mimicking chemicals in the environment and in our food.

Bibliography:

1.    Price, Weston; Nutrition and Physical Degeneration; Keats Publishing, Inc., 1945
2.    Dunne, Lavon. Nutrition Almanac, 3rd Edition. McGraw Hill, 1990
3.    Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions Cookbook. ProMotion Publishing, 1995
4.    Ziegler, Ekhard & Filer, LJ. Present Knowledge in Nutrition, 7th Edition. International Life Science Press, 1996
5.    Bergner, Paul; The Healing Power of Minerals, and Trace Elements. Prima Publishing, 1997
6.    Pedersen, Mark; Nutritional Herbology; Pedersen Press, (orig. 1987; republished in 1996)
7.    Agriculture Handbook Book # 456: Nutritional Value of Foods in Common Units. Dover  reprint, 1986. Original by the USDA, 1975
8.    Johnson, Cait; Cooking Like A Goddess; Healing Arts Press, 1997
9.    Lewallen, Eleanor & John; Sea Vegetable Gourmet Cookbook; Mendocino Sea Veg Co, 1996
10.    Mollison, Bill; Permaculture Book of Ferment & Human Nutrition; Tagari Publications, 1993
11.    Sokolov, Raymind. Why We Eat What We Eat: How the encounter between the New World and the Old changed the way everyone on the planet eats. Summit, 1991
12.    Weatherford, Jack. Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World. Fawcett Columbine, 1988
13.    Weed, Susun. Healing Wise. Ash Tree Publishing, 1989
14.    Margen, Sheldon, M.D. & the Editors of the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter
15.    The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition. Rebus, 1992

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material herein is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.

If you wish to contact Susun with questions or comments, please email her or write her as follows: 
 
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498

LEARN HOW TO PREVENT ILLNESS AND HEAL YOURSELF safely and easily the Wise Woman Way. Women's health forum, FREE women’s forum, weblog, and email group. Topics include menopause, breast health, childbearing, fertility, disease prevention, nutritional advice, and cancer prevention. Visit the Wise Woman Web.

Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. To learn more, visit her websites The Wise Woman Center and Ash Tree Publishing.
 
For permission to reprint this article, contact us.

 

HOW TO MAKE NOURISHING HERBAL INFUSIONS

HOW TO MAKE NOURISHING HERBAL INFUSIONS

by Susun S Weed

An infusion is a large amount of herb brewed for a long time. Typically, one ounce by weight (about a cup by volume) of dried herb is placed in a quart jar, which is then filled to the top with boiling water, tightly lidded and allowed to steep for 4-10 hours. After straining, a cup or more is consumed, and the remainder chilled to slow spoilage. Drinking 2-4 cups a day is usual. Since the minerals and other phytochemicals in nourishing herbs are made more accessible by drying, dried herbs are considered best for infusions.

I make my infusions at night before I go to bed and they are ready in the morning. I put my herb in my jar and my water in the pot, and the pot on the fire, then brush my teeth (or sweep the floor) until the kettle whistles. I pour the boiling water up to the rim of the jar, screw on a tight lid, turn off the stove and the light, and go to bed. In the morning, I strain the plant material out, squeezing it well, and drink the liquid. I prefer it iced, unless the morning is frosty. I drink the quart of infusion within 36 hours or until it spoils. Then I use it to water my house plants, or pour it over my hair after washing as a final rinse which can be left on.

My favorite herbs for infusion are nettle, oatstraw, red clover, and comfrey leaf, but only one at a time. The tannins in red clover and comfrey make me pucker my lips, so I add a little mint, or bergamot, when I infuse them, just enough to flavor the brew slightly. A little salt in your infusion may make it taste better than honey will.

QUESTIONS – AND ANSWERS – ABOUT NOURISHING HERBAL INFUSIONS

Can I use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs when making my nourishing herbal infusion?
No. The herbs I use for my nourishing herbal infusions - such as nettle, oatstraw, red clover, comfrey leaf, linden flowers, chickweed, or mullein leaves - contain little or no volatiles to be lost in drying. Rather, drying liberates their minerals and other nourishing constituents.

Can I brew my infusion as "sun tea"?
No. It is important to pour boiling water over the dried herb to help liberate the minerals.

How can I make nourishing herbal infusion for lots of people?
When we make nourishing herbal infusion for 30 at the Wise WomanCenter, we begin by boiling 4 gallons of water in our biggest pot. Then we add one pound of herb (16 ounces in one pound, and 16 quarts in 4 gallons), stirring well until the water boils again. We cover the pot well with a tight-fitting lid, turn off the fire, and allow to steep right there overnight.

Can I make enough infusion to last for a whole week?
No. It is best to make infusion fresh each day. Once made, nourishing herbal infusions spoil rapidly. Refrigeration lengthens the time the infusion is good to drink. Depending on many factors, including the herb used and the indoor temperature during the brewing, refrigerated infusion is usually good for at least 24 hours, sometimes as much as 72 hours.

How can you tell if your infusion has spoiled
If a nourishing herbal infusion tastes funny, smells odd, and/or has bubbles in it, it is no longer fit to drink.

What can you do with spoiled infusion?
All is not lost; spoiled infusion makes a perfectly good hair rinse and a superb plant food.

Are infusions safe for children?
Not only are nourishing herbal infusions safe for children, children love nourishing herbal infusions. Children who drink nourishing herbal infusions instead of fruit juice are frequently healthier and more robust.

What's wrong with fruit juice?
Fruit juices are really quite sweet: drinking them daily can promote tooth decay and obesity. They are expensive, and actually contain little nutrients in proportion to calories.  Nourishing herbal infusions, even if sweetened with honey, have a much more favorable nutrient density to calorie ratio. (Caution: Do not give honey to infants under one year of age.)

Can I drink too much nourishing herbal infusion? Or eat too much seaweed?
You may be astonished by your desires for nourishing herbs once you begin to use them regularly. This is quite common. When you have absorbed all the minerals you need, your cravings will naturally disappear. So, no, it is not really possible to drink too much nourishing herbal infusion or eat too much seaweed.

Is it true that you don't take supplements?
It is. I haven't taken supplements for more than 25 years. I do eat a healthy whole foods diet, drink nourishing herbal infusions daily, consume lots of yogurt, and take time for my weekly (for 35 years) yoga, and twice-a-week (for 5 years) tai chi classes.

How much infusion do you drink?
I drink 2-4 cups of nourishing herbal infusion a day, plus I use several tablespoons of mineral-rich herbal vinegars on my wild salad daily, and plenty of garlic, onions, mushrooms, and seaweed.

How do you like to take your herbal infusion?
I prefer to drink my nourishing herbal infusion iced. Although I may prefer my comfrey infusion hot and with honey if the wind is howling and the snow blowing outside. Some salt or miso or umeboshi vinegar in nettle infusion is another interesting variation I enjoy.

Green Blessings!

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material herein is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.

If you wish to contact Susun with questions or comments, please email her or write her as follows: 
 
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498

LEARN HOW TO PREVENT ILLNESS AND HEAL YOURSELF safely and easily the Wise Woman Way. Women's health forum, FREE women’s forum, weblog, and email group. Topics include menopause, breast health, childbearing, fertility, disease prevention, nutritional advice, and cancer prevention. Visit the Wise Woman Web.

Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. To learn more, visit her websites The Wise Woman Center and Ash Tree Publishing.
 
For permission to reprint this article, contact us.

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The Vulva - Part 2

The Vulva - Part 2

by Susun S Weed

Vulvodynia

“I endured a succession of unsuccessful treatments including electrocautery, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral medications, removal of my vestibular glands, and six treatments with laser surgery followed by two operations that involved cutting away the tissue in the painful area.”(1)

Step 0    Do Nothing

• If you hurt down there, avoid all potential irritants: Stop douching. Stop using “feminine hygiene” products. Stop wearing anything down there. Stop washing down there. If you must, choose loose cotton undies and wash them in hypoallergenic laundry detergent, without fabric softeners. Avoid tampons; use cotton menstrual pads. Avoid tight pants. Peel out of your bathing suit immediately. Give up bicycling and horseback riding until the pain is gone.

 

• Avoid chlorine. Don’t drink it, and stay out of chlorinated swimming pools and hot tubs. A filter that removes chlorine from your drinking water is a lot less expensive than bottled water and probably healthier for you and the planet.

 
Step 1    Collect Information

• For a long, long time in modern medicine, women who had pain down there were misdiagnosed, labeled as hysteric or frigid, and given ineffective medications. As the 21st Century began, however, these women at last began to be recognized, and their discomfort given a name: vulvodynia or vulvar vestibulitis.

• Vulvodynia includes burning, stabbing, shooting, stinging pains in the vulva, vagina, urethra, and rectum. It may be present at all times, only on contact, or only during intercourse. For some the pain is so excruciating - “like a fire that won’t go out” - it prevents all normal activities including walking, driving, and sitting.

• At some time during their lives, 16-20 percent of American women aged 18-64 have had vulvar pain lasting at least three months.(2), (3), (4) The University of Michigan Health System found 28 percent of women had experienced vulvar pain at some point in their lives.(5) About six million women have chronic vulvar pain.(6)

• Women with vulvodynia are frequently quite sensitive to pain and may also be dealing with endometriosis, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and/or interstitial cystitis.

• Muscle spasms in the pelvis, and injury to, or irritation of, nerves serving the vulva seem to be major causes of vulvodynia.

• Thirty percent of young women with vulvar vestibulitis syndrome have a genetic defect that prevents them from blocking interleukin-1, an inflammatory substance (cytokine).(6A) In older, post-menopausal women, vulvar pain is usually linked to hormonal disturbances.

Step 2    Engage the Energy

• Homeopathic remedies for vulvar pain and inflammation

o    Aconitum relieves superficial inflammation.
o    Apis relieves the most severe itching, burning, pain.
o    Cimicfuga (Acatea) racemosa helps when pain radiates from the vulva to the back, loins, limbs; menstruation pain.
o    Eryngium campestre helps when the bladder is involved.
o    Gossypium helps when there is also incontinence.
o    Hamamelis helps when there is prolapse, fullness.
o    Ignatia helps women who are chilled, feet and hands cold.
o    Piper cubeba relieves irritation and burning pain.
o    Pulsatilla helps when pain brings nervousness, depression.
o    Rhus tox. relieves burning pain, raw sensations, itching and irritation especially after urinating; accompanied by pruritis, erythematous and erysipelatous lesions.

• Biofeedback is AMA-approved, and often paid for by insurance, as a way to relieve vulvodynia. With biofeedback, and a little practice, you can learn to use your mind to control your pain.

• According to Christiane Northrup, MD, “a woman sets the stage in her body for chronic vulvar problems when she lacks the courage to change the negative aspects of an unhealthy relationship.”(6B)

Step 3    Nourish and Tonify

• A healthy diet and daily consumption of nourishing herbal infusions - red clover, oatstraw, chickweed, and linden, one at a time, in rotation - will supply you with all the nutrients you need to heal, including lavish amounts of B vitamins, magnesium, calcium (to counter acids), and vitamin E.

o    Red clover infusion nourishes with minerals and phytoestrogens to strengthen the vulva, ease swelling and inflammation.

o    Oatstraw infusion nourishes the nerves, making them less sensitive, and soothes the nerves and emotions.

o    Chickweed infusion nourishes vulvar tissues, cools hot tissues from the inside out, and wipes out infections.

o    Linden infusion soothes and heals the vulva and vagina and all the blood vessels serving them.

• Yogurt and quercitin (from oak bark) were suggested by many women as easy ways to relieve vulvodynia.

• Since vulvodynia may be triggered by chemicals, it seems wisest to eat organic foods and avoid all food-related chemicals especially phosphoric acid (carbonated drinks), artificial sweeteners, food dyes, preservatives, vegetable/soy protein isolates (energy bars and Bragg’s aminos) and nitrates (preserved meats).(7)

• Food acids, especially oxalic acid may trigger, and in some women cause, vulvar pain. If you also have interstitial cystitis or other urinary tract problems, you may benefit from limiting plant acids. Eliminating these acids makes it difficult to be well nourished, however, as all the mainstays of a healthy diet - beans, whole grains, greens, fruits and many vegetables - are high in plant acids. Vegetarians are more likely to be affected.(8)

• Sitting on a donut pillow offers some relief to many women.

• Electromyography with physical therapy.

• Keep a spray bottle of water by the toilet and spray your vulva after urinating. Then pat dry with a very soft cloth. No rubbing, no wiping.

 
Step 4    Stimulate/Sedate

• Homeopaths and herbalists agree, St. John’s/Joan’s wort is thebest remedy for anyone with nerve pain. The infused oil topically and the tincture internally (a dropperful 2-12 times a day, depending on the severity of the pain) not only quickly relieves pain - often in a few days - but also restores healthy nerve functioning, counters depression, and helps counter any hidden viral infections, such as herpes. Homeopathic Hypericum changes the energy pattern, breaking the cycle of chronic pain.

• Oatstraw baths soothe the vulva and normalize nerves. Cook a handful of oatmeal in a gallon/4 liters of water for thirty minutes, then strain into a hot, hip-level bath and soak your pain away. Or buy Aveeno, powdered oatmeal, at your drugstore, dissolve some in warm water and sitz in it.

• Your doctor may suggest electrical stimulation of the pelvic floor to help free up spastic muscles. Be sure you have tried other remedies first.

COMMON FOODS HIGH IN ACIDS (11)

Berries: Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.

Citrus fruits/juices: oranges, lemons, tangerines, grapefruits, etc.

Fruits of all kinds contain acids; they are less irritating when cooked.

Greens, raw or cooked: Highest - spinach, beet greens, chard, lamb’s quarters, sheep sorrel (Essiac). Lowest - collards, dandelion, escarole, kale, mustard greens, nettle, parsley, watercress.

Beans    Beer, wine, grapes    Beets     Black pepper
Celery    Chocolate and cocoa     Eggplant    Green peppers
Leeks    Okra    Pecans    Peanuts/peanut butter
Rutabaga    Rhubarb    Sweet potatoes    Tomatoes
Turnips    Tea: black, green, white, iced    Tofu    Wheat germ

Note: Calcium citrate neutralizes food acids.
 
Step 5a    Use Supplements

• Supplements of 200-250mg calcium citrate, three tablets taken 3-4 times a day, turned the tide for some women. But it may take 4-5 months of use, and a low-acid diet, before pain is relieved. And, to prevent recurrence, you will need to continue taking calcium citrate. For best results, and fewest side effects, take one calcium citrate on an empty stomach immediately upon waking for three days.(9) Then add a tablet before dinner for three days, and continue gradually building toward the full dose.

• A dropperful of yellow dock root tincture can be used to counter the tendency of calcium citrate to constipate.

 
Step 5b. Use Drugs

• High acid drugs - such as aspirin and ascorbic acid - may trigger vulvar pain.

• Regular or repeated use of birth control pills, immune-suppressing drugs, and/or antibiotics may trigger vulvodynia.(10)

• Topical drugs deliver more relief, with fewer side effects, than oral medicines. Women with vulvar pain say estrogen creams and topical anesthetics (lidocaine) are most helpful.

• Unlike many other diseases, vulvodynia has no specific drug designed to treat it. You may wish to experiment with these drugs that some women and some practitioners have found helpful:

o    Tricyclic antidepressants, such as Elavil or Prozac, in very, very small doses, to reduce neurotransmitter sensitivity.
o    Antihistamines, to relieve swelling.
o    Muscles relaxants, such as Flexeril, to ease pain.
o    Anticonvulsant, anti-epileptic drugs, such as Neurontin.
o    Interferon treatments.
 
Step 6    Break and Enter

In extremity, some women have sought surgical removal of the offending nerves.
 
Vulvar Resources

• The Vulvodynia Survival Guide, Dr. Howard Glazer, Harbringer Press, 2002
• The University of Michigan Center for Vulvar Diseases
• The National Vulvodynia Association offers regional networks of women, two newsletters, conferences, a content-rich website (www.nva.org), and a CD-ROM for doctors covering diagnosis and treatment of chronic vulvar pain disorders
• www.vulvarpainfoundation.org
• www.vulvarhealth.org

Vvulvar References

1A.    Women’s Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Tori Hudson ND, Keats, 1999.
1.    "A painful women’s problem isn’t in the mind,” Jane E. Brody, New York Times, October 27, 1993.
2.    “News from the society for women’s health research,” Women’s Health Advisor, Oct. 2004.
3.    “From obscurity to Oprah,” Leah Thayer, Nat’l Women’s Health Network News, May/June 2003.
4.    “Genital problems and natural solutions,” Bonnie C. Minsky, Conscious Choice Magazine, Jan. 2004
5.    “Genital pain more common than previously thought,” Women’s Health Advisor, March 2004
6.    “No sex in the city,” Constantine Von Hoffman, Health, Nov. 2001
6A.   “Conquering vulvar pain,” The Center for Women’s Healthcare, April 2002
6B.    Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, Christiane Northrup MD, Bantam, 1994
7.     “Genital problems. . ., ” Minsky, Jan. 2004
8.     Treatment of Vulvodynia with Calcium Cirtrate, C. Solomons, 1994
9.     Ibid.
10.    “Antibiotic use increases symptomatic vulvovaginal candidiasis,” American J Obstet Gynecol, 180:14-7, Jan. 1999
11.    “A painful. . . ,” Jane E. Brody, NY Times, Oct. 1993
“Chronic Vulvar Pain,” The Network News, Nov./Dec. 1993
Prescriber and Clinical Repertory of Medicinal Herbs, Lt. Col. F. Harper- Shove, Health Science Press, 1938, 1972

Legal Disclaimer: This content is not intended to replace conventional medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material herein is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Contact a reputable healthcare practitioner if you are in need of medical care. Exercise self-empowerment by seeking a second opinion.

If you wish to contact Susun with questions or comments, please email her or write her as follows: 
 
Susun Weed
PO Box 64
Woodstock, NY 12498

LEARN HOW TO PREVENT ILLNESS AND HEAL YOURSELF safely and easily the Wise Woman Way. Women's health forum, FREE women’s forum, weblog, and email group. Topics include menopause, breast health, childbearing, fertility, disease prevention, nutritional advice, and cancer prevention. Visit the Wise Woman Web.

Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. To learn more, visit her websites The Wise Woman Center and Ash Tree Publishing.
 
For permission to reprint this article, contact us.