Wise Woman Wisdom

Green Valentines

Green Valentines

by Susun S Weed

 

Isn’t February fun! Ground Hog Day! President’s Day! Valentine’s Day! My birthday! February may be the shortest month, but it doesn’t stint on holidays. February is a good month for celebrating. And it’s a good time to reawaken your herbal taste buds.

Some of you - many of you - are thinking: “It’s still winter.” (It isn’t though.) “What herbs?” (I’ll tell you.) “Dried ones from the summer?” (No, fresh ones from field and forest.)

No matter what the date, there are always edible weeds available. I tested my belief by sending students into the streets and sidewalks of Amsterdam (Holland) on a breezy February day. Within an hour they had identified more than two dozen edible and medicinal plants - right there in the city. No matter where you live, there are greens available right now to sing a spring awakening song to your tongue and your heart and your spirit.

Listen to the trees. Here in the northeast, the maples are whispering: “Sweet, sweet.” Maple sap is flowing. Sweet aroma andan even sweeter flavor. Fresh, hot maple syrup is the sweet taste of the spring warmth to come, magically created by the warmth of the wood we harvested last fall. While waiting for the sap to boil down, let’s chew on some pine twigs and needles.

Evergreen pine needles are rich in vitamin C and oozing with antibacterial resins. Just the thing to prevent, or treat, colds and sore throats. If you feel creative, stuff a jar with pine needles - I prefer to use white pine (Pinus strobus). Then fill it to the top with pasteurized apple cider vinegar, cap with a non-metal lid, and label with the date and contents. Your pine needle vinegar is ready to use in a day or two, but the longer it sits, the better it tastes. After two months, it is strong enough to be called “Domestic Balsamic Vinegar”. If you have several pines to choose from, make several wee jars of different pine vinegars as tasters. Some pine needles are too resinous to be palatable. You can usually get a good idea of how strong the finished vinegar will taste by chewing a small clump of needles. Pinon pine needle vinegar is exceptionally delicious.

Put your ear close to the ground. That humming you hear is the sound of underground bulbs waking up and sending exploratory fingers into the air and light. Wild garlic and wild onion shoots break ground all through the forest, in my meadow, and scattered on the neighbor’s lawn. Soon the wild leeks will raise their voices in colorful chants. What groundhog could sleep through the shouts of a wild onion chorus? Their sharp, intense green taste reminds me to breathe deeply. And protects me against the flu.

Look! Wild cresses. And so many different ones to choose from.There in the stream, where the sun warms the bank: watercress with its sharp, bitter bite and trilling song. There at the edge of the garden, hunkered down against the cold: dark green winter cress, also known as St. Barbara's cress, belting out jazz in a saucy rhythm. (Later, when it shoots up and flashes its sunny flowers, we’ll call it yellow rocket.) Look there, tucked in between the rocks: the grey-green leaves of tangy rock cress, murmuring mantras. And right here, under our feet, on this hillock that faces south, where the ground has warmed, the cabbage-tasting, petite, dandelion-shaped leaves of shepherd’s purse. Do you feel the smile in their song?

We’ll gather a little of each of those cresses - they all taste great - but the main part of our salad will be this prolific cress: garlic mustard. It tastes like a blend of mustard greens and fresh garlic. And, like the other cresses, it is evergreen, and available all winter long wherever it grows. When I walk in the woods in the winter, I can hear it in snatches if the snow is not too deep. Always sounds to me like a doo-wop ditty it’s singing.

Let’s ask this one if we can have its root, too. I’ll brush the dirt off, you try a bite. Yup! Quite the taste isn’t it! That’s why its alternate name is “wild horseradish”. It’s a real sinus-opener! I put a handful of garlic mustard roots in my blender with a little sea salt and some vinegar. It makes a great fresh horseradish condiment. I crave the mustardy flavors of the cresses more in February and March than I do later on in the year, and I think they taste better now, too.

One of my favorite winter greens - miner’s lettuce - grows too far away (about three thousand miles) for me to harvest it. But if you live on the west coast, you probably already know where the nearest patch grows. I look for it in damp areas, especially seaside streams and roadside ditches. It’s an easy plant to identify, with its perfectly round, neon-green leaves, each pierced through by a tender stalk. It usually grows with chickweed, another wonderful winter green in areas where the winter is a little milder than mine.

Alright, I will tell you more about chickweed on our next walk. Butnot now, I’m hungry. How about you? Shall we take our prizes back to the house and make them into a salad while the soup is heating? I’ll make some cheese toast. After we’ve eaten, you must tell me that story you hinted at. A fairy led you on a wild ramble, you said. I know how it ends - with green blessings - but I hope you’ll reveal what happened on the way to those 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.

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.

 

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

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

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.

Click on the Video Below to View More:

 

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.

The Vulva - Part 1

The Vulva - Part 1

by Susun S Weed

 

We are the first guardians of the inner treasures. We hold the keys to your creative power. Proudly we show ourselves, fiercely we protect.

We look delicate, flowing and floating, waving and weaving — and s beautiful in our gowns of mauve and pink, pearl and coral. Like the blush of dawn, we blush. Like the glow of health, we glow. Like the dusky sky of evening, we are dusky. We are satiny. We are silken. We are velvety. We are smooth and strong. We are taffeta. We are suede. We are closely woven and tough. We are the ones who open and close the outer gates. We are the muses who sing to those who journey within.

We dance protection. We sparkle with joy. You call us lips, and like your lips, we have our moods. We mirror the health of what we enclose. When you feel abraded by life, we hurt. When you spread us without tender care, we cry. When you refuse to refuse on your own that which harms you, we scream in agony.

We will not be neglected. We will pin up our dresses and flash our red petticoats. We will scream. We will rage. We will burn with an unquenchable fire. We will wake you in the night. We will be heard. We will be respected. We will always, and ever, be here to remind you of your own worth, your own power, your own beauty.
 
Healthy Vulva

The vulva, Latin for “covering,” includes all the external female parts, including the mons veneris (Mound of Venus), the clitoris, and the lips that surround the vagina. However, most women, and this article, understand the vulva to be only the lips (singular: labium; plural: labia).

There are two sets of vulval lips: the thicker outer labia major, and the thinner inner labia minor. The size and shape of the labial sets varies enormously from one woman to the next. Like snowflakes, each labium and each pair of labia are unique.

The vulva, like the lips of the mouth, is colorful, plump and moist when healthy.

Herpes, warts, alkaline vaginal discharges, infections, parasites, and irritations of various sorts can disturb the vulva, causing itching, burning, and pain. Women may also have chronic pain in their vulva without the presence of any infection or skin disease.

Vulvar Problems

Herpes, genital warts, alkaline vaginal discharges, yeast infections, parasites, and irritations can disfigure the vulva, leaving her lumpy, bumpy, itchy, burning and upset. Yogurt and sitz baths of soothing herbs are general remedies for easing vulvar problems.
 
Vulvar Cancer

Although rare, cancer of the vulva does occur. It kills about 800 women a year in the USA, out of the 3,200 new cases diagnosed.

The best ways to prevent all cancers are:

• eat miso and tamari daily
• consume red clover infusion and burdock root regularly
• eat four or more servings of cabbage-family plants a week
• enjoy lavish amounts of onions and garlic
• don’t smoke

 
Pubic Lice, "Crabs"

If you get lice in your pubic hair, your vulva will itch and get red. This parasite travels easily from one warm body to another; no sex is required for transmission.

Getting rid of lice does not require chemicals. They can be suffocated with generous applications of any oil, though thick oils like castor oil or coconut oil work best. Some herbalists opt to add a drop or two of essential oil (any kind will do) to the smothering oil in the hopes that it will poison the lice.

Do not sleep with anyone while you are dealing with crabs. Instead, spend your time at the laundry: wash all your underwear, pants, and sheets with a little bleach. If possible, dry them in the sun to completely eradicate all lice eggs. Then vacuum your bedroom well. Lice can’t live long away from you, so you don’t have to change your sheets every night.
 
Scabies

This parasite is also known as the seven-year itch. The mite usually begins in the webbing between the fingers and the toes and spreads up the limbs until it burrows into the nice warm folds of the armpits and the groin. The itch is particularly intense at night, and you may awaken having injured yourself scratching.
 
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

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.

Remember Rosemary

Remember Rosemary

by Susun S Weed

Mad Ophelia tells us: "There's Rosemary, that's for remembrance". In Shakespeare's day it was common knowledge that rosemary helped one remember. Today, as then, herbalists agree: "For weyknesse of ye brayne, sethe rosemaria in wyne and keep ye heed warme". The leaves of this tough, evergreen shrub, are valued for both medicinal and culinary uses. And, the powerful antioxidant vitamins found therein do help the brain work better.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is an especially aromatic membe of the mint family. When grown in dry, poor soils in hot areas, a little protected, but touched by the winds, rosemary rewards us with minerals, vitamins, and antiseptic, antibacterial volatile oils which extract easily into water, vinegar, alcohol, and fat. While evergreen, and thus usable at any time of the year, rosemary is considered most medicinal when flowering. A large pinch of dried rosemary in food acts as a preservative. A strong brew of the fresh or dried leaves makes a particularly effective wound wash.

Old herbals hint that rosemary exerts its influence magically as well as physically. Burned as an incense, twined into a wreath, or grown in a pot, rosemary protects the house and those who live in it, especially the women. Added to the wedding bouquet, it insures fidelity. Tied with silk ribbons and given to the wedding guests, it spreads loving kindness.

"As for Rosmarine, I let it runne all over my garden walls, not onlie because my bees love it, but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance, and, therefore, to friendship …" said Sir Thomas More several hundred years ago, with a smile.

Juliette de Bairacli Levy repeats an old, old story about rosemary:  When Mary and Joseph were fleeing with the infant Jesus, Mary placed her damp blue cloak on the rosemary bush to dry it. The rosemary, thus blessed, forever more has had blue flowers, and the absolute power to protect against evil. A sprig of rosemary hung by the door banishes all thieves; a bush of rosemary growing by the door allows only love to enter.

Rosemary is a traditional Christmas decoration - partly because it smells good, and partly because pruning rosemary back mid-winter makes it stronger and healthier. So don't hesitate to cut bunches of it for beauty. If you take your decorative rosemary down before it gets too dry, it can be used for cooking or as a smudge.

The dense smoke (smudge) produced by burning dried rosemary is equally favored in religious, mystical, and medicinal settings. When frankincense and myrrh - expensive and foreign resins - are in short supply, rosemary stands in for them in the church's - or the pagans - censors. During the plague years, and thereafter in many hospitals, the burning of rosemary reliably cleared the air and countered airborne infections. By extension, rosemary was given to mourners to protect them from contagion. It was laid in the coffin to preserve the body. And it was cast into the grave at the end of the funeral.

In England, a branch of rosemary was placed in the dock of the courts of justice as a preventative against jail-fever. To ward off moths, lay it in your woolen chest.

European ladies, princesses, and even queens used rosemary in many ways to enhance their beauty. They tied it into a cloth to keep fleas away; they smelled it to "keep youngly”; they soaked it in wine and used it to wash their faces so they would be "light and lovely"; they added it to their bath water so they would "wax shiny and be merrie"; and they stopped bad dreams by placing rosemary under the bed.

Modern ladies praise rosemary's ability to make their scalp healthy and dander free, and their hair lush, thick, and dark. To make a rosemary hair rinse, brew a full ounce of dried rosemary in a quart of boiling water overnight. After you've washed your hair, pour the dark, sweet-smelling rosemary liquid over your head, rubbing well into the scalp. Leave it be; no need to rinse it out. If you have very bad dandruff, add a tablespoon of borax per half cup of rosemary hair rinse just before use. Lavaggio, a hair tonic made from an Italian folk recipe that is 99% rosemary, is available for sale for those who don't want to do it themselves.

Recent research has found that the heart has memory cells just like the brain. No wonder rosemary is renowned as a heart tonic, too! The oldest recipes call for soaking several handfuls of fresh rosemary in a large glass of white wine for several days, then sipping the wine to ease palpitations, strengthen weak hearts, and heal broken hearts. Rosemary in capsules, or rosemary tincture in large doses, can raise blood pressure however, so I stick to tea or external applications.

Rosemary infused oil or ointment (not the essential oil, which can cause poisoning) eases the pain of arthritis, improves flexibility of the joints, counters and sometimes cures eczema, and hastens wound healing. If you don't have the oil, rosemary tea can be used instead.

Rosemary tea has a beneficial effect on the lungs and breathing. If you have a cold, rosemary tea is happy to help you feel better. Too tired and sick to do anything? Just throw a big handful of rosemary in canned chicken soup and heat. For best effect, let steep for an hour, then eat it. Ahhh. When imbibing rosemary tea, feel free to add honey*, especially if your throat is scratchy and sore.

Rosemary, like all its mint sisters, is antispasmodic, mildly so as a tea, more strongly in vinegar, and powerfully as a tincture. Not only does it relieve nervous pains and headaches, rosemary eases all digestive woes, from gas to gall bladder problems. A tablespoon or two of the vinegar on salad is an easy way to take this remedy. Because of the danger of kidney damage, I use small (1-5 drop) doses of rosemary tincture, and only occasionally.

As a seasoning, rosemary feeds the brain and helps prevent cancer. As a medicine, rosemary restores memory and improves digestion.

No wonder boxes made of rosemary wood are considered magical. As rosemary is only happy when commanded by a woman, its magic is most suited to the needs of women. Perhaps Pandora's box was made of rosemary wood. For sure, your life will be more magical when you remember rosemary.

*Note: Do not give honey to babies under 12 months old.

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.

 

Sage the Savior

Sage the Savior

by Susun S Weed

Does the odor of sage evoke warmth, cheer, and holiday feasts for you? Sage has long been used to add savor, magic, and medicine to winter meals. Culinary sage is available at any grocery store, and sage is one of the easiest of all herbs to grow - whether in a pot, on a windowsill, or in the garden. So, grab some sage, inhale deeply, and let me tell you more about this old friend.

Sage is Salvia, which means "savior". As a member of the mint family,it has many of the healing properties of its sisters. Of special note are the high levels of calcium and other bone-building minerals in all mints, including sage, and the exceptionally generous amounts of antioxidant vitamins they offer us.

Everywhere sage grows - from Japan to China, India, Russia, Europe and the Americas - people have valued it highly and used it as a preservative seasoning for fatty foods and a medicine for a variety of ills. The volatile oils in sage are antimicrobial and antibacterial and capable of countering a variety of food-borne poisons, as well as other infections.

A tea of garden sage can help:

• prevent and eliminate head colds
• soothe and heal sore throats
• clear the sinuses
• speed up immune response to the flu
• ease asthma and heal the lungs
• aid digestion, especially of fats
• improve sleep and ease anxiety
• insure regularity
• invigorate the blood
• strengthen the ability to deal with stress
• counter periodontal disease and tighten the gums
• reduce profuse perspiration
• help wean baby by reducing breast milk

The easiest way to use sage as medicine is to make a tea of it. The addition of honey* is traditional and wise, as honey is a powerful antibacterial in its own right and magnifies sage's ability to ward off colds, flu, and breathing problems.

If you have dried sage, a teaspoonful brewed in a cup of boiling water for no more than 2-3 minutes, with an added teaspoonful of honey, ought to produce a pleasant, aromatic tea. If it is bitter, the tea was brewed too long, or the sage was old or too-finely powdered, or you have the wrong sage.

If you have fresh sage, use a handful of the leaves and stalks, brew for about five minutes, and add a spoonful of honey. Fresh sage tea is rarely bitter. Or, you can make a ready-sweetened sage tea by using your own home-made sage honey.

As the cold comes on and frosts threaten, I make my major mint-family harvests of the year, including pruning back the sage. Where I live, the frost won't kill the sage, but it will blacken the leaves and cause them to fall off. Before that happens, I take my scissors and cut the plants back by at least half. I coarsely chop the stems and leaves and put them in a jar. (For best results, I choose a jar that will just contain the amount of herb at hand. If there is unused space in the jar, oxidation will occur, and components of the herb can be damaged or altered.) Then, I slowly pour honey over the chopped herb, poking with a chopstick to eliminate air bubbles, until the jar is nearly full. A SAGE HONEY label completes the preparation. All that is left to do is to store it in a cool, dark place and wait for six weeks. From then on, or sooner if you really need it, the sage honey is ready to use. Just dig in! Put a heaping tablespoonful in a big mug of boiling hot water, stir and drink. Or let it brew for a few minutes, strain and drink.

Be sure to use Salvia sages, the ones with pebbly-fleshed ovate leaves, not Artemisia sages which have white hairs on the backs of the ferny leaves. White sage, frequently sold as a "smudge" herb (that is, an herb whose smoke is used to create a protective field around a space) is a Salvia sage but it is too strong for use as a food or medicine.

I make honeys of other fresh mint family plants, too. (No, dried plants don't make good honeys.) Besides fresh sage honey I often make peppermint honey, lemon balm honey, rosemary honey, thyme honey, oregano honey, marjoram honey, shiso honey, and bergamot honey. They all help me stay healthy throughout the winter, and they all taste ever so good.

Although the tincture and essential oil of sage are available, I find them too concentrated and too dangerous for general use. Households with children do best when there are no essential oils on hand; fatal accidents have occurred.

I do make sage vinegar: by pouring room temperature apple cider vinegar over a jar filled with chopped fresh sage. Sage vinegar is not as medicinal as the tea but, with olive oil and tamari, it makes a delicious and healthy salad dressing. Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily can reduce your risk of adult onset diabetes by half; two tablespoons of sage vinegar daily might just keep you alive forever - as the saying goes: "Why die when the Savior grows in your garden?".

Using herbs as allies to stay healthy and to counter life's ordinary problems is simple and easy, safe and effective. Herbal medicine is people's medicine. Green blessings grow all around you.

*Note:  Do not give honey to babies under 12 months old.

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.