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The Spirit of Simples

Healing Wise ... The Spirit of Simples by Susun Weed © 2004

What is a Simple?

A "simple" is one herb used at a time. A "simpler" is an herbalist who generally uses herbs one at a time, rather than in combinations.

Why Use Simples?

Most herbalists I have met -- whether from China or Japan, Eastern or Western Europe, Australia or North America -- use herbs in combinations. Simplers, like myself, don't. Why?

Because I believe that herbal medicine is people's medicine, I seek to make herbal medicine simple: as simple as one herb at a time. Because people worry about interactions between the drugs they take and herbs, I keep it simple: with simples, interactions are simple to observe, and simpler to avoid. Because empowerment in health care is difficult, I want to offer others easy, safe herbal remedies: and what could be easier, or safer, than a simple?

Simples Make Me Think

When I was just getting started with herbs, one thing that confounded me was the many choices I had when I began to match symptoms to the herbs that relieved them. If someone had a cough should I use garden sage or wild cherry bark or pine sap or mullein or coltsfoot (to name only a few of the many choices)? One way out of this dilemma was to use them all. I made many cough syrups that contained every anti-cough herb that I could collect. And they all worked.

As I got more sophisticated in my herbal usage, and especially after I completed a course on homeopathy, I began to see that each herb had a specific personality, a specific way of acting. I realized I couldn't notice the individual actions of the herbs when they were combined.

It felt daring at first to use just one herb. Would wild cherry bark tincture all by itself be enough to quell that child's cough? Yes! Would mullein infusion alone really reduce a person's asthmatic and allergic reactions? Yes! Would sage soaked in honey for six weeks ease a sore throat? Yes! Each herb that I tried as a simple was successful. They all worked, not just together, but by themselves.

The more I used individual herbs the more I came to know them as individuals. The more I used simples, the simpler and more successful my remedies became. The more I used one herb at a time, the more I learned about how that herb worked, and didn't work.

Simples Are Intimate

When we use one herb at a time, we come to know that herb, we become intimate with that herb. Just as we become intimate with each other by spending time one-on-one, tete-a-tete, simply together, we become closer to the herbs when we use them as simples.

Becoming intimate with an herb or a person helps us build trust. How reliable is the effect of this herb? When? How? Where does it fail? Using simples helps us build a web of green allies that we trust deeply. Simples help us feel more powerful. They help abate our fears, simply, safely.

Simples Are Subtle

Using one herb at a time gives us unparalleled opportunities to observe and make use of the subtle differences that are at the heart of herbal medicine. When we use simples we are more likely to notice the many variables that affect each herb: including where it grows, the years's weather, how we harvest it, our preparation, and the dosage.1 The many variables within one plant insure that our simple remedy nonetheless touches many aspects of a person and heals deeply.

One apprentice tinctured motherwort flowering tops weekly through its blooming period. She reported that the tinctures made from the younger flower stalks had a stronger effect on the uterus; while those made from the older flower stalks, when the plant was going to seed, had a stronger effect on the heart.

Simples Give Me Power

Using one herb at a time helps me feel more certain that my remedy has an active value, not just a placebo value. Using one plant at a time, and local ones at that, reassures me that my herbal medicine cannot be legislated away. Using one plant at a time allows me to build trust in my remedies. Using one plant at a time is a subversive act, a reclaiming of simple health care.

Combinations erode my power, activate my "victim persona," and lead me to believe that herbal medicine is best left to the experts.

From Complex to Simple

Take the challenge! Use simples instead of complex formulae. Let's rework some herbal remedies and get a sense of how simple it can be.

The anti-cancer formula Essiac contains Arctium lappa (burdock), Rheum palmatum (rhubarb), Ulmus fulva (slippery elm), and Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel). Rhubarb root has no possible use against cancer; it is a purgative whose repeated use can "aggravate constipation." Slippery elm bark also has no possible anti-cancer properties and has no doubt been added to counter some of the detrimental effects of the rhubarb. Sheep sorrel juice is so caustic that it has been used to burn off skin cancers, but it would likely do more harm to the kidneys than to any cancer if ingested regularly. Leaving us with a great anti-cancer simple: burdock root. One that I have found superbly effective in reversing dysplasias and precancerous conditions.

A John Lust formula for relief of coughs 2 contains Agropyron repens (witch grass), Pimpinella anisum (aniseed), Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), Inula helenium (elecampane root), Pulmonaria officinalis (lungwort), Thymus species (thyme herb), (murillo bark) 3, Chondrus crispus (irish moss), Lobelia inflata (lobelia herb). Witch grass has little or no effect on coughs; it is an emollient diuretic whose dismissal from this group would leave no hole. Anise seeds are also not known to have an anti-pertussive effect; although they do taste good, we can do without them. Lobelia can bring more oxygen to the blood, but is certainly not an herb I would ever add to a cough mixture, so I will leave it out here. Licorice is a demulcent expectorant that can be most helpful for those with a dry cough; however, I do use it for a variety of reasons, among them its exotic origins and its cloyingly sweet taste. Lungwort is, as its name implies, a pectoral, but its effect is rather mild, and its place in the Boraginaceae family gives me pause. How much pyrrolizidine alkaloid might it contain? Thyme, and its more common anti-cough cousin garden sage, contains essential oils that could both quiet a cough and counter infection in the throat. A strong tea or a tincture of either could be our simple. Irish moss is, a specific to soothe coughs and a nutritive in addition, would also make an excellent simple. But it is elecampane that I would crown. It is not only a specific to curb coughing, it counters infection well, and tonifies lung tissues. Several small doses of a tincture of elecampane root should quiet a cough in a few hours.

Simples are fun. Give them a try.

Footnotes:
1. Among the many variables, I have especially noticed that the tinctures that I make with fresh plants are many times more effective than tinctures made from dried plants. My elders tell me that preparations of common plants growing in uncommon places will be stronger as well. Many herbalists are aware of certain areas of their land that nurture plants that are particularly potent medicines.
2. John Lust. The Herb Book. 1974. Bantam.
3. Note that this formula, as is frequently the case, contains an "exotic" herb which Mr. Lust does not include in the 500+ herbs in his book, nor does he give us a botanical name for the plant, leaving us literally unable to prepare his formula as presented.

Study with Susun Weed in the convenience of your home! Choose from three Correspondence Courses: Green Allies, Spirit & Practice of the Wise Woman Tradition, and Green Witch - includes audio/video tapes, books, assignments, special mailings, plus personal time.

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Susun Weed
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Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative.

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. Learn more at www.susunweed.com

Hot Colds and Cold Colds ~ by Susun Weed

Hot Colds and Cold Colds
Winter Health, Winter Solstice
© 2006 Susun S Weed

Winter is coming. So are colds and the flu. Here are some tips for preventing these viral illnesses. And for getting well fast if you do get sick.

Preventing colds and the flu can be summed up in three words: Wash your hands.The viruses that cause colds and the flumost readily enter our bodies by means of our hands.Wash your hands after shopping. Remind your children to wash their hands as soon as they come home from school. A little "hysterical hygiene" goes a long way to keeping colds at bay.

Of course, there are herbs that can be used to help thwart colds and the flu. Yarrow is a clear favorite, especially as a tincture. Teachers, moms, and wise children find a dose of 5-25 drops of yarrow tincture in the morning in some liquid reduces the likelihood of getting sick by more than half.

Astragalus is gaining fame for its ability to support strong immune system functioning. I throw a few tongue-depressor-like pieces in my soups, where they infuse their goodness without imparting much flavor. Powdered astragalus can be added to almost anything, from oatmeal to pancakes, soups to gravies. And there is always the tincture, which works well in doses of 1-3 dropperfuls a day. (If at all possible, use domestic astragalus, rather than that from China.)

Eleuthero, which used to be called Siberian ginseng, is another immune system nourisher, used in the same ways as astragalus: cooked into food or taken as a tincture.

And don't forget honey. A spoonful at the first sign of a sore throat or runny nose can kill the bacteria responsible and help you get better fast.

And if you do get sick, here's my favorite way to get well fast. Treat a cold cold with heat. Treat a hot cold with cold. This may sound too easy, but it is actually one of the most effective ways I know of to minimize the severity and duration of a cold (or the flu). I first learned about cold colds and hot cold when I was studying Five Element Theory with a sweetheart who was attending acupuncture school.

It is important to remember that "cold" and "hot" don't refer to temperature; they refer to what we might call metabolism. Thus, the person with a cold cold could very well have a raging fever and the person with a hot cold may have no fever at all. Similarly, hot foods and herbs are not necessarily cooked, and cold foods and herbs need not be refrigerated.

So how can we tell the difference between a cold cold and a hot cold? And what are cold herbs and hot herbs, cold foods and hot foods?

The person with a cold cold (or a cold flu) is pale. Their bodily fluids are copious and without color: The nose runs with clear or white mucus; the bowels are loose and the feces are light in color; urination is profuse and colorless. The tongue may be coated with a white moss. If there is fever, it is accompanied by chills. The person with a cold cold seeks heat and hot foods.

The person with a hot cold (or a hot flu) is ruddy; the face, or at least the cheeks, are very red. The eyes may feel dry and irritated. Their bodily fluids are scant and dark: nasal mucus is dry, yellowish, or "stopped up;" the bowels slow and feces are hard; urination is infrequent and highly colored. The tongue may be red or coated with a yellow moss. If there is a fever, it is "raging." The person with a hot cold seeks coolness and has little appetite.

When you have a cold cold, indulge your desire for heating foods and herbs: Drink lots of hot spicy herbal teas with honey, such as ginger tea, cinnamon tea, or any of the spicy "Yogi Tea" type blends. Nourish yourself with chicken soup, beef broth, miso soup. Enjoy baked winter squash, baked potatoes, baked yams, baked garlic. Eat lots of olive oil, ghee, butter, olives, and avocados. Eat beans and eat the warming grains: kasha, rye, oats. Stay warm; take a hot bath or a hot shower and wrap up snugly before going to sleep.

When you have a hot cold, indulge your desire for frozen fruit smoothies. Drink lemon and honey water, iced nettle infusion, hibiscus and mint teas. Nourish yourself with seaweed salads, cucumber sandwiches, and fresh tomatoes with basil. Enjoy berries and melons, green salads, and roasted fowl. Eat the cooling grains: corn, millet, spelt. Eat a little something even if your appetite is small. Stay cool; take off your shoes and socks and put your bare feet on the ground. But keep covers handy when you go to sleep.

You see, cold colds turn into hot colds and vice versa. They don't stay the same the whole time you are sick. So be prepared to pull the covers up to your chattering teeth and flowing nose even if you went to bed stuffed up and sweltering. Or to throw off the pile of covers you clutched hours earlier. The real beauty of this idea of hot colds and cold cold is the premise that everything, even a cold, will change and so the cure comes, not from knowing the right answer, but in following the flow of the sickness and offering appropriate treatments. I imagine a balance scale, swinging back and forth between hot and cold, with me gently damping the swings, making each one a little less severe, until single-pointed stillness -- health -- is regained.

Whether dealing with a hot cold or a cold cold, you can eat as much of the neutral nourishing foods -- rice, wheat, fish, honey, and yogurt -- as you wish. But, beware of taking vitamin C while harboring a cold or the flu; it is extremely cooling.

I hope these tips for preventing and dealing with colds and the flu help you, and those you love, stay in glowing good health all winter long.
Green Blessings.
Susun Weed  

 

Healing Wise

by Susun S. Weed
Introduction by Jean Houston.
Superb herbal in the feminine-intuitive mode. Complete instructions for using common plants for food, beauty, medicine, and longevity. Seven herbs -- burdock, chickweed, dandelion, nettle, oatstraw, seaweed, and violet -- are explored in depth.
A Special Tenth Anniversary edition of this classic herbal, profusely illustrated. 312 pages.

Purchase here: http://www.herbalmedicinehealing.com/store/item_view.asp?estore_itemid=1000020

Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Nutmeg

Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Nutmeg 

Susun S Weed

The aroma of winter is wood smoke and evergreen. But winter holidays smell spicy. Herbs that grow only in the tropics — such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, allspice, and vanilla — are called spices. Their aromatic oils and volatile esters entice us with delicious smells and mouth-watering tastes. And spices warm us from the inside, as if we had ingested the tropical sun on a cold day. Spices help preserve food and counter a variety of illnesses, too. Come, sit and warm your feet by the fire. Close your eyes and imagine the dense green forests where aromatic spices grow.

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) made me an outlaw. A toothpick soaked in cinnamon oil was the "drug" of choice in my grade school. No matter how much the adults attempted to dissuade us, no matter how they threatened, we found a way to get our cinnamon "fix." As an adult, I prefer my cinnamon in sticks or finely ground, though I can still vividly recall the hot rush of a fresh cinnamon oil toothpick. Any food can be enhanced with cinnamon, from apple pie to baked beans, from meat marinades to salad dressings. The scent of cinnamon heralds holiday cheer.

Medicinally, cinnamon is a warming tonic. It chases chills, prevents colds, and warms the hands and feet of those who feel cold all the time. Cinnamon has been used for over 2500 years as an appetite enhancer, a stomachic, a carminative, an antimicrobial, an antispasmodic, an anti-rheumatic, and an anti-fungal. A cup of cinnamon tea — made by steeping a cinnamon stick or a scant teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon in a cup of boiling water for no more than ten minutes — is a good way to cheer up and prevent the flu on frosty winter nights.

A cup of cinnamon tea also eases menstrual cramps, soothes sore joints, relieves gas pain, and allays that feeling of fullness after a big meal. A sip or two of cinnamon tea before meals improves digestion and prevents acid reflux. Those who drink cinnamon tea regularly will have less cavities, stronger gums, and fewer insect bites.

Cinnamon made the news recently for its ability to counter diabetes. Modern herbalists are intrigued by its mildly estrogenic and strongly antioxidant effects.

Folk medicine reminds us that cinnamon tea is a gentle but effective remedy for both childhood diarrhea and infestations of worms. In India, cinnamon tea is regarded as a remedy against halitosis, nausea, and vomiting. Cinnamon is frequently used by herbalists everywhere to improve the taste of strong, rooty brews.

The essential oil of cinammon is a good substitute for clove oil in treating toothache. It is particularly effective in killing the organisms that cause periodontal disease.

Those who are pregnant and those with stomach or intestinal ulcers are advised to avoid cinnamon. It can poison. A little of the essential oil of cinnamon (of course the parents were right!) and very large amounts of powdered cinnamon can cause symptoms. Poisoning begins with central nervous system sedation — characterized by sleepiness and depression. This is followed by tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) and stimulation of the vasomotor center, which causes increases in intestinal peristalsis (diarrhea), respiration (panting), and diuresis (perspiration).

Cinnamon has been used for centuries as a perfume and a preservative. It was considered more precious than gold in ancient Egypt where it was valued as essential in embalming. Both Christians and witches are said to have known of the spiritual energy of cinnamon and so included it in their rituals. Why not make cinnamon part of your holiday rituals?

Cardamom (Eelettaria cardamomum) is an exotic spice that is not used much in American cuisine. Perhaps because the powder loses its taste almost immediately. Buy cardamom seeds still sealed in their pods for best flavor and effect.

Chewing cardamom seeds freshens the breath and improves digestion. Herbalists consider cardamom effective for helping the liver, the appetite, the stomach, and the intestines.

In Germany, cardamom is approved for use against the common cold, to relieve coughs, to counter bronchitis, to lower fevers, to ease inflammation of the mouth and pharynx, to resolve liver and gallbladder complaints, to counter loss of appetite, and to improve the ability of the immune system to counter infection.

In folk medicine, cardamom is used, like cinnamon, as a general remedy for all digestive complaints, especially gas. Unlike cinnamon, it is safe for use during pregnancy and a nice way to calm morning sickness. In India, cardamom is considered a remedy against urinary tract problems. Modern medicine is investigating the antiviral properties of cardamom.

For a special winter treat, try freshly-ground cardamom sugar instead of cinnamon sugar on your holiday toast.

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) is another seed valued for its aroma and healing powers. Everyone who's had eggnog has tasted nutmeg. The tight outer covering of nutmeg is the spice called mace.

Modern medicine validates nutmeg’s ability to inhibit diarrhea and slow down the action of the gastrointestinal tract. Folk medicine agrees, using nutmeg against diarrhea, dysentery, inflammation of the mucus membranes, flatulence, and vomiting. Nutmeg has also been shown to effect prostaglandin synthesis and to be a particularly potent antimicrobial. It may also be anti-rheumatic.

Chinese herbalists use nutmeg against diarrhea, worms, and all digestive upsets. In India, herbalists choose nutmeg to relieve headaches, to improve poor vision, to bring sleep to those with insomnia, to lower fever, to ease malaria, to counter impotence, and as an aid when there is general debility. American herbalists view nutmeg as an aromatic, carminative, digestive stimulant, and a hallucinogenic poison.

The oil of nutmeg, applied cautiously and externally, can relieve the pain of rheumatism, sciatica, and neuralgia. When inhaled, it counters respiratory tract infections.

As few as two n utmegs can poison. Overdose symptoms — which can last for up to three days — include stomach pain, nausea, intense thirst, double vision, reddening and swelling of the face, anxiety, lethargy, delirium, and hallucinations. Death from kidney failure may occur.

For best effect, and safety too, heat one whole nutmeg in a cup of full-fat milk for 5-10 minutes, add honey and enjoy. The nutmeg can be rinsed and reused many times.

Like cinammon, nutmeg carries a powerful spiritual/magical energy. Carrying one in your pocket or suitcase is said to insure safe travels.

Green blessing are everywhere, especially in your spice chest.
Happy Holidays!
©. 2009, Susun S Weed

 

Susun Weed’s books:
	Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year Author: Susun S. Weed. Simple, safe remedies for pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and newborns. Includes herbs for fertility and birth control. Foreword by Jeannine Parvati Baker. 196 pages, index, illustrations. Retails for $11.95 Order at: www.wisewomanbookshop.com
	Healing Wise Author: Susun S. Weed. Superb herbal in the feminine-intuitive mode. Complete instructions for using common plants for food, beauty, medicine, and longevity. Introduction by Jean Houston. 312 pages, index, illustrations. Retails for $17.95 Order at: www.wisewomanbookshop.com
	NEW Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way Author: Susun S. Weed. The best book on menopause is now better. Completely revised with 100 new pages. All the remedies women know and trust plus hundreds of new ones. New sections on thyroid health, fibromyalgia, hairy problems, male menopause, and herbs for women taking hormones. Recommended by Susan Love MD and Christiane Northrup MD. Introduction by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. 304 pages, index, illustrations. Retails for $16.95 Order at: www.wisewomanbookshop.com For excerpts visit: www.menopause-metamorphosis.com
	Breast Cancer? Breast Health! Author: Susun S. Weed. Foods, exercises, and attitudes to keep your breasts healthy. Supportive complimentary medicines to ease side-effects of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or tamoxifen. Foreword by Christiane Northrup, M.D. 380 pages, index, illustrations. Retails for $21.95 Order at: www.wisewomanbookshop.com
	Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way Forthcoming Release Publication date: June 21, 2011 Author: Susun S. Weed Simple, successful, strategies cover the entire range of options -- from mainstream to radical -- to help you choose the best, and the safest, ways to optimize sexual and reproductive health. Foreword: Aviva Romm, MD, midwife, 484 pages, Index, illustrations Retails for $29.95 Order at: www.wisewomanbookshop.com

 

For Our Spanish Speaking Wise Women ~ La Luna en tu Vientre

La Luna en tu Vientre

Por Roslyne Sophia Breillat

Traducción: Christian Ortiz

 

La mujer comienza  su viaje lunar interior durante la fase joven de su vida, cuando su vientre comienza a ovular y sangrar con los ciclos de la luna. Esta fase está simbolizada por la media luna en forma una fina luna nueva.

A medida que su cuerpo madura y madura, se mueve a través de la fase de la Madre simbolizada por la redondez brillante de la luna llena. Y a medida que desciende a las profundidades de la sabiduría y al poder de su vientre durante la fase de menopausia, se convierte en la Diosa Oscura, la que vive en el misterio profundo de la fase oscura de la luna.

El reflujo natural y fluido de su naturaleza interior lunar a menudo no son muy reconocidos, incluso son olvidados y reprimidos. Provocando la desconexión interior – exterior  de la  armonía que danza cíclicamente. .

El ciclo menstrual y el sagrado ciclo de la menopausia, están ligados por naturaleza con el ritmo de la luna. Es muy fácil desequilibrarlos cuando te concentras en hacer demasiado, te mantienes muy ocupada, o dedicas demasiado tiempo y energía a los demás; hasta que finalmente te olvidas de nutrirte a ti misma.

Después pierdes el contacto con los susurros misteriosos de la esencia femenina, con tu propia naturaleza receptiva y sabia, y con la habilidad natural de sintonizarse con el lenguaje de la tierra y los ciclos lunares.

Michas mujeres han sido condicionadas a percibir el ciclo menstrual y el de la menopausia como procesos dolorosos, con molestia, irritación, fenómenos incomodos, incluso una maldición que interrumpe su trabajo, su vida social y las actividades de la vida cotidiana. Siempre presionadas a estar en el exterior, terminan perdiendo el contacto con la sacralidad lunar, con la profunda sabiduría de la matriz y su conexión con la tierra. 

La menstruación es un tiempo sagrado, un tiempo bendito en que la esencia femenina, se vuelve hacia adentro y se funde  con un aspecto más profundo de la conciencia femenina. Sin embargo, la sutil sensibilidad y las abundantes bendiciones de este tiempo sagrado no se pueden recibir, disfrutar y honrar si no recibes tu ciclo en conciencia y amor.

Cuando te sintonizas con las fases lunares, con el tiempo oscuro de la luna nueva y con el tiempo lumínico de  de la luna llena, se genera armonía con la naturaleza cíclica de la ovulación, la menstruación y con el profundo misterio cósmico de la matriz.

Las mujeres al terminar sus años de menstruación, entran en fase de  menopausia. Después de haber experimentado el ritmo cíclico y de estar íntimamente inmersas en el ciclo de vaciado menstrual, la reposición y el llenado de la matriz; a veces temen perder el contacto con este proceso cíclico –lunar. Sin embargo, la fase poderosa y sagrada de la menopausia está íntimamente relacionada con los ciclos lunares femeninos.

Después de que la fase menstrual de la vida termina, la psique femenina continúa el flujo y reflujo de los ciclos de la luna desde un lugar más profundo. Desde el vientre de la sabiduría y el poder,  la esencia femenina ahora infunde su conexión con las fases naturales de la tierra y de la luna desde un lugar más profundo en su interior.

Invoca   este poder lunar esplendoroso en tu vientre de mujer en menopausia, es un elixir de luna personal. El  cuerpo y la psique siempre fluyen y refluyen  con la luna creciente de plata hasta la delicada luna nueva, con el brillo dorado de la luna llena, con la profundidad misteriosa de la luna oscura, porque no hay un lugar en tu vientre que deje de danzar cíclicamente con las fases de la luna.

Cuando  la luna esta mas llena y creativa, así estas tú. Cuando ella desaparece en la profundidad de la oscuridad, así también tú lo haces. Cuando se prepara para retornar y crecer, así estas tú. La esencia de la luna siempre está en ti, su belleza, su luz, su oscuridad y sus poderes viven dentro de tu vientre.

http://www.wisewomanuniversity.org/breillat/

Read the Article in English in the Wise Woman Ezine: http://wisewomanherbalezine.com/wordpress/2011/11/15/november-14-2011/

Thank you to Christian for the beautiful translation. Visit Christian's weblog at: http://ladiosaluna.blogspot.com/search?q=wicca

Sage the Savior by Susun Weed

Healing Wise ... Sage the Savior by Susun Weed

Sage the Savior
© 2006 Susun S Weed

As seen printed in Mystic Pop Magazine

The Art of Suzanne Gray

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, flus, 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 leave, 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.

Green Blessings.
Susun S Weed

Healing Wise
Author: Susun S. Weed. Superb herbal in the feminine-intuitive mode. Complete instructions for using common plants for food, beauty, medicine, and longevity. Introduction by Jean Houston. 312 pages, index, illustrations. Retails for $17.95
Order at: www.wisewomanbookshop.com

 

 

 

Old Witches and Crones—not derogatory terms after all

Old Witches and Crones—not derogatory terms after all

Valerie Hadden

 Boston Pagan Examiner

Why are “witches” often depicted as old and ugly, with large noses and chins, and warts on their noses? And what about the word “crone”? Is it always derogatory? The answers are tied in with paganism, Witchcraft, and the veneration of age, femininity, and wisdom.

Jenny, a pagan living in Massachusetts, writes, “Over the years I heard the old decrepit witch with a wart explained to me as the village wise woman. She is now old, has seen the years go by, has helped people with herbs, healed the sick, delivered babies, etc. As we age our nose and ears grow bigger, more wrinkles, etc. I thought it was a nice way to think of her.”....

Read the rest of Valerie's article here: http://www.examiner.com/pagan-in-boston/old-witches-and-crones-not-derogatory-terms-after-all

How to Use the Seven Rivers of Healing

How to Use the Seven Rivers of Healing
Excerpt from Seven Rivers of Healing
© 2008 Susun S Weed

Art by Josephine Wall

 

To insure the greatest benefit and the least harm from our pursuit of a healing, we begin in the First River and move on deeper and deeper into the Rivers (from the First to the Second, and so on) until we achieve our envisioned state of well being or transformation. We gauge when to move on to the next step by setting time frames. When we investigate the options (River Two), reasonable time frames for working with our individual problem are part of the information we gather.

Setting time frames helps us feel in control of our transformation/healing (even when we've agreed to be out of control). We are neither condemned to hold out until the time frame is up nor forced to go on to the next River when the time frame has expired. We can abandon the time frame and move more quickly to the next River or Rivers; we can renew it or lengthen it for a set amount of time.

Having a time frame literally gives us a frame for our healing, a way to know when to be patient and when to move on, a way to avoid denial while giving ourselves every opportunity to heal with the least invasive methods.

You may move from River to River, prompted by your time frames or inner urgings. One by one, each River, each water, can be tested to see if it is the elixir you seek. When you are done exploring energetic connections in the Third River, for instance, you move on to the Fourth River.

Or you may add on one River at a time. You continue to embrace emptiness, continue to investigate options, and continue to explore energetic connections even as you move into the Fourth River.

Or you may jump into the ocean and use all of the Rivers of Healing at once. This oceanic or global approach to the Seven Rivers is especially helpful in emergencies when time frames for the first four Rivers may be measured in minutes, and it may be absolutely imperative to quickly make use of the last two Rivers (drugs and surgery).

 

Not All Rivers Are Equal

The Seven Rivers of Healing may be broken into two groups: the first four and the last three. The first four steps build health. They are subtle and may be slow in action. The last three make big, quick changes to health, but may erode it as well as improve it. Because they are powerful and rapid in their effects, the last three Rivers of Healing are used more often than the first four, and given more respect.

When we take the time to use the first four Rivers of Healing, instead of rushing immediately into the use of drugs and surgery (the last two Rivers), we reap many benefits. The First River of Healing--Embrace Emptiness--prepares us for our healing journey, allowing us to move into the Second River from a place of calm, instead of fear. Meditation and relaxation practices are well known for increasing general health and improving the outcome of surgery.

The Second River of Healing--Investigate Options--provides us with a map and the navigational tools we need to safely move into deeper waters of healing. And it helps us focus on ourselves with a keen and discerning eye, making us more likely to notice deviations while they are easy to correct.

The Third River of Healing--Explore Energetic Connections--reminds us that we are all part of everything, and that everything has an effect on us. Regular use of prayer, affirmation, visualization, creative imagination, and group support are recognized as profoundly important allies to all other modes of healing.

The Fourth River of Healing--Strengthen and Increase Health--grounds us in our day-to-day needs for optimum nutrition and vigorous mental and physical activities and gives us the stamina and flexibility to make the best use of the faster, deeper Rivers.

In short, the first four Rivers benefit overall health, improve overall functioning, and magnify your body's innate ability to heal.

 

These Rivers Flow Both Ways

When we feel our healing is complete, there is a temptation to stop taking care of ourselves, to put down the weight of attention we have created. But these Rivers don't to move in one direction only. They are meant to carry us back home before our journey is done.

Should we find healing in the Seventh River, we don't want to stay there. Its waters are too turbulent to dwell in for long. So we move back to the Sixth River. As our health improves we let go of our need for drugs and move to the Fifth River. Then to the Fourth and Third.

We may set time limits for moving back through the Rivers, or allow our intuition to guide us. Eventually we return to the Second River, which is now called Share Information. And from there it is an easy trip to the First River, the waters of the source, the spring, where we drink in once more the peace of All and Nothing.

Instead of seeing injury and illness as a problem, the Wise Woman Tradition sees them as gateways for transformation, as ways to focus on, and magnify, health and wholeness. By retracing our path back along the Seven Rivers of Healing, we avoid reliance on short term solutions, and not only heal our injury or illness, but revitalize ourselves in the process.

When we go back through each step, we encounter multiple levels of our well being, magnify the richness of our experiences, promote self understanding, increase our sense of fitting into the universe, and allow ourselves to connect with peace and laughter, no matter how serious the health problem we've dealt with.

Seven Rivers of Healing

A 46 week self study course with Susun Weed

SEVEN RIVERS OF HEALING Have you ever felt amazed and overwhelmed by all the different approaches to healing available to you?  Susun Weed's Seven Rivers of Healing provides a clear path through the maze of health care choices.

Relieve your anxiety, enlighten your mind, and empower yourself through the personal delivery of easy-to-access knowledge.  Rediscover your inner wisdom with this 46 week self-study course brought right to your email inbox each week once you join.

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DEPRESSED? WISE WOMAN WAYS OFFER A HELPING HAND

DEPRESSED?

WISE WOMAN WAYS OFFER A HELPING HAND

2002, Susun S. Weed

Winter time is depression time for many women. Perhaps it is harder to look at the bright side when days are short, perhaps the holidays and family demands take their toll on us. Of course, depression can also be triggered by lack of thyroid hormone and by use of steroids, high blood pressure drugs, and ERT/HRT.

But most often the cause of depression is the belief (valid or not) that nothing you do makes any difference. Victimization and poverty lock women into depression. More than one-third of all American women have been victims of sexual or physical abuse; and women make up more than two-thirds of all Americans who live below poverty level. Yet our culture frowns on women who express their anger. No wonder depression is a woman's issue.

“Look here,” Grandmother Growth motions to you as she spreads her story blanket at your feet. “See how depression is deeply woven with anger and grief. When our need for reliable, joyous intimacy is frustrated, and expression of our frustration would endanger us, depression comes and protects us. When there is no way to deal effectively with situations that enrage us, depression comes and helps us quiet our violent impulses.

“Depression is not an easy companion on your journey, but she knows much about life. In her bundle, she carries the anger you have carefully frozen with frigid blasts of fear and kept nourished with your pain. She carries your wholeness. She carries your ability to go beyond the pain, your ability to allow your rage to move you into health. She carries your wholeness. Will you let her teach you?"

Wise Woman remedies don’t seek to eliminate our feelings, or turn “negative” ones into “positive” ones, but to help us incorporate all of our feelings into our wholeness/health/holiness.

Welcome the dark. Cherish the deepness. Give yourself over to a day or two of doing nothing. Then, get up, no matter how bad you feel. Set a goal for the day and meet it. Smile - it releases brain chemicals that make you feel good. Smile no matter what. Do it as an exercise. Hate it while you do it. But SMILE!

Homeopathic remedies include Arum metallicum, for women with frequent thoughts of suicide who feel cut off from love and joy; and Sepia, for women who are disinterested in everything, angry at family and friends, and just want to be left alone.

It’s more than idle chatter that depression comes with gray skies and happiness with sunny ones. For emotional health (and strong bones) get 15 minutes of sunlight on your uncovered eyelids (outside, no glasses, no contacts) daily. If you can’t get out (or if the sun doesn’t cooperate), wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual. (You can stay in bed, but keep those eyes open.)

Sing the blues; dance ‘em too. Women have depended on songs and dances to carry them out of depression for centuries. Dance therapy is more effective than talk therapy for reaching and healing traumatic experiences. Even a single session may have a dramatic effect.

Find your rage and write it down. Get a massage and let the anger move out of the muscles. Volunteer to help change something you are upset about, even a small thing.

St. Joan’s/John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) lives in very sunny locations and blooms at summer solstice. I call it bottled sunshine. A dropperful of the bright red tincture taken 1-3 times daily has helped many women relieve SAD (seasonal affective disorder), move through grief, ease the physical pain of depression, and walk on the sunny side! CAUTION: Hypericum in capsules is not as effective and can cause unwanted side effects.

Oatstraw infusion (not tea, tincture, or capsules) has been an ally for depressed women since earliest times. Gentle Avena nourishes the nerves and helps you remember why life is worth living. To make an infusion: Brew one ounce by weight of dried herb (that's a cup by volume) in a quart jar filled to the top with boiling water. Steep for at least four hours, then strain and refrigerate your infusion. Drink as many cups a day as you wish. Or make an oatstraw bath by adding two quarts of infusion to your bath water.

Garden sage (Salvia) is an ancient ally for emotionally-distressed women. In some societies, only crones were allowed to drink the brew made from the nubbly leaves (at least partly because it delays menses and dries up breast milk). Make an infusion (see oatstraw); drink by mixing a few spoonfuls of the dense brew into hot water or warm milk; add honey to taste. The undiluted infusion keeps for weeks refrigerated.

Behavioral and interpersonal therapies are as effective as drugs in relieving depression. Not only that, two-thirds of those who simply read about therapy improve significantly.

Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, especially soon after awakening, has been shown to help women whose depression is resistant to all treatments, including drugs.

Sleep less. If you are a woman who overproduces a normal depression-causing substance which accompanies sleep you will feel depressed and often find it difficult to wake up. Sleeping more will only compound the problem. Instead, stay up all night once a week. If you can’t cope with no sleep, even mild sleep deprivation (such as sleeping five hours or less for two nights in a row) dramatically decreases depressive symptoms in some people.

Low levels of calcium, zinc, and B vitamins are associated with depression. Get more by eating more cheese and yogurt, more garlic and mushrooms, more whole grains and beans.

Lack of vitamin B12 doubles the risk of severe depression for older women. This critical nutrient, found only in animal products, is destroyed by tofu and soy beverage. Drink real milk, eat real cheese, eat meat at least occasionally and watch your mood improve :)

1600 mg of SAM-e (A-adenosylmethionine) relieved the symptoms of moderate depression as well as imipramine, but no better than Hypericum (St. J's wort). CAUTION: Of the brands tested by Consumer Reports, only Natrol, Nature Made, TwinLab, and GNC passed all tests.

Avoid hormone replacement - ERT/HRT - if you're depressed; it's strongly associated with an increase in suicide attempts.

Women who used to take lithium say they have gradually switched over to skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). A dose of infusion is one cup/250 ml or more per day; of fresh plant tincture is 5-8 drops twice a day; of the dried plant tincture is a dropperful/1 ml several times a day. CAUTION: Skullcap can make you sleepy.

For women whose depression resists all other therapies, electro-convulsive treatments (ECT), previously known as shock treatments, have been updated with special care taken to minimize harm. The women I spoke with who were using ECT told me it was incredibly effective, and the side-effects, including severe memory loss, acceptable to them.

From doing nothing, to ECT, the range of remedies available to depressed women is enormous. To help you choose wisely, these effective, simple Wise Woman remedies are in order of safety: the safest remedies first, and the most dangerous ones last. This Excerpt is a shortened version of the depression section in New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way, available at www.wisewomanbookshop.com or through your favorite bookseller.

Glorious Goldenrod by Susun S Weed

Glorious Goldenrod
© 2006 Susun S Weed

As seen printed in Mystic Pop Magazine

I love autumn; don't you? The days shorten and fall colors thrill my senses. Perennial roots get busy storing nourishment that will last them through the winter. And the meadows bloom with purple asters and riotous goldenrod flowers.

Goldenrod (the Solidago genus, Asteracea family) is one of my favorite plants, and hopefully, soon it will be one of your favorites too.

Before you complain that goldenrod is a pest and you're allergic to it, let me set the record straight: You aren't. No one is, no one can be, allergic to goldenrod pollen. Why? It has virtually none. What little pollen it makes is sticky, all the better to stick onto insects who pollinate the goldenrod. Only wind-pollinated plants -- like ragweed (Ambrosia artemisifolia), which blooms at the same time as goldenrod, and has an especially irritating pollen -- make enough pollen, and spread it widely enough, to cause allergic reactions.

Set aside your mistaken bad thoughts about lovely goldenrod, and, if you can, visit a patch. Goldenrod is a wide-spread wild plant in North America (found from Florida to New Hampshire and west into Texas), Europe, and Asia. Goldenrod is also treasured as a garden plant from New Zealand to Germany, and has become a highly-successful weed in Japan. So, no matter where you live as you read this article, it is likely that you can find a patch of goldenrod.

It is rare to see one goldenrod plant growing alone; it multiplies by sending out root runners, so there are usually dozens of plants growing densely together. Notice all the bees and insects happily crawling about on goldenrod's numerous small yellow flowers.

There are many types of goldenrod, and you are likely to find several kinds if you look around. The species Solidago canadensis and S. odora are considered the most medicinal (and the tastiest), but all species of goldenrod are safe and beneficial and can be used to help the immune system get ready for winter.

Goldenrod tonics are easy to make. Harvest any goldenrod by cutting the top third of the plant in full flower on a sunny fall day. Or, respectfully pull the entire plant, roots and all, in the late autumn or early winter. Then follow the simple directions below. Note: You can use any size jar when making a vinegar or a tincture, so long as you fill it full.

To dry flowering goldenrod:
Bundle 2-3 stalks together and hang upside down in a cool, shady room until thoroughly dry. When the stalks snap crisply, store the dried herb in brown paper bags. One or two large handfuls of crushed leaves and flowers, steeped in a quart of boiling water for thirty minutes makes a tea that can be used hot, with honey, to counter allergies (especially pollen allergies), fevers, sore throats, coughs, colds and the flu; or taken cold to relieve colic in babies, and gas in adults. Dried mint and/or yarrow are tasty, and useful, additions when making goldenrod flower tea.

To dry goldenrod roots:
Rinse dirt off the roots, then cut away all th estalks, leaves and dead flowers. If possible, hang your roots over a woodstove to dry; if not, place them on racks and put them in a warm place to dry until brittle. Store in glass jars. Depending on the difficulty you are addressing, goldenrod root tea may be made with large or small amounts of the roots brewed or decocted in boiling water. Or the roots may be powdered, alone or mixed with flowers, and applied to hard-to-heal wounds and sore joints.

To make a goldenrod vinegar:
Chop the goldenrod coarsely, filling a jar with chopped flowers, leaves, stalks (and roots if you have them); then fill the jar to the top with room-temperature, pasteurized, apple cider vinegar. Cap it tightly with a plastic lid. (Metal lids will be eroded by the action of the vinegar. If you must use one, protect it with several layers of plastic between it and the vinegar.) Be sure to label your vinegar with the date and contents. Your goldenrod vinegar will be ready to use in six weeks to improve mineral balance, help prevent kidney stones, eliminate flatulance, and improve immune functioning.

To make a goldenrod tincture:
Chop the goldenrod coarsely, filling a jar with chopped flowers, leaves, stalks (and roots if you have them); then add 100 proof vodka, filling the jar to the very top. Cap tightly and label. Your goldenrod tincture will be ready to use in six weeks, by the dropperful, as an anti-inflammatory, a sweat-inducing cold cure, and an astringent digestive aid. Medical herbalists use large doses (up to 4 dropperfuls at a time) of goldenrod tincture several times daily to treat kidney problems -- including nephritis, hemorrhage, kidney stones, and inability to void -- and prostate problems, including frequent urination.

The colonists called goldenrod tea "Liberty Tea," for they drank it instead of black tea after the Boston Tea Party. In fact, Liberty Tea proved so popular, it was exported to China! Let goldenrod liberate you, too. Herbal medicine is people's medicine, a gift from Mama Earth to us.

Green Blessings.
Susun S Weed

Online Course with Susun Weed
Menopausal Allies
( Link to detailed description of: Menopausal Allies )

Mentor: Susun Weed

This course will look at menopause as puberty prime, as a metamorphosis, and as the springboard for the last fifty years of our lives. You will mine gems of wisdom from how you dealt with your first puberty, recast your problems as allies during menopausal withdrawal, meltdown, and emergence, and learn how to use herbal allies to create yourself as wise old crone – juicy, vital, vibrant, strong-boned, hale-hearted, and gleeful. You will look at the facts behind some of the prevalent myths of and learn which herbal allies are better choices. You will learn about herbal allies for menopause: herbs for dealing with fertility, mood and emotion, sex, hot flashes, sleepless nights, lack of libido, and your own personal problems. I invite you to join our circle, a menopausal moon lodge, as it were, of women honoring themselves and reweaving the healing cloak of the Ancients.

find out more about Menopausal Allies

Susun Weed, author of the Wise Woman Herbal series, is an extraordinary teacher with a joyous spirit, a powerful presence, and an extensive knowledge of herbs and health.

Ms. Weed is the voice of the Wise Woman Tradition, empowering women worldwide to reclaim their health and wellbeing through knowledge, simply and safely.   

Susun Weed is the founder of the Wise Woman University.

Now Remember Rosemary by Susun Weed

   Now Remember Rosemary

by Susun Weed

As seen printed in Mystic Pop Magazine

 

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 member 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 Bairacle 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 goal-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.

As seen printed in Mystic Pop Magazine, www.mysticpopmagazine.com

© 2007, Susun S Weed

Optimum Nutrition the Wise Woman Way - 3 CD set
Susun Weed. Green Nations Gathering 1996.

Simple secrets of optium nutrition, beyond rules, beyond heroics.

How to find, choose, prepare, and consume nutrient-dense foods that build vitality, joy, and superior health. Follow digestion from start to finish, encounter the mysterious cell wall, and marvel at the microbes that feed you.

Learn about the health-negative effects of vitamin/mineral supplements, problems with sprouts and juices, long-term difficulties caused by low fat, vegan, macrobiotic, and raw food diets.

Price: $30.00

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