Healing Wise

Garlic Honey

Garlic Honey

One of my favorite remedies to have on hand for the winter is garlic honey. It is super easy to make and ready almost immediately to counter sore throats, colds, the flu, lung congestion, and sinus problems.

I use a smallish jar (4-8 ounces/125-250ml) with a good lid. First I fill it with unpeeled garlic cloves. If I have some tiny onions from the garden, I add those too. Then I pour honey over it all, using a chop stick to poke the honey down into the garlic. After screwing on the lid, I label the jar with the contents and date.

Overnight, so it seems, the garlic and honey combine to create a divine elixir that may be taken by the spoonful right out of the jar.

As it ages, both the honey and the garlic darken. After a couple of months, the garlic is suffused with honey and is lovely to eat.

Garlic honey has never spoiled, no matter how long I have kept it (at room temperature). It is not know to develop botulism. As with all honey, do not give to children less than one year old.

 

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Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes.

We get far more nutrition from cooked tomatoes than from raw ones, and more pleasure too. Extra virgin olive oil and garlic reduce cholesterol.

* Lay about a pound of cherry tomatoes on a lipped cookie sheet.
* Thinly slice 4-5 cloves of garlic and spread over tomatoes.
* Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
* Lay several springs of your favorite aromatic herb on top – thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano.
* Put this lovely mélange into a very slow oven – 250F – and bake for 2 ½ hours.
* Serve warm with green salad, goat cheese, and crusty bread.

 

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Indigestion

Indigestion

A caller talks about her gum inflammation and then about the honey in slippery elm balls possibly causing her gum issues. She takes slippery elm balls every day for indigestion. Susun tells her she can drink slippery elm as a tea, and then goes on to ask more about the callers acid indigestion. The caller talks about her diet. Susun gives her ideas for changing her food choices.
This audio is 14 minutes long

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Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call or Skype in: 1-646-929-2463, with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

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Elder Flower Champagne

Elder Flower Champagne

I learned how to make this in New Zealand twenty years ago and have made it yearly since. The best part? It is ready to drink in a few days. I share two recipes with you. Both are wonderful but they do taste slightly different.

Oraina’s Elder Flower Champagne
7-10 heads of elder blossoms
1 pound white sugar
2-3 lemons
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
16 cups water

Dissolve sugar in four cups of boiling water.
Slice lemons thinly. Put lemons, sugar water, vinegar, and the rest of the water into a plastic bucket
or other non-metal container.
Lastly, add elder blossoms, heads down. Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours, then strain, bottle, and cork.
(The lemons can be used for a second batch of champagne.)
Leave for as long as possible before drinking.
I have kept some for as much as a dozen years.

Simply Living Elder Flower Champagne
10 heads of elder flowers
4 lemons
1 heaping tablespoon of cream of tartar
2 cups white sugar
18 cups water

Grate lemon rind finely; only the colored part, not the bitter white part.
Then cut the lemons and squeeze the juice.
Combine lemon rind, lemon juice, sugar, water, cream of tartar, and elder flowers in a plastic bucket or
other non-metal container.
Cover loosely and leave for 24 hours, then strain, bottle, and cork.
Ready to drink in a week!

 

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Acid reflux

Acid reflux and PPI's

A caller on blogtalkradio talks about her stomach issues and asks Susun if she should stop taking PPI's. Susun gives her some ideas to help repair her hernia and stomach issues, such as slippery elm balls and comfrey infusion.
This audio is just over 5:00 minutes long.

 

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Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call in with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

Visit the link for more info:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed

 

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If you're ready to go deeper with your herbal studies, join Susun on her Mentorship website. Get new content weekly such as the expanded herbal ezine, replays of teleseminars, videos, audio of Susuns past lectures, many articles by Susun, and even personal one on one mentorship from Susun.
www.wisewomanmentor.com

Arame Dressed Up by Marie Summerwood

Arame Dressed Up
by Marie Summerwood

serves 4

Seaweed is sexy : )

2 large handfuls dried arame
1 medium onion,diced
l c fresh burdock root, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1/2 c unhulled sesame seeds
1-2 TB olive oil or butter
2 TB tamari or to taste water to soak and cook
1 c grated raw daikon

Soak arame in abundant water as it will expand at least twofold. In the summer you can soak it for an hour and eat it. Always lift it out of the soaking water, leaving any sand in the bottom of the bowl. It is a cooling food, so in the winter you can soak it 20 minutes then cook it uncovered in fresh water for 45 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a dry cast iron skillet, roast the sesame seeds over medium heat. Stir or shake pan attentively until the seeds become fragrant. If they crackle and pop more than gently, the heat is too high. They are done with easily crushed between the fingers.
Heat the oil or butter and saute the opinions until they are translucent. Add the carrot and burdock and saute 7 minutes or so until the vegs are cooked. Add the arame, daikon and tamari and cover, steaming until it's all hot together. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds just before serving.

 

Marie Summerwood came by her dedication to the goddess early on in life. Her mother named her after Mary, and Anne, Mary's mother. At her Catholic confirmation she took the name Elizabeth, Mary's cousin. Read about Marie's love for her magnificent cooking at the Wise Woman Center. Learn more about her fabulous CD Women's Sacred Chants.

Easy Power Oatmeal

Easy Power Oatmeal
Serves 2
Oatmeal is a wonder food! It lowers cholesterol, restores libido, strengthens the nerves, and, with the addition of slippery elm and seaweed, heals the whole digestive system.

* Put 3 cups of cold water in a saucepan.
* Add ¼ cup nereocystis seaweed broken into small pieces.
* Bring to a boil.
* Measure out 1 cup of organic rolled oats
* Add to that cup of oats, 1-3 tablespoonfuls of slippery elm powder
* Add to boiling water.

Stir. Lower heat and cook until done, fifteen minutes or more.
(Note: The seaweed is salty, so no need to add any extra salt while cooking.)
Serve with organic butter for hormone health or maple syrup for added antioxidants.

 

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Vegetable Soup Stock

Vegetable Soup Stock

A quart of this in the freezer guarantees hearty winter soups in half the time.

Skins and ends from 4-6 onions
Stalks from a bunch of parsley
Dill stalks and seed heads
Optional: Dried or fresh celery leaves
Optional: Carrot, parsnip, or beet ends
Optional: 4-6 leaves of beets, or chard
1 tablespoonful sea salt
3-4 quarts cold water

Save the ends from your vegetable preparation for a week, excluding cabbage-family plants, and you will be ready to make this tasty broth, with perhaps only the purchase of a bunch of parsley.

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Tightly cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2-3 hours.
Cool. Refrigerate or freeze. Should make at least 2 quarts of broth.

 

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If you're ready to go deeper with your herbal studies, join Susun on her Mentorship website. Get new content weekly such as the expanded herbal ezine, replays of teleseminars, videos, audio of Susuns past lectures, many articles by Susun, and even personal one on one mentorship from Susun.
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Basic Herbal Pesto

Basic Herbal Pesto

©  Susun S Weed

 

PESTOS

 

The simplest pesto is green leaves pounded with salt and garlic. I don't put cheese or nuts into my pestos when I make them, as these ingredients spoil rapidly.

I use a mini-size food prep machine for the "pounding". A blender will work too, but watch that you don't burn out the motor.

The oil in a pesto both preserves the antioxidant vitamins in the fresh green herbs and also softens the cell walls so minerals become more available. With the added health-benefits of garlic, herbal pestos are great medicine as well as superb eating.

 

Basic Herbal Pesto

 

Stays good for up to two years in a cool refrigerator; up to five years in the freezer.

 

• Start with half a cup of extra virgin olive oil.
• Add 2-4 coarsely chopped cloves of garlic.
• Add a good sprinkle of sea salt.
• Add a large handful of prepared herb leaves and blend.
• Continue adding leaves and oil as needed. Perhaps more garlic and salt? Blend.
• When all is blended to a fare thee well, pack your pesto into a skinny jar.
• Leave some space between the pesto and the top of the jar and fill this with olive oil.
• Cap, label, and refrigerate.

 

Green Herbs for Pesto

 

Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Garlic mustard (Alliaria officinalis)
Sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
Violet (Viola species)
Yellow dock (Rumex crispus)

 

 

Raw vs cooked food

Raw vs cooked food

A caller on blogtalkradio asks about eating salad with oil & vinegars. Susun talks about eating wild salads and that covering them in oil "cooks" the vegetables and herbs.
She says cooked greens are more nutritious.

 

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Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call or Skype in: 1-646-929-2463, with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

Visit the link for more info:
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Plantain Honey

Plantain Honey
Used to counter coughs and improve digestion.

* Harvest vibrant green plantain leaves at any time of their growth.
* Chop them finely and fill a jar with the fresh chopped leaves.
* Slowly pour honey over the leaves.
* Stir it a bit with a chop stick and add more honey.
* Let it sit overnight and add more honey until it is really full.
* Wipe the jar. Label.

You can begin to use it in a few weeks, but optimum strength is achieved in six weeks.

 

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Summer Milkweed Blossom Salad

Summer Milkweed Blossom Salad

All parts of the milkweed contain a mild poison. Just as the monarch caterpillar can eat some and survive, so can we. Just don’t overdo it, or you may experience gastrointestinal distress.

2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups fruit of the season
½ cup milkweed flowers
¼ cup roasted nuts

Prepare the fruit by removing pits or seeds and cutting into bite sized pieces. Strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and peaches are in my markets when the milkweed is blooming.

Put the cottage cheese into a serving bowl. Add prepared fruit and milkweed blossoms and stir gently to mix. Sprinkle nuts on top and serve.

 

 

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Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call in with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

Visit the link for more info:
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If you're ready to go deeper with your herbal studies, join Susun on her Mentorship website. Get new content weekly such as the expanded herbal ezine, replays of teleseminars, videos, audio of Susuns past lectures, many articles by Susun, and even personal one on one mentorship from Susun.
www.wisewomanmentor.com

Fairy Salad

Fairy Salad

16 Violet (Viola) flowers
8 Periwinkle (Vinca minor) blossoms
24 Creeping Jenny (Glechoma hederacea) tops
12 Purple dead-nettle (Lamium purpurea) tops
12 Dandelion blossoms
12 Forsythia blossoms
32 blossoms from garlic mustard or any other wild cress
8 springs of wild oregano or any other wild mint
8-16 tender cronewort tops

For best results, all ingredients in this salad must be wild. Growing wild in your garden does count as wild. You can substitute or leave out any ingredient except the cronewort tops and the violet blossoms.

Give thanks as you harvest each blossom, each leaf. Be aware of the gifts you are receiving. Open yourself to the realm of the fairies as you touch each plant. Invoke the fairies as you make your salad, as you drizzle tamari on it, as you add some wild chive vinegar or cronewort vinegar, and as you slosh on the olive oil. Give thanks. Invite the fairies to join you as you consciously eat the green (and yellow and blue and purple and silver) blessings that you have gathered for your meal. Give thanks.

And when you awaken, you will remember your beautiful dream of the fairies.

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Essential Oils

Essential Oils

Essential oils cannot be made easily at home. They are the pure plant oil, usually extracted by chemicals or hot steam. Hundreds of pounds of fresh plant material may produce only ounces of essential oil.

Essential oils are intended for external use. They can be fatally poisonous if taken internally in quantity. They are also highly irritating to the mucus surfaces of the body (genitals, mouth, eyes, etc.) and may cause allergic skin reactions in some people. Be certain to keep all essential oils well out of the reach of children.

How does the body work? A basic tenet of the Wise Woman Tradition as I have taught it for more than forty years is that our gut determines our health. It is now widely acknowledged that gut flora determines our physical health, our emotional health, and even our spiritual well-being.

Gut flora is the term we use to collectively identify the thousands of different yeasts, bacteria, and micro-organisms that live in our large and small intestines.

All essential oils are antifungal (kill yeasts), antibacterial (kill bacteria), and anti-microbial (kill small things). In short, all essential oils kill gut flora. They kill gut flora when inhaled, put on the body, or used orally. Lack of gut flora interferes with the immune system, makes the cells more resistant to insulin, and raises cholesterol, to name but a few of the problems associated with damage to gut flora.

Aspirin is made by extracting, concentrating, and purifying a plant compound found in willow. Essential oils are made by extracting, concentrating, and purifying the volatile oils found in plants. The processes are the same; the result is the same; there is no way to deny that essential oils are drugs, not herbal medicines. As such, they have detrimental side effects, and – while useful to kill pathogens – are not recommended for everyday use, even as “aromatherapy.”

Instead: Use natural scent therapy. Use scented plants infused in oils ...

Learn more here:
http://www.wisewomanmentor.com/wise-woman-ezine/4178949

And here, Making Infused Oils:
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/July09/breasthealth.htm

Red Lentil Pate

Red Lentil Pate
serves 4-6

Very user friendly bean, the red lentil.

2 TB + 2 tsp good olive oil
4 c boiling water
2 c red lentils, check for stones
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 med onion, chopped, 1 c
1 c cooked sea palm fronds, chopped
3/4 tsp dried rosemary, freshly ground is best
1 tsp good quality salt
1 TB umeboshi vinegar

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet. Add onions and saute for 3 - 4 minuates then add the garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the sea palm fronds and the lentils. Saute, add more olive oil if necessary, to coat the lentils and the vegetables. Saute 3-5 minutes until quite hot, then add boiling water. Stir and bring to the simmer, cover and let cook low for 20-25 minutes until lentils are fully cooked and will fall apart when you stir them. At this point, add another 2 tsp's of olive oil, the rosemary, the salt and the umeboshi vinegar. Stir well.
Serve hot with rice and chutney and sauteed bok choy. The pate will set up some if allowed to sit for an hour or two. You can serve it cold on crackers. You can add water and tamari or miso broth to make a gravy or a soup.