Plant Wisdom and the Bones
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Bone is the hardest of human tissue. Bone is active. Bone is living. Bone is reborn every ten years with new bone in a process called remodeling.
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Lessons on the Road to Hana
/I studied the Hawaiian healing art of Lomi Lomi in 2016 and it transformed my healing practice. I was a reluctant massage therapist. I considered myself an herbalist and my connection to my massage “profession” was out of alignment of my calling.
Have you ever been called over and over again to something? For a few months in 2015- I would receive dreams and nudges to seek out training in Hawaii. My guides? Guardian angels? Ancestors?
Maybe.
This is an excerpt from the journalling I did following my mastership training on the Island of Maui.
My Kumu (teacher) Chucky is a wild driver. He takes the curves of the Road to Hana on the island of Maui to a’nother level. I rode shotgun on a trip to Hana one morning and learned about plant medicine and the healing art of Lomi Lomi along the way.
Chucky is a quiet Hawaiian man who seems to never miss a thing. Every day in our resident mastership training, he sits to the right of my Kumu Jeana. For some reason, we’re just happy he’s there. He rarely speaks but when he does , you listen. It’s a long way to Hana and Chucky and I only spoke about herbs and lomi for a matter of minutes- this is what I learned.
A lomi Ohana (family) approach to illness/disharmony/dysfunction is taken in steps.
#1 is pule, prayer
#2 is lifestyle changes. Or as they say in Hawaii, living ‘Pono’- the basics of eating well, exercise and managing stress. Also living in right relationship with self and others.
#3 is Lomi. Hands on touch to open the core and extremities, improving movement, organ function- the works.
#4 is , wait for it… Herbs/plant medicine.
At the time; as an herbalist- I am shocked to hear this.
Herbs are #4?! I have to wait until I have prayed about my body?? I have to change and address my lifestyle/habits? I have to get in alignment with my muscles and bones to optimise organ function through healing touch?
And then, only then, do I get to use powerful herbs to “fix” everything.
What is this nonsense?
In typical Chucky fashion, he just watched the road as he took the next curve to Hana. With each passing car and Shaka wave, I sat next to Chucky and let it set in awhile.
‘Yes, Erin. Herbs are last because after prayer, lifestyle change, healing touch and living in right alignment- you are in harmony.
You are healed.’
My respect for lomi increased that day. I began to understand the significance of this work. I saw the herbs as an extension of my hands as lomi practitioner, not the quick fix of matching herb to issue.
Being #4 doesn’t reduce the significance of the herbs; quite the opposite.
They are the elders of the tribe, hanging out, just in case. I sometimes feel them when I am providing Lomi Lomi in sessions. They remind me that they are there.
Like Chucky, they just quietly stand by if I need them.
And when they speak, I listen.
Willow, Salix sp.
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Willow, Salix sp. Salix derived from the Celtic “Sal”, near and “ix” for water. Water, in itself is such a healing element- it is easy to see how willow captures its grace, strength and flexibility just by watching it move with the flow of the surrounding water. Tree medicine in willow is similar to the alder, cottonwood and birch- all contain salicin and all can be found near water with the exception of the Birch which has a more widespread ecology.
Read MoreMaking Delicious Herbal Salts
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Fresh herb salts are a simple way to integrate wild foods into your kitchen and into the palate of those you love. What better way to get your family to eat wild foods than to having it on your kitchen table as a salt alternative or sprinkled on popcorn to really get their attention?
Read MoreChickweed, Stellaria media
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Have you had the pleasure of sitting with our star girl, Chickweed? You can look close at the star-like flowers and feel the chill, cool vibes she emanates. Literally place your hands above chickweed on a hot day and you can feel the coolness. Want to feel cool in heated situations? Ally with Chickweed!
Read MoreWild Food & Wild Medicine
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I am convinced that the wave of interest in local flora is not a trend but a kind of knowing. People are slowing shifting from a comfort level with our health care system and realizing a basic understanding of how herbs and local plants can support and heal our bodies may just come in handy.
Read MoreWildcrafting vs. Gardening
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If I had to pick one- I'd say I am a gardener over a wildcrafter. I like to have the plants close to me all the time, like a trusted friend or sibling. But when I am in the forest, I feel like I am a wildcrafter or, as a friend coined the term, wildtender. Lucky for me, I don't have to choose. I get to have both.
Read MoreUsnea- The Old Man's Beard of Winter
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The Old Man’s Beard is always present but takes pause and allows the surrounding plants to shine in the spring and fall, quietly hanging out (literally) in the back drop of the seasonal foliage. Old Man’s Beard is not actually a plant, but a lichen. A lichen is part algae and part fungus. It dehydrates with the summer season and becomes a lighter green and a bit scratchier self which is its subtle way of saying “I think I will hang here quietly and not get your attention. It is not the time of year(for harvest.)”
Read MoreGet to know Elecampane
/I like the idea of Tiny Farms. It's really what most folks can afford. I was listening to an interview with my friend Skeeter and he posed the question “If there's Tiny Houses, why not Tiny Farms?
Why not indeed?
Why wait for a dream property of 50 acres when you can produce all you need for yourself and family on a city lot?
Read MoreBreathe Easy
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Okay, so you get a cold and the sinuses are so congested you run to the store for a nasal decongestant that kind of works but ends up just making you groggy. You think, there must be something I can do to open these sinuses...
Or, you have a cough that is so persistent you couldn’t possibly make it through that meeting at work.
What if I told you that some simple herbal remedies would help reduce the frequency, severity and length of your illness? Would you like some help knowing what you can do to reduce the symptoms of cough, ear infections, sinus issues and understanding the physiology of fevers?
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Know Your Roots
/To the untrained eye there is not a lot going on herbally right in the Fall. Leaves are falling and aside from berries and seed, herbaceous plants are waning into the autumn light.
But a party is going on beneath the soil!
Read MoreGoldenrod: Limitless Summer
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The wisdom of Goldenrod is to seek out the limitless joys of summer and store them deep in your roots. Goldenrod is a great ally for us with the Autumn Equinox. I marvel at the root system of my third-year garden plants. Their roots dive hungry in to the soil in summer and fall, going deeper and deeper, gathering energy from the sun-soaked soil throughout the Cascadia season of light. In the winter, Goldenrod roots lie just below the surface, vulnerable yet holding strong from the nourishment of the summer past.
Read MoreMaking Mineral-Rich Herbal Vinegars
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I had a debate this week about the quality of vinegar extracts and their place in the herbal apothecary. My introduction to herbal medicine was in the Wise Woman tradition, derived from the ancient medicine making practices of healers, herbalists, and midwives who used whatever resources they had on hand to heal. Vinegars have been used medicinally for more than 2000 years, so I of course have a special place in my heart for herb infused vinegar extracts.
In my practice, vinegars have proven to capture many of the subtle energies of the plants, as well as calcium and minerals. So why is the mighty Herbal Vinegar a more overlooked herbal remedy?
Read MoreFruity, Herbal Seasonal Drinks
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Adding fruit and herbs together in a beverage is a wonderful way to use up all that extra summer fruit. I even encourage you to use up all parts of the fruit, peels and all. Here’s four fruity and herbaceous beverage recipes for Summer.
Read MoreFinding and Harvesting Saint John's Wort
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Plants have a way of growing where they will be noticed and available to the people who need them.
Here are a few tips for discovering and harvesting Saint John’s Wort.
Read MoreBuilding Plant Relationships
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The power is in the plants, not in the way it was prepared.
As Herbalists, we naturally want our medicine making to be the best. We want our skills to be so terrific that no matter what we do it’s just fantastic. But it’s not about us. It’s not about our preparation skills or the perfect way we measure and put the herbs into the jar.
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