Dandelion Revolution

My Favorite Mints July 7, 2008

Practically everyday I find myself using mints for one reason or another. Here are a few of my current favorites.

Skullcap: Scutellaria lateriflora for mental exhaustion
I have been drinking infusions of this cooling bitter nervine, as I usually do after a mercury retrograde when thinking, communication, and information dissemination are often difficult and confusing. Though I have heard that the fresh tincture is best for acute burn-out conditions, I am using the tea is as a brain tonic to promote a clear mind. Skullcap can be a good ally for mental tension, nervous fear and even dread. Ah yes, this plant is very effective for tension of all sorts, even high blood pressure during pregnancy. Guido Mase of Vermont mentioned that skullcap is useful for acute drug withdrawal symptoms (use frequently) as well as breaking addictions in general, especially that of pain-killers and other receptor-site addictions. I hear that skullcap and motherwort are used to treat sunstroke; luckily I haven’t had to try it.

Sage: Salvia officinalis for a sore throat

Currently I am gargling with a strong sage tea right before bed and upon waking to treat a sore, scratchy throat. I like the spicy astringency of sage for sore throats because it seems to promote reduction on the soreness in a stimulating manner, almost as if it is gently scratching my irritated tonsils. During the winter I often opt for the soothing, coating, mucilaginous ways of slippery elm, especially when the sore throat is a cold or flu symptom, whereas currently I have an infection of the tonsils. Sage seems to prompts a healing response and tone up the rawness I see in the back of the throat. Helium.com has a sums up the common uses of sage. Phyllis Light and Matthew Wood mentioned sage for ‘male menopause’ when there are signs of wasting, premature aging, nervousness and shaking when a man passes mid-age, as it converts hormones to be used by the adrenals. They also cite sage for cystitis caused by mucus congestion in the bladder.

Thyme: Thymus vulgaris for a respiratory infection
About a week ago I awoke with an intense pain in my lungs, as if my chest and ribs were beaten to a bloody pulp. To my dismay, I had another respiratory infection. Feeling wiser since my last infection, I promptly took care of myself the best I could. Acupressure, deep breathing, saunas and steams, light soups and steamed veggies, gentle movement to circulate lymph, mustard plasters (you know it’s bad when you skip the onion plaster and go straight to mustard) followed with chest massage with essential oils, echinacea, goldenseal and osha tinctures, and lots and lots of thyme tea.

Spicy and warm thyme is an expectorant, antiseptic, and anti-infective, which makes it so useful in protecting the lungs from a worsening infection. I use it for both acute coughs and lung congestions, as well as for recovering from chronic infections. Looking back, I should’ve taken thyme for a longer duration after my last respiratory infection–I know I will now! Use it for pneumonia, tuberculosis, cold and flu, whooping cough, and sore throat. I read somewhere that it is not the best for chronic bronchitis where there are a lot of secretions, but rather indicated in dry coughs.

Pennyroyal: Mentha pulegium or Hedeoma pulegiodes as an emmenagogue

A few years at an herb conference in North Carolina, a complete stranger came over to me while I was making some tea. When she read the ingredients of the formula, she scoffed and said, “why are you using pennyroyal of all things? It’s a very dangerous herb best let to practitioners, young lady!” “Yes”, I told her, “I am well aware of the dangers of pennyroyal, and make sure to never ingest the essential oil” and continued on with my tea time. Common sense tells me it is always wise to employ caution when using herbs and essential oils. However, I am not about to be scared away from responsibly using pennyroyal herb after hearing a few stories. According to drugwarfacts.com, “Each year, use of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) accounts for an estimated 7,600 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations use of NSAIDs in the United States.” (NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, ketoprofen, and tiaprofenic acid). Would this woman have reacted in the same manner if I took out a bottle of aspirin?

Pennyroyal is one of my favorite herbs to have around to use both premenstrually during the first few days of bleeding. It is a well-know emmenagogue, antispasmodic and sedative, while calming nervous tension that settles in the stomach . I can feel its warm, diaphoretic action almost immediately; pelvic congestion and fullness with a bit of coldness or stagnation is allayed. A few drops of the essential oil in a spray bottle with plain water is one of my favorite mosquito repellent.

Lemon Balm – Melissa Offinalis as a calmative
Volatile oil-rich Melissa is hands down one of my favorite herbs. It is so sweet yet tart, cooling yet uplifting! Could there be a more tasty herb? During the long Minnesota winter, melissa is a melancholy sun-mourners best friend (along with Saint John’s Wort, calendula and rosemary), as it seems to dry up the dreariness and cheer one out of any funk. In true Scandinavian style, the winter darkness doesn’t seem to bother me. In fact, I thrive off of the most yin time of the year. Rather, I like to drink lemon balm tea in the summer to healthfully align myself to the yangness of the long sunny days. I say healthfully align because I have a tendency to be overstimulated in the expansiveness of summer, so much so that I drain my adrenals with too much all-day physical activities and late-night projects. Melissa helps me stay calm in the face of nervousness and insomnia, so I can be more appropriately active. I appreciate its carminative and somatic properties after eating too many raw and cool foods.

Peppermint – Menta piperita as a cooling beverage

I inherited a community garden plot that is chock full of gobs of healthy peppermint. When I initially laid out my garden beds, I transplanted all the peppermint to its own designated spot. With a little bit of conscious planting and watering, this former weed is now the prime example of health and vitality in my garden. Every time I come back from the garden, I take a hand full of peppermint with me to make into a deliciously aromatic sun tea. What says summer like fresh mint tea? To my roommates requests, we will probably be making mojitos soon.

Motherwort - Leonurus cardiaca May 26, 2008

Do you see the motherwort in this picture? Hint: its vertical. Mmmm…Motherwort! I have been craving the bitter herb for a steady week running - and as a tea! Who in their right mind drinks motherwort infusion? Someone who needs it, or who likes the bitter zing. Have you ever eaten a motherwort flower? Try it, I dare you. I have been drinking motherwort infusion to calm my critical and exacting PMS self to a down to a low roar; its working quite well. It is also nourishing, stockpiling nutrients that will soon be shed; for this purpose I add a bit of nettle or oat straw. At this time in my cycle I tend to see things very clearly, which can either enrich my life with wise insight or keep me up at night ruminating. Motherwort, along with hops, eases my mind.

In the middle of winter, I dream of a sunny day and a garden full of motherwort. There is something very awakening and attracting about the upright member of the mint family. A friend once became very aquatinted with a particular motherwort plant and described her as juicy. I have yet to have a garden full of motherwort, as my seeds never seem to germinate. This year I am trying really hard to get my seeds sprouted…so wish me luck.

Motherwort promotes menstruation, reduces nervous tension and cramps, and is regulating to stress and anxiety caused heart problems, racing and/or irregular heartbeat (tachycardia). Culpepper says about motherwort, “Venus owns this herb and it is under Leo. There is no better herb to drive melancholy vapors from the heart, to strengthen it and make the mind cheerful, blithe and merry”. Yes, motherwort is warming in taste and even color with the sweet downy pink with white whorls of flowers, soothing to the heart and demanding emotions, and a wonderful ally for women of all ages and at all times of their cycles. The way it stands in the garden, attracting bees like mad, reminds me of an seemingly innocent attention-seeking amorous Leo. Well, not that innocent, if you have ever been tangled amongst their sharp seed pods at the end of the season!

It is called Ectes Herzgespann in German, which in an excruciatingly literal translation is “common heart team”; luckily a German woman described it to me as meaning “it pulls the heart forward, as one would lead a team of yoked oxen”. What a wonderful way to visualize this herb’s actions. Like many herbs, motherwort contains a myriad of chemical compounds that give rise to its unique uses. From its taste we know that it works on the digestion; Tierra says it is specifically a carminative. The tannins make it astringent to the uterus, and according to Wikipedia, “the herb contains the alkaloid leonurine, which is a mild vasodilator and has a relaxing effect on the smooth muscles. For this reason, it has long been used as a cardiac tonic, nervine, and as an emmenagogue.”

As an emmenagogue, I view it as enriching the blood and circulating it, rather than starting delayed menstruation, as the latter has never worked for me. It still has an important pre-menstrual use of allying stress, anger and rage, worrying that keeps you up at night, and anxious palpitations. Stress and anxiety keeping your period away? Try motherwort. Motherwort may be helpful include during the last few weeks of pregnancy to promote uterine tone. Ruth Trickey states in Women, Hormones and the Menstrual Cycle that motherwort “is one of the many herbs which posses the apparently contradictory actions of relieving spasm and stimulating uterine activity–an effect which seems to be brought about by a reduction in the irritability (spasticity) of the uterine muscle. This allows contractions to be followed by an adequate rest period when blood can circulate through the muscle again”(470). Of course, motherwort is useful for peri-menopausal women, adressing palpitations, night sweats and worrying keeping you up at night, Trickey combines hops, motherwort and black cohosh for this reason with “excellent results”.

References:

Tierra, Micheal. Planetary Herbology.

Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherwort

Culpepper’s Complete Herbal. http://www.bibliomania.com/2/1/66/113/frameset.html

Trickey, Ruth. Women, Hormones and the Menstrual Cycle.

Gladstar, Rosemary. Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal.

Hun - The Woods of Spring May 19, 2008

For the second time on this blog, I have to state how much I love Iona Teeguarden’s The Joy of Feeling. This entry is drawn from her writings.

What energies and activities do we associate with spring? First and foremost, we see that THINGS ARE GROWING! This is very exciting, and I think it sets the mood for spring. No longer are seeds simple potential-packets, nor are the trees and other perennials satisfied to energetically chill out in their roots. No sir, now is the time for living things to actuate.

Hun is aspect of the psyche (as well as an aspect of nature herself) that is associated with spring. Hun could be described as the forces “which allow us to carry out our functions and responsibilities.” The tree is the symbol of Hun, wood the substance. Teeguarden explains that the tree is a symbol for self-actualization, and that “the psychic activity of Hun is like the force that causes a little seed to sprout, to push its way through obstructions of the dark soil, to finally emerge into the light, growing towards the life-giving rays of the sun.”

The website Renew 5 (http://renew5.org/index.php?page=the-five-elements explains beautifully the aspects of Hun and Spring; here is an excerpt:

“[On an individual level] Spring is a time to articulate vision both long and short term; a time to be strategic with plans for the future, and to take specific actions right now.  This is an excellent time to be creative and filled with determination. [On an organizational level] Spring is a time to mobilize resources;  to set the vision for the year ahead and to do fiscal planning.  It is time for teams to set plans in motion; a time of movement, of creation.  Tough decisions need to be made in order to ensure success in the year to come.”

If you are new to Chinese Medical philosophy, it may seem strange to include wood as a basic element, along with water, fire, earth and metal. Most of us are used to the ancient Greek humoral theory, there are four elements: fire, air, water and earth. These four elements are present among some Native American peoples, and associated with the four seasons and for directions. In contrast, Aryuveda has three elements of fire, water and earth. The five elements are related to each other both in the shape of a star and a clock-wise circle.

 As you can see, Hun and the element of wood is associated with the Liver and Gallbladder. The feelings and qualities of the wood element are those which help us actualize and direct ourselves outward: inspiration, planning tasks and carrying them out to their end, assertiveness, using verbal communication positively, developing responsibility and being efficiently organized. On the road to becoming the the person we want to be and taking up our space in the world, we are bound to experience either too little or too much of the Hun energy. Teeguarden describe the difference between the deficient feelings of powerlessness and the excess feelings of aggressiveness: “One extreme is being unable to express oneself or take charge; the opposite extreme is a tendency towards over-control, or an egotistical desire to demonstrate power over others (p. 73).”

No matter where we find ourselves on the spectrum, we would be well off to strive for a middle ground of asserting ourselves without force. For me, this takes place in the daily tasks on my to-do list. I tend to try to accomplish as much as possible one day, then the next day or two (or three!) I have low energy and can’t seem to get anything done. There is nothing wrong with taking impromptu time off from the daily grind, but I wish I had more energy during those days off to really enjoy them, rather than be frustrated because I am falling behind. At this point, I may become angry with myself, placing blame and beating myself up for “not doing enough”. The cycle starts again when I overcompensate by busily take care of stuff all day long, trying to control everything in sight, and becoming angry with myself when I can’t control it enough.

How do you think one could reach middle ground when in this cycle? I have found that being more regular and steady with my activities has helped; I try to do a little of my “have-tos”everyday rather than a lot one day and nothing the next. Also, I have learned to recognize the difference between motivation and the desire to control my surroundings (which usually stems from being frustrated or angry with myself). Now I know that when I am motivated to do something, it is more enjoyable and I do it better and more complete. The more I act on motivation and inspiration the more it comes to me; and the less I try to make myself do things, the less room there is to feel inspired.

It is normal to feel angry when we are not being the self we want to be. It is difficult to not become frustrated when restrictions get between us and what we think should be (p. 74). When we get to this point, we must remember to be self-assertive enough to channel frustration into creative ways to actualize our potential.

References:

Teeguarden, Iona. The Joy of Feeling 

Yin Tonics - Nourish the Fluids April 30, 2008

Here is the long time in coming follow-up to a post I did a while back about Kidney Yang tonics. I realized in I need to resolve the ‘wintery’ topics and start thinking about ’spring’ topics. From browsing some of my favorite herb blogs, I have fully realized how behind Northern Minnesota is, seasonally speaking. We are late bloomers! The grass just started to turn green last week, along with tiny dandelion whorls and a few budding trees. Luckily, I was able to harvest some Cottonwood buds last week after a storm broke a good sized branch to the ground. Umm, those resinous buds pack a powerfully good scent!

Ok, back to Yin… Yin, like Yang, is stored in the Kidneys. Yin is the watery foundation for the entire body; it moistens, nourishes and lubricates all the organs and tissues in the body. Yin and Yang may originate from the Kidneys, but of course are found all over the body and organ systems. We can talk about Yin in a general sense, or we can specify Stomach Yin or Deficient Liver Yin for example.

Yin concerns the fluids of the body: blood, lymph, muscles and connective tissues, reproductive and urinary fluids, and the fluids that lubricate the mucus membranes, skin and joints. It is normal for some Yin to diminish as we age. Basically, aging is when the Yin dries up; it is responsible for greying of the hair, lower libido, and dry, wrinkled skin. Vegetable foods and passive exercises like yoga preserve the Yin essence because they build rather than diminish our energy reserves. Herbs that nourish Yin build compassion, tolerance, patience. In my mind I have two ways of remembering Yin: I think of cigarettes as being the antithesis of Yin, and of amniotic fluid as being incredibly Yin.

When Yin is deficient, not only is the cooling, moistening qualities of Yin lacking, but Yang may overcompensate and become excessive with its warming and circulating energy. Remember that Yang is like the “pilot light for our energy system”, so if this energy is unchecked by Yin, what should be a little “pilot light” may turn into an inflammatory condition, and out energy system my go into autoimmune overdrive.

What do you think the symptoms of Stomach Yin deficiency would be? You guessed it: lack of stomach fluids. There may be other symptoms that overlap with Spleen Yin deficiency, like bloating and hunger with no desire to eat. Lung Yin deficiency manifests as a dry throat and cough without mucus, a great example of a lack of nourishing fluids.

Michael Tierra says that Kidney Yin tonics nourish the parasympathetic nervous system. Yin tonics support the cooling aspect of the adrenals. Kidney Yin Deficiency tends towards the following symptoms: Dry mouth at night, night sweats, dry throat with thirst, dizziness, tinnitus lack of libido and impotence, heat in palms, soles and chest, aches in the bones, constipation, dark, scanty urination, tendency towards being thin, dry and shriveled, malar flush, red tongue with no coat and a weak, tight and deep (thready) pulse.

Rehmannia is great for night sweats, thirst, back pains of kidney deficiency and to promote the healing of bones and flesh. We mention “wasting” or “wasting diseases”, tuberculosis is a good example, but any disease that effects you for a long time and steals your energy could be considered wasting, like scarlet fever or pneumonia. Rehmannia is enriches the blood, which makes it very replenishing and regulating to the menses. Add a bit of cinnamon or cardamon to make it more suitable for cold types, or use the prepared (rather than fresh or dried) version.

Lycii is sweet and nourishing. It is both a yin and blood tonic, which makes it handy in reproductive dryness. It is well known for strengthening and maintaining vision. Again used for yin deficiency (good for low back pain, weak knees and legs, impotence, tinnitus, poor eye sight) and wasting diseases, since it replenishes Chi. This delicious sweet and almost salty dried fruit is one of my favorite snacks.

Chrysanthemum, ligustrum, saw palmetto are other great nourishing herbs.