A native Minnesota variety of an astragalus relative.

Astragalus membranaceaus is a native to China and other areas of Asia and is a member of the Fabaceae (pea) family. It tastes sweet, starchy, slightly warm and moist. According to Lesley Tierra, astragalus has adaptogenic, diuretic, antiviral, cardiotonic, antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. Astragalus has gotten a lot of press as an adapotgen and for helping people with cancer and rightfully so as it “…helps prevent immuosuppression caused by chemotherapy and has tumor-inhibiting activity”(Winston, 149). It is a personal favorite of mine for preventing and/or treating regular-old colds and related infections.

The Chinese name of this herb is huang qi, huang meaning yellow (the color of the root) and qi meaning leader, as it is considered a “leader” among the tonics in the Chinese pharmacopeia because it can be used by a wider range of people than other tonics like ginseng. Astragalus strengthens spleen qi to aid weak digestion, nausea and vomiting, bloating, assimilation and lack of appetite. It also bolsters wei qi (protective energy or immunity) and lung qi. Not surprisingly, astragalus has been adapted into Western herbalism because of its use in strengthening the immune system and aiding in defense of colds, flus and infections of the respiratory system.

Astragalus is usually sold in root slices or pieces. It is mostly prepared as a tea although it also comes n powdered and tinctured forms. To make astragalus tea at home, bring 4 cups of water to boil, add about 4 tablespoons of the root and simmer covered for 20 mins. Let cool slightly before pouring a cup or two and straining. It is quite palatable, and people don’t usually have a problem drinking 3 cups of it in a day. A little honey or a simmering a cinnamon stick along with the astragalus extenuates both the sweetness and the moistening quality.

I like to drink astragalus tea daily in the winter, often for a month or longer, when everyone around me is getting sick or when I feel on the verge of a getting a cold. Just recently my husband came down with a horrible cold. I knew I’d be next, so I loaded up on astragalus tea so when I got the cold myself it wasn’t that bad - just a runny nose without a cough or constricted chest. It also combines well with other immune enhancing herbs like shiitake, eleuthero, ginger and echincacea, and is safe for children, pregnant women and the elderly.

Cold infusions are steeping plant matter in non-boiled water. The water need not be cold in temperature to make a cold infusion, it can be anywhere from lukewarm from the tap to icy cold spring water.

Directions for making a cold infusion:

• To make 2 cups, put 3 heaping tablespoons of dried herb to a large tea strainer/infuser or muslin pouch.
• Add water to a pint jar, then suspend the herb in the pouch or infuser in the water.
• Let sit overnight. squeeze or press the marc (the herb in the infuser or bag) into the tea to strain.
• Drink and enjoy!

Marshmallow root

Muslin bag and medium-mesh strainer

Marshmallow root cold-infusing

Why do we make cold infusions, you may wonder. If hot water aids in extracting the medicinal qualities from herbs, then wouldn’t steeping herbs in cold or room temperature water hinder the extraction of important chemical constituents? Not necessarily. Richo Cech explains;

“Some herbs, like marshmallow and blessed thistle, lend their active principles better to cold water than to hot. This is usually due to the presence of mucilage or bitter principles that are denatured, to a certain extent, by boiling water” (68).

Here is a list from James Green of herbs that can be extracted well in a cold infusion (110). You may notice they all have either bitter properties or are mucilaginous:

• Burdock root
• Chamomile
• Cleavers
• Comfrey root
• Crampbark
• Marshmallow
• Mugwort
• Nettle
• Peppermint
• Uva Ursi
• Slippery elm
• Blessed thistle (Cech, 68)

There are a few surprises for me on this list. I have never thought to cold infuse cleavers, crampbark or uva ursi, but now that I think of it these are all bitter and cooling. The herbs that I cold infuse the most are marshmallow, chamomile, and comfrey. Before I knew about cold infusing I prepared marshmallow as a regular decoction (it’s a root, so it should be decocted, right?) every time I made it. After hearing that marshmallow should be cold infused, I tried it and noticed a significant difference. The room temperature finished product was much smoother and mucilaginous, making it even more adept to aid the digestive tract or dry throat and respiratory system. I also think it tasted a bit sweeter.

A note about slippery elm while I’m at it: this is an herb that I use mostly as powdered. Mix slippery elm powder into a finished tea to add a moistening and soothing quality. This kind of qualifies as a cold infusion, except you don’t strain the powdered herb out of the finished product, it is mixed in (best mixed by transferring the tea to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shaking it well). I don’t measure, rather I start with a half teaspoon and work my way up to a tablespoon if I am particularly dry. The longer you leave the slippery elm in your tea, the thicker and more mucilaginous it becomes. When I am going into the hospital with a doula client, I always add an extra-large pinch or two of slippery elm to a quart of marshmallow tea to counteract the extreme dryness of the institutional forced air heating, and I bring a little jar of honey, bee pollen and slippery elm paste to suck on for a dry throat and lungs. Works like a charm every time. Read more about slippery elm and other herbs for dry environments at The Medicine Woman’s Roots.

Referances:

Cech, Richo. Making Plant Medicine.

Green, James. The Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook.

Burdock flower, though the root is used for decoctions

Decoctions are simply simmering herbs to make a tea, rather than pouring water over plant matter. Decotions take a bit more time to make then infusions, but medicinal herbal teas of all sorts still remain the easiest way to take herbs; all that is required is steeping herbs in water, straining and drinking.

In my experience, most people project (and naturally so) a plethora of questions and details into the long-standing herbal tradition of making tea and end up feeling confused. I certainly did when I started out making teas. How long do I steep it? How much water or herbs are used? What’s the difference between using fresh or dried herbs? How do I strain it? How much tea should I make and drink? Hoe long before the tea goes bad?

I rarely measure the dried herbs (my personal preference) or the water, nor do I time my how long the herbs simmer. I just throw it all together, rarely if ever does the tea not turn out the way I want it. However, I wasn’t like this at first. I measured carefully and set a timer. Eventually, like learning how to cook, you learn to rely on your instincts. So don’t be afraid to be creative, and don’t think you need to have all the details sorted out before you engage with tea making.

The parts of herbs best used in a decoction are the harder portions of the plants; seeds, fruits, barks, roots, ect… Simmering these portions ensure that the medicinal properties are properly extracted, since the whole reason these parts are hard in the first place is to provide storage (fruits, tubers), structure (piths and barks) and protection (seeds).

Directions for making 4 cups of a decoction:

• Place 5 cups of water in a sauce pan with a lid, turn on heat.
• Add 3-4 rounded tablespoons of dried herbs to water (double for fresh).
• Bring to a light boil then reduce to a low simmer for 20 minuets, covered.
• Turn off heat and allow to cool on stove before straining and drinking.
• Drink within 24 hours, refrigerate after 12 hours.

When it comes to deciding how much tea to drink, that may vary. Are you trying to have an effect on a chronic, long-standing condition, or taking a nutritive tonic? Drink a quart daily, six days a week. Are you using low-dose or strong botanicals like goldenseal, lobelia, wild indigo, blue flag or poke? Sip from an eight ounce cup through the day, as needed. In these cases, I don’t bother making teas as I prefer the lengthy storage properties of alcoholic tinctures.

Here are two of my favorite decoctions…

Immune Booster Root Tea

• 1 part Echinacea purpurea root
• 2 part Eleuthero root
• 2 part Astragalus root slices
• 1 part Shitaake mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 part Ginger
• 1/4 part Cinnamon
• 1/2 part Rose hips
• 1 part Elder berries

Mix together, measuring parts by weight. Prepare as a decoction, and drink 4 cups through the day through cold and flu season, or any time your immune system needs a boost. This tea is rich tasting and slightly fruity and spicy. Safe for pregnant or nursing mothers.

A Basic Liver Tea

• 2 parts burdock
• 2 parts dandelion
• 2 parts yellow dock
• 2 parts sassafras
• 1 part Oregon grape root
• 1 part licorice
• 1/2 part cinnamon
• 1/2 part ginger
• 1/2 part fennel seeds
• 1/2 part orange peel

Combine the herbs, using weights as parts. Prepare as a decoction. This tea is a good tea to start with for a liver-based formulas. For example, one could add chaste tree (vitex), mitchella, black cohosh and/or wild yam for action on the endocrine system. Another possibility is adding medicinal mushrooms like reshi or shitake, echinacea, Panax genus members (Asian or American ginseng, eleuthero, spikenard) to help the immune system or serve as adpatogens.

The first five roots are interchangeable in some ways but have their distinct actions, so pick which ones that could serve you the best. The last four herbs (five plus licorice) are for digestion but more so for improving the flavor. Sarsparilla, birch, chai spices (black pepper, clove, anise, cardamom), fruits like rose hips, elderberries and hawthorn berries, and marshmallow can also round out the taste while adding medicinal actions on their own right.

Wild geranium or cranesbill root is used as an astringent

The root of butterfly weed is used in lung formulas

Let us start with good old fashioned tea. Herbal teas are my *favorite* ways to use herbs. Drinking teas can tell us about the actions and healing nature of herbs because a tea directly engages our senses. With teas you get to see the color, enjoy the aroma, and taste the flavor of the herbs, whether used individually as simples or combined in formula.  There are a few different ways to prepare herbal medicine into teas; namely:

• Infusion - Steeping herbs in boiled water. Often used for leaves, flowers, stems, soft seeds or fruits (calendula blossoms, oat straw, fennel seeds, rose hips, linden flowers and bracts, ect…)
• Decoction - Simmering herbs in water for any length of time. Used for some seeds and fruits, barks and roots (dandelion root, oak bark, hawthorn berries, ect…)
• Cold infusion - Steeping herbs in non-boiled water. Sometimes used to extract mucilage-rich herbs (marshmallow, plantain, ect…)
• Lunar/sun tea - Steeping herbs in water while in contact with the moon’s light or sun’s rays. These preparations are used when the particular energy/activation of the the sun or moon is desired (mugwort tea steeped under the full moon for ritual purposes, nettle tea tea steeped each night in a windowsill to connect with the cyclical nature of the moon), or to take advantage of natures’ energy (using heat of the sun to brew peppermint tea rather than heating water)

Tea brewing!

Today we will talk about infusions. What makes a medicinal “infusion” any different than steeping a tea bag in boiling water? A “beverage” tea is brewed for taste, and is very different (both chemically and physically) then a medicinal tea. Basically, a medicinal tea takes advantage of water as a solvent in extracting medicinally active chemicals (alkaloids, bitter principles, saponins, ect.), macronutrients (carbohydrates, starches, ect.) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, bioflavonoids, ect.). Some people are surprised that a cup of tea can contain medicinal and nutritional components. 4 cups of medicinal nettle tea contains: calcium (2900mg), magnesium (860mg), phosphorus (447mg), potassium (1750mg), and zinc (4.7mg); vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K; protein (10% of total) (Healing Wise, Susun Weed). Speaking of Susun Weed, check out her video about making nettle infusion.

It is useful to steep your medicinal tea in a large container such as a pint or quart canning jar (Mason jar) with a lid, rather than steeping 3 or 4 individual cups through the day. Speaking of, the dosage of your medicinal tea will vary, from 1 to 4 cups per day.

Flavor your teas in any way you choose. You can add a teaspoon of peppermint, fennel, orange peel, a pinch of stevia, a tasty tea bag to your steeping tea, or add honey, molasses, a lemon slice, fruit juice. Medicinal teas don’t have to taste “like medicine”! They should be earthy and natural; even the bitterest herb can be improved with the addition of tasty herbs.

Directions to make 4 cups of an herbal infusion:

1. Boil 4 cups of water.
2. Measure 3-4 heaping tablespoons of dried herbs and place in the bottom of a quart jar.
3. Cover herbs with boiling water, cover promptly to contain the volatile oils that may be evaporated.
4. Steep for 4 hours, strain and drink. This can be warmed in a sauce pan or placed in the fridge to your taste. To maintain quality, do not let sit un-refrigerated for more than 12 hours. Drink within 24 hours.

Calendula, safflower and lavender tea

I get a lot of questions about straining the the tea, specifically if you can use tea balls, spoons or baskets. Of the three, I use tea baskets when I am making tea in an 8 or 16 ounce cup, but most always I prefer to have the herbs “float” around in the water it is steeping in, then pour it through a strainer it when it is ready to drink. Tea spoons and balls are simply too small to hold enough tea for an medicinal infusion. One easy way to steep tea is to use a french press: let it steep, press the plunger down and fill your cup.

Another question I get about infusions is about when and why would you choose to make an infusion rather than take a tincture. Herbal medicinal teas are used around the world and throughout time as the most reliable, effective and quickest way to medicine (up until the introduction of alcoholic extractions). Basically, herbal teas can and should be used in most situations. Situations where I do not use teas include:

• Using unpleasant tasting herbs, although they can be combined with yummy herbs to make a tea palatable.
• When combining herbs that should be infused with herbs that should be decocted. For example, yellow dock root and burdock root in a formula with red clover flowers and violet leaf would be better taken as a tincture.
• If you are taking a few different formulas that would be overwhelming to prepare all of them as teas. Let’s say you take daily a nettle infusion, skin formula, digestive support, and an iron tonic; it would be a bit time-consuming to make all of those preparations as teas.
• For some acute symptoms it is easier to take tinctures then to brew tea, especially when you only need a little bit (like 5 drops of goldenseal tincture under the tongue for an infection).

The form of herbal medicine one employs is a matter of personal preference, first and foremost. If someone is new to herbal medicine or views herbs like drugs but natural will often take capsules, pills or standardized extracts. As an herbalist, sometimes you have to meet the person halfway, perhaps to supply them with capsules when you originally recommended a tea.

Then while weeding the gardens in the middle of summer, I stumbled upon an uplifting surprise–holy basil! It was hiding underneath a canopy of bee balm and overgrown lamb’s quarters. Some how it made it through six weeks of gardening before I noticed it. Did it shoot up fairly recently? Or has it been there the whole time and I never payed attention? However baffling it may be, it is very welcomed.

Mmm…the aroma of tulsi is sublimely spicy and complex, yet hits the nose in a clear way. I use the names Tulsi and holy basil equally,but the plant is the same; Ocimum sanctum. Like the common kitchen herb basil, holy basil is in the Lamiacea or mint family originating from India and growing through Indo-China (southern China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand) (Winston, 168). It looks a little like basil, with serrated leaf edges and the pinkish-purple flowers. There are a few different varieties of holy basil, the one I chose from Horizon Herbs was rama tulsi because it is a more cold-hardy.

Tulsi has been (and still is) used in Ayurveda for as long as we know, which is at least three thousand years (168).

“Holy basil is sacred to the Hindu god Vishnu and is used in morning prayers to insure personal health, spiritual purity, and family well-being. String of beads made from the plant’s stems are used in meditation to give clarity and protection. The ancient ayruvedic texts, the Charaka Samhita (approx. 100 BCE) and Sushruta Samhita (400-100 BCE) both mention the use of this herb to treat people with snakebites and scorpion stings.” (168).

Tulsi is an adaptogenic herb, enhancing the body’s ability to respond to stress of all kinds (or non-specific stress). In particular, tulsi promotes a sense of mental clarity and calmness. Winston describes its medicinal actions as: adaptogenic, antimicrobial, antidepressant, antioxidant, carminative, diuretic, expectorant, glactogogue, radioprotective, stress-reducing and supporting the immune system. There are numerous studies on holy basil which are all interesting in their own right. I suggesting reading Winston’s Adaptogens book for those of you who, like myself, are intrigued by scientific studies.

To summarize an herb with so many medicinal actions isn’t always possible, but there are some ways , holy basil is an adapotgenic herb well-suited for treating the mental and emotional body, at least in my opinion. Winston uses holy basil for reducing a “mental fog” and “stagnant depression” when people cannot seem to move past an event or trauma that brought them down. Holy basil makes a worthy addition to just about any uplifting/antidepressant or memory tea or tincture blend.

Here is my one of my favorite teas with holy basil, used for seasonal depression:

• 2 parts Holy basil
• 2 parts Lemon balm
• 1 part Rosemary
• 1 part St. John’s wort
• 1/2 part Rose hips
• 1/2 part Hibiscus
• 1/2 part Fennel seeds

Referance:

Winston, David. Adaptogens, Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief.

Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara. Another asteraceae family member, coltsfoot has antitussive, expectorant, astringent (due to tannins), sedative, demulcent, antispasmodic and diuretic properties. The genus name tussilago means “cough dispeller”, and indeed it is a general respiratory tonic. “Coltsfoot was so popular in medieval times that it was chosen as the emblem to identify the local apothecary” (Gladstar, 324).

Relating to the doctrine of signatures, Matthew Wood said that “Hairy or hirsute leaves and stems are a signature for the…hairs of the mucosa” and that “leaves that are thick from the content of mucilage (Slippery Elm, Coltsfoot) are good lung and mucosa remedies” (21). I first met coltsfoot while at Sage Mountain, often as a garden companion to another Old World respiratory remedy lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis). It grew abundantly along the edges of the gardens, its broad, gray-green leaves spilling over into the lawn. The leaves are interesting to the touch, squishy and thick with a fine hairy layer that rolls off between your fingers.

Since coltsfoot is a soothing antispasmodic, it’s useful for chronic respiratory conditions for general coughs and bronchial congestion. More specifically, use coltsfoot for constant or chronic coughing with lots of phlegm that doesn’t want to come up. Sometimes the coughs are dry or spasmodic. Coltsfoot spills over into being used for asthma, emphysema, recovery from smoking and wheezing, not just for acute coughs (Tierra, 71).

Coltsfoot is quite mucilaginous, a cold infusion of the dried leave yields a tea for soothing a dry and irritated throat and airway. It makes a fairly pleasant tasting tea.  I use the tincture for it’s relaxing expectorant qualities. Mills says it is “a particular standby for children’s coughs, associated as these are with a nervous, spasmodic element” (481).

References:

Gladstar, Rosemary. Family Herbal.

Mills, Simon. The Essential Book of Herbal Medicine.

Tierra, Lesley. Healing with the Herbs of Life.

Wood, Matthew. The Book of Herbal Wisdom.

“…pulmonaries, or amphoteric expectorants, have a beneficial effect upon both lung tissue and function.” (321).

I like that explanation of respiratory tonics because elecampane, mullein and coltsfoot can be used more generally than other categories. They do, however, have their specific indications as well. Matthew Wood says (147) says that it along with other big leaved plants (mullein, comfrey, burdock)

“…have strong actions on the skin and lungs” as they “stand for surface area and gas exchange or breathing hence the lungs and the skin”(147).

Let’s look at elecampane. Preparations of the root of this Asteraceae family member have been used as an expectorant (on the stimulating side), diaphoretic, antimicrobial, and antitussive to stop coughs (560). Hoffmann states that it is indicated for “copious catarrh” and in bronchitis acute and chronic, asthma, tuberculosis, and “irritating bronchial coughs, especially in children” (560). It is more that simply relaxing the lungs, it also has an stimulating expectorant quality useful for wet bronchitis.

One of the ways herbs shine for the respiratory system is that they can both help symptomatically and aid in fighting an infection. Combine elecampane with echinacea, propolis, goldenseal, thyme, astragalus or others for bronchial infections.

Like many roots, elecampane has a mucilage quality that soothes irritation. The root also contains a fair amount of inulin (as indicated in the botanical name), an polysaccharide. Because inulin is indigestible in the stomach, when it reaches the gut it stimulates the growth of beneficial bacterial flora (Wikipedia). How much inulin is available in an elecampane tincture is unknown, but I imagine that eating the roots or drinking a decocted tea would provide more available inulin. Other natural sources of inulin are onions, Jerusalem artichokes, chicory, jicama, burdock, garlic, dandelion root, agave and wild yam. Yet another reason to employ the vitality of wild foods!

Mullein, Verbascum thapsus, is one of the first herbs many think of for the lungs. It has many uses besides being a superb respiratory tonic and expectorant though. The flower can used for ear aches, topically with the leaf for the musculoskelatal system and as nervine.

Have you ever smelled mullein flowers? They are incredibly sweet, delicate and flowery to the nose. Mullein is a member of the the Scrophularia (snapdragon) family and originally from Europe, and is one of the easiest herbs to distinguish with its downy lobed leaves, yellow flowers and tall flower stalk. I welcome mullein into my gardens (even though they can proliferate quickly) because they remind me of garden sentinels, keeping watch and adding interesting texture and line to the garden horizon.

Just looking at the velvety soft lobe-like leaves one can see that they must have demulcent actions. At the same time, mullein is also a little irritating if it is rubbed in the skin too much. These soothing yet irritating qualities may seem contradictory, but this is precisely how respiratory tonics work. The demulcents soothe the tissues which encourages mucus stuck here to loosen. The stimulating action irritates the lungs and makes for more productive coughs. There herbs work to help the body along and fulfill the purpose of the cough: to clear the airways of mucus (Hoffmann, 322).

Wood says that “Mullein is definitely the remedy for harsh coughs which have worn down the villa of the lungs” (27). That is, coughs that shake the whole body, almost hurting the chest and ribs. He also says “it is useful for harsh, hacking coughs with a dry irritated membrane and irritated cough reflex, where there is a lack of secretion” (494). I have heard of a case where a smoker who refused to give up the habit asked an herbalist for something for a horrible hacking cough. Mullein was smoked along with the tobacco and the cough went away. It has been incorporated into smoking rituals, as it is calming to the mind and has a sweet and vanilla-like flavor.

Mullein can be taken many ways for soothing the lungs, but infusions are my favorite. Mullein leaves are extremely easy to harvest, they are much less delicate than most other leaves. Pick leaves from the first year rosettes, slice down the middle stem to ensure proper drying, and lay out to dry. I like to dry them in the fall, when the weather becomes dryer, otherwise they seem to reabsorb the moisture from the air. When you are ready for making an infusion, take out a leaf or two, break them up a bit, and steep in hot water.

You can also find mullein in tincture form. I like it for blending with other expectorants (David Winston recommends elecampane, yerba santa, horehound and grindelia)(87), but I prefer the infusions for taken specifically mullein. Perhaps this is because I remember learning that starches are not extracted in alcohol,

Hoffmann, David. Medical Herbalism.

Winston, David. Herbal Therapeutics.

Wood, Matthew. The Book of Herbal Wisdom.

I am still in a food as medicine kick. Currently, I don’t see any other way to look at either food or medicine…they are interconnected! Food at its simplest nurtures your body and cells, provides the energy needed to meet life’s demands, positively contributes to the whole being, and supports a balanced state of mind. Is that too much to ask of our medicine, too?

Give thanks. The first layer of using food as medicine is simply giving thanks for the food and the enjoyment of eating. I thank the food for giving its’ life for nourishing me. None of that “I shouldn’t be eating this” BS. If you are eating something, enjoy it, don’t deny it! I never understood why people say this. Go ahead, say, “this is the best latte, I am so glad I drank it.”

Giving thanks for our meals transforms food from things we consume three times a day to an honored life-giving force.

Blessings and thanks for the food that nourishes:

Blessings for the flower, blessing for the shoot, blessings for the leaf and stem, blessings on the root.

Thank you for the farmer, thank you for the cook, thank you for the sun and rain, thank you for the earth.

Take time. Here are some ways to employ slowing down and savoring the sensual joy of eating:

• Get into a meal planning ritual with your family. I spend Sunday afternoons browsing my favorite cookbooks and food magazines to get meal ideas for the week.
• Enjoy food that is slow cooked (or cultivated). Chinese medicine says that food cooked long on low heat is more yin promoting. Crock pots, baking, sprouting,  soaking beans, cooking whole grains, steaming greens, pickling, cultivating yogurt, kim chee and kombucha. Slow preparation easily slides over to the medicine category, as homemade, herbal medicines take some sweet time to make, from steeping nettle tea overnight to making tinctures.
• Eat slower, chew slower. I asked the elementary school kids I work with if they knew where their digestion started, and they all shouted out “the mouth! teeth!”. We are talking about carbohydrate digestion here, the more you chew carbs the more our saliva can start the process (protein digestion starts in the stomach/small intestine, which is why carnivores can scarf down their food without chewing).
• Not only is eating slower good for appreciating our food, it also reduces overeating, acid reflux, It takes 20 minuets for your brain to realize your stomach is full, so eating slow allows your brain to catch up to your stomach.

From Bio-Medicine.org, “Researchers had given large plates of pasta to 30 college-aged-women asking them to eat as much as they wanted. It was found that 646 calories in nine minutes is being consumed by the participants when they were asked to eat quickly wherein only 579 calories in 29 minutes could only be consumed when they slowed it down to 15 to 20 times of mouthful.”

• Take a full hour (or half hour!) to sit at the table, eat, and begin to digest. At the Indian restaurant where I used to wait tables, the cooks would take at least an hour break after each meal, put their feet up, and sip on a cup of chai, which they stated that this helped their digestion and energy level.

Use your senses. Listen to the clues from your body, taste buds, the season, your environment, and your imagination to direct your food choices. Often when people become more conscious about eating, they find their tastes change. Suddenly carrots and celery are bursting with flavor and Wonder Bread doesn’t cut it any more. Or their organs will give them a big-time clue to cut it out on the meat and eat some fiber, dammit!

Speaking of seasons, fall is upon us and as the temperature outside decreases, we need to increase our intake of warming foods, in temperature and spicy-ness. At the same time, cool it on the cool drinks. Ever since I stopped drinking cold water, my hands and feet are less cold in the winter. Now is also the time to roast root veggies like beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, as well as squash, and cut back on raw, cold salads.

How does imagination relate to food? Food as art is as old as, well, art I suppose. Here are some cute pics. My friends served their three-year-old snacks based on color, letter of the alphabet (my favorite was “P” day: pears, pumpkin, popcorn, peanuts, peas…), shape, ethnic foods, wild and local foods, ect… It was so much fun. We are all kids at heart; we all love trying new foods and having food presented to us in an appealing, creative way.

Celebrate abundance. Share your food with people you love as well as your community, through picnics, pot lucks, weddings, holidays as well as for no reason at all. Grow a garden, invest in a CSA or a local farm, and count the seeds in a watermelon or tomato. Each of those seeds carry the potential for new life and lots more fruit.

I can’t leave without sharing a recipe. Here is an old favorite: Blended Paprika and Corn from a 2006 lecture from Bill Mitchell. The recipe is so simple: take one package frozen corn (or two cups fresh corn), heat, and place in a food processes with a heaping teaspoon of paprika.

The orange-ish mush is delicious, eat it as a dip with veggies or tortilla chips, as a condiment or spread. I like it on huevous rancheros; spread it on a toasted corn tortilla with re-fried beans, salsa and top with fried eggs and cheese. Mitchell describes it as such, “It is probable that the corn acts as an emulsifier and allows absorption of the carotenoid-rich paprika into the body”.