Herbal Actions 101: Useful words in the Herbal World

            While recently thinking of what herbal blog to put up next, I remembered all the past typed-up herbal adventures from my internship in Ohio, along with my copious amounts of written notes from my recently completed herbalism program, so I thought I would share with you some excerpts about herbal actions!

            Even if you are a pro-herbalist and know all the ins and outs of herbal actions, hopefully this blog can still be informative and interesting, otherwise you may wonder what are “herbal actions” anyways?

            The most simple definition I can think of is this. An herbal action is essentially: how the herb acts upon the body; and thus by taking it what changes occur after using it?

An example may be: you are constipated, and you took an herb such as peppermint or ginger, though you find yourself not being immediately relieved and passing lots of gas, and think that didn’t work at all! Well, maybe not. Gas is a symptom of constipation, and thus at the passing of it, means those herbs probably helped your body to gently “move it through”. As I have learned many times from many wise herbal teachers “Symptoms are the body healing itself, not the disease”, or from your body being OUT of balance, so if you support the body in helping it to do what it does best, than you’ll get a healthy outcome! 

            The following, in alphabetical order, are the major herbal actions I have learned over time, their definition, how it affects the body, examples of herbs with this action, recipes and a break-down of several herbs!

Witch Hazel  at Goldenseal Sanctuary
Rutland, Ohio

            An herb that is Astringent means it tightens the bodies’ tissues, which is why when drinking something astringent you can feel yourself having a dry mouth. Astringency can also be due to eating something with tannins in it, such as chokecherry, oak leaves, or even white willow tincture/tea. The tannins bind to proteins, so if you drink it they bind to your salivary proteins essentially and they dissipate, causing the ‘tight/dry mouth’ feeling. This can be prevented when drinking black tea by adding milk, being a common practice in Britain. Also, astringent herbs are usually found in beauty products, such as toner, to tighten your faces’ skin, and also have a gentle cleaning effect. Some times in which using an astringent herb is helpful is whenever something is overly “oozy” or needs to be tightened so: loose gums, diarrhea,. Astrigent herbs include: Blackberry, Raspberry (anything else in Rose family), Witch Hazel, White Willow bark, to name a few.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Adaptogen, anti-catarrhal & Tonic
Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland

            An herb that is an Adaptogen is a gentle- tonic that builds one’s health over time, but can also help with acute ailments, this action can also be called a tonic, common herbs of this category include Holy Basil (Tulsi), Stinging Nettle, Burdock, Dandelion and Red Clover. This herb you may want to use to slowly heal chronic-health conditions over time. Next is the action of Anodyne, which really just means to externally relieve pain. This is a loose definition to be sure, but there are many useful pain-relieving herbs, depending on the situation at hand. An common example including a sun-burn, so some herbs that would help are burn herbs, St John’s Wort, Yarrow and Lavender come to mind, and a burn is usually hot so a cooling herb also; another excellent herb could be Plantain because it pulls out whatever there is excess of, and is generally cooling in nature. An Antispasmodic herb is one that helps minimize/treat involuntary muscle movements, generally of the uterus or stomach area. I have no personal experience in dealing with this, though from books and past teachers I have learned several of these herbs to be Black Haw, Black Cohosh.

The herbal action Analgesic is really a synonym to Anodyne. Next is an interesting one, Anti-catarrhal. You may wonder what on earth catarrhal refers to—inflammed mucous membranes. So an herb that treats anti-catarrhal, would also likely help with allergies (to mold, dust, pollen and animals; as well as food allergies), asthma, and other bronchial ailments when inflamed mucous membranes are at hand. Some anti-catarrhal herbs include Stinging Nettle, and Echinacea. My personal favorite way to treat allergies though is with a neti-pot and Allergy Tea!

            Thymes Ancient Remedies’

                        Allergy Tea~              For one pot of tea I put in the following…

            -3/4 tsp Yarrow  *NOTE don’t take Yarrow if pregnant*

            -1 tsp Mullein leaf or flower

            -3/4 tsp Sage

            -1/2 tsp Stinging Nettle (dried)

            - ¼ tsp Thyme

            Brew…Pour boiling water over the herbs, steep for 10-25 minutes and Enjoy!

            Next comes Alterative, which is an action that changes the ‘nature’ of the disease you have, to improve it’s nature, or get rid of it all together. It works by stimulating the liver, cleaning blood and metabolism; eliminates waste through kidneys, bowels and other organs, so overall has detoxifying nature and balances long-standing imbalances. Some of these herbs can include Burdock, Cleavers, Dandelion, Echinacea, and Stinging Nettle.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Alterative, Tonic, Adaptogen & Cholagogue

            A Carminative herb, relaxes your bodies’ muscles to help stimulate secretions to get your digestion doing, helps you pass gas to move constipation through. Usually rich in volatile oils many common carminative herbs include Fennel, Spearmint, Peppermint, Catnip, Cinnamon and Ginger. My favorite way to enjoy the health benefits of these warming herbs is in the form of Chai tea!

                     Thymes Ancient Remedies’

                                      Chai Tea~       

    simmer in a pot with 4 cups of water for 25-35 minutes.

            -1 cinnamon stock

            -1 tsp cloves

            -1 tsp cardamom

            -2-3 tsp fennel seed

            -1 tsp black tea

            -2 tsp licorice root

            -1/4 tsp burdock, dandelion and yellowdock root

            -1/8^th tsp cumin

            -dash of nutmeg

           

            A Cholagogue herb is one that acts upon bile, liver and gallbladder to name a few. Includes herbs such as Dandelion, Burdock, Yellowdock. These are just a few of them, though the ones I have more experience using. These cholagogue herbs are earthy, very root based (lower region of our body is where the major digestive and filter organs are), and when you find Burdock and Yellowdock, I’ve learned their properties solely from taking a leaf, rubbing it and than chewing it, see how it tastes, what is stimulated…and we found lots of bile and saliva! So it must get your bile in lower organs going, why I like adding these herbs to my chai, to get lots of digestion going smoothly and secreting the bile that helps to do it!

Coltsfoot in Rutland, Ohio
Demulcent Expectorant (cooling)

            An herb that is Demulcent (external version of Emollient), meaning it soothes tissue internally. An example where this would be useful is if you have a dry, hacking cough and sore throat, so taking an internally soothing of the tissue, cooling moist herb is a very good idea. Demulcent –cooling herbs include Marshmallow root, Plantain, Coltsfoot…and other general Demulcent herbs include: Comfrey, and Echinacea. Diaphoretic goes hand-in-hand with Anti-catarrhal a lot of times because if you have inflamed mucous membranes, not due to allergies, so you have a cold or flu, you’ll most likely need to sweat it out, and that is a diaphoretic herb; one that stimulates your body to make you sweat out a disease. Very common herbs for this include Boneset, Yarrow and Elderberry/flower. My favorite way of taking this is as an Elderberry honey, or syrup (recipe here). Next is Diuretic, this action is commonly thought to “make you pee”, which is a common misconception. An herb that is Diuretic actually stimulates the kidneys, which makes you have to urinate more, by increasing the rate at which the kidneys filters blood. Examples include: Cleavers, Mullein, Dandelion, Horsetail, Linden and Stinging Nettle.  

            An Emetic, is an herb that makes you vomit, I never work with these, but knowing if an herb does this is helpful…to know what to stay away from (common one is Elder BARK)! The action of Emmenagogue means this herb brings on the menses (period), so you should AVOID WHEN PREGNANT! These herbs can include Yarrow, Black Cohosh and Motherwort are the main ones I know of. Motherwort is excellent at bringing the period of, as well as helping with cramps, and comforts the emotional rollercoaster (so helps the heart)*NOTE Stinging Nettle is excellent in not bring on the menses but lessening blood flow if you have a heavy ‘flow’, because it diverts blood away from the pelvis*

Boneset at Northland College in Ashland, WI

            An herb that is an Expectorant helps you cough up excess phlegm, by loosening it, and adding more mucus (say if a dry hacking cough) to help alleviate these symptoms. So if you had a cold, phelgmy cough, it could be good to take a warming expectorant to help balance this cold, wet tissue state, so ginger would be a good choice, along with licorice, anise or even cayenne. Though, if you had a dry hot cough with little phlegm, a cooling moistening expectorant, such as Marshmallow root would be good. Other herbs are: Boneset, Yarrow, Mullein, Elderberry/flower. Febrifuge is an herb that helps to cool the body, so not exactly sweating a fever out, because you could just have heat-exhaustion or heat-stroke. Peppermint, Yarrow, Elderberry/flower, Hibiscus and Boneset are good for this. A Galactagogue herb increases the secretion of milk, so it’s obviously helpful for nursing mothers, and includes: Fennel, Milkweed, and Stinging Nettle; though if you want to dry up your milk Sage and Parsley are good.

            A Hemostatic herb—stops bleeding. Includes the herbs Yarrow and Cayenne, which are the best two I know from learning, and hearing excellent success stories of using Yarrow especially.

            Next are laxative herbs, (also see below Purgative). A Laxative herb overall works by cleaning you out via the gallbladder. Some more gentle and bulk-forming laxatives includes psyllium seed and husk, these aren’t as hard on the body, and still shouldn’t be used more than needed. The next level of laxatives includes the herb Senna; after that the third level is a very strong laxative including Castor oil (internally), Rhubarb Root and Cascara sagrada. Lastly is purgative, the strongest (see below). **NOTE Do NOT use laxatives without doctors approval/assistance** Some herbs that can prevent the need for using laxatives include Burdock, (any of the carminatives, and cholagogue).

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Emmenagogue, Febrifuge, Hemostatic & Vulnerary

            An herb that has the action of Mucilage, really is how it sounds, it coats and soothes the membranes, and thus calms inflamed areas. Oats is an excellent example, as are Marshmallow, Slippery Elm and Plantain. These herbs also commonly replenish one’s electrolyes, some of these hers also include: lemon, honey, maple syrup, and dandelion.A Purgative being the MOST powerful of the laxatives majorly irritates the bowels, and can include Cascada sagrada, senna. **DON’T use a LAXATIVE without DOCTORS APPROVAL/supervision!!!**

 An herb that is Rubafacient in nature brings blood to area of wound to heal, helps improve poor circulation also to cold hands and feet. Some of these herbs include: Yarrow, Cayenne, Mullein, and Ginger. A herb that is Tonic in nature helps to build the body of nutrition, thus slowly healing chronic ailments, also can be an Adaptogen (see above). Herbs include: Red Clover, Stinging Nettle, Dandelion and Burdock. I have had a lot of personal success with Stinging Nettle, and for more information see a previously published article (http://www.motherearthliving.com/natural-health/stinging-nettle-plant-underappreciated-green-of-the-wild.aspx). A Vermifuge is an herb that specifically kills worms and parasites, Black Walnut is an excellent example, Myrrh and Goldenseal also are helpful for this. Lastly, Vulnerary, is an herbal action of healing wounds, and one might think if you have a good one why not use it for all situations. The fact of the matter is it depends. For example, if you had a very clean wound, but it needed to be healed quickly, a good herb could be Comfrey; BUT if it is not clean you wouldn’t want to use an herb that makes your body regenerate it’s cells which could lead to a nasty infection. If you have a dirty wound, Yarrow is excellent at cleaning it out but slowly healing. Other good herbs include Calendula, Echinacea and Goldenseal; and herbs that heal wounds and relieve pain includes: White Willow bark, Yucca, Silk Tassel, Passionflower and Birch (Also see above Anodyne).

Examples:

            Peppermint is a cooling carminative…also being a

                                    Diaphoretic

                                    Nervine

                                    Carminative

                                    Anti-spasmodic

                                    ---helps the nervous system, digestive system (stomach, bowels)

            Prickly Ash happens to be a nerve stimulant

                 So also a…

                        Alterative

                        Stimulant (secretion, circulation)

                        Stimulates saliva

                        Mild laxative

                        Pancreatic and biliuary actions (gets secretions going)

                        Cardiac activity

                                    --stimulates heart, lymph, circulation, kidneys

                        Diaphoretic

                        Strengthen one’s “vital force”

                        Bowel spasms (constipation; gas is a symptom)—thus a carminative

                        Dysentery (loose bowels)

                        Neuralgic dysmenorrhia (nerv cramps in menstruation)

Resources:

-Therapeutic Herb Manual by Ed Smith. An excellent informational book many major herbs and their medicinal actions the author found when taken as a tincture

-Native American Medicinal Plants by Daniel E. Moerman. An excellent book about traditional uses of native North American plants, includes herbal actions under each tribe and loosely how it was taken

-101 Herbal teas…by Kathleen Brown is a good basic herbal-book about common herbs, their medicinal uses and fun tea recipes to make with them!

Herbal Butter, Oils & Salad Dressings: my favorite ways to incorporate herbs and fats into my diet

            If you have ever wondered what you can do with all of your fresh herbs in the summer, besides drying and freezing, I have several fun ideas for you! One of my favorite ways to incorporate these extra herbs, along with healthy fats, into my many cooking dishes is by making and using herbal butters, oils and salad dressings! Besides that, I also love to incorporate fresh herbs and lots of greens into my salads, such as dandelion, arugula, chard, kale, and purslane!

            Butter, glorious butter! The list of health benefits of butter, especially when it’s of pastured, organic and raw is a very compelling one. Butter contains many vitamins (A, D, K and E), the first of which is crucial for the thyroid gland to stay healthy; as well iodine, selenium and more, which helps improve the immune function and metabolism, protects the body against heart disease, arthritis, gastrointestinal infections; helps the body better absorb calcium and phosphorous, which are essential for strong bones and teeth; and lastly is rich in saturated fats, so it is very good for lung function, and also rich in omega-3 and -6 medium-chain fatty acids, which is important for skin health, and brain function (see resources).

making my favorite herbal butter

         

 My herbal butter recipe isn’t exact, and I use whatever is easily available.

Jennifer’s Herbal Butter:

-1/4 lb pastured organic cultured butter at room temperature

- 4 green onions, chopped

- 3-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

- ½ tsp dried sage, tarragon, and rosemary

*in summer substitute the green onions for a few handfuls of chives, and fresh herbs*

-when the butter is at room temperature, put all ingredients into a bowl, mix thoroughly, put into a jam jar and store in the fridge

            Next, some background on herbal oils. I personally have learned to use extra virgin olive oil, from trader joe’s, because a friends’ family from Spain said it was the highest quality (just from smelling it). Though, I trust that they, along with Italian friends of mine, know good olive oil. Otherwise, I buy bulk organic from the co-op, both of these sources have turned out to be excellent for herbal-infused oils. Besides the above suggestion, here are a few things I have learned from reading traditional food recipes about good oils and fats.

            Besides butter, other fats I add to most dishes are oils, specifically olive oil, though coconut oil and flax-seed oil are also excellent to cook with. Personally, I prefer using olive oil because it is multi-purposeful, so I can use it to make salad dressing, beauty products such as creams, and lotion, and salves, an ‘herbal ointment’. Also, olive oil is very rich in antioxidants, vitamin E, and the monounsaturated fatty acid (oleic acid), which is shown to protect against heart disease. If you would like to use different oil, you can  substitute with almond, sunflower or grape seed oil.

Yarrow Infused Olive Oil for
EXTERNAL use only

Herbal-Infused Oil Recipe:

            Here is how to make the basic infused-herbal oil, from what I learned in Lise Wolff’s “3 Seasons of Herbal Medicine”, course.

-Take fresh plant material, and wilt for 8-24 hours so enough moisture will be out of the plant, as to not cause any mold growth (which would ruin the oil)

-After the allotted time, rip or cut up the herb, and pack down into a jar, making sure there is at least 2 inches of head space

-Pour in oil, to fully cover the herb, and if the herb floats above the oil, hold down with rocks 

-Infuse for 4-6 weeks in a cool, dark location. Though, I infuse it in the sun, because how can herbs be harmed by sunlight, they do synthesize it into energy after all.

 -After 4-6 weeks, strain through a fine-metal strainer and rebottle. 

*For a measurement-based recipe see the book Herbs & Spices book in resources*

            Now for what you’ve been waiting for, background about   store-bought salad dressings, and a recipe on making your own healthy version at home! Salad dressings you buy in the store, even if they are low-fat, organic or any other ‘health label’ they can slap on it are still made with really low-quality oils, along with a slew of artificial colors, flavorings, preservatives, and don’t even get me started on sweeteners they add. By making your own salad dressing, you are combining healthy fats, such as olive oil, flax seed oil, eggs and in this case anchovies, along with lemon juice and mustard, to have your own incredibly fresh, healthy and delicious Caesar salad dressing! 

Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe~ 

 makes ¾ cup

Caesar Salad Dressing Ingredients

Ingredients:

-1/2-1 tsp Dijon mustard

-1 Tbsp wine vinegar

-1 Tbsp lemon juice; freshly squeezed

-1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese; finely grated—fresh is preferred

-1/2 cp Extra Virgin Olive oil; cold-pressed

-1 Tbsp flax oil; expeller, cold pressed

-1 egg yolk; preferably organic, local and free-range

-2 anchovy fillets

-3-5 garlic cloves; peeled and mashed

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a food-processor and blend until smooth. As you see in my pictures you may notice that the Caesar dressing is very runny at first—but not to worry—it will thicken with time and refrigeration.

           

  *Recipe courtesy from Sally Fallon’s book Nourishing Traditions*

Resources:

-Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

-Weston A. Price  http://www.westonaprice.org/

-The Healthy Home Economist http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/

-Herbs & Spices by Jill Norman. This book is an excellent book on how to use a majority of cooking herbs and spices, prepare and store them, includes recipes and herbal mixtures as well.

Inspiration through Community & Decluttering

“We also need space for our ideas, and thoughts—a cluttered room usually leads to a cluttered mind. Say you’re sitting [on your couch]…and a truly profound thought captures your imagination…You’re deep in thought…when your gaze falls on [example of clutter]…your mind immediately takes a detour and your train of thought is lost…”

~ Francine Jay

            The above excerpt, from a newly favorite book “The Joy of Less”, perfectly describes how and why I had been creatively-stuck for months, late this last year, which I never fully understood until my lack of writing and organization, and being involved in community activities. Why you may ask?? Well, truthfully because my room was a bit cluttered; and my room is in fact my office, bedroom, herbal writing and business storage area, so you can imagine, it is hard to keep the craziness to a minimum. If there was a mess, I would let it be  believing in vain, that if I saw it I would deal with it sooner—I couldn’t be more wrong/or so I thought. After being so sick of my lack of accomplishing/concentration, and being stressed out by the subtle messes…I said enough is enough, and as part of my New Year’s resolution I decided to fix it. So once January rolled around, I slowly started going through each part of my small room, and decluttering, recycling, donating, storing and waiting on items.

            This decluttering really helped me be successful in all parts of my life again, writing, in community, work and even fun stuff! Why is doing this so important you may ask, besides the lack of finishing things….well, this fall I am planning on moving out (of my parents’ home), to be ‘out on my own’. Staying motivated enough to save money, make the major move for me, is quite hard, and to keep successfully moving along I have found being involved in my own personal, usually free/inexpensive things, have helped me see the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, and show to myself, and parents, I can do it!

            So some anecdotes/explanation of this, which are well said by some simple-living quotes.

 “the secret to happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing

 the capacity to enjoy less”~  Don Millman

            This quote I find particularly compelling because it plainly states, you’ll find happiness in less, so why try to fill the void you may have with things, and wasting time, and instead fill it with more purposeful, meaningful relationships, activities, pursuits, and whatever else you can! I know I have worked on this, which has helped me feel like I need to ‘fill something’, a lot less. Recently, I have become very involved in our local herbal guild the, NCHG, or North Country Herbalist Guild (www.nchg.org). Also I have been attending the Minnesota Textile Centers ‘Basket Weaver’s Guild’; both of these are a day or two a month.

            Through my prioritizing my community involvement in a few things I am very passionate about, I thought I would share a quote with you that I read a while ago, which was quite moving. Someone stated that studies have been done where people being prepped for heart surgery were asked two questions, are you involved in community groups/activities, and do you have more than two close friends you spend time with often? (this is how I remember the story going). Those who answered no to both questions, were substantially less successful in surviving the surgery.

            To take this idea further, here are several excerpts from my all time favorite simplicity book “Less is More”, by Wanda Urbanska & Cecile Andrews. Cecile so eloquently states that, “ultimately simplicity is about knowing who you are, being clear about your values, understanding what brings true well-being”, so if you spend money, do it on something that will help, not hinder, these values and goals of yours. For example, if I want to go to an amazing herbal conference say next year, I will save a certain amount monthly (currently am), and accrue PTO from my job so it’s a double-plus! So if people are connected, these “relationships with others are at the heart of happiness…they’re happier, healthier and live longer” (Cecile Andrews), and evidence has been found that “companionship…contributes more to well-being than does income”, states the Yale political science professor, and author, Robert E. Lane. These two really hit home for me, I know I’d rather be happier VERSUS super financially well-off, but having few meaningful relationships!

            Lastly, if you really have a rough day, like I can working at a grocery store, so not buying anything, especially food, let alone very healthy food is hard! So when I am having a battle in my head of “to buy or not to buy”, I remember this hilarious but perfectly true/stated quote:

“We think we have to have too much and worry about how we’re going to get it and getting it, and going into debt for it. Rather than doing without…I’m sure it would lead to a simpler life if we didn’t have to worry about the things we didn’t have”

~ Rosalynn Carter (Less is More book)

 

            As a final note: my blog shall be moving in a slightly different direction, in a broadening of sorts. Now all who are reading this I hope you have heard of the “father of Medicine”—Hippocrates. My reasoning as to why he has inspired, and assisted me in my ‘simplicity’ endeavor, is because of his most famous/quoted-saying “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”. Which explains why I will be including not just herbal medicine, recipes, adventures and conference information, but (as you have noticed) topics such as: food and ferment making, traditional food and in-season dishes; simplicity and inspiration; natural beauty; eco-friendly cleaning; crafts; resources; environmental; preserving and canning…to name most of them.

 

 

      And lastly as my best friend’s tumbler recently posted, a very perfect idea for me…

 

 

http://perplexandenfeeblethought.tumblr.com/post/43741771085

NOTE: soon to come is a blog literally on de-cluttering, and organizing! Can’t wait to show the before and after progress in pictures.

 

Resources:

-“Less is More” book, by: Cecile Andrews, & Wanda Urbanska

-http://minimalismissimple.com/start-here

-http://www.motherearthliving.com/the-good-life/10-simple-living-tips-from-the-amish.aspx

http://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-wellness/mind-and-body/day-of-rest-zmez13jfzmel.aspx

Kim Chi: Korea’s spicy Sauerkraut

 

            “Lacto-fermentation is not lonely a means of conserving food but also a procedure for ennobling them, as proved by their taste and aroma”

~ Annelies Schoneck

 

(Nourishing Traditions, pg 92)

 Have you ever found yourself eating more heavy foods, and that this seems to slow down your digestion? If so, Kim Chi, among many other ferments, are excellent in helping keep you “more on track”. Recently, I was inspired by two things. Firstly, the idea of blogging on what comes easily; and secondly, by Hippocrate’s saying “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”. Now, Kim Chi is a wonderful, tasty Cabbage ferment, so don’t let the fear of some spice keep you from making this! Kim Chi is a very simple recipe, where all you really need is Cabbage, sea salt, carrots, ginger and red pepper flakes.

            First though—some history of ferments! If you take a look at what is eaten in ethnic-cuisine, one thing is clear…

“that rarely meals are eaten without at least one fermented food…in France, if you took away bread, cheese, ham, sausage, wine, and beer,  all produced through fermentation, our meals would be much impoverished. In colder countries, sauerkraut [and] cucumbers [are their staple]…In Japan, it’s not a meal without miso, soy sauce and pickles…in India, they drink soured milk daily…practically at every meal…in Indonesia they eat tempeh, [and lastly] in Korea kim chi” (Nourishing Traditions, 94).

             Lacto-fermentation was ancient peoples’ only way of preserving food—cabbage was a world favorite! It was fermented in China 6,000 years ago, and in ancient Rome, where it was loved for it’s easy digestibility. As Pliny made record of in 50 B.C., their 2 ways of lacto-fermentation were: shredding cabbage and sealing it tightly in jars; and  secondly, mixing many vegetables, wild herbs, and covering them with a salt-water solution. This was called the mixture, or “compositor. (Anelies Schoneck Des Crudites Toute L’ Annee).

            For lacto-fermentation to occur you need salt, whey, pure ingredients, and lack of oxygen. Lacto-fermentation is a process which breaks down sugar and starch in food, converts it to lactic-acid, to preserve it long-term, increase vitamin levels (vitamin C), and enhances digestibility! The lactobacilli that proliferates in fermented fruits and vegetables, makes it easier to digest, and promotes the growth of “healthy flora throughout the intestine” (Nourishing Traditions, 89). Next, salt inhibits the growth of putrefying bacteria, and while sitting at room temperature builds up lactic-acid to preserve your ferment for many months. Next, whey, though not required for a ferment, it is an inoculant and already contains lactic-acid, thus shortening the fermentation time, and almost making salt unnecessary. Whey also, like salt inhibits putrefying bacterial growth. The last two keys to a good-ferment are high quality ingredients, such as organic, seasonal/locally grown produce, as well as pure water and sea salt; how do you expect to get a good final-fermented product if you put bad ingredients into it?? …Lastly, due to the fact that fermentation is an anaerobic process, if your jar isn’t sealed tight, it could become spoiled.

            Though, as history would make it, normally-fermented items, such as sauerkraut, kim chi and dill pickles, through industrialization, have gone from very healthy, digestion-improving and nutrient-rich, to being devoid of lactic-acid, healthy-bacteria and nutrients, due to pasteurization! On top of this, vinegar has replaced salt with the vegetables’ own juices, which over time isn’t very good for people, due to it’s acidity. ….It’s no wonder why there are so many major diseases, viruses, and stomach-related ailments from diarrhea, constipation, and the ‘stomach flu’, now a days.

            Now before I just give you the recipe I use, I would like to include a story of where I first tried REAL Kim Chi. It was at Quiet Creek herbal farm (in Brookville, PA—I did a WWOOFING internship there), and the family who owned this farm had a Mediterranean diet, and loved fermented foods, including Kim Chi (the recipe they obtained from Korean friend). The owners stated that they felt 10 years younger, feeling a lot more vigorous!

So here is a recipe that is a mixture of the Quiet Creek Farm’s version, and the Nourishing Traditions’ recipe.

Kim Chi Recipe: adapted from Nourishing Traditions

Ingredients:

-1  2-3 Lb Napa cabbage, shredded

-1 bunch green onions, chopped

-2-3 carrots, grated

-1-2 radishes, grated (optional)  OR ¼-1/2 cp daikon radish, grated

-2-3 tsp ginger root, freshly grated

-3-5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

-1/4 – ½ tsp dried Red pepper flakes

-1 Tbsp Pink Himalayan sea salt

-4 Tbsp whey (if not available—another 1 Tbsp salt)

 Directions:

1) Place above vegetables, spices, salt and whey in a large bowl. Pound with a meat-mallet to release the juices until juices are above the mixture.

2)  Place everything into a large wide-mouth mason jar. Again press down with a meat-mallet, your hands—or whatever works best, until the vegetables juices are above the cabbage mixture. When this is complete, make sure there is over 1 inch of headspace between the vegetables and your jars’ lid.

3) Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days, than transfer to cold storage (refrigerator, or root cellar). ENJOY!

**NOTE: room temperature is best at 72, if it is hotter, shorten the ‘ferment time’, and if colder, lengthen it**

 

Resources:
-Sally Fallon’s book “Nourishing Traditions: the cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats”
-Sandor Ellix Katz’s book  “Wild Fermentation” , or website http://www.wildfermentation.com/
-Weston A. Price Foundation  http://www.westonaprice.org/
-Quiet Creek Herbal farm http://www.quietcreekherbfarm.com/
-Blog written by a ‘chapter leader’ of the Weston A. Price Foundation (in Florida) http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/

Red Osier Dogwood as medicine and tincture:

Red Osier Dogwood as medicine and tincture:

            It’s that time of year again, the time to harvest bark from woody shrubs and trees, for tincturing! This past year, I was involved in a local herbal program, called “3 Seasons of Herbal Medicine”, taught by Lise Wolff. Lise is a very experienced herbalist, teacher, and one of several herbalists in Minnesota that are registered with the AHG, American Herbalists Guild. From this course, I learned much about medicinal plants and their uses, as well as how to harvest and make medicine.

            One of the few barks we harvested in this course, was Red Osier Dogwood, which must be collected when it is very cold, or as Lise mentioned before the first thunderstorm of the year. Red Osier Dogwood, also known as Red Twig, Kanikanik or Kinikenick (spelling varies), whose botanical name is Cornus sericea and C. serivea spp. sericea.  With Native Americans being the primary people that use this herb, here are some major uses of Red Osier, specifically Cornus sericea spp. sericea. This plant is used to treat eye, lung and pregnancy related ailments, and pain. The Cree use it for sore eyes, the fruit to treat snow-blindness and pith for cataracts. The Iroquois use the inner bark for hemorrhages, pain, headaches, chest congestion, sore throats, coughs and fevers. When smoked with tobacco it helps to treat lung sickness; and cleanse the blood and improve circulation when mixed with Chokecherry or Alder bark. Red Osier is used to prevent frequent pregnancies, by the Okanagan-Colville tribe, and an inner-bark poultice, when applied to a woman’s back and belly, helps “heal a woman’s insides”, after childbirth (Moerman). When mixed with warm ash as a painkiller; and the decoction of the inner bark treated rashes, sores, diarrhea and poison ivy. Lastly, it is smoked in ceremonies by the Apache, and the Blackfoot tribe would put the ‘berry spittle’ on arrows and musket balls to make the wounded that were shot by it infected.

Materials for Bark Tincture Making

            Back to my course learnings, Lise also informed us that Native Americans used this bark for treating headaches, but besides in their culture, this herb represents reflection, observation, and is a ‘third eye’ remedy, which symbolizes intuition. As such, this herb is a very good remedy in treating paranoia, irrational fears, P.T.S.D. and hyper vigilance. Through seeing her own patients, Lise found that Red Osier Dogwood helped young children that felt like they were constantly being watched, or were going to be kidnapped; so this herb is also for social phobias. It is believed in Chinese Medicine that what causes this paranoia is a lack of ‘shen’ in a person. TCM also uses Red Osier to treat excessive menstruation blood, kidney weakness, and replenishes and cleanses the kidneys and blood. Lastly, Lise informed us that it is also a lung ailment, which can be symbolized by where the berry stems in the fall, based on the Doctrine of Signatures (believing plants represent what they treat—walnuts for brain health).

            During our class on the day we harvested and learned about this plant, we took a small nibble of the fresh bark and overall this is what we felt: mellow, but very alert an clear headed, like taking a glass of wine without the fuzzy-feeling; also a numb, warm feeling at the base of my skull at in my 3^rd eye region.

Directions for Bark Tincture Making:

Lise taught us to use the outer bark for tincture-making, and to have 1 part fresh bark, to 4-5 parts alcohol (vodka or brandy-80 to 100 proof preferred).

So what you need for tincture making (see above picture)
includes:
-small jar with lid
-paring knife
-cutters for cutting small twigs from the shrub
-labels and markers or pencils
-80 or 100 proof vodka (or brandy)   

What you will do is gently cut off the outer bark, and take those pieces and put them in your small jar. Once you have cut off all the bark on the small twigs, you will put them in your jar and for every 'part' of bark (amount) you will add 4-5 times as much vodka.



Red Osier bark tincture (Cornus sericea)
after only a few hours

WARNING: ALWAYS consult a physician before considering to take herbs. Do not ingest or apply topically, anything from outside before consulting a experienced botanist, forester and or herbalist. Herbs are not to be taken in place of/instead of drugs, if you have any health issues and are interested in taking herbs please consult your doctor.

References:

-Lise Wolff  http://www.herbalistlisewolff.com/

-American Herbalists Guild website  http://www.americanherbalistsguild.com/

-For information regarding other species of Dogwood, see “Indian Herbalogy of North America” by Alma R. Hutchens

-http://www.plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch

Works Cited

Cornus Sericea. N.d. Photograph. Http://classes.hortla.wsu.edu. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. <http://classes.hortla.wsu.edu/hort231/List03/Slide9.JPG>.

Cornus Sericea. N.d. Photograph. Wikipedia. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_sericea>.

Moerman, Daniel E., and Daniel E. Moerman. Native American Medicinal Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Portland, Or.: Timber, 2009. 155-58. Print.

September 1^st continued… Talk with Paul Strauss~

            Paul, like many things he says that I admire, and find much wisdom in, he said “Trees give us many things besides the shade”, the idea similar to the book “The Giving Tree”, or even like a cartoon I saw about someone cutting down a tree with birds flying out of it, to make a birdhouse…I mean really?? Trees can ground the earth, slow and minimize erosion, give birds homes which can help minimize unwanted bugs, and can give us fruit and medicine as well. Paul goes on to show us the other buildings and structures at his property that utilize nature, like his root cellar. He has the door of it facing South, and the earth surrounds the other directions, with two solid doors shut so it needs no A/C in the summer. In the winter he sprouts poke root for fresh food, along with many fermented, canned items and crops he has harvested in the fall. He than showed us his greenhouse, where in late winter and early spring he grows seedlings, than transplants them, and later in the summer uses this greenhouse to dry herbs; he says that, “the earth works in never-ending cycles, you best use it to your advantage”.

The majestic standing Goldenrod

Also, he even has a solar powered RV,--imagine that, which has a small cabin next to it, that he built entirely out of fallen down trees, cut to lumber! After seeing his simple, reused material –based buildings, we got on a very nice and long herb walk throughout the majority of his 300-some acre property. In the beginning of this hike, he first points out Pleurisy Root, also known as Butterfly Weed, is an excellent remedy for the lungs. Next he pointed to Fringe tree, saying the roots are a very good liver remedy, Goldenrod, is an herb very good at treating respiratory ailments and allergies, and should become a lot more popular because it is very successful in it’s healing and is very underused (see later blog on Goldenrod from Herb School). A side-note related to Goldenrod, many people assume that when Goldenrod blooms that is what causes the majority of summer allergies, this would make sense if many were allergic to it, but the unexciting –Ragweed is what does so. Agrimony is for healing liver and spleen ailments, gather in Mid-August and only use the aerial parts.

gorgeous Goldenrod prarie view in the sunset of the sanctuary...

                  Multiflora Rose is a major invasive, whose rose hips are full of Vitamin C, so good for getting over colds and such, and when the entire plant is burned smells very good. Another interesting plant he pointed out, was a “Milkless Milkweed”, Odamalla……, which he stated has more licopene content than tomatoes! Grapevine’s actual vine part is very good for weaving into things such as baskets, Smooth Sumac is a great aromatic, and Indian Hemp is very useful for making thread and rope out of, where you peel small strands off of the stalk and roll or braid them together. As we later went past some Jewelweed on a hike, being known to also be called “Touch Me Not” for it’s flower explodes-almost upon contact, being useful for treating stings, bug-bites and poison ivy, the flowers are loved my hummingbirds! Related to Appalachian lifestyle, how they build a spring essential…dig a hole, than once you find fresh water coming up constantly, put plexi glass over it, and a water line in a ditch below the freeze line, have the fresh water run through a charcoal filter. Also…never dig this hole where your spring might be in direct sunlight. And the latter advice, “Simplicity is the key to live with the earth”, and Appalachian’s tend to do more with less, and can.

            Back to more herb walk information, Joe Pye Weed, I believe also being called Culvers’ root, is good for kidney ailments, Slippery Elm, (see lower for picture) being an Elm so it’s becoming almost extinct here, it’s inner bark is very demulcent (internally soothing) for lungs, coughs and other respiratory-like ailments. Black Walnut treats fungal diseases, such as athlete’s foot, use the green outer shell of the nut. O’Sage Orange, also know as Bow-wood, stands ground contact meaning mules can’t pull it out, thus historically it was used to make bows and arrows, because it didn’t break easily, this was worth a horse and saddle historically. Red Aromatic Cedar doesn’t attract bugs, so good for linen closets, but Paul learned the hard way that carpenter bees love and eat it! Oak forests are made and spread further by none-other than blue jays, they spread the nuts, and Walnut trees are spread by squirrels hiding the nuts. The Black American Cherry tree, contains a compound known as hydrosolamic acid, which is very good at treating coughs and respiratory ailments, why it was so historically, and still currently, popular for cough syrup.

Girls in my group harvesting the bark
of a dead Slippery Elm tree

            Baptisia alba, (or white??) ostralis—prarie—blue flowers with black seed-pods, (in the Eastern Wildflowers Book), has a strong immune response when you ingest it, so use the root for the most potent part. Another popular Appalachian tree, the Paw-Paw with festivals after it, also has the common-name in this local as “Custard Apple”, and the ones in more light develop fruit, which tasts interestingly like an over ripe bananna and mango together, the ice cream, phenomenal, beer…not so much. Sweet Gum trees in the fall have a good 5-6 color leaves, which look somewhat like a Maple leaf. Native River Birch bark is healing, and he mentioned that native peoples (specifically Native American in most of his references), used to sweat before any major life-occurrence, such as a battle, hunt or giving birth. Yarrow and Boneset are good medicine, Yarrow for bleeding and deep cuts (see further information in my Lise Wolff class notes later), and Boneset for ‘bone break fever’, since these herbs’s most potent medicine is the flower, harvest just when they are in full-bloom. Poplar woods are a major tree in permaculture, quickly grow back after cut. Wild Yam root for cramping, such as menstrual and constipation, Maple Sap for kidney disorders; Native Americans ate young Sugar Maple and Basswood tree leaves as a ‘first spring green’ , and Reishi Mushroom as a tincture for immunity-ailments, and lastly Stone Root, or….., for “preachers throat”, use root or aerial parts.

***GOOD Raisin butter recipe…1 lb raisin soaked overnight, blend in blender, (high in iron—good for periods and pregnancy than)…add peanut, almond butter and tahini…small handful of chia seeds. Good source of energy, protein, and phytochemicals. Heat all in double-boiler…add chopped walnuts, eggs, cornmeal and wheat flower…mix is a complete amino acid. Cook in 9 by 9 pan till done***

“If you have a positive outlook, you can take your mind and learn for medicine, and learn about a plant…and remember it” ~ Paul Strauss

        Virginia Snakeroot is very useful in treating small pox, the measles and mumps, though toxic in large doses, though anything technically is. Japanese Honeysuckle, a very invasive plant, especially throughout the south, is useful for weaving (as is Virginia Creeper). White Snakeroot, (see picture), known primarily in history as what killed Abe Lincoln’s mother, having happened by cows ingesting the plants root, when turned-over after plowing, and thus if you drink the milk it becomes very toxic. On the other hand, cows used to be feed Sweet Melliot and when not fully dried it developed a mold and became a major blood-thinner.

“Herbalism isn’t just known what [herb] is good to heal or treat what ailment…it’s how you use the materials that are given to you” ~ Paul Strauss

 

White Snakeroot

            A trees bark changes with age, so you have to learn it at every stage of it’s life, like a person really (Paul Strauss). Speaking of trees…here is about a new favorite one of mine, Sassafras. Being in demise now very sadly, this tree was traditionally used to make and flavor Root Beer! Sassafras is in the Avacado family, as are Spicebush and Cinnamon, we were lucky enough later in this internship, at another farmers property (Paul Neidhart) to find an uprooted, very-large, Sassafras tree, that had been ripped up during a huge wind storm. The root and it’s bark is what’s used to make the tea, or root beer, and best harvested in the fall when the plant’s energy is in the ground. Sassafras has three different-shaped leaves…mitten, closed hand, and pinkie-and-thumb out (rocker leaf). The leaves are mucilaginous (quenches thirst), bark looks like small hooves and are orange and green in color. The leaves are demulcent, so it’s good for someone whose mouth is dry from talking. The root bark is used as spring tonic to prevent ‘spring fever’ after traditional Appalachians’ ate meat and dried fruit all winter long, their bodies would literally get the feeling of having a fever from their bodies being ‘shocked’ with fresh vegetables again. Take this plant internally to cool blood, and externally is a warming herb—ironic.  English colonies in Virginia exported about 40 tons a year to England, which than replaced black tea for a while. Known to be a blood thinner, and good for the kidneys and heart, Sassafras is also a heroic herb like Bloodroot and Goldenseal. Sassafras leaves are the key ingredient in gumbo, and was so highly regarded as a plant by pioneers that they made bible boxes, baby cribs and chicken coops out of them. To make tea out of the root bark, just take a few wide strips of it dried, and add it to 4 cups, and after the water is boiling throw the root bark pieces in the water, simmer for 5-8 minutes than enjoy with honey! Sassafras is a very good herb to add to bad tasting tinctures, as 7Song my herbal acquaintance from my Ohio internship, states that it’s best in 95% alcohol, in a 1:2 ratio (herb to menstrum). 7Song also states that, “some things are medicine just for smelling good!” 

a hill of just-opened Bloodroot
on a hill near an ex's house

“Have a talk with ‘Mother Earth’ first, to be a good enough herbalist in her mind…because you have a HUGE responsibility” ~ Paul Strauss

Our Adventurous Day with the Founder of "Goldenseal Sanctuary"

September 1^st, 2011—

Our day with the Founder of  the United Plant Savers’s

‘Goldenseal’ Sanctuary (Paul Strauss)

Balm of Gilead seed pod.
Taken at the Eloise Butler garden
in North Minneapolis, MN

            Today was an incredible, eye-opening long day at Paul Strauss’ place, ie-just an hour hike over a few of our hills the ‘back way’. We spent a lot of the morning in Paul Strauss’ Apothecary as he explained how the United Plant Savers organization and Goldenseal Sanctuary started. The organization itself was started by Rosemary Gladstar, when she noticed very few native medicinal plants when she moved to her Vermont home, and she decided to gather people that had the same concern. Though let me back up a minute here, the land was originally owned by someone nicknamed “Big Lee”, whose son “Little Lee” grew up on it being pasture for horses and other animals. After his father passed, “Little Lee” inherited the land and restored it as much as possible. Eventually Paul Strauss came along and bought the land from Lee and restored it even more into a native plant sanctuary.

            Once at Paul’s he starts our long day hike around his property in my favorite place of all there, his apothecary! In his salves he uses several very interesting and specific ingredients to help improve the healing properties of his salves. These include Balm of Gilead and Propolis. Balm of Gilead it sit’s on an un-open bud, and the resin is carried by bees, it’s antibiotic and antibacterial, and sed resin is from the seeds if I remember correctly of this tree. The latter ingredient, Propolis, a part from bees carrying pollen around it creates a resin coming from plants and thus is their ‘natural sealant’ for their hive. Medicinally, Paul states, it treats herpes (the extract or tincture), and let the alcohol evaporate and apply it to sores externally. You need a high heat to break down the propolis and herb roots of 212 degrees F for 3 hours.

Goldenseal Patch at United Plant Savers
"Goldenseal Sanctuary' in Rutland, Ohio

           Paul explains that when making any medicine that the mark is the amount of herb being used, in a tincture or a salve, and the menstrum is the amount of liquid that the mark, or herb, is put into. Menstrums usually are olive oil, or another type of oil, for salves, and brandy or a certain proof of vodka for tincures. Noting the ratio in which you do this, especially for tinctures, is important if you are selling them so you know how much to charge customers. The primary reason that Paul states he makes tinctures is because, “they last a very long time, and it his the body [via the bloodstream], within 10 seconds”, whereas the tea has to go through a lot of your body first, he also goes on to suggest that all “budding herbalists” should make teas and tinctures because they understand the effect of both on the body, which one works faster and better, but teas you can taste the herb which is very good when say taking a bitter herb to aid digestion (it’s best to “let the body know” whats coming). The more  Paul got to talking, and the more I listen closely, I realize I’m in the midst of a very wise, self-taught, herbalist/woodsman/Appalachian man….another inspiring quote, that made me proud to be in the field I’m in (herbalism), he states that, “as an herbalist you’re responsible for the land” and if not us, who than??   


 

Stinging Nettle patch
Take at the Findhorn Ecovillage
in Northern Scotland

He goes on to talk about how amazing the earth is, and how there are so many important and very simple, yet profoundly healing herbs, such as Goldenseal, and Nettles (one of my personal favorites…see my Herb Companion blog on it http://www.herbcompanion.com/herbal-living/stinging-nettle-plant-underappreciated-green-of-the-wild.aspxwhich was one of the top 5 of that month on the website!!). He, among many other herbalists to this day find these herbs incredible because people might take it for one specific ailment, but it helps heal so many things!! Nettle being a green, helps clean out one’s body, Strauss states, “the more greens you eat, the more cleaned out your body will be”. 

Lastly, here is the article I got published with the "United Plant Savers" journal as a reflection of my internship here.

http://www.unitedplantsavers.org/pdf/2012_journal_winter.pdf

**Here is a lovely article written specifically about the‘Goldenseal Sanctuary’, Paul Strauss and the intern program http://www.ohiomagazine.com/Main/Articles/Botanical_Wonders_4537.aspx#

 

Man-Made pond surrounded by evergreen and decidious forest of Paul Strauss's