Garden Medicinals

Summer brings such beautiful boughs of bountiful leaves to the garden.

It's quintessential nature tamed, yet untamed. I've lost a few arrows from playing archery with Hero. Even in the dead of winter their whereabouts remain unseen. It's become somewhat of a sacrificial portal of foliage.

This weed turned out to be borage, luckily I am always reticent to remove weeds until I can identify them. Borage flowers are delicious on salads. The essential fatty acids contained within them are good for skin. Historically, the flowers have been candied, used in restorative summer libations and given to make folks merry and joyous. For pensiveness, melancholy and forgetfulness.

In only one year, my mullein given to me by a client went from the size of a dime to two feet tall with flowers. So hearty, it made it through the winter, while my my kale and rosemary perished. Look, at how splendid the flower grows.

Mugwort grows wild all over Cape Cod. It is helpful in painful, delayed, scanty and excessive periods. In this way it is an adaptogenic herb, meaning it helps balance you where you need it. It is also helpful in contact dermatitis such as with poison ivy, oak and sumac, although jewelweed is said to be superior. Also, Chumash people rank it above white sage in clearing away negative energy. My late teacher Cecilia Garcia instructed me to boil four handfuls of mugwort in a large pot with a large quantity of water for four hours. The vapors permeate the air and help clear away the energetic residue of former tenants. A cloth can be drenched in this fomentation to clean mirrors and metals such as faucets and doorknobs. I have found it to be helpful in the case of the periodic ghostly visitor.

Motherwort, is very helpful in combination with hawthorn berries to strengthen the heart. It is good for all sorts of heart troubles, palpitations, angina, leaky valve, and even a broken heart. Helpful in neuralgia, sciatic, hysteria, fainting, and nervous debility. It is a antispasmodic, tonic, nervine, emmenagogue. It relaxes muscles, tonifies the female reproductive system, relaxes nerves and helps to bring on menses.

Women as Shamans, Doctors and Priestesses

Max Dashu has been researching women's untold histories for the last forty years. She has created 150 presentations showing images of artifacts which help us to better understand the social structures and spiritual life of indigenous North and South American tribes, and ancient cultures the world over. Some of these intriguing archeological finds date back to 5,500 BCE. Marija Gimbutas paved the way for a clearer understanding of the neolithic matrilineal and matrifocal cultures which revolved around ceremonial life, ancestor worship and the Divine Mother. Her work covers the paradigm shift from early matrilineal cultures where female shamans, doctors and priestesses were honored and respected spiritual leaders to the witch hunts of anti-pagan, anti-earth, anti-self-healing, anti-magic and female subjugating propaganda of the monotheistic patriarchal agenda. Max Dashu will be on my radio program Healing Wisdom in July. Read more about her at:http://supressedhistories.net

Picture above depicts a birthing woman with a snake who tale turns into gourds running up her back. I believe this is a red clay pipe. I wish I had some of the images from the lecture I saw the other night, tri-breasted pots, bee goddess ecstatic dancers, female shamans shapeshifting into tigers, priestess levitating, fountains with nipples for spouts, areola designs, funerary statues with vaginas and clitorises...All of these were clearly products of cultures who were reverent towards women's wisdom, women's bodies, and the sacred feminine!

Longevity, Wisdom and Strength

There have been numerous accidents in the last several days. Thankfully my husband just procured some Chinese herbs on my behalf. Chinese herbs I have found particularly helpful to injury. Last night I took a decoction made of gu sui bu, du zhong, ho shou wu, fu ling, rehmannia, condonopsis and goji berries to a woman across town who was rear-ended and injured in an auto accident. I wish I had a bit of tien chi, but I have found this combination of herbs to work with incredible efficacy in trauma, abrasion, whip lash, and even with broken bones. It heals mightily fast. My formula also improves sleep and appetite, helps to build ligaments even in the case of stretched knee ligaments. It has benefit to the tendons, and even seems to repair and build cartilage to some extent.

Ginseng is a true panacea. These roots help improve energy, rebuild the body in cases of depletion and renew vitality to counteract exhaustion, and support memory acuity. Ginseng is not advisable for pregnant women, people with diabetes, hypertension, or high blood sugar. I highly recommend using decoctions of Red Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) to enhance libido, if you like being struck by a huge kundalini lightning bolt which creates a surge and uprising of fire and desire in every fiber of your being. If being possessed by Tantric Gods or Goddesses is something on your weekend to-do list, scroll down for the recipe, but heed the cautionary tale below.

I have found Panax ginseng to be superior to Panax quinquefolius (so-called American ginseng), and it is without the kinds of side effects experienced by Viagra users. Traditionally, ginseng has been taken for longevity, wisdom and strength as well as a libido enhancer. But like anything, if your heart isn't in it then the herbs are not effective. A cautionary note for women, if you take the Panax ginseng with ho shou wu and chrysanthemum flowers, you may think yourself impervious to harm as an 'insatiable' Geisha/Tantric Priestess, but try to take it easy on yourself or you may get carried away and experience quite painful post coital cramps.

Yes...my disclaimer is followed by a recipe:

- 2 pints of pure water
- 6 large pieces or 1 oz ho shou wu (Polygonium multiflorum)
- 8 1-in. round pieces of Red Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng)
- 12 goji berries
- 3/4 c. chrysanthemum flowers (Chysanthemum indicum)

In a medium sized pot, bring your ginseng and ho shou wu to a boil. Turn down the heat so that it is still boiling on the lowest possible temperature. Cook for approximately 20-30 more minutes, until half of your liquid has evaporated, making the remaining decoction strong. Your tea will be quite dark now. Infuse your flowers and berries. Do not remove from heat. Once it has cooled to lukewarm, strain into a teapot or other serving vessel. Split the cooked ginseng root pieces with your partner. Eat the cooked roots as well, really, these are quite tasty. Drink 2 tablespoons-8oz depending on your overall constitution and sensitivity to herbs.

This strong tea should not be taken over long periods of time. Chrysanthemum is in the same family as the daisy, and may cause allergies and photo-sensitivity in some people. If you are taking pharmaceutical medications, look at any possible contraindications. Chrysanthemum is a blood pressure lowering herb and therefor in China is sometimes served with ginseng to counteract any strain in could have on the heart. Chrysanthemum has been used to treat migraines, anxiety, mental fatigue, acne and fever. It is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory as well.

Medicine Woman Susun Weed

The acclaimed author and medicine woman Susun Weed will be on my show again tomorrow morning for part two of our discussion on Wise Woman Ways at 9am EDT on 92.1 WOMR-FM Provincetown or 93.1 WFMR-FM Orleans if you happen to be in the area. Or streaming live at http://womr.org.

The Goddess of Herbal Wisdom

Wise Woman Susun Weed is going to be on my radio show "Healing Wisdom" this Thursday at 9am EST! She is a such a Goddess and a wellspring of information. She is the teacher of the Wise Woman Way, a paradigm in alternative medicine which focuses on wholeness of the individual instead of cleansing and balancing paradigm. Intrigued? I am. She is the author of Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year (now in its 29th printing), Healing Wise (1989), New Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way (1992 and revised in 2002), Breast Cancer? Breast Health! The Wise Woman Way (1996) and Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way. This is a conversation not to be missed! On 92.1 WOMR-FM Provincetown, 91.3 WFMR-FM Orleans and streaming live at http://womr.org

Spiritual Pregnancy

I'm so happy to be a contributing writer to this fantastic work. Buy this lovely book from Llewellyn, authored by an OB-GYN husband/wife team!

Dream Guests

Pinch me, I'm dreaming. My next two soulful guests on my radio show Healing Wisdom are Dr. Helen Caldicott, renown author, speaker and physician, and Taylor Negron, playwright, film and television actor and painter.

Thursdays at 9am EDT at 91.2 WOMR-FM Provincetown and 93.1 WFMR-FM Orleans, and streaming at http://womr.org

The Rhododendron Society

For years, periodically when I was channeling on Venice Beach at 3am for my clients, I would hear the term "Rhododendron Society" thrown in randomly to the dictations. I think my guides must have been planting the seeds in my head for east coast living. In retrospect, another indication that a move was imminent, was that for a year and a half my son became immersed in the painting and drawing of lighthouses.. Nearly every day on his easel he would depict a lighthouse, sometimes followed by a ship and a barn. When we moved to Cape Cod I thought back to that curious term that kept returning and my son's fascination with lighthouses. I thought, "Rhododendron Society" must be a reference to the reverence for nature here and the preservation of its beauty, or a reference to the blue blood country club seasonal residents.

Now I think perhaps it was the society of the flowers themselves, as conscious living organisms that the term applies to...The society of rhododendrons, alive, conscious on some levels, chatting among themselves. I like this interpretation the most.

Please, forgive me for repeating myself, don't mean to harp on these silly things, there are more sweeping and dramatic synchronistic events that have occurred, but I really think there's something to the little things...and the idea of plants talking amongst themselves brings a smile to my face. We sometimes take signs with a grain of salt, and in doing so do not fully benefit from their blessings. I should find assurance in fact that every time I have sat down to finish a draft of my book proposal over the four seasons, five crows and one hawk appear from out of nowhere to loudly caw and hop about one of the oak trees for one to three days. I was writing it off for a while, they must be there when I am not here writing some times, but I am often in the sun room...while I see larks, robin redbreasts, woodpeckers, starlings, sparrows, red cardinals, yellow finch-like birds, I only see that unusual bird family when I am working on my proposal. I'm back at it tomorrow to incorporate some memoir, fingers crossed that my auspicious fine feathered friends are back...

The veggies are growing, but the bunny gate needs to go up fast, as we have some hungry babies hopping around. And we need to employ use of some good organic fertilizer too...

Historical Footnote

I made a Lilies-of-the-Valley tincture. It's an olde cardiac tonic, which has fallen into disuse in the Americas with the advent of pharmaceuticals owing to the many contraindications this plant has with many drugs on today's market. It is stimulating to the heart. Calcium supplements are not to be taken with this botanical. Calcium supplements are prized by many in the prevention of osteoporosis and other rheumatic conditions of the bones, however, there are a great many superior articles of the natural world that help to build bones naturally including teas made from nettles, oatstraw, horsetail, and the controversial comfrey root. Calcium supplements of any kind should be avoided by those who have had kidney problems, gallstones, or kidney stones, and those who do not get adequate exercise.

It is said by some that calcium supplements may contribute to the calcification of the pineal gland, which can be decalcified with the regular usage of loose leaf gotu kola tea, chorella or spirulina tablets, raw apple cider vinegar dressing, and a ginger-lemonade apertif. It is interesting to note that those who have suffered numerous concussions such as boxers, football players and the accident-prone, have a tendency toward angry fits and bouts of general confusion. It has been found that such persons also have significant cerebral calcification.

Lily-of-the-valley was used in antiquity for irregular heartbeat, dropsy (edema), urinary obstructions (kidney stones), epilepsy, strokes and resulting neuralgia, and leprosy. Sounds appetizing, does it not?

According to Botanic.com:
"Culpepper said of the Lily-of-the-Valley: 'It without doubt strengthens the brain and renovates a weak memory. The distilled water dropped into the eyes helps inflammations thereof. The spirit of the flowers, distilled in wine, restoreth lost speech, helps the palsy, and is exceedingly good in the apoplexy, comforteth the heart and vital spirits.'"


Historical Footnote:
An upcoming project is a wood betony extract, once used in the treatment of wildly-weeping-at-the-sea-and-claw-the-walls-hysteria. The archaic term "hysteria" comes from the notion Hippocrates put forward in his teachings, which is that a woman's womb wanders, floating up sometimes under the "cartilage of the heart"! The closest modern day equivalent might be panic attacks. Plato on the wandering womb: "It delights also in fragrant smells, and advances towards them; and it has an aversion to fetid smells, and flees from them; and, on the whole, the womb is like an animal within an animal.[1]" Ah....this explains so much

Raspberry Leaf-Spearmint Lemonade

This lovely electrolyte drink helps maintain your acid-base balance.
A hydrating and energizing Late Spring libation. Today I dug three more deep corrugations in my herbal garden by ten AM, and this delightful beverage helped me recuperate and get back to my studies.


Raspberry Leaf-Spearmint Lemonade

Two *organic lemons
Two *organic limes
4 springs of spearmint
a whole mess of raspberry leaves
tablespoon local honey
heaping tablespoon stevia powder



*It is very important to use organic, because the nature of these astringent citrus is that if they are carrying pesticides, you will be getting a very potent dose by an agent with a strong direct purative action. These citrus fruits are marvelous at helping your body to eliminate waste in the form of layers of morbid matter in your intestines and mucous membranes, allowing proper function of the digestive and respiratory systems. Digestion is so important as it effects the quality of the blood and its movement, allowing the blood to bring nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, chemical messages (hormones) and metabolic waste to and from their proper tissue systems through a labyrinth of blood vessels. Without effective elimination of waste within the cells, through the lymphatic system, spleen, etc., we quickly become out of balance. When the blood is impure and the digestion is shoddy, build of lipids and fats in the arteries and around the organs happens. So much so that it is not uncommon for people to have the manual removal of debris, and the extraction of organs. The tonsils and the spleen and pancreas are useful organs to have, and not toss like yesterday's salad. Employing the use astringent foods like lemon helps the breakdown of toxic waste within the systems of the body. Bile-stimulating cholagogue herbs like gentian helps the liver to produce and the gallbladder to concentrate bile for the purpose of the digestion of fats, something most people need.

It's actually best to drink beverages slightly warm, especially cleansing agents like lemonade. It will help induce sweating which is actually best on a hot day, in terms of cooling down your body and improving your immune system.

I love my school. I've really been enjoying my studies, and have grown to adore the writers of the texts and bits and pieces of the historical context. Strangely, my grandmother grew up on a farm near the original college in Canada and I wonder if she knew any of the staff. Her mother was said to be an herbalist of sorts and it was speculated that she helped give women of large poor (Catholic) families abortions. Being that my distant relatives are very conservative and have very little imagination to speak of, it might actually be true. However, there is no evidence of this. Perhaps she knew her abortifacients, as the native Chumash and others who recalled the wisdom of the ages in the use of contraceptives such as wild rose hips to keep their cycles regular.

Nerve Tonic/ Colic Elixir

Hot off the stove and out of the tea pot. Sure to relax the body! Febrifuge, diaphoretic, nerve tonic. Good for colic and cranky kids. May this recipe inspire you to use your garden herbs or plant some seeds.

Use these fresh herbs minced:
1 sprig of fennel (2 tablespoons of Foeniculum vulgare)
11 sweet woodruff leaves (Galium odoratum)
1 lemon balm leaves (Melissa oficinalis)
3 raspberry leaves (Rubus idaeus)
3 catnip leaves (Neptea cataria)
1 pine bud (Pinus strobus)
1/8-1/4 tsp. ginger powder (zingibe officinalis)
1 tsp. local honey

Wash thoroughly and mince the herbs. Pour 8 ounces of boiling water over all the herbs except ginger in a cup. Mix. Add the honey. Simmer the contents in a pan, bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for long enough to release the alcohol from your raspberry flavoring. Strain into a teacup over the ginger powder.

This remedy brought my son's mild fever down, gave him his appetite and energy back. They seems to have relieved flatulence and indigestion. It's a wonderful nerve tonic. I hope you can try it or something like it. Nice digestive tonic, carminative and stomachic. Pictures when my batteries are charged.

Morning Constitution

My morning constitution on our acreage (nearly one technically) involved the fondling of flora, libating with day old coffee, the digging of a corrugation in the herbal garden, and an offering of tobacco to my stalwart botanical companions. They've withstood the dubious weather conditions well, the digitalis in has a particular vibrant aura about it, perhaps because its poisonous, probably because its shade-sated. In my long leather coat with a large furry lapel I felt like Hildegard of Bingen, if she'd been dressed by Oscar Wilde and given 2cl of raspberry Mathilde liqueur by Henry David Thoreau and thusly schooled in living a solitary life on the precipice of civilization. (His family lived not a mile from his infamous shack. But no matter. His connection with nature was pure nonetheless despite the nearness of hot home-cooked meals and location of train tracks paces from his dollhouse dwelling.) I myself could hear the chirping sounds of my cheery five-year-old boy making the endless ne-nahs of fire engines and chu-chu-chu-chu-chu of military helicopters from the urtica dioica.