Licorice, or Glycyrrhiza glabra, is a legume and member of the Fabaceae, or pea family. It has been used for over 3,000 years to treat a variety of ailments. Currently, medical studies support the use of licorice for the treatment of inflamed intestinal tissues, but its does much more than just that. Not only is licorice an adaptogen and strong anti-viral, but it can also be used specifically in the treatment of Barrett’s esophagus….
This past holiday season, I wanted to make my friends and family something infused with love to last them throughout the year. I decided to make a few things…salves- one for the ladies and one for the fellas, dream pillows and oatscrubs.
As the winter chill blows in, we almost innately brew up some hot chocolate for a warm and tasty treat. When doing so, here’s a few quick and easy ways to revitalize this guilty pleasure and turn it into a medicinal delight…
This year, we were excited to go all out with garden space we have at our Elm St Castle. Morganalefay & EternalInnerSmile busted their humps cleaning up the beds and fixing the weathered greenhouse that we are also SO lucky to have on the property. They started the bounty of veggies, tons of cooking herbs and many many medicinal herbs. Not sure what to flourish next, I decided to surprise the girls with a little project of my own- a Witch Inspired Moon Garden.
“Members of ancient and indigenous cultures when asked where in their bodies they live, they gesture to the region of the chest. Members of our culture, on the other hand, point to the head. For those locating themselves in the heart and those locating themselves in the brain experience the world in quite different ways. Realms of experience, open to those who approach the world through the heart, are simply not perceivable to those who experience it through the brain.
One of the most important recognitions emerging through recent studies of the heart is that our individual organs, as well as the entire human organism itself, are not linear expressions, but are highly complex nonlinear organisms in which the whole is far more than the sum of its parts.
The heart contains what are called pacemaker cells, which synchronize with each other to set a regular rhythm. Individual pacemaker cells are tightly coupled by the millions in the heart. The electromagnetic field they produce together is 5,000 times stronger than the brain’s EM field and can be measured by the most sensitive instruments up to ten feet from the body, and continues out indefinitely into space.
“Follows ber myco visionaries Gary Lincoff and Larry Evans as they lead us on a hunt for the wild mushroom and the deeper cultural experiences attached to the mysterious fungi.”
the mycelium’s vast web of connectedness never ceases to amaze me. Entertaining plus TONS of useful info on identifying and utilizing greatly under-appreciated powerful (and yummy) mushrooms!
The Beautiful botanical plate of Amanita Caesaream Scopoli above was recently purchased by moi for a good price from a kind fellow at my love- the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market last weekend!
If you cant watch the whole film on Hulu, at least check out this fantastic 50s commercial for cream of mushroom soup.
Over the summer, Miss Audrey and I were lucky enough to have a slight run in with, what must have been a killer-super-mutated (likely Monsanto modified) strain of poison ivy on Block Island. While attempting to tame the beast of the itch for Audrey, whose case was far, far worse than mine , I gathered up some local Jewelweed, or Impatiens capensis.
Then I gathered some chamomile and caledula from our garden.
When I enrolled at University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine I knew I would be in for an unique education, that’s what I was going there for, but I did not realize that a few test cramming months later I would be in the Jamaican Bush studying medicinal herbs with my mentors and colleagues. Dr. Eugene Zampieron, ND, is one of the core clinical and academic faculty at UBCNM and has helped build the program from the ground up over the past decade.
Naturopathic Doctors (ND) receive an equivalently accredited education to MDs (4 graduate level years, 4,100 hours of study and 1,200 direct patient contact clock hours) but differ in the philosophy behind their treatment approach. NDs use mostly natural treatments but more importantly, they look to identify and treat the underlying cause of the illness, not just the symptoms. Individualized natural treatment options are then outlined for the patient and the ND and patient work together to restore health and happiness.
During is undergraduate education in biology, Dr. Z began visiting remote areas of Jamaica. He returned frequently and during a subsequent trip for his graduate studies in marine biology, he fell ill with a severe case of dysentery. When the mainstream “Babylon” medicine only made things worse, he went to see an old friend, Jamba, and his Maroon healer elder, Pop-a-top, for help. After three days of sacred herbal gathering, decoctions, chanting and drumming they were able to restore his health and a brotherhood was formed. Pop-a-top advised Dr. Z that the illness had a spiritual connection and it would change his life. Sure enough, the event provoked Dr. Z to leave the field of marine biology and to peruse a career in natural medicine at Bastyr University of Natural Health Sciences in Seattle, WA. After graduating he moved back out east, established a private practice in Woodbury, CT and began his influential role at UBCNM. Now, once a year Dr. Z is kind enough to share this connection with us and provide an opportunity for a few of my classmates and I to gather and study herbs, immerse ourselves in the Rasta culture and reconnect with nature….
Nepeta cataria, or Catnip is famous for driving our feline friends wild but it has many benefits for humans as well.
Although there is some controversy over the psychoactive effects on humans, it does have a nervine and calming effect. It can help ease tension and anxiety. Because of this calming effect, it can be extremely beneficial in treating insomnia as well. A mixture of half catnip and half chamomile tea is both beneficial and delicious!
Catnip is an extremely beneficial carminative. It aids in digestion and GI disorders in many ways. It soothes the gut wall, helps ease maldigestion, relieves flatulence, colic, and stomach upset. Nepeta cataria also has tannins, which are responsible for its astringent qualities. The tannins can help speed up the repair of the intestinal mucosa as well.
, I gathered up some local Jewelweed, or Impatiens capensis.
