I am quite passionate about herbology, Chinese herbology that is.  It's funny because my mom has always been an avid gardener and that does not interest me so much.  Sure, I love to sit and meditate next to a sage plant or a rose bush and experience them, and of course I think it is miraculous when a seed germinates and the first signs of green emerge from the soil...and of course I feel more grounded and peaceful after getting my hands dirty in soil and compost...and I dream of one day eating the majority of my sustenance from things I've grown myself...but I do not consider gardening a hobby or an intrigue.  What's more, though I can tell you the Latin and Chinese transliterations for hundreds of herbs and identify them when dried, I can not tell you what they look like alive and growing.

The more I work with herbal formulae, the more I can tell the difference in the way herbs have been grown and processed.  Where do they come from?  Are they organic, did someone raise them to flourish, or just for profit?  Were they wild crafted or farmed?  Inside or outside?  How were they stored?  Some herbs, like ginseng and Mugwort become more valuable as they age after harvest, like wines.  You can buy Mugwort for $3 for a 3 oz. bag, or up to $500 for a 1 oz. bag.  Mugwort that has been aged more then 3 years properly retains the aromatic oils differently and make it a much more potent substance to use to warm needles and treat joint pain, prevent flu and treat stomach issues.

As I mentioned, I am much more of an herb babysitter then a cultivator, I can spend hours sifting, sorting, organizing and learning about each herb.  Those details are exciting to me.  The agricultural details are a whole new set of knowledge and practice: when is the best time to gather seeds, to germinate seeds, to plant seeds, what types of soil and how much light do the herbs prefer.  Which herbs like to grow next to which other herbs, and prefer hills, vallleys, or riverbeds.  Which herbs can be grown in any situation, but how their location will change their healing properties.  All of this has been documented...how much fun to get to know all these plants and their personalities!

I've directed you that way before, but Jean Giblette has a place called High Falls Farm that cultivates herbs in upstate NY as well as satellite farms internationally: the herbs from her farm are dried in bags and still look like they are growing happily!

What is your experience with gardening?  Do you have plants in your home? Do you sing to them?

Link to The Garden Song

xoL

Another herb that can be used on its own outside of a formula is Ling Zhi.  According to Jeffrey Yuen's discussion of the Shen Nong Ben Cao, Reishi or ganoderma is called Ling zhi and like jade it is highly revered and comes in 5 colors (that Confucious says promote the 5 virtues). Ganoderma is an herb that can promote longevity if consumed regularly. It is often used in oncology.  Images and statues of Kwan Yin (aka Avalokiteshvara) often depict her holding a Ling Zhi. 

Green brightens the eyes, and can help someone who is stuck thinking about the past, or suffering from PTSD (which I was just informed is now "PTSS" where the last "S" is for syndrome instead of "D" for disorder).  (If you do not have green, you can sautee with olive oil)  Ganoderma does NOT get along with Yin Chen Hao/Capillaris and has an aversion to Kong Qing/Azurite.

Red Ganoderma unbinds the chest and loosens the heart, for Heart conditions or cholesterol issues.

Yellow Ganoderma; (to make it yellow you can process it in honey) gets rid of the 5 perversities, Wu Xie.  Wu Xie of the five organs are anger, anxiety, food stasis or overeating, EPF wind/cold, and fear/fright taxation or exhaustion.  Perverse qi occurs when the body is trying to fight it strongly and there may be a high fever.  Each of the five perversities can be transcended to become a virtue.

White Ganoderma treats cough and wheezing, abscesses, sores in the mouth, helps to get rid of pus, and opens up the 9 portals (2 eyes, 2 ears, nose, mouth, mouth, anus, genitals).

Black ganoderma treats (tonifies the Kidneys) painful urination, long (difficulty, blockage, pain).

Ganoderma is an initiation to discovering the self.  Discover the self by understanding  your “xing” or temperament/disposition.

There is a delicious (but not vegan) hot cocoa beverage made with Reishi called "Ganoschokolade."  The actual mushroom powder is quite bitter, but can barely be tasted when combined with dark chocolate, bitter greens like dandelion or coffee/tea.

Link to Live Like You Were Dying

xoL

It amazes me how different parts of the same plant can taste and behave so differently. Just think of a coconut; the meat is full of healthy fat, while the water is completely fat free, and they exist right next to each other!  Chinese herbal medicine rarely uses single herbs because herbal prescriptions are about interactions; how the herbs interact with each other, and how you interact with your herbs.  Ginseng is one exception to the rule, it is often used by itself.  Other herbs are considered divas, and will not function or will malfunction when combined with other herbs.  Turmeric is not a diva, but can be used on its own.

Turmeric is one plant that has parts with distinct uses. Two of the components are called Yu jin and Jiang huang.  The following is from a 2 year seminar on Chinese Herbology presented by Jeffrey Yuen on Sept 16, 2007.

Yu Jin/ Curcuma Longa is bitter, cooling and spicy.  Therefore it can be used for "heat in the blood" (can be similar to infection or inflammation) and "phlegm stagnation" (at worst tumors, or joint or arterial obstructions, and often manifests as mental imbalances like confusion).  Yu Jin, Tumeric has a Spicy quality that opens the orifices, and can reduce arterial plaque (in larger quantities).  Because Yu jin is cooling, it can be thought of as anti inflammatory, especially for inflammation related to the liver and gall bladder.

Jiang Huang/Turmeric Rhizome is bitter, warming and spicy.  Jiang huang Turmeric has the capacity as an herbal poultice  for stiff shoulders, elbows.   Jiang huang has a moving affect on the abdomen and chest, for chest or abdominal pain.  Because it is warming, and pain (especially when sharp) is considered an aspect of cold, Jiang huang has analgesic properties.

Turmeric as a food is a key ingredient in most curries; it moves and invigorates the blood, it is warming which means it will treat any sharp kind of pains, especially in the abdomen, and especially for female gynecological issues. Like ginger, as a warming root, turmeric will aid digestion when eaten with food.

Essential oil of turmeric is warming, analgesic and anti inflammatory, especially for the shoulder and elbow.  As an oil, topical application can help also with GYN and GI issues especially if they are caused by cold and stagnation.

Link to Both Sides Now

xoL

Sometimes I’m like my 3 yr old nephew posing for a picture…there is NOTHING you could say or do to get me to smile. I might feel shy or vulnerable or like I’d have to force it. And sometimes in those situations I do force it and feel better.

But there are some moments when nothing can wipe the grin off my face. And there are some people who, I cannot be in their presence or think about them without breaking into a photo worthy toothful smile.

Of course there is no judgement and I do not have a preference  for either situation. All the same, Thank You to those of you who have gotten me to flash my pearly whites…

Link to Smile

xoL

What does authentic mean to you?

How do you know when you are being authentic to yourself??? How do you know when you are not??? Is it your self, your mind, your ego or something else entirely that can claim authenticity?  From the standpoint of physics, we are all just energy, tiny particles of nothing  vibrating and zooming around at rapid speeds…when those condense we get tangible matter.  So how can particles of nothing be authentic if the only thing that makes it something else is frequency, speed and location?  And what if that frequency, speed and location is constantly changing…

Be true to yourself, whatever that means to you   And if you don’t know what it means, try and find out, it’s an exciting adventure!

Link to Scatman

xoL

May 14 is the 73rd birthday of Sri Dharma Mittra.  I am sure you all know of him, he is the one who created and posed in the above poster.  In class, he still performs all the asana (poses) as a demonstration, most of us cannot keep up with him!  Happy Birthday!

May each of us find our path with clarity and joy and be as generous in sharing it as he has been for decades.

Link to Om Nama Shivaya

xoL

I spent a wonderful morning with a dear friend, and his family.  His 20 month old son is incredible, so similar and yet so different to my 3 year old nephew.  When I parked the little one on a chair so he could chew his apple, I was concerned about his balance, so I squatted close to him in case he started keeling to one side.  His dad assumed complete confidence and stood back about 2 feet.  I thought about how me kneeling so close could imply security, and how his dad’s sureness in regards to his balance would feel supportive.  How do you like to be supported?  How do you like to nurture other people?

Happy Mother’s Day!

xoL

How can we improve on perfection?

Link to Arik Einstein

xoL

Link to Hallelujah Chorus

Congratulations ETP 2012!

xoL