Self-Healing is the first step in all healing. With this first full moon of the year, I am delighted to announce that Corinna Wood is opening her once-a-year FREE weeklong seminar: SELF-HEALING THE WISE WOMAN WAY.
A visionary teacher of women’s wisdom for over 30 years, Corinna is now leading the way to nature inspired psychology for growth and healing. Together with an amazing group of women, you’ll have the opportunity to lift up your 2024 self-healing intentions with the full moon!
CORE PRINCIPLES OF SELF-HEALING ~ Free Seminar Series with Corinna Wood that will include 3 video sessions to be released in the coming week. REGISTER NOW!
You can also keep up with Corinna and her other offerings on her website: CorinnaWood.com
A note from Thea: I am passionate about teaching the Wise Woman Tradition and supporting those who also teach. The affiliate links above allow me to support Corinna, which supports you, and also supports me! We are women lifting each other up because together we can do greater good. May it be blessed.
REGISTER NOW! for Healing Power of Herbal Salves with Thea Summer Deer & Susun Weed November 16th, 2023 @ 9PM Eastern ~ Replay Available
I moved during the unseasonably sweltering summer heat of 2023 from the verdant blue-green mountains of Western North Carolina, where I had lived for 25 years, back to the high desert. The first time I moved to the desert 34 years ago, it took about a year for my skin to adjust to the dryness that caused my hands to crack and bleed. Someone at the local feed store recommended Cornhuskers lotion, which gave relief, but this time, I came prepared with something better: the healing power of herbal salves.
The collection of salves that fill my medicine cabinet includes calendula for tissue damage and swellings, comfrey and goldenseal for wound healing, pine tar for drawing out splinters, chaparral for sun damage, lavender for calming insect bites, stings, and burns, plantain for skin healing, and wild yam and vitex for thinning skin. Some were made by me or by friends, and some I buy. Nature gives us Band-Aids, balms, antiseptics, and wound-healing action in the form of herbal salves. No medicine chest should be without them. They work because it is nature’s goal to make us whole. I want to share some of those salves with you, how I make them, the ones I buy, their herbal actions, and personal stories about their healing medicine.
I began making salves 45 years ago as a midwife, and it all started with comfrey when Susun Weed taught us how to prepare leaf infusions to be used in a sitz bath or as a compress to heal perineal tears, abrasions, and episiotomies. Long used to heal damaged skin, comfrey worked like a miracle. The plant is easy to grow and propagate, so I began growing it in my garden. With two toddlers at home banging their knees, skinning elbows, or otherwise collecting scratches, bumps, bug bites, and bruises as they explored their world, I decided to make a healing salve using the two main ingredients I used in my postpartum sitz baths – comfrey and goldenseal. The result was a salve that prevented infection, reduced scarring, and healed wounds quickly. I have been making it ever since (recipe below.)
One crucial herb I learned about years ago when I lived in the Sonoran desert is chaparral (Larrea tridentate). Medicine man Willie Whitefeather initially introduced me to the plant, a shrub native to southern areas of the U.S. and northern regions of Mexico. Chaparral is also known as creosote bush and greasewood. Whitefeather used the anti-tumor action of this herb to heal certain skin cancers in himself and others.
Recently, I developed a painful skin growth before leaving the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina for the Piños Altos mountains of New Mexico. As timing would have it, the move eclipsed my yearly dermatological exam. I couldn’t get another appointment for three months. Meanwhile, the growth darkened and continued to get worse. I couldn’t afford to wait. I needed to make a chaparral salve. Fortunately, there is an abundance of chaparral in the desert, and it is no accident that nature grows the remedy for sun damage and skin cancers in a state that boasts 310 days of sunshine annually. At the local co-op, I found a product line called Desert Woman Botanicals, and lo and behold, they had a chaparral salve as good as any I would make. The skin growth fell off within weeks, and the sore beneath disappeared. I have shared a list of companies below whose salves I recommend.
After returning to the desert, I began clearing the overgrowth in my yard and trimming the trees. While lopping a juniper branch, I sustained a nasty cut that drew blood. Because it was deep and the tree sap toxic, I used Piñon salve, known as trementina in the Southwest. I call it nature’s bandaid. Piñon salve draws out toxins and protects the skin. And it helps wounds heal due to its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory actions. If I had offended the juniper, perhaps the pine would redeem me. Piñon pine resin is considered sacred by the Native Americans who use it.
Calendula from Wisdom of the Plant Devas: Herbal Medicine for a New Earth
Another healing herb I learned about when my babies were in diapers is calendula (Calendula officinalis). A popular go-to for eczema, calendula cremes and ointments were indispensable for diaper rash and sore nipples. Once, I tried using calendula flowers in a salve for a ganglion cyst on my wrist. Calendula is known to reduce inflammation and swellings and to heal cysts with its anti-inflammatory, lymphatic, and astringent action with an affinity for the skin. To my amazement and with consistent application, the cyst dissolved within a month. Calendula flowers lend themselves well to many herbal salve formulas and contain antifungal and antibacterial actions that help burns, bruises, and cuts heal faster and prevent the minor infections they cause.
Herbal salves are particularly useful for pets, and I have used them with mine and other people’s animals for decades. Pets tend to be more agreeable to application because the ingredients are natural and of food-grade quality. And if they lick, they are getting the medicine internally, and it won’t hurt them. Keep reapplying and trust your animal to heal.
There are too many herbal salves to mention in one article, but I always keep a plantain salve on hand because of its versatility and wide range of herbal actions (see below). Plantain is plentiful, easy to gather, and can be used fresh or dried. And because we are mostly women here, there is one more salve that bears mentioning and which I have relied on for support “down there” since becoming post-menopausal. MoonMaid Botanicals makes a wild yam and vitex salve called Vital “V,” V meaning vulva. Sheela Na Gig knows the importance of a happy vulva!
Sheila Na Gig, Ireland, illustration by Jack Roberts
Making a Salve:
Salves are traditionally made in a 1:4 ratio of beeswax to oil and have more beeswax than a balm. The beeswax acts as a preservative and helps hold the herbal-infused oil on the skin for a more extended time, allowing its medicinal properties to penetrate more deeply. Adding beeswax makes it more effective than putting the oil directly onto your skin. Body heat activates the salve so it melts into the skin. An herbal salve is more concentrated and medicinal than a lotion because the water in a lotion requires an emulsifier. Salves do not contain water and are considered an anhydrous formulation.
A salve is made from an herbal oil, using fresh or dried herbs steeped in vegetable oil. The extraction of medicinal compounds requires gentle heat. Gums and resins are highly soluble in oil. Alkaloids, mucilage, and other constituents are partially soluble in oil. Using only the purest vegetable oil is critically important to avoid extracting agricultural chemicals. I recommend using certified organic olive, sesame, jojoba, almond, or coconut oil. Certain herbs are best when used dried. Drying breaks down the plant’s cell wall, making the constituents more readily available for extraction. Other herbs are best used fresh and must be bruised or chopped before adding to the oil. Making Plant Medicine by Richo Cech is a good resource for knowing which herbs extract well in oil, what plant parts to use, and whether the plants are best used fresh or dried.
Basic Salve recipe
1:3 – fresh herb weight to oil volume. For example: 100 grams fresh plant material/300 ml oil
1:5 – dry herb weight to oil volume. For example: 100 grams dried plant material/500 ml oil
100:17 – volume of herbal oil to golden beeswax in grams. Approximately 1 oz of wax per cup of oil.
Prepare the plant material (dried, cut, sifted, powdered, etc.), measure it, and place it in an uncovered crockpot, oven-safe enamel, or glass bowl. Cover with oil and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Maintain the mixture at a low temperature over time. Generally, 170º (the lowest preset temperature on most ovens) for four hours, stirring every half hour. Leave the oven door slightly open if your range runs hot or the mixture is boiling.
If your oven runs hot or the mixture is boiling, leave the oven door slightly open.
Pour the infused oil through several cheesecloth layers or cotton muslin cloth into a bowl or pan to separate the spent herbs from the oil infusion, squeezing and pressing the herb to express as much oil as possible. Pour the oil into a clean, dry jar. Cover and let stand overnight so that particulate matter settles. Pour the clear oil off the top, leaving the sludge behind at the bottom of the jar. Use immediately or store in amber glass bottles in a cool, dark place. The expected shelf life is about a year.
Pour measured oil into a saucepan, add beeswax, and slowly melt the beeswax on low heat and stir with a wooden spoon. Be sure to have your dry, clean jars ready. Immediately remove from the heat once the wax melts, and carefully fill the jars using a pan or Pyrex beaker with a spout. Clean your pans and utensils while still warm by wiping them with a paper towel. Store in a dark, cool place. Salve has an expected shelf life of 3 years.
Note: Golden beeswax is a preservative and is superior to paraffin, derived from petroleum. You can buy it by the block, shave it yourself, or purchase golden beeswax beads.
Thea’s Healing Root Salve
What makes this salve different than most comfrey-goldenseal salves you will find on the market is the quantity of goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) root powder in the recipe. Because goldenseal is very expensive, now over $200 a pound, most herbalists and manufacturers use goldenseal leaf instead and minimal root. The quantity of goldenseal root and its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory action make it effective.
I also use comfrey leaf and root in my formula for their healing benefits. Comfrey root may contain 8-10% allantoin, easily absorbed through the skin and found to a lesser degree in the leaves. Allantoin promotes cell growth to speed wound healing. Comfrey leaf also aids in healing mucous membranes and protects the skin against irritants, making it an essential ingredient in salve. I have used this salve personally and with my clients for wounds, burns, bruises, cuts, sprains, chapped lips, dry vagina, cold sores, diaper rash, bug bites, nail fungus, and skin irritants.
Comfrey, from Wisdom of the Plant Devas
Ingredients (preferably organic):
3 ¼ cups cold-pressed olive oil
¾ cup unrefined sesame oil (high in vitamin E, acts as a skin healer and as a preservative)
2 oz. comfrey leaf
2 oz. comfrey root, cut and sifted
2 oz. goldenseal root powder
golden beeswax beads, approximately 3-4 oz.
1 tablespoon vitamin E oil, or wheatgerm oil (acts as a skin healer and preservative)
Bake in a warm oven (lowest setting possible, approximately 170º) in a glass or enamel pot for 4 hours, stirring with a wooden spoon every 30 minutes. Strain through a fine cheesecloth, pressing the remaining plant material to extract all the oil into a measuring cup. Measure and return oil to clean pot on stove top. Add beeswax (1 oz. per cup) and stir on low heat until melted. Ad wheatgerm or vitamin E oil, stir well and remove from heat. Immediately fill containers as it will harden quickly upon cooling. Stir once while in container with a wooden chopstick to redistribute ingredients and prevent settling.
The benefits of bone broth are now well known, but you can kick it up a notch by adding these Chinese Herbs during the last hour of cooking. Consider it as extra insurance for your immune system. I have broken down the medicinal benefits of each herb in this soup which I have found healing for myself and my family. You can learn more about the energetics of food in Indian Summer: Nourishing the Earth Element and Wisdom of the Five Flavors course at Five Element Academy. If you don’t want to buy the herbs individually, I recommend Plum Dragon’s Chicken Soup Herb Pack. You will find the recipe on their website: Plum Dragon Herbs.
The Herbs:
Astragalus Root (Huang Qi) – Helps to prevent and treat corona viruses (common cold & flu) and upper respiratory infections. Its herbal actions include: immunomodulator, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, and adaptogenic. Astragalus is a nervous system tonic, immune tonic, and Spleen qi tonic (diabetes). Considered a foundational herb in TCM, Astragalus, in addition to being a deep immune system activator, also strengthens the lung qi and the surface immune system, which is the first line of defense against pernicious influences. It also appears to enhance nonspecific and specific immunity. Astragalus is a beneficial herb for anyone who might be immune-compromised. Learn more by reading my Wisdom of the Plant Devas Blog post, Astragalus for Myocarditis, Long Covid, & Immune Support
Codonopsis Root (Dang shen) – A superb Qi tonic used to invigorate the Spleen and Lung and treat yin deficiency. It is an excellent Blood tonic and a major immune system tonic. Codonopsis has powerful strengthening effects, especially on the digestive, respiratory and immune systems and has been used since antiquity to build strong, healthy children.
Solomon’s Seal (Yu Zhu) – The key actions of Solomon’s Seal are demulcent, expectorant, sedative, and tonic. It has an affinity for the Lung and Stomach, can help with a dry cough and sore throat, and is most prized as a yin tonic. Yin tonics work by restoring the Water Element (Kidney), which cools the Liver (Wood Element). Tendons and ligaments are the body part that correspond with the Wood Element, and this is why Solomon’s Seal is used to help heal injured tendons, and restore proper tension to ligaments. It does this by its ability to nourish yin, moisten dryness, and to nourish and moisten sinews. Solomon’s Seal also quells wind, relieving pain and spasms due to wind generated fluid deficiency. Learn more by reading my Wisdom of the Plant Devas Blog post, Solomon’s Seal: Adapting to Stress & Achieving Flexibility in Times of Change
Angelica Sinensis (Dang Gui) – A superior blood tonic that supports healthy blood circulation, especially in the abdomen and pelvic basin. It also has analgesic and mild sedative (calming, relaxing) actions.
Chinese Yam (Shan Yao) – Energetically sweet it strengthens the Spleen and Stomach, and nourishes the Earth Element. Learn more in Indian Summer: Nourishing the Earth Element
Goji Berries (Gou Qi Zi) – Also known as Wolfberries, they are nutritious, improve immune function, and increases energy.
Dried Figs (Wu Hua Guo) – An energetically neutral food (yin & yang balanced) and known to moisten the lungs and relieve coughs. Energetically sweet they invigorate the Spleen.
Dried Red Dates (Hong Zao) – Balance qi and nourish the Blood. Improves insomnia and protects the Liver.
Note: I review products independently and only recommend ones that I have used personally. As a Plum Dragon affiliate I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Wisdom of the Plant Devas Blog is ten years old! Thank you for being a free subscriber. I started this blog in 2012, shortly after Inner Traditions International/Bear & Co. published my book Wisdom of the Plant Devas: Herbal Medicine for a New Earth. But the thirteen herbs in my book left readers wanting more, so I started this blog and will continue bringing you more herbal wisdom.
Wisdom of the Plant Devas Blog has helped thousands of readers and subscribers find healing and support. Many of you have found solutions through my free posts, even after spending thousands of dollars in the Western Mechanistic Model on doctors, invasive procedures, medical testing, and pharmaceuticals with little to no relief or results. Through an energetic approach, herbal medicine, diet, and lifestyle, you have reaped the benefits and savings in dollars and better health. I commend your search for alternatives, commitment to healing, and follow through.
ANNOUNCING A NEW BLOG!
Thea Summer Deer’s Blog ~ Herbal Medicine for a New Earth: Visioning a new paradigm of integrative and alternative health care.
I now would like to extend the opportunity to continue receiving enlightening posts while supporting my work by subscribing to my new blog. Thea Summer Deer’s Blog is where I share what I care about most without the fear of being censored. After three years of unprecedented censorship, I am joining the Substack community of writers and asking for your support by becoming a free or paid subscriber. Check out my first post When Science Marries Wisdom. You can do a 7-day free trial to unlock FUCK THE PINK RIBBON!, an essay by my friend Laura about her unconventional journey with cancer.
Thea Summer Deer’s Blog will share uncensored healing stories and information from decades of personal and clinical experience, observation, and research. I hope you will join me in visioning a healthier future for the next seven generations.
Thank you again for being a subscriber, and I hope you will join me on Substack by subscribing to the new Thea Summer Deer’s Blog.
“On the road again…” For decades, I traveled extensively for work and pleasure as an alternative health care educator, a musician on the road, and travel business owner. In addition to basic first aid supplies like band-aids and alcohol, and supplements like vitamin C and D, herbs have been my mainstay. The following herbs are what I carry as allies when traveling near or far.
Note: Take as directed. For therapeutic dosages, consult your Alternative Health Care Provider.
First Aid List: 15 Herbs for your Travel Kit
Arnica gel and 30x pellets: Arnica gel applied externally will stop bruising and relieve muscle aches, pain, stiffness, and swelling from injuries. The pellets work internally. Using both speeds healing. Arnica montana, also known as mountain tobacco, is a moderately toxic plant in the daisy family (Asteraceae). It is a mountain plant with a large, perennial, yellow, daisy-like flower that blooms in the summer. In its prepared form, it is non-toxic, easy to carry and use, has no interactions or contraindications, is non-drowsy, and will not mask more serious conditions. Recommended brand: Boiron
Charcoal activated powder in capsules: Emergency go-to for food poisoning. It is a processed form of common charcoal that prevents certain toxins from being absorbed by the body. It also treats gas and indigestion. Recommended brand: Nature’s Way
Chlorophyll Concentrate: Supports acclimation to high altitude, increases oxygen in the blood, clears toxins, boosts energy, and relieves jet lag and fatigue. Sourced from stinging nettles. Recommended brand: ChlorOxygen Original
Goldenseal root tincture & salve: Tincture boosts the immune system and fights cold, flu, and infection. Hydrastis canadensis is anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. Recommended brand: Herb Pharm. Goldenseal & Comfrey salve for wounds prevents infection and heals quickly. You can make your own! Find the recipe and learn more at The Herbal Medicine Chest: A Must Have Healing Salve Formula
Ginseng (Panax Korean Red extract): Anti-inflammatory and adaptogenic. Relieves stress, stimulates adrenals and metabolism, improves stamina, boosts the immune system, reduces weariness, eases physical symptoms, and prevents jet lag. Recommended brand: Prince of Peace
Lavender essential oil: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. Relieves headaches when placed on the temples, calms insect bites and stings, and promotes wound healing, especially burns. May be used in its “neat” undiluted form. I travel with a diffuser that plugs into an outlet. Diffusing lavender eases anxiety, is calming, creates a sense of safety, and insures better rest.
Lobelia tincture:Lobelia inflata, also known as Indian tobacco. Anti-spasmodic. Useful while traveling for unexpected exposures to allergens like animal dander and molds. Relieves symptoms of asthma attacks, such as wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness. Relaxes airways, stimulates breathing, and clears mucus from lungs. Especially useful for pneumonia and bronchitis. Can be medicinally smoked. Larger doses may induce vomiting.
Olbas oil, inhaler, pastilles: Swiss remedy wards off respiratory infection and relieves congestion. Oil in a hot bath relieves muscle aches, pains, and stress. Inhaler helps one to stay alert while driving. Pastilles soothe sore throat and cough. The name is a contraction of oil from basil. Recommended brand: Olbas Therapeutic
Rescue Remedy® dropper: No medicine kit should be without this homeopathic remedy recommended for trauma injury, surgery, shock, and physical and emotional stress. Active ingredients assist focused presence of mind, patience with problems and people, composure, and balanced mind when losing control. Star of Bethlehem (active ingredient) softens the impact of shock. Recommended brand: Bach®
Tea tree oil:Melaleuca alternifolia is useful for cutaneous infections, wounds, and insect bites. Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral. Apply topically. Avoid ingestion. Use with caution. May cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals. Diffuse for cold, flu, and allergy relief. Recommended brand: Nature’s Alchemy
Thieves essential oil: Antimicrobial. Use in a carrier oil and apply for protection against respiratory infection. Diffuse full strength to inhibit airborne pathogens. Relieves sinus congestion. Recommended brand: Young Living. Or combine essential oils to make your own! Store in a dark glass bottle. Recommended brand: Mountain Rose Herbs. Recipe: 40 drops clove, 35 drops lemon, 20 drops cinnamon bark, 15 drops eucalyptus, 10 drops rosemary (or 5 drops rosemary & 5 drops thyme).
Tiger Balm muscle rub: Analgesic heat rub used externally for joint and muscle pain. Relieves muscle strain and stiffness. Comes in small, easy-to-carry jars. Recommended brand: Tiger Balm®
Tobacco, loose: Insect repellent when burned. Moisten with saliva and apply a poultice to draw out heat toxins and poison from insect and snake bites. Drying to the sinuses when smoked. Tobacco has a powerful spirit. It affords energetic protection when carried in a medicine pouch and carries our prayers and intentions to Creator when smoked in a sacred manner. I leave a pinch of tobacco as an offering, with a prayer of gratitude, when gathering plant material for medicine. Tobacco is also used as an offering when asking a medicine person for help or advice. Recommended brand: American Spirit
Umckaloabo tincture:Pelagonium sidoides has been shown to safely and effectively treat acute upper respiratory infections and prevent pneumonia by keeping bacteria and viruses from attaching to cells in the mucous membranes and stimulating the immune system. Umckaloabo decreases the duration and severity of acute upper respiratory infections. Actions: mucolytic, antiviral, antimicrobial, and an immune stimulant. This plant is a potential life saver. Learn more at Umckaloabo. Recommended brand: Herb Pharm
Uva Ursi tincture: An astringent with an affinity for the urinary tract system, it prevents and relieves urinary tract infections in women caused by sitting for long periods while traveling, stress, and exposure to foreign water-borne bacteria when bathing or swimming. Recommended brand: Herb Pharm
Note: A few herbs mentioned below are not included in the list above but may be beneficial to have on hand.
Method of Delivery
• Teas: Gypsy Cold Care, Throat Coat, Breathe Easy, and chamomile. Throw a few tea bags in your suitcase, carry-on, or backpack!
• Jet lag and fatigue (adjusting the internal body clock): chlorophyll concentrate, ginseng
• Altitude sickness: chlorophyll concentrate
• Anxiety: chamomile, lavender, St john’s wort
• Urinary tract infection (UTI): Uva Ursi
• Respiratory infection and prevention: echinacea, golden seal, Thieves, umckaloabo, Gyspy Cold Care
• Food poisoning: activated charcoal powder
• Headaches: lavender (tension), thieves (sinus)
• Insect and poisonous bites: lavender, tobacco, witch hazel
Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. Some of this information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. You should seek medical attention at the first signs of an infection and be under the care of and in communication with a licensed physician, even when you are using herbal alternatives. Be sure to disclose any herbs or supplements you may be taking.
If the information freely shared on The Wisdom of the Plant Devas Blog has benefited you or someone you love, please consider making a donation in support of my work. I claim NO affiliation with products mentioned in this post. Your support helps me to keep this blog affiliate and commercial free.
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When does the appearance of a plant become a sign? When we are willing to stop and listen. Mine appeared as bloodroot precisely on the spring equinox. It was a sign that I had made it through winter. And I did not want the unpredictable and erratic spring season to catch me off guard. After a strangely mild winter and an immune challenging early spring, bloodroot reminded me that it was time to support my liver and gallbladder, the corresponding organ system to spring, and the Wood Element in Chinese Medicine.
I have previously experienced descending into illness at the time of spring equinox. In Chinese Medicine, the equinox is a pause between seasons, the standstill point at the swing-of-the-pendulum when our immune system re-calibrates to the changing light. It is a time to slow down and reflect in accordance with the season.
One spring season, when I got caught off guard, I came down with a bout of bronchitis that took me down hard. It would like to have killed me, threatening pneumonia. That incident required that I recommit to living in harmony with the seasons and a re-bolstering of my immune system. Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis, is a good ally for those who remained attuned. Arriving healthy at the turn of the season, like Persephone resurrected and returned to the light, we can see that our efforts to attune will pay off.
When spring equinox dawns bright and beautiful, I grab my jacket and head for the woods. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the return than hiking the Blue Ridge through the Pisgah National Forest. Striking out with my son, who has joined me on this day, I make two stream crossings and climb the nearest ridge where views of the mountains were still visible through trees not yet leafed out. The abundant presence of bloodroot, delicate in her ephemeral bloom, was a joyous heralding of spring.
The festival celebrating vernal equinox called Ostara, as the story goes, is characterized by the rejoining of the Mother Goddess and her lover-consort-son, who has spent the winter months in death. With the urging of my son, we walked barefoot down the trail, connecting with the earth and recharging our DNA.
Bloodroot is one of the earliest blooming spring wildflowers and is native to eastern North America and Canada, hence its species name of canadensis. We found it where it likes to grow on wooded slopes above a stream. Deer will eat it in early spring, and anything that deer like to eat usually gets my attention. The flower blooms briefly. And as it fades, the irregularly lobed leaf unfurls and resembles a jigsaw puzzle piece. It is one of the most well-known indigenous medicinal plants in the Appalachians, and it has a long history of use as a respiratory aid.
The flower is beautiful, and its white contrast against the brown, dead, and decaying leaves of an earlier season is captivating. Its flower essence transforms inherited physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual genetic patterns into the light of new potential. Watching my son stepping barefoot into the creek surrounded by these lovely flowers, I said a prayer for the embodiment of our full potential in this lifetime. The energy medicine of bloodroot in the form of a flower essence helps to heal our family lineage and the ancient wounds that live in our DNA. How perfect that my son and I were walking barefoot through the ancestral healing of bloodroot!
Bloodroot is also very useful for treating bronchitis and is effective against chronic congestive conditions of the lungs. In combination with other expectorant and demulcent herbs such as mullein and plantain in a low dosage tincture, bloodroot helps to relieve bronchitis, coughs, lung congestion, and inflammation. It relaxes the bronchial muscles and helps ease difficult breathing. At the same time, it acts as a stimulating expectorant to clear lung congestion, reduces inflammation in the throat and chest, and relieves spasmodic coughs. Sanguinaria’s main herbal actions are expectorant, and antispasmodic. According to David Hoffman, it is one of the best respiratory amphoteric herbs. Amphoteric herbs are normalizers that change and adapt their herbal action depending on the condition.
When harvesting the root of Sanguinaria candadensis care must be taken to wear gloves. The juice from a cut root is caustic and may cause skin irritation. Fresh root poultice is used with caution to treat fungal growths and ringworm. It is also used topically as a salve to treat sores and ulcers. Bloodroot’s alkaloid sanguinarine reduces plaque and gum inflammation when used in dental hygiene products.
Spring is the perfect time to harvest the root when the plant is in full bloom while being mindful not to exhaust the plant population. Once cut, the blood-red root secretes a bright orange juice, hence the name bloodroot. Here in the Appalachians bloodroot is a popular natural red dye used by Native American artists, particularly among the southeastern rivercane basket weavers.
May the ally of bloodroot find its way to you in your time of need. Her flowering essence reminds us of new beginnings in all areas of our lives. As one season, one great cycle ends, another begins, and we are made new. Like Persephone, we will return to the light of knowing that we have everything we need in every given moment and are divinely guided. We are all indigenous to Mother Earth. It’s in our roots. And it’s the blood! Bloodroot, and the flowering of new potential.
Flower Essence: From the bloodroot plant spirit:
This essence helps to heal the ancient wounds that still fester in the DNA of humans today. Assistance with healing family lineage is of critical importance now. Genetic codes are passed down from parents to children that hold both the memory and the forgetting of who we are. It is important to heal that which enlivens the forgetting and the resulting behaviors and illnesses, so the full potential of each person is free to blossom.
Preparation: Tincture made from the fresh root is preferred with the dried root being more suitable for making infused oils and salves. Salves will cause some degree of inflammation and may be an effective external treatment for cancerous growths.
• Fresh root tincture – 1:10 in 50%. Dosage: 10 drops of tincture diluted in water three to four times a day. May also be used as a mouthwash to treat gum inflammation.
• Dried root tincture – 1:5 in 60%. Dosage: 10 – 15 drops diluted in water three times a day.
• Decoction: 1 teaspoon of rhizome in 1 cup of cold water, bring to a boil and infuse for 10 minutes. Drink 3 x a day.
Contraindicated during pregnancy. Low dose botanical – use sparingly and for short periods of time.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. Some of this information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. You should seek medical attention at the first signs of an infection and be under the care of and in communication with a licensed physician, even when you are using herbal alternatives. Be sure to disclose any herbs or supplements you may be taking.
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When I work with herbs, I feel like I’m on a secret mission, called by ancestral voices whispering plant names from somewhere across the veils of time and space. There is much to discover undercover with medicinal roots like Astragalus membranaceus, used since ancient times in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Formerly introduced to Astragalus in herbal medicine school, I began buying the diagonally sliced dried root in bulk to add to nutritious bone broth soup stocks. But it has taken years of working with this herb in clinical practice to begin to grasp its full healing potential.
One client in particular obtained remarkable results from taking an Astragalus formula. She presented with diarrhea that had persisted for three months. And as is usually the case, she came to me after repeated testing and doctor visits. She had been tested for parasites, had extensive blood work, and undergone a colonoscopy. Less than 48 hours on an Astragalus formula, her diarrhea stopped for good. The cause of her debilitating condition turned out to be a round of topical corticosteroids prescribed by her doctor for an autoimmune disease (lichen sclerosis). This client had a history of exhausted adrenals since childhood. She should never have prescribed a corticosteroid with a known side effect of Cushing Syndrome (cortisol stress hormone imbalance) with diarrhea as a symptom. Astragalus stimulates pituitary-adrenal cortical activity and has been combined with drug therapies to reduce toxicity and ameliorate side effects.
After that experience, I began further research on Astragalus. Its herbal actions include immunomodulator, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, and adaptogenic. Astragalus is a nervous system tonic, immune tonic, and spleen qi tonic (diabetes). Tonics are herbs, that when taken consistently over time, may restore whole bodily systems. Astragalus is also used to relieve diarrhea, and weakness and fatigue, from prolonged illness. The benefits list is long and includes helping regulate blood sugar, improving stroke recovery, slowing or preventing the growth of tumors. Regular use of the root, it has been shown, can prevent kidney and liver damage caused by medication and viruses.
Considered a foundational herb in TCM, Astragalus, in addition to being a deep immune system activator, also strengthens the lung qi and the surface immune system, which is the first line of defense against pernicious influences. It also appears to enhance nonspecific and specific immunity. Astragalus is a beneficial herb for anyone who might be immune-compromised.
While many call Astragalus an immune system booster or immune stimulant, it more accurately enhances and supports immune system function, helping to prevent colds, flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, and the viral infection Coxsackie B, which is a significant cause of myocarditis.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle (myocardium), which is the middle layer of the heart wall. That inflammation can reduce the heart’s ability to pump and cause rapid or irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). According to the Mayo Clinic, an underlying inflammatory or autoimmune condition can raise your risk of myocarditis. Myocarditis is a concern with COVID-19 vaccination and in long-haul COVID. The risk of myocarditis exists from both the disease and the vaccine. There have also been case reports of myocarditis linked to flu and tetanus shots.
The COVID-19 vaccine can cause inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) and inflammation of the outer heart lining (pericarditis). – Mayo Clinic
Teens and young adults are most at risk. VAERS statistics for cardiac events are high. Understaffed, overwhelmed, and backlogged, the FDA has not analyzed all the data on reports of myocarditis by their projected date of January 2022 before approving the shot for children. There is no incentive by pharmaceutical companies to ensure the safety of vaccine recipients because they assume no liability.
In June 2021, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization practices reported a likely link between mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations and myocarditis, particularly in people 39 and younger. A CDC spokesperson told Reuters, “It is true that since 1990 most of the myocarditis and pericarditis reports to VAERS were made after the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program began.” Myocarditis is a condition that can weaken the heart and affect its electrical system.
TCM understands myocarditis as a disruption of the Fire Element (Heart). Vaccines disrupt the yinWater Element (Kidney/Adrenal) and insult the Kidney jing (ancestral inheritance). A depleted Water Element no longer tempers fire. Fire burns out of control and creates a vicious cycle of depletion. That is where we see the root of myocarditis. Astragalus, however, increases Water’s reserves and supports the immune system to do its job.
Used in China for at least 2,000 years, Astragalus is one of the fifty fundamental herbs used in TCM and listed as an official drug (Radix Astragali) in the modern Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China. It has become one of the primary immune tonic herbs in Western Pharmacopoeia.
Energetically sweet, warm, and nourishing, the dried root is used in soup stocks to strengthen the entire system. Astragalus tonifies the kidneys and adrenals and regulates the body’s immune system responses.
One article published in PubMed.gov says, “ It should be studied as a new drug for the treatment of sepsis.” Septic pneumonia following a cytokine storm is seen in patients presenting at the hospital with severe flu and COVID. Cytokine storms are related to infections as they progress towards sepsis. When the body loses control of cytokine production, the result is a cytokine storm.
Some cytokines make the disease worse (pro-inflammatory) and need inhibiting. Others serve to reduce inflammation and promote healing (anti-inflammatory). The intelligence of Astragalus does both, as does a normal response of a healthy immune system. Studies suggest that A. membranaceus may control pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, thus inhibiting the likelihood of a cytokine storm. Cytokines and viruses have a dynamic relationship. Pro-inflammatory cytokines on a mission to control and eradicate viruses present a threat to the virus and the host.
A cytokine storm from an excessive or uncontrolled release of pro-inflammatory cytokines results from a weakened immune system that under performs during extreme distress. Astragalus can benefit many long-haul COVID symptoms like fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, brain fog, heart palpitations, anxiety, and depression.
I couldn’t possibly cover all of Astragalus’ benefits. But some of its most common uses include strengthening the lungs, diabetic blood sugar control (Spleen-Pancreas), and protecting against colds and other contagious illnesses. Contraindicated during active infection with a fever, Astragalus is currently being used, however, in many Chinese formulas for active viral infection.
The most common species accepted interchangeably throughout various regions in China are as follows, A. membranaceus, A. propinquus, or A. mongholicus. These medicinal varieties are native to northern and eastern China. The part used is the root, harvested typically from four-year-old plants. Before completely dry, they can be sliced diagonally or lengthwise in the shape of a tongue depressor, which works well for stocks and decoctions, or shred cut for tea, decoction, or tincture.
One of the most important herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine preventively and in the early stages of colds and flu is beneficial and safe. Astragalus nourishes the immune system, helps protect the body from diseases like cancer and diabetes, and prevents upper respiratory infections. It may also have mild antiviral action and help to prevent colds and coronavirus. Immune system cells called macrophages increase after a simple Astragalus decoction.
DOSAGE
Tincture: (1:5 in 40%): 40-80 drops (4-8 ml), 3x/day
Extract: 250-500 mg, or (1:2) 8-12 ml 3x/day
Decoction: Add 2 – 4 tsp. dried cut/sifted root to 8 oz. water. Slowly decoct for 20-30 minutes. Let steep another ½ hour. Take up to 3 cups/day.
Tea: Boil 3-6 grams dried root in 12 oz. water. Drink 4 oz. 3x/day
Capsules: 3-6/day per manufacturer’s or practitioners instructions
Note: The root is also sometimes stir-fried in honey to enhance both its sweetness and tonic properties for debilitated clients
CONTRAINDICATIONS
Astragalus may interfere with drugs that are meant to suppress the immune system. Contraindicated during active infection with a fever.
DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this post is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. Some of this information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. You should seek medical attention at the first signs of an infection and be under the care of and in communication with a licensed physician, even when you are using herbal alternatives. Be sure to disclose any herbs or supplements you may be taking.
Note: I review products independently and only recommend ones that I have used personally. As a Plum Dragon affiliate I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
You may also support my work by joining my Substack community and subscribing to Thea Summer Deer’s Blog, Herbal Medicine for a New Earth: Visioning a new paradigm of alternative health care.
REFERENCES
• Winston, D., & Maimes, S. (2007). Adaptogens: Herbs for strength, stamina, and stress relief. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.
• Hoffman, D. (2003). Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press.
Early in my career as a homebirth midwife and childbirth educator, I questioned the moral and ethical dilemma of whether a newborn baby should be allowed to die from natural causes at home or be kept artificially alive in a hospital. I began practicing midwifery in the mid to late 1970s when free-standing birthing centers had not yet become an option. Labor and delivery rooms became “birthing rooms,” but the sign over the door is the only thing that changed. Practices and procedures that turned low-risk women into high-risk continued behind closed doors.
In good conscience, I could not follow the rules put in place by a male-dominated medical system that put women at risk. For a low-risk woman, giving birth is a natural process, not a medical procedure needing intervention. Women should have the right to choose a home birth attended by trained professionals. A low-risk woman increases her risk factor the moment she walks through hospital doors.
The same rules that increase a woman’s risk are the same ones that require her to birth and raise a child that otherwise would have died of natural causes before, during, or shortly after birth. Some people would agree that raising a severely handicapped child is a hardship for everyone involved and that it places a heavy burden on society and the family. Wouldn’t a year of grieving the loss of her child and bearing the scar left on her heart be better than a lifetime of compromises, suffering, and tears? Are we not more empowered when we trust the wisdom of nature and our inner guidance than white coats who gallop in to rescue us – from what? These questions plague and haunt me to this day.
Practicing out-of-hospital midwifery gave me the freedom to support low-risk women making a personal choice not to give their power away to a mechanistic medical system. The mechanistic model does not address the whole person and demands compliance. That can have disastrous results in a setting where machines dictate what a woman may be experiencing, and the doctor becomes credited with the outcome. A disempowered new mother may not make the best choices for herself or her newborn.
Many of my clients in the late 70s and early 80s practiced east Indian spirituality, yoga, and vegetarianism. We were considered counter-culture, but we laid the groundwork for what would become popular culture over thirty years later, except for home birth.
Fear is a powerful motivator. Western Medicine, and its practitioners, are adept at instilling fear in patients. Many sick people rush into procedures and drugs that may not be in their best interest. FDA-approved drugs kill over 100,000 Americans each year. The FDA pretends to protect the public while harassing those who offer safe alternatives. An even more shocking statistic is that the total number of deaths caused by medical errors in the U.S. is more than 250,000 per year.
Statistics support the safety of homebirth, but fear drives women into the hospitals. Fear also informs legislation that limits out-of-hospital birth options while obstetricians actively seek to suppress home births. Big Pharma educates doctors through its financial support of medical universities and affiliated teaching hospitals while funding research and suppressing safe and effective alternatives that threaten profits. In the last 40 years, what has changed is how powerful the pharmaceutical lobby has become and Big Pharma’s success in gaining control of the mainstream media through its advertising dollars.
“The more we allow the regulation and control of our food and our medicine, the more we lose control over our individual choices and personal freedoms. If we choose to continue to allow ourselves to be robbed of these choices because we fear the processes of life and death, we will lose that which is essential to being human — free will and sovereignty.”
— From Wisdom of the Plant Devas: Herbal Medicine for a New Earth by Thea Summer Deer
As a childbirth educator, I started teaching vaccine awareness over 40 years ago. I gave parents information from both sides of the argument, to vaccinate or not to vaccinate so they could make an informed choice. Today, due to extensive censorship campaigns, this is sadly no longer possible. We have managed to give away enough power to the medical cartel that we are now losing our choices in health care and our medical freedoms. Our health care system is being held hostage by the money interests and immune system hijacked by vaccine profiteers. And it all starts at birth.
Newborns rely on passive immunity from maternal antibodies for approximately three months following birth while being further protected by their mother’s milk. The neonate’s passive and natural immunities may become compromised through premature birth, surgical birth, mother-infant separation, reduced skin-to-skin contact, skin sterilization, and failure to breastfeed. A lack of stimulation, and an altered microbiome after a cesarean section, have a profound impact on a newborn’s immune system. Vaccines launched into an immature immune system as part of an immunization campaign add insult to the injury.
The innate immune system is the defense system with which you were born. Innate immunity involves barriers that keep harmful things from entering your body. These barriers are the first line of defense in an immune response and what is known as the surface immune system in herbalism. Vaccines reprogram, suppress, and override innate immune responses.
The deep immune system in herbalism is called Jing in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Jing corresponds with the Water Element. The Jing forms the essence of who and what we are and governs our reproductive potential and ability to handle illness. Pre-natal Jing is the genetic inheritance we received from our ancestors and what we will pass down to the next seven generations. Our ancestor’s struggles, the diseases they survived, and the natural immunity they acquired are all encoded within us. In one generation, we are at risk of losing this immunity with the development of gene therapies and extensive immunization schedules. Is this how we honor our ancestors? Vaccines disrupt at the level of the Jing. All pharmaceuticals overheat the Liver (Wood Element), which depletes the Water Element.
The Water Element corresponds to the kidneys and adrenals. It is a yin element. Our modern yang-driven society depletes the Jing, exhausts our adrenals, and compromises our immunity, vitality, and longevity. If we do not protect the Jing, future generations will not survive in a sterile, vaccine-dependent world. Other things that repress immunity are fever reducers and antibiotics. If a person is healthy and the body not allowed the fire of fever to burn off pathogens, then an acute symptom turns into a chronic pattern. The fever is not the offender, nor is the infection. They only serve to expel the offender. The offender is not an invader to be defended against.
When illness becomes the enemy, instead of the effort to restore balance to the body, we lose sight of how to guide the body through illness to its healthful conclusion. That is true on all levels when we make anything an enemy to be fought against. We have lost our guides while being taught to live in fear of the wild and unpredictable power of nature. It is a power with the ability heal and transform. Supporting body wisdom to express through illness with Medicine rather than to suppress through knowledge of pharmaceuticals is the difference between healing and heroics. Medicine in this context becomes whatever supports healing: physical, spiritual, or otherwise.
The goal is to see an illness to its natural conclusion, which is a restoration of health, just as the earth is restored after the cold, hard, expression of winter and the erratic expression of spring. The earth doesn’t defend herself against winter: she merely makes adjustments and is supported by the elements to do so. When the body is not supported to heal itself and see illness through to its natural conclusion, disease results, and sometimes this can occur through generations of genetically encoded imbalance.
The indigenous peoples of the earth have always understood how this principle of healing works and what it means to let nature take its course. We can no longer think our way through life or an illness. Thinking allows us to perceive only ideas, while the intelligence of nature allows us to perceive the entire universe.
The moral and ethical dilemmas remain. Who should be allowed to live, and who should be allowed to die? I hold a vision for the future that includes co-creating with nature and imagining: What else might be possible?
“What protocol did you use for your husband that helped his post-COVID pneumonia recovery?” I have been asked this question a lot and wish to share with you what I have learned.
Everyone is unique in how their immune system responds to an illness. Therefore, without knowing a person’s history, or herstory, I cannot make specific recommendations other than what I have shared in this post. But I can share what my experience has been working within my own family.
One of the things that I learned is that COVID pneumonia is eosinophilic pneumonia. It responds very well to corticosteroids. They admitted my husband to the hospital with septic pneumonia after having never had any lung issues or even bronchitis. After six days in ICU on high flow oxygen and a BiPap ventilator, he had a bronchoscopy performed. They had been unable to wean him off the oxygen, and it was frightening. I knew that the high percentage of oxygen he was on for so many days could cause lung damage, and he does indeed have scarring of the lungs as a result.
The bronchoscopy results showed eosinophils, and they started IV steroids (prednisone) which turned him around immediately. He spent eight days in ICU and ten days in the hospital.
When he came home the goal was to get him off the steroids as quickly as possible because their damaging effects on the adrenal cortex are well known. It took longer than we thought, about six months. He also needed to build back his strength from having lost a lot of weight and muscle mass. It is a difficult thing to witness.
The strategy that worked for him is as follows:
Dietary:
• Bone broths are nourishing and provide protein and collagen for rebuilding tissue. Collagen is also healing to the gut and supportive to the joints. In Chinese Medicine the connection between the stomach (Earth Element) and lungs (Metal Element) is well known. I made organic beef and chicken bone broths from scratch, adding carrots, celery, onion, russet potatoes, bay leaves, and juniper berries. I also added the following Chinese herbs:
Polygonatum (Solomon’s Seal/Yu Zhu) moistening to the lungs and helps with dry cough. Click here to learn more.
Chinese yam (Shan Yao) strengthens the spleen and stomach, nourishes the kidneys, treats body fatigue.
Astragalus root (Huang Qi) strengthens the immune system.
Jujube/Date (Da Zao) spleen and stomach tonic, also helps to moderate the actions of other herbs in a formula
• Unsweetened apple sauce and easily digestible food
• Cordyceps (sinensis – only!) 2 Tbsp. dissolved in water, 4x/day. Cordyceps sinensis became the most important thing he took to help wean himself off the steroids, heal his adrenals, and regain energy levels.
• Herbal Decoction to help calm cough and reduce congestion, which continued for many months: In one quart of water, place 1-2 pieces of licorice root, 5-6 cloves, 1-2 petals of star anise, 5 pieces of ginger (wide slices), and 1 cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 20-30 minutes. Strain and drink 1-2 cups daily or as needed. Also warming to the gut (carminative).
• Aloe Vera, Inner Filet, 2 oz 1-2x/day (alkalizing and moistening to the gut)
Lifestyle:
• No stress
• lots of sleep
• walking every day
• laughter and friendship
My husband is incredibly compliant and remained diligent with his routine. We had to get food stamps for a few months to see us through, and the stimulus checks helped while he wasn’t working. After going back to work five months later, lingering congestion, a deep cough, and constant throat clearing dogged him. I feared pulmonary fibrosis. He was diagnosed with GERD and prescribed a PPI. We knew we weren’t going to go that route. I suspected candida overgrowth from days of IV antibiotics in the hospital. Our chiropractor confirmed candida. A series of candida cleanses ensued without the results he had gotten from them in the past. Two rounds of CandAid (see resources below) set him straight. He still has to be diligent with wheat, gluten, and dairy.
I will be eternally grateful that he survived his ordeal. I couldn’t have done it without the support of family and friends. A big shout out to my dear friend Nissa who shared the correct cordyceps dosage (far more than one might have employed otherwise), which she learned from her herbalist and Stephen Harrod Buhner’s partner. That is the magic of healing and herbalism – wisdom shared among the many. And dosage is important!
My husband now walks over five miles each day and is as fit as I have ever known him. And we have grown closer. It is the kind of closeness that comes when you think you could lose someone you hold so dear. We were sent angels and now I send them to you…
Skullcap, or Scullcap, tomato or tomatoe? Isn’t it interesting that this member of the mint family, which contains approximately 300 species, can be found spelled either way with a “c” or a “k?” Even the herb companies have taken sides. For example, Herb Pharm spells their product Skullcap, while Nature’s Way spells it Scullcap. Somewhat confusing, I know, when you also consider that spell check doesn’t like skullcap spelled with a c, i.e., “not found in dictionary.” No matter how you choose to spell skullcap, the plant I will be discussing as the integrator of consciousness is the botanical Scutellaria lateriflora.
The name skullcap derives from the Latin scutella meaning, a small dish and referring to the shape of the flower. Even though Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis root) shows up in many formulas, I tend to use American skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) as a “simple.” What that means is that I like to use one herb at a time, when appropriate, because then I don’t have to wonder which herb is working or which one is not. With simples, if a person is worried about interactions between the pharmaceuticals they take and herbals, it makes the interactions simple to observe and simpler to avoid. Besides, you can only put so many herbs in your body at one time (like food). Adding too many together at the same time may dilute the potency and create a confusing smorgasbord for your body. I also believe that healing takes place in the context of relationships, and using one herb at a time allows for a deeper intimacy with that plant and helps build trust.
Harvesting Skullcap
Because I live in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina, I am particularly interested in the plants that grow here. Skullcap is one of these and a North American native highly valued by the Cherokee people who use it as a nerve tonic and sedative. It likes to grow along the sunny edges of damp meadows near small bodies of water. As a perennial, it thrives in the moist eastern woodlands. Small pale blue or violet-blue flowers are not long-lived and bloom in the summer between June and September. These flowers are in one-sided racemes from leaf axils, which makes skullcap easier to identify. Tincture the aerial parts when fresh and in full bloom.
According to medical herbalist David Hoffman, skullcap is perhaps the most relevant nervine available to us in the Western materia medica. It soothes nervous tension while strengthening the central nervous system and has a long history of use for petit mal seizures, sleepwalking, night terrors, and insomnia. It also relieves nervous irritability, tension headaches, and PMS tension. Skullcap lessens the symptoms of drug and alcohol withdrawal. Herbalist Patricia Kyritsi Howell says that skullcap is a specific remedy for mental fatigue and nervous exhaustion caused by over-stimulation and the effects of long-term stress.
My encounters with skullcap have been most rewarding. Gathering it in and of itself is a blissful occupation. I have made and used fresh skullcap tinctures for both myself (nervous exhaustion) and with clients. One skullcap success story resulted when a mother brought her 9-year-old son to me for a consultation regarding his bedwetting. Let us call him Jimmy. Jimmy had been sleepwalking, bedwetting, and having night terrors for as long as his parents could remember. They had recently adopted a sister for Jimmy from China. Consumed with caring for this new family member who had special needs, they no longer wanted to be up in the middle of the night with Jimmy. Besides, they were genuinely frightened and concerned for his safety and wellbeing when they would find him walking around in the middle of the night completely asleep. Jimmy did not know what was happening and woke in the morning with no recall. He was also diagnosed in school with ADD. I recommended skullcap tincture in the morning and evening, along with some dietary changes (no wheat and dairy) with a one-month follow-up. At one month, I tried contacting the mother, but she never got back to me. A few months later, I ran into them at a social gathering and asked how Jimmy was doing.
“Oh, great!” She said and went on to tell me about all the exciting things they had been doing.
“Great!” I said, “ but what about the night terrors, sleepwalking, and bedwetting?”
“Oh!” She answered back, mildly surprised. “That is completely gone, and he’s had no problems with that since. I can’t thank you enough!”
What I realized was that she had simply gotten on with her life and not looked back. Then she told me that they had been unable to make any dietary changes but that Jimmy had started to improve almost immediately with the skullcap. I stood looking at her, amazed.
On another occasion, a friend of mine’s daughter called me and sounded frantic. Her 9-month old baby girl wasn’t sleeping and woke to cry hysterically every night and had a hard time getting back to sleep. That had been going on for three months. The mom felt like she had tried everything, including more food to settle the baby’s stomach if she might be hungry and different food. She tried chamomile tea, homeopathic remedies, ruled out teething, and had the baby checked by a pediatrician. Do you want to know what worked? Skullcap. She gave her daughter five drops of alcohol tincture up to 3 X a day. The beauty of skullcap is that it is a tonic that can be used long-term and is not addicting.
TCM 5 Element Theory
From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s five-element theory, I learned that skullcap is a cooling, bitter herb, which calms the mind and restores the shen to the heart (Fire Element). In TCM, the mind refers to the heart. In this context, the shen corresponds to the mind and consciousness, with the process of thinking accomplished by the heart. One of the hearts main duties is to store the shen, which describes spirit or the animating force of life. The word shen translated from the Chinese means both “mind” and “spirit.” As the integrator of consciousness and perception, the shen unites the disparate aspects of the self. When the shen is restless for any reason, as we have seen in the examples above, skullcap has the amazing ability to restore the shen. We may call this restlessness “nervous anxiety” or “nervous tension,” but the nervous system is what carries the electrical impulses generated by the brain and heart. Heart-Mind in TCM corresponds with the Fire Element and the Summer season. The benefits of Skullcap to reduce nervousness and treat insomnia by quieting the spirit or shen and helping it to stay centered in the heart cannot be over-estimated. Summer is the perfect time to be introduced to skullcap in her season of bloom So I invite you to bring her into your life in whatever manner you may choose and get to know her, for her gift is great.
When the heart is serene, pain seems negligible.
– Inner Classic
Fresh Tincture Dosage: 30 drops (1 dropper full) 1:2 (75A:25W) 2-3 x a day
Can also be tinctured fresh using Vodka in the folk tradition.
Wisdom of the Plant Devas 