Wise Woman Way

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Oatstraw

Oatstraw (Avena sativa) is the herb of longevity in the Auryuvedic system of India. It restores nervous system integrity, emotional flexibility, and sexual flow. Oats and oatstraw are exceptionally good at nourishing heart health and moderating cholesterol. Oatstraw infusion (not tea, not tincture, not capsules) provides lots of protein, all macro- and trace-mineral in high amounts, and very high amounts of B vitamins - excepting vitamin B12.

A cup of oatstraw infusion contains more than 300 milligrams of calcium plus generous amounts of many other minerals. Its steroidal saponins nourish the pancreas and liver, improving digestion and stabilizing moods. Oatstraw is best known however for its ability to enhance libido and mellow the mood. Do be careful whom you share it with, or you may find yourself sowing some wild oats.

Learn how to make Oatstraw infusion:
http://nourishingherbalinfusions.com/Oatstraw.html

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Thursday, March 14, 2019

Evergreen Oil

Evergreen Oil

There are so many uses for an antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-tumor oil.
Collect needles and twigs of any aromatic evergreen: cedar, juniper, hemlock, spruce, pine. You will also need a bone dry jar, some olive oil, and a label or two.
Fill the jar very full of evergreen needles and twigs. You may leave them whole or cut them. Make sure their uppermost tips are well below the top of the jar.
Fill the jar to the top with pure olive oil (or other oil of your choice). It is best if there is a “head” of oil floating over the evergreen. Cap well.
Label, including date, on front and top. Place jar in a bowl to catch overflow. Ready to use in six weeks.

Monday, February 25, 2019

Ginseng & adaptogens

Ginseng & adaptogens

Susun talks about ginseng and how the adaptogen term was coined. Adaptogens are important for cancer treatment.

Join Susun for a weekly virtual weed walk. 'Easy Herbal Medicine & Natural Remedies in under 30 minutes per week!', gives students new short videos and audios each week, for a fast, easy way to incorporate herbal medicine into your life. Learn more: https://www.wisewomanschool.com/p/easy-herbal-medicine

Thursday, February 21, 2019

What is a Simple?

What is a Simple?

A "simple" is one herb used at a time. A "simpler" is an herbalist who generally uses herbs one at a time, rather than in combinations.

Why Use Simples?
Most herbalists I have met -- whether from China or Japan, Eastern or Western Europe, Australia or North America -- use herbs in combinations. Simplers, like myself, don't. Why?
Because I believe that herbal medicine is people's medicine, I seek to make herbal medicine simple: as simple as one herb at a time. Because people worry about interactions between the drugs they take and herbs, I keep it simple: with simples, interactions are simple to observe, and simpler to avoid. Because empowerment in health care is difficult, I want to offer others easy, safe herbal remedies: and what could be easier, or safer, than a simple?

Simples Make Me Think
When I was just getting started with herbs, one thing that confounded me was the many choices I had when I began to match symptoms to the herbs that relieved them. If someone had a cough should I use garden sage or wild cherry bark or pine sap or mullein or coltsfoot (to name only a few of the many choices)? One way out of this dilemma was to use them all. I made many cough syrups that contained every anti-cough herb that I could collect. And they all worked.
As I got more sophisticated in my herbal usage, and especially after I completed a course on homeopathy, I began to see that each herb had a specific personality, a specific way of acting. I realized I couldn't notice the individual actions of the herbs when they were combined.

It felt daring at first to use just one herb. Would wild cherry bark tincture all by itself be enough to quell that child's cough? Yes! Would mullein infusion alone really reduce a person's asthmatic and allergic reactions? Yes! Would sage soaked in honey for six weeks ease a sore throat? Yes! Each herb that I tried as a simple was successful. They all worked, not just together, but by themselves.
The more I used individual herbs the more I came to know them as individuals. The more I used simples, the simpler and more successful my remedies became. The more I used one herb at a time, the more I learned about how that herb worked, and didn't work.

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Susun's, weed walks in Paris - Ma huang

Susun's, weed walks in Paris - Ma huang

Follow Susun's adventures in Paris. In the gardens of the Natural history museum. She shows us Ma huang, which great to open up the bronchial tract.

Monday, February 4, 2019

Energize and Enjoy with Nettle

Energize and Enjoy with Nettle

Winter is my season. I love the snow and the cold; I crave the deep and nourishing dark; I delight

when the sun makes rainbows in the snow. The holidays grant us all permission to glitter and shine, to be golden and glowing, to twinkle like a star and smile at strangers; and that is nourishing to my soul.
But winter isn't for everyone. For some, winter is a time of sadness and exhaustion. The reduced hours of daylight can bring the doldrums. Too much permission to drink alcohol and eat refined sugars can leave one feeling less than lively, even leaden.
.................
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a common weed throughout much of the world. The dried herb makes a nourishing herbal infusion that packs more energy per cup than any stimulant, and without the downside of caffeine or stimulating herbs like cayenne and ginger. Tired teenagers, sleep-deprived new moms, stressed executives, wakeful menopausal gals, and wise women of all ages depend on stinging nettle to restore mood, replenish energy, and guarantee sound sleep.
Nettle is amazingly rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, especially the critical trace minerals: anti-cancer selenium, immune-enhancing sulphur, memory-enhancing zinc, diabetes-chasing chromium, and bone-building boron. A quart of nettle infusion contains more than 1000 milligrams of calcium, 15000 IU of vitamin A, 760 milligrams of vitamin K, 10% protein, and lavish amounts of most B vitamins.

There is no denser nutrition found in any plant, not even bluegreen algae; and nettle is much more reasonably priced than any supplement, especially if you buy more than an ounce or two at a time.

But we must consume lots of nettle to get this power-packed nutrition. I infuse a full ounce dried nettle in a quart of water to make a brew that nourishes my ability to think and supports my desire to work. Infusing nettle maximizes its energy-enhancing effects too. Teas, tinctures and capsules of nettle contain too little herb to make a difference in vim and vigor. To experience the miracle of nettle, you'll need to take the time to make a real infusion (directions follow).

Read the full article here:
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/October08/healingwise.htm

Monday, January 28, 2019

Adaptogens: Herbs for Energy

Adaptogens: Herbs for Energy, Longevity, and Optimum Health.

Feeling stressed? Need more energy? Want to boost your immune system and be overall healthier?
This online course includes 60 easy video lessons on the benefits of embracing Adaptogenic foods and herbs.

Pictured is one of the adaptogens we discuss. Goji berry tincture. Great immunity booster and wonderful for eyes.

Sign up for this course here:
https://www.wisewomanschool.com/p/adaptogens-herbs-for-energy-longevity-and-optimum-health