I love red raspberry. Lately I have been focusing on chickweed and plantain because I have been using them for a broad spectrum of things. However, red raspberry is one of my absolute MUST have herbs for many ailments. I love Red Raspberry so much that I wrote my thesis for The School of Natural Healing on it. My thesis can be read on the website Herbal Legacy. I will discuss many of the uses of red raspberry over time; however, 3 uses have recently been brought to my attention.
A couple of days ago, I mentioned that a friend's son was dealing with hives so we made the salve of chickweed and plantain. They were helping the hives diminish but not entirely. His bowels were not moving properly (which can exacerbate hives as the body tries to throw out toxins any way that it can). His mom made some juice of red raspberries and apples and within an hour the hives severely subsided and after 2 glasses of raspberry juice, they left completely. I hypothesize that the raspberry helped because raspberries are a refrigerant. Chinese medicine considers hives a heat condition so you need to give the body cooling things and eliminate heat producing foods. Raspberries may cool the body. Furthermore, they are also a laxative, so they get the bowels moving properly and the body has a place for the toxins to go. The other possibility, which my friend reminded me of, is quercetin in the raspberries and apples (found in the skin).
The second thing about raspberry that was brought up today is red raspberry leaves. When I was pregnant with my first, I didn't know about raspberry leaves. How I wish I had! With my second, my husband said that raspberry leaves made such a difference, he would walk to China and back if he had to to get them for me. Raspberry leaves balance hormones, provide calcium, iron, vitamin C, almost all the B vitamins, magnesium, etc. They also strengthen the uterus to be more efficient and the contractions less painful. They help with afterpains as well as milk supply. I wouldn't bother with the little raspberry tea bags but found that the raspberry leaf from Mountain Rose Herbs is not far less expensive than those tea bags, but far more potent and beneficial.
So, how to make raspberry leaf tea. Take a tea basket or tea ball. Place 1ish teaspoons in the basket or ball inside the cup. Pour boiling water over. Cover with an upside down plate for 20 minutes. If mint or something else is desired to flavor it, throw that in during the last 5 minutes. Enjoy. For really strong tea, let cool to room temperature before removing the raspberry leaves and enjoying.
Some people don't mind the taste- it tastes a little like ice tea when cold. Some people dislike it. I find that adding some lemon and honey or icing it and then adding 1/4-1/3 the amount of tea in juice like cherry or grape really helps. Sometimes I will put mint in at the end of steeping.
The third is somewhat related to the previous one in that it is related to female reproductive organs. I have found that for an ovarian cyst, 1-2 quarts of red raspberry leaf tea has helped tremendously in lessening the pain to a dull soreness when pressed on. If I don't drink the raspberry leaf tea, the pain increases. I am doing other things too to get rid of the cyst, but the raspberry leaf has been a very important part of my treatment of my cyst.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Plantain and Chickweed Strike again!!!
So, 2 weeks ago I started the oil of chickweed and an oil of plantain. I didn't have any time on Wednesday or Thursday to do anything with the oil so I let it macerate a few days longer. Today, a friend came over with her son who was covered in hives. He had used some fresh plantain on some of the hives and it gave relief of itching and took away the angry look of most the hives. However, she didn't have access to loads of plantain for the hives to continue applying it and she was growing weary of giving him Benadryl which wasn't really working very well. When she got to my home, it occurred to me that the plantain oil was ready to press out and make into salve. I told her if she stuck around, I would make some up for her.
Earlier this morning, I had gotten out The School of Natural Healing and looked up hives. Dr. Christopher recommended chickweed for the hives. So, we made a salve of 50% chickweed and 50% plantain. I measured 2 ounces of each oil (total 4 ounces) and then 1/4 ounce of beeswax. I just melted the beeswax in a stainless steel saucepan and then added the oils. Adding the oils caused some of the beeswax to clump up again, so we stirred until thoroughly mixed and melted but not hot on low heat. We sterilized a jar and then, after the mixture was finished, we poured it into the jar and let it cool. Then we capped it. The tiny bit left in the bottom of the pot was rubbed all over the hives and they too began to cool. The salve we created with smooth, applied well, and didn't have a goopy consistency. It is a little thin for "packing" but it is fabulous for massaging into something. To thicken the salve, add a little more beeswax.
Earlier this morning, I had gotten out The School of Natural Healing and looked up hives. Dr. Christopher recommended chickweed for the hives. So, we made a salve of 50% chickweed and 50% plantain. I measured 2 ounces of each oil (total 4 ounces) and then 1/4 ounce of beeswax. I just melted the beeswax in a stainless steel saucepan and then added the oils. Adding the oils caused some of the beeswax to clump up again, so we stirred until thoroughly mixed and melted but not hot on low heat. We sterilized a jar and then, after the mixture was finished, we poured it into the jar and let it cool. Then we capped it. The tiny bit left in the bottom of the pot was rubbed all over the hives and they too began to cool. The salve we created with smooth, applied well, and didn't have a goopy consistency. It is a little thin for "packing" but it is fabulous for massaging into something. To thicken the salve, add a little more beeswax.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Plantain again- This time with the bug bites
We went camping this weekend. I had forgotten my bug repellent oil I blended for camping (oops) because I had been showing it to my brother in law when he popped in for a visit, and, like a responsible person I had put it AWAY instead of back in the bag to go camping! So, we got to camp and I realized this. Thankfully I had some lavender essential oil and some bug buttons (they are plastic disks that pin to your clothes and are infused with plant oils). The bug buttons work pretty well, as long as you aren't SWARMED with mosquitoes! We, unfortunately were swarmed with mosquitoes at the camp site. So, I rubbed a little lavender oil on all of us and pinned on the bug buttons. I got 2 bites- one before I had the button on and one on my forehead by my hairline, which was rather far from the button. The one on my forehead was probably from a biting fly or something of that sort because the bite didn't swell but I ended up with a large bulbous spot on my head like a bonk on the head would produce. So, back to plantain. The first mosquito bite hurt, alerting me to the mosquito biting. After smacking the mosquito, I went and found some plantain, smashed a leaf really well to allow the juices to come out, and held it in place for a few minutes. I re-smashed the leaf to expose more juice and repeated. The itch was gone and the bite never really materialized. I got the second bite in the midst of feeding my kids and was unable to find some plantain right away so I ignored it. On my way home I realized what a lump I had on my head. After showering, I put some plantain ointment on my head and lo and behold, within a short time, the itch, warmth, and bump are gone. I love plantain!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Sunburn update
So, my husband got home and took a shower. His forehead has peeled a small amount and except for a few red streaks on his belly, which are still more pink than red, his shoulders are the only thing that is left to heal. All the fluid filled blisters have been reabsorbed and now the skin is beginning to reveal fresh healthy skin underneath. He commented that he has had far milder burns with much more peeling than he has had this time. This is good!
Severe Sunburn
One of these days I will get smart and start taking pictures of before and after... but I am not there yet.
Anyway, my husband went camping on Friday night with my son. He didn't get back until 8pm on Saturday. I had sent him with sunscreen. He did not put ANY on himself or my son. Thankfully, my son inherited my skin and came home with a FAINT pink line on the fleshy part of his cheek just below his eyes, which was gone by morning after a swabbing of St. John's Wort oil. My dh on the other hand was not so fortunate. He has English skin and he BURNS. He was burned from head to toe (yes even on his head where his hair is thin even though he wore a hat much of the time he was out). When he got home, his skin, especially his shoulders, face, arms, belly, back, and tops of his feet were HOT. After getting my son to bed we began to doctor him. He was dehydrated and had begun to go into shock. His hands were frozen as were his feet (except for the patch of red on top) and he was shivering. Out came my bag of tricks!
First, he took a tepid shower. Then I swabbed him down with a mixture of Calendula oil, St. John's Wort oil, and lavender essential oil. We let that soak in for a time. I gave him 1/2 tsp of Cayenne to bring him out of shock. I had him drink several TALL glasses of distilled water, which I added 1 capful of Organa Minerals, juice of 1/2 lemon, and 1 tsp grade B maple syrup to restore his lost minerals. I also had him start taking 1 T Complete Tissue Syrup every hour. He drank 2 ounces before bed. After an hour, I repeated the process with the oils and continued to push fluids. Usually the lavender oil pulls the heat out VERY fast, but it wasn't pulling the heat out fast enough for my liking. After an hour and a half, I told him I was going to make him smell like a salad. I got out the apple cider vinegar and swabbed him down with that. I have used apple cider vinegar before on burns and have had great success with pulling the heat and sting right out. I then added more of the oil mixture to his skin. After another hour, I repeated the vinegar and oil routine. By this time it was midnight and we went to bed. The next morning, many of his burns looked better and had not blistered. We repeated the vinegar and oil routine several times during the morning. I forbid him from any cooked foods for the day and continued to hydrate him. I also had him continue taking the Complete Tissue Formula syrup. He slept for part of the afternoon so I didn't repeat during the afternoon until later. Again there was improvement but his shoulders continued to be warm- not as hot as they had been but they were still very angry. We continued more of what we were doing because we had seen good results in the other burns and even some improvement with the shoulders. Monday my husband went to work. He did not put anything on his shoulders after his shoulder other than a paltry amount of Complete Tissue ointment and then some soft cloths to protect his shoulders. That night, when he got home, his shoulders were beginning to blister with fluid filled sacs- indicating a 2nd degree burn. I made up some of Dr. Christopher's burn paste and slathered that on his shoulders. He wore that, covered in lettuce leaves, and then wrapped with a soft cloth for several hours. When I returned, the size of the blisters had shrunk. We slathered on Complete Tissue Formula on his shoulders. Because he has been working, I have only been able to add more complete tissue when he gets home. His shoulders continue to show improvement and lessening of the redness. The rest of his body is now mostly a pale pink or even a little tanned. I haven't seen his shoulders today yet, as he leaves very early in the morning for work.
I will update later.
Anyway, my husband went camping on Friday night with my son. He didn't get back until 8pm on Saturday. I had sent him with sunscreen. He did not put ANY on himself or my son. Thankfully, my son inherited my skin and came home with a FAINT pink line on the fleshy part of his cheek just below his eyes, which was gone by morning after a swabbing of St. John's Wort oil. My dh on the other hand was not so fortunate. He has English skin and he BURNS. He was burned from head to toe (yes even on his head where his hair is thin even though he wore a hat much of the time he was out). When he got home, his skin, especially his shoulders, face, arms, belly, back, and tops of his feet were HOT. After getting my son to bed we began to doctor him. He was dehydrated and had begun to go into shock. His hands were frozen as were his feet (except for the patch of red on top) and he was shivering. Out came my bag of tricks!
First, he took a tepid shower. Then I swabbed him down with a mixture of Calendula oil, St. John's Wort oil, and lavender essential oil. We let that soak in for a time. I gave him 1/2 tsp of Cayenne to bring him out of shock. I had him drink several TALL glasses of distilled water, which I added 1 capful of Organa Minerals, juice of 1/2 lemon, and 1 tsp grade B maple syrup to restore his lost minerals. I also had him start taking 1 T Complete Tissue Syrup every hour. He drank 2 ounces before bed. After an hour, I repeated the process with the oils and continued to push fluids. Usually the lavender oil pulls the heat out VERY fast, but it wasn't pulling the heat out fast enough for my liking. After an hour and a half, I told him I was going to make him smell like a salad. I got out the apple cider vinegar and swabbed him down with that. I have used apple cider vinegar before on burns and have had great success with pulling the heat and sting right out. I then added more of the oil mixture to his skin. After another hour, I repeated the vinegar and oil routine. By this time it was midnight and we went to bed. The next morning, many of his burns looked better and had not blistered. We repeated the vinegar and oil routine several times during the morning. I forbid him from any cooked foods for the day and continued to hydrate him. I also had him continue taking the Complete Tissue Formula syrup. He slept for part of the afternoon so I didn't repeat during the afternoon until later. Again there was improvement but his shoulders continued to be warm- not as hot as they had been but they were still very angry. We continued more of what we were doing because we had seen good results in the other burns and even some improvement with the shoulders. Monday my husband went to work. He did not put anything on his shoulders after his shoulder other than a paltry amount of Complete Tissue ointment and then some soft cloths to protect his shoulders. That night, when he got home, his shoulders were beginning to blister with fluid filled sacs- indicating a 2nd degree burn. I made up some of Dr. Christopher's burn paste and slathered that on his shoulders. He wore that, covered in lettuce leaves, and then wrapped with a soft cloth for several hours. When I returned, the size of the blisters had shrunk. We slathered on Complete Tissue Formula on his shoulders. Because he has been working, I have only been able to add more complete tissue when he gets home. His shoulders continue to show improvement and lessening of the redness. The rest of his body is now mostly a pale pink or even a little tanned. I haven't seen his shoulders today yet, as he leaves very early in the morning for work.
I will update later.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Carrot tops, cherries, grapes, apples, yum!
For breakfast today I used my super fresh carrot tops in a smoothie. I bought some organic cherries from a wholesaler yesterday. These Bing cherries were picked at 6am Tuesday morning and in my home yesterday. They are the best cherries I have ever had. So I pitted about a dozen or so cherries, tossed in the tops of 6 or 7 carrots, an apple (whole and quartered with seeds), a few chunks of frozen mango, a tablespoon of flax seeds, a capful of Organa minerals, and some leftover homemade almond milk. The kids and I loved it.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
CSA weeds again!
Today at the CSA the U-pick fields for parsley and cilantro were open. I love the fresh cilantro and parsley! There was a tiny sign that said, "Weeding welcome." I promptly got to work weeding and pulling out the gorgeous young plantain plants among the parsley. The young plantain (Plantago major) can be used in salads and are high in calcium, vitamin C, iron, choline, zinc, and a whole host of healing compounds and other vitamins and trace minerals. This time, rather than eating it in our salad, I decided to make some salve with it. Plantain is fabulous for bug bites. It is also good for cuts and helps to draw out contaminants and heal without scarring. When my second child was 2, she got poked near her eye with a plastic pipe. I had NOTHING in terms of first aid stuff because we were moving and all the stuff was packed at the apartment and not on me 25 miles away at the house. I went outside and found some plantain leaves, mushed them up, and then put them on her wound. When we got home, I had forgotten about it. I didn't get my normal complete tissue salve on her wound until the next day. She healed up quickly, no scarring, no infection. I did not know that Plantain contained allantoin which is a cell proliferant and aucubin which is antibacterial.
So, back to my salve I am making. First I have to make an oil infusion. To do this, I let the leaves wilt for about 12 hours to help some of the water content evaporate out so I don't spoil my oil. I then took each leaf and brushed off all the residual dirt and placed them in a jar. I covered the leaves with olive oil. Then I roughly blended up the leaves and oil so the leaves were about the size of peas and then poured it back into the jar. I covered with a cloth napkin to allow the water to evaporate but keep dust out of my oil. I put my oil jar in the bottom of my dehydrator set to 95 degrees. It is not necessary to do this, but it helps to get the water out quickly so the oil doesn't go rancid. I will leave this in the dehydrator for 3 days or so (I have other things dehydrating in there like red clover blossoms, parsley, peppermint, etc so the electricity is going to good use. I also put a jar of chickweed oil infusion in. After about 3 days, I will leave the jars in a darker spot on my counter, still covered with a napkin, so the oil sits a total of 2 weeks. I will press out the oil and then allow it to sit undisturbed in the jar for a few more days so the oil and water and leftover sludge separate. I will then decant the oil. Depending my how much water is left over, I will repeat one more time. In about 3 weeks I will make my salve. Yes, this is time intensive in that it must sit on the counter but fresh salve is so much better than store-bought. And it costs a fraction of the bought product.
So, back to my salve I am making. First I have to make an oil infusion. To do this, I let the leaves wilt for about 12 hours to help some of the water content evaporate out so I don't spoil my oil. I then took each leaf and brushed off all the residual dirt and placed them in a jar. I covered the leaves with olive oil. Then I roughly blended up the leaves and oil so the leaves were about the size of peas and then poured it back into the jar. I covered with a cloth napkin to allow the water to evaporate but keep dust out of my oil. I put my oil jar in the bottom of my dehydrator set to 95 degrees. It is not necessary to do this, but it helps to get the water out quickly so the oil doesn't go rancid. I will leave this in the dehydrator for 3 days or so (I have other things dehydrating in there like red clover blossoms, parsley, peppermint, etc so the electricity is going to good use. I also put a jar of chickweed oil infusion in. After about 3 days, I will leave the jars in a darker spot on my counter, still covered with a napkin, so the oil sits a total of 2 weeks. I will press out the oil and then allow it to sit undisturbed in the jar for a few more days so the oil and water and leftover sludge separate. I will then decant the oil. Depending my how much water is left over, I will repeat one more time. In about 3 weeks I will make my salve. Yes, this is time intensive in that it must sit on the counter but fresh salve is so much better than store-bought. And it costs a fraction of the bought product.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
I love weeds and other commonly discarded greens
Yesterday I went with my family to the local CSA we belong to. I love going to the farm each week to get fresh picked organic local produce. Our CSA has a u-pick field of greens and, later in the season, flowers, basil, and other herbs. Every week, throughout the summer, I go pick my greens for green smoothies and I pause to pick some weeds. Most people would just toss them aside, but I select the best weeds to bring home and eat. Yesterday, like most weeks, the weed of choice is chickweed. We use it in our green smoothies for its high nutrient content. I will also be making some chickweed salve to add to my first aid kit in case of skin irritation while we are camping or around the house. I will have to take some pictures of chickweed to post.
Today I made basil pestoand added an equal amount of chickweed to stretch the pesto. I couldn't tell that it wasn't 100% basil on the quinoa and veggies. Actually, I think I liked it better than straight pesto.
For breakfast this morning, I used the carrot tops in my green smoothie. I added in some frozen peaches, cherries, 1 lemon with just the yellow peeled off (it was not organic), 1 T flax seeds, organa minerals, and a dash of agave. It was yummy! Carrot tops are full of chlorophyll. According to the book Green For Life, they are also very high in Calcium, even higher than the carrots.
Today I made basil pestoand added an equal amount of chickweed to stretch the pesto. I couldn't tell that it wasn't 100% basil on the quinoa and veggies. Actually, I think I liked it better than straight pesto.
For breakfast this morning, I used the carrot tops in my green smoothie. I added in some frozen peaches, cherries, 1 lemon with just the yellow peeled off (it was not organic), 1 T flax seeds, organa minerals, and a dash of agave. It was yummy! Carrot tops are full of chlorophyll. According to the book Green For Life, they are also very high in Calcium, even higher than the carrots.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The School of Natural Healing
What a joy it is to sit at the feet of some of the great Herbalists in this country and learn more. I spent the last 6 years studying at the School of Natural Healing. A few weeks ago I attended the 2008 Master Herbalist seminar with 27 other people. We studied hard, we learned more, and we made friends. We came away blessed with more knowledge and more confidence and more questions and research to do! I am continually amazed at the power that herbs have to heal the body.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)